Bookview Valley 2

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Boss Battle

Sunday, February 3rd

"There's nowhere to hide," Luci says as he walks out of the darkness and over to us.

"Luci, why are you doing this?" Nick asks, while also grabbing my hand and pulling me back, "We're best friends."

"Turns out our best friends suck," I mutter to Nick, as we keep backing up.

"It's not personal," Luci shrugs, and pauses, "Well, I guess it kind of is."

"I'm assuming this Julie you told us all about doesn't exist?" I roll my eyes.

Luci grins, "No, she does."

"Are you going to kill her too?" Nick asks, as we bump against a wall.

"Haven't decided yet," Luci's grin becomes manic as the antler knife slips out of his sleeve and into his hand.

"Luc, you're my brother, you're supposed to protect me, not kill me," I snap, trying to edge around him.

"Morgan, you know I didn't want to have to kill you," Luci sighs, "But it's how it is."

"Why is it this way?" Nick and I begin to back away in the other direction, but Luci just follows us slowly; antler knife spinning in his hand like a magic trick. The room seems to grow and grow, more darkness taking over. I can't see the door I walked through, nor the chair that Nick was tied to. It's Luci's magic, and it makes me fear that there's no way out.

"I can't tell you that. You're not supposed to know," Luci shrugs, taking one step at a time. He's playing with us like a cat with mice.

"Why can't we know?" Nick asks, he knows I'm bargaining for time. The police found me in the red room before, they can do it again for this room, can't they?

"They said I couldn't tell."

"Who are they?"

"I can't say."

"This is useless," I groan, as we bump into another wall.

"So, why don't we get it over with," Luci sneers, his laugh echoing off the walls.

"All we have to do is knock him out," Nick says to me, "Then we can get him to the police."

I nod, "Right, and how do we do that?"

"Knock me out?" Luci asks, glancing at my matching knife, "So, even though you know all the things I did, you don't want to kill me? Unlike Jamie?"

"Jamie...that was an accident," I snap, "Of course I don't want to kill you. You're still my brother!"

"They'll probably just give me the electric chair, like they were going to give to her," Luci says.

Nick and  I don't have anything to say to that. He did kill a lot of people. He really is a monster, I just can't wrap my head around it. I finally manage something, "Tell them you're crazy."

"Tell them I'm crazy?" Luci laughs, "I don't think they would believe me."

"If you believe murder isn't illegal, then they'll call you insane," Nick agrees with me.

"Even if they had be put under insane, they wouldn't let me live. I have to do this," Luci shakes his dark head.

"Why do the-" But Luci cuts me off.

"Enough talk," He snaps and lunges for us. We split, both running in opposite directions. I continue to run through the darkness, hands out encase of walls, but I notice the room around me begin to lighten. I'm starting to run through a forest now. How can he do this? I glance to the other side of the room to see Nick running as well. Luci is chasing him, and not me. Changing course, I dash towards them. Nick is the one he actually needs to kill in order to finish that weird spell. I can't let him hurt Nick.

I tackle Luci to the ground, allowing Nick to keep running. I wave Nick off when he turns, mouthing 'run' to him. He doesn't. Instead he comes back to me and holds Luci down with me. Luci pushes against us, but then he stops and stays still.

"You forgot one thing," Luci says, and then he disappears. Nick and I crash onto the floor. We spin around, but Luci is nowhere to be seen. All we can hear is his laugh echoing from everywhere.

"This might be a littler harder than I thought," Nick mutters.

"You think," I murmur as we stand, brushing ourselves off. We turn around through the ever-looming forest that has just popped up around us. Above us are the tops of the trees, no light can pour through. Luminescent mushrooms light the world around us. Not a single animal or bug can be heard or seen. I lean against one of the trees to catch my breath, but I fall through it.

"Nick!" I scream as I fall down a dark hole. I see his head pop over the hole, but before he can do anything he's snatched back. I thud to the ground, my breath dragged out of my longs. I need this to stop happening. I gasp in air.

Finally standing I take in my new surroundings. I'm in a cave-like place. Luci stands in the middle, waiting for me. I stride over to him.

"Took you long enough," He says.

"What did you do to Nick?"

"What?" Luci asks,  with a tilt of his head, "I didn't do anything to Nick. He should've been right behind you."

"Something snatched him," I narrow my eyes at Luci, but it doesn't look like he's lying.

"Shit," Luci mutters and begins to pace.

"Luci, just give it up," I snap.

"Fine," Luci's blue eyes stick to mine, "Come at me. I won't disappear. Let's see if you have what it takes."

"I killed Jamie," I point out, but the words are sour in my mouth.

"On accident," Luci grins, "Come on. Show me what you have." 

Without another word I lunge at him, antler knife in my hand. He blocks with his knife and punches me in the gut. I stagger back with a cough. Rude. This time Luci explodes into action. I dodge too late and the knife slices my thigh. I cry out as I stumble away from him.

"You'll have to do better," Luci shakes his head before rushing me again. I manage to block his attacks and swipe at him. A shallow wound to the shoulder, that Luci just laughs off before slicing me the same way.

"You're not even trying are you?" I gasp as I stagger backwards.

"Not really," Luci shrugs. I run at him, but then feint to the left. I whip the antler knife around and manage to cut his cheek. Blood runs down as he wipes the blood away, staring at it on his hand, "Not bad."

"Quit toying with me!" I shout. 

"Never," Luci whispers behind me, having vanished from one point to the other.