3.7 Burn baby, burn

warning: verbal abuse, language, gore

     It was quiet in the house as Ian slept on the sofa downstairs. The old wallpanel in the toddlers room gave the impression of a lot cozier enviroment than earlier. Not that Skuld approved of all those baby and eco- friendly things, but she didn't care enough to be bothered by it.
    Mum.... Aino leaned closer, gently stroking her hair with chubby fingers. Skuld had never known toddlers could be so gentler, she'd just assumed they screamed, pooped and bit sims. Aino did the first two, but atleast the screaming was a rather rare occurence: Mum... so pwetty... She then carefully stroked Skulds cheek: mum.... smevv good...
     I know. Skuld carefully whispered back, very aware of the fact that Ian could wake up any time: Mum is very pretty, and Aino is ugly. You're a very ugly little girl. Ugly girls doesn't have any friends, and will never have any. Everyone hates ugly little girls.

    She knew what the toddler was looking for in an instance: Don't you look for that stupid doll of yours. If it were alive, it wouldn't have stayed here. No one likes ugly little girls like you, Aino. Even your name is ugly, everyone thinks your name is ugly. The girl didn't talk well and was developing slower than other kids. Skuld was very embarassed for that: When the first snow falls, mum is going to take that stupid doll of yours and throw it in the fireplace. Then it will burn, and be destroyed forever and ever. Even as deep as her voice was, Ians wholewooden room made sure it would be pretty much impossible to hear what was beeing said from outside the doors. Not that Skuld took any chances.

     With another gentle stoke of Skulds hair the girl kept showing affection: Mum smevv good... She couldn't keep a smile away when noticing the kid staring out the window, looking to see if it snowed. Kids were great. It didn't matter what she said or did; Aino just kept loving her: Aino stinks. No one likes stinky girls. It's very important that girls smell good, but you smell bad. Mum is slim and tall, and you are short and very fat. It's important for girls to be thin, because no one likes a fat girl. And you're fat Aino. It might seem a bit pointless pointing out to a girl that had to be thin and pretty, commercials and society would do that. But this way it would be a lot more difficult for the girl to unlearn it. Besides it was true. Skuld was thin and pretty, which is why she'd gotten away with a lot more than other sims. 

     ...mum is tall and slim, has pretty skin and beautiful blonde hair. Her hair glimmered like polished gold: Aino is short and fat, has ugly skin and ugly red hair. You'll never be as pretty as mum Aino, never. No one will ever like you, and no one will ever love you. She knew the girl understood, despite the lack of language. Ian did a good job using big words and explained things to her. But more importantly; Skuld was bored, so why not torment the kid a bit. It was a lot more fun than doing this to Ian: Ugly girls don't deserve love at all.

      Leaning closer, Aino tried saying something again. Her little voice shivering trying to keep tears away: I wuw mum... Her breath smelled of Ians homecooked meal with cinnamon, probably pancakes. No wonder the kid was fat. If anyone had seen them together, they'd probably believe it was some sweet mother- daughter moment. The girl was so sad that Skuld had trouble staying serious.

     Mum doesn't love you. Daddy doesn't love you. No one loves you Aino, and no one will ever love you. It was best to keep repeating it, that way she'd eventually internalize it: Do you remember why no one will ever love you?
     The girl was hesitant, but said it in the end: Aino ugwy...It was such an amazing feeling when kids finally learned what parents tried teching.
     Yes, that's right. And ugly girls doesn't deserve love. And they will never have any friends; you will never have any friends.... Do you remember that mum said she would burn your dollie when the snow falls? Skuld had almost forgetten about the most important detail.
     Aino nodded slowly, so Skuld continued: If you tell anyone what mum says to you, she will throw you in the fireplace, and then you will burn in the flames and you will die... Do you want to die Aino?
     The girl slowly shook her head, so Skuld went on: Then you can't tell anyone what mum says, because then you will burn in the fire. That will hurt for ugly, fat Aino.

     kiiiiiilll........ noooooow........ kiiiiiiill..... Ratatosk could be quite demanding when it wanted to. Frankly Aino thought it sounded like a good idea. But what if mum saw her? She loved mum, but it was a bit difficult to know what made her angry and not. Dad was a lot easier that way, he let her get away with everything.
     kiiiiiiill...... Well, when Ratatosk was right, it was right... 

     Grrr..... Aino made dinosaur sounds, as she grabbed the doll and pulled it violently out of the house. This was her universe, and no one was bigger and meaner! She was Ainozilla, the biggest, scariest dinosaurdragoncrocodile ever to have been around. The doll didn't stand a chance against her might! Ofcourse, she pretended it was a real sim and that it screamed in fear as the almighty Ainozilla violently dragged it out if it's house.

     Aino liked it when mum and dad spent time with her. Dad was fun and cuddly, mum sometimes said mean things and made her sad. Aino knew that if she was just a better daughter, mum would like her. So she tried doing everything right, which is why she hadn't thrown Ratatosk into the bathtub with mum again. She'd been very angry, even if the doll just wanted to learn how to swim.
     I kiiiiw you.... She gave the doll a menancing look, pretending it shivered in fear and cried for help. Then she had Ratatosk repeated what she said, it was a dinosaur to ofcourse. And everyone knew that dinosaurs could speak.

