Our love will end in sky

Chapter VI

Joseph's POV

I was running and I couldn't stop. I felt how someone was chasing me. I got hit by the chaser and fell on the ground.
I turned. The chaser was me. I mean, really me. I looked really handsome, at least from the chased person vision. But, I was also fierce. I felt how the guy in which body I was in started to feel fear. Very, very, much, fear. His heard started to bump faster.
-Joseph,wait a bit, don't do something you may regret......
I would recognize that voice from another one hundred voices. It was gutted,hesitantly , a little shy and very cute from the fact that it was so fearful. I loved that voice. The fearce Joseph didn't take the scared Aesop advice so he took off his sword and pointed it at him.
-OK, let it be the way you like!said the me-Aesop and he grabbed a punch of dust from the arena floor and throw it into fierce-Joseph's eyes. He dropped his sword and screamed in agony."Îh,sorry, it must steench." the me-Aesop though. He started to look for something in his embalming kit.
Finally, he find it. A small bottle full of an incolor liquid. Me-Aesop took off his mask, I felt how much he hated to do that, and drop a minuscule drop of the liquid. The he went to the crying Joseph that was trying to see again (poor me), and he put the mask on his face. The Joseph fainted imidiatly with a deaf sound. Me-Aesop took off the mask and put it in his pocket. He stood looking at the fierce Joseph for a couple of minutes. Then he gave a string of hair behind his ear. Then he ran away to the opened gate.

I waked up with a pair of gray eyes staring at me.
-Oh, Um, sorry, I didn't want to seem creepy but... I-I.... You were panting in your sleep and I - I....
-Yeah, I understand.....
-What were you dreaming?
Now it was my time to stutter.
-I-I.... Can't remember.... Sorry...
I was so lame at lying. I looked at the cloak. 5:60. Wow, what got in to me to wake up so early.
I got up from bed, brush my hair a little and got out of room.
-Wait!said Aesop. You don't put on your... Suit?
I looked down my body and realised I was just in pants and shirt.
-Neh, I waved my hand carelessly. I don't feel like being elegant today. More like... Comfy..
I turned around and walked to the stairs. I felt how Aesop was blushing behind me. He ran to keep up with me and he was on the edge of putting his mask on when I put a hand on his and said:
-No.
-Wait, what?
-You are not wearing that horrible thing ever again, and I grabbed the mask from his hand, putting it in my pocket.
-What, no! I can't! My mouth....
-Your mouth is beautiful, leave it alone.
-But..
-Shush! Now let's go.
It was obviously that the lack of mask was making him irritable.
-And who are you supposing to find here at this time in the morning?
The answer came immediately because after we descended the stair case Jack rushed to us.
-MY FRIENDS, I AM GLAD TO SEE YOU... gulp.....
He bumped in a table.
-Auch,who put...gulp.....that in the way...?
Laying on the table was Nail, the one and only, laughting histerically pointing at the ceiling. It was obviously drunk for the first time. Near him, on the table were a dozen of empty beer bottles. The air was smelling so much of alcohol that I started to caught.
-What the heck happened here?!asked Aesop, coughing too.
-We just.. gulp... Had a bit of fun.... gulp...
I saw how Aesop's nose twitched.
-I hate drunks.....
He started to search again in his embalming kit. This time he pulled out of his kit two bottles filled with a grinnish liquid. He gave one to Jack and one to Naib.
-Drink it!
-Yuck, no thanks!
-DRINK. IT.
-Okay, ok... gulp...
They drinked every single drop.
-BLEAH... I think I am getting sick..
-Now get to the bathroom, you two, because I don't wanna see what you gained in yourselfes in this night!
I was left alone with Aesop,whie Jack and Naib ran desperately toward the bathroom, up the stairs. I saw how Aesop was looking after them with pity.
-Have you ever got drunk? I asked him.
He turned to me shocked.
-What?! Why would I?! And why would you want to know?
-BECAUSE, you are always such elegant and stuff. Imagine what the others will think of you if they find out. I can blackmail you...
-That's malefic. I am not telling you.
I waked towards him with that walk that I make when I incapacitate survivors and need to pick them up. They are getting more terrified of me.
