Mystery's Circus: The Lost Pt4

Mystery’s Circus: The Lost

Prologue Pt4: A Feast For Moi

Michael: “AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

My fingers were gone! My fingers were gone! My fingers were gone!

Ayaka & Emily: “AAAAAHHHHH!”

Ayaka fainted. Emily backed far away from everyone.

Bernard: “HOLY F***!”

Nadia: “Ah…I’m going to be sick!” She looked away, like she was about to throw up.

Everyone was fixated on me. I couldn’t stop looking at my hands. My horrifying hands!

Alan: “What the h***? What the h*** is that!?”

I kept screaming. I couldn’t stop screaming, and eventually, I fainted as well.

…

…

…

Its dark. I cannot see anything. I cannot feel anything.

Michael…

Am I asleep? Am I dead?

Miiiiiiiichael……Mikey Boy……Time to get uuuup…

No, I can't be dead if I have my thoughts. Where am I? Should I try calling for help?

Here it comes! Hit it!!

???: “WAKE THE F*** UP!!!”

Michael: “AAAAHHHH!!”

I was busted out from the black void back into reality! My heart was pounding a million miles per hour! My eyes met familiar faces…well…masks actually. I first mask I see is wearing glasses.

Bernard: “Ha! It worked! I’m a genius!”

Michael: “W-what happened!? Where am I!?”

I crawled back from everyone. My head was turning left and right so fast like I was on some hardcore cocaine.

Nadia: “Relax American, we just woke you up from your little coma.”

Michael: “H-huh? My coma?”

Bernard: “Yeah! You totally passed out! You can thank me for my brilliant idea!”

Alan: “Your brilliant idea was screaming in his face.”

Bernard: “I know! Pretty smart right?”

What are they talking about? I went to rub my face/mask only to see my hand.

Michael: “Ahh!”

My hand was missing fingers! Now I remember. Both of my hands are missing fingers! I looked at my hand in disbelief.

Grace: “Just calm down.”

Nadia: “Please don’t pass out again. I am not waking you up a second time.”

Bernard: “Well actually I woke-“

Nadia: “Someone else also passed out from your act.” She was eying Ayaka. “And I too almost passed out from seeing…those.” She shivered and looked away.

I saw Ayaka on the floor unconscious. She was laid next to me.

Grace: “I know this is a lot to take in, so-“

Hakim: “Just breathe in, and breathe out. In and out.”

I breathed at a fast pace. I couldn’t stop looking at my hand in horror.

Hakim: “Slowly you idiot! And stop looking at your hand!” He pulled my hand down from my vision. “Look at anything but your hands!”

Grace: “Just look at me.”

I looked into Grace’s mask. At first, I saw Mystery, taunting me, laughing maniacally at me, but then I saw Grace, her real face. I pictured it in my mind. It was calming, relieving. My breathing slowed down impressively. I couldn’t stop staring. My heart was racing. I was feeling something, something that I haven’t felt in a long time. Is this…love?

You wouldn’t have a chance buddy.

You’re right. I wouldn’t have a…wait! Who the f*** is talking to me!?

Grace: “Feel better now?”

I realized that I was still staring and didn’t say a word. My face turned red. Thank god I had a mask on.

Michael: “U-uh, yeah! I feel better!”

I looked away from her awkwardly and stood up. I took one last look at my hands and took one last deep breath before putting them back down. It will take some time to get use to them.

Nadia: “Since when are you a professional doctor?”

Hakim: “Shut it. My father is the doctor, not me. I happen to know a few things.”

Alan: “Figures. You don’t exactly act like a doctor.”

Hakim: “And I never plan to be one!”

Bernard: “How did you lose your fingers anyway?”

Michael: “I…don’t know.”

Alan: “Probably frostbite.”

Bernard: “Ah. That would make sense, but in order to get frostbite, you’d have to be in temperature below -0.55C at most.”

Alan: “That would explain it then. Mr. Hero here decided to go to the top floor, which is probably where his fingers gave out.”

Michael: “Can we stop talking about this please?”

Hakim: “Yes, let us get down to business.”

I looked around at everyone. Something is off…

Michael: “Are we missing someone?”

Bernard: “Hmmm…let’s do a head count. One…two…three…”

Alan: “The little girl, right?”

Grace: “Emily! I forgot all about her! Where is she!?”

Alan: “Relax. She…passed out over there.” He pointed west of us.

I ran to that direction with everyone following. I found Emily unconscious on the floor. I immediately went to check for a heartbeat.

Michael: “She’s just asleep…”

Grace: “Thank god…”

Bernard: “Phew! What a relief!”

Hakim: “Okay, now that we have had our little family reunion, can someone please refresh me to date?”

Hakim was getting impatient, as usual. I get that he’s like that but I wish he could show a little bit of concern for once.

Grace: “Alright. Here’s what happened.”

We told Hakim about the whole freezer gig.

Hakim: “Well, what did you get from it?”

Michael: “Huh?”

Hakim: “Surely you must have gotten some reward from it.”

I looked at Grace and Alan. Grace just shrugged and Alan was staring at Emily. He probably was just concerned about her.

Michael: “No we…wait! Yes, there is!”

I remembered! There was something!

Michael: “Inside the freezer, there was an ice sculpture with an item inside! It should be melted down by now so we can retrieve it now!”

Grace: “I forgot about that.”

Hakim: “Well, how about we go get it!”

I saw that Alan was already running back to the freezer, getting a head start. I can't believe any of us would want to go back there. I wasn’t joking when I said I had a phobia of freezers now.

