The Purge - Tumblr Posts
endure & survive
genre: horror
joel miller x f!reader (eventual). the last of us x the purge au.
start date: october 5, 2023
synopsis: y2k brings something much more visceral than a cyberattack to the united states. the worst of this happens to joel miller on his birthday in 2008.
installment warnings: extreme violence including death (canon-typical for both stories). strong political themes. altered universe including alternate history. rated r, for 18+ readers only.
chapter one: so help me god
September 15, 2001
Washington, D.C., United States of America
With a new millennium come new beginnings.
The 90s were difficult on the United States, to say the least. Losing the Cold War had been no small thing, and President Reagan had left the White House in disgrace. What followed were a series of lackluster presidential administrations who seriously fumbled the postwar recovery of the country, and America became vulnerable-- not to outside forces, but to itself. In times of great strife, people have a number of options, but it usually comes down to two: either a society bands together to fix its problems and restore a sense of security to the nation, or it gives way to fascism. The United States, regrettably, took the latter path.
The New Founding Fathers of America harnessed the power of faux populism to appeal to the hungry, frustrated masses, convincing enough voters to choose them that they won. Of course, simply winning wasn't good enough for the NFFA, and soon, the entire government of the US was overthrown and rebuilt by the party. No other party was allowed power in the newly reformed legislature, and the US became a full dictatorship. Somehow, this didn't seem to bother people as much as it should have done, and the NFFA managed to hold on to relatively high approval ratings, though the numbers were likely doctored.
With the stated goal of trying to restore peace, order, and stability to the people of the USA, the NFFA concocted a plan, one that would fundamentally change the fabric of not only American society, but human society generally. The proposal of the annual Purge was met with shock, horror, and condemnation by a majority of other world governments. Both the United Nations and NATO advised that, were the US to actually enact the Purge, they would be expelled from the alliances, and Canada, China, and Mexico, among others, warned that all trade relations would be severed. Naturally, the NFFA ignored every admonishment that was leveled at them, and pushed forward with their plans.
The Purge would take place once a year, in September, when the weather was nice enough in all parts of the country to be outside for prolonged periods of time. Only a handful of rules applied: no harming high-level government officials, no heavy weaponry, and no biological agents. Other than that, basically everything was fair game. For one night, one twelve-hour window every year, crimes would no longer be crimes. Anyone could do anything they wanted, from robbing banks to going on murder sprees, and they would face no repercussions granted the acts took place between 7PM and 7AM. It was first tested in 2001, confined only to New York City, as it was deemed unwise to test it on a large, uncontrollable scale. For the NFFA, it was deemed a major success, despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty was completely demolished. They used this as promotional propaganda, stating that the destruction of old American monuments was in line with their vision of a new America, unshackled from its past. Particularly harrowing was an image of her head, decapitated, lying sideways on the ground with a broken crown. Her nose was cracked, her eyes hollow, her expressionlessness making her seem especially dead.
This image became a core memory for you. As you stood in front of the television the day after, a 16-year-old girl barely becoming aware of what politics even meant, you knew you were repulsed by it. You knew you wanted something better, but, heartbreakingly, you felt powerless to change it, and this sense of weakness and despair would follow you for years.
***
September 26, 2008
Austin, Texas, United States of America
It was Joel's 35th birthday.
Ever since he had Sarah, he hadn't put much importance on his birthday, but she sure had. Ever since she could grasp the concept, she'd gone crazy for his birthday, waking him up when she was five by bringing him nothing but a can of Funfetti frosting and a spoon. Ever since that morning, the only reason he even kept it on the calendar was for her.
This birthday was no exception. Joel woke up to a perfectly prepared breakfast, eggs and bacon and sweet, fluffy pancakes, and despite the fact that he wasn't the biggest fan of pancakes, he polished off the whole plate. They rode to school together in Tommy's truck, Joel planting a kiss on Sarah's curls as she hopped out, and then he was off to another long day of work.
The radio crackled on the drive, after Sarah left. It had always been staticky in Tommy's truck, and though Joel had offered to replace it multiple times, Tommy had always turned him down, noting the charm of the old stereo. "Good morning Austin," said the DJ, less cheerful than he normally was. "Don't forget: tonight marks the sixth annual Purge, sponsored by the New Founding Fathers of America and the NRA. The Purge lasts twelve full hours, from seven PM to seven AM, during which time all crime, including murder, is legal and permitted. Stay tuned for more details as the day continues, and keep a television in your house tuned to channel nine for updates during the event. May God have mercy on your souls."
The Purge wasn't always on Joel's birthday, but since the date changed yearly to place it on a Friday, occasionally it would inevitably fall on his day. This was the first time it had happened, and Joel internally crossed his fingers and prayed to a God he didn't believe in that once, just this once, nothing terrible would happen to him in those twelve hours. In 2003, someone had set fire to their house. In 2005, someone had stolen the work truck he shared with Tommy. Last year, someone had gotten into the house next door and killed his elderly neighbors, leading him to shut off all the lights, turn off the television, and hide Sarah under his bed, sitting in front of it with his gun in his lap. Thankfully, the killers skipped over their house, believing it empty, and the siren sounded an hour later.
Joel and Tommy looked at each other, a palpable nervousness rising between them. "Looks like no birthday dinner, huh, big brother?" Tommy asked, his chuckle insincere. Tommy had fared much worse, as far as Purges went; in 2004, his fiancée had been brutally assaulted and murdered, leaving him in such fear that he hadn't found anyone else since. He dreaded Purge Night more than anyone else Joel knew, and Purge Night made Joel approximately ten thousand times more protective of Tommy than he normally was, and that was saying something.
For as protective as he was of Tommy, he was even more defensive over Sarah, his freshly 16-year-old little girl. If she hadn't been born before the instatement of the Purge, he probably wouldn't have had her. He didn't love the idea of having brought a child into a world like this one, and he never would have done it knowingly. Sarah had been the result of a one-night stand, and her religious mother had insisted on keeping her, but skipped town only a few months after her birth. Joel had kept up with her whereabouts in case Sarah ever got curious, but other than that, he had nothing to do with her, and he never would again, as she had died in the 2006 Purge. At the time, he had decided that Sarah was old enough to know, and told her.
"She's dead?"
"Yeah, she's dead." Joel ran his fingers through his curls, worried about how Sarah would react.
"Am I... am I a bad person?" she asked, startling him.
"What? How could you think that?"
"I don't feel anything," she explained, her eyes unable to meet his. "I'm not happy, but I'm not devastated. Am I wrong for that?"
He wrapped her up in his arms, hoping his steady embrace would be enough to break that thought pattern. "No, baby, you're not a bad person," he reassured her, rocking back and forth gently. "She was a stranger to you. It makes sense that you'd feel this way."
"Dad?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"I'm sorry."
He leaned back to look at her. "Why?"
"You deserved better." Sarah sighed, with too much world-weariness for a teenager. "You deserved someone who would love you."
"Well, lucky for me, I got you out of it," he countered. "It's a different kind of love, sure, but it's a hell of a lot of it."
"I love you too, Dad."
Joel slowly returned to reality, shrugging. "Guess not, little brother." He clapped a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "You're welcome at ours tonight anyway, you know that. Especially... you know, on nights like this."
Tommy swallowed, and his eyes became misty. "Thanks, Joel. I promised Sandra I'd keep guard for her tonight, though." Sandra, Tommy's neighbor, was a single mom, and a very kind woman, who Tommy liked to help. There was nothing romantic between them; they had simply become good friends after living next door to one another, and Tommy had become "Uncle Tommy" to her kids. He took pride in that, and made sure to be the best influence in their lives that he could be. That included being their armed guard on Purge Night, which seemed to be the only thing that kept him sane during the event.
"You're good to that family. They're lucky to have you."
"I'm lucky to have them." He didn't acknowledge why.
The workday itself was as uneventful as ever, save for a tension that needed a saw, not a knife, to cut. Hardly anyone on the jobsite enjoyed Purge Night, and most of the guys barricaded themselves indoors with their families. A few had lost family members, and there was no Purge bereavement leave, which meant mental health rapidly deteriorated in the days following the event. Some of the guys couldn't survive it. If three people lost family, one of them would be dead within the month, guaranteed. The NFFA didn't fund mental health services, promoting the false notion that if you weren't strong enough to beat it without help, you weren't strong enough to be alive anyway. It made Joel seethe with rage, considering the way he had watched Tommy grapple with PTSD since the death of his fiancée. To think that the government didn't even care if Tommy did okay, that they didn't care if he ever got better, that they even thought that the world was a better place without him in it, made Joel see red.
