Mystery's Circus: The Lost

Mystery’s Circus: The Lost

Prologue Pt 1: A Familiar Yet Unfamiliar Face

Its dark. I cannot see anything. I cannot feel anything. Am I asleep? Am I dead? No, I can't be dead if I have my thoughts. Where am I? Should I try calling for help? Better than doing nothing.

???: “Hello!? Hello!!”

*Flash*

Suddenly, a flash of light blinds me! I am dazed for a moment, but only a moment. Once I regain my vision my eyes are met with a room, a room I have never seen before. It looked...odd. I find myself laying on a bed. The walls, ceiling, floor, and everything else in the room were painted with pink and purple stripes. The room looked almost like a hotel room, but with a bizarre fashion.

???: “Where am I?”

My curiosity and concern blend together within me. I make myself get up from the bed. Strangely, I don’t feel tired or weak at all. I take a look around the room. The first thing I noticed was soothing music playing in the room, like elevator music, though I don’t really know what elevator music sounds like. There was a mirror on the wall, a sink below it, a closet, a giant stuffed lion plush in the corner, a monitor in the wall, and…blueprints? I can only guess it’s blueprints on the wall, or it could be a schematic, but my attention wasn’t really focused on it. Instead, my attention was focused on the mirror next to me. I gazed at myself in the mirror only to find a rather haunting image.

???: “W-what is this!?”

My body was all the same, but the first thing that caught my attention was my face! I was wearing a weird, creepy-looking mask! I didn’t feel it or even notice it on my face! It was grey, half light grey, half dark grey, but grey nonetheless. All it had on it was a smiley face you would draw on a stick figure or an emoji. It didn’t have eyeholes or a mouth hole in it, but I could still see just fine, and my voice wasn’t blocked out either. How is that possible!? I immediately tried to take it off, but to no avail. It was like it was a part of me! I panicked and pulled harder, but nothing. I turned on the sink and splashed water on it, hoping that would do something, but it didn't.

???: “What is this!? What is any of this!?”

My mind raced a million times per minute. Then…

*BEEP*

A sound stopped my chaotic behavior. It came from the monitor on the wall. I approached it slowly. It began to show text on the screen. A voice read it out to me.

“Hello lucky contestant! You have been chosen by us!”

Chosen? Chosen for what? By who?

“In case you have forgotten who you are, here is your profile :)”

It shows me my profile.

Name: Michael *******

Location: Florida, USA

Age: 18

Race: Black

Gender: Male

Yep, this is me. No doubt this is me. They even know my last name. But how? Who is even talking to me?

“Let’s begin right away shall we? This room itself is a puzzle. The goal is simple, solve the puzzle to get out. Let me help you out! There is a locked box under your bed which contains the key to your door. Though you’ll need to solve the room first to open it. You have 5 minutes to complete this puzzle or else…you’ll die! Good luck and have fun!”

*BEEP*

The monitor shut off.

Michael: “…”

Did he say I’ll die? DIE!? If I don’t get of here, I am going to die!? This is a dream! It has to be!

*BEEP*

A louder buzzer sounded and a timer appeared before the monitor. It already started! I didn’t hesitate and went straight for the schematic on the wall.

Michael: “This is…a blueprint of this room?”

There are little circles in certain areas. Are these secret areas in my room? I glanced at the timer.

4 minutes left

Crap! I didn’t think about it too much. I went to one of the circled areas, just in the middle of the floor. I see a small hatch in the floor! I opened it only to find…

“AHAHAHAHAHA”

Michael: “Woah F**k!”

A…jack-in-the-box…with a cube for a head. What the h***!? Is this a joke? Its not funny! Do one of these hatches have the key?

3 minutes left

No time to think! I looked back at the blueprint and tried for a different spot. There’s one behind my bed. I went there and saw it.

Michael: “How did I not see any of these!?”

I opened it and…

*BWOP*

I was sent flying back!

Michael: “Ack!! What the!?”

A red boxing glove punched me square in the face! This is starting to really p*** me off!! I kept opening hatches around the room. Each one just had little jokes and pranks inside. Shocks, sound horns, signs that say ‘You Suck!’ or ‘LOL!’ or ‘You’re Not Doing It Right!’.

2 minutes left

I’m starting to lose hope, but I'm not tired. I give up on the hatches and just looked around the giant stuffed animal lion. Nothing. I looked in the closet next.

