Bookview Valley 4

Chapter Eighteen: A Deal

June 16th, Sunday

My friends have found their way around me, all of us facing the attic door, or more importantly the Crimson Skeleton. They stand before us with an air of arrogance. Erin instantly grins and skips over to them.

"I'm so glad you're here," Erin tells them, "I didn't think you'd come, or get here this fast."

The Crimson Skeleton looks down at Erin, "You are a failure without your brother."

"What?" Erin's face falls, but before she can say anything else The Crimson Skeleton stabs her in the gut. Erin bows over, hands over bleeding gut, and then she thuds to the floor. She lets out coughs and mutters noises of 'help', but she's ignored. A pang of sympathy hits me, but I shove it down. There are more important things to worry about right now, and I'm afraid if I stop to think about Erin my mind will unravel the unfairness that this cult is causing people. Sweet nothings and broken promises...

"Morgan Brooks," The Crimson Skeleton says, dragging my attention away from Erin, "Give yourself to me and I'll free your friends."

"Even Ben?" I ask, surprising myself.

"Ben?" The skull mask seems to scrunch up in confusion, "Why would you want to save Ben? He was going to kill you."

"Yes, why would you want to save me?" Ben's green eyes search mine.

"Because," I shake my head, not knowing why I'm doing this, "You don't deserve to die. You just want to save your sister. Sure, you chose the wrong path in doing it, but I get it. I'm not mad at you."

Ben's air lets out in one sigh of relief, "I'm so sorry, Morgan."

"It's okay," I assure him before turning back to the Crimson Skeleton, "Yes, even Ben."

The Crimson Skeleton makes a noise in their throat before nodding, "Ben will not be touched."

"No, Ben will not be maimed nor killed."

The skull mask eyes me, it's grin becoming wider, "Ben will not be maimed nor killed."

"Do you promise?" I ask, my eyes trained on the Crimson Skeleton.

"Morgan," My eyes flutter away and to Nick, "You don't have to do this."

"Don't I?" I scoff, "This way you all live. For once you all live."

Bri gives me a sad look, "But you don't."

"And I'm happy with that if I can save you guys."

Harper rushes over and gives me a big squeeze that I would've never expected from her, "Don't go."

"We can stop them together," Flynn says and Sebastien nods along with him.

The Crimson Skeleton cackles in the most unnerving way, "You really can't."

"Guys," I look over all my friends, even Ben, "I love you all. Please, live, for me."

They all start protesting again, but I hold a hand up. Finding my courage, I stride over to the Crimson Skeleton. I glimpse Erin on the ground, she's not moving. My eyes turn to the Crimson Skeleton and I hold my hand out.

"Me in exchange for my friends, including Ben."

"I will not harm any of them," The Crimson Skeleton grabs my hand, we shake, and then everything goes black.

. . . . .

When I come to my eyes struggle to take in the room around me. It's dark and fuzzy. What was on that glove? A dark red emerges into my view, fuzzy as anything else. I try to speak, but it comes out in a cough.

"Don't try to speak, yet," The Crimson Skeleton informs me, "Teleporting can really take it out of you the first few times."

Teleporting? Where the hell am I?

"You're probably wondering where you are," They can read my mind, "Welcome to my void."

Void? What the hell?

"You're probably wondering what the void is," The Crimson Skeleton seems to take a seat in front of me, but I could be wrong. My eyesight is slowly coming back, "Not every Skeleton has one of these, just me."

Why are they monologuing? Shouldn't I be dead? Why am I not dead?

"You're probably wondering why you're not dead yet," Wow they're good, "I'm waiting."

"F-for wh-what?" I manage, but my mouth feels like sandpaper.

The skull mask grins wide at me, "There you go. As for why I'm waiting, it's for the demoness herself, of course."

"Lillith."

"But of course. I hope you didn't think she was myth," The Crimson Skeleton cackles again, "It's the only way for us to receive our power. Without her we would be nothing."

"Without her everyone would be alive," I cough out, "My friends, my brother, Jamie."

"Your brother and Jamie made their choices."

"You killed my brother."

"Because he was inadequate. He couldn't even do the simplest thing."

"He killed plenty of people."

"But he couldn't even finish his starter pack," The Crimson Skeleton laughs louder, "If I would have let him live, he would have destroyed everything I worked so hard for."

"Then why bring him in, in the first place?" I may be stalling, but I'm also very curious.

"I thought he had potential. I was wrong."

"I'm sure it's very hard to admit when you're wrong," I wiggle a bit, but find that my body is tied to the chair I'm sitting in. The Crimson Skeleton has finally come into view, and they are, in fact, sitting in a shadowy chair across from me. The void itself is all dark shadows and greys, "So, what's the purpose of all this? What do you get from it?"

"Power, adoration, leadership," The Crimson Skeleton pauses and eyes me, "I get her favor."

"What's so special about her favor?" I rub my wrists together, trying to loosen the ropes. My wrists bump something in my back pocket and my heart does a somersault.

"You wouldn't understand," The skull mask narrows its eyes at me.

"Since I'm going to die," I start, my fingers reaching for the hilt, "why not just show me who you are? Take off your mask. Tell me your plan."

"I'm not an idiot," The Crimson Skeleton tsks, "I do that, you escape, and then it's game over for me. Her majesty would not appreciate it."

"Fair," My fingers grasp the hilt and I pull up. The knife slides out of my pocket, probably slicing open my pocket. Pulling the hilt into my hands, I turn the knife's blade towards the rope and begin cutting, "How long until she gets here?"

"Impatient, are we?" The skull mask keeps grinning, it's hard to read what they're actually thinking, "You haven't even asked me why I need you."

My cutting pauses, "Oh, right. Why do you need me? I'm no one special. At first, I thought you were coming after me, because I've been taking down your crew, but if that was true you would have already killed me. So, why does Lillith want me?"

I resume my cutting while the Crimson Skeleton answers, "At first, I did want to kill you because you were an inconvenience. Somehow, you became my nemesis, always in my way. Now, I have to kill you for a completely different reason, but I'm not telling you that bit. I think that's enough information, don't you?"

The rope snaps and my wrists are freed. I thumb the side of the hilt, it's definitely an antler knife. I thought Ben was just trying to get me to stop, but he was sliding this in my pocket. Sneaky, isn't he? My eyes train on the skull mask. Time to get out of this hell-hole.