Hellion’s Circle
By
Madeline Rose Comstock
Rules of the Game
1. Once a player enters the game they cannot forfeit…
2. Six players must enter the game, no more, no less…
3. All players must wear a mask of their own design…
4. Players must never speak their name, especially to a demon…
5. There can only be one winner…
Gold Digger
Greed- Excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possession… Wealth was all Anita could think about; she wanted nothing more then to be rich. Being rich meant power, it was what made the world go around, and with money she could do anything she wanted and no one could touch her. It was an obsession that consumed her every thought. No, she was beyond obsessed. It ruled her very being. She never did anything for anyone unless she got something out of it. The obsession started when she was very young. She came from a family with six siblings and they were as poor as poor could be. Their home was barely livable for three people and she had to share it with seven. Anita was the fifth child born and no one really paid much attention to her. All accept her younger brother, Jacob. He was a year younger than her. Her next sibling above her was four years older. Anita related better to Jacob then any of her other brothers and sisters because of how close in age they were. They bonded well and she never let him out of her sight. She took him everywhere she went. Since her mother was never around to offer love, Anita took care of him. Jacob looked to Anita for everything, following her around like a loyal dog. In Anita’s early childhood she watched her life go by without realizing just how poor she was. She just figured this was the way it was and everyone was just like her family. Until one day when she was eight she went on a long walk with Jacob through the city. She didn’t know where she was going she just kept walking. She wanted to see something new. She got the shock of a lifetime when she left her small neighborhood. She came across a whole new world. A world filled with people who wore clothes that weren’t torn and tattered. These people were clean and well kept. They looked very different from Anita who was small, skinny from lack of food, sickly and pale. The people here looked fat, sun-kissed and all full of health. The houses were as big as mountains to Anita. The streets were clean; no filth to be seen. It was like a slap to the face for Anita. She had always assumed everyone looked and lived like she did. She walked slowly through the streets feeling a strange anger burning in her belly. She felt like she had been cheated out of something. She wasn’t really sure who she was mad at. She wasn’t mad at her mother because she knew she worked hard for her family. Perhaps she doesn’t know about this either Anita thought. Anita kept a good hold of Jacobs hand as she continued to explore the new place. There was so much here her brain was overloaded with all the things to see. They walked down one street that had market carts along both sides of it. All the food was so beautiful Anita didn’t know if it was truly real. She had never seen so much food all in one place before. She couldn’t get enough. Her brother walked beside her, also in full awe. He kept pointing at everything demanding to know what it all was. He had so many questions, questions Anita had no answers for. They turned one corner and ran into a very large man. He was so big Anita bounced off of him, yanking Jacob with her, who fell to the ground. Anita immediately jumped forwards to help him. She checked to make sure Jacob was alright before she took a good look at the man. He looked like a giant to Anita. He was so tall and his belly so big she wondered how his legs could handle the weight. He wore glasses and possessed a thick mustache on his upper lip. “I’m sorry.” Anita said stepping back, holding tightly to Jacob. The man smiled. “No harm done. It was my fault; I didn’t see you down there. You’re not from around here are you?” Anita felt her heart quicken. Was he going call the police on them? Slowly she nodded her head, taking a step back. She was going to get ready to run if she needed to. She reached over and took a hold of her brother’s hand again. The stranger’s smile was warm as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of gold coins, giving them to Anita. The coins felt heavy and odd in her skinny hands. “Go buy you and your little brother something to eat. You two look half- starved.” He walked around them and continued on his way. As Anita looked at the coins she felt something click in her brain. She didn’t have to be poor. That was the turning point in Anita’s life where the obsession began. She wanted more. Anita visited the wealthy part of the city more and more till it came to the point she started finding safe places to sleep on the street so she never had to leave. She took Jacob with her whenever she went. They started out just begging for money and people gave it to them. As they grew older they had to change their tactics. People would pity children but not teenagers. At age fifteen Anita’s life of crime started, and Jacob became her accomplice. They started small by pick pocketing in heavily crowded places. They made a fair amount of money this way, enough to buy a place of their own away from their home, and closer to the rich part of the city. That still wasn’t enough for Anita; she didn’t want to just live comfortably. She wanted a life of luxury where she never had to worry about anything again. She wanted money, servants, and a house as big as a mountain. It wasn’t long before she heard that the seven years were coming to an end and the game would begin again. The game that could and would change the life of anyone who won. When she first heard the game was going to begin again she had two years to prepare. Anita spent those two years training herself for all sorts of battle situations. She wanted to win so badly and she would do anything to get the wealth she wanted. The day the gate was to open Anita arrived early. A large courtyard stood before the gate that would open once there were enough players. The courtyard was ill-kept with dead vines crawling up the walls. The stone flooring lay uneven and covered in patches of moss. Small, stone benches stood about in odd places. A large fountain that had long since dried up stood in the center of the area. Anita walked around it to get to the gate and examined it. It was also covered in vines. She tore a few of them down to get a good look at it. It was engraved with detailed symbols she didn’t understand. To the left of the gate was a gold plate with the rules of the game inscribed into it. In the two years Anita had trained she had also studied. She examined the rules in every way she could so she followed them exactly, making sure there was no hidden meaning in them. She never found any because the rules were so simple; almost too simple for a game that had so many risks and complications. One of the rules stated that she needed to wear a mask. She created a mask that was shaped like the face of a fox. She also wore simple brown pants and a white shirt. They were made of light material so she could move easily. She wore a belt around her waist that held several knives around her lower back and a holster for her gun. She had no idea what she was going to face and wanted to be prepared in any way possible. According to the rules the gate was not going to open till five more players arrived so she moved to one of the benches and sat down. As the morning crept by other players started appearing. Anita studied each one of them closely as they arrived. She didn’t speak to any of them because one of the rules was to never reveal your name. She didn’t want to make any mistakes before the game even began. The first player to appear after Anita was a tall man who looked like he was in good shape but humble about it. He wore jeans and a black tee shirt. He was carrying no weapons. It made Anita a bit suspicious for a moment that he may know something she didn’t. She didn’t dare talk to him though. His mask was designed like a dog’s face. She could see he had blond hair because it hung slightly long around his neck. He spotted her and merely gave her nod before sitting on another bench. The next player to come was another woman. She wore a white mask that was shaped like the face of a bird. She was small and looked very young. Anita was twenty six and this girl looked about eighteen. She wore a pale blue tunic and loose fitting pants. Thin cloth was tied around her ankles to keep the pants from tangling her up if she had to run. Her shoes were more like slippers. Light but didn’t look like they had a lot of support. She walked with her head down and sat on the bench farthest from the gate. She didn’t look like she belonged there but everyone’s reasons were different for coming to the game. The next player to arrive was much different from the first two. He could be heard coming from a long way off, rolling in like a thunderstorm. When he appeared in the courtyard he made a lot of noise, causing a huge scene. He was a larger man covered in thick muscle. He wore loose shorts that fell to his knees and a vest that had no shirt under it. He was wearing a mask that was designed like a bear which seemed to fit him just fine. His mask only covered the front of his face, the rest of his head exposed. He had a shaved head and tattoos ran down his neck, disappearing under the vest. The tattoos didn’t really look like anything in particular, just a strange tribal design. He was also carrying a huge wooden club that was as big as Anita’s torso. It looked heavy and like it could cause a lot of damage. He stomped around the courtyard trying to start up a conversation with the other players. They both answered him, but in quiet tones. Anita didn’t hear what they said. Anita didn’t want him coming over to talk to her at all so she slipped farther into the shadows. He never came near her because right after him the fifth and sixth players appeared. Anita immediately knew they were twins. Both men were the same height and size and walked in synchronization with each other. They were both wearing monkey shaped masks. The only difference about them was the color of their clothes. They both wore shorts similar to what The Bear was wearing. They had on sleeveless white shirts and vests that fell to their thighs. One was wearing a blue vest and the other was wearing a red one. The big player tried to talk to them, but they simply gave him an overlook before going to lean against the wall away from the rest of the players. Anita scanned the group before her. The only ones she was really concerned with was The Bear and the twins. They looked strong and smart, plus they were probably going to be working together. However, she had to remind herself that she wasn’t going to be playing directly against them. That wasn’t how this game worked. She just had to remain focused, stay alive and win. Anita glanced towards the gate when she heard a creaking noise. This was the first time the big player shut his mouth. Everyone got up slowly and moved towards the now open gate. Anita moved to stand next to the other girl. She glanced down as they all moved to form a line in front of the open gate. She was shocked when she saw a seventh player down at the end. She hadn’t seen him come into the courtyard. He just appeared out of nowhere. She looked at the rest of the players but no one else seemed to have noticed him. They were all in awe of the gate. One of the rules stated that only six players were to enter, but now it seemed one extra was going in as well. Anita didn’t want to draw attention to herself in any way so she said nothing about the new arrival. If anything, this seventh player was going to be punished for entering. She wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. He was much smaller then then the rest of them, almost the size of a child. He wore a mask shaped like a wolf and was dressed in black. Beyond the gate was very dark. The largest player stood in the middle of the line. “No turning back now!” He shouted, heaving his club onto his shoulder and stepping forward with only a little hesitation. Anita understood playing this game could change a person’s life for better or worse. Usually it was for the worst, only one could win so six of them had to die. She looked back; this was her last chance to turn away and go home. She took a deep breath and turned back to the gate. The large player was right, there was no turning back now. She was going to win and get the riches she wanted. Before she lost her nerve she walked into the darkness beyond the gate. The other players followed her and once all of them were inside the gate shut behind them. They heard a loud click as the gate locked. They were in it to the end. As soon as the gate shut they were surrounded in silence. It was a very unnatural silence. It was the kind that could drive a person crazy. The place looked old, weathered and looked as if a tornado and earthquake hit simultaneously. All the buildings were practically stacked on top of each other separated only by narrow alleyways that didn’t look very easy to fit through. It looked like a town that had been abandoned for years. Anita wouldn’t be surprised if it was even haunted. The place was filled with still; thick fog and the lamps that lit the streets were glowing green giving off a very eerie feel. From where they stood at the gate, the road broke into several different paths. Anita scanned them all feeling a bit panicked. She should have expected it to be a maze but she still couldn’t help having a sense of dread. She shook her head, trying to stay focused. She started moving towards one of the streets to the left. “Wait,” Said the other girl “Perhaps we should stick together.” “There is nothing in the rules about us needing each other. I don’t want anyone slowing me down; I’m going on my own.” Anita said and kept going. “I second that.” The larger player stated and took off down another street. He started whistling as he went. The twins said nothing and wandered down another path. The boy in the wolf mask had disappeared without a trace as well. The one in the dog mask turned to the girl. “I’ll stick with you if you like?” The girl nodded and they slowly walked down another path.
