Post by Glip on Sept 3, 2010 16:51:23 GMT -5
Okay, translated from dutch here's quite a long story that I wrote for a friend who participated in a project to make a movie about the end of the world. He asked me to make a sort of prologue story.
If there's any grammar not making sense or incorrect sentences I blame Google-Translate.
The monster Gari Nooren.
Gari wanted it to stop.
She sat in a wheelchair with a keyboard on her paralyzed lap and from the speakers of her record player sounded "Since I’ve been lovin’ you” by Led Zeppelin. An extinguished cigarette in the ashtray on the table shot up a final plume of smoke toward the yellowed ceiling. The curtains had not been open for years and her wheelchair was parked in a big mountain of trash. Tire tracks from her wheelchair were visible in the junk in her little room. A trail of when she went to the toilet or accidentally had found time to get a shower and change clothes, though she had not done so for weeks. She had prepared for a long time, everything was ready and it would happen today. Her lips curled into a grim smile. Thin trembling fingers glided over the keyboard. Strange characters and symbols were projected on the far wall. Some more characters were added and the projection on the wall showed a framework. It told her the computer was busy with various calculations. Jesus, she had become such a nerd! But one with a purpose. It wouldn’t be long now, she estimated half an hour and then everything would stop. She had half expected to be nervous, or at least somewhat strained, but she was remarkably calm, almost cheerful. Almost cheerful, but not quite. Cheerfulness was removed from her vocabulary. Strange, but she had an inclination to fresh up and change clothes. It was somewhat of an official event in her mind, though ultimately it wouldn’t matter one fuck. A syringe was lying in a small open brown leather box on top of some cans of energy drink and stacks of CDs on the table next to the ashtray. It took considerable effort to maneuver the wheelchair through the huge heap of waste, not only because her house had become virtually impassable for a disabled woman, but she had also lost almost all of the strength in her arms. Her face darkened at the thought of days past, when she was so strong and healthy. She was called a superwoman back then. That was before, this was now. Fortunately, there was less junk in the hallway from the living room to her bathroom. She grabbed an oval box from a closet containing her wedding dress, the only clean piece of cloth in the house. For Christopher, she would wear it one more time. A beautiful dress for beautiful Chris. She pulled the rope that turned on the light in the bathroom and saw the stinking and rancid water in the bathtub. She’d not even taken the trouble to empty the bath the last time, three weeks ago. Or was it four weeks? Whatever. The shower was next to the bath, wheelchair-friendly and updated with all the conveniences for disabled people. She had never used it and sure enough it was the only place in her house that was pristine. Gari climbed out of her wheelchair, muttering curses and sat on the white plastic seat in the shower. Ten seconds later jets of warm water were massaging her back and shoulders. Droplets tickled down her breasts, her sagging belly and spindly legs. Yuck! She did not dare look! For ten years now she was disgusted by herself and she hated every inch of her body. Shampoo foamed through her greasy long hair. Under her feet the water turned brown. The smell of the lavender scented shampoo replaced the thick sour smell of her own filth. Waves of loathing were gradually replaced by resignation. Calm. The hot steamy water and the sweet scent of the shampoo worked tranquilizing on her mood. Relaxing. She turned the knob a little further open and enjoyed a few more minutes of clattering water against her pockmarked skin.
After she dried herself off- miraculously a clean towel hung over the rack - she struggled cursing into her wedding dress. Of course it did not fit, but she somehow managed to squeeze into the thing. She just left the zipper on her back open, brushed her teeth and brushed her long hair for a steamed up mirror. Gari considered for a moment wiping the mirror with the towel. No! She did not want to see it! No, but still. In her head spoke a mean curious but oh so familiar little voice. She had managed to evade her own reflection for about a year or three. Some deranged people destroyed all the mirrors in the house or boarded windows up with planks, Gari just never looked into them and she wasn’t really crazy. Crazy meant being human, Gari Nooren wasn’t exactly what she would call human anymore. Gari Nooren was a monster. By all definitions, she was a monster. The mean little voice spoke again and whispered that she was just too afraid of her reflection. Afraid? Never! Yes, she hated it, but she certainly was no coward! Just to prove it she took the towel and held it just before the mirror. Her arm began to tremble in doubt a few inches from the mirror. Then, with a grunt, she wiped the condensation off the mirror and saw herself. After three years she truly saw herself. With big eyes she looked in the mirror and the monster looked back. In an instant old, painful, very painful images shot through her head.
