Hide and Seek

"Mr. Chain, please don't interrupt our recruitment processes." The man in white pointed at Aria, Damon, and Luna, "what if you had killed these... Supple... Rich... Fruitful... I mean.... Contestants..."

Mr. Chain stood still, his face a dark hue of black and red, with ash and dead skin slowly floating up into the air. He held out his hand, pointing to the explosion he had just created.

"There were three traitors from my family trying to join the Immortal Horses... You see how that is a problem? Our alliance doesn't mean shit if you are hiding traitors from my family under your domain..." He looked at all the soldiers, at Damon, at Aria, at Luna, at the man in white, "but... But I do humbly apologize. I acted out. I will take this up with you another time."

"Good. I'll have a long talk with you later."

The man in white turned away as his suited soldiers followed behind him in a circle formation.

Mr. Chain looked at Damon, Aria, and Luna once more. Their faces confused and in wonder as he held out his naked palms, ready to lift off into the air.

Burn Spell: [Ignite]

Fwoosh!

His body turned to fire. Flames rising from his feet to his chest to his head. Engulfing his already chard skin into a pillar of musty flesh.

Burn Spell: [Rocket Explosion]

Boom!

Fwoooosh!

He lifted off the ground, the flames from his feet propelling him into the air, and into the distance.

Aria, Damon, and Luna all stood parallel to the soldiers. Their eyes staring back. The blonde-haired man in all white looked at them. He looked at the destroyed town. He looked at the blood-covered streets, the dead bodies everywhere, crushed, stabbed, killed, shot.

He turned back to the group before him, "it seems the first test is over. You three can move on now. Head to the ridge outside of the town, nearby the forest. There is a group waiting there."

He walked away with all the other soldiers following behind, watching every road, and every path, where danger lurked.

Damon leaned over whispering to Aria, "is he a True Immortal?"

She whispered back, "probably, the way he commands the other Immortal Soldiers, shows it. He's probably a lower-ranked on, like fifth or fourth, but he's still strong."

"So he's weak... So we can take him out then?"

Aria stopped the impatient bored Damon, "not yet. Waisting our chance, by trying to take out one True Immoral isn't worth getting into the organization. We wanna at least get to the top brass. But right now our plan should be intel and passing this test."

"Then after? Are we taking out their leader?" he whispered.

"Yes. We're going after the leader. Then we're taking the Necronomicon. Once we do all that, I'll have to find a way to destroy it."

Damon stopped for a second. He thought of something, of his immortality, of his death.

"Wait... Wait wait wait... If we destroy the Necronomicon... Will I lose my Immortality?"

"I don't-"

Luna leaned in curious, "what ya talking about?"

Aria switched in a split second.

"Nothing, just a plan, just a plan to win these tests. Yup... But now we should get going. It seems most of the other participants have already reached the next phase. We're lagging behind, so get ready to make a run for it."

"Do I have to run?" sighed Damon, as he slouched over with his hands in his old, ripped-up suit pockets.

"Yes!"

---

Ten minutes later. Out of the three hundred contestants, only one hundred survived and made it to the ridge.

"The name of the game is hide and seek. Out of the one hundred survivors here, only half of you will remain after this second test. The test consists of three rounds. The first round starts off with one seeker and ninety-nine hiders. The hiders will hide in this very forest behind us. And when the button is called the seeker will try to find them. Simple as that."

The announcer paused as he leaned forward on the tall wooden overhanging stage.

The one hundred remaining contestants waited as he took a long sip of water. It started splashing across his shirt, hitting the wooden paneling of the stage, forming a short puddle. He then tossed the glass into the forest behind him.

"Now where was I. Oh yes. This is no simple game of hide and seek. This is a game of hide and murder, where one seeker will be chosen to go on a murdering rampage, trying to kill as many people as they can within a certain time frame. If the seeker can't reach a minimum of ten kills then they are to be killed and replaced at random. If the seeker is killed by a hider, then that hider will become the seeker. The game will go on for three thirty-minute rounds. Once the time ends the seeker will be replaced and the game will continue until fifty remain. Kapeesh!"

Everyone in the crowd, "kaposh!"

"Good good... Now, who wants to be the first seeker?" He pointed out into the crowd, "anyone, anyone?"

No one raised their hands. Out of the one hundred people, not one wanted to be the seeker, not one.

The announcer leaned back annoyed, "then I'll just pick at random." He pointed to a random person in the audience, "you, you're the seeker."

"Me?" questioned Damon as he looked around him, as the surrounding crowd started to avoid him like he had a contagious virus.

"Yes, you. You are the first seeker."

"Oh... Damn... Well ok..."

---

The game began. The ninety-nine surviving participants spread out into the forest, disappearing into the darkness.

The announcer stepped down from the stage. He walked up to the alone Damon, his slouched back and aching legs. He just wanted to lay on the ground, to not do anything, and die...

"It's ok buddy. It can be tough. I remember when I first joined the organization. Back then I joined to get the fifth spot. But I lost and became a lame plain Immortal. That was fifty years ago, and look at me, I look like I'm in my twenties. Anyway, the trials were worse back then, like I remember in the first round, everyone died until there were only like ten people left. But this test... Damn... The number of participants just keep going up and up and up. Soon we're gonna have to come up with better games than just, murder murder murder. It's kinda getting old."

"Life is getting old," sighed Damon as he stared off into the setting sun.

"Whoa... That's dark man. Anyway. Your times almost up. So get ready."

He looked at his watch, he looked at Damon's sunken face, Damon turned.

"By the way, I have a question?" he asked.

"What is it, amigo?"

"You said you were an Immortal, right? How do you die?" he asked, his face slowly turning, his eyes crooked, covered in a haze of misery and torment.

"Die...? Well, we don't... Well, the True Immortals don't. We might live forever but eventually, the Horcruxes run out. You understand that reference? Harry Potter? Anyway. The rituals are coming up man. The solar eclipse. The only time a true Immortal can be born. Exciting isn't it. I wish I could join the competition, but I got a job now, a wife, kids on the way. Plus I'm part of the organization already, I'm an immortal, who needs to live forever, am I right?"

He slapped Damon on the back.

"You talk too much," grumbled Damon as he started walking toward the forest.

"Huh? Do I really? Yeah, I guess I do... Anyway, it's time for you to go-"

Damon was gone. He left in an instant, gone in the darkness of the forest.

"Oh, he's gone..."