The Game
Game- A competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or luck. The game had not been around for as long as some people might think. Though, the way it was talked about it seemed like the game had been around for thousands of years. The game was created roughly a hundred years ago, but was only played every seven years. So in truth the game had only been played fourteen times. The game was simply talked about a lot during those seven off years. People are constantly wondering who is going to play the next round. Some fantasied about winning and what they would ask for upon winning. All this talk of the game gave it the illusion it had been around longer and played more often than it actually was. The game was not created for people who were simply looking for a thrill or adventure. If it was a cheap thrill a person wanted they should go jump off a cliff. There is nothing fun about this game. The game was all about survival and a 1 in 6 chance of winning a prize there is no guarantee you will even get. No one was sure if there really was a prize or ever a real winner. Anyone that ever entered the game was never seen again. The game was created for those who had hit rock bottom in their lives. Only the desperate, needy, and suicidal enter the game with a false sense of hope guiding them. No one was quite sure what the game was all about. The only sure thing about the game was that there were demons hunting the players and the players must make it to the center of the Hellion Circle to win. Since no one was ever seen again after entering the game no one knew of any strategy to winning. Only those who had entered had seen what it looks like beyond the gate. In the seven years of waiting the gate was sealed shut. The wall surrounding the playing area was protected by some sort of force shield. There is no way into the playing field except through that one gate. Many have tried to get inside during the waiting period and they all perished. Players enter with nothing but their willpower guiding them. Perhaps that is what people fear the most about the game. The feeling of walking into a dangerous situation, knowing it’s dangerous, and having no form of defense till it’s perhaps too late. The game was cruel, insidious, and merciless. When it was in play the screams could be heard for miles. When that gate opened, all those outside the game would hide in their homes. Everything shut down for that day, businesses and schools. When the screaming finally does stop, life for the rest of city returns to normal and people would gossip for the next seven years. So for all those poor souls out there who have nothing but empty lives and want a chance to change things around, the gate will open on the longest day of the year- the summer solstice.
The Cowardly Brute
Coward- A person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition or pain… Once all the other players had disappeared down the different paths, Mark, the largest player, became more aware of how hard his heart was pounding. He only agreed with the girl in the fox mask to appear tough. He kept glancing back hoping he would see one of the other players following him. He had hoped his large frame would make at least one of them want to stay with him. Now that he was alone, he felt the full impact of what he was doing. He was in the game and there was no going back. That was one of the rules, he couldn’t forfeit. Already nothing was going according to the plan he had created at home. Mark heard about the game long before he decided to enter. His nanny told him stories about it that she heard around the city. She told him the stories as a way to try and scare him. At that young age they did scare him but they also fascinated him. He grew up fantasizing about winning and what he would ask for. He wouldn’t ask for anything logical like money or power. He didn’t need that; he came from a rich family. He didn’t need or want material things. As he grew up he began to realize that the only thing he wanted was something he couldn’t buy. All his life everything he wanted was simply given to him, done for him. He was never required to handle any major or even minor problems. Which created a problem for him in itself. Mark was a coward at heart. He discovered this truth when he was in his teens. He was alone in his room getting ready for bed. When he went to lie down on his bed he saw something moving on the ceiling. He flicked on the light and found a spider. Upon seeing it he felt this onset of panic creep into his chest. He jumped out of bed and ran out into the hall. He watched the spider from his doorway. Just watching the spider move slowly over the ceiling made his heart pound. The spider wasn’t large but Mark was terrified of it. He was so scared he couldn’t bring himself to get close enough to kill it. His nanny was already in bed and too far away to hear his call for help so he ended up falling asleep in the hallway. Mark moped about the house for the next few days. He felt so ashamed for not being able to face one silly spider. He realized it was partly his fault. He never had to deal with any of his problems on his own. Someone was always there to squish a spider, fight his battles. This way of life turned him into a coward. To make himself feel better he started working out. He built his muscles up, becoming quite a brute. This didn’t really do much for him; he was stronger but still a coward. A few times he tried to start a fight with a stranger. However, when he picked someone out he couldn’t perk up the courage to even go near the person to threaten them. This caused Mark to fall into a state of depression. He was strong and rich, why couldn’t he have bravery to go along with it? He couldn’t even perk up the courage to talk to anyone about it, he was too ashamed. He didn’t want his friends or family to know. He wasn’t going to be a laughing stock. He began plotting ways to get his bravery. He tried reading books on how to boost his confidence, but nothing was helping. Talk that the game was going to begin again began to buzz about. That was when he got an idea. If he was to win this game he could ask for bravery. He did as much research on the game as he could. There wasn’t much he could gather about it. What information he had was strictly rumors, no facts. No one had ever come back out of the game. That thought scared him and almost made him change his mind. The rumors of the untold glory bestowed upon the winner was the only thing that kept him interested. He wanted the prize because it would solve all his problems. A year before the game was to begin he started boasting to his friends that he was going to play and win the game, that he would be the first to return. They were scared and excited for him. In the time before the game would begin he was showered with affection and compliments on his bravery for wanting to play. He enjoyed this immensely. That was all he wanted to be praised for- bravery. The night before the game was to begin his friends threw him a huge party. At first he was enjoying himself. They drank and ate, and danced to music all night around a roaring fire. As the party settled down they sat around the fire. One of his friends, Warren, smacked him on the back. “Hey, while you’re in there are you going to bring us back one of the demon’s heads?” He asked, his words slurring slightly from how drunk he was. One of the girls tucked under Mark’s arm, Lori, sat up and kissed him on the cheek. “Oh, yes bring me back a demon head. Oh, you’re so brave for wanting to go in there. You better come back.” Mark laughed and nodded but didn’t answer. The party had been fun but talk of the demons made the reality of what he had to do the next day hit him. He looked around at all his companions as they started to doze off. He couldn’t forfeit now or his friends would never let him hear the end of it. He didn’t sleep at all. The more he thought about it the more a plan started to come into play in his mind. Five other people were going into the game as well. He wasn’t going in alone and he could use those players to his advantage. He could use them to bait the demons so he could make it the Hellion Circle. He figured his huge frame would draw them to him, thinking he could provide them with protection. Now he was here all alone in this place. When he realized no one was coming he started to panic. He looked around and the fog combined with his huge, fear-devoured imagination created all sorts of horrific scenarios in his head. He kept thinking that any moment something was going to come around one of the corners and tear him to pieces. He started out at a slow pace, but now he was practically running down the street. The stone that made up the street was broken and uneven and he tripped several times. He turned a corner only to come to a screeching stop, a scream escaping his throat. The road was completely destroyed. It looked like a meteor had hit, leaving only a large hole in its wake. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He turned to go back but stopped dead, his blood froze in his veins…
The Demons
Demon- An evil spirit or devil that acts as a tormentor… When the gate opened it was the signal that the game had begun, triggering the awakening of the demons. No one really knows how the demons got there or if they are the ones responsible for starting the game. They are there to stop the players and take what they wanted from them. When the gate opened the playing ground came to life. All the lanterns lit as a guide for the players and doors opened. The game was difficult, but the demons played fair. Somewhere deep in the city the sleeping chambers of the demons opened. The chambers stood in a line, each one looked like a large glass tube. There were five tubes, the one in the center was the largest because it held the largest demon. He was the first to awaken. He was huge and shaped like a bull wearing a mask shaped like a goat. A cloak laid over his body because he was nothing but bones held together by a magic force. He had no skin, no organs, only bones. Large tusks slid out from under the mask, which the mask fit perfectly to. He raised a claw and pushed on the glass of his tomb gently. After a moment the front of the glass encasement disconnected and slid down into the ground so he could step out. He moved slowly, stretching as he moved, his bone claws clicking on the stone floor. The next to awake was much smaller than the bull. He had a body shaped like a human with skin all different colors as if someone had stitched him together from an assortment of flesh. Mummy wrappings hung loosely from his body. He had two torsos, they split at the hips and each body was facing opposite directions, but only one pair of legs. He pushed on the glass. When it opened he stumbled out, gripping the wall for support. This demon, unlike the others, wore no mask. The two heads looked exactly the same. It was as if they were twins that had been joined at the hips. The faces were completely with no eyes or nostrils as if the skin simply grew over it making it all one form. He only possessed a huge mouth that stretched wide across the face where ears would have been. The next demon to awaken wasn’t patient enough to let the glass open on its own. He jumped forward with such force he shattered the glass. He was the size of a horse but shaped like a hairless wolf, purplish-black tentacle-like strands hung from the back of his head, neck and upper shoulders. His skin was black and leathery looking. He was wearing a goat mask but it was cracked and damaged, his long snout stretched out under it. His chest skin was split open revealing his ribs and an empty cavity behind it. The sternum was cracked down the middle in a zig zag form, fitting together like a puzzle. It bounced about the room and ended up crouching in front of the largest demon, panting and looking around impatiently. The fourth demon to awaken was the only female. She was a cross between a bat and a beautiful woman. Her skin was pure white, ears huge like a bat and her wings spread out about ten feet in length. Since she was in the tube and couldn’t spread them, they remained tucked close to her body. Instead of pushing on the glass, she crawled up the tube coming out of the top. She floated down and landed on the top edge of the largest demons mask, crouching and holding onto the mask between her legs for balance. The largest demon didn’t move nor seem to notice her at all. The final glass tube was empty though; it seemed the fifth demon had already awoken. The four demons stood perfectly still, staring up at a lantern that hung above the huge door in front of them. The wolf-like demon kept crouching lower to the ground, his panting increased as he watched. Suddenly the lantern started glowing and the door in front of them started to open. This was the sign that the gate was shut again and the game had officially begun. The door was opening too slowly for the wolf-like demon. As soon as the lantern lit he howled so loud it could be heard for miles. He leaped off the wall, crashed through one of the windows, and took off into the city at full speed. The female spread her wings and escaped through another broken window opposite him, no doubt caused by the wolf demon in one of the years before. The double torso demon moved forward, lifted a grate from the ground and escaped into the sewers. The bull-like demon was the only one to wait for the door to open. He had to wait till it completely opened because he was too big to get out any other way. When the doors stopped he moved forward. He struggled a little because even this doorway was small. He got his head through, then his shoulders. His hips had a hard time, but once he was out he shook himself and marched elegantly down the road. The wolf like demon was running though the city, going around corners so fast he would crash into the sides of buildings. He had so much energy built up from his seven year sleep, he needed this. For how long and fast he was running it seemed like he had gotten far from the demon tombs, but he had only gone in a circle and ended up running into the larger demon. The bull demon stopped and looked at him for a moment then kept on his way. The wolf like demon stuck close to him, staying slightly ahead of him, sniffing around, looking for any sign of the players. The larger demon followed behind slowly.
