Four Against One; Two Fight Three

Chapter 6

His footsteps were the only thing I heard as he came into view. Composed, hands behind his back. Color drained from everything, a black and white film that I had become a part of. Red lights twitched at the corner of my eyes. Blue just visible in the dark. He sat down across from me and leaned in. I struggled backwards to no avail. He grinned, a pure white, sinister expression.

"No need for that," he murmured. He reached out, cupped my chin, and forced me to stare back at him. His face flickered briefly, a confident grin to a scowl, then back again. "We're helping one another, are we not?"

I let out a gasp, my bonds released. He gracefully stood, helping me up.

"By the look on your face, my dear, you know who I am. But let me humor you." He gave a deep bow. "Damien Iplier."

Every bone in my body rattled. He waited, expectantly.

"Ani," I replied. It didn't make me feel better. "Mind if I call you Dark?"

"If you a̷̭̥̪̥̳̿̐̐̃̽l̵͔͚̹̘͑̾̓͌́l̸̨͐ͅ must. Tell me, Miss Johnson, do you want to help him?"

Confused, I took a step back. Certainly Mark had been--

"Of course he was."

My heart skipped a beat when Dark answered my thought. His teeth gleamed in the gloom. I stumbled back into a chair when his shell briefly broke, arms reaching for my throat. He glared down at me.

"Tell me. Do you know of the many worlds theory?" I could only nod. He sat down and poured a cup of tea. "Will and I are privy to it as well."

I swallowed a knot in my throat. "Warfstache is here, too?"

His eyebrows twitched. "He has been, yes."

"But-- The Entity-- Are you survivors or--"

"Even your bloodthirsty killers have origins, Miss Johnson." He took a sip from his teacup. "William's may be familiar to you give... he is your partner here."

"What do you want from me?" My voice sounded more confident then I felt. I cowered when placements went flying before Dark regained his composure.

"I want nothing but to leave, same as you. The Entity is unhappy with us, however, for beating it at its own game."

I stared at my spilled tea. "Cheaters."

"But all still pawns, are we not? And it's not without a tad bit of mercy, I suppose. You and I have been allowed some... personal time together. In place of others, I suppose."

I shuddered at the thought. He appeared beside me, then caught me as I lost balance. He held me there, as if we had just finished dancing. I felt his fingers tighten briefly on my waist. There was nothing I could do if he decided to stop the act.

"The Entity wants one last game." He pulled me up and spun me under his arm. "A bit more cat and mouse. Four against one, two against three." Dark took a step back. The tension in my shoulders slowly released. "Will and his quarry in one arena. The Most Dangerous Game, a timer for me and mine." He bowed. "You, my dear, survive no matter the night. Your idol, however..."

My arm burned. Images of Mark running and hiding in the woods filled my mind. A goofy, almost friendly voice rang out.

"Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all configurations between! I am Wilford Warfstache!"

I choked out a panicked cry. Dark grinned. "Well. He'll go back, but his state of health may be... less then fortunate."

"Why!?" I screamed.

"It was not mine to choose," Dark said calmly. His body blurred a moment, glaring at me, pointing into the darkness. "He ruined everything."

I stumbled back. I hit the ground hard, my back aching from the fall. My vision swam above me, a chandelier blinding me. A familiar scene. I scrambled to my feet, recognizing the area. The house of their origin. But now what? The lights were on, I couldn't imagine the area would be what I remember.

I chose a direction. The house left a tingle in my spine. Was Dark in here? Was I alone? Did this house actually match the one from Mark's series?

Four against one, two against three

I gritted my teeth. It was another of the Entity's games, wasn't it? Mark and Warfstache... The Most Dangerous Game – Did Mark just have to survive?

Around a corner, the kitchen came into view. That creepy chef doll stared back at me. If this had any connection to the story I knew, that doll had to be something. Across the room as fast I could, I dove for cover. If Mark and Warfstache were in one area, where had Dark started here?

The shrill ambiance rang in my ears. Not a heartbeat, not singing, but that high pitched tone that so many had mentioned was painful. I waited, not daring to see where he was. It faded like a passing thought. I crept towards Little Buddy, his grin burning into my mind. No, something wasn't right. It wasn't the figure in the house. It was an exact duplicate of the actor. Down to the creases in his face. Or was it the Chef? From their reality?

I reached out, tentatively. Of its own accord, my hand took the hat. A tremor shook the air. I pulled off the tail of hair. The space around it shimmered. Piece by piece, I dismantled the statue. Each fell to the ground and disintegrated. A puff of smoke in the air. I knocked the naked figurine to the floor, where it shattered.Something changed in the air. A shift in energy around the room.

I never heard the shrill noise until Dark's hands clamped around my neck.

I gasped. Dresses floated around me, snickering and pointing at my  shoddy attire. I had thrown it together, invited to the gala with nothing to my name.

"Ah, there you are, old friend!" An arm wrapped around my waist, a firm tap of a cane drawing my attention. The well dressed man beside me offered a warm smile. "Don't listen to them. They're just jealous they didn't get their invitation from the mayor himself."

"I--" My face felt warm. What was wrong with me? I blinked.

"A dream." I stated. "This is a dream."

His shell cracked. A brilliant red flash of light flung at me, a thin woman at my throat.

"And you need to go back to--"

The world tore apart in black and orange. I stared at the ceiling of the kitchen. Every breath felt like a Herculean labor. Pain shot down my arm. I grabbed at it, convinced someone had sliced it.

Mark hid in an alcove, Warfstache whistling nearby. He did what little he could to keep his arm from bleeding him dry.

"Keep moving," I muttered. "We got this."

"Don't let him get to you. We got this."

Mark's voice echoed in my ears, as if I were watching one of his videos with headphones. I briefly wondered if he heard me.

We got this.

I found the detective next. A figurine of him, anyway. I started to pick it apart when the noise started to build. I took cover behind a counter.

Tk puh. Tk puh.

"You can't hide forever, dear. I see what you've worked on. I can't stop you. I wouldn't want to." His voice hung in the air. An enraged yell followed before he continued in an even tone. "Just need to give Will a tad more time."

A moment.

"Are you still there?"

The words sent a shiver down my spine as his footsteps faded away. Shortly after, silence replaced his shrill tone. I crept back to the detective's figurine. A roll of thunder resonated through the house as the last piece fell. I wondered if this was the Entity's idea of a joke. What had Dark and Warfstache--

I grimaced.

 What had William and Damien even done?