A Horrific Fantasy

Chapter 16

Poor Charlie was so frightened, she kept her eyes tightly closed and clung to Alastor like her life depended on it. He in turn, just chuckled, finding her fear adorable. His amusement was even furthered when he looked back to see that those thugs were still chasing him.

"They always think they can catch me." He thought smugly. "They're certainly a persistent bunch, I'll give them that."

Alastor was finally able to give them the slip when he leapt up a building and swung down into the shadows.

"He went this way!" One of their pursuers said pointing in the wrong direction. "Follow me!"

"After them! Don't let them escape!" Another said.

"Hey what do you think we should do to em when we catch em?" A third member asked.

"I say we hang the scrawny, red freak by his own scarf and hang the girl by that long pretty blond hair of hers!"

"Yeah and then we beat the shit out of em like they're piñatas!"

Their words made Charlie unconsciously cling tighter to Alastor out of terror. He only rolled his eyes at their foolish and barbaric nature, while patiently waiting for them to run by. Then as soon as they were out of sight, he dropped down from the shadows as graceful and precise as a cat.

"Persistent bunch, but not a very smart one." He laughed before carefully lowering Charlie down onto her feet. "Are you alright my dear?"

"I'm fine." She said. "Thank you for saving me back there."

"You're most welcome."

"But quick question, what happened back there?"

"Well correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that we were being pursued by a group of violent cretins."

"Yes I know that, but what I mean is who, or what were those things? What did they want? Why were they after us? Didn't really want to see me fall to my death, did they?"

"Indeed they did, and if you had survived the fall, then they would have torn you to bits."

Charlie shuddered.

"What is wrong with those people?!"

"Well for one thing they're not people. They're, as I mentioned earlier, objects. Toys to be exact. Sadistic toys who just love to cause pain and suffering for others. I mean I'll do the same thing, but at least I don't do it to innocents."

"I don't understand. You say they're toys but how can that be? They're alive. Toys don't have a life."

"Maybe not where you come from. But here, toys have as much life in them as you do. Here they're no different than people. Well the toys are technically supposed to be more amusing than people but shockingly, I find you much more entertaining than anything else here. You're innocence and naïveté is just so adorable."

Something about the way he spoke to her annoyed Charlie. She thought that he was making fun of her. Like all her peers at school. Half of her wanted to be very rude to him, the other half of her wanted to be polite and deferential. The polite half won. Making fun or not, he did save her life.

"Please, what is this place?" She asked him.

"It's here." He said simply.

"I can see that but what is here? Do you know?"

"Can't say for certain. In truth, no one really knows where it came from. One day she just found it and decided to just twist it into a world of their own."

"She?"

"Levana. The so-called ruler of this world. Now I know what you're thinking, who put her in charge? Are there free elections or something?" He chuckled.