1 minute left

Michael: “Great…”

While searching the closet I looked on the top shelf and I saw…

Michael: “No. No! No f***ing way!”

It was the key!

10 seconds left

Forget it and get to the door! I rushed to the door and used the key on it…

Michael: “No…”

It doesn’t fit. The real key is in the box. This key is for the box!

"Time’s Up!"

This is it. This is the end. Wow, what a short story about someone dying because they failed a puzzle, which wasn’t even a puzzle but more of a find and search. Suddenly, the floor opened up and I fell through it.

Michael: “AAAAAAAaaaaaaaahh!!”

I found myself in a slide. No furniture fell down with me but stayed in the room somehow. I didn't question it as I was sliding down really fast!

Michael: “W-woooooaahhh!”

It's probably just leading to my death. The tunnel just kept getting darker, slowly but surely. I was going to be swallowed by the darkness. Dark, darker, yet darker until I fell into...a ball pit? I stood up in the ball pit. The ball pit had light and dark gray balls in it, the same shades as my mask. I swam out of it and looked at my surroundings.

Michael: “Is this…a lobby?”

The room looked nice, fancy even. Around me were red walls and white pillars. Paintings were scattered all over the walls. All of them had figures drawn in different styles, but all were wearing the same mask I had. There were double doors on the left and right. In front of me was a giant door with the same mask painted on it. I started asking myself questions again.

Michael: “What is this place? How did I get here? Why can't I remember anything before? All I remember is…”

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard someone scream from above me. It sounded like a girl screaming! I looked up to see a bunch of large tubes. I must've came out of one of those. The screaming kept getting louder and louder until someone fell from the roof and into the ball pit!

Michael: “Hey!”

I immediately dove into the ball pit to find the woman. When I found her, I pulled her out of the ball pit. The girl looked like the same age as me. She was white and had a pinked striped shirt and a blue skirt along with messy black hair. The main thing that caught my attention was her face. She was also wearing a mask. Is she just like me?

Michael: “Are you alright?”

The girl looked up at me. She shrieked and toppled on the ground.

Girl: “Aaaaaahhh! Stay away from me!”

I put my hands up in defense.

Michael: “Woah, woah! I ain’t gonna hurt you! Calm down!”

Girl: “Who are you!? What do you want with me!?”

She was shaking out of control.

Michael: “Easy now! My name is Michael. I don’t know where I am. Do you know anything about this?”

The girl just laid there and I can only guess she had a haunted expression behind that mask.

Michael: “Well? Do you?”

She just slowly shook her head.

Michael: “Can I ask for your name?”

Girl: “W-why do you want to know?”

Michael: “So I can call you by your name. I told you mine so it’s only fair.”

Her shaking decreased, but only by a tiny bit. She slowly got up from the floor. I still kept my distance and my hands up not to scare her. It took her a few seconds to respond.

Girl: “…It’s…Ayaka…”

Ayaka? Is she from Asia?

Michael: “Well, it's nice to meet you Ayaka. I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one here. I'm just as confused as you so don’t be alarmed by me.”

She still kept her distance. I still wanted to ask her questions.

Michael: “Do you know…”

I was interrupted by another scream coming from the ceiling. Another one!? It was a deeper scream this time, like man screaming. Before I knew it, another person came falling into the ball pit. Ayaka got scared and ran behind one of the pillars. she gets scared easily.

???: “Ergh! What the h*** is this? I am still alive?”

Out came a boy with darker skin than mine. He had short black hair and wore a plain blue shirt and jeans. He also looked the same age and he, too, was also wearing a mask. He swam out of the ball pit.

Michael: “Excuse me. Are you one-“

Boy: “Who are you!? Where the h*** did you bring me!?”

He grabbed me by my neck and squeezed it! I started choking!

Boy: “Answer me! Now!!”

Michael: *Choke* *Cough* “I-I didn’t bring you here! I w-was brought here too! Please put me down!”

The person had rage in his eyes. I couldn't see them, but I could tell. After a few seconds the rage left him and he put me down. I gasped for air. The guy whispered to himself.

Boy: (F***ing hell…I thought they said I was dead. If this some kind of sick prank I’m going to kill them!) “Hey! What is your name?”

Michael: “H-huh?”

Boy: “You heard me! What is your name!?”

Michael: “M-Michael! My name is Michael!”

Boy: “...Good enough.”

Michael: “Um...what’s yours?”

Boy: “Its Hakim. That is all I’m going to say."

Hakim? Never heard that name before.