     Doing her best to slobber all over the dolls head, she turned towards Ratatosk, pretending it wanted to fight the meal from her. But she was having none of it- she was still the biggeste one! The dollie didn't talk or was real, but it was her best playmate. Aino didn't have anyone else then mum and dad, and ofcourse her toys. Ratatosk was her special little toy, and she loved it. It felt like a best friend, but it wasn't real. And she knew that, deep in her toddler heart. But sometimes dad played with them, and the doll also moved a bit around on it's own. Like from one end of the room, she'd blink and then it would be somewhere else.

     Aino wasn't really sure if the lady in the chair was real though. Dad and mum couldn't see her, and she never said anything, but sometimes she would nod or smile at Aino. Sometimes she sang for her, and slowly walked around the room looking for something that she never seemed to find. And she smelled a bit bad, like it did outside when it was raining and the earthworms got run over. Other times she was just gone.
     But she was pretty sure she was nice though, not like the man with the dark hair she sometimes saw around town. He didn't look like he had faded like the lady in the chair had. She was so used to the lady, that she could just stay there if she wanted to. Maybe she was a bit like Ratatosk, but just different?

     For once Ian was out by himself. As much as he loved spending time with his daughter, it was nice beeing alone a few times. Especially when he worked with metals, tools and other sharp objects. He always did his best fixing up things he found, but frankly he hadn't had the energy to do a lot lately. But that didn't mean he shouldn't try. And even if he wasn't feeling awesome he was still doing his best contributing to the household funds.

     Ofcourse it didn't take long before he ended up at the porcelain- throne, throwing up what little he had been able to get down this morning. Honestly it was getting a bit troublesome. Not to mention embarassing when it happened in public. Sims always seemed to assume he was drunk or something. Did he really look like a drunk?

     Not that he got any sympathy when he got home either, but for once it wasn't just demanding. Skuld had broken the shower, and since he was a rather handy sim it was an easy fix. Even if she complained a bit in the background.
     Well, it's getting tired and old, he kept his mood up despite feeling nasceous: It's bound to break a lot. For some reason Skuld didn't understand that it took a bit more to fix up this old thing than just a wrench. Atleast he'd had a spare gasket. 
     Leaning over him, studying what he was doing, Skuld said: It's not that old.
     Yes it is. It might look like a more modern one, but this is rusty and is probably as old as the house. A small exagerration. His wife might be a genious, but this was actually beyond her knowledge.

     Well, I fixed it anyway. Good as... old... Calling it new was a gross overstatement: We should really buy a new one. Actually the entire bathroom needed an upgrade. Ian loved old stuff, but this tub was to gone to fix up more. And when it came to wetrooms, that was different. This could cause a leak and destroy the entire walls and floors to the point it would need to get switched out, and plastered anew. It could result in mould and he didn't even want to think about how the pipes here looked.
     Skuld didn't look very happy at the thought of spending simoleons. Not that Ian got why, he could probably find something for a good bargain, but Skuld was opposed to shopping on sale for some reason. Probably because of her upbringing in a very wealthy home.

     We can't afford a new one, She answered with hand on hip: Not until we get our income up. Ian felt like sighing. He got it; he didn't make enough simoleons and he should work harder. He worked as hard as he had the energy to. Taking a deep breath again, he did his best not spitting out a "you're welcome". That was passive agressive, and he really didn't want to be like that. He just wanted them to be happy, but his wife sure made it hard sometimes: I need to go out a few hours. She said: I need more components.... Ian just didn't understand how she kept burning through all the stuff she kept finding.

     That was one big, ugly mutt alright! And so fast asleep that it didn't even react to the sim standing outside. Skuld had done her homework this time around to; the dog was huge, but old and had trouble walking. It was the worst guarddog ever to exist, and she really meant it. She'd been around there before to, but it had just slobbered all over her and limped after her with a wagging tail, so desperate for attention it was even more annoying that Ian. But, the big, ugly dog matched it's even bigger and uglier owner. And that owner didn't limp or slobber.

     The bright yellow nearly made her blind for a second. What was it with old sims and not locking backdoors? Didn't they know it was dangerous? Bad sims could just walk inside the house. Good for this one that she actually had a real purpose. 
     Even if it had been ages since she'd last seen him, she remembered what he'd been capable of. She hadn't been able to find even one single way to be able to walk out of this alive, unless she did it quickly. She'd love to torment. But where she was at now; best to just kill and take it from there.

     Wolf the genie, the one that laid sims to rest around him in bloody lumps of flesh was best to avoid a fight with. She didn't know a lot about genies at all, but she'd been lucky with this one. Seemed like he was another one that liked to keep to himself. And by the look around the livingroom, he liked reading. Maybe supernaturals were natural loners or something? On the other hand, maybe he was just a weirdo and no one wanted to spend time with him. That was probably it. Not everyone could be as lovable as her.

     Why hadn't he aged though? Should't he be ancient and grey by now? Or maybe he hadn't been as old as she'd thought he'd been as a kid. Skuld hated admitting she didn't really know what exactely a genie could do, but despite all the direct damage he could be able to deal, she was still a lot more worried about something else: Banishment. Genies could banish sims, but she had no idea to where. That was never mentioned and she wasn't in any mood to find out. Quietly pulling out her special little poison, Skuld readied herself for the worst.