The Mother
Mother- A woman who gives care and affection to a child she has given birth to… Briana stared down at her sleeping child looking so peaceful. She bit down on her thumb nail feeling panic run through her body. Yes, he was sleeping peacefully now but not for long. She knew he would wake up several times just like he did every night from the agony in his body. A few weeks earlier Briana took her son to the doctor because the child was complaining of a constant aching all over his body. After many tests and examinations the doctors concluded he had contracted a rare disease that was literally eating him from the inside out. The disease was fatal but it was different for every person, some cases lasted longer than others. The doctor had given her strong pain killers to give him when it became too much. She could at least give him some relief. Other than that, there wasn’t much she could do but do her best to make him comfortable. When she first found out she didn’t believe that there wasn’t anything she could do to save him. She did research and spoke to many different doctors, but everyone gave her the same answer. They had all basically told her that all she could do was just stand back and watch her child suffer. She jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned to see the child’s grandfather, her father, standing there. “You gave him the medicine, he’ll be fine.” “That’s the problem, he’ll never be fine.” She said crossing her arms. “You need to sleep too.” He said turning her, directing her to leave. She resisted for a moment, but when he was more forceful she went. “Go to bed.” He told her. She nodded and walked to her room to lie down. Sleep never came, her mind was too high on alert listening for even the smallest sound her son made. She stared at the ceiling. There must be something I can do she thought to herself. An idea came to her the next day when she went to the market to get food. She noticed that everyone seemed to be on edge and whispering among each other. She walked up to one of the sellers as she picked up fruit. “What’s going on?” She asked as she motioned to the nervous people around them. He glanced up before leaning towards her. “You don’t know?” She shook her head no. “The game is beginning in less than three months.” She looked at him, her heart started pounding. She had forgotten the game was starting again. She walked home, forgetting most of the groceries she was supposed to get. That whole night she sat on the couch in the living room, thinking. Her son was sitting on the floor playing with blocks. She could see him flinch every few moments as he moved to build the blocks up. Every time he flinched she felt her heart ache, paining her to see him suffer. She glanced towards the window and kept thinking. It was a month before the gate would open when Briana finally came to her decision. She sat in the living room with her father, watching the fire in the fireplace. Her son had been asleep for a few hours. This night had been particularly bad for him. It started out alright, he took a hot bath and relaxed all his muscles. What the bath did for him didn’t last though. When she tried to put his shirt on he said it hurt too much to have the clothes on. She gave him one of his pain killers, but the medicine seemed to do nothing. The pain grew worse and soon he was crying and screaming. The usual amount she gave him wasn’t working. The pain killers were supposed to work after a few minutes but he kept on screaming. She had to double the amount to give him enough relief to even lay down. She couldn’t go through another night like this; it would kill her. She wouldn’t let her son suffer anymore. She had come to a decision. She looked up at her father. “Dad,” She said. “I’m going to enter the game.” He stared at her then started laughing, thinking she was playing a joke on him. When she didn’t laugh, but rather had a sad look on her face, he realized she was serious. “Are you crazy? What about your son?” He demanded. “That’s who I’m doing it for. Dad, I have to do something.” “No, you need to be here for him. What if you die?” “He’s going to die soon anyway if I don’t do something. My son is going to die either way. At least this way I have a small chance. I couldn’t live without him. If I win I will ask that he be saved. I can’t just sit here watching and waiting for him to die. I won’t do it! At the end of this month I am going to enter the game and save my son.” Her father tried to argue more but she wouldn’t hear any of it. She stood up and went to her room where she started making the mask she would wear. Briana walked beside the boy with the dog mask. They hadn’t spoken since they started down their path. The silence was awkward but she didn’t know what to say. He looked up at the lanterns as they passed them. “We need to find the center of this place.” He whispered. She looked up at him then the lantern. “Do you have any idea where?” “Not in the slightest. I don’t think these lanterns will be much help, they’re placed about at random.” They came to a fork in the road, going left and right. “I think we should treat it like a maze and pick one direction to go at all times.” She said. They looked both ways. “Let’s stick to going left then.” He replied. She agreed, so every time they came to a cross section they always turned left. They soon came to a wide road that stretched far beyond their sight, disappeared into the fog. There were broken carts scattered about and plants growing up from in between the stones of the path. The area was huge and looked like a main road. “I’m going to take this as a sign we may be going the right way.” They started walking down the road. She looked up at him. “I know we aren’t supposed to reveal our names so I won’t ask it but, if you don’t mind, why did you decide to play the game?” Briana asked. He looked at her for a moment and she thought he wasn’t going to answer her. “I’m looking to find out what happened to my brother.” He replied. “Did he go missing?” She was thinking perhaps he been kidnapped or something and this guy had pursued all other options to find him. “In a way, I guess. Seven years ago he played the game.” “Oh.” She said looking down. “I told him not to but he wouldn’t listen. He wanted the glory of winning, but he never returned.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be, it’s not your problem.” They were quiet for a moment. “What about you?” He asked. “I’m here to ask that my son be saved. He’s very sick and will die if I don’t succeed.” She looked up at him and smiled under the mask even though he couldn’t see it. “Don’t think I’m trying to guilt trip you into letting me win. That just happens to be my reason.” He laughed. “I’m not that cruel. I don’t think I’m the one you really have to worry about competing with though. I know I’m not strong enough to win but it’s worth a try. I left nothing behind,” She nodded. “Yes, I don’t think I’ll win either but I’m doing this just to say I tried something to save him. If I die, then I will be with him in death.” He suddenly grabbed her arm to stop her because they heard a huge howl echoing through the city. “Oh God,” Briana whispered as they looked at each other. “I think that was a demon.” To their left they heard someone whisper “Hey!” They turned and saw the boy wearing the wolf mask. He motioned with his hand for them to come to him. They hurried over and followed him inside one of the buildings. He led them to a pair of stairs and up to a small room. One wall was lined with windows that were all boarded up. There were a few spaces in between the boards so they could see out. The Wolf and Dog walked to the windows and looked out. Briana scanned the room. The wall opposite the windows was covered in all sorts of posters. The floor had a huge pile of them. It looked as if someone had built a little nest and had been staying there for an extended period of time. She walked up at the wall to get a better look at the posters. As she examined them she felt her heart start pounding again. She started taking down some of the prints. “Hey,” she whispered and the other two players turned to her. “Look at this.” The Dog moved to her side but the other stayed by the window. He looked at her, then the wall. She held up one of the posters. It had a drawing of a huge bull like monster made of bones. At the bottom of the poster were the words “Bone taker.” He took it and she held up the next. This one was a pictures what a woman with wings, running up the side of the page were the words “Blood Taker”. The third was a picture of a wolf like creature with the words “Heart Taker” scrolled across it. The fourth had a picture of a creature that looked like two humans had been mashed together into one; the name on it stated “Skin Taker.” He looked at them feeling sweat start to run down his face under the mask. The posters were made with exaggerated coloring and shapes to give them a scary and intimidating effect. “Do you think these are the demons?” Briana asked. He didn’t answer. He looked back up the wall. “You missed one.” He said reaching for a poster a little higher up on the wall. It showed a picture of a figure in a black cloak with the hood pulled up. On the top of the poster was written “Soul Taker.” She moved closer to him to look at it as well. “How are we going to be able to defeat these things?” “I don’t think we are meant to.” He replied. They both heard the wolf mask boy gasp and point out the window. They hurried over and looked out. Briana gasped and quickly bit down on her tongue to keep from making any more noise. Two demons were walking down the large main road they were just on. Briana looked down at the posters in her hand, one of the demons was the Bone Taker; the other was the Heart Taker. The Bone Taker was marching slowly down the center of the road. The Heart Taker was prancing around, sniffing the ground like a dog. They both stopped a little ways past the building Briana and the others were hiding in as the Heart Taker sniffed the ground where they had been standing. He moved in circles as he picked up their scent, searching. “What do we do?” Briana whispered. The Dog put a finger to his lips telling her to be quiet. It kept sniffing and suddenly lifted its head, looking at the building they were hiding in. Briana felt her heart nearly stop with fear. She looked at the others. The Wolf just stared out the window watching the demons, completely calm. How could he not be panicking? The Heart Taker howled and ran forward. He jumped on the head of the Bone Taker who thrust his head up giving the Heart Taker a boost. He launched into the air and landed just outside the windows where the three players were standing. Briana leapt backwards, a scream escaping her throat as the demons claws dug into the boards. The demon peeked between the boards, looking for them. “Come on!” The Dog grabbed Briana’s arm and ran for the doorway. The Wolf followed right behind. The Heart Taker clawed the board and tore a few of them off. He was about to squeeze in the small hole he had made but stopped. Both demons turned and looked down the road into the fog. They heard what sounded like a shriek. The Heart Taker leapt down, landing a few feet in front of the Bone Taker. The Heart Taker started to move forward but the other demon growled at him, his eyes glowing a deep orange. The Heart Taker stopped moving and brought his head down low in a way to show submission. The Bone Taker started moving down the street and when he had disappeared into the fog the Heart Taker looked back at the hole he had made in the building. Instead of returning to it though, he took off down the street, heading for the center of the city. He would run into the players in the building again eventually. The Bone Taker moved down the road sensing the player he wanted was close. He turned the corner and stopped, its glowing eyes dancing with excitement. A very large male stood on the edge of a hole in the road. The player turned around and froze when he looked at the Bone Taker. The player was holding a huge club, but he made no effort to lift it up and use it. He lost his grip on it and it hit the ground before rolling into the hole behind him. They stared at each other for a long moment; both were waiting for the other to make a move. Bone Taker took a few steps back till its behind touched the building. Before this moment the Bone Taker had seemed very slow and in not much of a hurry, but as soon as it touched the building and locked eyes with the player it took off so fast the player almost didn’t have enough time to react. As the Bone Taker charged, the player screamed in such a high pitch sound his voice cracked. The Bear dove out of the way at the last moment. The Bone Taker tried to stop; digging his claws into the road, but didn’t have time and toppled into the hole below. The player kept screaming as he took off running down the street, not wanting to look into the hole. The hole wasn’t extremely deep but when the demon hit bottom he landed on his side, shattering into pieces. For a moment he looked like he might be dead, but then the bones slowly started to shake and move before forming back into The Bone Taker. The demons eyes were the last thing to come back to life and were now glowing deep red rather then orange. He turned and looked up at the edge where he had fallen. He shrieked, making the buildings around him shutter…
