Escape the Night: Illusion Masters-Complete

Dream or Reality

(Note from me: This section will be in 3 parts but each chapter has a different name.  Part 3 will include the death challenge).

Everyone looked around in fear.  They were shocked now that one of their group was actually dead for real.  Tyler stood up brushing his black thespian jacket with a weird symbol embroided on his collar off.  "We're hearing that you've been through this before?" Asked Shin.  "I and nine others were tricked by an evil sorceress pretending to be Joey into attending a masquerade ball in the Victorian era... Seemed fun until we had monsters kill us off one by one" added Tyler.  "Andrea and I were the only ones who got out alive, until we learned Joey made it too, but not before other lives were lost" he said.  The group was worried a bit because this was more real then expected.  However Ben compared symbols from Joey's letter and Tyler's jacket. 

"What is this symbol?" Asked Ben.  Tyler sighed a bit and looked at them sadly.  "I'm with the society against evil, all the survivors of each of four massacres joined the SAE to revive our dead friends and keep evil out".  "We were doing real well, until someone slipped through our fingers hence why you all are here... And your friend is dead" he said about to cry. 
"Howl sounds like.... Werewolf?" Asked Dania thinking.  "Most likely, better see what's going on... There isn't really much choice" added Tyler sighing.  They headed somewhere before hearing growling and froze.  "Please just be a dog" begged Josephine. 

The group slowly looked before seeing a huge hound facing them with blood red eyes.   "Is that a hellhound?!" Exclaimed Elizabeth.  "Who cares just run!" Yelled Marc.  They all took off, but Shim turned back to see Riana wasn't moving. 

Shin confession booth: "I turned around to see Riana wasn't moving".  " I mean what is up with her? ".  " Does she think she's got some connection she could form with that creature? "

"Riana what are you doing?!" Yelled Ben.  Riana twitched a bit doing her normal head shake.  The hound was coming at her ready to strike.   Everyone was yelling for Riana to follow them but she just dropped her doll and pointed at the hound screaming something similar to her demon protection magic.   The hound yelped suddenly dropping unconscious while Riana just casually picked up her doll and joined the others.   Everyone was stunned in disbelief.  "They... Are nothing... But child's play..to me" Riana stated simply walking ahead.  "Scary..." Added Tyler shaking.  

Collins key confession booth: *blinks a couple times open mouthed*   "did... I just see that?". 

Marc confession booth: " Um.... We just witnessed Riana turn an evil hound to a mere sleeping dog".   "What the bloody heck is she?"

The group found themselves in this dessert of sorts.  It looked like there was nothing around them.  "Wild West much?" Asked Mat.  "If there was a wild West why is there no western town?" Asked Colin.  Before Matt could answer they all suddenly heard something and looked to see more hounds.  "Oh great more of those" added Elizabeth.  "Hold on what's that there?" Asked Josephine pointing to something.  They looked before Ben  removed his crossbow he was carrying with him and loaded an arrow. 

"It's a target, let's see..." Added Ben before aiming.  "I'm guessing you are savant in this group?" Asked Tyler.  "Unwillingly" stated Ben before firing and it hit the target.  "que hizo eso? [What did that do]" asked Solange.  On cue someone suddenly went by them and rounded up the hounds before making them vanish.  The person stopped and looked at them.  "Come with me quickly" he said.  A confused Tyler looked before he was stunned. 

"Jesse?!" He exclaimed.  "Shut up now talk later" responded the guy supposedly Jesse.   He suddenly created this portal causing all the illusionists to be wide eyed but Ben led them through before everyone gathered in the sheriff's department.  Tyler ran over to their rescuer.  "How the hell are you here, I thought you were dead" added Tyler.  "I was...." Responded Jesse hanging up his jacket making the group gasp seeing these black veins on his neck that seem to go down in his sleeve. 