     She simply walked up to the genie. By the time he noticed she was there, she threw the poison at him. The book he'd been reading slid out of his hand, and that was pretty much it. No drama, no gore, no fight, just a quiet death. Not very satisfying, but that was something she had come to learn was necessary at times. Wolf was potentially extremely dangerous, and she didn't want to die. So now he was dead instead. Which made it easy having the energy to bottle up his essence, it looked exactely like the other ones. A bit disappointing really.

     First thing Skuld did was to take his earrings, he was dead so he didn't need them anymore. Then she'd pulled his shirt off, which made his damned carcass fall of the sofa. She'd hauled it around, propping it against the wall. She had promised to come home early, so Ian was expecting her.... But she couldn't let the chance of looking inside a genie get away from her. And the guy was blue. Blue! Was that even possible when having a normal inside? It was an insult to science, not to take a look

     Maybe she'd been a bit to eager? This was a bit much blood, and even the carpet was full. Fuck... The biggest surprise was to see that his blood had the same colour as hers, she'd thought it was blue since he was.. .well... blue.
     But no sign of unhealthy living, just a normal sim body. Well, normal was a bit of an understatement. He was hot... wait... had been hot. That's what she'd meant; had been, as in before death. And Skuld really liked destroying pretty things, even after all this time. Maybe it was something in the brain that made them to supernatural? Could she take a look? Though, cutting craniums were a bit more work and she didn't have any saws. He didn't look like the type that had saws to chop the top of skulls off either.

     Skuld felt the phone vibrating in her pocket again. It was probably Ian, it was always Ian nagging. Thinking she spent to long, or didn't spend enough time with them. She didn't care about them, how difficult could it be for him to understand? He had to be the dumbest guy ever!
    Sighing heavily, she realised she didn't have the time to clean up the mess. Or to check his brain at all. Besides, she needed to clean off all the gore. She had clothes with her, but using the shower here was a bad idea.

     Though, maybe she could wash off the worst with a towel, take it with her and then stop at a showerhouse and take a real shower. She'd taken new clothes with her. Looking at the open fire and all the books, she got a great idea. The house looked like it was made out of sement, but it wasn't. It was a wooden house, with thin walls and lots and lots of books in it. Big carpets to. It would make sure that firesims would be at the scene quickly, but that also meant that evidence burned. Atleast enough from her atleast. She didn't care if they found him at all.

     After cleaning the worst of herself, Skuld locked the cat in with the dog, that way they'd die to. And that was to funny. With the fire already roaring in the livingroom, she started a few more just to throw the cops off. Then she ran as fast as she was capable of out of the place. Good think it was a small house, because it spread quicker than she'd anticipated. More flames was better for her.

     The outdoor pool was a pretty safe place to take a shower at, especially in wintertime. Though, safe and safe. She'd probably get an infection from the mouldy floor, or some other nasty disease. Drying her hair in that gross handdrier had taken a longer than she wanted to. But it was well worth the trouble. Stepping outside, Skuld realized that it was snowing, and had been for a while. That meant she had a little promise to keep to her darling daughter! Question was if she should do it before or after beeing frisky with Ian. The whole killing thing just made all her hormones boil, and Ian was a quick fix. That was probably it, it wasn't like mauling sims turned her on.

     Ian was waiting for Skuld to come home, he kept trying her phone but she just didn't pick up. He was in terrible shape, even for beeing him. He'd thrown up all over himself, and hadn't even had time to put clothes back on, for round two. She had to come home soon!

     Finally home, Skuld came in to a scene of Ian lazily lounging halfnaked on the sofa. What a lazy bum. Ian was of another mindset though: Skuld, hey my dove. Again with the flying rats? He didn't sound to good, but he was probably just faking it. He had no idea how horny she was! Ian was so selfish, why couldn't he think about her for a change?
     He just kept going, he sounded like he was about to fall asleep: I feel like sh... terrible. I really need to lie down. Can you keep an eye on Aino please? He hadn't wanted to take a nap with the toddler still awake. When he wasn't sure he'd pass out or sleep, it was best to stay awake. What if he'd pass out, and something happenened!

     Ofcourse it also would give her the opportunity to keep the promise to her daughter: Sure Ian. Just take a nap and I'll keep an eye on her. He looked so grateful that it was funny: Thanks my love, you're the best. Then he layed his head down and closed his eyes. Oh, he was going to nap here? It didn't matter to Skuld, she would be able to fix it anyway. She was the best after all.

     Waiting the short time it took before Ian started snoring, Skuld lit the fireplace. She wanted to make sure it was nice and warm before holding her promise to Aino. In addition the flames would make Ian dry up so he'd had to take a shower to remoisten. That was gross, and so funny Skuld once again found herself giggling. The girl followed her every move, but if she remembered the promise was another thing.

     Without a fuss, the girl let Skuld pick her up, even dropping that damned doll as soon as she came near. Aino was a pretty sweet kid, Skuld liked that she was easy to manipulate.
     Wuve mum... Aino whispered in her ear, and with a short look over her shoulder to check on Ian, Skuld whispered back: mum doesn't love you. No one loves you. You'll never have any friends... It seemed to hurt the girls feelings, which was why she did it: Do you see that outside the window Aino? That's snow. The first snow has fallen. Do you remember what mum promised to do when the first snow fell? She felt the fat little body tense up.

     Don't buwn Tatatos.... she pleaded, with silent voice the lower lip trembling.
     Mum likes to keep promises, Skuld whispered back. You can trust mum to do what she tells you. It was important that children learn to trust their parents: And mum doesn't want you to have that dollie. It's ugly, but not as ugly as you... She took another look back checking that Ian was still asleep- and the doll is your friend, and you don't deserve friends.

