Where This World Ends, Another Begins

Chapter 12: Ryan

I ended up standing next to a guy with dark hair, really pale skin, and a very large scar. Oh, and white eyes. I'm not really sure, but I don't think that's normal. He looked really angry. I turned my head to look at him and he punched me in the face! I fell to the ground in shock and confusion. And also, that hurt!

"What a lovely welcome," I muttered. That was a mistake. He kicked my chest. I curled up on the floor.

"Stand up," he demanded. I slowly stood up. He studied me. I took the opportunity to punch him back. It felt good for a second, but then I regretted it. His eyes turned brown. He punched me so many times, it felt like I was going to pass out. When I fell to the floor, he kicked me, too. I curled up on the floor. I was bleeding and everything hurt. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. He brought me into a room. I think I'm going crazy, because it looks like four people are floating. He pushed me to the ground.

"Ryan!" I heard them yell. It sounded like Sarah and Charlie.

"This is all because of you," said the guy. I could see him standing next to me. His eyes turned red and he held out his hand. Then, my right arm and leg twisted in a very unnatural way. It hurt so bad. They twisted more and more. I screamed as loud as a person could ever scream. I beat the ground with my free arm. "She would have fallen in love. The potion would've worked. But because of you, it didn't work. This is what you deserve." He was angry, but I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. Finally, he stopped. I could feel the tears running down my face. I heard him walking away. Then a door closed. I was really uncomfortable, but I could barely move.

"Ryan! Are you ok?" I heard Sarah again. I couldn't talk. I heard more people talking. I tried to say something, but I couldn't. I felt like I was going to pass out. I shut everyone and just focused on staying awake. It was hard, but I managed to at least for a while. It was actually pretty hard. I kept hearing Sarah's voice (and maybe Charlie's). I don't know how long I was there. All I know is that it hurt. After what seemed like forever, the voices stopped. It would've probably meant nothing, but they stopped mid-sentence. There's probably someone here. I opened my eyes, but no one was there. I turned my head around. Everyone is gone. I'm all alone. Where did they go? I just hope they're ok. Then something held my head down. I try to move but I can't.

"If you cooperate," says a man, "no one gets hurt." I stopped moving and froze in place. He let go of my head and grabbed my shoulders. He pulled me up to my feet with surprising strength. As soon as he let go, I stumbled and fell over. He pulled me back up to my feet and held me up. "You're really beat up, eh?" He pulled a black cloth out of his pocket and wrapped it around my eyes. Then he ushered me around for a while and then dropped me to the ground. I felt really dizzy so I just curled up into a ball and prayed for this to be over. Then I heard a voice.

"Why is he here?" Liana? "You said he wouldn't be here!"

"Calm down." That's the guy who beat me up.

"You said you would send him back!"

"I can't do that."

"Why not? You brought them here, so send them back."

"He's the only one left. I sent the rest back."

"Then send him back!"

"I can't."

"Why not?!"

"He's the problem."

"What?"

"If it weren't for him, it would've worked."

"What wouldn't have worked?"

"The food was supposed to make you fall in love. It would've made this whole thing easier."