Let's Play A Game

Chapter 10 - Kyle

As the beat of his heart echoed in the kitchen, Kyle stood in the salt circle watching the door and waiting for his friends to come through.

Their plan had been such a simple one. Once they reached the living room, they hid behind the furniture, just in case the Faceless Man showed up. Taking initiative, Kyle volunteered to be the first one to move out of hiding and the first one to attempt to reach the kitchen.

He thought that if he went first, the girls would follow close behind, taking the same path that he had. If the Faceless Man did show up, he would instead go after Kyle but that didn't seem to be the case.

While he had reached the salt circle safely, there was no sign of Cat and Sia.

As Kyle waited in silence, his fingers tapping against his leg impatiently, he heard the sound of footsteps. Someone was running in the hall and he felt his breath catch in his throat.

The sound of footsteps was then followed by a sickening thud, as if someone had been thrown against the adjacent wall. He had no idea what was happening outside but he knew it couldn't be anything good, especially for his friends.

He feared the worst and it was that fear that made him hide behind the counter when he heard footsteps approach the kitchen.

Closing his eyes, he brought his knees close to him, breathing faster than usual. His heart hammered in his chest as the footsteps grew closer.

He wondered if the salt circle actually worked. He wondered if in the end it was all a lie and instead of finding a safe place, he had doomed himself. Brianna was the one who had told him about the game and all its rules. However, she was also the one who was convinced him that the game was nothing but a hoax.

Hell, before today if anyone told Kyle that they had encountered a demon, he would never believe them. In the presence of the Faceless Man, he had now begun to think otherwise. His mind that always found a logical way to explain everything had no answers for that situation. Everything that he had disregarded until yesterday seemed to be coming true and he just didn't know what to do anymore.

It just seemed that any step he could take would backfire.

"Kyle? Kyle?!" he heard Cat cry out for him.

Slowly, he peeked from behind the counter to find Cat standing at the kitchen door, tears streaming down her face as her eyes searched for him. Sia was not with her.

"Cat? What happened?" Kyle asked, getting up and revealing himself.

Crying, Cat stepped towards him but didn't join him in the salt circle.

"He took her," Cat cried, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. "He took her."

Falling to her knees, Cat kept chanting the same thing over and over again as she buried her face in her hands. Her whole body shook as her cries filled the room but Kyle didn't do anything. Instead, he just stared at the door waiting for Sia to show up.

Maybe he should have been crying the same way Cat was. After all, Kyle had now lost Sia as well as Brianna but for some reason, the tears never appeared in his eyes. His mind was yet to understand that he had lost his friends. It was yet to comprehend that all of it wasn't just a nightmare.

"How did he get her?" Kyle asked carefully but Cat just shook her head.

Seeing her inability to answer he understood that Cat had to be the reason why Sia got caught. He knew how much the two girls cared for each other and they'd go out of their way to protect each other.

He understood their bond but what he didn't understand was his role in the situation. What could he even say to make Cat feel better? Was there anything that could be said?