Aesop felt the danger and he started to walk a few steps away. Unfortunately, in his way, he met the wall. He sticked to it as much as he could as I was aphroching.
-OK, ok, fine! I got drunk once at some sort of party....
-AHA, so you got invited at a party!
He looked at me with a serious look.
-It was my parents funeral.
-Oh..
-I got angry, and frustrated and sad and all the emotions togeder in a messed up giant dark ball and... I just wanted to forget....
He let himself slip on the wall until he reached the base and he was staying on the floor.
I knelted in front of him.
-Do you loved them?
-Kinda. I mean they obviously didn't love me but.... I felt so left behind... All by myself... Alone.
Then he seemed to realize how close to him I was and in what vulnerable position he was because he blushed and crossed his legs in front of the zone, telling me very certain what thing not to do in that moment. I was preparing to break his rules when I noticed the embalming kit next to him. I put casually my elbows on his knees, which made him look very panicked.
-What are you keeping in there, I pointed at the kit.
-Substances.
-What kind of substances?
-All kind.
-Can I take a look?
He raised his shoulders. I took that as a yes and took the kit. I went with my hand straight to the bottom of it and pulled out the small bottle that I saw in my dream.
-What is this?
Aesop raised his head to me then I saw how he turn pale.
-DON'T TOUCH THAT!
I turned to the bottle and saw how a few drops were racing down the bottle to my finger.
-AH!
I let go of it.
-NO!
Aesop made a huge jump and caught it before it smashed. The landing on the ground made him made a growing and made his shirt rise nearly to his chin,unpacking his whole spine full of red scars.
-Hu.... That was nearly.
-What is that thing?
-That, my dear Joseph, is ether.
-And for what it is used?
I was trying not to burst in to laughing because he was looking too hilarious explaining things very seriously, layed on the floor, half-naked.
-It is used during the operations to make the pacient fall asleep.
-If there is there is just sleep why dis you you fuss so much?
He raised an eyebrow at me.
-Do you wanna sleep forever?
-No.
-Then stop smashing my things to the ground!
-Sorry...
-No harm done. Yet. Now, would you be so kind and pull my jacket down?
-Pull it down or up?
-Joseph, is not the moment now!
-OK, ok.
I pulled carefully his jacket back on, alongside with his shirt, covering all his red, nearly-blinding wounds and cuts. Aesop got up and, after sigilating it well, put the Ether bottle back in his bag. I wanted to ask him from where he got all that wounds but my question was cut of by Jack and Naib, descending the stairs.
-Oh gosh, Jack sighted. This feels a lot better.
Naib wasn't much sure about it.
-Are you kidding me?! It felt like my whole life was passing in front of my eyes! The world was spinning, Jack, spinning!
-Neh, you are just weak, you need to have experience...
-Experience?! No thanks, I will never do this ever again!
-We will see about that, Jack mumbled.
They sat at the empty table. Me and Aesop sat down too.
-Anyways, said Jack turning his head to us rising ironically his eyebrows. What did you, loving doves, discused while we were away?
I felt how a pale shade of pink is rising slightly to my checks. I narrowed my eyes at Jack.
-We weren't "discussing" anything!
-Offf courseeee you didn't......
I glared at him.
-And how are we the loving doves and you are not?asked Aesop rising an eyebrow.
- BeCaUsE of two reasons, said Jack. One, we are not cuddling ourselves in public...
I glared at him again, and my finger were itching to touch the handle of my sword.
-... Second, we are not the loving doves, we are the drunk doves!
-What a very good name, mumbled Naib.
Aesop raised from the table and went to prepare his morning coffe. He was getting easily irritate without drinking it.
I watched closely how he did it. He put one spoon of milk and one of sugar. No, two of sugar. No, three!
He turned to us so fast that I got a little of a heard attack. This guy was very sudden in everything.
-Want some?
My nose twitched. I hated coffe.
-No, thank you......
-I want some, but without sugar, or milk, said Jack.
-One with three spoons of milk please! added Naib.
I felt left behind so I said that I wanted a cup, too. Aesop turned to me rising an eyebrow. He known that I didn't like coffee. I was always telling him to take some mints because his breath always smelled of the brown nesty liquid.