He barely made it home in time, racing out of the car after Tommy dropped him off and slamming and locking the door behind him. 6:53 PM. Sarah sat in front of the television, visibly shaking, likely thinking that her father was not going to make it back. Joel didn't bring it up, preferring not to upset her further, or plant the thought in her head, if that wasn't what she had been thinking about. "Got a cake, like you asked," he said, holding up the sheet cake he'd bought at the grocery store, nothing fancy or custom, but enough for him and his kid.
"Cool, Dad. I guess this is the best night possible to set the house on fire, considering the amount of candles we're going to need for you."
"Hardy-har." There couldn't have been a worse night, not really. If the house burned all the way down, they'd have nowhere to shelter, and be exposed to attacks. She probably had a bit of a point, though, since the last time their house had caught fire on Purge Night, Joel had acted quickly enough to pull off a little bit of insurance fraud before the sirens blared to get himself some extra cash for the repairs. After seeing how simple that had been, he'd spent further Purge Nights stealing money for Sarah's college fund, hoping to be able to ship her off to Canada and get her the hell out of the United States.
You, too, were a fraudster. As a youth, you had been very much the indoorsy type, learning everything that you could about computers and the Internet, and during the first actual Purge, you stole $200,000, all online. This money wasn't all for floating your personal lifestyle, though; you used much of it to furnish Purge shelters for the homeless and unemployed, or people who didn't have secure enough housing. Part of it went to your college fund, and part of it to the simple things about staying alive, but most of it was for charitable causes. The local mayor hated you, as he had been able to trace your activities, but he couldn't do anything about it unless he wanted to completely torpedo his own political ambitions. What you were doing was 100 percent legal, even if the powers that be didn't like it. Purge 2008 would be your last in D.C., as you needed to get out from under the mayor's watchful eye, his constant stalking to try to catch you doing something that wasn't entirely above board.
Austin wasn't better. It had been a great city before the rise of the NFFA, the most vibrant and artistic in the state of Texas, but it had since devolved into a rather beige wasteland. Joel missed the music, the street murals, the block parties, everything that had made growing up in Austin special. He wished he could give Sarah the same childhood he had had, but that was long gone.
Both of them jumped out of their skin when the Emergency Broadcast System sounded, even though they had both known it was coming, as it had come every year. The tones nearly split Joel's psyche in half, knowing the distress that Sarah and Tommy were about to experience for twelve or more hours. He'd made Tommy promise to text him once every hour.
A placid female voice began to read Joel's least favorite words. "This is not a test," read the TTS. "This is your Emergency Broadcast System announcing the commencement of the annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. government. Weapons of Class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at 7AM when the Purge concludes. Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn. May God be with you all."
As the terrible siren blared its warning call, Joel shuddered, nearly dropping the cake he still held. "Shut that damned thing off," he mumbled, shaking his head. "Don't need the noise."
Sarah did as he asked, and then walked with him to the kitchen, taking the cake from him. "Dad."
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
This time, she didn't need to explain herself. He knew what she was apologizing for. "Ain't your fault, kiddo, but thank you."
They only ended up lighting one candle, as they didn't want to spend long with the flickers of light being able to be seen from beyond the house. Joel blew it out, openly wishing that this Purge would be the last. Sarah nodded, but said nothing, and cut the cake. Once they had finished, they walked to the master bathroom and barricaded themselves inside, preferring to spend the night in a room with no windows and only one door. Joel sat with his gun loaded, pointed at the locked door, and Sarah sat in the bathtub, lined with pillows, watching videos on her laptop with headphones on so no one could hear.
Joel listened to music to pass the time, but only with one earbud in. He didn't think he could afford to dampen his sense of hearing entirely, as much as he wished that he could just block out the rest of the world, save for Sarah and Tommy, and disappear. The fucking Purge. How could one day of the year make the rest of it so goddamn intolerable? Of course, he knew it wasn't the Purge that made the rest of the year intolerable. It was the NFFA, those fascist shitheads, those good-for-nothing, controlling motherfuckers. The rage Joel felt was always barely, barely contained, always rippling beneath the surface of his strained exterior, always threatening to snap more easily than a twig under his boot. One of these days, he'd go ballistic. It wasn't a question of if, but when, something that was guaranteed to happen at one point or another, and when it did, he'd probably aim to break one Purge rule in particular.
As Joel was working his magic on his own laptop, hours after the sounding of the first siren, securing more money for Sarah's college, his phone began to ring. A chill shot up his spine when he read the caller ID-- Tommy. "Where are you?" he said as he answered, skipping over the formalities.
"Downtown!" A hail of gunfire rang out, Tommy's boots crunching on the gravel as he ran. "One of Sandra's kids ran off! Can't find her!"
"Goddamn it, Tommy."
"I wouldn't have left if it wasn't a child, Joel, you know that!"
"I know." Joel massaged his temple with his free hand, feeling a migraine incoming. "You need cover, don't you?"
"That's why I'm calling. I get it if you can't leave Sarah."
Sarah's hand landed on Joel's shoulder. "Dad, go," she urged, her headphones looped around her neck. "Go help Uncle Tommy. I'm safe here. No one's gonna know where I am."
Joel stared into Sarah's earnest eyes, the ones that so matched his own, but with more kindness, more softness. "Sarah, I--"
"Go," she insisted. "One of these days, I'll have to weather my first Purge without you. Might as well be now."
"You're just a kid."
"I'm 16, Dad, not six. I might not be an adult, but I have my wits about me." She threw her arms around him, squeezing tight. "I love Uncle Tommy, I really do, but he doesn't stand a chance out there without you. He needs you right now more than I do."
Joel hugged her back, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. "How'd you get so selfless, huh?"
"Learned from the best." Sarah pushed Joel away, shooing him. "Get out of here. You bring my uncle home safe."
Sarah was wrong, fatally wrong, but none of them would know it before it was too late.
Joel rushed to his truck, vigilantly watching his six. He scrambled in and started it, backing out of his drive without really watching. If he had been more careful, he might have noticed the men waiting, lurking, in the yard next door, but he was so focused on trying not to panic that his eyes weren't fully open.
Tommy did make it home. They were able to locate the missing child, and got her back to Sandra with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. Joel only witnessed a brief part of the reunion before rushing out to go back to his own child, his own responsibilities, but he was about to have those responsibilities stripped forever.
Sarah wasn't home anymore. Joel returned to a house with smashed-out windows, a fire burning in the kitchen. The glass on the floor resembled the shattered state of his very soul, upon knowing that his only baby wouldn't be where she was meant to be. With his heart in his throat, he raced up the stairs to his bathroom, his worst fears confirmed, yet more glass scattered across the floor and giving him the brief, morbid thought that he should use one of the shards on himself if anything happened to her. But where? Where could she have gone? True to form, clever Sarah had hidden a note for her father, scribbled in black marker under the lip of the sink: JEANNIES, it read.
Jeannie's was a nearby coffee shop that was popular with the local high schoolers and young adults. Sarah spent a decent amount of time there with her friends after school, usually coming home about the same time Joel did, so she could spend her evenings with him. Had she short-changed a barista or something? She wasn't the type...
Boys.
The thought occured to Joel before he was even ready for it, but that had to be it. Sarah was a pretty girl, and she'd probably turned a boy down for a date. Joel knew that some men and boys could be horrifically violent when being denied what they wanted, including actual human girls and women, and a scream of anger ripped from his throat. These boys, whoever they were, were going to pay.
The coffee shop was so close to the house that Joel thought it best to run there rather than driving, knowing that he didn't want to waste time trying to find somewhere to park the truck, or risk being noticed by Sarah's attackers prematurely. By this point, it was already 6:45 in the morning. With any sliver of luck, the siren would go off before they could-- he didn't even want to think the thought. There were too many awful things that they could do to her.
Sure enough, when he reached the coffee shop, he could see through the front windows that Sarah was tied down to a chair, a group of young men taking turns hitting her, kicking her, spitting on her. Joel found a pipe lying on the ground, ready to use it in defense of his kid. He didn't know how many of them he could get through before the Purge ended, but he certainly didn't plan on showing mercy. Knowing the door would be locked, he smashed the glass with his pipe, ducking to walk through it, appearing on the other side with nothing but murder on his mind. "You think you're gonna take my kid and get away with it?" he growled, his eyes flicking from man to man.
"I do, actually," said one of them, one of the shortest. "Daddy come to save you, princess?"
