Circus Of The Death (ABrokenWorld#1)

Chapter 8

Run Rabbit
The hunter can also become the hunted.

Niko walked silently through the park. He was still slightly disturbed by what had happened with the carousel. Why had the carousel suddenly spun so fast? Someone must have controlled it, but who? Who would do something like that to their own employee? His clothes were stained with mud, and he hadn't even thought to clean them. He wondered where Dex had gone. Had something terrible happened to him? No, this was Dex, what was he worrying about, he wasn't weak. Niko still had to find his own object. He thought about the riddle. It sounded like a controller, but where could he find something like that? Maybe there was a stand selling electronics. Suddenly, he startled when he heard footsteps and hid behind some barrels.
It was the blond hare man. Niko still didn't know his name. A toothpick was stuck in his mouth as he carried a large box in his arms. Cables protruded from the box. Cables? Niko could hardly believe his luck! Perhaps this man was leading the box to more electronic devices. He followed the blond man, but always stayed several stands behind. It felt like he was stalking his prey, but shouldn't the stranger have noticed something by now? After all, hares had good hearing. Niko's courage dwindled slightly as he realized where the man was heading. Into a forest. Tall, slender trees jutted out of the ground. A complete contrast to the amusement park: dark and eerie. Niko swallowed, but gathered all his courage and followed the man into the woods.
Niko had briefly considered just fleeing, but the forest seemed never-ending. The forest path was dimly lit by small lanterns, and although he should have stayed in the shadows, the darkness of the woods sent shivers down his spine. Eventually, he reached a small wooden cabin. Light spilled from its windows, and it didn't look scary at all, rather inviting. The man with rabbit ears gently pushed open the wooden door and closed it behind him. Niko knew he had to find a way inside.
Quietly, Niko tiptoed around the building, risking a glance through one of the windows. The sight inside the cabin was soothing and welcoming, as if a hunter had found his home here. A fireplace radiated comforting warmth, with a leather couch in front of it. The Man carefully placed the box on the couch and then left the room to go into another. Niko continued his way and discovered a back door. A glimmer of hope. He hurried toward it, but a foreboding metallic sound filled the air, followed by a blood-curdling scream of pain from Niko. A bear trap snapped shut, its sharp teeth digging deep into his leg. Desperately, he tried to open the trap, but every movement intensified the pain, driving the claws deeper into his flesh. Niko's blood stained the trap a dark red as tears streamed down his face. To make matters worse, the back door swung open, and the blond man stepped out. His expression initially showed shock, but then a dark shadow fell over his face. Niko's goosebumps intensified as the stranger loomed over him, and, to make matters even worse, he held an axe in his hand.