The Suicide Twins
Twin- Something containing or consisting of two matching or corresponding parts… David and Isaac, the twins, jogged side by side down the street. They hadn’t spoken to each other since they entered the game. They didn’t need to. They had always been in tune with each other, with no need to ever really use words. They both screeched to a stop when they heard a loud inhuman shriek echo through the city. They looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, but the fog made their sense of direction disoriented. David, the one in red, looked a little farther down the street and hurried forward to a manhole in the middle of the street. Isaac followed him and together they lifted the top off, glancing into the darkness, then at each other. David nodded and Isaac slipped down the ladder first followed closely by his brother. They figured the sewers traveled the entire city, and why wouldn’t they? It would be much easier to find the center. Plus they were less likely to run into too many demons. They didn’t know how many demons were in the game, but being monsters, they probably weren’t that smart and wouldn’t travel the sewers, believing the players wouldn’t think of it either. Once they were in the darkness Isaac pulled out a glow stick and snapped it, and David pulled out a compass. When they first started out and had gotten farther away from the other players, he had pulled out his compass and found that towards the center of the city was east, so that was the direction they were going to stick to. David pointed forward and they took off running through the sewers. They took many turns down narrow, claustrophobic tunnels, even having to go down a few ladders that took them deeper in order to continue going east before they ended up in an open intersection. There was a huge whirlpool in the center with many metal bridges crossing the hole and leading down different tunnels. David looked down at his compass. It was pointed toward the largest open tunnel straight ahead where the ceiling arched up about twenty feet high. David nodded to the path and they crossed the metal bridges carefully just in case any of them were rusty and ready to break. When they reached the entrance to the tunnel where the ground was stone and solid they both broke into a run. A little ways into the tunnel they both came to a screeching halt when they heard what sounded like a hissing sound. They stood with their backs to each other and peered into the darkness, looking for any sign of movement. Isaac tapped his brother’s shoulder and pointed up at the ceiling. A pale human-like creature was crawling along the wall. It had two torsos and one pair of legs. One was holding onto the wall, moving along it. The brothers stood, ready for a fight. The demon spotted them and both heads turned to look at them, hissing as they did. At first it looked like they didn’t have mouths. Then, as if an invisible knife was run along their faces, the skin split into a long line from ear to ear. They revealed rows of large, sharp teeth. It moved down to the ground like a spider. It bent and twisted in all sorts of unnatural ways, as if it didn’t have any bones. It reached the ground with his heads facing down. It curled its legs over backwards till it was standing in a bridge position on the ground. Both heads looked at them before slowly bending up to a standing position. If the demon had good posture it would have stood about eight feet tall but it hunched over, the torso on top just leaned on the back of the other. The demon just stood there examining the two of them for a moment. Then the heads looked at each other. The one on top nodded. The demon stood up straighter and both torso’s started pulling against each other. The twins watched them, not sure what they were trying to do, but they didn’t let their guard down for a moment. A sound of tearing filled the tunnel and out of the back of the ankles a pair of toes appeared followed by a foot. Out of the legs came another pair of calves and thighs. The skin tore where the torsos were connected. The twins stared at the demon, fear mingling with awe, for now there were two of them; a pair of twins just like them. All their lives they had never run from a confrontation, or felt any fear for someone that challenged them, but this was different. They had never faced anything like this creature before, it was something they hadn’t been fully prepared for. The demon turned and looked at each other, blood dripping from the wounds on their bodies. After a moment the wounds sealed themselves shut and the Skin Taker turned and looked at the twins. David looked at his brother and nodded back down the tunnel. They took off running back the way they came. The demon looked at each other and started after them. They ran taking large steps, their bodies arched and their arms dragging on the ground; running in perfect sequence to each other. The twins returned to the intersection. They turned back to see how close the demon was. The demon leapt forward, each one going for one of the twins. The twins flipped out of the way, causing the demon to crash into the one of the large pillars that was holding up the ceiling. The pillar cracked and collapsed onto the demon, but the rubble from the pillar tumbled down blocking the brothers in different tunnels from each other. “Keep moving, we’ll catch up to each other eventually!” David shouted to his brother. “Got it!” Isaac called back and they both started running. The rubble was still for a moment then started shaking as the Skin Taker dug himself out. They both dug out, one was higher on the pile then the other. They shook the dust off and hissed in a low voice as each body looked towards the tunnel David had disappeared into. The tunnel Isaac had gone down was completely trapped by rubble. David kept glancing back to see if the demon was coming. He didn’t see it yet, but as he ran his face had a huge smile on it. He wanted the demon to chase him, he found it all to be very exciting. This is what he came to the game for. The twins had always been very talented; no challenge came along that they couldn’t face. If they wanted something, it was either given to them or they simply took it. The twins were rich and had no worries, but that type of life was boring to them. As a sort of hobby they performed criminal acts just for the thrill of it. It started at a young age. Throughout their school years they were constantly getting into fights; tag-teaming against anyone who was willing to go against them, and it only got worse as they grew older. They had done pretty much anything they could possibly think of to make life more interesting. There was only one thing they had thought of that seemed impossible to accomplish, and that was defeating death itself. They obsessed over the thought, for if they could beat death they would be complete. The twins started researching and searching for anyway they could keep death at bay. News that the game was beginning sparked their interest in more ways than one. For one thing, no one had ever beaten the game as far as anyone knew. That gave them a chance to win another challenge no ever had, and when they won they knew exactly what they were going to ask for as their prize. Both of them were going to enter but since the rules stated only one could win, they would make sure they were the last two standing. Then one would offer themselves up to die. When the second twin won they would ask that their brother be revived. Thus, defeating death. David kept running, taking left turns whenever he could to get closer to the tunnel his brother went down. He turned one corner and smiled again when he saw his brother was running towards him. Isaac ran faster when he saw him, and David moved aside and fell into step with his brother as he passed. Though they were confident they could fight the demon, they didn’t want to do it down in this enclosed space. They turned left and ahead they saw a ladder at the end of the hall and they sprinted faster, but they both came to an abrupt halt when one the Skin Taker twins came around the corner, standing between them and the ladder. It hissed at them, arching forward and resting its knuckles on the ground. They turned when they heard someone coming up behind them. It was the other part of the Skin Taker. This one hissed at them as well and snapped its teeth. The twins stood with their backs to each other, each one facing a part of the demon. None of them moved for a long moment, waiting to see what the others would do. Tired of the wait Isaac made the first move. He rushed forward and David followed his example. Isaac jumped in the air to bring his foot forward to kick the demon. David ran fast and brought his hand into a fist to strike forward…
To Hellion Circle
Circle- A round plane whose circumference consists of points equidistant from a fixed point… Briana broke her hand away from The Dog. He took a couple steps forward before stopping to look at her. She threw the posters she was still holding to the ground and placed her hands on her knees breathing very hard. “I can’t run any more, please let me rest a moment.” He sighed and looked up at the other boy who stood a little behind Briana completely silent. They were still inside the buildings. They had run from building to building through the small alleyways between them. The buildings had been good cover. Some of the doorways they went through were very small, so if that demon was following them The Dog doubted he would be able to fit through after them. The Dog walked to one of the boarded up windows and scanned the street, looking for the demon. “We will never make it the center of the city if we stay in these buildings. We have to go back outside.” Briana looked at him horrified. “We can’t. That thing will get us.” He gave a slight laugh. “Have you forgotten? That’s kind of the point now, isn’t it?” Briana stood up straight, beads of sweat running down her face under her mask. She could also feel cold sweat sliding down her back. He looked back out the window. “I don’t see him and I still think this is the main road that will lead us to where we need to go. It seems to go on for a while.” He looked back at Briana who was shifting from one foot to the other in nervousness. He walked up to her and touched her shoulder. “We don’t have a choice; if we stay here we are going to die anyway. At least we can put up a fight. We will travel close to the buildings. If we see that demon or any others we can slip inside and take cover.” She sighed and slowly nodded. He looked at the other player who hadn’t spoken at all. “That good with you?” The boy looked at him and nodded. The Dog walked to the door that led out to the main road. He peeked his head out before stepping forward. Briana closely followed and looked around, feeling fear build up in her stomach. “Come on.” He whispered and started running down the street as quietly as he could. Briana kept glancing back, expecting to see the demon to come running after them. She looked over at The Wolf, who was running right behind her. He had only said one thing since they met. She remembered that the rules stated that there was to be only six players. She wondered why he was allowed in, perhaps this boy was part of the game in some way. When that thought popped into her brain she felt a new fear. Could he be a demon as well? She stopped suddenly causing The Wolf to run into her. He looked up at her when she placed her hands on his shoulders. “Who are you?” She demanded. The boy didn’t answer. “What are you doing?” Asked The Dog a few steps ahead of them. “Why was he able to enter the game?” She asked not taking her eyes off of The Wolf. “What?” The Dog asked, sounding very confused. She looked at him. “Did you not notice? Seven people walked through that gate, but only six were supposed to enter,” She looked at the boy again. “So tell me, are you a part of this? Are you here to get us killed?” The boy simply looked at her, not speaking. Then, without warning, he took off running down the street the way they were going. “Wait!” Briana shouted. “Quiet.” The Dog whispered, but she wasn’t listening to him. She took off running after The Wolf. She could see him about ten feet in front of her, but as she followed, the fog around them started to get thicker. Soon she couldn’t see the Wolf. She slowed down till she came to a full stop. She looked around but couldn’t see anything; the fog had completely consumed her. She rubbed her arms before she started moving again, listening for any sound - footsteps or voices - but it was completely quiet. She wasn’t sure where she was going, she had gotten herself all turned around. She didn’t know either of the players’ names so she couldn’t call for them. She stopped again when she finally heard the sound of footsteps, but it was echoing so much it seemed to come from all over the place. It scared her and she took