"What do you want with her?"
"Your little bitch turned me down," the leader hissed, smacking his open palm across Sarah's already bleeding face, the splits in her skin reflecting the brutality of a mediocre man scorned. "Girls don't get to turn me down, not without consequences."
Joel ran toward them, but found himself on the business end of a gun. "She's 16 years old, you bastard. How old are you? 30?"
"27." He looked pained that Joel thought him older.
Joel scoffed, spitting in his face. "Pervert. She's a kid."
"She's old enough."
"She ain't!" Joel landed a blow on the attacker's head, getting himself shot in the arm for it, but it didn't stop him.
"Kill the girl," the attacker managed to choke out, just before Joel broke his jaw.
He wasn't quick enough. One of the accomplices, already standing right in front of Sarah, raised his gun and fired, dissolving Joel's world in less than a second. The last thing Joel saw on Sarah's face, strangely, was a look of acceptance, possibly trying to still her heart in her final moments. A ringing started in his ears, but he didn't know whether it was due to blood loss or grief; in any event, it led him to continue beating the living shit out of the man who orchestrated the whole kidnapping, until he was as good as decapitated, there was so little left of his head. The other accomplices left him to it. They seemed to think Joel deserved the catharsis, or perhaps they were afraid of him turning his fury on them.
When Joel grabbed another one by the collar, he was shot again, this time in the back. Before he could retaliate, the most terrible sound rang out loud: the end siren. The Purge was over. He stared at each of the men individually, not needing to tell them what he would say next. "There's always next year," he promised. "Say your fuckin' goodbyes while you can, if you got anybody to say them to."
"It wasn't our idea," one of them, the one who shot Sarah, protested.
Joel whirled on him, pushing him to the floor. "You went along with it, didn't you? And you shot my daughter? I'm gonna start with you, I think, and I'm gonna work my way through every last one of you. You're dead. You're all fuckin' dead." He put a boot on the man's chest, holding him down while he took out his wallet and read the ID. "Jeremy Fisher. See you in 364 days."
The cowards ran off before Joel could change his mind, unsure how he was even able to control himself. He fell to his knees and gathered Sarah in his arms, knowing there was no hope for her. His knees almost came out from under him as he slipped in the gallons of blood running over the tiles, and he wished it would have made him slip, cracked his head, either put him out of his misery or woke him up from this nightmare. CPR wouldn't work. She was gone. He rocked her body back and forth until he finally passed out, ready to join her if possible, but the first responders found him.
Joel survived, but his heart did not.
I'm thinking about just posting a shit ton of lifedrawing pracices, nude character refs (i draw all characters nude first to get an idea of how clothing works on them) and maybe a couple of artistic renderings of primary and secondary genetalia just to unleash this bs armageddon on myself in protest...
So yeah, you've been warned, and I hope you don't mind. If you do, feel free to mute me or unfollow me until the 17th or whatever. I will take the unecessary stuff down myself if staff doesn't snap me. And remember, no matter what these hyper sensitive algorythmsand companies tell you, nudity does not equal pornography!
See you on the other side✌️
Repulsion and longing.
Purging old paperwork as part of my ‘self care’ routine. Lots of documents to remind me of when I used to be a functioning adult with a mortgage and electric bills and such.
So much of it with both of our names on it.
guaranteed gonna be writing a purge fic tonight but i still can’t tell who it’s going to be… i’ll found out while writing and you’ll find out while reading lmao
(ps read the tags. may help you for some context)
happy death day
A/N: Purge night.
-SKZ x reader, 18+.
mature content, violence etc. its the purge. more warnings later
next!
---------------
You hated this “holiday” with a passion. It was cruel, violent and in your opinion, completely unnecessary. It wasn’t worth a few years of lowered poverty in the country to let everyday people become murderers just for fun. And you stood by it. Declined participation, parties, even hanging out with friends. You did none of it. Never would. You swore to yourself that after that one night when those eight men held your father and mother hostage while you were tied to a chair, which was in turn tied to a wall, torturing them slowly before killing them in front of you, you would never even acknowledge the horrendous night. So, you didn’t. You saved up and bought the best home protection you could, hiding away under blankets until your ears were blasted by the alarms that signaled 7am.
Tonight was the annual purge night. Work was filled with preparing purgers stocking up on their energy drinks and snacks. Oh the joys of working at a gas station. Gas prices were lowered for the day so purgers could fuel their vehicles of carnage, bullets and pocket knives were also half off. You hated that the most, your stock in the back was mostly shotgun shells and 12mm’s stacked beside boxes of pocket knives and ball-point pens because people had a strange liking towards pens around purge night. The 4:30pm close could not come sooner, your eyes staring daggers at the clock beside you. It was almost painful waiting, your stomach twisting, head a little fuzzy and hands sweating. It was far from your best feeling. You’d place an orgasm at the top of that list for sure.
The small chime of the bell hung above the door caught your attention, eyes drifting over to watch as eight men sauntered through, broad shoulders clad in leather, boots clicking against the tiled floor and faces already covered with black face masks. Some sported black caps, others slicked back hair and one who had achingly bright blue hair. You blinked at the bright colour, your eyes scanning the others as they spread out, gloved hands tracing shelves before your eyes caught the muscle of one of their arms, the veins in his arm pronounced as he lifted a case of diet soda. The realization he was grabbing diet soda made you laugh a little, not noticing the set of eyes it drew towards your position leant against the counter.
His intense gaze soon registered and you glanced in the general direction it was coming from, one of the tallest staring straight back at you with unblinking and dark eyes. It made you clear your throat and turn to start locking up the nicotine products for the night, time flying away as you glanced back at the clock which now read 4:20. Great, you thought, almost done. You locked up what needed to be locked behind the counter with practiced ease, muscle memory guiding you as you started zoning out. You didn’t even realize you completely zoned out until one of eight cleared their throat to get your attention. Turning in an almost graceful circle, your eyes widened slightly as you saw them all gathered with armfulls of things for the night. You huffed a small sigh and walked back up to be nearly flush with the counter, hand grabbing the scanner in preparation.
“You guys got everything? Not gonna be breaking in when I close up to get something you forgot because you were distracted by the soda choices?”
A few of them chuckled, the clear ring leader shaking his head as the one holding the soda visibly shrugged in a clearly unfazed motion. You hummed as the leader started piling items, your hands working double time to grab, scan and push away items as they slid one after the other. It took you two minutes to scan everything they had gathered in their tour, your hands now busy bagging as the leader typed in his card pin. Everything paid for and most things bagged, you could feel their eyes on you as you neatly placed the last of their protein bars in a small paper bag.
“Okay. That should be everything right?”, you sighed as you glanced up and accidentally made eye contact with every single one of them.
Their eyes almost made you zone out, something about them so alluring and dangerous… it made your heart race as you shakily pushed their last bag forward as the leader nodded again, his eyes catching yours for an unnerving moment as they began exiting with bags in hand. You cleared your throat to rid yourself of some nervous energy as you rounded the corner as the leader left, hands turning the lock quickly, your back meeting the cool glass as you let out a large sigh, your head dropping forward as the revving of a clearly modded engine filled your ears. The muffler shot twice before the heat of eight gazes left you free to sprint around, shutting off lights, locking things down and couple checking the front before you booked it out of the side door to your little punch buggy.
The click of the locks echoed slightly in your car before you started it, the time ticking slowly towards 7pm as you released a long breath. The journey home would be stressful. All the purge goers taunting the scared people with machine guns and shotguns as they drove past, cars bumper to bumper as you crawled through the streets to get home. The main street was the worst of it, your eyes scanning over 70 cars in front of and behind you on both sides of the road. It made your hands sweat more, small shakes running through your body as the clock ticked to 6:30pm. Half an hour to get home and activate your systems. Fuck. You glanced around frantically, the side road blissfully empty of large amounts of traffic, the crowd generally being too afraid of more secluded zones to take side streets.
Using that to your advantage, you swerved off onto the side street, speeding up significantly as you took a new, slightly longer route to your house. Well, technically your parents house. Your childhood home actually… you just stayed in it due to the convenience of owning it and the short distance from many stores you frequented often. Taking slightly sharper turns than normal, you arrived home with three minutes to spare, the sun setting peacefully in a mocking show before the carnage of the night began. Hands trembling and fumbling with your keys, you dropped them as you approached your doorstep. A loud curse and you were bending to grab them in a panic, eyes scanning your peripherals as the announcement froze your body mid bend.