     Mum so pwetty... Aino did her best to derail the conversation, and she looked like she wanted to cry again. This was so funny, Skuld liked beeing mean to sims, even those smaller than her. Maybe especially those. She'd even killed a dog and a cat today. They'd slowly burn to death in that room. The memory made her smile a bit: Yes, mum is very pretty, and Aino is very ugly- no one likes ugly girls. You have to remember that... The girl would remember that, she would.

     Putting the girl down, she still tried clinging around her neck: Mum is going to throw your doll in the fireplace now. Then before the girl had to much time to think, Skuld added: This is how sims show they care Aino. Just for the laugh of it, and it would make sure to confuse the kid even more.

     Expecting the girl to throw a tantrum and cry, Skuld was slightly surprised when she didn't. Even when she picked up the doll, went behind the sofa and threw it into the fireplace. It landed with a heavy thud, made from wood as it was. Then she quickly made a run out of the room so that Ian wouldn't be able to blame her for the "accident". And when the doll landed, the girl finally started crying. Skuld hadn't just done it because she liked making Aino unhappy, it was also because she hoped the girl would get burned. It was fun when sims got hurt.

     Stupid Ian ruined her fun before she'd even had the time to properly get away. Litterally falling out of the sofa, he picked Aino up before having the chance to burn herself. That was so typical of him. For someone that had just been ripped out of a heavy sleep, just to see his daughter toddling into an open fire; Ian was surprisingly somber. Though she assumed he had some silly notion about staying calm as to not upset Aino more. It's not like the girl would've gotten severly injured. Maybe just the arms and maybe the face a bit. Nothing Skuld couldn't have gotten away with.
     Aino hadn't tried talking with that embrassingly bad speech. She just shrieked and howled uncontrollably. And so damned loud. How could he have that sound next to his ear and still be so calm?

     He had to be more awake than good was, because it didn't take long before he noticed what the screaming was about. Let's see what dad can do. He was still calm whilst putting Aino down at a safe distance, and found a tool for the fireplace. With Aino wailing in the background, making poor Skulds ears hurt, he carefully pulled the doll out with the sharp end. It took a lot shorter than she'd thought it would, but then again; Ian was actually practical.

     Letting it cool down a bit, just to be on the safe side, he wiped the soot off with his hands and brought it to his daughter: I burned my butt!! He pretended talking through the doll, which finally made the kid stop howling. Instead she laughed a nervous laughter, not quite believing it was still intact.

     You see Aino, Ian had stopped pretending that he was the doll, thankfully: this doll is made by strong wood, and then treated with something that makes it difficult to burn it. The clothes are also made of  burnresistant fabric. It wasn't that hard to understand for a grownup, that kidstoys were made to handle quite a bit. And that flames, and melting fabrics were an obcious big threat to kids: And it's an old toy to, so it holds a lot better up than modern ones. It had a bit of a burn on the face, but she didn't seem to mind. Though he had to admit he was surprised the clothes had been that resiliant. But maybe the temperature in the fireplace wasn't that high yet?

     Ofcourse, Skuld wasn't a complete fool, so she'd made sure to skulk closer as the scene unfolded. Aino had yelled so loud, that she couldn't pretend not to have heard. But Ians reaction was nothing she'd expect: What is wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?!!!!
     The shock was overwhelming, and for once she didn't have to put on a pretend face when lying: I... I'm sorry. I just wanted to fetch her a bottle...     
     You left our baby alone with an open fire!!!! He was yelling. Ian was yelling at her: What the hell were you thinking?!! His nostrils flaring and the green eyes were hard under furrowed eyebrows, Skuld had never found him more arousing. 
     After the initial shock, she did her best to pretend beeing mortified: I didn't want to wake you... I didn't think.... 
     He even interrupted her before she could finish: You never think!!! You don't leave a toddler alone!!! Atleast not infront of a fire!!! She's just a baby!!

     Fucking hell Skuld!!! Aino had started whimpering in the background, clearly scared of the loud voices. But even that didn't make him stop:She could have burned herself! Do you understand that?!!
     This had to have been the angriest he'd even been in his life. And Skuld had never been more turned on: Yes... I was just afraid...
     ....of your daughter crawling into a fire!! He shouted the last word. Ofcourse she hadn't been worried about her crawling into the fireplace, she wanted the kid to.    
     No.. that she'd start crying because she was hungry so I wanted to fetch her a bottle...

     ...so she didn't wake you... I'm sorry. She looked as sad as she could: I just can't do anything right. I'm a bad mother. I'm a terrible wife. This game was so old, that it didn't take any effort on Skulds behalf anymore. Knowing just what to say to make him feel like he was the one wronging her. And he was! To think he actually yelled at her! Not that it wasn't hot, but that wasn't the point.
     He calmed down quicker than anyone in the world could. So slow to temper and quick to calm down: I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. How was it that that idiot kept appologizing when he meant she'd done something wrong: Your a good mother and wife, but really... You can't leave her. She's just a baby. Aino had calmed down again, almost like she followed Ians mood.
     ...I'm so sorry.... I could've... Ian was such an idiot.