Michael: “Uh…you guys go ahead. I don’t want to be anywhere near that freezer again.”

Grace: “We understand. It’s just a quick pick up anyways.”

Michael: “I’ll watch these two.” I eyed at Ayaka and Emily who were still unconscious. “You be careful now.”

Nadia: “I’ll stay behind as well because-”

Hakim: “No one cares about your reason.”

Nadia: “What!?”

Hakim: “Let us go already!”

I watched as Alan, Hakim, Bernard, and Grace ran after Alan while me and Nadia stayed behind……god, I gotta work on my grammar.

Nadia: “H-hey! Hold on a second!”

No one listened.

Michael: “Do you blame them?”

Nadia: “Oh hush! You stayed behind as well.”

Michael: “Yeah, for a good reason.”

I brought one of my broken hands to her field of vision. She shivered and walked backwards from it.

Michael: “See this? This is the good reason! Look at it!” I kept shoving my hand in her vision.

Nadia: “Okay, okay! You have made your point! Your hands are the main reason why I don’t want to go there in the first place! I knew nothing good would come in there! If you were smart, you would have done the same!”

Michael: “I can't just sit back and let everyone else do the work! If we all just sat back, we wouldn’t get anywhere! Sometimes sacrifices like this must be made!”

I raised my broken hand again as a sign of a sacrifice.

Ayaka: “Ugh…what…where am I…?”

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEECH*

Michael, Nadia, Ayaka: “AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

My ears were attacked by a horrible, horrible noise! I covered my ears with my broken hands. Nadia did the same with hers. It was so loud that it woke Ayaka right up. The noise stopped, leaving my ears ringing.

Michael: “What the h*** was that!?”

Nadia: “You’re asking me!?”

Ayaka: “What’s happening!? Where am I!? Who are you people!?”

Nadia: “Oh, go back to sleep! We have enough problems already!”

Michael: “It sounded like it came from the freezer!”

I ran to the freezer as fast as I could, leaving the girls behind. What kind of monster could make a sound like that!? My friends are in danger! I made it to the freezer door. Instead of being cold, it was now super-hot! A massive amount of heat was coming out the door! I hesitated to go in, remembering what happened last time I went in. I looked at the door and then at my hands. My horrific, ugly hands. No! I can’t be a b**** about this! I was about to run in when I heard familiar voices yelling at each other.

Hakim: “Do not do that again!! My ears are ringing because of that!!”

Alan: “I didn’t know that’s what it would do!!”

Bernard: “My ears!! My beautiful, pointy ears!!”

Grace: “C’mon! Let’s get out of here before we all roast to death!”

I heard a bunch of running coming out the freezer door. Out came everyone soaked in sweat, with Alan holding the thing that used to be in the sculpture. Hakim closed the freezer door behind him.

Michael: “Guys! What the h*** happened!?”

Hakim: *huff* “What happened was white boy here pushed a button and killed our ability to hear!” He pointed at Alan.

Alan: “I told you you…” *huff* “…I didn’t know that would happen.”

Michael: “What did he do?”

Alan: “I pushed…this button.” *huff*

He held up the tiny remote. There was a singular button on it.

Grace: “It made a very loud noise.”

Bernard: “I can't tell what was worse. The unbearable noise or the…” *huff* “…Unbearable heat, because both are..." *huff* "...Unbearable."

Grace: *huff* “At least we got what we needed. There should be no reason to ever go back there…” *huff*

Michael: “Don’t jinx it now. How about we get you guys away from the freezer, or heater I should say now. You look like y’all need to cool off.”

Bernard: *huff* “I think…I’ll take you up on that offer, cowboy.”

Cowboy? Oh, I get it…

Hakim: “Let us get the h*** out of here..."

While we walked back, I noticed that the few ovens around me were turned off.

Michael: “Hey, aren’t those ovens supposed to be on?”

Bernard: “Huh? They were on…maybe they turned off by themselves?”

Michael: “You guys…did turn the ovens on…right?”

Bernard: "H*** yeah I did! Ask anyone else! They would know my effort!”

Hakim: “You mean your effort of running around like a maniac?”

Bernard: “See? Hawk knows!”

Hakim: “Stop calling me Hawk!”

Grace: “They must’ve turned off automatically, Michael. Let’s believe them.”

Michael: “Right. Sorry I doubted you.”

Bernard: “Yeah! Y’all would be popsicles without my courageous help!”

Hakim: “With you around, being a popsicle might not be so bad.”

Bernard: “Hey!”

Michael: “Hahaha!”

I had to laugh at that one. I guess the ovens did turn off by themselves…unless…someone turned them off… No! Begone foolish thoughts!

We all went back to Nadia, Ayaka, and Emily, who was still unconscious even after that.

Nadia: “I am not going to explain it to you again, just stop being paranoid already…”

Nadia was talking to Ayaka, who was acting paranoid…again. Nadia turned around to find us coming back.

Nadia: “There you are! What was that hideous noise!?”

Ayaka: “W-was that a m-m-monster!?”

Alan: “No…it was just this thing.” He showed them the controller.

Nadia: “That tiny little thing made such a loud noise?”

Alan: “You want me to show you?”

Nadia: “NO! I believe you!”

Hakim: “Don’t you f***ing dare!”

Alan: “Relax. It was a joke.”

Hakim: “I am not laughing.”

Ayaka: “S-so does that…thing help us get out of here?”

Grace: “Don’t know, but it took us a h*** of a time to get it, so it must be important.”

Michael: “No s*** man. I lost my fingers for this. For now, let’s wait for Emily to wake up and then we can find a way out of here.”