Michael: “Okay, Hakim. There’s another person behind that pillar. She’s the same as us, though I doubt she’ll come out to see you after what she just saw…”

Hakim: “I do not care. I'm finding a way out of here. If you are smart, you will follow.”

Jeez. He hasn’t even been here for 2 minutes and he’s already trying to leave. Not to mention he almost killed me! He definitely seems aggressive and impatient. Just then another scream came from above.

???: “aaaaaaAAAAAhhhh!!”

Another person came fallen down. How many people are there? This time it was a little girl! She had light brown skin and dark hair. She had a mask as well. I can only assume now that we all wear masks.

Little girl: *Crying*

This little girl was a victim too? Whose sick idea was this!? I went to help her out of the ball pit. Ayaka came out from behind the pillar a little bit to get a good look at the girl. Hakim gave a small glance, but then went back to investigating. I tried to calm her down.

*Click*

Hakim: (What was that? It came from the left side.)

Michael: “Hey, it's ok. We’re your friends. There’s no need to cry.”

The girl’s crying was slowly dying away. She looked up at me.

Michael: “What’s your name?”

Before I could get an answer, the doors on the right-side burst opened! It caught all of our attention. People came running out like crazy!

???: “RUN!!”

These people also had masks on. Are these victims too? Why are they running? And why did come of the right side? Ayaka was already running, but probably for a different reason. Hakim just stood at his spot looking confused and concerned. One person came up to me and the little girl. It was a girl with white skin and dirty blond hair.

Blond girl: “You’re one of us, right? You all need to run!”

Michael: “Woah, hold on! Run from what!?”

Another person ran up to us. He was an elf with long, pointy ears pale skin. He also had glasses over his mask.

Elf boy: “From that!”

He pointed at the door they came from. There was a person without a mask standing just outside the door. It took me a second to see closely that this person…was not a person! It had the body of a human, but with huge, tusk-sized claws on its fingers and toes, sharp teeth like daggers, and acted like a wild carnivore! It growled and screeched!

Ayaka: “AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Hakim: “What The H*** Is That!?”

???: “Who cares!? Find An Exit!”

The one who spoke was a girl that looked Arabian. She even dressed in an Arabian fashion. But that’s not important right now! I grabbed the little girl by the hand and ran to the other side!

Michael: “What do we do!? Open those doors!”

I pointed at the doors on our side.

Hakim: “I already tried those doors! They are locked!”

A boy with blond hair tried to open the doors.

Hakim: “Hey! Did you not hear me!? I said they will not…"

They opened.

Hakim: “What!? But they-“

Michael: “Shut up and run!”

We all ran through the doorway. The creature came fast! It ran on all fours like an animal! This thing came at tiger speed! There’s no way we can escape this thing, but as soon as everyone went through, the doors closed on their own and slammed shut, locking the monster out! We could hear the creature screeching and clawing at the door, but it couldn’t get through. I took a breath of relief, but for some reason, I still didn’t feel exhausted. Regardless, I fell to my knees and tried to clear my mind. I wanted to rub my face but I only ended up rubbing my mask. I took a look at my surroundings. We were in a hallway. There was a staircase and a bunch of doors. There was also a TV on the wall in front of us. I looked at the others. There were 9 of us total.

Michael: “Ok, can someone please explain what's going on?”

Blond girl: “We are just as confused as you.”

Little girl: “Is that monster gonna stay in there?”

Hakim: “I god d*** hope so. Hey blond kid, how did you know that door was unlocked?”

Blond boy: “…I didn’t know.”

Elf boy: “Lucky us am I right?”

Hakim: “Like h*** we are lucky! We do not know where we are or how we got here! we almost died from a creature that should not exist! And lastly, we cannot take these stupid masks off!”

Arab girl: “Oh quiet down, will you? You should thankful that you’re alive. If anything, we could have used you as bait for the monster while we ran.”

Hakim: “What did you say!? You want to say that again!?”

Blond girl: “Everyone calm down! Nobody is sacrificing anybody! Listen, we’re all victims, right? We need to cooperate.”

Michael: “She's right. We need to stick together and figure out what's going on.”

Elf boy: “Yes, Safety in numbers! Well said my colored friend!”

Was the color remark necessary?

Hakim: “…Fine. You can all start by given me your names.”

Arab girl: “And why should we give you such information, hmm?”

Hakim: “So we do not have to call you Arab girl or Queen B****. But I do not mind calling you that.” He smirked behind his mask. I don't know how I saw it.

