The Birdcage

Puzzle Pieces

Perry had joined them at the table a few minutes after Ronnie and Katherine, having followed them on from the hall.

"What happened?" Nyx asked, standing to embrace the shaking Ronnie and help her down into her seat.

"We were attacked by the creature." Katherine answered, sitting down on Ronnie's other side. "It's affected her pretty badly."

"I-It was terrible!" Ronnie sobbed. "It came in this big... black mass... I could feel it all around... It was in my head, under my skin... Its voice! It wouldn't stop!"

Rubbing soothing circles on Ronnie's back, Nyx laid her friends head on her shoulder, holding her gently. She addressed Katherine again, a confused look on her face. "When was this? Just now?"

"Yeah, just now. In the rec room."

"Really? That's odd. Because we we're just up in solitary and I could swear it was in there with us."

Jayson visibly pricked up his ears.

"Maybe it moved." Katherine said shortly.

Almost in unison, they looked at Perry.

"... I didn't see anything." Perry answered. Seeing the look on Jayson's face, Perry scowled. "And I was paying attention. I take my lookout jobs seriously. As you well know."

"So what, it can multiply now? Teleport? Alongside everything else?" Nyx exclaimed. "It can be transparent, it can cloud the room in darkness, it can become this tentacled monster, it can control a ouija board, it can shapeshift, it can pass through walls-"

"It put that thing in the kitchen." Jayson threw in, stealing a chip.

"Not sure on that." Perry said.

"-it locked me outside and watched for laughs." Nyx continued. "It can taste your fear. It can read your fear. It whispers to its victims. It feeds on your fear until you die.
I missed anything? What one kind of demon does all that?"

And then she thought.

The ouija board.

She could feel the paper with the clues nestled down her top against her skin.

Something had been using the ouija board to write them... And then something had darkened the room and attacked them.

Help... then hindrance... why?

What one kind of demon does all that?

You can't always believe rumours.

"Oh." She exclaimed. "Oh! The Whisperer! There isn't one!"

"... Pretty sure it does." Katherine said.

"Yeah." Perry agreed, a querying look on their face. "Haven't you just spent all this time convincing us it does?"

"No, I don't mean... Well yes, it doesn't exist! But that's because it's not one. It's two!" She looked around at the incredulous faces at the table. "They've been mistaken for one creature- because that's the story. But they're not; there's two of them! And," She said, taking a breath for dramatic effect, to allow her words to sink in."... they're fighting."

Sorry it's so late! Between University and snow I've been so distracted I've put it off for ages! And I'm not sure it's not suffered for it- sorry. It's not quite got the punch I imagined. But hopefully you like it!