Hakim: “You expect me to wait for that? You can wait all you want, but I am going to find a way out now.” He walks over to Alan. “Give the remote to me. I will find a way out using it.”

Hakim needs to learn to have patience for once. Well, I guess it would be faster to-

Alan: “No, I don’t think I will.”

Huh?

Hakim: “What did you say? Give me the remote now!”

Alan pondered to himself for a few seconds, though it looked like he didn’t take the situation seriously. Is he growing some backbone? He looked back at Hakim.

Alan: “Okay, I’ll give it to you, but first you have to answer my question.”

Hakim was losing his non-existent patience.

Hakim: “What is it?”

Alan: “Tell us where have you been.”

Hakim: “What do you mean? I was with you guys the whole time!”

Alan: “No you weren’t.”

Hakim: “What?”

Where is Alan going with this?

I don't know, but pass the popcorn!

Alan: “When we first discovered the freezer, you were never with us. Where were you?”

Hakim: “Huh? I was in the kitchen! Where else would I be?”

Alan: “Doing what?”

Hakim: “What do you mean? I was searching the place!" He paused for a second. "Are you…suspecting me of something?” His tone got more menacing.

Grace: “Alan, what are you-”

Alan: “I’m just saying that you were the only person not with us at the time. It is a possibility.”

Hakim: “You want to say that again!?” He stepped forward to him.

Alan: “Careful now.” He held up the remote with his finger on the button giving a warning.

Hakim stepped back, looking angrier than ever!

Nadia: “Oh please. He’s too hotheaded to hide anything even if he tried.”

Hakim didn’t know whether to be angry or not at Nadia’s remark.

Alan: “You’re too simple Nadia. Anyone can hide anything, no matter who they are.”

Nadia: “Excuse me!?”

Michael: “Alan? What’s going on?”

I’m very concerned right now. I don’t know what Alan’s game is here. Hakim’s body was slowly turning from black to red!

Alan: “Don’t you want to know too? He has always been so aggressive and pushy, but why? Is he on a time limit? Is he waiting for something, or someone?” He had a serious expression behind his mask.

Alan…was saying the exact same things I said about Hakim before. About how I didn’t trust him. This is freaking me out! This whole time, Alan has been the quietest of the group. He has never even talked to Hakim before! So why is this happening!? I have to do something fast or else there is going to be trouble!

Bernard: “Well I mean…that’s just Hawk, right? He’s always so aggressive and pushy.”

Michael: “Wait! Bernard can cover Hakim! You met with him right Bernard?”

Bernard: “Yeah! I saw him just looking around in the cupboards, then I caught him off guard by running over to him like a maniac.”

Nadia: “Like a maniac?”

Bernard: “Well I was panicking at the time so…”

Alan: “What time did you meet him?”

Bernard: “Huh? Well, I don’t know since there is no time here, but it was quite a while after Mystery’s announcement.”

Alan: “That’s enough time for anything.”

Grace: “Alan, stop it! We can't suspect each other like this!”

Alan: “Then prove it to me! Hakim, show me your pockets!”

Hakim was completely red at this point! I saw something blue spark on his arm but then disappeared shortly after! What is happening!?

Hakim: “You want me to show you so badly!? Fine! Take a big f***ing gander!”

Hakim pulled out a kitchen knife from his back pocket. Wait! That’s the same knife that Bernard was holding! He actually was hiding something!

Grace: “Why do you have that!?”

Bernard: “Hey! That looks like the one I had!”

Alan: “I knew you were hiding something.”

Hakim: “Yeah, I was! Are you f***ing happy now sherlock!?”

Alan: “Were you planning to kill us?”

Alan’s voice was as calm as ever.

Ayaka: “K-k-kill us!?” She backed far away from him.

Hakim: “No! This is for self-defense, idiot! Is it wrong for me to defend myself!?”

Alan: “No, but why did you keep it a secret from us, hmm?”

Hakim: “Do I need to tell you? This is for my own survival. I could care less about any of you.”

Alan: “Fair enough, but I know the real reason.”

Ayaka: “W-which is?”

Alan: “You don’t trust us.”

Hakim: “…”

Alan: “It’s because you don’t trust us that you don’t care. Which is why you helped us, right? You turned on ovens because you thought your own life was endanger, but thanks to Bernard’s wording, you didn’t know what was really happening and we were able to escape alive. If you knew you wouldn’t have saved us and we would’ve died.”

I hated what was happening right now, and I hate Alan for what he’s doing right now, but I can't help but agree with him. Our lives were in the hands of Hakim. At any chance, he could’ve just thrown them away. Everyone turned their gaze to Hakim, including mine.

Hakim: “No…that is not…I would not…!” His words stumbled.

Alan: “It’s okay Hakim. I don’t blame you, because I’m the same as you. I don’t trust anyone here either.”

What? What is Alan saying? I thought Alan changed and opened up when we were back in the freezer, but now he’s acting even worse than he did before. I considered him a friend…

Michael: “What’s going on Alan? Earlier back in the freezer, you said to us-”

Alan: “I know. That is what I thought too at first, but now I realize I was wrong. Everyone here isn’t to be trusted. For all I know, that girl could be working for Mystery.” He pointed at Emily.

Michael: “Emily?”

Nadia: “That little harmless Hispanic girl is working for Mystery?”

Alan: “After what I saw, I wouldn’t be far off.”

After what he saw? Alan looked back at me.

Alan: “Hakim just proves my point even further. Hiding something that could potentially be used against us. Do you really think you can just trust someone like that?”