     Don't think Skuld... Just be happy nothing happened to her. He couldn't believe how close that had been. His little baby could've ended up with burnmarks. That was dangerous, they could get infected and not to mention what it would've done to her selfesteem.
     I am, she stroked her hands over his neck: I'm so glad that you woke up. I don't know what I'd do without you... And just like that he was eating out of her hand again. To bad, angry Ian was kind of hot: I'll do better, I promise. 
     Ian didn't just feel in terrible shape, he felt guilty to. Maybe he'd been a bit angry, but the shock had taken all his calmness away: You're doing great already Skuld.
     How about I put Aino to bed, and then the two of us take an early night. You look exhausted. Skuld was such a doll towards him, and he was worn out. Nodding at her, he even took the chance of going upstairs.

     Skuld had planned on doing damagecontrole, but when she picked up Aino there weren't any fuss or screaming. She stroked fat babyhands over her hair: I wuw momma... Like nothing had happened at all. This was crazy! She had just thrown her favourite toy into a fireplace and the kid still liked her! Wonder how far she could pull it before the kids started hating her? It should be interesting to see.

     The kid was a dream to get to sleep, and as Skuld crawled into bed with Ian she was glad to see he was still awake: I'm so happy it went well Ian. And even if angry- Ian was hot, she knew she couldn't have him that way. It would've been to difficult to control him.
     Yeah, he answered: Kind of wonder how she got the doll into the fire though.
     I don't know, maybe it fell or something? So, are you very tired? Maybe I could thank you a bit more properly? Either she was the best liar in the world, or Ian was the dumbest sim to have lived. Most likely it was both.
     I don't need any thank you for that Skuld. You'd do the same thing. No she wouldn't. Ian was such an idiot. But it had been an interesting day for them. Especially for Skuld, but what he didn't know didn't hurt her. And that's the only important thing.

     Skuld pouted her lips at him: I mean; how about I thank you a bit more properly.... After a longer break she continued: ... as in having sex Ian. 
     Oh! He even managed to blush a bit: I'd love to Skuld. But I'm really not feeling well. How about tomorrow?
     Had he just turned her down? He couldn't turn her down, that was wrong. And sick. She was horny damnit: You don't have to do anything, I can do the work. You can just lay there and relax.
     Wasn't that what he usually did anyway? But then again, who was he to complain. It was such a rare occurance anyway so why not: Uhm, okay. Sure. Maybe she could screw up a bit more often, that would've been nice.

     But before anyone else woke up the next morning, she had to remember making more brew for that special someone
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pose: lonelyboy,ag, dreamangel, k2m1too,simswhen,

No pixeldogs or cats were harmed in the process of making this chapter. And I figured it wasn't a point in making to much of the murder this time, you know what she's up to anyway. So I'll probably do that from now on, and try to focus on whatever seems more important or interesting. Or not...
And yes the dead woman is Oriana. Disappointing I know, but I need some consistancy for something that happens later. And I didn't want to use an unknown sim, because there's enough sims already.

Thanks for reading

2.25 Níðreising

   
     He often found himself triggered by smell. It was something about it that just never went away. That's why he liked Meave. She smelled different; like oil and gunpowder, that scent just was impossible to get rid of. Or maybe it was just in his head. Meave was in there. The others were in there, but it didn't even cross his mind. His son was going to die, and he was to terrified to do anything. He was so terrified, that he didn't even feel scared.
      Dad... something tugged at his shirt, but it was probably the wind. It wasn't the first time he'd imagined things that weren't there.... dad.... dad... open your eyes...

     Dad... it was still tugging at his shirt. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed a bit longer, he'd wake up and find it to be a dream. That happened sometimes, even if he felt the chill in the air and the sound of the nearby river: Dad, get a grip on yourself! Maybe it was just a dream. After all, why would anyone want to gun them down? They weren't anyone important, and Efraim was just an innocent little boy.

     Effie let go of his fathers hand, he wasn't responding to his voice. A lot of sims froze when in danger but that wasn't anything Effie had ever heard of. He had decided to panick later, that guy was going to kill dad. And if mum was alright there was no way he'd be standing there to begin with. He could hear his own heartbeat, pushing against the wish to make a run for it. Because he wanted to run! But he just couldn't. What had happened to the others?
     Joe didn't have any of the problems his son had. He wasn't really sure where he was: Dad! Look dad, LOOK!!

     Even outside shots are loud, no matter if a silencer was used. Because Effie had seen the weapon, but he'd admit he had no idea how the guy look. Someone had to call the police now right, someone had to have heard it. Or maybe it wasn't that loud at all, maybe it just seemed like it to Efraims heightened senses. But the sound that came from Mahdis appearing out of nowwhere was something he'd never hear her make before. How could he just shoot her? She was stubborn and liked biting, but completely harmless.

     It was a unicorn, she ate grass and hay. How could he just shoot her? What was even the point? Efraim had more than enough to do from keeping dad running up to her. They should probably have run away, but they couldn't let her die for them either. Could they? Shaking the thoughts off Efraim did his best to keep dad keeping away. Dad was strong, and Effie really wasn't a grownup even if he wanted think he was. Where had she even come from? There was just a flash of light, and there she was.

     He heard his dad whispering her name, but for now he were to busy wondering what was going on. What was she doing? Why wasn't she falling? Ofcourse the shots that were meant for the two of them wouldn't be enough to instantly kill an animal of that size, unless you had a lucky shot.

