Which piece should I continue?

[Therin]

I recently picked up a book from Borders that's supposed to help you learn to write. It had a bunch of excercises in which you pick a certain thing, set a timer for X minutes(where X is between 5 and 20) and write until it goes off. I ended up with these babies, and I think I'm only gonna work on one for the time being. Which is it gonna be?




The first one.

Behind the door was a gruesome sight. The far wall was covered in red gore, as were the left and right walls. Blood dripped down to a red-covered floor. The wall with the door was also plastered with tissue and blood, outlining a clean space in the shape of a large, kneeling man. In the middle of the room, in the center of a circle of bare, clean, desolate floor sat the man himself, smaller than his "shadow" on the wall behind. His eyes were closed. Tears streaked his grief-worn face, and his hands, balled into fists, were rested on his thighs. His head was bent, looking at the only other object in the room, save the blood on the walls and ceiling. The ring glowed with a pulsing, holy radiance, throwing the man's weary features into stark relief. His head was bent, looking at the only other object in the room, save the blood on the walls and ceiling. The ring glowed with a pulsing, holy radiance, throwing the man's weary features into stark relief.
You did it.
No.
You did. You know you did.
No. It wasn't me.
It was. You did very well.
I would never do such a thing.
And you have the ring.
Never.
Put it on.
No.
Do it!
No!




The second one.

It's been a long time since I set eyes on the house on Oak Tree lane. Nondescript to the casual observer, the house squats at the end of a long driveway, now overgrown with wild flowers and prairie grass.
Upon closer examination, however, certain things stand out and flag the not-so-casual orbs of vision. A black line, perfectly vertical, running down the side of the house between the second and third sets of windows. A tree, protruding directly out of the roof, as opposed to behind, the way it looks at a glace. Windows that have been painted over to look dark.
I can still remember exploring it with Mary, my high school girlfriend. She was always reluctant, but finally would give in because it was a place of solitude, a place to be alone together.




The third one.

The man was wanted nationwide. His crimes covered each and every category, sparing no race, sept, or caste of humanity. He was the best. His name was legendary.
She had a gift. She had had it ever since she could remember.

Cameras and microphones flashed and thrust at her face.
"Miss Fersht, how did you…?"
"Where were you…?"
"What did you…?"
She pushed through them all and out to her car. Getting in and slamming the door, she smiled and left the reporters talking to exhaust fumes.
Later that night, Jennifer Fersht was having tea and biscuits when she heard a knock on her apartment door. Quickly stashing the biscuits in the cupboard, she hurried to the door, opened it, and sneezed.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I come at a bad time?"
"No. It's just that you smell of cat. Come in, come in. Make yourself at home."
The woman smelled her lapel, then shrugged and followed Jennifer inside.
"Would you like some tea? It'll help you relax."
"Thank you. I-…how did you know I was nervous?"
"I'll tell you later, maybe. Now, since I'm sure you didn't just come here for tea, please tell me why you did come here, miss…?"
"Gregson. Charlotte Gregson, but my friends call me Charlie. I'm writing an article for the Times and I wanted to ask you some questions."
Jen froze, then sighed, "Oh well. If you took the time off to come all the way up here, I might as well oblige you. Ask away."




The fourth one.

Water sloughed off Jim's black, government issue raincoat, dripping onto the already drenched sidewalk as Jim strolled along the darkened steel and concrete jungle of New Thames. Black clouds boiled across the sky in thundering rage. Deafening blasts of sound rolled across the city.
As Jim walked past the mouth of an alleyway, he heard a voice in his earpiece,
"Now right."
Casually, Jim turned into the alleyway, then paused, searching.
"Oh, Bill…?" he said in a soft, singsong voice, "Bill, what am I looking for here?"
"I don't know, Jim, only that Command wants it bad," said the earpiece.
"Well gee, Bill, you're being very helpful today, you know that?"
"I'm sorry, Jim but that's all Command told me."
"Swell…well here, Bill, I'll tell you what. Why don't you just radio Command and tell them to get the fuck out here and find the damn thing on their own!!"




The fifth one.

Everyone thought she had a screw loose, the crazy old bat. She was feminist, short, and ugly, and she had an irrational fear, of all things, of birdseed. She was sixty-three and single, and glad to be so because, so she said, her yard was scared of men. She wouldn't even let male doge on the property, though how she knew male from female at a glance was anybody's guess. Suffice to say, though, that all men, canine and otherwise, learned to avoid the house on Bagshot Row.
All men, that is, until Mr. Bing came along. Just out of the blue, this old man came tottering down the sidewalk with his cane and his knapsack. The bat, of course, was busy screeching at some poor unlucky mutt who chosen the wrong place to leave his steaming pile. She didn't notice the old man until he was right behind her, at which point he cleared his throat politely. The bat turned and froze, indignation seeping across her features, outrage at the impudence of this vile creature, this pustule, this…this man standing on her property!

[Therin]

...hello? why is no one voting?

[ChibiChaos]

well, I voted, after reading through, and being into violence and gore, i thought the first one was good. interesting, and leaves you thinking.. the ring, or the lord of the rings?

[BWS-1]

5th one for me, it's very original, I'm curious to see what happens next.

[Therin]

Yaaaay!!! Votes!!! thank you both(three?) for your input!

Keep 'em comin' people!

[Musashi]

I agree with B, I think the fifth one could be quite interesting.

[Bumblebee]

A tie between the second and the fifth; but I'm with the others. The fifth is quite original : D.

[Nacht]

I picked 2 b/c i love creepy old possibly haunted house stories

[Therin]

Well, here's a short short short story :p , just for the hell of it.

(Sigh.) Life's a rat race. Everyone's
always in a hurry. hurry to get the
groceries, hurry to get to work, hurry
to pick up the kids, hurry to get to
school. Stuck in traffic.
Honk, honk honk! Get out of the way,
you fat bitch! Turdmonger! Slow-ass
old guy! Crazy student driver!

What the hell!?
I'm late!

Step on the gas, shoulder
everyone else aside, gotta get
there first! If I don't, the boss'll
yell at me, the kids will start
fighting, the dog will leave a mess!

Sigh. It's nice to just lay in the park and relax.

[Selrahc the Evil]

I pick umm...
the first one but mainly because of all the blood and stuff.