Michael: “Well…I…”

Hakim: “ENOUGH!! I have had enough with this pointless talk! Do not ever lump me with you!” He held the knife in his hand like he was ready to attack. “Hand over the remote now!!”

Ayaka: “AAAHHH!”

Ayaka ran away. I’ve never seen Hakim this angry before! Alan wasn’t standing down!

Alan: “Try me.” He held the button close to his finger with a serious look behind his mask.

Michael & Grace: “STOP!!”

*BANG*

We all froze where we were when we heard a loud noise. Nobody moved a muscle for a whole 5 seconds. I remember that noise well. We all slowly turned our heads to the source of the noise. There he was, standing there with the gun in his hand.

Mask-less man: “Actually, I will be taking that device.”

From the south of us, there stood the Indian man, with his s*** eating grin he had on his face that everyone could see. Nobody said a word. We were all shocked and startled by the gunshot and his sudden appearance out of nowhere.

Bernard: “It’s him! It’s the guy!”

Mask-less man: “Hand it over, now.” He pointed his gun at Alan.

Alan: “I don’t think you’ve earned this.”

Mask-less man: “Unless you want a bullet to your head, you will give me that device now. Don’t bother making noise either. It can’t stop a bullet.”

Alan looked very angry at him. I’d be angry too. This guy had disappeared forever ago, and now he shows up and demands the very thing that we’ve risked our lives for!

Grace: “Wait! You don’t have to do this! Why can’t we just work together?”

The man gave a confused look at Grace.

Mask-less man: “I don’t know what your goal is here girl, but I’m not that stupid to fall for your schemes.”

Michael: “It’s not a scheme! We all just want to get out of here just like you! Why does it have to be like this!?”

Mask-less man: “I’ve told you before that this is all for my own survival. In this place, it is kill or be killed. That monster and the robot proved that. I was given this gun for a reason, and I am putting it to a d*** good use while I still can.”

Michael: “Look at my hands!” I showed my hands to his vision. “This is what I had to sacrifice for that f***ing stupid remote!”

Mask-less man: “And now you are going to give it to me. Now…Hand. Over. The. Remote.”

I was so p***ed off by him and so was Hakim! He looked like he was ready to jump him with the knife in his hand!

Mask-less man: “Don’t even think about it, black boy. You know what will happen if you do.” He pointed the gun at him.

Hakim looked angrier than ever, but there was nothing he or I could do. Gun beats knife any day.

Bernard: “Why do you want this ear-piercing device anyway? Do you even know what it does sir?”

Mask-less man: “Of course I do! I wouldn’t be demanding it if I didn’t know! I could hear the noise from where I was, which led me straight to the source. I cannot continue without it, now hand it over!”

*BANG*

Another shot was fired right next to us! God f***ing d****t! All of this work just to lose it! Where did he get that gun from anyways!? How come we didn’t get any weapons!? How is this even f***ing fair!?

Mask-less: “My patience has run out! I am going to give you to the count of three to give it to me or else I will kill everyone here and now! One…………Two…………!”

Alan: “Stop! Fine…take it.”

Alan walked up to him and handed the remote over. The whole process felt like a punch in the gut.

Mask-less man: Smart choice, white boy. Let this be a lesson to you all that-“

Ayaka: “SAVE ME!!”

Mask-less man: “Ahh!”

Ayaka came running up from another direction and tackled the Indian guy, making him drop the device! This caught all of us off guard! Alan took the remote back and ran in a different direction.

Ayaka: “Please! Take me with you!”

Mask-less man: “G-get off me!”

The man threw her off of him and she fell on the floor. The man was about to shoot her, but while this was all going down, Hakim saw an opportunity and charged at him with the knife when the man’s back was turned to Ayaka.

Hakim: “RAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

The Indian man turned around to see Hakim charging in like a mad gladiator!

Mask-less man: “S***!!”

Right when Hakim was about to stab him in the neck, the man quickly blocked it with his free arm, but that meant his arm got stabbed through real deep!

Mask-less man: “AAARRRRRGH!! F***!!”

Hakim pulled the knife right out and blood burst from his arm! The Indian man tried to stop the blood and used his other arm to cover it. Hakim went for more stabs but the man dodged them and kicked him hard in his right shin.

Hakim: “Argh!”

The battle continued. In the moment that this was all happening, Ayaka and everyone else scattered, except for me. Instead, I charged in to help take down this mother f***er!

Michael: "AAAAHHHHH!!!"

When I charged in, I saw Hakim holding his arm with the gun back and the Indian man holding Hakim’s arm with the knife back, despite his arm being injured. This was my chance! I ran in and punched the f***ing b****** right in the f***ing face with my broken hand!

*WHAM*

D***! Let me try! Let me try!

I knocked him to the floor. Hakim let go of him from being surprised seeing me charging in, but then immediately went to stab him while he was down. I hoping my punch would’ve knocked him out. It didn’t, but it sure left a big bruise on him. He rolled to the side, avoiding Hakim’s stab. The man then pointed the gun at him.

Michael: “Look out!!”

I pushed Hakim out of the way.

*BANG*

Missed! Just in time baby! The man took this time to stand back up to his feet while we were on the ground. By the time we got to stand up, he already had the gun pointed at us.

Mask-less man: “Nice…try. You almost had me there, but a knife to the arm and a punch to the face isn’t nearly enough to stop me! I am a soldier! Enjoy the afterlife you n-”

Bernard: “BERNARD TO THE RESCUE!!”

