Eldritch

Chapter 23

Daniel crashes backwards, landing flat on his back. He jerks upwards and pushes himself backwards with the support of his hands behind him. Sean continues to stalk towards him, towering over him.

'Sean, listen to me,' Daniel says, while crawling further away from him.

The creature throws a kick to his ribs, which he grasps with a pained groan. It bends down to face him. 'My name isn't Sean,' he tells him. 'I'm the Gamemaster. And it's your turn, Daniel.'

It curls its fist tightly around Daniel's neck, who gasps for air, and it pushes Daniel's t-shirt up to reveal a freshly placed dressing at his side.

'How's the little cut I gave you?' it hisses, loosening its grip enough for Daniel to speak. 'Healing nicely?'

'Sean, this isn't you,' he chokes, locking eyes with it and searching deep for a hint of the friend he's lost. 'I know you're in there. You just need to come back to us. Please.'

In its eyes, he continues to search for the essence of Sean's character, but all he sees are empty, soulless eyes. Devoid. 'Sean,' Daniel continues. 'Look--'

The emptiness in its eyes is soon replaced with an unflinching sense of ferocity. It tightens his grasp around his throat once more and with its almighty strength, raises him upwards until his feet are no longer touching the floor. His face reddening, Daniel grasps its arm and holds onto it tightly; as though that will allow air back into his lungs.

'Please,' he wheezes, while kicking his feet slightly outwards. He continues to struggle in its grasp.

The anger in its eyes intensifies, and it hurls Daniel through the air to come crashing into the wall. Wheezing on the floor, he lifts his hand up in surrender. 'Okay,' he coughs. 'I'll go with you.'

Blood dripping from his nose, Daniel slowly clambers to his feet, clutching his wound as he does.

----

Marissa whips her head upwards and darts for the door as someone raps on it.

'Louis?' she says. 'Anything?'

As he steps inside, she cups her hands over her nose. 'Yes and no,' he says.

'Oh my God, what happened to your head?' She gestures to the blood flowing in his hairline.

'That doesn't matter,' he dismisses. 'Look, I found him. I found Daniel.'

Marissa's eyes widen. 'Where is he?'

Louis bows his head. 'I lost him again. I found him in a motel in the city, and then, someone barged in, and knocked me out, and when I woke up, he was gone again. His car too.'

Marissa swallows. 'Oh God,' she says. 'It must've been whoever he was running from.'

'Running from?'

Tears well in her eyes. 'Well, he was running from something, and then, someone breaks into the motel room, it must've have been the person he was running from.'

Louis watches her in discomfort as she sobs. 'They've taken him. My baby. Just like Sean and Ella, and Charlene have gone missing, and they haven't been found. What if we never find him?'

Louis takes her hands in his. 'Louis,' she sniffles. 'My heart was broken to pieces when we lost Mia. And if we lose him too, it'll be like someone ripped those pieces from my chest until there's nothing left. I can't lose him too.'

She bawls over his shoulder as he pulls her closer. 'I can't,' she weeps. She backs away and looks to him, smears of mascara running down her face.

He steps closer and places his hands on her shoulders. 'I know it broke you when Mia, when she—and it destroyed me too. But, we're not going to lose him too. I'll make sure of it. We're going to get him back.'

Upon noticing him inch slightly closer with each word, she fills in the gap, stops a few centimetres from his face and slowly leans forward. He meets her halfway, stepping into a warm and tender kiss.

Marissa jerks backwards and looks to him in disbelief at the loving embrace they've just shared.

'Marissa,' Louis says.

'You're right,' she interrupts. 'We're going to get him back. We're all going to get our children back.'

She picks up the phone and starts dialling one of a few numbers in her telephone book.