Ten

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two – Revelation

"Chloe! Help!" cried Gabe as he tried to get to his feet, as he struggled with his bound hands, "You have to get me out of here!"

Chloe dropped the shoe and rushed back to him and helped him up, and then pointed him towards the door to the patio right by the dining room.

"Let's get out of this house, now!" she cried.

"What about my hands?" he asked.

"I'm sure there's a knife on the table," she replied and led him over to the dining room, and sitting him in one of the chairs.

She then reached down and found steak knife amongst the silverware all over the floor and then quickly cut him loose. Gabe was quite relieved to have his hands free, and rubbed them together, but still was reeling from the bullet wound near his right clavicle. Chloe had to help him up, reaching down and putting his left arm around her neck.

It was right then that Gabe saw something and found himself without breath for a moment and unable even to scream. He seemed to be just able to moan. The look on his face was that of a man who was experiencing absolute terror. Then he suddenly was able to scream.

"Cl...Chloe! It's the...it's the..." was all he could get out.

Chloe stopped and rose to her feet, but froze when she saw what Gabe was looking at. It was a black robed figure with a black mask and gloves. The robe went to the floor and there seemed to be a black pistol in one of the gloved hands.

Both of them found themselves without words for fear.

"Run!" cried Gabe, who forced himself up and rushed towards the patio door. The figure pointed its weapon at him and fired, the bullet striking Gabe in the lower leg and sending him collapsing on the tile floor, just about done for.

Chloe rushed over to help Gabe up, but because of the bullet wound to his leg, he was only able to sit up. She then held on to him, both of them looking up at the black figure standing before them. Neither knew what to do, but stand there, paralyzed with fear.

Gabe was in unbelievable pain, at least for his own experience. He looked up at the dark figure and then sighed and seemed to give up all hope of surviving. He had a bullet wound close to his shoulder, and another in his right calf, that was bleeding on the tile under him. His hands were still tingling and covered in blood. He had enough already.

"Who are you?" demanded Gabe, yelling out of frustration.

The black figure remained silent and held its weapon out pointed at Gabe and Chloe.

"Huh?" he called, "If you're going to kill us anyways, just show us who you are! I'm tired of this shit!"

The black figure was silent.

"Come on, you coward!" he taunted, "Take it off!"

Then the black figure used its free hand to reach into the hood of the robe and remove the black mask that it had been wearing over its face. The mask was tossed to the floor and Gabe and Chloe could see a little bit of skin and they knew that they were looking at the face of a person. Then the figure quickly pulled back the hood of the mask and revealed its true identity: someone neither Gabe nor Chloe had ever quite considered.

"Madeline?" they both mouthed in pure shock.

The sultry brunette smiled in a smug fashion and replied, "The one and only. Though, that isn't my real name. Madeline Hartford is just an illusion. The desperate goth-hooker, looking for a way out. She is a character that I created in order to come to this island and bring justice to the rest of you."