We all turned our heads to the sudden outburst. It was none other than Bernard, pointing that crazy f***ing flamethrower right at the Indian man!

Bernard: “Say hello to my little friend!!”

Bernard turned it on and started flailing around from the massive force! The Indian managed to jump out of the way just in time but couldn’t save legs from being caught in it.

Mask-less man: “F***!”

He tried to pat down the fire on his legs with all his might, and succeeded too, but he was burnt really bad. Regardless, he managed to get up and run away from crazy Bernard. Meanwhile, Bernard had no control of the flamethrower and started moving towards us!

Bernard: “I can’t control it!! Run!!”

Michael: “Quick! Behind there!”

Me and Hakim ducked behind a nearby counter.

Hakim: “What the f*** is that thing!?”

Michael: “Oh yeah, you weren’t there to see Bernard’s magic trick!”

Bernard: “HEEEeeeEEEEeeeEEEELP!!”

Grace: “Hold still!!”

Behind Bernard came Grace running in. She grabbed Bernard by the back and turned the wild-fire torch off. Me and Hakim…I mean Hakim and I…slowly came out from behind the counter. Nadia and Alan came from random directions.

Bernard: “Well…that wasn’t perfect…but at least it helped…”

Hakim: “What the h*** is that thing!?”

Nadia ran up to Hakim.

Nadia: “Forget about that! Are you crazy!? What were you thinking!? Running straight in like a mad man!? You could’ve gotten yourself and all of us killed!”

Hakim: “Me!? What about that crazy girl!? She ran up and jumped a man holding a gun! I just saw an opportunity and took it! I was not going to let that b****** have his way anymore!”

Alan: “Speaking of the b****** man, where is he?”

Michael: “Wait! Where did he go!? I ain’t finished with him!”

Mask-less man: “I’m right here.”

North of us, stood the man himself, arm stabbed, face bruised, legs burned, but despite all of that he was still standing, with Emily in his grasps! His gun was pointed right at her head! He wore a very angry face! I have never seen a face so angry!

Mask-less man: “One last chance! Give me the remote or this girl is dead!”

He’s got Emily! Emily was still unconscious after all this time. Ayaka came running out from the side towards the Indian man.

Ayaka: “NO!! You can't do this!!”

Grace: “Ayaka! Wait!”

The Indian man kicked her back with incredible force! She fell on the floor hard!

Mask-less man: “I am done playing games!!”

He went to Ayaka and continued kicking her in the face over and over while she was down.

Mask-less man: You Disgrace! You B****! You, Pathetic, Waste, Of, Air!!”

He stopped kicking her. She had terrible bruises all over her face! The man pushed the gun real hard into Emily’s sleeping face!

Grace: “Please stop!!”

Mask-less man: “SHUT UP!! No more games!! No more stalls!! GIVE ME!! THE F***ING!! REMO-”

*SLASH*

…

…

…

In an instant, everything happened. It happened so fast that I didn’t even see it. Blood launched out like a miniature volcano all over the place and on Emily and Ayaka's body. The Indian man let go of Emily and he fell to the ground. The blood kept spitting out. I was frozen in fear. I couldn’t move, only stare, as it rolled over to us ever so slowly, and then finally stopped in front of me. What laid at my feet……was the man’s severed head, staring right at me.

Nadia & Bernard: “AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Some of us were screaming. Some of us couldn't even speak. This was straight out of a horror movie! This isn’t real! This isn’t real! This isn’t real!

???: “Ohohohoho! Bonjour mes amis! What do we have here? Fresh meat for moi!”

INTERMISSION

Starring: Mystery

Hello! It’s been a while since we’ve talked, huh? And what better time to interrupt the most intense part of the story! I see that Chef Parmesan has made his grand entrance to the contestants too. He’s always so outgoing! Though if you ask me, he needs to find a diet. Aside from that, I actually wanted to talk more about the Elvian world. Ya know, Bernard is an elf so…I figured I shouldn’t keep you guys in the dark. In this world, there is a continent between South America and Africa. We call this Talowum. Dumb name? You should think about the names of your own continents. Anyway, Talowum consists of three, you could say, countries, but they call them territories. The three are called Aria, Lalivenie, and Toka. Bernard is from Lalivenie, the most developed country of Talowum. There’s more to this obviously, but I think you get the gist of it.

I don’t have much else to say, but before I leave, I would like to give you a poem to express my gratitude:

Please excuse me for taking your time

But allow me make it up with a rhyme

For I want to tell you a story of fame

Of fun, passion, suspense, and shame

Two little siblings, also called twins

As cute as they were, they never could win

They punched, they scratched, they always fight

I decided to come in and make things right

I gave them both masks to bring them together

And together they were, forever and ever :)

Wasn’t that a lovely poem? Written by yours truly! I know you loved it! Now let’s now waste any more time and get back to the show!

We said nothing. All we could do was stare at the man/thing. He was big in size, like fat big. His height reaches halfway from the ceiling. He was wearing a white chef outfit with a dirty apron and a chef hat.

It’s called a toque blanche, which means white hat lol.

Thank you. He wore a toque blanche for a hat and a red neck scarf. He wore a mask, but it wasn’t like anything we wore. Instead, it was a creepy pig mask, which made him all more disturbing. In his right hand, he was holding a large cleaver covered in the Indian man’s blood. I remember when I saw it. It took less than a second just to slice his head clean off. It was just in the blink of an eye. We didn’t move or talk for the longest time. We just stared at him/it. It started talking again.