Ten years back. She´s twenty-four and she’s running.
Oh God, could she run!
The sun shines, of course, the sun always shines. The red grit under her shoes creaks beneath her feet, faster and faster. Her thoughts are far away and her gaze is focused on the white stripe about fifty yards away across the racecourse. In this state she is the predator, graceful but fierce, chasing prey. Running is the only way to satisfy the deep aggression within her. A final sprint and she is heading for a personal best, maybe this time enough for Olympic qualification. She strains her legs even more and they willingly follow her desire to accelerate. The predator lashes out her claws to the prey. The finish line rushes underneath her and she looks expectantly at the scoreboard showing the times. Cheers from the stands start dripping into her consciousness and then she collapses to the ground in tears of happiness. Done! Gari Lahuus - Nooren is going to the Olympics! When she opens her eyes she sees the smiling face of Christopher Lahuus, her dear Chris. He lifts her up and covers her in thousands of kisses.
She thanks God.
The mirror fogged up again and with a groaning curse Gari Nooren noticed that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She grabbed the towel and wiped the mirror again. The monster now had red eyes and looked sad, she would almost pity her. Then came a flood of old, sweet, agonizing images. A torment.
Again the sun is shining, the sun always shines. She wakes up in their big bed and stretches. Slowly she gets out of bed and giggles when her legs can’t hold her and she almost drops to the ground. She and Chris had quite the night last night! She puts on her soft velvet robe. On a small table, a steaming hot cup of tea is readily waiting next to a dish with toast and her two silver medals that are posted against a small glass standard. Chris. What a treasure of a man! As she hums a merry tune she wonders if she will ever get the smile off her face. She tries her new clothes in front of the large mirror in the bedroom. The shirt is a bit tight and she needs to hold in her belly just a little for the sexy mini skirt. She proudly admires her female forms in the mirror. Delicious. Very delicious. In a few weeks those clothes probably won’t fit anymore, but for now she is a downright hottie. Even in about seven months she will still look good. She quickly eats her toast and takes a few sips of the tea and then she runs down where her husband in his dressing gown is reading a newspaper at the kitchen table. He puts the newspaper away to kiss her but she stops him with one hand. She tries not to laugh out loud at his silly face when he hears they are going to have a baby.
She thanks God.
Again the mirror fogged up and she noticed her contorted fists holding the towel. She heard herself sobbing gently. She let go of the towel and her hands went automatically to her belly. Again images.
The sun is shining and her hands automatically go to her bulging beautiful belly. She’s daydreaming about a son in a famous football team or a smart girl skating. Whatever it is, boy or girl, the child had to be physically fit with such a mother. Mama was once an Olympic medal winner. Oh, and musical like Chris. The child will be happy, that's for sure! She hasn’t thought about a name yet, but it will be a good Christian name. She thanks God. Across the street, a shop opens its doors. It is one of those new computer shops, it seems that those terrible devices are now given away for free, everybody owned one nowadays! Wicked, that's what it was! Wicked and no good! Behind her, a car horn sounds and she turns around. Her husband slowly drives down the driveway to meet her and grins. Today he had his meeting with the theater about sponsoring funds and things like that, quite important for their financial future. Chris gets out of the big car and hugs his wife. He whispers in her ear that everything is perfect, and that she and the baby can now get everything their hearts desire.
Again she thanks God.
Gari was now lying on the floor and cried out loud. Memories followed one another rapidly now and always it seemed the damn sun shone. Writhing on the floor she took another breath for the next scream. Pictures, images, memory after memory flooding her mind.