Your heart beat faster as the announcement progressed, your body kicking into flight mode as you sprinted into the house after unlocking the door, your harsh breaths filling your ears as you locked the door, hand already punching in the security code and locking down the house. Your wide eyes watched the metal plates slide down over your large living room windows, the large black truck across the road sending a tingle down your spine before the barricades slammed shut and locked in place with a resounding clang. The loud alarms rang out seconds later, the noise making you jump as gunshots rang through the streets already, screams echoing from people who couldn’t make it inside in time.
Relaxing with the added noises and suffering outside was easier said than done, your tv on 45 to block it out but failing as trucks sputtered by, screams following, guns firing, more screams. It was torture. You needed a larger distraction, you decided as your security camera showed you a large black van blaring its speakers, a man's voice breaking through the static of it periodically.
“Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!”
A disgusted shiver ran down your spine, neck curving back and shoulders scrunching up before you shook it off and headed upstairs. A shower would help. Yeah, you thought, a nice warm shower, some music, a candle. Perfect way to distract yourself from outside. So gathering a change of clothes, sleep shorts and a nice big hoodie plus your comfiest pair of underwear, you started the shower, your music blasting. Stripping went quickly, your eyes avoiding the mirror as you walked past it. Stepping into the shower, most noise drowned away, “Boss” by NCT U guiding your head as you bobbed it along to the beat, lip syncing your favourite parts as you ran your hands through your hair. Your eyes closed in bliss as you let yourself float away in the beat and the comforting embrace of the water as it streamed down your body.
Your bliss was slightly disrupted as the next song started, the hard-hitting drum resonating in your bones as the lyrics started.
“나나나나나나나나 나나나나나나나나나,”
You nodded along, your body rolling slightly as the beat picked up further, your mind partially blanking as you got lost in the routine of your shower.
“Happy death day, happy, happy worst day,”
Foot tapping in tune with the chorus, your eyes opened to reach for your body wash and loofa, scrubbing away the nervousness in eucalyptus and mint as the song echoed in the small room.
“Wе're closer to death,”
You lost track of time, the last few verses cutting through the air as you turned off the shower slowly, towel wrapping around your body as you shivered in the rapidly cooling air. Your hands almost vibrated as you dressed quickly, your hands pausing as the song finished itself off a little too slowly for the moment.
“I'm so sick of the fakes, I'm so sick of the fakes,”
You mouthed the words, hands straightening the hem of the hoodie once you pulled it on properly, your eyes scanning your reflection with a certain distaste as you brushed your hair.
Vroom. Vroom. Vroom.
You rolled your eyes at the revving, placing your hairbrush back down on the counter and flicking off the light with a sigh.
Crash.
“Run, run for your life, run, run for your life.”
————
tag list: @artisticbirb
-----
next.
I think the BF5 would actually stop the purge events. Sage could create a super weapon which could wipe out every criminals out there. If a murder happened, Tezz and Sherman might get an idea of where does these criminals come from. They could piece every murder events together and map them. If they are in a pattern, Tezz could easily solve the puzzle.
They could also do it in a more brutal way, by brainwashing them. And sending them to the krypt zone.
OR
They could put all the humans into stasis temporarily and make them forget what they have done.
They are after all heroes....
A bit of a dark thought, but how do you think the BF5 will handle being in the Purge universe?
For me, since the Salt Flats looks pretty small and seems it's in the middle of nowhere. So I'd think the residents would probably be safe, but still paranoid about it and stay in their houses.
As for BF5 though, I'd think they'd still get out there if there was Stormshock happening during the Purge. Since they're in another world after all, but would still rather not watch the Purge's Events going on and wait until it's all over.
Blumhouse Devolverá 'Insidious' y otros Títulos a los Cines para el Halloween Fest...
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So basically this is how The Purge starts?
Here’s the thing about Halloween: all year long if you live in America you’re under a steady assault by this right-wing traditional faux-wholesome pseudo-Christian nuclear patriot family atmosphere, and then all the sudden as the weather cools and the days shorten the country loses its marbles decking everything out in bloody corpses, demon faces, witchcraft and giant rubber bugs. Half the country thinks they’re the Addams Family for 1-3 months while a small chunk of weiners get angry that it’s “pagan” or something.
I don’t know if anyone in any other cultural environment can really understand how that feels. It’s the antithesis of the “love jesus and eagles or GIT OUT” under(over)tone American culture is usually about.
And even though it generates billions of dollars, there’s no pressure, shaming or guilting to spend money on it like there is for certain other holidays. We spend that much on Halloween just because it’s fun and we want to, rather than some unspoken (usually unspoken) rule that you must buy extravagant gifts or you’re a heathen scrooge and you don’t love your family.
Halloween Film Frightstival Day 2: The Purge (2013)
Instead of post-movie thoughts, here’s a real time stream of consciousness while I was watching:
Okay first thoughts: this might be an interesting investigation of classism, Ethan Hawke’s character is kind of a chauvinist, and no shit the boyfriend snuck in to kill him, why are teenage girls always so stupid in movies?
Maybe I’m too good at horror movies but I knew Charlie’s hidden compartment was definitely coming back into play, so far this could not be more predictable if it tried
I just got an ad for security cameras lol
So I thought maybe this would be an interesting statement of class and race, but rich white people victimize a homeless Black veteran is kind of too real, idk maybe that’s what makes it an appropriate dystopian horror but it kind of just seems like what happens everyday in real life
Also why is the first thought everyone has in the purge mass murder? Not an interesting crime. Rob a bank, get rich for life, fund charities to help people who will be victims of the purge, take over the government
The lead bad guy is genuinely scary but mostly because I think he actually exists and is probably a politician
The neighbors coming to help is kind of a vibe, although I’m still not getting enough eat the rich out of the premise
OH SHIT I FUCKING KNEW IT I THOUGHT IT WAS THEM WHO SHOWED UP IN THE MASKS IN THE FIRST PLACE I KNEW ITTTTT
The way Mary didn’t send them home and made them sit around the table thinking about their actions until it was over is kind of a badass move
Also purge insurance must be an expensive as fuck nightmare, is there life insurance? Who cleans up all the dead bodies?
What was up with the flowers? They didn’t really establish that. Was it like a blood above the door at Passover type of thing? Like look we’re patriots please don’t kill us
Anyway the action was good, but it felt more like a dystopian action movie than a horror movie. Overall that was just fine 🤷♂️, I don’t know that I’d watch any of the sequels
@staff how is nudity offensive? I enjoy my Tumblr as it is, thank you. I am amazed that you find nipples offencive, don't you have them too? Just female or male nipples too? Seems a bit sexist to me.
If there are issues with illegal material from users, address that issue and ban that user. Please do something about the porn bots while your at it, that will help all of us Tumblr users. Killing all the adult content is not positive at all. Expression should be allowed in this community. If a user don't like what someone is posting, unfollow, block, report, there are many options.
You're killing the community and so many friendships. You are a successful sosial media site, but without the subscribers (adult content bloggers included), you won't be.
Jeff, Please reconsider.
Joe
A better, more positive Tumblr
Since its founding in 2007, Tumblr has always been a place for wide open, creative self-expression at the heart of community and culture. To borrow from our founder David Karp, we’re proud to have inspired a generation of artists, writers, creators, curators, and crusaders to redefine our culture and to help empower individuality.
Over the past several months, and inspired by our storied past, we’ve given serious thought to who we want to be to our community moving forward and have been hard at work laying the foundation for a better Tumblr. We’ve realized that in order to continue to fulfill our promise and place in culture, especially as it evolves, we must change. Some of that change began with fostering more constructive dialogue among our community members. Today, we’re taking another step by no longer allowing adult content, including explicit sexual content and nudity (with some exceptions).
Let’s first be unequivocal about something that should not be confused with today’s policy change: posting anything that is harmful to minors, including child pornography, is abhorrent and has no place in our community. We’ve always had and always will have a zero tolerance policy for this type of content. To this end, we continuously invest in the enforcement of this policy, including industry-standard machine monitoring, a growing team of human moderators, and user tools that make it easy to report abuse. We also closely partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Internet Watch Foundation, two invaluable organizations at the forefront of protecting our children from abuse, and through these partnerships we report violations of this policy to law enforcement authorities. We can never prevent all bad actors from attempting to abuse our platform, but we make it our highest priority to keep the community as safe as possible.
So what is changing?
Posts that contain adult content will no longer be allowed on Tumblr, and we’ve updated our Community Guidelines to reflect this policy change. We recognize Tumblr is also a place to speak freely about topics like art, sex positivity, your relationships, your sexuality, and your personal journey. We want to make sure that we continue to foster this type of diversity of expression in the community, so our new policy strives to strike a balance.
