F I V E
Games With The Devil
I THREW MY head back, allowing the burn of a strong alcohol to flood my senses. It left a sparked trail down my throat, all before leaving my mind into a dazed whirl that danced around in hallucinations. The room felt lighter, more spacious as I rocked my body gently along with the beat of the music. It felt like hours since I had last caught a glimpse of my friends, or even any of the three brothers, but with my mind a dazed whirl, that was definitely the least of my worries right now.
Midnight wasn't that far away. In fact, someone had announced over the speaker system just minutes ago that the countdown will soon begin. As the sea of sweaty bodies seemingly only grew, I lost my way through the crowd, bodies pressed against throngs of strangers as the music pumped through my veins in place of blood.
It didn't take too long before I felt a pair of stray hands rested upon the curve of my hips, a heat pressed against my behind as the stranger pulled me closer into his hold. I was drunk, but definitely not yet struck dumb as I struggled away from his grip.
"What are you doing?" I questioned, attempting to push him away but his grip was strong.
The strong and all too familiar scent of thick liquor filled my senses, the stranger's breath dancing across my skin as his hand snaked further down my body. I forced my eyes shut, desperately trying to erase the scent from my memory. The alcohol in his breath ironically woke me up, sobering me instantaneously.
"Don't be such a killjoy, love. Live a little." His voice was a dropped, low hum, buzzing in my ear as I snapped to my senses more and more. Each second felt like forever, time – my greatest enemy – dragging itself out almost torturously.
All I knew at the moment was that I need to get myself out of here. Pushing against his metal grip, I wrestled myself away from his hold, only to be pulled back into his hold again.
"Let go!"
My voice, however, was no match for the thundering music in the background. With cries drowned out by the music, I could barely even hear the speaker's voice over the microphone announcing the beginning of the countdown.
This was not the way I wanted to spend my birthday. Not being groped by a strange man in an even more strange party.
My eyes darted around the crowd frantically, trying to find Minnie and Bella, or even any one of the three brothers in which I've met. At this point, I would've gladly gone down to my knees to beg for help from Fabian, the brother that oh so clearly despised me.
A cheer erupted from the crowd, pushing all the partygoers on the dance floor even closer together as I slumped back into the stranger's uncomfortably welcoming arms. I could feel his grip roaming south, tugging at my sweater as I yanked and pulled at his grip but to no avail.
It was when I thought that all hope was lost and that I would be doomed to spend the beginnings of my twenty-first birthday being outraged by a stranger when a hero stepped in.
"Horny little bitch, aren't you?" A new voice stated, and it took barely a millisecond before those slimy hands were torn away from my figure. Instead, I was pulled behind a towering figure decked out in a full black ensemble.
Not even giving my attacker a chance to reply, the man that had newly appeared by my side pulled back his fist, ramming it straight into the unnamed slob's jaw as a deafening crack echoed through the area. The noise gained attention, stopping the thundering music as a collective gasp broke out amongst the crowd around us.
I gasped, jolting back a few steps as the man toppled to the floor with a slam against the wooden floorboards of the boathouse. Spectators started to gather as the strange anti-hero rolled up the sleeves of his long sleeved shirt, taking his own sweet time before bending down to the man's fallen figure.
There was a hint of sadistic maliciousness that radiated from the anti-hero's aura. The vibe that I was getting off from him gave me a contradicting mixture of relief, comfort, and also fear.
"Weak," he spat, before pulling the man up by the collar of his shirt.
He raised the half unconscious man high above the ground as if he weighed no more than a nice tall glass of water. Clicking his tongue in an almost delighted manner, the mysterious man flung his victim across the floor, sending dancers screaming to get out of the way and rushing towards the door.
My eyes turned around to see the endless sea of people rushing towards the door, only to see the doors locked shut as they banged against the metal and wood. Panic flooded my body, eyes turning back to face my supposed rescuer only to see that he was lightly kicking the man with the tip of his expensive-looking shoes.
It was very obvious, the man was checking to see if that his opponent would move even in the slightest. There was a small grin curving the right corner of his lip, displaying a clear dimple in his cheek that matched Wilhelm's so perfectly. Though the four brothers were not related by blood, there were certainly some family traits they shared from just being around each other. There I knew that the fourth and final brother had finally decided to show up.
The host of the party seemed rather satisfied with himself, lightly dusting off his hands with a soft clap as he kicked the man one more time.
And the man on the floor?
He was not even breathing.
"Well?" The strange man drawled, arms spread wide as his voice echoed through the room. Every pair of eyes turned to face the speaker, and I wasn't an exception. "Isn't this just simply a wonderful start to the new year?"
The clock was a minute away from 12, each second's tick resounding loudly in reverberation. Unlike many of my days, I could hardly even pay attention to the clock, though. Not when the man's eyes were the most alluring shade of molten silver. So much so that it almost glowed in the dark.
I swallowed the bile in my throat when I realized that those pair of eyes matched the ones I had seen from earlier on in the party. The figure that had slinked back into the shadows owned the same beautiful eyes.
"I really didn't want to kill in a more gruesome way than needed," he continued, his platinum silver eyes darting over to meet my own for a split second as the heavy silence stuck through the air, "but humans really make everything so much harder. It would be better to wipe you all clean in the worst way possible. Just so that your next life will live in that fear constantly."
A collective murmur began to spread amongst the crowd, each whispering loudly as they watched with anticipation. They were all behind me, much closer to the front doors, much closer to the exit than I was. Instead of that good fortune, I was standing smack down in the center of the dance floor, with the strange cryptic man less than three feet away from me and the other lying dead behind him.
"I must say, Addison. This party was after all in your honor. But my brothers are here today for a feast, and who am I to deny them of that luxury?"
Speaking in riddles, the man took a few long strides and he was inches away from me in seconds. My mind was screaming at me to run, but my feet felt rooted to the spot, losing all feeling in them.
"You truly are beautiful in person," he whispered, voice barely audible as he trailed a finger down my cheeks. Where his cold fingers met my skin, I could feel it lighting up as if it were ablaze. I jolted slightly back due to the shock, lips parted with a small gasp.
Before I could even react, he pressed his freezing cold lips against mine, sending a bolt of electricity straight through my body as an unexplainable pain tore through my veins. My voice was stuck at the base of my throat, unable to scream for help even with my mind buzzing in borderline insanity.
The clock struck midnight, twelve loud resounding strokes echoing through the night. Time seemed to stand still as my head grew light, drifting in and out of consciousness while I was still very much on my two feet. As the eleven stroke ticked past, I mustered all my energy to push the man away, stumbling a few steps behind as his silver eyes glared down at me.
A collective thump sounded behind me, causing me to turn around. One by one, the crowd began to slam towards the ground, all cast into a sleep-like trance as my own head grew light.
"You have one hour, mi amor." The man's lips lifted into a crooked smirk. A crinkling sound crackled through my hearing as he pressed a small piece of paper into my hands, his glittering eyes daunting and sparkling with mischief. "Let's make this more fun, shall we? You have an hour to prepare for this game of tag. I'll see you soon. Until then, I promise to be very patient."
And with that, I lost all feeling in my legs as the ground seemingly headed towards me in enormous speeds. The world of pitch black started to cave in, leaving me with nothing but an empty void. I fell into the dark, my eyes involuntarily pulled shut by an unexplainable occult force of magic.
The darkness seemed all too lonely for a soul like mine.
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