???: “Bon chargin. I told Mystery I didn’t want my old kitchen being used for this. It’s a whole mess now! Burn marks are everywhere, blood has stained my floor, and my whole freezer is now ruined! I wish he could’ve at least warned me.”

We were all still silent. This guy’s talking like nothing happened, which is obviously creepy. Ayaka was completely frozen on the floor, almost like she wasn't even breathing, just staring at the looming chef above her. Eventually Grace spoke up.

Grace: “U-um…who are you?”

???: “Oh well. At least I get to have fresh meat for my new dish!”

He didn’t listen to her. I thought that was a good thing that maybe he didn’t notice us. But of course, not everyone could sense the danger I was sensing on this guy. Hakim yelled out to him.

Hakim: “Hey! Who the f*** are you!?”

That got his attention, though I didn’t know if I wanted it. He did save us, but everything else about him proved twisted and dangerous.

???: “Oh pardon! Let me introduce myself. I am Chef Parmesan! The head chef of…whoops! That almost slipped out! Mystery would’ve killed me for that!”

This guy works for Mystery?

Jesus he’s gotten fat.

Bernard: “W-what are you talking about sir?”

Parmesan: “Well it doesn’t really matter. There’s no need to explain anything anyways.”

Nadia: “And…why not?” She asked, still disturbed by the now lifeless man.

Parmesan: “Because you are all here for the main dish of course!”

Michael: “M-main d-dish?”

Parmesan: “Ohohohohoho!” He laughed and started snorting like a pig. “Yes! The main dish! I haven’t made a main dish in a long time!” He reached out from his pocket only to hold out another cleaver in his other arm.

Get ready Michelangelo! The dance isn’t over just yet!

What?

Grace: “Is it…like food that you’re making?”

Parmesan: “Oh silly girl. YOU are the main dish! All of you!!”

Suddenly, the chef’s arms started to turn into large black tentacles! He was swinging his cleavers around at impressive speed and range! He was laughing nonstop! It was just one horror after another.

Ayaka: “AAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Ayaka, despite being injured, f***ing booked the h*** out of there!

Grace: “Everyone RUN!!”

Parmesan: “Bon Appetit!!”

We all scattered from the mad chef! He was just singing to himself while slashing around at impossible speeds! Music started playing out of nowhere when he started singing. It was unsettling and so out of context. I said absolutely nothing and continued to run from the horror!

Parmesan: “PIZZA! PASTA! PUT IT IN A BOX! DELIVER IT TO MY HOUSE AND PUT IT ON MY C***!”

While running I heard a sharp cleaver slash right behind me. It cut off a chunk of my hair like nothing! It just gave me a reason to run faster. I ducked behind a random counter. It seems that he lost all of us during his singing. God, it’s just one thing after another! I tried to catch my breath and, more importantly, trying to return my brain to reality. A man just got his head chopped clean off, and now a chef with black tentacles is trying to cook me! I am turning into Ayaka, but for a d*** good reason! I try to contain myself.

Michael: (Keep it together Michael. Keep it together…)

Parmesan: “Ohoho! Are we playing cache-cache now? I love that game! Ready or not, here they come!”

I heard strange noises coming from the chef’s position. I wasn’t too far away from him. I slowly peaked from behind the counter, only to see even more slim tentacles coming out from the chef’s body, feeling everything around them. He’s using them to find us! This is straight out from a horror movie!

Michael: (Keep it together! Don’t lose your cool! Keep it together!)

???: (Psst! Mike! Miiike!)

I heard someone whisper my name from behind. Only one person calls me by that name. I looked behind to see them.

Bernard: (Over here!) He quietly waved at me.

Bernard! Thank god! I’m glad to see anyone right now, even Bernard! He was hiding behind another counter a few meters away from me.

Michael: (Hey!)

I silently waved back to him. He gestured me to go over to him. All I wanted to do right now is to be with someone. If I know horror movies, being alone is the #1 thing you should not do! And the black guy dies first too, which just raises the stakes for me.

Parmesan: “Come out, come out wherever you are!”

I slowly peaked from behind the counter again. The chef was searching in the opposite direction of me. Now’s my chance! Ever so slowly, I crept towards Bernard, making sure not to make any noise or bump into my surroundings. At any moment, my head could be chopped right off. Sweat was dripping down my face in fear, but I kept going. Bernard was pointing at me repeatedly. Wait, no, he’s pointing at-

Michael: *Gasp*

A tentacle wedged between an oven and a counter right next to me! It was feeling the area, feeling for me! I didn’t move a muscle. Bernard held his hands on the sides of his head in shock. I slowly crept away from it, trying to stay as calm as possible, but tripped on my legs and fell down. It crept really close to me, only an inch from me, but then slipped back through the wedge, searching elsewhere now. Bernard and I both sighed at the same time. I looked back once more. The chef still wasn’t looking. F*** stealth! I swiftly crawled over to Bernard with no harm done.

Bernard: (That was too close for comfort dude!)

Michael: (Yeah, no s***! How the h*** do we fight against him!?)

Bernard: (Actually I was hoping you had a plan…)

Michael: (No I f***ing don’t! My head almost got f***ing sliced off!)

Bernard: (You’re not having a good time, are you?)

Michael: (Take a hint please. I have an idea! Why don’t you use your flamethrower on him!)

Bernard: (Uh…I dropped so I could run away. It was too heavy hehe...)

It shouldn’t even be possible of how irritated I am at Bernard! I bawled my fists up in rage.

Michael: (You…!) I took a deep breath and released my fists. (Okay, okay. First, we need to regroup with everyone. Do you have any idea where everyone is right now?)