Why are we doing this?
It is our continued, humble aspiration that Tumblr be a safe place for creative expression, self-discovery, and a deep sense of community. As Tumblr continues to grow and evolve, and our understanding of our impact on our world becomes clearer, we have a responsibility to consider that impact across different age groups, demographics, cultures, and mindsets. We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content. In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Bottom line: There are no shortage of sites on the internet that feature adult content. We will leave it to them and focus our efforts on creating the most welcoming environment possible for our community.
So what’s next?
Starting December 17, 2018, we will begin enforcing this new policy. Community members with content that is no longer permitted on Tumblr will get a heads up from us in advance and steps they can take to appeal or preserve their content outside the community if they so choose. All changes won’t happen overnight as something of this complexity takes time.
Another thing, filtering this type of content versus say, a political protest with nudity or the statue of David, is not simple at scale. We’re relying on automated tools to identify adult content and humans to help train and keep our systems in check. We know there will be mistakes, but we’ve done our best to create and enforce a policy that acknowledges the breadth of expression we see in the community.
Most importantly, we’re going to be as transparent as possible with you about the decisions we’re making and resources available to you, including more detailed information, product enhancements, and more content moderators to interface directly with the community and content.
Like you, we love Tumblr and what it’s come to mean for millions of people around the world. Our actions are out of love and hope for our community. We won’t always get this right, especially in the beginning, but we are determined to make your experience a positive one.
Jeff D’Onofrio CEO
I just imagined something :
The Punisher x Purge
he probably wouldn't even care much and just keep on Punishing as usual , hunting down criminals..
masterlist:
Scream
Stu Macher
Stu gives you his sweater https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/640155092786528257/stu-macher-x-reader
Bumping in to Stu at school https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/640213095624704000/stu-macher-x-reader
Date night with Stu https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/640331238183518208/stu-macher-x-reader
Modern day Stu joins in on your youtube video https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/640559570015666177/stu-macher-x-reader
Stu sneaks in to your room https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/646856016378707968/stu-macher-x-reader
Ghostface
You wake up after blacking out at Stu’s party https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/657261775711092736/ghostface-x-reader
Mickey Altieri
Mickey asks for your help on a project https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/642581219874422784/mickey-altieri-x-reader
The Lost Boys
Poly Lost Boys
Paul and Marko are arguing over who’s motorcycle you ride on https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/652426809568296960/the-lost-boys-x-reader
Paul
Paul plays with Nanook https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/650162623423348736/puppy-love-paul-the-lost-boys-x-emersonreader
Paul sees you performing with your band at the boardwalk https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/652282912246562816/paul-the-lost-boys-x-reader
You comfort an insecure Paul https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/660405565595549696/our-scars-remind-us-that-the-past-is-real
Marko
You and Marko pull pranks https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/660670062825455616/running-wild-running-free
David
You’re new to Santa Carla and meet David https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/660713328651452416/youre-lost-little-girl
The Purge
Polite Leader
The Leader finds you during Purge night https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/648933262158397440/polite-leader-the-purge-x-reader
Final Destination 3
Ian McKinley
You skip class with Ian https://anaemicvampire.tumblr.com/post/654271179252760576/high-school-never-ends-ian-mckinley-x-reader
Polite Leader (The Purge) x Reader
'Go hide quickly y/n, now!" Your father shouts as he pulls you away from the front door of your house.
You heard their screaming, their mocking, there laughing. You only went to look through the peephole to see what the source of the odd noises where, but when you saw a group of masked teenagers staring straight back at you your body stiffened with fear. That fear however, was only heightened after you noticed that they were all carrying on to a machete, a gun or another weapon that would not be used for any good.
Listening to your father's instructions, you follow your younger brother Charlie swiftly up the stairs, keeping him in front of you so he was as far from the danger looming in your driveway as possible. You spot a baseball bat leaning against the frame of his door and quickly pick it up and continue running to your hiding spot then push him in to the small area. You hand him the bat whilst explaining how both of you won't be able to fit in the confined space and run off to your bedroom before he can argue against you leaving.
As you are frantically trying to lock your door, several loud banging noises are heard from downstairs followed by an even louder crash - they had smashed down the door. With you're only two options being to hide beneath your bed or inside your wardrobe, you quickly squeeze in through your clothes and close the door of your wardrobe leaving you in the dark.
The tension and pure anxiety was killing you as everything went too quiet for your liking. Until you heard a singular pair of footsteps.
"Little Miss Sandin... (band name) ? Interesting choice darling." You hear the voice of what you assumed was the leader of the group as he entered your bedroom, obviously spotting the music posters on your wall. "I don't want to play games with you... y/n, isn't it? Yes, if I remember correctly that is what I overheard your father calling you. You know, I saw some pictures of you in the hallway and I do think you're quite the beauty. Maybe if you come out of the wardrobe I won't hurt you just as bad as what I previously thought was necessary."
masks of horror
2013 - Personal Top 10 Horror/Halloween Favorites From The Last 31 Years
horror movie headers
requested
rb/like if u love/use this
The Purge — Kim Doyoung
misericórdia, a quanto tempo eu não posto? Me desculpa por essa demora, eu realmente esqueço que tenho uma conta aqui 😫 e como ainda não sei mexer no site, fica um pouco difícil também...
Sinopse: “Isso não é um teste! É o sistema de transmissão de emergência, anunciando o início da purificação anual aprovada pelo governo. Ao toque da sirene, todo e qualquer crime, incluindo assassinato, será permitido durante 12 horas contínuas. A polícia, os bombeiros e os serviços médicos de emergência estarão disponíveis amanhã, às 7h (sete) da manhã, quando a purificação estará encerrada.
Abençoados sejam os nossos novos fundadores, e o nosso país, uma nação renascida. Que Deus esteja com vocês.”
「 Você conheceu uma pessoa nova, alguém que realmente gostou e chamou sua atenção, além do fato de ser extremamente bonito e atraente. Kim Doyoung era o nome dele, sempre estava com você esperando o metrô para o trabalho. Quando vocês se conheceram, era uma tarde chuvosa, havia terminado o expediente e esqueceu o guarda chuva em casa, pois não estava chovendo quando saiu. Ele estava fazendo o mesmo trajeto com você, e vendo seu desespero, resolveu dividir o guarda-chuva. Você ficou agradecida e iniciou uma conversa agradável com ele. Algo que durou o caminho todo até sua casa, já que desceu primeiro. Aparentemente, ele parecia ser uma pessoa legal, gostava de quase as mesmas coisas que você e tinha uma empresa não muito longe. Vocês gostaram do começo da conversa. E nos outros dias, sempre estavam se encontrando, seja na hora que saía de casa, ou quando voltava. Estava virando tão rotina que você achava estranho quando não se encontrava com ele, nos raros momentos que aconteciam.
Já faz quase um mês que vocês estavam conversando e se conhecendo, tudo parecia normal até então. Ele era solteiro, morava sozinho, não tinha filhos e completaria vinte e oito anos. Mesmo tendo uma diferença de idade de seis anos, ambos pareciam interessados em algo a mais. Dava-se para notar o tamanho interesse dele em você, assim como também deixou nítido o seu. Tudo seguia conforme imaginado, ambos não tinham pressa e ele parecia esperar o seu momento, sem querer apressar nada. O que foi bom, levando em consideração que você também queria deixar acontecer naturalmente. Entretanto, você parecia notar a diferença de comportamento dele de uns dias em diante, Doyoung estava bastante preocupado com a noite do expurgo, comentando sempre com você que esse ano cairia em uma sexta-feira, ou que estava se aproximando e o que você costumava fazer nessas doze horas. Você comentou que sempre passava em casa, esperando acabar e vendo nos noticiários todas as atrocidades. Doyoung já imaginou que você era assim, então te desejou boa sorte e pediu para você tomar cuidado.
Uma vez por ano, todo e quaisquer tipos de crime, incluindo assassinato, eram permitidos na Coreia do Sul, pelo período de doze horas seguidas. Desde o novo mandato de presidente, o expurgo, nova lei do país, permitiu que usassem uma noite do ano, para as pessoas cometerem seus crimes. Foi por isso que o novo presidente do país ganhou as eleições, os anarquistas ficaram ao seu lado, apoiando a lei e sancionando o mandato. Esse seria o seu terceiro ano lidando com todos os tipos de violência, se trancando em casa e esperando aquelas malditas horas acabarem. Esse ano, entretanto, você passaria com os seus amigos, em casa — aparentemente, ali era mais seguro e maior —, e assistindo alguns filmes. Uma noite apenas de curtição, aproveitando o final de semana no dia seguinte.