     Dad rambled about something Effie couldn't decipher but atleast he didn't have to hold him back anymore. They were both to slow of mind looking at whatever was going on at the moment. He'd never see her do anything but getting a few twigs growing up from under her hoofs. Other than that she usually did horse- stuff. Like kicking, biting, eating and running. Still Efraim couldn't shake the feeling that this really was something he didn't want to see. Unfortunately he could still hear the sounds and the screams coming from the man, and ended up looking.

     As the skin started peeling of the mans body, Efraim wished he hadn't looked. So he looked away again, so not to see the rest of it. By the time the mans grunty screams stopped, Mahdis started toppling over and eventually couldn't keep herself up anymore. Sick to his stomach, he let dad go and sit with the unicorn. He knew nothing about unicorn- anatomy or weapons, but somethings one just doesn't need to have seen before to recognize. Mahdis dark eyes were getting foggy; she was dying.
     Dad, as sad as it was they still had more pressing matters: Dad, we need to help the others... He couldn't do it alone, and if they acted quickly they could call a vet and save Mahdis to, right?

     Kneeling down without beeing able to fully avoid the blood, Efraim tried getting contact with his dad again. Petting her and tugging at Joe at the same time he still didn't give up: dad please... Dad was going back to the loonie- bin, and Mahdis was dying. The others needed him, and he had no idea what to do. Feeling tears press themself out he did his best to blink them away. Big boys didn't cry. Atleast not now! Instead he stroked Mahdis again and again, slowly feeling her breath getting weaker and more shallow: please dad, we have to do something...

      The sour smell from the river got replaced by wet grass and cold dirt. That just felt plain out wrong, and Efraim was pretty sure someone twisted his brain around for the fun of it. Barely noticing Mahdis falling over heaving for her last breath, Effie rubbed his temples as his trousers got soaked through by the wet ground. He had such a headache it was hard to see clear, but he though Mahdis scared neighs stopped when dad patted her ears.    
      What had just happened? It didn't matter, Effie was going to take care of everything. As soon as he could see clearly that was, and his head hurt a bit less.

     Efraims sight came back just in time to see Mahdis chest move slower before finally stopping. And then she was gone in a flash of light, leaving him at some unknown place with a massive headache and a crazy dad. Atleast he sat in one spot babbling to himself so there wasn't an immideate danger of anything happening.   
     Swallowing another set of tears, Effie pushed away all thoughts and worries. Focusing on the only task at hand. Mahdis was already gone, he had to figure out what to do with the rest. Thinking would have been so much easier without a headache! Think!!! His phone! He had a phone! Why hadn't he thought about that earlier? He was such an idiot! Uncle Marco was terrified that scary men and women would contact them on the simsweb, so they were a big no- no. But mum and aunt Oriana had let him have one just in case. And he knew just who to phone.

     With trembling hands, he dialed an all familiar number, a man answering at the other end. Effie presented himself with full name: There's a man that had a gun at my house.... no he's dead. If he killed himself? What was he going to tell the policeofficer, that a man had died by unicorn? They'd never believe him: I'm not sure, my dad wouldn't let me look. No, no dad hasn't shot anyone. He's here with me, we ran away. No, dad doesn't have a gun.... No he's crazy so you can't talk to him.
 

     Taking a deep breath Effie tried not getting upset at the man at the other end: What?! No, he's here with me! I already told you he hasn't shot anyone, he's not crazy like that!!! It's a real diagnose, but he's harmless!! He's just mumbling and staring into the air... For the love of... what was wrong with these cops: No don't put me over to loonie- ward!! There's been a shooting at my house!!! His voice kept changing between falsetto and basse as he got increasingly agitated: No it's not dad or me! Don't tell me to calm down, you're not listening to me!!! He was screaming at the stupid grown- up now, usually he wouldn't scream but he was worried damnit! And stressed out!

     Taking a deep breath, to get his voice under controle, he also did his best making the stupid grown- up understanding what he meant. His hands were shaking so badly from the adrenaline that he nearly lost hold of the phone: There's a dead man outside my house! He wanted to shoot me and my dad, but we got away! I don't know what killed him, but it wasn't dad! You're supposed to send police there to investigate! There's supposed to be several adults inside, but the place was dead quiet. He wasn't troubled by the poor choice of word.

     And it was to quiet, my aunt talks all the time! There's supposed to be five there, my mum, aunt and three friends of them. I've never seen the guy that attacked us before. No, I don't know if there's more, how many it is or if any are armed. I'm not tall enough to look into the windows.. How old I am? Old enough to recognize when something's wrong!!! His voice kept changing between deep and falsetto, carrying far into the distance. He wanted to sit down and cry next to dad by now, why didn't he listen: It's not a prank! Does it sound like I'm joking?!!! He shouted into the phone to the rude police officer: If uncle Marco hadn't been missing, you'd be over there in a second!

     Yes, I live at Marco's house! Finally! The stupid idiot on the other end gave him all this trouble, and all he needed was a namedrop? How unfair for other sims that ended in situations like this: Yes, the missing policeofficer! There's already a unit sent out there? That's great! Eeehhh.... I don't think the guy needs an ambulance no, he's pretty dead, ..... Yes, I'm sure he's dead, it's very easy to see, he's extremely dead. Probably deader than anything anyone has seen before... Thank you.... No, I'm not going to stay on the phone, I need to take care of dad. I'm not sure were we are...
    Efraim just hung up on the man at the other end. The police was already on it's way. That was great, not that he was any more relaxed at that. He hadn't even needed to give the adresse.

