KILLJOY

Chapter 17: One by One

5:05 PM

There seemed to be a small delay for some unknown reason, but eventually, someone stepped up to the center of the theater. He wore a similar mask to the man that they had met when they got here, but he also held a tragedy mask in his right hand. They could also easily tell him apart from their white hair, almost melting right into the mask itself from how similar the shade was. He took a bow as he looked to the audience, a certain charismatic charm in his voice.
"Well, it is good to see you all here tonight at the Comet Theatre. For any returning viewers, we are happy that you came back to watch us once more! As for all you newcomers, we hope you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!"

At once, more masked performers flowed onto the stage as they began their show. Acrobats, stories, circus tricks and even the occasional magic trick all enthralled the crowd as they looked on at the masked men. They seemed to work in perfect unison, a performance that they had clearly planned and practiced for months. Their eyes were glued to the beautiful performance, however eventually someone broke the silence. Eli decided to speak up for a moment, getting out of his seat.
"I gotta go use the bathroom, I'll be back in a few."
Max just raised a hand while looking away as he walked out.

— — —

There were a couple masked men waiting in the air ducts of the bathroom, keeping an eye out for any of the targets. They held dart guns as they peeked through the grate, eventually seeing Eli walk in. They waited for him to leave the cubicle as they got a clear shot of him from the sink.
"Don't fuck this up. Else you want Reinald getting pissed off..."
The man aiming at Eli just scoffed as he lined up his sights, finger on the trigger as he loaded a sleep dart.
"I know how to aim a gun dumbass."
He pulled the trigger as the dart shot right into a vein in Eli's neck. He grasped his neck in pain for a moment as the piecing sensation rocked his body, before quickly fading. Following that, he began to feel the world spin around him, slowly darkening as he could feel himself losing consciousness. He passed out on the bathroom floor, just as the grate was opened up by one of the masked men. One man quickly picked up Eli's limp body as the other stayed on standby to quickly close the panel behind them.

— — —

5:35 PM

Max began to have a bad feeling as he checked his watch— 15 minutes since Eli left and he still wasn't back? What was taking him so damn long. He didn't want to let his worries make him do something stupid, so he decided to wait a while longer.

5:50 PM

Something was wrong by now, he knew it. He shifted a bit closer to Liam as he whispered something to him.
"Oi, Eli's been gone for fuckin' ages. Can you go check on him?"
Liam looked over noticing his disappearance before turning to Max.
"Why can't you just go?"
Max sighed as he kept his hushed tone— he didn't want his mother to hear this.
"Because I'm the failsafe incase you don't come back— I need you to go in there, and if you aren't back in 10 minutes I'll go check myself."
Liam just sighed as he got up, exclaiming that he also had to use the bathroom before leaving.

6:03 PM

Well, the ten minutes were up... and Eli didn't come back either. He was really starting to get concerned at this point, getting up as he turned to Liam's mom.
"I'm gonna go figure out why those two are taking so fuckin' long. I should be back soon."
The older woman looked a bit concerned but just nodded as Max walked off.

He noticed a couple more of those masked men, now raising his suspicions as he made his way to the bathroom. After a short walk, he had made it to the men's room, opening the door. The inconspicuous white tile was only marked with one thing— a single drop of blood on the floor next to the sink. He walked into an empty stall and faked a piss as he just stood in the cubicle for a couple minutes before flushing, unlocking the door as he went to wash his hands. The two men were still waiting in the vents, with the dart gun now aimed at Max. Unfortunately, neither of these people possessed a TICK, so they weren't able to perceive the faint aura that was being exuded from Max. He let it fill the room as he managed to sense the two men in the air duct, although he didn't make to obvious that he noticed them. As the dart fired to his neck, a dagger quickly formed as it blocked the shot, metal pinging against metal as the dart fell. He looked up at the duct, eyes locked with the men with a cold gaze.

"The fuck? how did he!?—"
The two men were sent into a panic as they quickly began to shuffle their way through the air ducts. While Max couldn't directly track them, he could feel which way they went briefly as his aura's range ended. He quickly stepped out before darting down the hallway, travelling in that general direction, hoping he'd find something. After a bit of running however, he ran into another masked man, but he could sense a faint aura around him. This man wore a tragedy mask, in stark contrast to the others who wore comedy masks, as if a designation for their strength. Max just gritted his teeth as he formed a sword in his hand, preparing to face down this mysterious man.