The sun is shining. Chris races to the hospital and Gari-Lahuus Nooren pants and puffs. The child comes. The contractions are still not as painful as she was told they’d be, but they are getting worse. Chris is shooting left and right by other cars and she urges him to drive slow and safe. Here comes another contraction and she moans. Chris looks back worried at Gari laying across the backseat. Along his face she sees the sun disappearing and she points to the massive thing that’s heading straight towards them with incredible speed. Chris turns around and hits the brake hard. The tires squeal and all they can see is the huge grill of a truck approaching with screaming brakes. She hears Chris curse. "Shame on you! Chris!", she thinks. Then a loud bang and the world turns around as she hears something crack and snap in her lower back and again a crack and again. Then everything turns black.
When she asks God why she only gets darkness and pain for an answer.
The monster on the floor fiercely suppressed her crying. Snarling and growling she climbed back in her wheelchair. She had been in a coma for one and a half months after that day. She had talked with God for one and a half months, but it was a one-sided conversation. A monologue. She had received no response. She recalled the time after waking up, her husband and child had died, but something new was born. The dormant predator in her had fully awoken. A monster. The doctors said that her personality probably was totally changed due to some brain damage. It didn’t matter to her, she had lost everything, so why not her soul? She remembered the anger, the pure hatred for the doctors, friends and family. The goddamn assholes with their fucking charity. They could all catch a rotting disease die a slow death for all she cared.
After she had broken all ties she was alone at last and finally she could focus all of her hate on a new goal. That big almighty bastard, god. Chris had been insured well and financially she would not have problems, although she had to sell their beautiful house and eventually moved to this hovel. She didn’t care because living space was no longer required, she wasn’t going anywhere.
The monster had had other interests than Good Old-Gari. She had taken to drinking, but even that could not suppress her immense grief and anger. She had on impulse bought a computer then. Probably to tease her old self. And she had learned to work it. It was surprising was how fast the monster devoured book after book on electronics, and computer programming. The pure hatred had given her a goal and she was frantically working towards it. She had discovered that with some adjustments she could manipulate large computer controlled systems. Gari Nooren at that time, about eight years ago, became the world's most wanted hacker. She was never traced, not one second in danger of discovery. Banks, major transport companies, international stock exchanges and political organizations, nothing and no one was safe from the talons of the predator. Security agencies couldn’t catch her and when they came too close her revenge always had been sweet. Dollar Rates were easily plummeted and influential leaders were easily exposed to scandals. The monster Gari Nooren was at that time the most powerful woman in the world from her house full of dirt. It was never political, never to scam money. Those were all just little experiments. Gari Nooren had the power to break the world into a thousand pieces and here she sat in her shabby wedding dress crying.
Sighing she dried her eyes and cheeks with the towel and went back to her living room where the projector still beamed a broad and intricate picture on the wall. Symbols were blinking on the 'screen', which indicated that there was now remote contact with twenty computers. A small window called "Ragnarok" asked for a confirmation. With an insane grin she picked up the wireless keyboard and laid it on her lap. Everything was taken from her and now it was her time to take some bittersweet revenge on everyone and everything. Gods creation owed her pain. The last cigarette was burning away on her lips as she diligently circumvented the protections of the machines she broke in to. Eight years of preparation was completed within seconds until there remained one touch of a button. On the screen on the far wall was a list of all systems she now controlled. Blinking in green. Energy companies, government agencies, trade centers, military bases and depots with ultra-secret weapons the world so far had had no notion of. Weaponry, too horrible for words, but perfect for Gari Nooren. Then she checked the last, very last thing for herself, the syringe with potassium chloride.
For a moment she thought of Chris, dear Chris. She turned her gaze up, held her breath and pressed 'enter' on her keyboard. Trembling, she tore the left sleeve of her dress and injected the potassium chloride into her arm. Through the speakers of the record player Eddie Vedder sang his sad song “Black” for his lost love and Gari jerked uncontrollably in her wheelchair. Worldwide computers were crashing. All of mankind went back to square one, the middle ages and in a messy room lay the lifeless body of the monster in a large heap of rubble. Eddie Vedder sang on until the global blackout eventually silenced him. His song for a lost love.
