Lost between realities

Chapter 27

Blood. The main thing I saw was blood. Blood in Cry's hair, blood on Cry's clothes, blood on the mask, blood on Barrel'a hands, blood pooling on the floor.

"V-Victor?" I whispered, my entire body frozen in horror. He knelt at the side of Cry, trying to pull the accursed mask of off the unconscious man's face.

He pulled at the white porcelain once more, straining his muscles but still having no success.

"Why won't it come off?" I didn't want to go over there so I remained at the edge of the room. My feet were beginning to ache from walking in heels but I didn't want to sit down and ruin my dress. The dilemmas of a bride..

"It's not a normal mask," he explained, I made it so it would take over anyone who put it on, but it's gone too far."

Strange how he was just telling me all this without a single hesitation or lie but I guessed he trusted me..well, the other me.

"So..it's stuck?"

"You could put it that way, yes."

He pulled at it again with all of his strength. A chilling scream startled us both, it surprised me that he jumped too. Cry was waking up. He must've been in tremendous pain from the cuts that the mask was leaving on his face. I couldn't stand and watch any longer, I had to help. I cautiously walked over and crouched beside Cry, opposite Barrel.

Wait. I wasn't supposed to remember anyone or anything accept for the whole 'victor saving my life' bullshit.

I took Cry's hand in one of my own and my other hand rested on in shoulder. I hoped I would be able to keep him from attacking us if he became completely conscious. Barrel pulled at the mask releasing another agonised scream from Cry. I bit my lip to stop the tears from falling, he was in so much pain. I couldn't bare to witness anyone having to go though such torture but I had to, I wasn't supposed to be weak and tearful.

Part of the mask lifted off this time, it made me sick to my stomach to see just how it had been fastened to his face.

A tiny, razor sharp hook was attached to one side of the bloodied porcelain. Protruding from said hook were three minuscule tentacles. A black liquid slowly dripped out of one, splashing onto Cry's cheek. I gasped, making Barrel look up at me sharply.

"Why so surprised?"

"I...wh-what is all this?"

"Well I do admit it is a rather complicated piece of work, I wouldn't expect you to know what it was in a few minutes. This mask was supposed to have been locked away as a...failed experiment of mine. When somebody puts the mask on, the two hooks on either side attach themselves to that persons temples. The three small tubes feed a potion into their mind. The concoction is one of my own of course, the complete opposite of sanity potion."

"So, insanity potion?"

"If you'd prefer to be blunt about things then yes. It drives that person utterly mad. They become paranoid, they hear voices, they hallucinate, they could kill a whole army in under an hour and they wouldn't be aware of a single thing. It's genius."

"Then why are you stopping him?"

"Well, my dear, it seems that I had given him a rather large dose, the mask was gaining it's own personality by feeding off of him. He would've risen above me if I hadn't stopped him sooner. He would've ruined our plans."

The mention of 'Our plans' caused a stab of guilt in my chest. I had helped to bring my friends to this fate. I knew where they had taken Stephano, I knew what was going to happen to him. I had decided what to do with them all. This was my fault, not Barrel's, and I will never forgive myself for it.