Queen B****: *Sigh* “Fine.”

We introduced each other.

The elf boy’s name is Bernard. He appears a little overconfident and acts kinda like a smart a**. He wears a clean green shirt and brown jeans. He keeps making unnecessary remarks about everybody, except Hakim. I guess he IS smart to know not to do that, though I can’t say the same about the Arabian girl. He has long ears, so I’m guessing he’s from Lalivenie, though I could be wrong. Like I said before, he also has glasses over his mask.

Michael: “Are those your glasses?”

Bernard: “Indeed my fellow afro! I had these before this mask was placed on my glamorous face. I can take them off too, but not the mask. At least the kidnappers are nice enough for that.” He smiled. Again, how am I seeing that?

Michael: “I…I see…”

This guy doesn’t seem afraid of the situation he’s in. Well, he was when we were running for our lives, but now his mood has changed to a positive tone. I don’t get this guy at all.

The blond boy’s name is Alan. He wore a yellow-striped shirt and blue jeans. He doesn’t talk much, or express much in that matter. Then again, I can't really see his face. Somehow, I could tell. His voice sounds down, depressed even.

Alan: “…Nice to meet you.”

Michael: “Y-yeah. Same here.”

He then looks away. Was it something I said?

The Arab girl is named Nadia. She wore an Arabian garment and sandals. Her face was hidden but I could tell she was very beautiful. Her personality is obnoxious, like an obnoxious queen. She acts like a high order person. She's smiling, but it’s probably a fake smile. I should be weary of her.

Nadia: “A pleasure to meet you Mr… Mike.”

Michael: “It’s Michael.”

Nadia: “Yes, yes, Michael. I do hope we can all escape from this place.”

Michael: “Same.”

At least she can say that.

The blond girl’s name is Grace. She wore a red shirt and red shorts. I don’t think she's related to Alan. Out of all the people here, she seems the most normal. Compared to scaredy cat Ayaka, furious Hakim, and Queen B- I mean Nadia, I’m glad to have someone normal.

Grace: “My name is Grace. I hope we can all get along!”

Michael: “Yeah! I feel you on that!”

Little girl: “U-um, excuse me.”

That’s right. I never got to ask the little girl’s name. She wore a little white dress on.

Little girl: “M-my name is Emily. T-thank you for saving me.”

Michael: “No prob. I’m Michael.”

This girl also seems pretty normal, but that should be expected from a child. Speaking of which, she a child! While everyone here looks the same age, this girl is clearly not! Now that I think about it, everyone here…I see a weird pattern…

Grace: “Awww! Aren’t you just the cutest thing! My name is Grace! I hope we can become friends!”

Emily: “O-ok.”

I can’t see Emily’s face, but I can tell she's smiling.

There was one more person. I don’t know how this person got past me. I haven’t heard him say anything talk at all. This guy was the most unique out of all of us. The reason for that is…he didn’t wear a mask! I could see his face clear as day. He looked Indian. He also looked way older than any of us. He had some sort of business suit on with brown dress shoes. He has black hair and a beard. Why didn’t I see this guy before?

Grace: “Um, excuse me sir.”

Indian guy: “…”

We all approached him. He just looked at us and didn’t say a word. So, no one knows this guy. Why was he not wearing a mask? What’s even more strange is that Ayaka was the first to approach him. She didn’t seem as afraid like when she was with me or any of us.

Grace: “May we know your name?”

The man responded.

Indian man: “My name is-"

???: “HEEEEELLLLOOOOOO EVERYBODY!”

The man was cut off by an unfamiliar voice. We all looked around to see where the voice came from. We looked left and right all over the place but saw no one.

*Flash*

Suddenly, the TV turned on! We all turned to look at the screen. At first it was just static displaying, but after a few seconds it change to view a man. This man was wearing the same mask everyone else had except for the Indian man. He had a black tuxedo on with white gloves on. He was holding a cane in his hands and wore a black top hat. He was sitting at a table of some sort. The man tilted his hat up a little.

???: “I hope everybody had a fun trip getting here! Boy, was it a doozy too! I watched the whole thing! You kids are tough!”

This man…who is he? Watched the whole thing? Could he possibly be-!?

???: “Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Mystery, and welcome to my game! I’m the one who brought you all here! I’m the one who kidnapped all of you! I…am the mastermind!”

We all stood there frozen. This guy…is the mastermind behind all of this!?

To Be Continued :)