One Killer Maze

Chapter 26

She could feel the predator's eyes on her. They were judging, others were amused. Y/N could only guess which was from whom.

Were they waiting for me? She thought, narrowing her eyes. She could see Offenderman's grin widen at the edges. One of his hands was planted at his right hip, the other was gently grazing against his chin.

"We're sadly missing a certain puppet...but there's no use whining about him," he said, that insufferable grin still kept up. Eyeless Jack, who was quietly by her side, stepped forward in between the group at the protagonist of our story. He wasn't exactly in front of her, just in the middle of the whole scene.

Jack stared at Offenderman for a few moments and the faceless creature hummed, motioning the other forward and to the side. He left, not sparing Y/N a glance. They left through an arch of vines and greenery.

Turning her attention towards the gazebo, Kagekao jumped on the railing like an animal, pitch-black claws digging into the painted material. He leaned forward, almost falling off the edge, but the claws coming from his feet and hands kept him sturdy.

"Hey, hey," she could hear his smile underneath that mask, "you do know you're one of the final ten left alive?"

What?

The creature behind the mask laughed at her silence, almost hearing the questioning glare she sent him. Kagekao leaned back and Otis glared at him.

"You don't need to tell her that." He spoke quietly, with the dark sockets of his mask it was hard determining where Bloody Painter seemed to look at. Let's just hope he has her best interest in mind...

Y/N glanced around the garden as the two killers conversed (slowly turning into childish bickering). Nothing had changed much since the last time she was here, not voluntarily, of course. She hadn't really explored this place or even got a chance to fully take in the rose garden. In normal circumstances, she would deem this place beautiful and almost par with a botanists' paradise. But she wasn't in a normal circumstance.

This place was a trap disguised as paradise.

Of course, who would believe that? Those people "watching" them that Offender had mentioned the last time she was here and the other times the other killers had let information slip out. Y/N glanced at the gazebo, noticing both masked killers staring at her pondering form.

Then, she realized, something was missing.

"Where's Candy Pop's mirror?" She crossed her arms, leaning on one foot. Her body felt lighter now that she wasn't wearing her backpack. The two male killers looked at each other, wondering if they should give her that information. Blood Painter sighed, knowing that it was useless in speaking over Kagekao. He'd relay the information to her anyways.

"Master broke it!" The dual-colored mask Kagekao wore glowed slightly, "after storing Candy Pop inside of it, of course."

"This was after you ran off," Otis added right after. Kagekao nodded in agreement.

That vintage-looking mirror was broken? Part of Y/N's heart felt disappointed, another part felt relieved. Bloody Painter could read her like a book though. Only with a few changes and forms of her face could he read her like an open book.

"There are plenty more." He spoke up, voice growing soft when the two present glanced over at him, one in surprise, "I'm sure the toymaker has one..."

"Jason?" She blurted.

They lifted their heads.

"You know him?" Kagekao jumped off the gazebo as Otis spoke, claws retracting. She only nodded once in affirmation. The male kicked at a tuft of grass, shaking his head.