If there's any grammar not making sense or incorrect sentences I blame Google-Translate.
The monster Gari Nooren.
Gari wanted it to stop.
She sat in a wheelchair with a keyboard on her paralyzed lap and from the speakers of her record player sounded "Since I’ve been lovin’ you” by Led Zeppelin. An extinguished cigarette in the ashtray on the table shot up a final plume of smoke toward the yellowed ceiling. The curtains had not been open for years and her wheelchair was parked in a big mountain of trash. Tire tracks from her wheelchair were visible in the junk in her little room. A trail of when she went to the toilet or accidentally had found time to get a shower and change clothes, though she had not done so for weeks. She had prepared for a long time, everything was ready and it would happen today. Her lips curled into a grim smile. Thin trembling fingers glided over the keyboard. Strange characters and symbols were projected on the far wall. Some more characters were added and the projection on the wall showed a framework. It told her the computer was busy with various calculations. Jesus, she had become such a nerd! But one with a purpose. It wouldn’t be long now, she estimated half an hour and then everything would stop. She had half expected to be nervous, or at least somewhat strained, but she was remarkably calm, almost cheerful. Almost cheerful, but not quite. Cheerfulness was removed from her vocabulary. Strange, but she had an inclination to fresh up and change clothes. It was somewhat of an official event in her mind, though ultimately it wouldn’t matter one fuck. A syringe was lying in a small open brown leather box on top of some cans of energy drink and stacks of CDs on the table next to the ashtray. It took considerable effort to maneuver the wheelchair through the huge heap of waste, not only because her house had become virtually impassable for a disabled woman, but she had also lost almost all of the strength in her arms. Her face darkened at the thought of days past, when she was so strong and healthy. She was called a superwoman back then. That was before, this was now. Fortunately, there was less junk in the hallway from the living room to her bathroom. She grabbed an oval box from a closet containing her wedding dress, the only clean piece of cloth in the house. For Christopher, she would wear it one more time. A beautiful dress for beautiful Chris. She pulled the rope that turned on the light in the bathroom and saw the stinking and rancid water in the bathtub. She’d not even taken the trouble to empty the bath the last time, three weeks ago. Or was it four weeks? Whatever. The shower was next to the bath, wheelchair-friendly and updated with all the conveniences for disabled people. She had never used it and sure enough it was the only place in her house that was pristine. Gari climbed out of her wheelchair, muttering curses and sat on the white plastic seat in the shower. Ten seconds later jets of warm water were massaging her back and shoulders. Droplets tickled down her breasts, her sagging belly and spindly legs. Yuck! She did not dare look! For ten years now she was disgusted by herself and she hated every inch of her body. Shampoo foamed through her greasy long hair. Under her feet the water turned brown. The smell of the lavender scented shampoo replaced the thick sour smell of her own filth. Waves of loathing were gradually replaced by resignation. Calm. The hot steamy water and the sweet scent of the shampoo worked tranquilizing on her mood. Relaxing. She turned the knob a little further open and enjoyed a few more minutes of clattering water against her pockmarked skin.
After she dried herself off- miraculously a clean towel hung over the rack - she struggled cursing into her wedding dress. Of course it did not fit, but she somehow managed to squeeze into the thing. She just left the zipper on her back open, brushed her teeth and brushed her long hair for a steamed up mirror. Gari considered for a moment wiping the mirror with the towel. No! She did not want to see it! No, but still. In her head spoke a mean curious but oh so familiar little voice. She had managed to evade her own reflection for about a year or three. Some deranged people destroyed all the mirrors in the house or boarded windows up with planks, Gari just never looked into them and she wasn’t really crazy. Crazy meant being human, Gari Nooren wasn’t exactly what she would call human anymore. Gari Nooren was a monster. By all definitions, she was a monster. The mean little voice spoke again and whispered that she was just too afraid of her reflection. Afraid? Never! Yes, she hated it, but she certainly was no coward! Just to prove it she took the towel and held it just before the mirror. Her arm began to tremble in doubt a few inches from the mirror. Then, with a grunt, she wiped the condensation off the mirror and saw herself. After three years she truly saw herself. With big eyes she looked in the mirror and the monster looked back. In an instant old, painful, very painful images shot through her head.
