The Strange Peculiar Bizarre Town The Magician Arc Part Four

Magician's Game

Melinda spent her time with Dante' alone as he let her collect her thoughts and had given her the best bed in the house and had attended to his wound on her neck very well. She covered her neck in concern but Dante' let out a chuckle.

“Don't worry I will only give a converting bite unless the person wants it.” she was told.

“And what about those that didn't want to be-”

“Then the converting bite will hurt more.” he said. “Now, go and get some sleep. We have a lot to go over tomorrow..”

This led her to her sleeping in his room. She berried herself in the covers and just cried herself to sleep. She felt a hand on her head. Dante' then shushed her to sleep. This made her wonder how he knew how to do that. Was he a father or did he raise someone else's child?

She then drifted off to sleep. She soon woke early that morning she got out of her bed. No that wasn't her bed, it was Dante's. She did the very thing that her sister had told her not to do, she was in his debt.

She walked out and sat at the top of the stairs She looked down and let herself think. She was going to have to play that game. She would have to get her sister back, after all it was her job to look after her, which, she knew that she could not do as the prisoner of the magician. Nor could she know whether or not she would win, and if she lost then there was no chance that she would get her back. Even after that, if her sister still did not have her freedom then that would also mean that her winning would hardly matter.

Then another voice rose from somewhere in her heart. No, she would win, and this would mean that she would get whatever reward she wanted. This would include the freedom of her sister. However she then remembered that her sister was not the only one that didn't have their freedom. Everyone in the town was under Mohan's thumb.

So, she concluded, if I am to win Jaden's freedom, then I might as well win theirs too!

This was the promise that she had written on her heart. With this, she knew that she would need a heads up on what to expect from him. Fortunately this was already hers, after all if everyone has played the game then this would mean that Dante' has too, and if he has played it then he should know what to expect.

“No, I am dearly sorry but I can't.” he replied after she asked him. At breakfast, which was a cereal that she knew that they didn't have in America.

“Why not?” she snapped.

“Because that has been forbidden, in fact if I should tell you then he will make me commit suicide tonight.” he explained.

She looked down.

Not if I win.

“Not even a hint?”

“No.”

“What about advice?”

His eyes narrowed as the gears in his head started to turn.

“Why?”

She smiled.

“Because if I win...No, it's best not to tell, after all he would be watching, am I right.” she said as she smiled and she found herself rubbing the plaster over her wounds.

“No, but tell me do they hurt?” he asked.

“No!” she lied. “It's just I usually do that when I'm thinking.”

He sighed and nodded.

“And would he have any objections on me arriving earlier than he wants me to come?”

His eyes narrowed, but his eyes narrowed and a smile spread across his lips.

“No, I shall have none what so ever, now do not pry further abut asking for help of any kind, and I don't like that look in your eye and I do find you wanting to come earlier disturbing.” said Mohan through Dante'.

“Alright then, see you after I have had my breakfast, and I'll be having my lunch in my own home thank you very much!” she retorted.

He smiled.

“Confident. Just like your sister, however, I would hardly be so sure of that.”

“You're confident too. See you later.” she said as she finished.

Dante' went back to normal.

“What just happened?”

“Mohan controlled you for the last time.” she said. “Now, I need to go. I did tell him that I'd be back home by lunch,” she said. “And thank you. You know, you're not so bad are you?”

He looked at her and let out a laugh.

“You have no idea.”

She smiled as she walked out of his house and she made her way back to the carnival and entered the tent.

“You ready or what?” she shouted as she walked to the centre and saw that there was none there.

She wondered if this had been a mistake, or was she biting more that she could chew? But she told those thoughts that that didn't matter, after all she could not back out now, not even if she wanted to. Now that there was more than her or her sister at stake. No, she would face whatever Mohan had to offer her here regardless of whether she was ready or not.

“You took your time.” he said as green smoke arose in front of her.

“Long walk.” she said. “And really green smoke?”

He smiled.

“Tell me, are you sure? We could-”

“No, and I'm telling you right here and now, if I win then you free everyone.” she said.

His eyebrow raised.

“Wow! Your mother ans sister told me the exact same thing. Although not your father, no he wanted to become my apprentice. Interestingly enough.” he admitted.

“So, let's play.”

“Alright, now tell me, do you wish to hear my story first?”

“Not really.”

“Then tough. After all, this will be integral to the history to the game that you are about to play.”

“Fine.” she growled.

“Well, I shall first start by saying that I was born may the eleventh sixteen sixty five-”

“Wait you're three hundred and fifty, that's hardly believable.”

“Believe it or not the truth is the truth. Needless to say that I survived the plague.”

“Congratulations.” she commented sarcastically.

“Thank you. Anyhow, while I was growing up I had noticed that there was something that set me apart from everybody else, see I was hardly interested in friendship or love not even family. In fact I despised them, however my interests lay elsewhere. No, I loved pulling wings and legs of bugs. I found their pain intriguing as I have always been interested in pain. This disgusted all those around me needless to say.

