AMACon 3: Oikos - Home

Mirror - Chapter Two

"Psst."

RJ looked up too see a familiar face on the other side of the room. "Je? Anong ginagawa mo dito? How on earth did you —?"

"I'm not Jerald. I thought you already knew that, RJ." The man chuckled. "Or did you forget about it?" While RJ knew it was a trick his captor used to lure his victims, he didn't want to dismiss the thought that his best friend stood in front of him. It has been too long. He's allowed a few seconds of insanity, right?

"What do you want?" RJ stood up and clenched his fists. He didn't know what to think. His captor seldom visited him. And when he did, he always brought some form of bad news or punishment.

The man glanced around the room before facing him again. "Well," he began dragging out the word. "I just came here to tell you that it's time."

"Time? Time for what?" RJ had a moment of panic. "Are you going to kill me? Is that why you came here?"

"Oh no!" The man waved him off with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'm here for something else!"

"I don't understand," he gritted out. The moment he said that, he felt something shift in the air. His companion's eyes gleamed and the temperature dropped. "Why are you here?"

"How much will you risk for another chance? Will you give up everything for it?"

"Seriously?" RJ looked at him suspiciously, trying to determine if he was just joking. Here was his captor, trying to offer him a deal that may or may not help him escape this hell hole. It was absurd. "Am I supposed to believe that you're giving me another chance? In case you forgot, you're the reason why I'm here!"

"You didn't let me finish!"

The room suddenly shook and a few cracks appeared on the wall. A few moments later, the room quieted.

"How hard is it to let people finish? You know, that's the problem with you humans! Always assuming the worst."

"Anyway, I heard your voice in my head." The man began to pace around the room. "So, I came here to make you an offer that you can't refuse. Do you want to hear it?"

"Are you going to let me go?" RJ asked him hurriedly. "What do I have to do?"

The man continued to speak as if he didn't hear RJ speak. "You see, I'm not entirely heartless, you know! If your girlfriend wasn't tempted to purchase something for herself, you wouldn't be here in the first place!"

"Girlfriend?" RJ asked confusedly. He didn't have a memory of his so-called girlfriend. "Anong pinagsasabi mo?"

"Yes, you used to say that the thought of possibly seeing her again in the future keeps you going," he said with a grimace. "You even said that you can't stop thinking about her. To be honest, it was disgusting."

"I don't..." RJ trailed off when he saw the glare thrown at him.

"Wait. Was she your fiancée? I don't remember. The bottom line is...you're in love with this girl."

RJ frowned at him. He didn't know what his captor was saying. He really didn't remember having a girlfriend, let alone a fiancée.

The man then cocked his head. "Now, I'll tell you what you need to do. It's quite simple really. All you have to do is convince someone to take your place. You see, I no longer need you. I want someone more...fresh. What say you?"

"Kahit sino?" RJ hated the fragile hope in his expression. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but his captor's offer was convincing him to change his mind. Even if it meant an innocent person would be taking his place.