HE RAN AS FAST AS HIS LEGS COULD TAKE HIM, but it was now completely dark, so he was running blind. He could feel the weight in his chest increasing. He was about to be prey. He heard those footsteps get louder and louder. He knew there was no outrunning whatever this was.
And then he heard a different pair of footsteps, as well, but he didn't dare look back. All of a sudden, those footsteps stopped. He heard different noises.
He looked behind and saw the outline of another man, who was wearing the same cap he had been wearing earlier, who was pinned down and was screaming in pain, but he took out a syringe and pushed it through this creature's skin. The creature roared in pain as well, as it tried to run away from the man, but the syringe had put in something in its blood so that it just fell down, not far from the man.
He ran to the man, who was bleeding all over. He needed to know who had just risked his life for him.
"You- you fool," said the man. "There's da-dangerous creatures all over this place."
The man took out something from his hand. It was yet another cap, just like his. Then it hit him. That man had known him earlier. He was wearing a cap of the same design that he, Marky had thrown away so carelessly.
"Get- get a shelter," he said, handing him his cap. "You- you will have your memory back... back in time."
As Marky wore his cap, he recognised the man. All of a sudden, images flashed before his eyes, but they weren't pleasant. They were just flashes, but he could make out enough. He saw a woman being stabbed by the same man who had just saved him, the man and himself celebrating about something, telling him something about a gateway between worlds, the man asking him to go do his thing, and then he remembered who he was.
"Dad," he said, kneeling down.
"I've done- terrible things," said the man, as he saw a tear trickle amidst all that blood on his face. "You have to... you have to get out of here. Don't... don't trust anyone, they all see you as the enemy. You were almost killed by something bigger and smarter... than... than this creature... so I had to remove everyone's memories here."
"You removed my memory?" said Marky, confused and slightly angry.
"Marky," his father said, his voice breaking. "I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry... for everything."
"Dad," said Marky, as he felt a tear running down his cheek. "Dad, I need to know."
But he did not respond. Marky checked his heartbeat, hoping to feel something, but he could not feel anything. He stared at his father, who was covered in deep scratches. He was the only thing he could remember from his life before his memories were gone.
He had so many questions. Who was the woman he had stabbed? What had they been celebrating about? Why did his father erase his memory? And everyone else's? How could he do that?
He finally tore his eyes away from his father, and looked at the monster that had cost him his life. It now lay flat, but Marky did not check its heartbeat. At first, it just looked like a human bigger and muscular than an average one, but on closer inspection, he noticed that the limbs were furry and strong, not unlike a horse. But the claws were sharper than anything he may have seen even before he had forgotten his memories.
A few hours later, he was sitting on a stone staircase in front of a bungalow, panting. His father's body lay in front of him. What was going on? What was this place? He looked up at the pitch black sky. It was darker than anything he had ever seen, and it looked so... clean. Like a black chart paper of some sort, behind which there could be light, and he'd never know about it, because he knew that skies weren't like this. There was daytime to wait for. But he had dragged his father's body for so many hours and there was no hint of daylight anywhere.
And then he looked down at the body of his father. His face seemed to be the only connection to his past. He needed to know where he was stuck. It wasn't just some random location. No, a random location would be... normal- whatever that was.
Even though all his instincts told him what he was doing was wrong, he dragged his father's body to the door of the bungalow and opened the door. He was too tired. He just wanted to rest. He didn't care if he was going to be kicked out.
The door of the house was open. It was more than just a house. It was a mansion. But before he knew it, he had dozed off just as he entered the living room.
"-need answers," came a faint voice.
Marky opened his eyes. His hands were tied behind his back and his legs to a chair. When he looked up, he slightly jumped as he saw the face in front of him. He could feel his heart thumping against his chest. Couldn't he catch a break?
The face in front of him wore glasses. He had red eyes, jet black hair and tiny horns emerging. Marky realised it was the same person who had pinned him earlier.
"What were you doing in my house?" said the man, softly. "You're lucky you have toes, or you'd be dead."
"I have questions for you too," said Marky, unsure of how to respond to his last comment.
The other man paced around him.
"You answer me first," he said. "And then, maybe, I'll answer your questions. I find myself pinning you when my memories get erased, and now I find out you're trespassing in my house with a dead man?"
"I don't know," said Marky. "I was tired. And this place was the closest I could get to. I don't remember my home."
The other man stared at him.
"Everyone remembers their home," he said. "Why don't you?"
Marky shook his head.
"I don't know," he said.
"Who are you?"
"I don't know!"
"If I cut off your toes, would you know?"
"Please don't do that!"
Marky was breathing fast. He did not know why this strange man was so obsessed with toes, but he did not want to find out. There was a long pause.
"Who's the dead man?" said the man.
"My father."
"Oh," he said.
There was a long pause.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said after a while. "I'll answer your questions."
Marky took a deep breath.
"Why were you attacking me earlier?" he asked. "Who are you?"
"I don't remember why I attacked you," he said. "Probably because I'm Lucifer of the 10z clan."