“then everything changed when that man met me. I don't remember where he came form, but he was the only one who got me! He even showed me different and more painful ways to pull the legs and wings off the bugs that I caught. With his careful teaching he moved me onto small rodents and I must admit this was the first time that I had to work at it. Which made the moment of death just that much more disappointing. Then we moved onto bigger animals and then when I moved onto humans I became addicted to the pleasure I got from torturing them.” he laughed.

Melinda felt like she should run but if she did that then she knew that she would never get her sister back, and it was all too clear that he was not done. However her heart beat just that much more faster and she was getting scared and she knew that he knew it.

How could a man like him exist?

“I'm scaring you but I'm not done. In fact I know that you're of the ones that will never understand....Although, maybe in time you will.”

“I won't!”

“I know, but their screams are to me like a melody. You should try and you would agree.” he laughed as his eyes fell as he relived those days.

“Go on.” she said knowing that she was feeling her stomach churn with nausea.

“Well, we were found out be a police man after pulling that girls head off. By which point I thought that we were done for, but he just told me to “Go on!” in his deep soothing voice that always calmed me. And guess what happened after that?”

“I don't.”

“I went on and he looked and the man and smiled as he placed a hand on her head. And get this! After I had pulled the head off she was still screaming! He could keep her alive even after she should have died! I asked him to teach me that trick, but he was looking into the police man's eyes and they both collapsed and when they both woke up he smiled and told the police man to go and he did, and what's more? He didn't even tell anyone what we had done.

“After this I wanted to know what he knew and I wanted to do what he could do! Soon I became his apprentice. Then he taught me the game and yes it is the game that we are about to play. In fact it was him that taught me how to lengthen my lifespan, Which is how I am alive today.” he ended.

“Just get to the game, before I puke.” Melinda said and she could feel the contents of her stomach threaten to exit the body the wrong way.

“Alright. I understand, however after this game I know that I will be able to tell you of these things in much greater detail. Even more when Morki's done with you.” he said.

“Just what's that supposed to mean?”she asked.

“Never mind, now the game. We will be going into a world made of imagination, and we will be subjugated to three different horrors and who screams loses. However if none scream we think of horrors for the other to endure. That is until one of us screams.” he said.

She felt dread spread in her like butter on toast.

“Then let's get this over with, I don't want to miss my lunch.” she retorted. “But if I die of hunger at least I wouldn't be under your control.”

“On the coterie I shall have your soul.”

“Well that's morbid.”

“we may get along yet.” he laughed as their eyes locked and soon the world went black

She found herself in a room that smelt of iron and as the room somehow lit up she saw that the walls were rusty copper. But then she heard the buzzing of flies and soon realised that, that was not rust. She opened her mouth as she saw on the ground the dismembered remains of her mother and sister. She covered it knowing that she could not allow herself to scream. She breathed rapidly as she noticed that her hands were sticky and she looked down to see that she was covered in the dried remains of their blood. She closed her eyes trying her best not to scream.

She soon saw a door ahead of her she ran to it. She hesitated as she knew that whatever lay beyond was either just as horrible if not more. She, knowing that here was no other way, gritted her teeth and walked into the next horror.

She was greeted with another room covered in blood. But this time it was not dry. She saw the corpses of her mother and sister. She then spotted another in the room with her. By her back stature she was a girl of her age and her hair was far too covered in blood for her to make out what colour it was. Then she spotted that she was the one that was painting the walls with her mother and sister's blood. She again covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming, this soon became hard as the girl turned around to reveal that the one who was painting the walls was none other than herself!

However she knew that this was not her, but some evil demonic version of her. With crazed crimson eyes with a set of fangs appearing from her upper lip. She, subconsciously licked her teeth only to feel, to her horror that there was an abnormally long set of canines in her mouth too!

Then her eyes rested on another who was covering the room with her. It was another girl but before she could see she saw another door. She ran to it and then walked into a white room. She looked down and spotted that there was an axe in her hand. She was looking at her father dead in the eyes.

That's not your father. Said a voice inside her. You must kill him! Kill the imposter!

She felt her legs walk forward, and she felt the axe rise above her head. She tried to close her eyes but she could not. She tried to turn her head but it was locked into place. She knew what she was going to do, she tried to fight against her body to stop it from forcing her to kill her father, however that too was in vain. She knew that she was going to not only watch but also feel herself killing her very own father and she was powerless to stop it.

But there was only one way to stop it. There was only one way to stop all this madness, but that would also mean that she would have to lose her freedom, and not only that, but the freedom of all those that Mohan has under his control.

But was she really going to allow herself to go through all of this? She though as she came to her father and she was about to swing the head down, when she heard a scream and her eyes opened. She looked all over her and to her relief she saw that she was no longer covered in blood and she was awake.

Even-though she had won, she wept. She could no longer control herself as she felt hollow and all she could do was weep. She felt a gloved hand and colourful sleeved arms comfort her in a hug.

“Shhh, shh, there, there now. It's alright, you won.” Morki whispered in her ear.