Let's Play

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER IS A TAD BIT SCARY. IF YOU'RE FAINT OF HEART, PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

When I hear a little child's voice singing, I slightly frown.

"I love counting, you can't hide. One, two, three, four, five. I will find you, wait and see. There's no place to hide from me. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Should I start to count again? Maybe yes, maybe, no? Am I coming? You. Don't. Know." A loud bang ends with the song startling me awake.

I jerk up and I notice I'm sitting in a very long hallway with no end in sight. I swallow hard as I hear voices echoing around me. When I hear a music box playing, I quickly spin around! As soon as I spin around, the music box stops.

The walls tilt, almost like a picture warping before slowly going back to normal. My heart races in fear as the voices continue to whisper all around me. I quickly climb to my feet, looking back and forth down the long empty hallway.

I lift a hand up to my chest and feel for blood, but I don't feel or see anything. Didn't I die? A scratching noise has me jerking my head up! A cold breeze passes by me as the dim lights in the hall flicker!

When I hear a click, I turn behind me and notice the light at the end of the hall going out. My breathing is uneven as I try to call my magic to me. It doesn't come! Suddenly, I hear a woman singing.

"Come, little baby, close your eyes. The world turns dark, but your dreams are darker. Hush little baby don't be afraid. There is nothing under your bed. Hurry little baby close your eyes, the monsters are here instead."

Another click and another light goes out, followed by the laughter of children. My eyes water as I reach out to touch the wall.

Click

Click

Click

The darkness grows closer and closer! I stumble back, turning to run.

The clicking picks up as a loud thumping sound closely chases after me! I run as fast as I can but when the hall starts to warp again, I find myself stumbling. I fall on the wall this time as everything turns on its side!

I start crawling as fast as possible, trying to stand again but the hall continues to turn! I slide onto the ceiling that was now like the floor as the darkness nips at my feet. I cry out, struggling to keep going!

I stumble a few times before I'm back on my feet. I run as fast as possible when suddenly, I hear a woman screaming! I flinch, looking behind me and instantly wishing I hadn't. Something was crawling on the floor wickedly fast within the darkness!

When I look back in front of me, I see a door! I run straight for it, hitting it hard as I turn the doorknob. When I run through the door, the whole world flips, and I'm suddenly falling back onto the ground.

I hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of me but when I see that thing crawling towards me, I quickly kick the door shut! Nothing happens for a second or two but then it hits the door! The door buckles and slightly opens!

I scream, kicking the door shut once again with fear running through my veins like ice water. I freeze, waiting but nothing happens. With a shaky breath, I quickly sit up and put my back against the door. I check the door for a lock, but it doesn't have one.

I look around the room and notice I can't see anything but a small circle around me. Everything else is pitch black. My eyes water in fear when I realize I'm not alone in the room. I try to call my magic to me once again but when nothing comes, a single tear falls down my cheek.

Think Lyra, think. Where are you? What is this place? Was this hell? Was I really that bad of a person? No, wait. Was this... was this the Artifact? Was I somehow stuck inside the Artifact? Was this it's doing?

Something moves within the darkness, making me flinch. Suddenly, I hear tap, tap, tap. On the door behind me. I let out a shaky breath as I try to remain calm, but it was almost impossible. Every time I've been sucked into the Artifact, I've gone straight to Abell but not this time.

Even if I'm not with Abell, I just have to wait until my magic becomes stronger. As soon as my magic is strong enough, I can leave. Suddenly, the room lights up, and sitting in the very middle is a small, red ball.

It sits there as I silently try to calm my racing heart but when the balls suddenly starts rolling towards me, I lean my head back against the door, wanting to disappear. To be anywhere but here but when the ball bumps into my shoe and stops, I'm left silently staring at it.

I yell out, "Why are you doing this? Why not fight me, huh?"

A creepy giggle is heard before a voice echos around me saying, "You wanted to kill me, remember? What's wrong? It's only fair when you want to kill me?" The red balls suddenly starts bleeding!

Dark red blood oozes out of the red ball, pooling at my feet when suddenly I feel something dripping on me. I lift a shaky hand, touch my cheek and pull my hand away to see blood. I slowly look up and see the entire ceiling flooding with blood!

It starts dripping everywhere, looking like blood rain! The lights flicker and when I look back to the room, a dark figure is hunched over in the middle of the room! My breathing becomes shorter and more rapid as the figure slowly starts to stand.

The lights continue to flicker as the dark figure grows taller and taller. I clench my blood-soaked fists as I stare up at the imposing figure. It slowly stretches out its long arms and says in a strangled voice, "Let's play, witch."

An off-tuned piano starts to play in the background as I slowly come to my feet. Fear threatens to choke me, to break me but I refuse to back down. I just have to last long enough for my magic to overcome the Artifact. I just have to hold out...

_________

WEIMIN

Weimin was shocked to find that not only was Lyra still alive, but the wound on her chest was now completely healed. All that remained were black veins under her fair skin. He knew Bolin would be on the hunt for her, so he placed her in a room lit up with hundreds of candles.

But that wasn't enough, no. He knows how Bolin works. He has her floating in water that is lit up with spirit stones. So no matter the angle, she wouldn't have a shadow at any point. Meanwhile, he has an Array Master placing an Array all around the entire palace.

This was no simple or ordinary Array, no. This was one that would make her completely invisible to Bolin and his odd shadow power for the time being. He only needed to buy time. He would take no chances with her. Once the Array is set up, he won't have to worry about her escaping as well.

A beautiful woman dressed in all black walks in with a dark smirk and asks, "Are you ready?" Weimin looks up and says, "You may begin." The woman's dark smile grows as she says, "Are you sure? Once it's done, it can't be undone."

Weimin gives her a dark look and says, "Do it."

The woman smiles even larger, showing her sharp teeth. As she slowly lifts her arms, her black sleeves slide down, revealing black markings. The markings begin to move and shift, coming to life as the candles in the room grow darker.

The woman steps into the water licking her lips as her eyes turn completely black. She walks up to Lyra and waves her hand over her sleeping body. The markings begin to lift off her arms, floating in the air above Lyra like a dark living cloud.

The woman lifts her finger up to her bright red lips and blows on it. Suddenly, the candles blow out! As soon as Lyra's shadow is seen, the dark moving cloud attacks! It swallows her shadow whole before quickly returning to the woman's arms.

As the black markings become one with her skin once again, she lifts her head back, moaning in delight as she says, "Her shadow tastes divine."