Quando o dia do expurgo chegou, você foi trabalhar normalmente, escutando das pessoas como estavam ansiosas para chegarem logo em casa. Pelas ruas, não se falava de mais nada senão isso. E você não teria uma reação diferente, fez tudo tão apressadamente que terminou no horário e voltou para casa no seu horário normal. Entretanto, hoje você não teve a sorte de encontrar com Doyoung, provavelmente sabendo que ele estava organizando sua empresa para terminar mais cedo e dispensar seus funcionários. Antes de voltar para casa, você passou no supermercado, comprando suas coisinhas para a noite de hoje e ansiosa para chegar logo. E quando isso aconteceu, resolveu tomar um breve banho, vestir suas roupas e arrumar sua casa brevemente, enquanto esperava a campainha tocar.
Seus amigos chegaram às cinco e meia (17:30h) e logo trataram de guardar o carro na sua garagem e trancar todas as portas de sua casa. Não foi uma segurança tão forte, mas um pouco razoável, dava para aguentar até às sete da manhã do outro dia. Não que isso fosse algum problema, a sua casa foi a escolhida justamente por parecer mais segura, e além do fato de quase nada acontecer no seu bairro. Tudo o que eles precisavam fazer era passar a noite toda acordados, rindo, brincando, fofocando e não fazendo muito barulho. Apenas isso, não seria tão difícil assim, certo?
E quando vocês sentaram no sofá, ligando a televisão e ficando um pouco tensos, já sabiam o que iria acontecer. Aquele som assustador saindo pela televisão enquanto o anúncio do começo do expurgo estava começando:
“Isso não é um teste! É o sistema de transmissão de emergência, anunciando o início da purificação anual aprovada pelo governo da Coreia do Sul.
Armas de classe 4 (quatro) foram autorizadas para uso durante o expurgo, o uso de qualquer outro armamento é restrito. Funcionários governamentais têm imunidade durante a purificação e não poderão ser feridos.
Ao toque da sirene, todo e qualquer crime, incluindo assassinato, será permitido durante 12 horas contínuas. A polícia, os bombeiros e os serviços médicos de emergência estarão disponíveis amanhã, às 7h (sete) da manhã, quando a purificação estará encerrada.
Abençoados sejam os nossos novos fundadores, e o nosso país, uma nação renascida. Que Deus esteja com vocês.”
Era assustador escutar aquelas sirenes disparando pelo país e na televisão, mas agora era a realidade de onde escolheu morar. Depois desse novo mandato, muitas coisas mudaram, incluindo o dia do expurgo, aprovado por muitas pessoas do parlamento e principalmente pela população sul coreana. Mesmo sendo contra, a grande maioria ganhou e com isso, agora estava convivendo com o dia da purificação, expurgo, noite de crimes, seja qual for o nome escolhido, ainda era algo difícil de conviver. Ver pessoas mortas nos noticiários, crimes brutais que não teriam culpados, pessoas matando por prazer, tudo isso era demais. Nunca imaginou que uma noite tão aterrorizante poderia se tornar real.
Pegando seu celular, você mandou uma mensagem para sua mãe, sabendo do enorme fuso horário, quis lembrá-la de que o expurgo estava começando e que você estava em casa, segura com seus amigos. Também aproveitou para enviar uma mensagem a Doyoung, avisando para ele se cuidar e falar com você quando pudesse. Ele ficaria bem, não é?
— O que vamos assistir? — você desligou o celular, prestando atenção na pequena discussão que suas amigas faziam. Você riu fraco, deixando que elas escolhessem o filme desejado. Não tinha pressa, tampouco preferência do que assistir, sua única preocupação era com a pipoca e a comida já pronta. Não sabia se daria para todos os cinco, mas iria implorar para nenhum deles se importar com isso.
Seus amigos, dois grupos de casais, sempre fizeram parte da sua vida desde que chegou em Seul. Conheceu primeiro Ah-ri e seu namorado, Jongho, eles eram seus vizinhos durante um ano. Depois se mudaram para outro bairro e casa maior e melhor. Depois, conheceu Yuri e Jay no antigo trabalho que você tinha. Ambos ainda não namoravam, mas se gostavam bastante, então você deu uma ajudinha nisso e conseguiu juntar os dois. Depois de tantos encontros e saídas, ambos casais se tornaram amigos também, e você gostou disso. Agora estavam aqui, todos passando o dia do expurgo juntos pela primeira vez, confiantes de que teriam como passar essa noite vivos.
Todos ficariam bem, afinal.
A noite parecia tranquila, as sagas de filmes passavam rapidamente, vocês estavam tão concentrados que mal viam as horas passando. Os filmes realmente entreteram todos vocês. Quando você ficou curiosa para saber das horas, percebeu que ainda era uma da manhã, logo ainda teria muito mais coisas pela frente. Sua rua parecia tão silenciosa que achou seriamente que todos estavam dormindo ou apenas saíram para curtir a noite onde tudo era permitido. Sua casa estava escura e provavelmente um pouco silenciosa, logo não teria como alguém notar.
Suas amigas estavam cochichando, enquanto você e os meninos eram os únicos acordados assistindo concentrados ao terceiro filme. Você aproveitava para responder sua mãe constantemente, já que pelo fuso horário ela estaria acordada no momento. Mas você ainda estava um pouco preocupada com Doyoung, ele não te respondia desde manhã e você não tinha noção se estava tudo bem. Ele costumava passar essa data em casa ou sair do país? Seja como for, esperava que ele estivesse bem.
— Ainda tem pipoca? — Você bloqueou o celular, levantando do sofá para pegar um pouco de pipoca na cozinha. — Você é a melhor, _____.
— Não por isso. — rindo, você pegou outra vasilha e entrou para eles, que agradeceram com um sorriso. — Vocês não estão achando tudo muito silencioso?
— Sim, mas é a primeira vez que ficamos no seu bairro. Não é sempre assim no dia do expurgo? — Jay olhou para você curioso, juntando as sobrancelhas.
— Costuma ser, mas não assim. Algumas vezes eu escutava pessoas gritando, carros passando, motos fazendo barulhos. Até agora, não escutei nada disso. Está tudo tão estranho.
— Relaxa, vai ver as pessoas só estão trancadas dentro de casa. Ou vai ver esse bairro não faz muita diferença. Sinceramente, aqui é bem esquecido.
— Tem razão, pode ser isso… — você ligou o celular, mas nada de alguma notificação dele. Já estava começando a ficar preocupada com isso, Doyoung sempre te respondia no mesmo minuto.
— E como vão as coisas com seu novo pretendente? Vocês ainda se falam? — Jongho perguntou, vendo quando Ah-ri acordava do seu cochilo.
— Estão indo bem, devagar, mas da forma como eu gostaria. Ele ainda parece bastante interessado em mim, assim como estou nele.
— Eu disse para Jongho que agora daria para convidar ele para sair com a gente, assim você não fica sozinha como de costume. — você revirou os olhos, escutando as risadas deles. — Onde ele costuma passar o dia do expurgo? Ele fica em casa, não é?
— Aparentemente sim, ele me disse que não costuma fazer nada nesse dia. Mas até agora não me respondeu, estou sem contato desde de manhã. — você respirou fundo, novamente olhando a tela do celular.
— Será que está tudo bem com ele? — Ah-ri olhou-a, vendo quando você pareceu ainda mais preocupada.
— Ou melhor, será que ele está matando alguém? Ou perseguindo alguma pessoa?
— Jay! — Você chutou-o do sofá.
— Estou falando sério! Ninguém conhece alguém realmente, nunca se sabe o que ele pode tentar fazer.
— No final, Jay realmente tem razão. Mas, vamos ser otimistas, talvez ele apenas tenha saído do país. Não precisa se preocupar, ele deve estar bem.
— Eu… — você paralisou alguns segundos quando escutou a campainha tocando. Ninguém esperava por isso.
Yuri acordou com o barulho e olhou para os demais, vendo como todos estavam sem reação, não era algo esperado. Você olhou na direção da porta, sem saber o que exatamente fazer. Esse era o pior momento para alguém aparecer, principalmente em uma noite como essa. Você não sabia como reagir porque isso nunca tinha acontecido antes, e quando tocou pela segunda vez, foi quando você começou a se desesperar.