-Okay, okay, make me a tea.
He nodded.
After we all set down with our drinks I saw something strange:a red envelope on the table. I was absolutely sure that it wasn't there a few moments ago.
-Hey, guys, did you noticed..., and I pointed to the mysterious mail.
Jack tried to took it but he was stopped by Nail.
-If you take it you will slice it to pieces before anyone could read it.
He grabbed the envelope and got the letter out of it, starting to read it.
-HAHM, my dearest survivors and hunters, yeah, sure, we are dear to her as the Jewes were to Hitler... Anyways, unfortunately, I can't join you today at the manor because of some inconveniences that occurred. That's why you will have no matches today. But, with the will of the spirits, tomorrow we will return to the normal time schedule. MAN, THAT'S AWESOME!
I grabbed the letter from him and scam it.
-Hold your enthusiasm, there is a P. S.!
-Oh.
-Fuck...
-Damn it!
-You are not aloumd to get out of the manor. The cameras will be on so any glimpse of you on the video will be punished.
-TO HELL WITH RULES! screamed Jack.
-I don't agree,said Aesop. We had seen how the games of this guy are, I don't want to see or feel the punishments.
-True, I nodded.
-Then what do we do? Inside the manor is so boring..., said Naib.
-I have an idea, said Jack grinning. Let's explore the manor.
-To explore what?
Eli and Hastur were just descending the stair togheder.
-We have a day off today, I explained, the owner told us in a letter. And Jack had the "great" idea of walking randomly around the manor..
-But why not?asked Hastur.
-Yeah, Joseph, why not?asked Jack ironically.
-What if we get caught? Aesop asked.
-By who, the cloaked guy is missing, said the Mercenary.
-Cameras?I said uncertain.
-There are no cameras on the other halls and rooms, my owls had checked,said Eli.
-Okay, then, let's go!said Jack.
It still seem to me a very bad idea but I followed. Same did Aesop. We climbed the stairs and walk past all the players rooms. Then, it was just a long, dark corridor ahead of us. There were no doors to other rooms, no restriction signs, no lights, just the long, dark hallway. The others entered the hallway without a flinch. I did the same. But, when I looked back, Aesop was still at the start of the corridor. And he was frozed there. I came next to him, and feel him how he was shivering,his heard was beating like a drum and he was strained.
-Hey, are you alright? I asked gently.
-Y-Ye-Yeah....
I took him by the shoulders and tried to push him gently in to the hallway but he was like a statue. They I noticed how horrified he looked when he was staring at the walls, at the low ceiling...
-Are you claustrophobic?
-What? No!
-Then, let's go, and I grabbed his arm. He jerked out of my grab.
-OK, ok, I am claustrophobic. And that includes long, narrowed, dark tunnels that seemed to have no end.
I looked ahead , and saw no sign of the rest of the group.
-Aesop, if we are not moving now we will get completely lost.
-Uhhh..... I think I am remaining here. I will wait for you to return.
-Oh, no, you are going with me.
I grabbed him by the shoulders, gently, but ferm,and pushed him.
He moved like half of a step ahead.
-See? You are doing it, now let's go!
-N-No...
I ignored him and continued to push.
When we entered the darkness he made a face like he was going to hit a wall.
-Come on, there is just darkness!
-I-It is not the darkness that I am worried about....., he said pointing at the walls.
-If it would be light you wouldn't be so stressed, tho.
-Maybe, this is more of a phisohology thing. If it would be light, I would see the end of the tunnel and wouldn't be so stressed because I would know it will end at a point. Ipoteticly speaking. But this is not the case because it is dark and this tunnel will never end and the horrified part of me wants to go to the bright side.
-Think this way, it will came to a moment when the brightness at one of the sides wound disappear and it will be all dark and all you will have to do is go ahead.
-And... I just discovered a new reason to come back...
-You can't, that moment just came.., I pointed behind, it was all just darkness.
-AAAARHHH!
Aesop's scream echoed around the walls. It felt so empty and lonely. I got almost scared, too. I will spare your time and not describe Aesop's feelings. Shortly:he almost faded.
-Aesop, it is all fine, stop freaking out, it is not the end of the world!
