Where do you find the time?  Competing in contests, chatting in the chatter threads, giving us another interesting update?  Sheesh!  I probably won't get around to my story this week, lol.  I 'm really looking forward to the next part.  You gave us some interesting information to chew on, and I can't wait to see what happens when Ilina goes under hypnosis!

I'm up for that, too, but you might want to tell people in advance before they read it, just to make sure they won't anticipate more if there isn't more.  I think telling short stories is a very original idea!  Ooh!  What would be really cool is if a character of one story could occasionally appear in other stories, like in the background or something.  A sim cameo, lol.

Ah, Devillia, you're too hard on yourself.  I really enjoyed it.  You weave an interesting story.  I like the perspective of the story, present tense, which is different than most I've seen - but you stay true to it.  You don't start off in present tense then flop to past tense.  Your grammar is good, and your dialogue flows smoothly.  I'm already interested in the characters, and hoping Vivienne gets to see Mark again.  I hope there's a second part!

Great update!  Daniel had it coming, he really did.  What goes around comes around.  I have a really bad feeling about Dirk and Allison, though.  I can't help but feeling Lilith's last line is foreshadowing something.  I hope Lilith comes out okay in the end.  Looking forward to more.

I'm really enjoying your story, Brittybe.  I love the look you gave all characters - you spruced them up nicely without losing too much of their original look.  I also like how each sim's personality affects their own life and the lives of others:  revenge, lust, pity, greed, love.  It's all there.  Brandi Broke was always one of my favorite Pleasantview inhabitants, and she's so beautiful now.  Poor thing is going on a long rough ride, eh?  I look forward to reading more of this story.  And good luck in the contests you entered, too!

Thank you, Fercho.  I am honored that you think so.

Okay, on with Part 3.


He was running.  He had been, for a long time.  He was exhausted, but he dared not stop.


A quick glance behind him revealed that his pursuers were still following. A group humanoid shapes with toothy grinning faces were chasing him across an unknown landscape. They had a predatory look in their eyes, and blood smeared across their lips.


An angel with silvery hair came down from the sky and told him to hurry in her sweet voice.


She landed before him and stretched her arms out to him...


...then gasped for breath suddenly. Her hands fluttered up to her neck and she tried to speak, but it was useless.


She fell to her knees, suffocating.


Tim watched helplessly as the angel collapsed in a heap in front of him.


He rushed to her side to help her, but it was too late. He looked at his fallen angel and felt an overwhelming sense of despair.


"NOOOOO!"


He looked behind him in a dazed stupor. The creatures were almost upon him now, grunting excitedly.


He looked back down at the angel, but a demon stood in her place. She hissed at him, baring fangs.


Tim recoiled. It laughed and reached for him.


Its hand brushed his face and he screeched in agony at its touch.


The demon cackled, rising into the air. Apalled, Tim turned to run.


The demon grabbed him by the neck. Tim heard his own screams echo back at him. Icy hands choked him, stifling his screams and his breath. He grabbed at the hands, but he couldn't pry them off his neck.

"No," he croaked.

The hands squeezed tighter, and he staggered, falling to the ground.


The demons surrounded him, chortling excitedly...

Oh no!  That's probably a sim story teller's worst nightmare.  I mean, if I had wants and fears panels myself, one of my fears would be to lose my story and/or story characters.  Right behind a major computer crash, of course.  I hope you can recreate everyone without too much difficulty.  And don't worry if they don't look exactly the same - we'll understand.

Thank you, playslakert!  I appreciate the feedback.

Never mind, I found it!

Aww, romance, tragedy, suspense, and love!  What more could we possibly ask for?  You write romance beautifully, without getting sappy (like some do when they write love scenes).  I myself, cannot write a nice love scene to save my life, lol.  Poor Rammey, to have to wait so long.  She better say yes!

Your pictures continue to astound me - you work really hard on them, I can tell.  Great update.  Can't wait for part 3.

Thank you, Vicky, for reading my update.  Your continued support gives me the incentive to forge ahead!  Looks like I better get part 3 up pretty soon.

BBB - you just made my day!  Thank you for your kind words.  You have no idea how much it means to me.  I'll have to add my webpage to my signiture.

Aw crap!  That's quite a cliffhanger!  Very nice story.  Good writing, awesome pictures, interesting storyline.  Looking forward to reading part 2.

Great update!  This story is getting really interesting.  The detective is a real cutie, by the way!