— Fiquem aqui. — Jay falou, levantando lentamente do chão, junto de Jongho. — A gente vai lá. — você confirmou, ficando ao lado de Ah-ri e Yuri, que também estavam preocupadas.
Quando os homens chegaram à porta, Jongho olhou pelo olho mágico para ver a pessoa, mas não resolveu muita coisa. Logo, Jay também olhou para saber do que o amigo falava. Quando a campainha tocou a terceira vez, você resolveu caminhar até eles, olhando para cada um. Nem eles sabiam o que te falar.
— Não sabemos quem é. — eles sussurram, dando espaço para você olhar também. Quando fez isso, viu não só uma pessoa, mas no mínimo quatro, todos fantasiados, usando máscaras no rosto e o pior, eles estavam armados. O que tocava a campainha agora começou a bater com força na sua porta, você se afastou com medo. — Vamos desligar a televisão e subir, qualquer coisa ficamos no seu porão.
Os dois homens ficaram próximos das garotas, segurando a mão de cada uma. Quando Jongho pegou o controle para desligar a televisão, ele também travou no lugar, escutando quando um deles resolveu falar.
— Abra a porta, princesa. Eu sei que você está acordada, consigo ver sua sombra e a iluminação da casa. — Você congelou mais uma vez, agora com um misto de emoções. A voz era extremamente parecida com a de Doyoung, principalmente os apelidos carinhosos, ele adorava te chamar de princesa. Você olhou novamente pelo olho mágico, vendo ainda todos parados na porta. As metralhadoras nas mãos, facões grandes e machados. Agora, o número de pessoas aumentou, no mínimo oito. — Eu vou ser generoso e esperar sua boa vontade, mas quando me cansar vou acabar invadindo e matando seus amigos. Você quem escolhe.
Jongho desligou a televisão, falando com as garotas para subirem até o porão, onde era o local mais seguro no momento. Jay foi quem segurou seu braço, puxando você para trás.
— Vai para o porão, ______.
— Não adianta se esconder, princesa, eu vou te achar do mesmo jeito. Vai ser divertido, mas no final vou te encontrar. A propósito, se alguém te tocar, vai morrer. — você engoliu a seco, tinha quase certeza de que era Doyoung por trás daquela máscara, pelo menos a voz era extremamente identidade. Mas como poderia ser ele? Não sabia onde morava, só conhecia a sua estação, mas de restante não. — Você não vai nem me perguntar como eu te encontrei? — Jay te olhou.
— Você conhece ele?
— Eu acho que seja o Doyoung. — ele arregalou os olhos, quase dizendo “está brincando?”. Realmente você queria fingir que não era ele, mas estava ficando real a cada palavra.
— Não é difícil encontrar as pessoas quando se é o dono do país. — ele riu, colocando a metralhadora nos ombros, ainda esperando sua boa vontade. — Mas então, como vai ser? Você vai ser a minha boa garota e abrir a porta? Ou eu vou ter que fazer do jeito mais difícil? — você se soltou do aperto de Jay e caminhou novamente até o olho mágico.
— Doyoung, é realmente você? — sua voz ficou trêmula, o rosto pálido e a pressão quase caindo.
— Em carne e osso, amor. Estou aqui para te levar comigo, vamos ser felizes juntos agora.
— Porque você está fazendo isso? Você não é assim!
— Você ainda não me conhece, amor. Deixe-me entrar e então eu te mostro quem realmente sou. Agora, se fizer do jeito mais difícil, tenho certeza de que vai se arrepender.
— Vai para o porão, agora! — Jay te puxou outra vez, agora quase te jogando pelas escadas. Com lágrimas nos olhos, você subiu desesperada até lá, pegando as chaves e trancando as portas reforçadas.
Encontrou suas duas amigas, também desesperadas pelo acontecido e abraçando você. Quando você pensou em falar alguma coisa, escutou os muitos barulhos de tiros sendo disparados contra sua casa. Você sabia que agora seria o seu fim, iria morrer de forma trágica nas mãos de uma pessoa que jurou conhecer. Ou melhor, que confiava e gostava. Nunca em todos esses dias você iria desconfiar ou acreditar que Doyoung fosse esse tipo de homem. Ou melhor, se alguém te contasse isso dele, você não acreditaria nunca. Agora ele está aqui, entrando na sua casa, querendo matar todo mundo e provavelmente vai conseguir. Por sua culpa.
Isso tudo foi sua culpa! Se não tivesse conhecido ele, não aceitando sua ajuda, começado um assunto… Tudo isso teve uma consequência, mas não imaginou que seria tão forte. Doyoung fazia parte dessas pessoas que queriam purificar o mundo, como poderia? Logo ele, você jamais imaginaria isso. Mas então, porque ele estava atrás de você? Porque estava aqui? O que você tinha feito para ele? Doyoung iria te matar e tudo isso era sua culpa.
— Eu sinto muito. Sinto muito! Não queria colocar a vida de vocês em risco. — você chorava muito, as mãos trêmulas, corpo fraco e gelado. Era um verdadeiro colapso. Ah-ri foi quem te abraçou, alisando suas costas. — Ele vai matar a gente, todos nós.
— Não é sua culpa. — Era sim, tudo isso foi culpa sua, acreditar e confiar em uma pessoa desse tipo. Doyoung era completamente oposto de tudo o que tinha imaginado sobre ele.
Tudo foi sua culpa…
Você podia escutar os gritos, risadas, tiros e barulhos de motores tanto de carro quanto de motos. Nessa altura, já imaginou que eles tinham entrado aqui, portanto, não tinha mais para onde correr, você iria morrer em alguns minutos. Não só você, mas suas amigas também. Todos. Isso tudo era um pesadelo, achava que ficaria tudo bem, mas se enganou.
— Oi, amor. — você parou de chorar quando a voz dele veio detrás da porta, junto de duas batidas. — Eu sei que você está aí, não precisa se esconder novamente. — Yuri te olhou, em seguida trocou outro olhar com Ah-ri, todas sem saber o que fazer, principalmente você. — Você vai vir abrir a porta para mim? Ou eu vou ter que fazer da mesma forma?
Se você realmente fosse esperta, saberia que abrir seria a melhor opção, principalmente poupando tanto a sua vida quanto de suas amigas. Doyoung parecia extremamente sério enquanto te dava uma opção.
— Vou esperar dez segundos, caso não abra eu farei isso, mesmo que demore. — você engoliu o choro e soltou as mãos de suas amigas. Seguiu até a porta e acabou destrancado, abrindo lentamente. Doyoung ainda estava usando aquela máscara de Led, com um X nos olhos e a boca costurada. Você viu também quando ele sorriu, entrando cada vez mais no porão. — Ah, eu sabia que estavam faltando mais duas. Mas não importa, quem eu realmente quero está bem na minha frente. Tão pequena e inofensiva.
— Por que, Doyoung? — ele tirou a máscara e você finalmente pode ver aquele lindo rosto, seu sorriso magnífico e as roupas em perfeito estado. — Você vai me matar agora?
— Matar? Porque eu te mataria? Quero te ver viva. — Você juntou as sobrancelhas, caminhando ainda mais para trás. Nessa altura, Yuri e Ah-ri estavam atrás de você, se protegendo, mas esperando por Jay e Jongho retornarem.
— Eu não entendo…
— Você terá todo o tempo do mundo para entender melhor. — ele estendeu a mão para você, mesmo assim, algumas pessoas fantasiadas também entraram no porão e caminharam até vocês. Você ficou com medo, mas eles nada te fizeram, pegaram suas amigas enquanto arrastavam elas para fora. Ambas gritavam em desespero e você ficava ainda mais, tentando trazê-las de volta, mesmo Doyoung te segurando. — Calma amor, elas não vão se machucar se você cooperar, tudo bem?
— Deixe elas em paz, Doyoung. Nenhum deles não tem nada haver com isso.
— Tem razão, não tem, mas se você não se comporta eles vão sofrer as consequências. — você parou de tentar sair dos braços dele, começando a escutá-lo melhor. — Se você não se comportar, eu mando matar todos eles. Você quem escolhe. — Ele cheirou o topo de sua cabeça, aproveitando para deixar um beijo.
— O que você quer de mim?
— Quero que venha comigo, fique comigo na nossa futura casa, eu e você. Seremos felizes juntos, prometo a você. — Você não sabia qual era o nível de psicopatia dele, mas sabia que provavelmente já era algo bem avançado. Isso te fez chorar mais ainda.
— E se eu recusar?