off running, the uneven ground making her stumble about. One stone was sticking up and she hit her toe on it, sending herself to the ground. She put her hands out to catch herself, landing on her palms and knees. She stayed like that, letting her head hang low, breathing hard. Pain seared through her knees and toe. She screamed suddenly when a hand touched her shoulder. She flipped over and moved away, but then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw The Dog standing over her. He offered her his hand, which she took. “What do you think you were doing? What was that all about?” He asked. “I don’t know, this place is making me paranoid. That boy is gone and this fog came out of nowhere.” He took her hand and started walking forward. “The fog has to end eventually.” He whispered and looked back at her when she didn’t speak. “What did you mean earlier about that boy being a part of this?” She shrugged. “I don’t know, I just thought it was suspicious that he was allowed to come in as well.” “Hmm, well it’s no use now. But you know you almost broke a rule.” He said. “What do you mean?” “You asked him who he was. We aren’t supposed to know each other’s names.” “Yeah.” She said looking down. Now she was kind of glad the boy didn’t answer. She didn’t want to know what happened if a rule was broken. She looked up and cried out grabbing his arm. He cried out as well when he was yanked back. “What the--?” He started but she pointed ahead. He turned and saw they had reached a cliff, as if the road just simply ended. “Thanks.” He said. He looked over the edge but couldn’t see the bottom. “What do we do now?” Briana asked. He started moving along the edge hoping to find a place they could cross. As they moved the fog started to evaporate slightly and they were able to see a little farther ahead. “Look.” The Dog said, pointing ahead. There was a stone bridge that stretched across the abyss into the unknown. They reached the bridge and he started crossing it, but stopped when he didn’t hear Briana following him. “This is it.” She whispered. “What?” “I have a dreadful feeling that once I cross this bridge I’m not coming back. I don’t know if I want to see what’s beyond this bridge. I don’t know if I want to see what’s in Hellion Circle.” He walked back up to her. “We can’t forfeit. We don’t have a choice.” He whispered…
Anita ran cautiously down the road, moving lightly on her feet. She hadn’t run into any demons like she thought she might, but this didn’t stop her from keeping her guard up. Demons were tricky creatures and she knew the moment she relaxed they would strike. She stuck to the shadows and close to the alleyways. She was small enough so if she needed to she could squeeze between the buildings. The place was like a maze just as she thought and the fog didn’t help. She had no idea where she was going. Whenever she thought she was making progress she turned down a road that ended with a building that had collapsed, blocking her path, or created a huge hole that was impassable. I need to get higher, she thought. She looked up at the building she was standing next to. She tried the door but it wouldn’t budge. She walked around it looking for a way up. She peeked down the alleyway and spotted a ladder. It was perched up higher on the wall so she would have to jump to grab it. Anita squeezed down the alley to reach it. She sighed when she discovered there wasn’t enough room to jump. She pressed her feet to each side of the walls and shimmied herself up till she could reach it. She grabbed it but once she put her weight against the ladder it shuffled down. She wasn’t expecting the ladder to give so easily, so when her feet hit ground she stood still for a moment; her arms shaking. She was about to climb when she heard a loud shriek echoing through the city. She froze for a second before rushing up the ladder and onto the roof. She sighed though when she reached the top. There was no escaping the fog, it stretched over the rooftops as well. She would have to watch her step so as to not fall off any of the buildings. She ran forward, leaping from building to building. She had really thought being on the rooftops would make it easier to find her way. It almost seemed it have done the opposite, her view on everything seemed to have worsened upon reaching the roofs. She could only see a few feet in front of her. She came to a stop when a shadow passed over her. She scanned the sky but the fog was too thick, she couldn’t see anything at that point. Whatever it was seemed to have flown down to get a look at her, then immediately flew higher out of her sight. She wasn’t going to wait around for whatever it was so she kept running. She glanced over her shoulder every few moments though, feeling like something was watching her. She did a spin as she ran when she thought she heard voices behind her. She gasped when she turned back forward for the edge of the building came up too fast on her. She tried to jump but didn’t quite make it. She smacked her shin on the edge of the next building. She bit down on her tongue to keep from crying out. She examined her skin to how bad it was. Blood started leaking from the wound. She tore her shirt to wipe off the blood as it dripped down her leg. She tossed the bloody cloth aside before ripping another piece off her shirt to wrap it up. She stood up straight when she had that feeling of being watched again. She heard a whispering come from behind her. She slowly turned to see what it was only to get smacked in the face and sent flying backwards. She hit the ground hard and slid a few feet. She ended up right on the edge of the building, her arm hanging off. She shook her head, trying to get her bearings back. She felt something slide down her neck. She touched it and then looked to find blood smeared on her hand. She looked up and her eyes widened. A tall, pale female figure stood there; it had huge wings that spread out behind the figure. Anita felt her heart start pounding when she realized this must be one of the demons. The demon stood there very elegantly, her hands folded behind her back. She cocked her head to the side as she looked at Anita. She took a step forward, scooping up the bloody cloth Anita had discarded. She brought it up to her nose and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she did. She opened her eyes and smiled at Anita. “More.” She whispered. That was Anita’s cue to run. She hopped up and leapt to the next roof. She was so full of adrenaline she didn’t notice the pain in her leg or her head. She heard the demon behind her giggle and take flight. Anita pulled out a dagger and held it close to her body, ready to fight. She glanced back, the demon was about ten feet above her. Anita suddenly turned and threw the dagger at the demon. The demon tried to dodge it but the dagger went into her wing and straight through it. The Blood Taker screamed as her wing tore and suddenly tucked her wings and dived at Anita. Anita tried to pull out another dagger but the demon shoved her to the ground, pinning her down. Anita wiggled and thrashed about trying to get loose. She got her hand on another dagger and brought it up to stab the demon. The Blood Taker caught her wrist and started twisting it farther than it should have been able to go. Anita cried out when she heard her wrist snap and she was forced to drop the dagger. The demon pinned the broken wrist to the ground but left the other hand free. Anita fought through the pain and balled her good hand into a fist and punched the demon in the face. The demon was dazed for a moment, allowing Anita to shove her feet into the demon’s stomach. She forced the demon off and Anita staggered to her feet. She limped to the edge of the building. The next roof was a bit farther than the others had been. She looked back at the demon who was getting up. Anita took a couple steps back and took a running jump. The Blood Taker leapt after and struck her in midair. Anita cried out as the demon wrapped her arms around her waist, spinning her around so they were facing each other in the air. Anita pushed her good hand against the demons face. The Blood Taker folded her wings and dived towards the ground. Anita turned her head to see how close they were. She turned back and suddenly the demon smashed her head into Anita’s, cracking her mask and knocking her unconscious. The demon stopped a few feet from the ground holding Anita’s limp body. She shifted her arms under Anita so she was holding her behind her back and under her knees. She beat her wings to get back above the roof tops. Once there she took off in the direction of the center of the city.
The Last Standing
Alone- being on one’s own… The bridge seemed to go on forever. The Dog looked over the edge once or twice but didn’t see anything because the fog was too thick. Briana didn’t speak at all. She just kept her head down and walked. She couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom that surely awaited her at the end of the bridge. She thought of her son, she had left her home earlier that morning so her son had been sleeping when she left. She hadn’t wanted to wake him because that night had been rough for him and he was so exhausted. Now she wished she had. She should had whispered to him just loud enough to stir him and told him how much she loved him. She would never be able to do that now. She was going to die. “I think I see the end of the bridge.” The Dog whispered. Briana looked up and as they reached the end a huge tower-like building came into view. It was shaped like a huge cylinder that rose high and disappeared into the fog. The bridge connected to a wide balcony that wrapped around the cylinder. Around the whole building, there were open doors every few feet, each leading into pure darkness. They stood in front of one of the doors. Briana looked up and saw another balcony above them. She walked to the edge of the balcony and looked over. She could just make out another one below. This building had different levels. She looked back at The Dog. “This place is huge. It’s big enough to be a whole city on its own.” The Dog was looking up when he spoke. “Even so, this is the center of the city. It has to be. We have made it to the Hellion Circle. “And now one of us will die.” She whispered as she walked back to stand next to him. They walked into the darkness, both keeping their hands on the walls so they could feel their way through. The hallway opened up into what looked like a small village inside a huge room with cathedral high walls and ceiling. The small huts were abandoned and crumbling much like the city outside the cylinder. They walked cautiously between the buildings, ready for anything that might surprise them. They crossed the huge room and came to another door. As they traveled through this hallway they could hear whispering, growling and low screaming up ahead. The Dog looked back at her and put a finger to his mouth telling her to be quiet. When they reached the door way up ahead they could see a thick stone railing. The Dog crouched down as he moved towards it as did Briana. They squatted next to it and The Dog slowly stood up to look over. They were up one level from a huge circular platform that stood in the center of the room. Five pillars stood around the edge of the circle each equal distance from each other. It had several small stone bridges leading to it from doorways below. The very center of the circle had a smaller circular hole that had purple mist rising out of it. The platform had all sorts of carvings of what looked like faces all over it. The Dog gasped when he looked closely at it and realized that the faces were moving and that was where the low screaming was coming from, as if the screaming was muffled. “What is it?” Briana asked as she tried to stand up to look. He stopped her. “You don’t want to see.” He whispered. He looked back when he heard a hissing sound. “I have to see.” She whispered and stood up to look as well. He didn’t stop her this time. He looked down and felt fear leap to his throat. The Skin Taker was walking across one of the bridges and it had split into two figures. Both pieces were carrying a player. He recognized them as the twins. They were both out cold. They walked up to one of the pillars and laid the players down beside it. The demon looked at each other and stepped together and melted back into one. Soon it was the way it was before, one pair of legs and two torsos. The demon moved over to the players and stood over them. “Oh God.” Briana whispered. “What are they going to do?” “I don’t know.” She looked around the circle. “We made it but what are we supposed to do?” “Once again, I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.” “Well, we can’t just wait here for a demon to find us. There must be something we need to do.” “I think we should go down a level.” He said looking around the balcony. “We should get closer to that circle. Come on.” They crept along the railing on all fours. They stopped when they heard a loud howl. The Dog looked over the edge in time to see the wolf-like demon come racing across one of the bridges and pranced about the circle. It was sniffing around. It