Niko found himself on the leather couch. The warmth inside the cabin was palpable, in contrast to the icy darkness outside. The man had freed him from the bear trap, bandaged his leg, and brought him inside the house. Eventually, Niko sat on the leather couch, silent and unsure of how to act. An uneasy silence hung between them, as if neither had found the courage to break it. On a wooden table in front of Niko was a cup of warm tea prepared by the blond man. A leather armchair had been placed in front of Niko, and the blond man settled into it. Niko felt his gaze, but when he looked at the stranger, the man quickly averted his eyes.
Finally, Niko broke the silence. "Uhm..." he began hesitantly, his voice trembling with uncertainty, "May I know your name?" Yuki hesitated briefly before answering in a deep voice, "Yuki." A soft "Thank you, Yuki" escaped Niko. After a moment of hesitation, he then asked, "What brings you here?" Niko briefly considered whether he should tell Yuki about his object, but then decided to tell the truth. He recounted the story of the controller and how he had seen Yuki with the box.
Yuki leaned back in his chair, and the partially open shirt revealed a muscular upper body with scars that bore witness to his work. Niko wasn't surprised, considering that Yuki juggled axes on stage. After Niko finished his story, a tense silence fell over the room. Yuki didn't say a word, his gaze fixed on the floor. Niko felt uncomfortable – the silence was almost tangible.
Eventually, Yuki broke the silence. His words came softly, almost like a murmur: "You shouldn't be here..." Niko could barely understand him, so he asked for clarification. But now Yuki straightened up and spoke more clearly: "I'll show you where the controller is, but after that, you need to leave. Understood?" His voice sounded annoyed, and his gaze darted nervously around the room as if he were expecting someone. Niko nodded, disappointed that he hadn't even had a chance to taste his tea.
Niko was led by Yuki and moved through a narrow hallway. Due to his injured leg, it was difficult for him to keep up with Yuki. The hallway wasn't particularly long, but because of Niko's injury, it felt like an eternity. His curiosity got the best of him, and he asked, "Why did you lie to us earlier?" Yuki initially looked puzzled, so Niko continued, "At the booth, you said you only work behind the scenes, but then you were on stage." "We're not allowed to reveal that we perform on stage. It ruins the magic of the circus, as Casper always says," explained Yuki. Casper. Niko still didn't understand why someone would create such a deadly game. "Why does Casper organize a game where people can die?" Yuki fell silent. "Do you agree with this?" "No!" Yuki suddenly exclaimed, gripping Niko's arms. "Can't you remember!?" He shouted at Niko in desperation, his eyes filled with doubt. "You've been here before, Niko! Remember!" What was he talking about!? "I don't want to be here anymore... I want to go back to my family." Tears welled up in his eyes. Niko was confused. Remember? He had been here before, but when? Niko wanted to ask him what he meant, but Yuki pointed to a door. "You go down there and get whatever you want, but as quickly as possible. I don't want to kill you again." A shiver ran down Niko's spine. Kill? He wants to kill him? He pushed Yuki away and ran to the door. He tried to ignore the pain. He opened the door and descended a wooden staircase that squeaked with every step. Niko didn't know what Yuki was doing, but he refused to look back. He wanted to find his object quickly and get out of here as fast as possible. The room was only lit by a light bulb, but Niko could see large shelves filled with old electronic devices. Spotlights, music boxes, and other things were scattered around. He searched every box and every shelf, but the controller was nowhere to be found. He simply tossed old devices on the floor. The pain in his leg was bothering him, but he had to get away from here as quickly as possible.
He stopped as a repulsive smell hit his nostrils, almost making Niko vomit. Where was this stench coming from? In the corner of the room, he noticed something lying among the boxes. Slowly, he approached the object. As he got closer, he saw something red, a red jacket. He pushed a few boxes aside and then froze.
Brown hair. Red jacket. Wolf ears. It was a corpse, but not just any corpse. It was himself. How could this be? But he was here, right? How could he be dead? A deep cut marked his throat. Nausea surged in Niko; how could this be?
Suddenly, countless thoughts raced through his mind. Memories.
He had been in this room before.
Not alone.
They were searching.
Blond.
Axe.
Shadow.
He was back in the room, but this time alone.
He searched.
Blond.
Axe.
Dead.
His memories played before him over and over. He remembered. He had been with his class at the circus. He had advanced in this game, but he could never progress further. Because... Yuki killed him... over and over.
He flinched as the door behind him closed, and footsteps descended the stairs.
He was here.
Death.
Yuki stood behind him, the axe firmly gripped in his hand. His eyes glowed with a reddish hue, his gaze seemed to stare into nothingness. Maybe this time. Perhaps he would escape. Yuki rushed towards him, the axe raised for the deadly blow, but Niko dodged. A cry of pain escaped him as he fell onto his injured leg, but he had to keep going. This time, he wouldn't die. He grabbed a shelf and hurled it at Yuki. A cry of pain rang out as Yuki was buried under the shelf. Niko wasted no time and ran up the stairs as fast as he could. He reached for the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. Desperation washed over Niko. The door was locked. He tried to force it open with all his might, but it wouldn't yield. This was his fate, he realized. The doorknob slipped from his fingers. Slow footsteps approached up the stairs. How long had he been trapped in this circus? How many times had he died? Was his brother okay? Nico. The name echoed in his thoughts, but Nico was just a memory now. He missed him. Perhaps, someday, they would reunite. Maybe so much time had passed that Nico was old and had passed away, waiting for him now. In a place where Niko could finally find peace. Slowly, he turned around, and the last thing he saw was an axe descending upon him.

Yuki leaned over Niko's lifeless body. His uniform was soaked with Niko's blood. He still held the blood-splattered axe in his hand. This was how it ended every time. But this would be the last time. He heard the sound of the door opening. Before him stood a figure he never wanted to see again. Casper.
"You almost let him escape. If I hadn't locked the door, he'd be gone by now," Casper grinned. 

 Yuki joined the circus at a young age. People told him that Casper was no human, more like a demon. The circus, the games they have been going on for years, even before Yuki joined the circus. His coworkers told him, Casper never aged and was always a handsome young man but after he told Yuki and his coworkers about the end of the circus, he looked older. Even with the makeup on his face you can see wrinkles. Even though Casper told them about the finale game, he wasnt sure if Casper was just lying. He never stood to his words and always uses lies to do things. If this "finale" game wasnt going like he wants and satisfies him.. who knows what he will be next up to- 

 Yuki rolled his eyes and walked past Casper. "Not even a thank you? You used to be so pleased when you eliminated someone."
"There's no 'used to' anymore," Yuki replied, fixing Casper with an angry gaze. Every time Niko entered this room, Yuki lost control of himself. All because of Casper. Everyone in the circus seemed to be puppeteered by him, and they were nothing more than his puppets on strings.
"No 'used to'?" Casper turned his gaze to a picture on the wall. A family. A father, a mother, three brothers, and a little sister. They smiled happily. "So those times don't exist anymore?"
Yuki growled and lowered the axe at Casper's throat. "Shut up. You've taken everything from me! Because of you, I'm trapped in this damned circus!"
"You made that decision yourself," Casper replied calmly. How could this fool remain so composed? "You chose the circus."
Yuki lowered the axe. "Just go." Casper's grin grew wider. "As you wish." As Casper left the cabin, Yuki looked back at the family picture. "I chose the circus."