Ten years back. She´s twenty-four and she’s running.
Oh God, could she run!
The sun shines, of course, the sun always shines. The red grit under her shoes creaks beneath her feet, faster and faster. Her thoughts are far away and her gaze is focused on the white stripe about fifty yards away across the racecourse. In this state she is the predator, graceful but fierce, chasing prey. Running is the only way to satisfy the deep aggression within her. A final sprint and she is heading for a personal best, maybe this time enough for Olympic qualification. She strains her legs even more and they willingly follow her desire to accelerate. The predator lashes out her claws to the prey. The finish line rushes underneath her and she looks expectantly at the scoreboard showing the times. Cheers from the stands start dripping into her consciousness and then she collapses to the ground in tears of happiness. Done! Gari Lahuus - Nooren is going to the Olympics! When she opens her eyes she sees the smiling face of Christopher Lahuus, her dear Chris. He lifts her up and covers her in thousands of kisses.
She thanks God.
The mirror fogged up again and with a groaning curse Gari Nooren noticed that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She grabbed the towel and wiped the mirror again. The monster now had red eyes and looked sad, she would almost pity her. Then came a flood of old, sweet, agonizing images. A torment.
Again the sun is shining, the sun always shines. She wakes up in their big bed and stretches. Slowly she gets out of bed and giggles when her legs can’t hold her and she almost drops to the ground. She and Chris had quite the night last night! She puts on her soft velvet robe. On a small table, a steaming hot cup of tea is readily waiting next to a dish with toast and her two silver medals that are posted against a small glass standard. Chris. What a treasure of a man! As she hums a merry tune she wonders if she will ever get the smile off her face. She tries her new clothes in front of the large mirror in the bedroom. The shirt is a bit tight and she needs to hold in her belly just a little for the sexy mini skirt. She proudly admires her female forms in the mirror. Delicious. Very delicious. In a few weeks those clothes probably won’t fit anymore, but for now she is a downright hottie. Even in about seven months she will still look good. She quickly eats her toast and takes a few sips of the tea and then she runs down where her husband in his dressing gown is reading a newspaper at the kitchen table. He puts the newspaper away to kiss her but she stops him with one hand. She tries not to laugh out loud at his silly face when he hears they are going to have a baby.
She thanks God.
Again the mirror fogged up and she noticed her contorted fists holding the towel. She heard herself sobbing gently. She let go of the towel and her hands went automatically to her belly. Again images.
The sun is shining and her hands automatically go to her bulging beautiful belly. She’s daydreaming about a son in a famous football team or a smart girl skating. Whatever it is, boy or girl, the child had to be physically fit with such a mother. Mama was once an Olympic medal winner. Oh, and musical like Chris. The child will be happy, that's for sure! She hasn’t thought about a name yet, but it will be a good Christian name. She thanks God. Across the street, a shop opens its doors. It is one of those new computer shops, it seems that those terrible devices are now given away for free, everybody owned one nowadays! Wicked, that's what it was! Wicked and no good! Behind her, a car horn sounds and she turns around. Her husband slowly drives down the driveway to meet her and grins. Today he had his meeting with the theater about sponsoring funds and things like that, quite important for their financial future. Chris gets out of the big car and hugs his wife. He whispers in her ear that everything is perfect, and that she and the baby can now get everything their hearts desire.
Again she thanks God.
Gari was now lying on the floor and cried out loud. Memories followed one another rapidly now and always it seemed the damn sun shone. Writhing on the floor she took another breath for the next scream. Pictures, images, memory after memory flooding her mind.