Thanks for your compliments, everyone.  They really make my day.  Forgive me for using one of the same pictures as in Chapter 1, but I changed the format of story just a tad and didn't have a replacement.

Between the Light and the Darkness - Chapter 2


Tim surveyed his new surroundings.  It looked like he would imagine Hell to look.  It was red all around, and a sulfurous smell lingered in the air. Black tarry puddles were scattered here and there, with slowly churning liquid. Not water, but a thick, tar-like substance.


One of the puddles was churning more than the others. Tim jumped back as something abruptly broke the liquid's surface.


Tim stood aghast, as a horrible demon rose from the depths of the pool.


To say the beast was hideous would be an understatement. Tim watched, rooted to his spot, as the creature continued to lift itself out of the pool.




It scowled at him. Tim felt icy shivers all along his spine, and tried to fight his terror.


The demon closed his eyes as if he were concentrating. This couldn't be good.


Sneering, the demon looked at his hand, where an orb-like object appeared. Finally, Tim managed to turn and run, but it was too late.


He only got a few steps when an agonizing pain sliced through his brain. It was so intense it sent spots before his eyes. He fell to his knees as the world started slipping away.


The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the demon's face leering over him.


When he woke up, he was sitting in a chair surrounded by odd looking people. 'No, not people!' he thought panickingly. His heart beat spastically in his chest, thumping hard against his ribs. They were...creatures! Nothing like he had ever seen before.


He was violently jerked out of his chair and his wrists were pinned behind his back. He was aware of one of these...persons standing behind him, claws scraping against his skin. It took the majority of Tim's strength to not scream and fight in a mad frenzy. He was outnumbered here, being combative would only make things worse.


Tim noticed an elegant chair sitting immediately before him. 'A throne fit for a king...' he thought wildly. His shirt and forehead were soaked with sweat and his legs threatened to buckle. He locked his knees, took a deep shakey breath and tried to maintain the little composure he had.


The two figures he could see without turning his head, which he dared not do, bowed low to the ground.


A moment later, another being entered the room. He was elegantly dressed, and held a regal disposition, surveying the bowing figures in front of him. Tim surmised that he could only be the ruler of this place.

Tim was roughly forced to his knees.


The king stared silently at Tim for a moment before the creatures rose. One of them approached the throne. Tim was pulled back up to his feet. He didn't know how long he could stand there before he passed out. The fog had finally lifted from his brain, but its departure left him feeling weak and dizzy.


The creature had a heated discussion with the king, all the while glancing in Tim's direction. The language was harsh and gutteral, made up of sounds that came from deep within the throat.


The king was obviously displeased. He waved his hands impatiently at the courtmember and glared at Tim one final time before he sat back in his throne, waiting for his bidding to be carried out.


Tim was abruptly wheeled around and pushed toward a set of double doors that led out of the throne room. The creature walked quickly, and Tim had to walk fast in order to not be pushed down in front of it. When he stumbled once, he felt the creature's grip on his wrists tighten. Its claws dug into his arm as it lifted him slightly to keep him from falling. Tim could have sworn he felt the bones in his wrists cracking.


Finally, it stopped in front of a door. The creature fumbled through a ring of keys and opened it. Tim barely got a glance at the interior before he was shoved inside.


He lost his footing and tripped, landing on his face. The door slammed shut and he heard the sound of muffled laughter from the hall beyond.

He suddenly realized that he was exhausted. The abrupt arrival to...wherever and the demon...the strange people who were not at all human, all the forceful handling by the guard, and not to mention the full day of work he had put in before any of this even happened, took their toll.

Maybe I'll just lie here and die... he thought. Then realized that was ridiculous.


He felt soft hands gently rolling him over, while a voice as beautiful as the tinkling of tiny bells filled the air around him.


Finally! A human face! What a sight for sore eyes! And not just any human face - a delicately featured female face of unearthly beauty stared back at him. A cascade of thick silver-white hair fell over her slim shoulders and framed her lovely face. Large, soulful eyes, laced with concern, blinked at him. Lucious lips formed a slight smile as she looked down upon him. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she wasn't human at all.


She was surely an angel, sent to carry him out of here. She tucked some of her lustrous hair behind her pointed ear...that's odd. She has pointed ears. Yep. Couldn't be human. Clearly the face of an angel. Clearly, he was hallucinating. What a way to go. He was ready. He gave his angel a weak smile before he passed out.

Ooh.  Sounds interesting so far.  I wonder what kind of dark secrets Mason is hiding?