Midnight Crusade

Chapter 4

Vivian felt sore all over. Her head throbbed as she came too, feeling dizzy. There were a couple things she noticed as she gained consciousness slowly. First thing was that she wasn't in her bed. Vivian could feel that she was sitting up, legs down and feet touching the ground. Second, there was no blanket on her and the air was rather cold, which is the opposite of her bedroom. When she began opening her eyes, images formed of surroundings that weren't familiar to her. It made her heart race as she slammed awake, taking in a deep breath and eyes focusing.

She was in some type of office, a large wooden desk sat in front of her with a leather chair behind it. There was a huge window looking out to moonlit gardens below, deep red curtains tied up on the sides. Vivian sat on a couch of leather, the fabric cool against her jeans. When she turned her head she noticed a figure standing in the corner, and immediately sprung up from the couch.

"Stop." A voice said, deep and rich. Vivian froze mid lunge, feeling a panic swell in her body as it didn't listen to her. "Sit back down." The voice spoke again, and Vivian again followed like they were commands. She sank back down into the couch, heart racing and hands shaking.

Vivian looked over to the figure again, this time actually taking them in. It was an unfamiliar man wearing a deep red suit, brown hair slicked back, and red eyes watching her. She felt her insides turn as she looked at him. "What's going on?"

"That's what I would like to know." He said, moving from where he leaned against a bookcase. "You're resisting a mindwipe I hear."

The woman sat there, dumbfounded and panicked all at once. "A what?" Vivian went to stand up again

"Sit down and stop moving." The man said as he stood in front of her, and the tone made her insides shiver. Vivian obeyed, feeling tears well in her eyes as she lost control of her body. "I want to know why you're resisting a mindwipe."

Vivian stared at the man standing in front of her, unsure of what was going on and what she should do. Who was this man? Where was she? Could she be in another nightmare? That had to be it. This had to be a nightmare, and all she needed to do was wake up. She closed her eyes and willed herself to wake up, but when she opened her eyes again, the red-eyed man was still looking down at her. "This is real." She said, less a question and more a statement.

"Yes, it is." The man replied, crossing arms over his chest. "But you're not going to remember any of this, so it's not like it matters."

"Are you going to try or not, Niccolo?" A familiar voice spoke, pulling Vivian's attention to the other side of the room. There, leaned against a bookshelf, was Kit, just as beautiful as before. Vivian felt her skin crawl as she remembered the way ripped off that creature's head. She felt sick to her stomach.

"I will, just calm down." Niccolo said, waving the other man off. "I want to get to know her a little before wiping her."

"What are you talking about?" Vivian managed to get out, looking between the two. "Where am I?"

Niccolo uncrossed his arms and leaned against the desk. "You are in my home. And you have stumbled into a world that is not your own."

"I-I don't understand." Vivian shakes her head, looking at the brown haired man.

"That's fine, you're not meant to understand." Niccolo replied, pushing off the desk and moving towards her. "But I would like to understand why you're resisting a mindwipe. It's not like Kit is weak or unable to properly perform it. So it has to be you."

Vivian just shook her head, unable to understand what was going on and how she was involved in any of it. The two red-eyed men didn't seem hostile, but they were able to control her with just their words. That was something she could not explain, or even begin to understand. Even though Niccolo had confirmed this was real, she still felt like she was in a dream. A nightmare.