-This is the problem! This thing has no end!
-Just keep walking and stop thinking about it.
-It is easy for you to say!
After a few minutes of walking/dragging Aesop, that seemed like ages I finally saw a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Before I could say: "Hey, look" Aesop was no longer near me. He was running like mad. I didn't saw him running like this not even in the arena when I was chasing him.
-Hey, wait up!
I didn't have to stop him because he was stopped by something else. Or would I say someone else. He bumped into Jack's back which was so black that it couldn't be distincted in the darkness of the tunnel. He turn suspiciously. Then he relaxed a bit seeing that it was just us.
-Hey, where were you this all time? We thought that you were too scared and leaved,he smirked.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
-No, we weren't, thanks for the care, we just enconter some problems,I said, giving Aesop a slightly look.
-Well, while you "enconter some problems", we enconter some, too, said Hastur, pointing with one sticky tentacle to the giant iron gate in front of them.
-It looks like we will have to turn back, said Eli.
-NO, screamed Aesop, I mean...., no..until we find out what's after the door!
-I like the entuziasm, said Naib, but it is kind of impossible. The password contains 12 numbers. We tried to count to 12 normal, then reverse, nothing. And we have left just one more try.
Aesop seemed suddenly thoughful.
-Password, huh..?
He got to the control panel and studied the buttons.
-Carefully man, we don't want to activate some magic, agonizing alarm system, said Jack.
Aesop turned to him.
-Belive me, this is not my intention, he said coldly. Then he turned to Naib and Eli. You, guys, didn't notice? In every game the password at the exit gate starts with a 0 and ends with a number from one to six, in reverse order.
-Umm,don't look at me, you know I am awful at decoding, said Naib.
-And I always escape from the hanch, after everyone is gone.
-Ugh, fine, let's see, he started typing on the panel. 0..6...0...5.....0...4...0...3.....0....2.....0.....1
Twelve numbers, that will do.
The gate opened slowly with a screeching.
-Yeah, good job buddy!
-Well done!
But what was shown before our eyes cuted down their cheering.
-No... You have to be kidding me...., I wisphered.
In front of us was a map. An arena. Like that ones where we are send to play this "game". More exactly, we were on the abandoned field where once was the arms factory. I saw all the decoding machines, the pallets, the rocket chairs, that now were so familiar to me. The place seemed abandoned completely. Until a much more teen Aesop appeared in the view running, a few steps behind, followed a wounded Emma.
-What the heck?!asked the real Aesop near me.
The two survivors reached the password panel and Aesop started to press the buttons.
-Hurry up, Shaking Hands, we will get caught!
-I am trying, I am trying, please stop screaming, I am not good under pressure!
-Ugh...
FINNALLY, the door opened, Emma ran through it but Aesop grabbed her hand.
-Wait, what about Eli? We need to wait for him.
-Ugh... Fine!
A few moments of silence.
-So..., Emma started the conversation. What are you going to do when we get out of here?
-Maybe drink a whole bottle of wine to forget all this...
I turned to the real Aesop, with an amused look.
-You hate drunks, heh?
-Urh, shut up!
The conversation between the Embalmer and the Gardener continued.
-Ha, maybe you would share with that guy you were staring at!
-What guy?
-You know, the camera guy!
It took me a few seconds to realize that I was the camera guy.
-You mean Joseph, said the Aesop.
-Aw, so cute, you cached his name!
-Hey, it is politely to catch people's name! It is not like I have a thing for him or whatever!
-Oh.. No... You sure not have..., said Emma.
The Aesop from the arena opened his mouth to say something but he suddenly became very pale. He rides his hand, shaking, pointing at something on front of him.
-G-Ge...
-GEISHA!RUN!
-Wait! Eli, he is coming!
Nearly walking and very wounded, The seer was aproching the gate.
-You help him, I will keep Geisha busy, said Aesop.
-Fine, but don't do anything stupid, she screamed to me as she was running past the hunter.
-I am not four years old!
-You look like one!
-Ugh, said Aesop irritated.
Then he realized that a giant Japanese lady was approaching him with a devil mask put on.
-Oh, boy.....