Bernard: (As a matter of fact…no. But I did see Grape run to this side. Somewhere over there.) He pointed east of us.

Grace! She’ll know what to do! She always does!

Michael: (Perfect. Where did you drop the flamethrower?)

Bernard: (Over there, not too far from where I was last standing) He pointed northwest of us. (It’s out in the open though.)

Parmesan: “Oho? Is someone hiding over ici?”

The chef sounded far away. I peeked behind the counter. The chef was near the entrance we entered from. Someone must be hiding near there!

Michael: (S***! We don’t have much time. We have 2 choices right now. Get the flamethrower or find Grace.)

Bernard: (I feel like the flamethrower would be the better option.)

Michael: (What? But Grace would know what to do in a situation like this!)

Bernard: (She doesn’t have a weapon though! Only Hakim and Alan have some sort of a weapon and I didn’t see either of them!)

Michael: (Well maybe they-)

Parmesan: “Come on out, little one! I won’t bite too much! I have to save some for the rest after all!”

Bernard: (Look Mike, it’s either now or never.)

I couldn’t decide! I wanted to save Grace so badly, but I have nothing. I can't body him or fist fight him. As much as I wanted to, I can't. Bernard is right, I have to think logically. I took a deep breath and made my decision.

Michael: (Okay. Let’s go get the flame thrower.)

Bernard: (I knew you were one of the smart people, Mike.)

Michael: (You did?)

Bernard: (No. Just being nice.)

Michael: (Gee…thanks, you’re so kind.)

I went to look behind the counter. The chef is still looking for the person around there. His back is turned to us.

Michael: (The coast is clear. Lead the way.)

Bernard: (Gotcha.)

Bernard and I quietly crept out from the counter. I feel really exposed right now despite the small tentacles not being around us and the number of objects we could easily hide behind. Fear was creeping down my spine. When it was the Indian man, I felt anger that he got his way. It didn’t matter if he had a gun, but this chef thing is completely different. It’s supernatural and way more horrifying than a gun. And the music. The disturbing music that was still playing. The moment he spots us, we are dead! I wanted nothing more than to dive back behind that counter where it’s safe! Still, I pressed on…for Grace’s sake.

Loverboy! Haha!

Shut it! Wait, who the h*** are you? How can you hear what I’m thinking?

I’d love to explain Mikey, but right now you should look to your right.

Look to my right? I did what the voice said and saw the chef looking in our direction!

Michael: (Bernard take cover!)

I ducked behind a random oven. Bernard followed suit. We both froze in place, not moving a muscle. I pray to the God Almighty he didn’t spot us!

Parmesan: “I know you’re over here somewhere!”

Bernard: (I don’t think he saw us. He’s still looking for someone over there.)

I thank the God Almighty for hearing my prayer, but we still need to save that person!

Michael: (How close are we to the flamethrower?)

Bernard: (I’m pretty sure we’re not too far. We should be close by!)

I take a peek. Chef’s back is turned. It’s go time.

Michael: (We’re in the clear. Let’s move.)

Bernard: (Are you sure?)

Michael: (Yes.)

Bernard: (Are you sure you sure?)

Michael: (Shut the f*** up!)

Bernard: (Relax, I’m joking. Let’s go.)

Why does he have to be like this? Bernard led the way again. I never took my eyes off that chef.

Bernard: (I think we’re almost-)

*CLICK*

Suddenly, all the lights in the kitchen went out! It’s all pitch black now!

Michael: (What the f*** happened!?)

Bernard: (Woah, what is happening?)

Even the chef got caught off guard! The music stopped playing as well.

Parmesan: “Qu’est-ce que le? Who turned out the lights!?”

The chef started stomping to the opposite side of the kitchen, towards our direction!

Bernard: (He’s coming!)

Michael: (Be quiet!)

The lights going out made us invisible, but it made everything else invisible too! I couldn’t see the chef! I couldn’t see anything!

Parmesan: “Do not tamper with my electricity!”

Thank god he missed us. He stomped past us and went southeast of us, bumping into a few things along the way. So even he can't see in the dark. Whoever was near the entrance is safe, but now he’s going to find Grace!

Michael: (He’s going to find Grace! We need to save her now!)

Bernard: (Hold on! Flamethrower first! We can't save anyone with our bare hands!)

I was getting tired of waiting!

Michael: (How are we gonna get it now!? We can’t see anything!)

Bernard: (Huh? I can still see.)

Michael: (Wait, you can?)

???: (Would you two pipe down!)

Bernard and I were interrupted by a voice near us. A blue light suddenly flashed to the ground, just enough for us to see.

Alan: (Now you can see.)

Michael: (Alan!)

Alan was now with us. I wanted to be glad to see him, but after what happened between him and Hakim, I didn’t know what to feel.

He gave you light idiot. He didn’t have to you know.

I know that, but it’s still awkward nonetheless.

Bernard: (Alex! You came to rescue us!)

Alan: (No, I came to regroup. Sadly, I regrouped with the worst person.)

I thought he was talking about me, but he was eyeing Bernard. Bernard nudged my arm and whispered to me.

Bernard: (He’s talking about you.)

Alan: (No, I’m not.)

I realized Alan had the rainbow flashlight.

Michael: (Wait Alan, how did you get that flashlight? I thought Grace had it.)

Alan: (I stole it off her back in the freezer.)

Michael: (What!?)

Bernard: (Wow. You just admitted it like it was nothing.)

Alan: (What’s the point in lying? You’ll find out the truth eventually.)

Michael: (Why did you steal it!?)