The sun is shining. Chris races to the hospital and Gari-Lahuus Nooren pants and puffs. The child comes. The contractions are still not as painful as she was told they’d be, but they are getting worse. Chris is shooting left and right by other cars and she urges him to drive slow and safe. Here comes another contraction and she moans. Chris looks back worried at Gari laying across the backseat. Along his face she sees the sun disappearing and she points to the massive thing that’s heading straight towards them with incredible speed. Chris turns around and hits the brake hard. The tires squeal and all they can see is the huge grill of a truck approaching with screaming brakes. She hears Chris curse. "Shame on you! Chris!", she thinks. Then a loud bang and the world turns around as she hears something crack and snap in her lower back and again a crack and again. Then everything turns black.
When she asks God why she only gets darkness and pain for an answer.
The monster on the floor fiercely suppressed her crying. Snarling and growling she climbed back in her wheelchair. She had been in a coma for one and a half months after that day. She had talked with God for one and a half months, but it was a one-sided conversation. A monologue. She had received no response. She recalled the time after waking up, her husband and child had died, but something new was born. The dormant predator in her had fully awoken. A monster. The doctors said that her personality probably was totally changed due to some brain damage. It didn’t matter to her, she had lost everything, so why not her soul? She remembered the anger, the pure hatred for the doctors, friends and family. The goddamn assholes with their fucking charity. They could all catch a rotting disease die a slow death for all she cared.
After she had broken all ties she was alone at last and finally she could focus all of her hate on a new goal. That big almighty bastard, god. Chris had been insured well and financially she would not have problems, although she had to sell their beautiful house and eventually moved to this hovel. She didn’t care because living space was no longer required, she wasn’t going anywhere.
The monster had had other interests than Good Old-Gari. She had taken to drinking, but even that could not suppress her immense grief and anger. She had on impulse bought a computer then. Probably to tease her old self. And she had learned to work it. It was surprising was how fast the monster devoured book after book on electronics, and computer programming. The pure hatred had given her a goal and she was frantically working towards it. She had discovered that with some adjustments she could manipulate large computer controlled systems. Gari Nooren at that time, about eight years ago, became the world's most wanted hacker. She was never traced, not one second in danger of discovery. Banks, major transport companies, international stock exchanges and political organizations, nothing and no one was safe from the talons of the predator. Security agencies couldn’t catch her and when they came too close her revenge always had been sweet. Dollar Rates were easily plummeted and influential leaders were easily exposed to scandals. The monster Gari Nooren was at that time the most powerful woman in the world from her house full of dirt. It was never political, never to scam money. Those were all just little experiments. Gari Nooren had the power to break the world into a thousand pieces and here she sat in her shabby wedding dress crying.
Sighing she dried her eyes and cheeks with the towel and went back to her living room where the projector still beamed a broad and intricate picture on the wall. Symbols were blinking on the 'screen', which indicated that there was now remote contact with twenty computers. A small window called "Ragnarok" asked for a confirmation. With an insane grin she picked up the wireless keyboard and laid it on her lap. Everything was taken from her and now it was her time to take some bittersweet revenge on everyone and everything. Gods creation owed her pain. The last cigarette was burning away on her lips as she diligently circumvented the protections of the machines she broke in to. Eight years of preparation was completed within seconds until there remained one touch of a button. On the screen on the far wall was a list of all systems she now controlled. Blinking in green. Energy companies, government agencies, trade centers, military bases and depots with ultra-secret weapons the world so far had had no notion of. Weaponry, too horrible for words, but perfect for Gari Nooren. Then she checked the last, very last thing for herself, the syringe with potassium chloride.
For a moment she thought of Chris, dear Chris. She turned her gaze up, held her breath and pressed 'enter' on her keyboard. Trembling, she tore the left sleeve of her dress and injected the potassium chloride into her arm. Through the speakers of the record player Eddie Vedder sang his sad song “Black” for his lost love and Gari jerked uncontrollably in her wheelchair. Worldwide computers were crashing. All of mankind went back to square one, the middle ages and in a messy room lay the lifeless body of the monster in a large heap of rubble. Eddie Vedder sang on until the global blackout eventually silenced him. His song for a lost love.