Geisha striked with his fin, aimed for Aesop's eyes, but he defended himself with his arm. The fin made a cut in his white gloves, from where it started to run blood.
-Arg, he grabbed a rock and threw it at Geisha.
The rock stabled throght air then hit with force Geisha's left eye.
-AAAAHHHH
-Emma, hurry, we have a chance!
-I am coming, I am coming!
She run through the gate, helping Eli do the same. Aesop ran with them and then they dissapiered.
-Joseph,said Jack, from now on your name will be Camera Guy!
-Uh, shut up, Jack!muttered Aesop, who was, obviously, embarrassed.
-Leaving that, said Eli, it is very weird, because, this thing actually happened...., he approached Geisha, who was still winning in pain, and tried to touch her, but his hand got through her.
-It is a hologram, I realized. This whole chamber is just some kind of a projector for recordings. Recordings of our games....
-That's creepy, said Hastur.
-And it looks like he or she knows how to organize them....., said Naib pointing at something on the wall.
A panel. Full of buttons and sticky notes near some buttons.
-Wuuuuu, let's see what this guy have here!said Jack.
Near the first buttons there was a sticky note Wich on was written "Deaths", then "interesting" "Amusing" "Favorites" and many others.
Jack pressed one from "Amusing".
The room around us flinched a bit, then we were in the Moonlit River park. Aesop was dragging himself on the ground in front of us,with his leg cut blinding badly. I got a sour taste in my throat, because I remembered that me, with my own sword made that to him, I regretted it right after I did it but, being a hunter is weird. You think with your own head, but then you feel like someone is controlling your body while you just set there and each, and sometimes you can't ever be aware of what is your body doing. You just wake up with an incapaciete survivor winning in pain in front of you and you have the uncontrolled instinct of picking him up in a bunch of balloons and put it in a rocket chair. Everyone at the mansion said that hunters are merciless. But we would have mercy if we were allowed.
-Auch, what did you do to the poor boy?
-I am NOT poor!said Aesop hitting another button.
That was something from favorites. We were send with a glich in the basement full of rocket chairs. Eli was like of dragged by a giant tentacle.
-You can't run from this forever, Eli!
-Challenge accepted!
-Wait, stay on this channel, said Jack, this seems very interesting.
-No it is not!shouted Eli, running to the panel, pressing a button Wich on was scribbeled A. J.
-No, not that one!I screamed in the last second.
We were send in the Moon Lit River Park. Hurray..! I bite my lip while we were teleported near the exit gate, right near Emma who was decoding desperately. From that angle we could see perfectly me, glaring maleficent at Emma. Then Aesop appeared running from behind a wall, he dropped his embalming kit, studied a bit the situation, then, with a determinated glare he started to run towards me. The moment he jumped from the earth to my shoulders was like recorded in slow motion.
-ARH
The Joseph from the recording made a surprised face when he felt the extra weight. He lost his balance and fell in dust. Aesop was sitting triumphal above. I, from the recording, turned to Aesop.
-Let go of me!
-I will let go of you when the world will end.
-OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, YOU ARE SO CUTE, I AM DYING....., screamed Eli jumping up and down with his hands on the face.
-Shush, said Jack, I want to see what happens.
Luckly, Eli's interference cut off the part with me tickling Aesop.
-OK, movie time is over, said the real Aesop.
-Oh, come on, it was becoming interesting....
My beloved embalmer pressed the third button. We were again at the Arms Factory. But now it was kind of misty.
-Oh, I said, I know Wich of is this, and I am gonna love it, I grinned at Jack.
-Oh, no...., said Naib.
Surprisingly Jack was grinning at Naib, too.
The recording started with Jack grabbing Naib by the hood.
-J-Jack... Don't move..
-What are you saying, I can't hear you!
-JACK I AM SERIOS, IT IS TOO..
The recording stopped suddenly.
I felt like someone is reaching to my neck and suffocate me. I looked around. Everybody was dealing with the same thing, rising from the ground slowly. I looked down, I was rising from the ground, too. I gasped for air but I couldn't. I couldn't breathe. I tried to free myself but around my neck was nothing,just thin air. I looked behind us and I saw the person I hated the most in the whole world : the black-cloaked figure.