moved closer to the Skin Taker. It sniffed the twins but the Skin Taker slapped his snout and hissed at him. The Heart Taker squealed and moved away, shaking his head. He growled at the Skin Taker but made no more attempt to get close to the twins. He continued to sniff the ground. “He knew we would come here.” The Dog whispered. Briana nodded. “We haven’t been down there though so he can’t smell us, can he?” “I hope not. Come on.” They kept moving and almost reached the doorway a little ways down. The Dog was looking for stairs and he looked in each doorway till he found one that led down. Suddenly a shadow cast over them causing Briana to give a small squeak in surprise. The Dog spun around putting his finger to his mouth again. Briana bit her tongue right after she did it, freezing and listening to see if any of the demons had heard her. The shadow had been cast by the Blood Taker who flew in from above carrying The Fox. Briana felt fear build in her chest. The players were dropping like flies. The Blood Taker hadn’t heard Briana or if she did she didn’t care. She just landed next to a different pillar and set The Fox down. “Come on.” The Dog whispered. They moved to the stairs and hurried down them as quickly as they could. Though Briana’s squeak had been small and hardly noticeable the Heart Taker had heard it. He didn’t react immediately. The squeak had come from the doorway above where the stairs were. They were coming down a level. He didn’t immediately jump into action because he wanted to give them a sense of false security, as if none of them heard it. He enjoyed taking hearts, but he enjoyed the chase more. He wanted them to run from him. He wanted them to fight back. It made it so much more interesting. He wanted this to last as long as possible because as soon as the game ended it was another seven years of sleep. He waited a few moments before taking off across one of the bridges again. The stairs led down to an area that The Dog assumed was the laundry level of the tower. He knew it was silly and stupid to think it, but there wasn’t any other word to describe it. The moment they stepped out of the stone doorway from the stairs all they saw were clothes and cloth spread all over. There were huts scattered about but not as close together as the other ones were. Briana glanced in one of them as they passed. It wasn’t a house at all. It was filled with wash tubs and more cloth lying about. Clotheslines were hung between the huts and across the path so they had to push them aside as they passed. Briana didn’t like this. She kept looking over her shoulder. They were very vulnerable, something could be stalking them and they wouldn’t even know it. “I don’t like this,” Briana whispered. “We should go back.” “Back to what?” He replied “We need to find another door. Just be quiet, we’ll be fine.” Briana sighed in her head. She knew that wasn’t true. They were far from fine. She hadn’t seen the larger player at all since they split up at the gate so she assumed he was dead. She and The Dog were the only ones left. The rule ‘there can only be one winner’ kept ringing in her head. She was walking behind him so she was staring at his back. For a moment a strange thought crossed her mind. She would automatically win if she killed him right now. Right now it seemed like a tempting idea. She even went so far as to look around for a quick weapon. She quickly shook the idea away. There was no mention of any players ever killing each other. That was the demons jobs. She didn’t want to screw her chances of winning by doing something stupid out of desperation. Briana had been in such deep thought she didn’t notice the other player had come to a stop and she ran right into him. He looked back at her for a moment. “What is it?” “Shh,” he said “I thought I heard something.” “What?” She whispered, her head whipping back and forth franticly. “Be quiet.” They listened very carefully but heard nothing. “I may just be paranoid.” He said grunting out a laugh. “This place will do that to you.” They laughed for a brief moment but stopped when they heard the sound of claws running on stone. It echoed so there was no way of telling where it was coming from. The hanging clothes weren’t helping either. When they were this panicked the cloth looked like something moving or a figure standing there out of the corner of their eyes. “I knew I heard something.” He said as he sank low onto one of his knees. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to be paranoid.” She replied, mimicking his movement. He leaned towards her so he could whisper quieter to her. “We need to keep moving. We can use this as cover.” He said tugging on the cloth hanging next to him. She nodded to him to let him know she understood. He motioned with his finger for her to follow him. Staying crouched slightly they hurried around the cloth they were hiding behind. They walked softly so as not to make any noise on the stone. They could still hear the running sound that seemed to be coming from all around them. The Dog came to a stop when they heard a low growl a few feet in front of them. If it wasn’t for the large cloth hanging there the demon would have seen them and ripped them to pieces. They could see the outline of the Heart Taker as he sniffed the ground. Another thing they were grateful for was that it didn’t smell very good in this place and the smell was strong. Finding their scent was going to be difficult. They stood still till the demon ran forward away from them. They moved around the cloth, coming close to one of the huts. Briana was so focused on scanning the area she wasn’t looking where she was going and tripped over a pile of buckets leaning against the hut. In the silence they were trying to keep, it was like an explosion. Briana stood there horrified at what she just did. The Dog slowly turned back to her and she could see fear in his eyes. They looked around listening for the demon. The silence had returned but it was dead silence. The kind of silence where something was going to happen, but it was unclear when. Briana felt heavy sweat roll down her face. The demon must have heard that. She didn’t want to wait, she wanted to run. She moved away from the buckets scattered about her feet. She didn’t want to trip on them when she had to run. She stood next to the other player, leaning close to him. He didn’t notice her though. Out of the corner of his right eye he had caught a hint of movement. He grabbed Briana’s hand and yanked her away from the hut just as the demon leapt at them through the hanging clothes. The Heart Taker would have caught Briana if The Dog hadn’t pulled her away. The demon crashed into the hut instead and disintegrated it to rubble. Dust clouds sprang up making it hard to see, but they didn’t stick around long enough to see. They ran down the road weaving between the hanging clothes. They heard the demon burst out of the rubble. Briana could hear it panting as it ran after them. She could sense it close behind her. She felt at any moment it was going to grab her. Every time it did get close they weaved between more of the cloth so the demon missed. They moved towards one of the huts. Several of the lines holding up the hanging clothes were connected there. The Dog pulled out a knife from his shirt and sliced the lines as quickly as he could. They snapped and the piles of cloth collapsed on the demon. The weight of it held him down, but not for long. They heard his muffled howls as it clawed at the cloth to get it off. With less cloth blocking their sight The Dog spotted a narrow hole in the wall a little farther down the path. It didn’t exactly look like a doorway, but it was better than being fully exposed. One of the demons claws sprang out from under the pile. It was decided and he took Briana’s hand again, pulling her towards the hole. He pushed her in first. She was small enough to fit and he was just able to squeeze in. The demon had gotten loose, spotted them and rushed forward. The Dog shoved back on Briana so he was just out of reach. The demon clawed at them but he was far too big. He growled at them, panting and huffing. He reached for them but it was no good. Briana was holding the other player around the chest, keeping him back so he didn’t accidently move forward, not that he would have. The demon shook his head in frustration and took off running to the right. The Dog let out the breath he was holding. He glanced back at Briana who was breathing hard too. He gave a small laugh. “That was close.” He said. She shook her head. “What do we do now? We can’t stay here and we certainly can’t go back out there. He’ll be waiting for us.” He twisted slightly to look beyond them. She knew what he was thinking. “We can’t.” “You said it yourself, we can’t go back out there.” “What if there is no end?” “We’ll worry about that later.” He gave her a little push to get moving. She resisted at first but then started moving. It kept getting darker and darker as they moved. Briana felt she was going to get swallowed up. She started to pant from the fear building up inside her. The other player touched her shoulder, reassuring her he was still there. She was glad he stuck with her. With all the things that happened to her she didn’t think she would have been able to do it on her own. She would already be dead if it wasn’t for him. “I only have two regrets.” She said as she shuffled along. “What’s that?” “My first is not waking my son up to say goodbye to him this morning. The other is not having been able to meet you somewhere other than here.” He smiled even though she couldn’t see it. “What’s your son’s name?” She thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think I should tell you. Any of those things could be listening. I don’t want them knowing my sons name.” He nodded. “I understand that. Sorry for asking.” “No, it’s alright. I would gladly tell you but not here.” They moved in silence till up ahead Briana saw a thin line of light. She felt relief wash over her. “Out of the darkness we find the light.” He said poetically. She laughed as she moved faster. As they got to the opening it was so small she had to suck in her stomach to fit. She pushed through and turned to help her fellow player. “Ahhh.” He moaned as he tried to squeeze through. She pulled on his arm trying to help. Finally he staggered forward into her. She wrapped her arms around him to steady him. He rubbed his shoulder. “That was interesting.” Briana looked around. “Oh no.” They were standing in a small square room that was about five feet by five feet. On each of the walls was a large circular grate and one on the floor. It was a huge sewer drain for when it rained. Above was another grate. There was one of these small rooms for each level of the tower. “We need to go back.” Briana whispered in agony. The Dog walked up to one of the grates and shook it. It shuttered but was secure. He checked each one. The one across from the hole in the wall was looser than the others. He examined the bolts holding the grate. There was a slit across the top of it. He pulled out his knife and placed the blade into the slit. “I might be able to get it loose.” He whispered as he pushed against the blade to try releasing it. Briana stood back with her arms crossed. The room was damp and cold. She could hear sounds echoing through the shaft. She had become a lot more jumpy since she entered the game. Every sound made her flinch. If she made it out of this alive she probably would never be able to relax again. She jumped again when a shadow passed over them. She looked up and screamed. The Heart Taker was in the small square room above them. In a flash the demon ripped up the grate as if it were nothing. He scrambled down and grabbed Briana by the back of her neck. The other player leapt forward to stab the demon with his knife. The demon slashed him across the face sending him back into the grate he had been trying to open. He slid until he was sitting, dazed slightly. He reached his hand up slowly and touched his mask. A chunk of the mask came off in his hand along with some of his blood. The bottom left part of his mask had broken off, revealing his mouth and cheek. He looked up as Briana was dragged up. At the top she grabbed the edge of the hole as she was pulled back. She looked down at him. “Help me.” She whispered. “No!” He yelled as her fingers lost grip and she was dragged out of sight. He jumped to try and reach the edge but it was too high. He could hear her screams echoing but eventually become more distant. He sank to his knees, pressing his forehead to the grate. She was dead now and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it…
Seventh Player