     Finally hearing an all familiar snort, Effie turned around. So that's why Mahdis had taken them to this place.

     Skuld wondered why they kept hiding, she didn't see the point of it anyway. Something exciting was happening with the adults and she had to stay on the floor like she was an ordinary sim? She even heard the bitchfairies sugarly sweet voice giggling happily between some screams and lots of odd noises. Kind of reminded her of sounds she'd heard in those gory movies they sometimes snuck around to see.

     She just got up, why shouldn't she? She wasn't a coward like the rest of them. And why was ugly Sunniva clawing herself to the floor anyway? She was a grown- up, they weren't supposed to be afraid of anything. Walking towards the door, the so- called grown up was so scared she didn't even notice. From the other side of the door, Skuld heard Rikards deep voice growling something, proving that he was in werewolf form. Ofcourse Skuld knew he was a werewolf, she was smart, unlike the rest of them.

     Wolf was delightfully quiet, not to mention clean. But so was "what's his name". The only thing about him was how he kept moving his hands whilst twinkly little stars flew around them. Oh, so he was supposed to be a witch, right. Now she got it! Whatever. Witches weren't real supernaturals anyway so.... Little twinklestars wasn't very impressive, but atleast it was twinklepink. Skuld liked pink, it was the best colour ever and she looked so good in it. Dad said all princesses wore pink, even if they weren't as pretty as her.

     Oh okay... it was a bit cool seeing babyface- witchboy shooting fire from his hands... Not that Skuld would ever admit it. Witches were so lame, supernaturals were lame in general. The only one that was good for anything was her. The once clean and pretty livingroom was covered with corpses, but a few still tried to cling on to life. Like most kids she didn't even wonder why there were fighting there to begin with. She completely agreed that supernaturals needed to die. So why not try right? Though by the looks of things the resitance must have been tougher than anticipated.

     Taking the opportunity to look at one of them as life finally passed away from her, a guttural sound leaving the throat as the last ounce of air left. In not to long the corpse would start to get redish- violet spots, the bodytemperature sink. And when the decomposition started, the temperature would rise again. Skuld knew quite a bit about the prosess after death. It was a fascinating subject, even if many found it a bit morbid. Though, how quickly it would start wasn't easy to know. Maybe death- by- supernatural whatnots worked differently.
     She wouldn't excately call it a thrill, seeing life leaving the woman, but it gave an odd sensation. Almost leaving her feeling powerful at the sight.

     The sound of a heavy thud, as the father of all nerds dropped his lifeless victim to the ground, made Skulds gaze wonder upwards again. It seemed like the fight was over. Smelling of sulfur, burnt flesh and death the livingroom stood as a little novelty over a good fight. But it was all over now. What a bummer; Skuld felt a bit sorry for herself, she usually did when she missed out on the good stuff.
     Heaving for breath, Rikards face and clothes was covered in gore, as he said: You take care of the rest Wolf?

     Already clean, not even a droplet of blood or sweat of his face Wolf nodded gracefully. Whatever he had been doing to take the life of the lumps of flesh that scattered the floor around him, was not affecting his cleanliness. And then the genie simply clapped his hands... 

     Wow... Skuld was supposed to keep her mouth shut so the grown- ups wouldn't notice her. But witchesblasts and whatnots; getting an entire house and all the sims in it completely clean just by clapping his hands was to good to be true: I wish I could do that. Like, how awesome wouldn't it be when she had to clean her room.
     Five sets of heads whipped towards her. Not that it scared her ofcourse. Why should it? Sims loved having her around.

     That annoying old fairy came closer looking down at her: Well, if it isn't little blondie again. Weren't you told to stay away? Whatever threats she implied just sounded stupid to Skuld. She simply sounded to cute.
     Well, Sunniva didn't stop me. That wasn't really Skulds fault now was it?

     Merete! Rikard barked out at bitchfairy: Leave the kid alone. It doesn't matter what she says, no one will believe her anyway. He proceeded to transform into human form. His werewolf hair fell straight off onto the floor...gross.... "Just a kid"? Skuld didn't like Rikard at all. Or Merete for that matter, but that was obvious, she was a waste of life.
     Even Wolf, the stupid blue genie chipped in: Listen to Rikard, Merete. What is a little blonde girl with pigtails supposed to do? 
     The stupid witch "what's his name" talked to. He had a voice that sounded like he'd been drinking to much: Just another silly little girl with tall tales.... Having that voice with that babyface was just stupid.

     Skuld was not silly, she wasn't silly at all: What's your name? She hissed out without any emotions. Grinning unpleasently the witch answered: Shing. 
     Shing, she repeated: That's a stupid name for a witch.
     He just laughed, she didn't like him either. She really didn't like beeing laughed at.

     And just when she didn't think anything could get worse, even the idiot vampire started talking. Skuld didn't like vampires either, especially the nerdy ones: You know, Skuld was one of the norns, representing the future and a valkyrie. A little kid like you probably doesn't know what that is though...Albert, his name was Albert.

     Ofcourse I know, Skuld arrogantly interrupted the vampires unending tirade of nerdiness: I'm very smart... Valkyries decided who fell on the battlefield, and took their souls to Valhall. She touched her hair, not wanting to admit that the supernaturals were starting to make her a bit nervous. She didn't like beeing nervous.
     Well, she didn't decide in this matter, Merete laughed, and he started laughing with her.
Skuld didn't like him either. Merete. Rikard. Wolf. Shing. Albert. She really, really didn't like any of them.

