Sins Loom: The Unwilling Weaver

Entering the factory, Ed found the inside of the building to be filled to the brim with people constantly rushing back and forth. He also felt a distinct chill in the air, as the entire building was air conditioned. In a way, it reminded him of the glass bangle making factory Rahul owned. The centre of the factory was filled with people carrying boxes of supplies between shelves. Some of the boxes left through the front and were loaded onto the trucks, like Ed had seen outside.

The rest were carried into small rooms that lined the other three walls by people wearing fumigation suits.

Victor took the lead, guiding the group to a box that had just been taken from one of the rooms. After putting on a pair of disposable gloves, Victor dipped his hand into the box and pulled out a handful of tiny crystals. They were a bright blue and seemed to emit their own light. Victor clenched his fist, turning the crystals into a fine powder.

Intrigued, Haruko stepped closer to the box and started running some of her own tests. While she was doing that, Oliver focused his attention on the quality of the factory itself. He ran his finger across one of the shelves and found it to be free of dust. He turned his attention to the protective gear the workers were wearing and found it to be up to standard.

“Everything seems okay here.” He muttered quietly to himself.

This is my chance. Watching them slowly get further and further apart, Ed and Victor exchanged a brief glance. Ed followed Oliver, taking him on a small tour of the facility to check for any health and safety issues. Seeing that there was quite a distance between them and Haruko, Ed knew that he wouldn’t get a better opportunity.

“Is everything to your expectations?” Ed asked.

“Everything seems to be up to code.” Oliver said.

“Then are you willing to sign the contract as it is currently written?” Ed pressed.

“I will have to wait for my partner to finish with her tests before I can make a decision.” Oliver said.

“Well, I have something here that might help you make that decision.”

“This isn’t Greed, I’m not going to accept any bribes.” Oliver said sternly, looking insulted.

“I’m not trying to bribe you. I’ve just got a piece of information you might be interested in, that’s all.” Ed said nonchalantly.

“Oh? And what is that?” Oliver asked, staring warily at Ed.

“How much do you know about why Haruko is here in Hell?”

“She sold drugs illegally to a lot of people. It ruined a lot of lives, and that’s why she’s here.” Oliver answered.

“Correct, but do you know why she was selling drugs?”

“No, she never really talked about it much.” Oliver stared cautiously at Ed.

“Her father was killed. He was the only source of income because she was so young, so after he died, she was kicked onto the street by the landlord. That’s why she had to sell drugs to get by.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Oliver asked, sweat drenched his back even though he was in an air-conditioned room.

“Because I know you killed her father, Oliver. You tore his body apart in an alley and left his corpse amongst the filth.” Ed said.

Oliver immediately got into a fighting stance, ready to pounce on Ed.

“It’s not smart to attack your business partner. Your boss will be very unhappy to hear about this, and what will Haruko think when she sees you attack me?” Ed stared calmly at Oliver, but prepared internally to defend himself in necessary.

Hearing that, Oliver deflated, his shoulders actively sunk down as he sighed. “Fine. I’ll sign the contract. I’ll figure out how to convince Haruko to accept it, just don’t tell her about what happened.”

“You have my word.” Ed turned around, heading straight back to Victor and Haruko.

~

A thick fog swirled in the air, as Zara found herself standing in the middle of a road. Where am I? Stretching her hand in front of her, she could barely make out it’s outline through the fog.

“You went too far Zara. Your actions far exceeded what the killer did that night. It was far beyond the level of pain Marlon should have gone through, and you even used your newfound abilities to extend his suffering even more. For that you will be punished.

You will be forced to go through all of the pain Marlon went through, without the help of your powers to keep you alive. Your only escape is either finding the exit hidden somewhere in the fog, or by dying. Good luck Zara.”

Wait. I’m being punished? Why? Did I not do what I was supposed to? She looked around but could see nothing through the fog. Damnit. Guess I should start walking.

She walked down the road for several minutes without anything happening. The fog didn’t change, and she found nothing except for the road she was walking on.

SLAP!

She felt a stinging, burning sensation in her left cheek as it immediately swelled. Rubbing her cheek, it wasn’t long before her other cheek was slapped.