Seven- Equivalent to the sum of three and four; one more than six, or three less than ten… “It’s been decided, I’m doing it!” Lucas announced as he walked into his brother, Joseph’s, room. Joseph had been laying on his bed reading a book. He looked up at Lucas with a look of confusion on his face. “What are you talking about now?” Lucas stood over him. “I’m going to play the game.” “What game?” “The game!” Joseph was silent for a moment as he thought about what his brother was talking about. His eyes widened when he realized what it was. Joseph sat up and grabbed his brother’s arms. “Are you crazy? Why would you do that?” Lucas laughed. “Because I have things to prove and Dave dared me.” Joseph shook his head. “You are not doing this.” Lucas shook him off and backed up, the smile that had been on his face was gone. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my dad. You’re just my brother, I don’t have to listen to you.” “You most certainly do. I’m in charge now that dad’s--” He stopped for a moment. Lucas shook his head. “Dad’s gone, but you’re not taking his place. Dad would be proud of me.” Joseph sighed. He wasn’t sure their dad would have been proud but he would probably have supported him even though it was a stupid idea. However, Lucas was always his favorite. He would also never forgive him if he let Lucas do this. “Let’s go see dad and see what he thinks then.” Joseph suggested. “I’m not going anywhere near that place. I’m playing the game and you can’t stop me.” Lucas turned to leave. His brother jumped up and grabbed him roughly by the shoulder. “Idiot, you’ll get killed!” Lucas gave him a shove, which Joseph returned. After a few moments of proving who could shove harder it turned into a real fight. Joseph was older by two years and was stronger. He ended up pinning Lucas on his stomach with one of his arms bent behind his back. “Ahhh! Get off me!” Lucas shouted struggling against his brother but it was useless. “Say you won’t play.” “Never, you can’t stop me!” “I most certainly can.” Joseph said pressing harder on his brother’s arm. Lucas cried out at the pain. “No, Joseph I have to do this!” “Why?” “What I’m going to ask for will change our lives for the good.” Joseph stood up dragging his brother up with him. Lucas rubbed his arm and scowled at his brother. “What are you going to ask for?” Lucas shook his head. “I won’t tell you.” Joseph took a step forward but Lucas dodged him and made it to the doorway. “When I win you will see.” “Lucas no one has ever won!” “Someone has to win. It’s in the rules. Just because we never see the winner doesn’t mean they weren’t given their reward. Tomorrow is the day brother.” He took off running. “Wait!” Joseph shouted running after him, but his brother had reached the front door. He was holding a black sweatshirt and a mask. “I’ll see you when I return.” Lucas said winking at his brother before running out the door. Joseph ran after his brother and followed him a few blocks but soon lost him among the many people. He searched till dark but there was no sign of him. In defeat he returned home. He sat up all night hoping his brother would return. He never did. The next day dragged on very slowly. He paced about the house, waiting, hoping his brother would return. Hoping this was nothing but a sick joke his brother was playing on him. The sun went down and he was hit with the reality of the situation. His brother wasn’t coming home. He sat on the couch not able to sleep. He felt he should have done more to stop Lucas but now it was too late. Joseph woke up, though he didn’t remember falling asleep. He sat up. The sound that had woken him up was the sound of the door opening and closing. “Lucas.” He whispered and jumped up. He rushed to the hallway that led to the front door. He stopped when he saw a tall figure standing in front of door with his back to Joseph. He was too tall and broad-shouldered to be Lucas. The figure was wearing a heavy green coat with the hood pulled up. A duffle bag leaned against the wall near his feet. “What are you doing in my house?” Joseph demanded. “Your house? Is that any way to speak to your father?” Joseph’s mouth dropped open as his father turned around. Joseph took a step back. “But…how? They said twenty years.” Joseph whispered. His father laughed. “Yeah, I don’t get it either.” He replied as he pulled off his coat. “Earlier today it was just a regular day. Wake up, work out in the yard, so on. Then at eleven pm two guards came to my cell. They took me to the warden. He told me that there had been a mistake in my case. A lack of evidence or something, I don’t know. All charges have been dropped. I’m a free man.” Joseph couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How had this happened? There was no way they “lost evidence”. He had been convicted and been in jail for several months now. How can the charges just be dropped? His father passed him, roughly patting him on the shoulder. He was about a foot taller than Joseph. Joseph stood there in silence for a long moment trying to figure out what just happened. His brother disappears and his father returns home. He heard his father rummaging around in the kitchen. Joseph turned to follow him. Joseph sighed when he walked in. He had done a good job of keeping the place clean and organized while his father was gone. His father was home only a few minutes and the place was trashed. He had all sorts of jars out and the bread bag lay open. He made a huge mess on the counter where he had made the sandwich, but he sat at the table munching away. Joseph slowly walked over and started cleaning up because he knew his father wasn’t going to do it. His father looked around the room. “I see you managed to keep the place standing.” “Better then you did.” Joseph whispered. His father glared at him. “What did you say?” “Nothing.” His father grunted and took another huge bite of his sandwich. He looked around again. “Where is that little brother of yours? I would have thought the little shit would have at least come to say hello.” Joseph felt fear lurch in his stomach. He had planned to tell his father what Lucas did but he had planned to do it while he was still in jail. He had wanted to have thick, steel bars between them when he told him. Joseph had been in charge of taking care of Lucas. Letting him do something like enter that game was going to get him into serious trouble. His father looked at him when he didn’t respond. He stood up and stood right behind Joseph. Joseph felt his heart start pounding. He scrubbed the counter as hard as he could, refusing to turn around. His father grabbed him by the back of the neck. He tightened his grip, turning him so he stood sideways to him. “Where is he?” “Ummm---, the game began today.” He whispered. His father gave him a puzzled look. He wasn’t putting two and two together. “He entered the game.” Joseph whispered. His father was silent for a moment his eyes widened and his grip on Joseph’s neck tightened. “You little bastard! You let him do that?” “No, I tried to stop him.” Joseph felt his fear building. He punched Joseph in the stomach, sending him to his knees. “You obviously didn’t try hard enough!” He started walking away. “Where are you going?” Joseph asked. “I’m going to get him.” “You can’t. The game started this morning. It’s probably over by now.” His father scowled at him. “You should have stopped him. You useless piece of shit!” He tore off his belt and proceed to beat his son with it. He didn’t stop for what seemed like hours. By the time he was done, Joseph could hardly move. His father put his belt back on and left the house without a word. Joseph eventually was able to get up and reach the couch. He couldn’t lean back though. This had been the reason he wanted to tell his father while he was still in prison. It would have hurt less. Joseph knew his father liked Lucas more than him. He even told Joseph that a couple times in the past when he was really mad. Over the next couple days his father went out looking for Lucas. He didn’t seem to want to accept that he was gone. He always returned alone. With the reality of the fact that Lucas was never coming back, his father grew very bitter. He was cruel to Joseph, making life for him almost unbearable. It got to the point where Joseph couldn’t even come home without being verbally or physically attacked by his father. He started finding different places to sleep. Lucas leaving also really affected him. It was all he could think about. He kept reliving the day. Thinking about what he could have done different. For the next seven years he could think of nothing else. He became obsessed with the game, wondering what happened to his brother. As the day the game would begin again he did even more thinking. He wanted to know what happened to Lucas and there was only one way to find out. He didn’t dare tell his father his plan. He could only imagine what he would do to him. The month before the game he secretly worked on the mask he would need to wear. Just like his brother, he left his house the night before so his father couldn’t stop him. He stayed on the street, though he got no sleep. He was going to find out what happened to Lucas or die trying. It would be better than a life with his abusive father. He would find the truth or end his suffering with death… Joseph squeezed through the hole he originally came through. Blood was leaking down his face and neck from the damage the demon did to him. He staggered back out into the laundry area. He stood there rubbing his shoulder, almost hoping a demon would be there waiting for him. It felt strange to be alone. The silence was deafening. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if he had won or not. He started walking, not really caring where he ended up. He came to another doorway that led to a large room filled with small abandoned huts. He looked behind him, expecting to see The Bird standing there. He sighed before turning back and started walking. As he walked he wondered who use to live in this place. The demons must have killed them all before taking over the city. The history of the game was obscure. No one really knew how the game began. It was just suddenly there. Joseph found it sad that there must have been people here and now no one even remembers them. He stopped for a moment when he heard shuffling followed by a panting sound. He crept forward to peek around one of the huts. He looked around where he thought the sound came from. He spotted a figure staggering about. He felt relief wash over him as he recognized The Bear. Joseph moved out from his hiding spot and approached him. “Hey.” He said. The larger player, whipped around, swinging his fist. Joseph moved quickly out of the harm’s way. “Easy.” “Oh, it’s you. Wait, you’re still alive?” “Yes, one of the demons just took the girl I was with. Did you see her?” The Bear kept pacing, mumbling to himself. “They’re all dead. We are the only ones left. I don’t want to die.” Joseph shook his head. “Did you see her?” “No! No! I will be the one.” He seemed to have come to some conclusion inside his head. He took a step towards Joseph, who backed up. Maybe it had been a bad idea approaching him. Mark started laughing hysterically. “You die and I win. I’ll get what I came for! Come here you little bastard!” Joseph took off running without a word. He heard the other player yell and take off after him. He had completely lost it. If Joseph let him catch up, it would be over. He glanced back as he ran; The Bear was trying to run but he was very unsteady. He kept falling, and he wouldn’t stop laughing. He reminded Joseph of a crazier version of his father. At the beginning he seemed to have been in complete control of himself. Now he was a homicidal, babbling manic. Joseph turned towards the way he came. He might be able to lose him in the laundry room. He wasn’t watching where he was going and tripped over a stone in the road that was jutting up. He tried to catch himself but couldn’t. He turned to his side as he went down and rolled along the ground. The Bear came around the corner, panting, and drool running down his chin. He grinned and giggled when he saw Joseph lying on the ground. He walked forward, laughing in between each pant. “I’ve got you now. You were stopped, now you see. You are meant to die. I’m going to win.” He stood over Joseph before bending and grabbing him around the neck. He lifted him up holding him slightly above his own head. Joseph struggled, pulling at the hands as he squeezed. He kicked the larger player in the stomach but it did nothing. The Bear’s madness and adrenaline seemed to curb his ability to feel pain. As Joseph kicked, The Bear only squeezed harder. Joseph gagged as it grew difficult to breathe. The hands around his neck were like iron vices. He couldn’t pry them loose. His vision was fading. He was going to die. Someone was screaming. It sounded like it was coming from inside Joseph’s head. He figured he was the one screaming. Joseph slowly opened his eyes, his vision was all blurry. He blinked a few times to focus his eyes. In front of him he saw The Bear, he was the one screaming. He was backing away slowly, staring at something beyond where Joseph lay. Joseph made an attempt to move, groaning as he did. “How did you get out? Take him! I’m going to win. Take him!” The Bear was shouting. Joseph managed to roll over and see what he was yelling at. His eyes widened and he completely forgot about his pain. A very large demon stood there that looked similar to a bull. Joseph recognized it from the posters. It was the Bone Taker. From the way the larger player was talking he seemed to have already met The