Endless Cycles

[Chapter 18]

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Ryan and Brandon shook hands, and Brandon felt a sharp pain through his body, he winced and let out a gasp of pain. He curled up and groaned.

"Now it may hurt just a little bit, but we need to transform your personality." Ryan mumbled quietly.

"Brandon!" Ray exclaimed, and was about to go to his friend, but Ryan stopped him.

"Listen here Ray... I brought you back and I can undo that. Now sit back or else you and your friends are dead." Ray stood back and watched, obviously upset.

Brandon let out a scream of pain and fell to the floor. As Brandon was on the floor, Ryan spoke up.

"Now that the process is almost complete, what other two people do you wish to be alive?" Ryan asked.

"Trott! Please bring Trott back!" Smiffy begged. Ryan sighed and snapped his fingers, making Trott appear.

"Anyone else?"

"Michael!" Gavin said, and Ryan sighed.

"Wow you're all really bringing back people I don't like. Oh well, it'll be worth it in the end." He brought Michael back, and he and Gavin both met for a long lasting hug. Meanwhile, the process had started to finish. Brandon sat up, gripping his forehead.

"Well Brandon, how do you feel?" Ryan asked, hope in his voice. Brandon stood up and groaned. "Oh come here, give me a hug." Ryan smiled warmly and opened his arms. Brandon hugged him tightly, and Ryan exchanged glances with Ray and Gavin, smirking slightly. As the two embraced, Ryan felt a sharp pain in his back.

"W-What?" His eyes widened. Brandon pulled away, a bloody knife in his hand. He stood up and threw the knife aside. After a few moments of shock, Ryan laughed maniacally.

"You think you could kill me? I'M THE MAD KING!" He shouted and laughed more uncontrollably. The wound in his back quickly healed, and Brandon's eyes widened. Ryan stood up from the ground and lifted Brandon's body into the air, staring at him.

"Since you've already made your choice... I might as well call the deal off then." He growled, and the people once alive disappeared. "I guess I'll just have to turn you by force." He opened his right hand and Brandon saw a large black spike come hurtling towards him. His eyes widened in fear as the spike came into contact with his stomach.

Instead of blood, black goop had come out of the wound. Brandon coughed out some of the goop and let out a startled scream.

"BRANDON!" Tiffany shrieked. She began running to her friend, but Ryan stopped her.

"Hmm... Perhaps I should kill you too? After this Brandon won't care for you anymore, so there's no point for you really."

"N-No!" Brandon screamed. He tried to fight the goop from overcoming his body, but fell to the ground. He breathed heavily and attempted to crawl to his friend before Ryan could hurt her. Ryan smiled and threw Tiffany aside.

"No... I would never hurt you Brandon..." He said.

"You're hurting him right now!" Jordan growled.

"It's for his own good. I'm hurting him because he needs to learn." Brandon felt the black goop start to travel across his body, until he was completely covered. After a few moments of silence the goop left his body, and Brandon looked completely different. Instead of his green hair, it was now black with red dyed streaks his black eyes had turned red now, and instead of his regular suit he wore a black and white vest with a white dress shirt and a red tie. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head.

Ryan looked excited. "Brandon! How do you feel?" Brandon stood up shakily.

"I-I feel... I feel great!" He said, smiling. His voice sounded almost the same, except it sounded much more metallic and robot-like.

"Brandon...?" Ian asked.

"Please, call me Pete." Brandon-- or Pete-- grinned. Everyone looked terrified at the sight of what used to be the bringer of hope.

"Now that everything's going the way it should... Pete, kill everyone." Pete nodded and a large black sword appeared in his hands. Jordan looked around for something to protect them with, but found nothing, and instead tried to talk to Brandon.

"Brandon... Please, I know you're in there..." He began. Pete took another step closer. "Brandon... Do you remember Gavin?" This made him stop.

"G-Gavin...?" He asked quietly. He growled and shook his head. "NO!"

"Brandon, Gavin wouldn't want you to do this. Neither would Ray, or Ant, or anyone else!"

"S-TOP!" Pete shouted, his voice glitching. He gripped his hair and fell to his knees.

"Please... Try and fight it!" Smiffy said. Brandon let out a loud scream and stood up.

"NO!" He snarled and raised his sword. Jordan's eyes widened. This was it... They were all going to die... As they prepared themselves for the worst, something happened.

Brandon turned around and stabbed the sword through Ryan's chest. Ryan's eyes widened, and instead of regular blood, the same black goop came out. He let out a shout of pain and fell to the ground.

"W-Wh-What's happening?!" Ryan exclaimed. "This shouldn't be hurting!" He sounded terrified. He gripped the sword and pulled it out of his chest. He curled up and a large pool of black blood surrounded him.

"G-Go!" Brandon exclaimed. He was fighting it. He was fighting the despair. "I-I've u-unlocked the door!" Jordan led the others to the front door, and found Brandon was right. It was unlocked. The remaining six survivors left the building and ran out into the forest that surrounded it. As they reached the trees, Jordan looked at the building. He could see Brandon still in the entrance of the building, and heard one more scream before he and the others continued to run. This was it. They were free now.

24 players went into the game, and 6 came out.