“Ow.” She groaned while rubbing her cheek. “Who’s slapping me?” Her eyes darted around the fog, but once again, she found nothing.

Grumbling, she continued walking through the fog, searching high and low for any differences. Blow after blow rained down on her body, peppering her skin with welts and bruises. Each time she was struck, she tried to catch whoever was hitting her, but she couldn’t even see who was doing it, much less touch them.

Zara grew increasingly frustrated, as she continued to see nothing but the endless fog. Where the fuck is it?

Swoosh!

The air was cut, as something sliced through her fingers. The tips of her fingers flew out, disappearing in the fog, as blood poured from the wounds.

“Fuck!” She cried out in pain.

More and more cuts appeared on her body as it was slowly shredded into pieces. She tried to call upon her healing powers, but she couldn’t even manifest a spark. Blood poured down her collapsing body as she continued to walk through the fog.

~

“Good morning Zara. You only have ten minutes until the file arrives.”

She groaned in pain, as she felt thousands of knives dance across her body, but no blood was spilt. The physical injuries were gone, but the marks they left on her soul remained. She felt overwhelmingly exhausted, her body felt sluggish and heavy, as she struggled to even sit up in bed. She groaned in pain as she was wracked by a terrible, mind shattering headache. “Buddie... Help.” She cried out, gasping for air.

“I’m sorry Zara, but your current condition is because you overdrew on your energy last night. Therefore, there is nothing that the healers can do to help you...”

Damnit! Seriously? They can heal an exploding head, but they can’t heal this? Ow! Her internal outburst only managed to make her headache worse.

“...However, we do have something that can help ease the situation for you.”

“Please! Whatever it is I want it.” Hearing that she wouldn’t have to suffer, she became excited.

“It will cost you ten credits. Are you sure you want it?” Buddie asked.

“FUCKING HELL, JUST GIVE IT TO ME.” She shouted while slamming her fist into the ground.

A glass bottle appeared on the ground in front of her. It contained a strange purple elixir that seemed to have glittering golden stars swirling inside it.

Zara uncorked the bottle, gulping it down without any hesitation. As it flowed down her throat, it emitted a soothing warmth. Slowly, she began to feel more in control of her body, and the headache eased. When the effects of the potion had finished, she was left feeling fatigued, and could still feel the pain radiating in her soul, but she felt better than when she woke up.

“Your file has arrived. Do you want me to send it to your TV screen?”

I don’t feel like leaving this room at all, but... “Is Ed back yet?”

“It will be a while before he comes back.”

I guess that settles it then. “Then send it to my TV.”

She sluggishly rolled off the bed, her wings cushioning her from slamming face first into the ground. She took a few more minutes getting to her feet, but eventually made it to the living room.

She groaned

Name: Joe Gibson

Age: 38

Occupation: Butcher

Biography: Born to parents Leo and Allanah Gibson, he grew up on a cattle ranch outside of a small town with three older siblings. As a teenager, much like his older siblings, he helped his parents around the ranch as much as he could. However, he never really bonded with the animals like the rest of his family did. Whenever he tried to help care for the animals, he often made things worse. Instead, he was quite skilled at cooking and preparing food, and would help his dad with preparing the animals for slaughter... As an adult, he started a butcher’s shop inside the town... When his father died, Joe had a falling out with his siblings, and his older brother refused to sell him meat at a low price like their father had... With his business struggling, he had to search for cheaper alternatives, and found that it was cheaper to hunt for his own meat and by mixing it with whatever he could afford, continued to market the meat as pork, beef, chicken...

-End of document-

Fatigued, Zara had to read through the file a few times before it stuck in her mind. “So, his sin is that he lied to his customers about what he was selling?”

“Partially yes. It is actually a collection of sins; he killed animals illegally, broke health regulations and falsely advertised his products.” Buddie specified.

“Ugh. Okaaay.” She yawned, wanting to go back to sleep as soon as possible. “Umm. Send him out to hunt for whatever his customers want.”

“This isn’t sufficiently dangerous enough to be considered suitable as a chance at redemption for him.”

“Then just make him hunt barehanded or whatever. You can decide.” She said tiredly.

There was a pause for a moment before Buddie responded. “Thank you for submitting your project. You will not receive any credits for today, but you will not be punished.”