Bone Taker. Joseph had not and now he was trembling with fear. He was lying about ten feet away from the demon. Joseph now wished the other player had killed him. Whatever this demon was going to do to him he knew it was going to be far worse than strangulation. However, as he looked at the demon he noticed it hadn’t looked at him once. Joseph wondered if he even knew he was there. The demon’s full attention was on the other player who was still backing up. The Bear was now almost foaming at the mouth and looked like an animal. He looked almost as scary as the demon…almost. The demon looked really pissed off. His eyes were a deep red and dancing with rage. The demon stepped forward and Joseph felt the ground tremble slightly. As the demon moved closer, Joseph felt a new fear. The demon may have wanted the other player but he was laying between them. He feared the demon was going to step on him. Joseph started to move to get out of the way but pain seared through his lower leg. He looked at it to find the whole thing black and blue. From where I tripped he thought as he gritted his teeth. He looked up as the demon was almost on top of him. He closed his eyes waiting for the demon’s huge claw foot to crush him. When it never did he opened his eyes. He was lying under the demon as he stepped over him. As soon as he was over him the demon took off running at the larger player. Joseph watched in awe. He didn’t think such a large creature could move so fast. The Bear screamed and stumbled to run. There was no hole for the demon to fall into this time. The demon rammed him, knocking him to the ground, hard. He was still screaming as he tried to crawl away. The Bone Taker stepped on one of his legs and Joseph heard a very distinct crack that made him flinch. A rumbling sound came from the demon that sounded very much like a laugh. He picked up his foot and the larger player was still trying to get away. He pulled himself along the ground, his mangled, useless legs dragging behind. The demon smashed down on him again, his claw digging into his back. He screamed as the claw slowly ripped his back open. The screaming coming from the player was piercing Joseph’s ears. He covered them trying to drown out the sound. Then there was silence. Joseph opened his eyes and uncovered his ears. The Bone Taker slowly turned around to face him. Joseph didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. He looked beyond the demon when he saw a figure walk out of the darkness. Joseph gasped when he was it was the boy that had been traveling with them earlier. He stopped and stood a few feet in front of the Bone Taker. They both stared at him in silence. Joseph suddenly didn’t feel well. His vision started fading in and out again. Joseph opened his mouth to speak but he didn’t know what he wanted to say. He wanted to ask if it was over. What he was supposed to do? He just couldn’t get the words out. He felt sick and his leg ached. He just wanted this to be over. He had enough. The seventh player slowly put his finger to the mouth of his mask telling him to be silent. Joseph slowly laid down and fell into darkness. When Joseph woke up he didn’t open his eyes right away. He lay perfectly still trying to listen for any sound that might give a hint to where he was. A chill went down his spine when he became aware the ground was moving slightly under him. It felt like thousands of insects moving. It felt funny against his bare arms that lay stretched out on each side of him, palms facing up. He didn’t feel sick anymore but there was a painful buzzing in his head. He wanted to go back to sleep but knew that wasn’t an option. He opened his eyes and was staring up into darkness. The ceiling was so high it couldn’t be seen so it just looked like blackness. He was laying on the circular platform he was trying to get to before. He slowly sat up but groaned as the shift sent pain through his head. What worried him the most was not how he had gotten there but the fact he was still alive. He had been sure they were going to kill him. When his head stopped throbbing he looked around. “Oh no.” He whispered. He could see figures lying beside each of the pillars. Two players, whom he figured were the twins were laying by the pillar to his right. They no longer had their skins. Nothing but bone, muscle and organs were left. The pillar they were lying beside had symbols all over it that were referenced to the Skin Taker. The next pillar was for the Bone Taker. The largest player lay in a pile of flesh, all of his bones were missing. The only reason he knew it was the largest player was the fact that the bear mask was laying on top of the fleshy pile. The next pillar belonged to the Blood Taker. A chain hung high from it. Hanging from the chain was the other female player. Her arms and legs were hog tied behind her back. A strap wrapped around her forehead pulling back to expose her neck. Her throat was slit wide open, nearly decapitating her. Her neck was stained slightly with blood. The ground right below had a small puddle but most of the blood was missing. He looked to his left at the last pillar. The pillar of the Heart taker. The Bird lay on her back. Her chest had been ripped open. The sternum was shattered and the ribs were broken and stuck out at odd angles. There was a huge bloody hole in her chest where her heart used to be. “Oh God.” He said as he stood up. He sucked in breath as he put weight down on his injured leg. It hurt, but it was tolerable. He looked down and saw he had been lying right beside the hole right in the center of the circle. He took a couple steps away from it. He couldn’t hear anything but the muffled screaming of the floor. He was the only one left. What did he do now? As if to answer his inner thoughts he heard a low hissing. He turned to the right and saw the Skin Taker step out from behind his pillar. One of his hands gripped the pillar for support. Both his heads turned and looked at him, baring their teeth. The Blood Taker stepped around her pillar. She was no longer pale. She was drenched in blood. Her wings stood spread out behind her. Joseph noticed a fresh tear in her left wing. He was happy that the other female player was able to put up somewhat of a fight. Joseph jumped when he heard a growl behind him. He turned to see the Heart Taker come rushing across one of the small bridges. He leaped over to his pillar and stood over The Bird’s body. The exposed ribs on the demon’s chest were covered in blood. Joseph knew where he put the heart he stole. He turned his back on The Heart Taker when he felt the ground tremble slightly. Ahead of him The Bone Taker marched towards him. The seventh player was walking a few feet ahead of him. The Bone Taker stopped after a few steps but the boy kept walking. Soon he was standing on the other side of the hole in the floor, directly across from Joseph. The boy started laughing in a low deep voice. It sounded very unnatural. “Congratulations, you win.” Joseph looked around at all the dead players, not really feeling like a winner. The boy laughed. “Yes, the price to be the last one standing is very high.” The boy looked him up and down. “Hmmm, apparently success runs in your family.” Joseph stared at him. “What?” “Your brother was a survivor too.” “My brother won?” Joseph asked. The boy didn’t respond but there was a look of amusement in his eyes. “We’ve never had two winners straight in a row that were from the same family.” Joseph stared at the boy having a strange thought run across his mind. He didn’t know why he didn’t noticed it before. The boy standing before him looked just like Lucas. The way he stood and walked was just like Lucas. The only thing that wasn’t Lucas were the eyes and the voice. Perhaps the reason he didn’t recognize him was because it had been seven years. He was expecting to find his brother older because deep down he wanted to believe he was still alive, though that was impossible. “Lucas?” He whispered. He probably shouldn’t have said the name - that was against the rules. At this point he didn’t care. The only thing left they could do to him was kill him. The demon boy laughed. “Not anymore.” He whispered. Joseph shook his head. “What? What do you mean? What did you do to him?” Joseph demanded. The demon’s eyes flickered with amusement again. “Same thing that’s going to happen to you.” Joseph took another step back. “I told you the price to win was high. In exchange for your soul we will give you anything you desire.” ‘What if I don’t want to give up my soul?” The demon looked around at the others. “Then we will kill and take what parts we want from you.” Joseph looked around. The Heart Taker looked like he was ready to pounce on him. He kept shifting back and forth, panting, his eyes glowing extra bright. He looked back at the Soul Taker. “Alright.” Joseph whispered. The Soul Taker laughed. “Good choice. What do you desire?” Joseph was silent for a moment. The original reason he came was to find out what happened to his brother. He found that out without having to ask. Now he didn’t know what to ask for. He looked over at The Bird and pointed at her. “I want you to save her son. Get rid of his disease so he can live a long healthy life.” The demons were all silent for a long moment. Joseph began to wonder if they would actually do it. The Soul Taker walked around the hole and stood in front of Joseph. He held out his hand to Joseph. “Agreed.” He asked. Joseph looked at the demon’s pale hand. With a little bit of hesitation he reached out and took his hand. The hand was ice cold and it burned as he held it. He tried to pull away but the demon wouldn’t let go. The pain rushed up his arm and all through his body. He fought the demon, but their bodies seemed to have become one through their hands. He looked down at his arm. He could see his skin turning an ivory color and his veins started turning black. He slowly sank to his knees, screaming as the pain reached his brain. It felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out. Though he probably was, the demon was eating his soul. The pain started to fade and just like that he was gone. The Soul Taker stood up slowly and looked down at his new body. His face and ankle were aching but it would heal. He looked down at his old body. He moved around and shoved it with his foot into the hole. The body disappeared into the purple mist. He turned and looked at the demons who had gathered close to him. “Another successful game.”
Seven years later… Douglas sat on the steps of his house. He had a mask sitting on his lap. He stared at it for a long moment. Suddenly the door opened behind him. He threw his jacket over his lap to hide the mask. He turned around and saw his grandfather standing there. “What are you doing out here?” His grandfather asked. Douglas shrugged. “Just doing some thinking.” He replied looking back at him. His grandfather stared at him for a long moment. “I know what you’re thinking, Douglas.” Douglas looked at him. “Don’t do anything stupid.” “What? Like my mother?” Douglas asked. “That’s not what I meant. Your mother had good intentions.” “And I don’t?” In truth he really didn’t have a good reason to go. He just wanted to see what it was all about. Why his mother felt the need to play. He had been ready to die. Now he was better and had no mother. He had his grandfather but he had been very sick lately. Douglas didn’t want to be alone. “I know I can’t stop you. Just please think before you act.” His grandfather walked back into the house. He could hear him coughing as he headed for the living room. Douglas pulled his jacket off his lap and looked at his mask. It was the shape of a raccoon. He sighed before standing up and pulling on his jacket. He had taken his grandfather’s warning into consideration but he couldn’t stay behind alone. If his grandfather was going to die he was going with him. His mind was made up; He was going to enter the game. With this new determination he marched to the gate where he was going to wait till it was time. He reached the stairs that led down to the gate. He had been there before but had been too scared to go down. This time he wasn’t going to be afraid. He reached the bottom and looked around the small courtyard. He was the first to arrive, though it was still very early. He walked past the fountain to sit on one of the benches. He was about to sit when he noticed a dark figure sitting in the corner. “Who?” He started but the figure put a hand up to silence him. “Relax.” The figure whispered. The figure moved towards him and Douglas got a good look at him. He was taller, wearing jeans and a black sweatshirt. The hood was pulled up and his mask was shaped like a dog. The bottom left of the mask was broken off showing part of his mouth and cheek. “Are you here to play?” Douglas asked. The figure smiled. Douglas saw part of his mouth curl. “You are awfully young.” “Yeah, twelve.” “I see. Well, good luck to you.” The figure said as he walked back to his spot. He sat down and watched the boy as he took his own seat on one of the benches. “I knew you would come.” The demon whispered. Liked This Book?
For More FREE e-Books visit Freeditorial.com