— Já nesse caso, então eu terei que matar seus amigos e te trazer a força. Qual você escolhe?
Qual poderia ser a pior delas? Não era justo seus amigos perderem a vida por sua culpa, tampouco para algo que não estavam esperando. Mas também não viver mais sua vida parecia ser ruim, só que nunca pior do que a opção dos seus amigos. Doyoung levantou sua cabeça, olhando no fundo dos seus olhos.
— Eu vou com você, mas por favor, deixe os meus amigos vivos. — Doyoung sorriu, passando as mãos pelos seus lábios.
— Prometo te dar proteção, carinho e cuidados. Mas te peço uma coisa, sua submissão. Não para atos ou práticas, mas quero que você me respeite e obedeça, faça isso e teremos uma vida tranquila e pacífica. Você não terá com o que se preocupar. Entretanto, se fizer algo que eu não goste, farei algo que você também não gostará. Ações geram consequências, você entende? — você assentiu. — Você vai gostar da nossa casa, fica no campo, uma mansão completamente apta aos seus gostos. Teremos uma vida tranquila e segura afastados dos outros, sem ninguém para nos atrapalhar. — você se soltou dele, ainda tremendo e chorosa. Então olhou para o mesmo, vendo que esse não era mais aquele Doyoung que você se encontrava todos os dias.
— Porque você está fazendo isso? Não poderíamos ser duas pessoas normais apaixonadas?
— Jamais existiriam duas pessoas normais quando eu não sou. Querida, eu não queria te assustar de começo, estávamos se conhecendo e queria ter a certeza de que seria você. Eu me encantei tanto por você que esperei o momento certo. — ele colocou uma mecha do seu cabelo atrás da orelha. — Você é tão linda, chamou tanto minha atenção que foi impossível resistir, estou tão obcecado ao ponto disso. Agora, terei você apenas para mim.
— Quem são essas pessoas com você?
— Ah, é verdade, a melhor parte. Eu sou líder de uma organização criminosa e esses são meus funcionários. Todos os anos aproveitamos o dia do expurgo, acredito que você já tenha visto alguns. — ele sorriu. Mas então, tudo o que você conseguiu fazer foi chorar, tanto que quase não saia mais lágrimas. — Não chore, não precisa disso! Nenhum mal chegará até você se depender de mim. — lógico que não chegaria, levando em consideração que ele era o mal em pessoa. Sua vida estava completamente acabada, sem chances de escapar ou tentar, viveria com um criminoso a partir de agora.
— Você mentiu para mim, Doyoung! Disse que tinha uma empresa e trabalhava. O que você estava fazendo no metrô naquele dia?
— Eu não menti para você, realmente tenho minha empresa, mesmo sendo uma fachada para meus negócios, não deixo de trabalhar. Naquela tarde, eu estava esperando por uma pessoa bastante trabalhosa, estava me deixando com dor de cabeça, então fui resolver com minhas próprias mãos.
— E você resolveu? — ele assentiu, enxugando suas lágrimas. Segurando sua mão, ele te levou para a sala novamente, agora tendo a surpresa de ver seus amigos com uma arma apontada na cabeça, apenas esperando as ordens do líder. Jay e Jongho pareciam bastante feridos. — Doyoung…
— Ah, o expurgo. Não é uma maravilha? Poder matar qualquer coisinha insignificante sem sermos presos. Brincar de presa e predador enquanto imploram por suas vidas. A melhor coisa desse governo foi esse dia. — você via o desespero no olhar de cada um deles, esperando que você pudesse fazer alguma coisa para salvá-los. E por mais que tentasse fazer algo, não sabia o que esperar de Doyoung, afinal ele era um psicopata, tendia a mentir e fazer promessas. Ele te puxou para mais perto, segurando sua cintura com força. — Deixe-me provar dos seus lábios. Beije-me e então soltarei eles, prometo a você.
— Você promete mesmo, Doyoung? Vai soltar eles seriamente?
— Dou minha palavra a você.
Você ficou na ponta dos pés, passando as mãos pelo pescoço dele enquanto Doyoung cuidava do restante. Ele apertou sua cintura enquanto pousava os lábios nos seus, liderando aquele beijo vagaroso e sem pressa. A língua dele entrou na sua e te deixou completamente fraca, felizmente ele estava te segurando. Mesmo não sabendo que Doyoung estava mentindo para você todo esse tempo, e não sabendo sua real personalidade, você não poderia esconder a atração que sentia, como estava ansiosa para sentir seus beijos e carinhos. Então agora que estava tendo isso, ficava difícil lutar para não acabar gostando, quando claramente estava amando. Não só você, mas ele também estava muito animado e desesperado por esse beijo, tanto quanto você.
Foi você quem precisou parar quando ficou sem fôlego, puxando todo o oxigênio que conseguia enquanto ele sorria para você. Doyoung parecia satisfeito com o beijo, o que foi ótimo, assim não correria o risco dele matar seus amigos.
— Você é perfeita meu amor. Me escute, não sou o tipo de homem que quebra promessas, eu as cumpro sempre que possível. Mas seus amigos viram o meu rosto e sabem meu nome, facilmente conseguirão me denunciar. Minhas promessas perante a você não estarão valendo para essa, mas garanto que farei por você em dobro.
— Não, Doyoung! Por favor, não. — ele te virou, colando suas costas contra seu abdômen, apertou com força sua cintura e te levantou do chão.
— Podem matar todos.
Doyoung te arrastou a força para fora de casa, mesmo com toda sua violência e tentativas de fugas, foi impossível sair do aperto dele. As coisas só pioraram quando você escutou os tiros e gritos, ficando completamente desesperada para voltar e ajudar seus amigos. Ele mentiu para você, não ajudou nada seus amigos, e ainda por cima matou todos. Tudo isso foi culpa sua e aquela maldita hora em que sua vida se cruzou com a de Doyoung.
Havia um carro esportivo parado na frente de sua casa, um dos homens mascarados abriu a porta para o passageiro. Doyoung te jogou naquele lado, passando o cinto pelo seu corpo e travando, mesmo recebendo alguns golpes seus ou sendo difícil. Quando ele fechou e ainda travou a sua porta, você não conseguiu ao menos abri-la de volta, mesmo batendo ou tentando quebrar o vidro. Essa merda era blindada. Ele entrou no lado do motorista, fazendo a mesma coisa enquanto travava seu carro.
Doyoung agia naturalmente perante seus gritos e desesperos para sair, olhou para seu rolex no braço e viu que ainda eram três da manhã. Mas mesmo que ainda houvesse bastante pessoas para matar, isso não importava agora, ele já tinha conseguido seu maior feito do expurgo.
— Já chega disso! — ele puxou seu rosto com força, apertando suas bochechas com as unhas. — Você não vai sair desse carro, tampouco ver seus amigos. As coisas agora serão diferentes, você terá uma vida melhor, um recomeço. Então aproveite disso para esquecer o que ficou no passado e apenas viver seu futuro ao meu lado. Esqueça tudo e foque apenas em mim, pelo seu próprio bem. Você entendeu, meu amor? — Mesmo com medo e sem saber como reagir, você assentiu, desidratada de tanto chorar. — Minha boa agora.
Doyoung ligou seu carro, dando jogo de luz para os outros dois na frente que seguiram fazendo sua escolta. Você foi embora da sua casa, seguindo pelas ruas agitadas e violentas da noite, estava indo embora com um psicopata e viveria em um inferno a partir de agora.
— Seremos felizes juntos, meu amor. — Tudo isso foi culpa sua.
Maldita hora que conheceu Kim Doyoung. 」
Favoritos, re-blogs e comentários sempre vão me ajudar bastante a continuar postando. Obrigada por quem leu até o final, espero que tenham gostado e até a próxima 🥰😘
Identity can be an ambiguous subject in Horror but increasingly, Horror narratives are turning towards the theory of the “Other”. The Other acts as the antagonist, one that the spectator cannot identify with and that the spectator realises in quintessentially different from themselves. The Other often takes on the form of the foreigner in Horror, thus increasing the xenophobia in modern horror and furthermore, exploiting current xenophobic social fears.
The three films above, The Strangers (2008, Bertino), Funny Games US (2007, Haneke) and The Purge (2013, DeMonaco) all feature the “Other”. All three films use this technique as it places the audience as the vulnerable voyeur, enabling the spectator to fully engage in a cathartic experience with the protagonists. If the spectator does not understand the motives of the antagonist we are forced to constantly ask questions and therefore, continue to become engrossed and interpellated into the film.