Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Stalker

If you should find yourself in the City on a lonely railway platform in the wee hours or taking a night train across the dark countryside, you may happen to get the sensation you’re being watched. That may mean you have reason to be afraid.

Travelers in similar situations have looked to see the vague shape of what might be a fellow traveler clinging to the shadows of the platform, or have seen a gaunt figure receding in the distance as the train passes, its eyes glowing like signal lights.

The rail stalker appears to select his prey at random, but once he has done so he always lets the hapless traveler glimpse him at least once. The next time the victim sees the creature’s pale, naked, and emaciated form may be when he strikes.

The creature (it is unclear if there is more than one) attacks by opening his mouth absurdly wide in a caricature of a scream and emitting a sound or vibration. Things directly in its path may be damage as if thousands of years of erosion took place in a single moment, concentrated in a narrow area. Those nearby but not directly in the path describe a sudden wave of fear and a mind numbing hum. The stalker prefers to kill by embracing his victim and deilvering a kiss—a kiss that sends his deadly vibration through the victim’s body, turning bone to powder and liquifying organs.

Some thaumaturgists believe the sound made by the rail stalker is a sound from the end of the material universe, the wail of of inevitable armageddon that the rail stalker somehow carries in his withered frame. And aches to share with others.

[The rail stalker is, of course, a modern/near-modern horror riff on Fiend Folio’s Dune Stalker and resembles that creature in game particulars.  'Cause a naked, clawed dude trying to kiss you in a subway station is scarier than one in a desert, maybe.]

18 comments:

The Angry Lurker said...

Reminds me a little of the horror movie "Creep".

scottsz said...

Very nice!

A recent image I saw came to mind:
[pic]

Meowlissa said...

I really enjoy the creepiness.

Happy Thursday!!

Chris C. said...

"...the sound made by the rail stalker is a sound from the end of the material universe, the wail of of inevitable armageddon..."

I'll be thinking of this every time I hear a train wailing distantly in the night.

Porky said...

I think you've filled out the dune concept well with those details, and the new associations and hints add a very dark undertone.

Anonymous said...

Love it. The image up top also brings to mind the video "come to daddy" by Aphex Twin.

Canageek said...

Creepy. Sound like a great monster for Call of Cthulhu!

Trey said...

thanks for coming by guys!

@Angry Lurker - haven't seen that. I'll check that out.

@Scottsz - Cool pic. Death takes the train.

@Meowlissa - Happy Thursday to you. Long time no see. :)

@Mike - I'll have to youtube it. That pic is from the horror film Legion.

Needles said...

I swear that I didn't see this entry when I made the spiders. I swear..
Kidding, actually there is a heavy metal video that reminds me of these monsters have to find it.
Very cool monster

Tom Fitzgerald said...

Brilliant, creepy and very evocative. This will not help my insomnia one whit ;)

I also was reminded of the aphex twin reference. It is as though you are channelling the character or some aspect of it.

ze bulette said...

For some reason, this had me thinking of the dementor scene from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. A creepy stalker wanting a life stealing kiss is much better though.

Trey said...

@Needles - I would imagine that's the Aphex Twins the guys are talking about.

@Tom - Hey, Tom. It's been a while. I did a search and found a pic of that AT video monster--i wish I'd found it last night, cause that is perfect. The insomnia is no charge, btw. ;)

Ze bulette - yeah, we can think the writer's of fiend folio for this weird kissing monster business. It's good grist for the horror mill.

The Happy Whisk said...

I thought the first image was scary but then I saw the second and that one is REALLY scary.

Love it. So great.

Cheers and Happy Almost Weekend.

PS: Prep went great today. Woohoo. But tomorrow is my last day at the fabric shop. Boohoo.

Anonymous said...

I turned at the clatter on the metal stairs of the station. It was an old man, his well worn shoes had wooden soles. He noticed my look.

"The rail stalker cannot stand the sound of wood on stone," he said simply before vanishing into the night.

A distant wail echoed the whistle of the approaching train. I pulled my coat tightly about me and vowed to buy new shoes in the morning.

Trey said...

@Whisk - Thanks! I hope you enjoy your weekend, too.

@seaofstarrpg - Great!

Dan said...

Yes, you're right. It IS creepier. Well done (goes away to hide).

It might just be because we all here have more personal experience of scary railway stations than we do of scary deserts, but that doesn't change the fact.

Oh also it reminded me of this Aphex Twin video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe-XNav5mWU&feature=player_detailpage#t=240s

Trey said...

Thanks Dan! Yeah, I apparently missed the boat on the Aphex Twins.

David The Archmage said...

Creepy... just creepy.