They all Die!

When you suddenly heard you were ordered to be killed, what would you do? Some would panic, some would run for their lives and some would even try to fight back.

But what did these set of people do? They just stood in place, wide eyed.

"W… did you mean it as a joke?" As expected, the first person to talk was Harry.

"Sort of." Circe laughed it off. "It was more like a joke."

"Ah. The boss rarely joke, but when she does …" Kun lowered her voice, just enough for everybody in the room to hear. "Just know it's serious."

Circe grunted slightly.

"Kun, why don't you take these four on a tour round our store? You can get them something to eat and make sure you don't piss them off with your sick jokes." Circe laughed quizzically. "You see, ever since I refused to get Kun a new pet, she had been chasing away my customers with these jokes of her. I apologize in advance." She made a little bow.

Alex frowned. "What about Dylan?"

Circe turned to him and tilted her head a little before looking back at Dylan. "Oh, don't worry," She patted Dylan on the back. "Dylan and I have a little something to talk about."

Alex looked like he wanted to object but after a reassuring look from Dylan =, he only sighed.

- - - -

Dylan would have preferred to go with them. Even though he didn't trust almost all of them, he believed it was better than staying all alone with Circe. But there was this feeling he was getting from her, this very familiar feeling. The same feeling he always got whenever he was next to 'her' – the person he dreaded the most. It also didn't help that they both smiled the same way.

Dylan found himself helpless as Circe wrapped her hand around his and led him to a café table at a bay window. Dylan sat across from Circe and looked through the window, trying to focus on something else.

Through the window, he could see the reflection of Circe staring at him in a seductive way. He didn't like it and waited for her to speak but she just kept staring at him. Finally, with a short but deep breath, Dylan instigated a conversation.

"It really wasn't a joke," He forced himself to look at her. "Was it?"

Circe looked confused but Dylan knew well enough she understood what he was talking about.

"Hmm, not really," After a while, Circe finally replied. "She somehow guessed you would come to me. And she begged me to hold you and the other kid captive. I really didn't expect you to bring three others to me."

"So what are you going to do? You don't seem like you're going to give us to her, do you?"

"Hmm, her offer was quite tempting but I believe having you would be better."

"Having me?" Dylan was truly surprised.

"But come to think of it, how did you manage to hide from her for so long? Even now with you next to me, I can't recognize your aura."

She leaned so close to Dylan that he could feel the moist in her breath. "Tell me Dylan, what is your trick? Who's helping you?"

Dylan shifted backward uncomfortably and after giving her some distance, he looked at her.

"What trick?" Dylan didn't like the way she avoided his question, but decided to play along. "I do not understand what you're saying."

Circe returned to her seat and let out a short sigh. "I wasn't expecting you to tell me. Nevertheless, I don't think your trick would work anymore. I didn't really believe she would go as far as involving …"

"Monster?" Dylan completed her sentence. "We already know about that."

Circe chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, that wasn't what I wanted to say. You see, the Mistress has not only involved monsters ad demon spirits. She has also involved gods. Although these gods are the minor of the minors, but against mortals like you… they can be a big deal."

Dylan almost fell from his seat from shock.

At least, that was what Circe expected. But contrary to her expectations, Dylan remained seated what a somewhat calm look on his face.

"Don't you understand what I said? Not only are monsters hot on your tail, even gods –."

"I understand you well." Dylan said. "But what I don't understand is how this makes any difference. I'll just keep killing everyone that tries to stand in my way."

Circe looked marveled but managed a smile. "I see the spirit. No wonder the mistress wants you so much. She had always been good at scouting individuals with potentials."

Dylan squinted. "Why do you sound like you know her so much?"

"I know the Mistress more than you do Dylan," Circe snickered, "After all, the Mistress is my niece."

"Your niece?" Dylan was surprised at first, but after a while he just exhaled noisily "No wonder."

No wonder there was so much familiarity between them. If the two of them were really related, then if made sense for there to be some similarities between them, especially the expressionless smile.

"Enough talking about her," Dylan stood from his seat. He didn't like the fact that Circe kept talking about his past, something he never like to think about. "Let's get down to business. A certain someone told me you might know where about the whereabouts of Hecate."

"A certain someone? Can you tell me who this someone is? Is he the one helping you?" Circe let loose a series of question but after seeing how unresponsive Dylan was, she slumped on her seat. "Well, I know that Hecate has been captured. I might not know where she is at the moment; I know what might happen to her in a few days time. And I also know about her abductor."

Dylan didn't really care about what would happen to Hecate in a few days time or who was keeping her, but there was something about the was Circe said it, the strange smile on her face as she said those bit. It really made him curious and in the end, he gave in to his curiosity.

"What would happen to her?" He asked shyly. "Who is keeping her?"

Circe once again leaned forward but again, Dylan quickly leapt backward.

Circe didn't seem to mind as she once again whispered seductively. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"No, I don't really care -."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll help you think straight." Circe refuted. "I don't know what trick she used, but she managed to trap Hecate. And now she's keeping Hecate somewhere and the Medea I know would probably be doing some nasty things with her."

Dylan didn't really listen to everything Circe said because his mind was completely somewhere else. "Wait." He raised his hands. "Did you mean she, like the Mistress?"

"Hmm." Circe nodded. And seeing the mystified look as well as fear written on Dylan's face, she finally let out a wholehearted chuckle. "Now you understand why I said you were in real danger. Hecate is a very powerful goddess, and for Mistress to capture, you can imagine what level of power she must possess."

"Look here Dylan, you have very few choices." Circe continued, "Either you leave now and die a very painful death as well as lead your friends to their own death. Or you stay with me and be save."

"Stay with you?" Dylan looked at Circe, his eyes having a strange glow in them. "Will I be safe if I stay with you?"

"Absolutely. I'm years older than Mistress and as my niece, I can talk to her to leave you." Circe was now beaming with a large smile as she finally noticed it working on Dylan. "Stay with me Dylan. Stay forever and you will be safe. Just say it. Just speak the word."

"I'll stay with –."

"No," Dylan shook his head. "What's wrong with me? Why am I thinking like a moron?"

But as he looked at Circe, the feeling was once again developing in him. Her sparking eyes, her charming smile, her sexy body; everything was reassuring him that she was right. But…

"But what about my friend. Will he also be safe if I stay?" Dylan asked.

Circe pouted. "Who said they were leaving here in the first place. Whether you agree to my proposal or not, if they're going to leave here, it would only be their corpse. I'm sure Kun is already entertaining them."

"What!" Dylan shot to his feet. "What are you doing with my friend?"

"Calm down. It was only a joke."

Looking into Circe's eyes, a soothing feeling washed over Dylan and he became calm and even sat down. But he totally forgot Kun's earlier words 'the boss rarely joke, but when she does…just know it's serious.'

Because right now, what the others were experiencing … was horrific.

"Help! Somebody please help me, I think I'm dying!" Bab's scream filled everywhere as he looked at his hands…that were completely missing.

* * * TO BE CONTINUED * * *