Ben confession booth: "I think we've got a little history here".  " here we are with Tyler who survived a massacre similar to what we're in now then joined some group called the society against evil to help others bring back his dead friends ".   " And now this Jesse guy that saved our asses here and was one  of those dead friends ".   "I don't think it's hit the group or me that this is real still a little... ".

"Sorry, what's going on here?" Asked Collins.  The duo looked over revealing Jesse wore a pendent with the same symbol that Tyler had on his jacket.  However a difference is Jesse's was a blood red color while Tyler's was gold.  "I told you.... You all are in a massacre like what I... Well we.. Endured, why do you think you already lost one person" added Tyler.  "I think he actually means what's bad ass cowboy's story?" Asked Shin not sure if he was right.   Jesse sighed and looked at them.  "Look when I got invited to the same party as Tyler I was an idiot and one alliance led to me being killed by spider venom" added Jesse.  "Then... How are you here?" Asked Riana. 

(Entering flashback with Jesse voice over): Joey was seen heading right to Pandora's box and slowly opened it.  "Joey made a journey to purgatory to try and save some of the people that died only he learned that our captor wouldn't give them up easily".  " After several were sent to hell the rest of us were stuck in one cramped jar before our souls were released ".   " Only.... An artifact carrying the name Pandora's box trapped Joey after detecting severe evil in his heart ".   Joey screams disappearing and the box closing immediately.  " No one knew exactly what happened to Joey, not even the duo that were able to escape ".   (A/N: Entering my own story insert): " When everyone was searching for a way to get Joey out, one of their agents, made a discovery...me".   Jael is seen walking over and knelt by the unconscious body of Jesse only to gasp when she saw the spider bite and his arm was covered in these black veins similar to the evil that was in Joey. 

"She told me she didn't know how I came back to life because the souls were supposed to drift wherever they belonged before an attempt to save us was done due to the chance purgatory could grab us again".   "... But she added that I came back with some of the evil in me that the sorceress stole to grant her her powers".   (Goes back into reality): Jesse looked at Tyler.  " All I recalled before being found unconscious was someone caught my soul and there's now some extra voice in my head that sounds like me but not the same " added Jesse.  Dania cleared her throat.  "As outlandish as that sounds we could use all the help we could get either way" she said.   "Still don't get this outlandish stuff is real?" Asked Tyler.  They heard something outside making Dania mimic zipping her lips.

They all got down to not be spotted. Colin noticed Jesse seemed to cringe and hold his arm.  

Colin confession booth: "I'm seeing Jesse cringe in pain and after hearing his story... Well I seemed to figure out immediately what's happened to him".  " A little case of TV show/comic book reality he's been cursed with ".  " and I do NOT mess with all that curse mumbo jumbo usually unlike two individuals in our group ".  *coughs Elizabeth and Riana*.   " Sorry had a tickle in my throat ".  " but I knew I needed to test my theory ".  

Colin crawled somewhere and gestured to Jesse to join him.  Jesse followed confused before the duo stood up.  "This is impossible to be real but as a deductionist/mentalist I could see the common signs".  " There are demons outside this building and your extra voice is some alter ego you may have that's similar to a comic book superhero by the name of ghost rider " he whispered.  Others were confused over what the duo could be talking about since they couldn't hear Colin.  "I don't get it, how so?" Whispered Jesse.  "From the history of the character anyone with rider powers seems to feel this sudden pain throughout their body before they unleash hell on those that deserve it".  " You were cringing in pain and holding your vein covered arm from the moment we all first heard something outside" answered Colin.

Jesse just looked stunned.  "But.... How?" He said.  

Colin confession booth: "News flash fellow illusionists... I think I discovered our ticket out of this town".

(A/N:  And that concludes part 1!  And the reason behind picking  specifically two people from the Victorian era massacre was because of evil magic being the theme for this story too.  This time with Tyler and Jesse playing the roles of the helpers/unfortunate card pickers.   Anyway hope you all enjoy.  Reminder, all deaths I have picked for this story like Chloe were randomly generated except the final death that leads to the surviving trio).