     Oriana couldn't hear a lot anymore, the sounds were so dim and slow. Why did it take so long. She couldn't move either, but she had seen Vera run outside whilst covering her face. Fire, it had always been her brother that loved fire, not her. But when she thought about it, things had accidentally tended to burn down around her mother to. Maybe it ran in the family.
     She knew him, didn't she? That man the two new sims had dragged in with them? The one that was crying.

      What the hell is taking you so long? We need to get away!! She knew that man didn't she? The one that had come together with the new woman, the one that had dragged the last guy in with him? Adam, that was his name.      She did something!! She did something to Vera!! A woman said.
    Oriana didn't care that Jonny fell over, it probably made a sound, but she didn't care about that either. It was all good now, she felt so at peace and careless. Whatever happened, didn't bother her.

     More sims arrived, but who they were... she didn't know them did she? Or maybe she did? One of them yelled something several times, but the ones that had gotten there first didn't listen. Then Adam shot the one that surrendered in the back for some reason.

     PUT IT DOWN! PUT IT DOWN!!! I'LL COUNT TO ONE!!!  Why did they yell so loudly all the time? It was pretty much the only thing she could hear that wasn't dimmed down.      ONE! Another blast and Adam fell back. It didn't matter to her anyway.

    
     Linn and Lori had gone in, not taken the chance of waiting for backup. If Marco hadn't phoned him, they would have waited. But he couldn't. He was as much a part of this as his partner was, and it had happened because of their choices. Dominic would have liked to say that he was taken by surprise that something actually was wrong at the house. But he'd been a cop long enough to understand that gut- feeling often were right. He just hoped it wasn't as bad as it could be.

     Dominic had no idea what was going on inside, but as he bent down to prevent beeing detected through the windows the original idea had been for him to enter through the backdoor and then scoure the house. Ambulance was already on it's way, so was the cavalry.
    But he knew that woman sitting there, shakingly touching her face, whimpering in pain as she did.
    Police, stay where  you are. Let me see your hands! He didn't shout, not wanting to warn potential others that they were there.

     Dominic saw her dropping the gun, tossing it towards him as he quickly bent to pick it up, not letting her out of his sight. He could even hear her crying, which had to make the pain worse. What had happened to her face? It looked like it was burned.
     It felt like forever before he recognized the now damaged face: she was a friend of the family wasn't she? But she wasn't an innocent victim, he recognized the guilty when he saw them. What was her name again?

     Vera, he remembered and she even reacted. He remembered now, she lived with another of his co- workers, and she constantly kept hitting on Marco, who just wasn't interested. Vera, she was one of Marcos sisters best friends. He rememberd now.
     She actually smiled, a twisted grin in all the pain: I can't believe this.... she whimpered out: I can't believe this. None of them jumped as they heard some shooting from the inside, then Linn shouting out something.

     Finally straightening up, she didn't take the chance of looking at him: It's tough playing with the big ones.....
     Some sims just weren't cut out for this life, she and Adam was supposed to make sure there were no loose ends when they took over business: I'm unarmed, she said. Then she jumped the fence and made a run for it, well aware that he couldn't just shoot someone that was unarmed.

     Dominic set after her, it didn't matter if she'd finished the job, or if she'd completely failed. She was a traitor, and he just couldn't let her get away. He might be as corrupt as they come, but he liked to think he was the right kind of corrupt, and misused his authority in the right way. But this was personal, this wasn't misuse of anything. It was the right thing to do. Maybe he should have thought about his partner inside the house, but they knew how to handle things.

     The chase ended quickly as he caught up to her at the beach. Vera looked like someone that was exhausted, and there weren't enough adrenalin to keep her going for longer. The burn had to be incrediby painful to, and he suspected it was other places on her body. Not that he understood how it could be possible without destroying the clothes. But if Marcos sister was anything like him, it wasn't good to know what she was capable of.

     Water, he liked water. It was the perfect element. Vera had one of those irritating little voices that made him want to slap her: I surrender. She said, her body hunched over with exhaustion: I surrender. She threw her arms up as to convince more.
      Dominic heard her, but he knew there was only one thing to do. Marco would have done if for him. As he buttoned up his shirt, Vera looked up at him and said: Really? I didn't think you were that type, then she laughed a tired little laughter that never really got there.

     I can assure you, he said: Whatever you believe I am going to do to you, you are wrong. Then he grabbed her, pulling her out into the water after him as she did her best trying to get away from his grasp.

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poses: traelia, AG, VKG, sea, clarisse, k2m1too, simsimi, imho etc etc.......

As much I don't strive to keep things realistic in the sims, I had to let Albert loose his nerdglasses in the fight. Not to let anyone see his face (it's not worth looking at), but because those monsterglasses HAD to have fallen off

Give it a rest Albert, you're not scary or tough no matter how hard you try. You're a nerdy vampire that loves the heat. And with those glasses, we all know your blind as a bat right now.
I have no idea why the moondial thingy shows the wrong moon- cycle. I've checked several times. Maybe it's just an illusion or something. And lets pretend no one noticed the police also using surpressors on their weapons. I had someone without, but lost them somehow. (And to lazy to find new)
Sum up in next chapter! (and a long AN for those "what" questions. Kind of need that every generation, but atleast this time I have a good reason)

thanks for reading