I was unsure of what was happening around me as I gained consciousness. I could hardly determine that I was being dragged away as voices shouted around me. I could hear screams. People pull me back and forth like they were playing tug of war and I was their rope.
Everything went blank after that until I awoke. My eyes flutter open to see a roof over my head. Was I finally home?
A breeze sweeps through a window, causing goosebumps to form on my arms. I curl into a ball and clench onto the blanket that was draped over me. I hiss as I feel pain in my abdomen. A shadow blocks the light as it looks down at me.
"Are you finally awake?" A female voice speaks out, questioning me. I tried to figure out whose voice it was; it was familiar. I slowly nod my head and open my eyes to see who it was. My eyes go wide when I see the white mask staring down at me.
I sit up and back into the corner of the bed. "Woah, hey, calm down!" She puts her hands up and takes a step back. "I'm not going to hurt you." I narrow my eyes at her as I sit in a fetal position. "How can I trust you?"
She sifts through her pockets before pulling out her empty hands. "See? No weapon." I still wasn't going to buy her act. "Stay the hell away from me," I bark at her. She takes another step away from me and rubs a hand up and down her arm.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to help you," she stutters out. I watch her closely, taking note of her body language. I couldn't help but calm myself down just a bit. She was the most docile out of the four, considering the last encounter we had. That didn't mean I trusted her one bit. Killers can't be trusted.
She points a finger to my abdomen, "Can I take a look?" I think about it for a moment before hesitantly getting up from the bed and lifting my hoodie. She gasps, raising her hands up to her mouth despite the mask. "Give me a sec." She turns around and takes a few breaths.
"Is it that bad?" I begin to worry. I look down to see the scars on my stomach. They had already faded but were still prominent. "Sorry, it's just... just imagining that," Susie says, turning back around to look at me.
"You're a Killer, shouldn't you be unfazed by this stuff?" I tilt my head to the side. I take note of how she flinches from being called a Killer. "You'd be surprised," she mumbles. She takes another breather and gestures for me to pull my hoodie down, which I gladly do.
"I guess I just didn't know Frank could be so...so brutal." So, that was his name. That's right. Panic began to settle in when I realize that I was in their realm. "Where are the others?" I warily ask.
"Julie's in a Trial. Joey and Frank are downstairs, drinking." She seemed almost disgusted when she mentions the drinking. I was starting to realize how innocent this girl really was. "Good. They can stay away from me," I say.
"Well," she starts, fumbling with her thumbs. I look at her, waiting for her to continue. "Frank actually wanted to see you." I felt my heart sink to my stomach and my face go pale. I was going to protest when the said man walks into the room, a beer bottle in his hand to replace the hunting knife I had grown accustomed to him holding.
I look at Susie, silently begging her to stay. I didn't want to be alone in a room with him. "You can go, Suz," he says to the young girl, who obeys and leaves. I open my mouth to stop her but kept myself quiet.
I notice how he wasn't holding himself as straight as usual. He had been drinking for a while. "What do you want?" I ask him, crossing my arms to make myself feel a bit safer.
"Take your shirt off." I choke on my saliva at the suddenness. My cheeks flush a bit. "Wh-what?" He sets the bottle down on a nightstand and gestures to my hoodie. "Let me see."
It took me a moment to realize he meant the wounds he inflicted on me last Trial. I take a step back and furrow my brows, feeling a little sick. "Why, so you can admire what you did? No need to brag, you sick fuck."
"Keep talking like that and I'll do worse," he threatens, his knuckles curling into fists. I swallow thickly.
I reluctantly take my hoodie off, leaving it on the floor, and then lift up my shirt to reveal my stomach. He comes forward and bends down so he was level with my stomach. I jump a bit when his cold hand touches my skin.
"Quit moving," he says and grabs a hold of my hip. His fingers lightly run over the scars. I look away, feeling uncomfortable about the situation. "Did you learn your lesson?"
"What?" I look back at him. He looks up at me, and I couldn't help but cringe at that permanent smile. "Yeah... I did," I sigh.
"Good. I wouldn't wanna have to do it again." I didn't even try to guess if he was being serious or not. I knew he was. The evidence is literally carved into my stomach.
He runs his hand up and down my stomach, giving me a weird sensation. "It's not permanent, if that makes you feel any better." I raise a brow. "Trial injuries heal over time. But if you want a permanent tattoo, I can give you one."
"No," I say and take a step back. I didn't appreciate the feeling he was giving me. It made me feel like I was going to be sick, but in a good way?
He stands up, now towering over me. "Alright, fine, loser." He grabs his beer bottle again and plops down on the bed, the mattress screaming under his weight.
I grab my hoodie off of the floor and put it back on. "Susie said you wanted to talk," I say. "I just wanted to make sure you was okay." I shift uncomfortably on my feet. This felt wrong.
"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" I ask, biting my lip afterwards, unsure if I should ask that kind of question. His body tenses for a moment.
"I realized that I didn't like being a child murderer." I felt a pang of annoyance. "I'm not a child," I reply with a snarky attitude.
"You're fifteen."
"Yeah, so I'm not a kid," I argue. "I'm in high school now."
"High school doesn't mean shit." I roll my eyes. "You're only saying that 'cause you aren't in high school anymore so you see anyone in school as a child," I cross my arms.
"I never finished high school. Dropped out in my senior year, and then I ended up here in this hellhole." I tilt my head a bit.
"What do you mean? This place must be like a wet dream to you," I laugh. "Being able to just go around and kill everyone."
"Must be for you, too. Or was it just an itch? In that room." My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. I look away. "You saw nothing," I mutter. He chuckles and takes his mask off for a moment to take a swig of his beer.
"Is there another reason that you aren't torturing me right now?" I ask.
"Well, if you keep asking about it, I might as well." I flinch at his tone of voice and shift on the balls of my feet. "No, I'm good. Sorry for asking."
