The mirrored version of him, the fragile one, pulled him back behind the mannequin in a hurry. “Would you shut the fuck up, Token! Jesus!”
I began to cackle as I entered the room. “Oh boys,” I sang. The evening had already been so fulfilling and part of me even wished dear Crissa was here to witness it. Although, I don’t know how thrilled she would be about William and Tawny. That might sour the mood, considering she was partial to them both…then again, I didn’t really care.
Crissa will have to wait. Now, back to the fun part.
“To-ken.” My head bobbed side to side as I sang his name loudly. “I think it’s time for you to come out to play.” I inched closer toward the clown the two hid behind, huddled together like children. “Come on, now. Let me see those meaty arms!” My arm swung and my claws sliced the stuffed mannequin in half, knocking it over as the twins tried to run away, bolting toward the old party rooms. I stood there, laughing at their pathetic attempts to run, knowing damn well there was nowhere to go.
“Run, run, as fast as you can…for I shall catch you as I am a demon!” I sang, lowering to my hands and knees with the gun tucked in the back of Crissa’s waistband. “Ready or not, here I come, meat arms!” I shot forward, galloping after the two humans, cackling hysterically as I chased them.
I bet you’ll taste scrumptious!
The twins remained ahead of me, keeping a good distance. It was almost impressive how fast and agile they were. But it was useless, for I was gaining on them. “Oh, this is so much fun!” I shouted out in glee.
Ryder knocked a few boxes and stacked chairs over, his bleeding brother doing the same as they desperately tried to out-maneuver me, blocking the path before disappearing from view. I had to stop and admire the dedication. It was a smart move, proving that he was the smarter of the two.
It’s a pity I have to eat you, Ry–der. But lucky for me, I still get to pick your brain!
I climbed over the boxes with ease, following the scent of Token’s wound. The two were close, and no matter how much they tried, I knew they couldn’t hide for long. They were trapped, and I was closing in on them.
“To–ken,” I sang out, stepping into one of the old party rooms. Rows of old clown mannequins, stacked chairs, and boxes were piled all around the room, creating a new obstacle for me. With a deep, gasping inhale, I laughed. “Oh, you two think you’ve outsmarted me, don’t you?” I took a quiet step further. “You truly think you can hide from me? Ha! You cannot! I can smell your fear…but more importantly—” I stopped, sniffing the air, catching the tail of his scent. My head snapped in their direction, noticing two shadows behind a large table, lying on its side. “I can smell you, To–ken.” A low growl began to bubble from my chest as I slithered closer and raised my arm, aiming it directly towards him. The twins peeked their heads out just in time to see me. They bolted in opposite directions, trying to run, but my focus remained on the hunkier of the two. “I told you…you’re next!” I shouted, pressing the trigger at the most opportune moment and meeting my target.
MONTEY
Another loud, ear-piercing gun-shot rang out, making Lavender, Sybil, and myself all jump. “Fu—” Lavender clasped her hands over her mouth as tears poured from her eyes. Sybil remained close to me, trembling with wide eyes.
What the hell is even happening? And what the fuck has gotten into Crissa?! She’s never been violent…but that face…those eyes…what she did! It was as if it wasn’t her at all.
The three of us huddled together under a table of one of the pizzeria’s booths in the back, trying to stay hidden. “We need to get out of here,” Sybil whispered. “Montey, do you still have those keys?”
My hands patted my pockets to feel for them. A sigh of relief breathed past my lips as I felt them in the pocket of my jeans. “Yeah,” I whispered. “ I do.”
Sybil turned to Lavender. “Can we use those to unlock the door that leads into the mall?” She didn’t answer. “Hello? Lav?—”
“Shhhh!” Lavender covered Sybil’s mouth, staring at her with wide, fearful eyes. “Yes,” she breathed. Her blue irises clashed against her reddened eyes as they moved from Sybil to me. “We can sneak through the arcade and make our way to the other door, but…what about Ryder and Token?”
Sybil shoved Lavender’s hand away from her mouth and grimaced. “They’ll be fine. Token’s a fucking meat-head and protective of his brother. He’ll take care of them.”
“Against Crissa?” Sybil and I both tried to quiet her down, but Lavender was too emotional. “Did you not hear Tawny’s screams? That—thatthingjust fucking killed her! How are they going to survive what she?—”
Sybil gripped the woman’s face and pulled her close. “Oh fuck your boss! She was a rude, wrinkly skank. She got what she deserved. And as for Ryder and Token, they’ll be fine. Trust me.” Lavender didn’t look convinced.
Lightning struck outside, thunder following in a loud boom—the storm outside didn’t look to be letting up anytime soon. If anything, it was getting worse.
“Alright.” I brushed my blue and purple colored hair from my face, searching the darkness as I spoke in a quiet voice. “Even with the power back on, it’s too dark in here to really see, and we can’t be wandering around, wasting time. So, we’ll need to move quickly and use the lightning as a guide.” The two women stared at me, unsure of my plan.
“What if she finds us?” Lavender asked. “Then what?”
Great question.
“I don’t know where Crissa is now, but I do know that if we stay light on our feet and stick together, we should be able to avoid running into—whateverit is in Crissa’s body—and get the hell out of here. At the next lightning strike, I’ll look for a path to take, and we’ll use the thunder to hide any noises we make.” The two women nodded and readied themselves.
Alright…any second now.
We waited, anxious as hell.
Come on.
We waited a few more minutes before the next strike hit. I stared straight ahead, searching for a path. “There,” I whispered, pointing. We all grabbed hands and crawled from under the table, bolting from the booth toward the direction of the arcade. “This way,” I murmured to the women, guiding them through the tables and booths. “Almost there?—”