Alan: (Quiet.) He made a shush gesture. (It doesn’t matter right now. You have light. Be thankful.)

I’m anything but grateful right now.

I mean, you’re still alive. Aren’t you grateful for that?

Shut up talking voice in my head!

Parmesan: “Incroyable! Someone has cut the power! I thought Mystery got rid of all the sharp tools! Oi? What is this?”

The chef was still over there. At least while we’re in the dark he might not find anybody.

Bernard: (Do you still have that ear destroyer Alex?)

Bernard is just talking to him casually. This guy has no quarrels with anybody. I honestly think he's just the comic relief of the group at this point.

Alan: (It’s Alan, and yes, I do, but I don’t know if it will affect that monster, so I didn’t try it. It can easily just give my position away.)

Bernard: (True that.)

Parmesan: “Mystery! What is the meaning of this note!? I don’t care if this place is abandoned! I don’t want them messing with my kitchen!!”

The chef sounded mad!

Michael: (Listen, we need to get the flamethrower. We need to put this chef thing down already! You saw what he did to the Indian man!)

Alan: (Your idea is to burn him with the flamethrower? I thought Bernard had the flamethrower.)

Bernard: (I dropped it so I could run.)

Alan: (Of course you did.)

Bernard: (Hey! I panicked alright!)

Alan: (Do you think it will even work?)

Michael: (It’s the biggest weapon we have. I don’t have any other ideas.)

Bernard: (What if we could sneak out the entrance we came from?)

Michael: (But then the others will die! I’m not letting anyone die here!)

Bernard: (Yeah, that would make us look like a d*** to everyone.)

Alan: (I don’t really think escaping would do much anyways. Where did you leave the flamethrower Bernard?)

Bernard: (It’s somewhere over there. I guarantee it!)

Alan: (Lead the way, Bernardo. I’ll shine your path for you.)

Bernard: (Well…I don’t really need it but okay.)

Michael: (Wait, you’re going to help us?)

Alan: (Um…yes? I don’t really have any other plans right now.)

Michael: (…Right…)

We all pushed forward. Bernard led the way, Alan shined the way, and I…well...just followed. Alan only shined his light at the floor to make sure he doesn’t give away our position. I also saw that not all the lights were shut off. One ceiling light was still lit far in the distance, but this meant nothing to me, so I just ignored it.

Michael: (Bernard, you said you can still see?)

Bernard: (Well…it’s like my eyes have night vison, but I don’t know why.)

Alan: (Night vision?)

Bernard: (Yeah, everything is all green to me. Look, there it is!)

Bernard pointed at the flamethrower laying on the ground. He wasn’t lying when it was nearby. We found the flamethrower right away! Who would’ve thought Bernard would actually be useful!

Yeah! Unlike you! Haha!

Shut up!

Bernard: (See! I told you I knew where it was!)

Michael: (Great! Now we can-)

Parmesan: “FOUND YOU!!”

Grace: “Ahhhh! Let go of me!”

I immediately turned my attention to the scream! Alan and Bernard did the same. It was Grace! He caught Grace!

Michael; (Grace is in trouble!)

Bernard: (Relax. We got the flamethrower now! We’ll blast him!)

Alan: (How? We just run up to him? Something tells me it’s not going to be that easy.)

Parmesan: “I guess you’re up first, little one!”

Grace: “Why are you doing this!?”

Parmesan: “Hush little one. No more talking now.”

S***! We’re running out of time! I yanked the flashlight from Alan’s grasp.

Alan: (Hey!)

I shined it over to the scream. In the far distance, there they were. The giant pig-faced chef holding Grace in one of his tentacles. He had his cleaver right up to Grace’s neck! The chef stopped and looked at me since I shined my light in his face. I showed no more fear, only anger.

Alan: (Michael! You’re given us away!)

Parmesan: “Oho! j’en ai trouvé d’autres, and one has a light too!”

Michael: “Let her go, fat a**!” I yelled across the room.

Bernard: (Stick to the plan, Mike!)

Alan: (I knew this wouldn’t work out the way I wanted it to…)

Parmesan: “Not a chance! You have ruined my kitchen! Now I make a feast!”

Michael: “I think you had enough, buddy!”

I turned to Alan and Bernard.

Michael: (I’ll distract him, you two sneak up on him and flame his a**! Go!) I turned back to the chef. “For real man, get a diet!”

Bernard: (Oooh, clever! I knew you were one of the smart ones, Michael!)

Alan: (Help me pick up the flamethrower already!)

Bernard: (On it!)

Alan: (I’m gonna need that flashlight, Michael.)

Bernard: (No need! I’ll be your eyes! Put on a show for him Michael!)

Michael: (Just get moving already!)

Bernard and Alan started crawling around to the chef to ambush him. This wasn’t the brightest plan since the chef was so far away, but it was all I could think of. Hopefully I can stall him long enough!

Parmesan: “Oho! Why aren’t you a brave and rude little one! Not many have been brave and stupid enough to talk to me like that!”

I decided to take out my inner black for this.

Your inner…black?

Michael: “I ain’t afraid of human whales! Seriously, how can you even walk around with those little a** chicken legs of yours!? If walruses could walk, they’d mistake you for one of them! You at least need some henchmen to keep you from falling on your fat a** self!”

Oooooh, inner black, I get it! That is hilarious!

Parmesan: “How dare you mock moi! I’ll have you know that I have a very nutritional diet! You Americans would never understand!’

Michael: “N**** please, you must be high! First off, you’re telling me that cannibalism is nutritional!? And you wonder why no one talks back to a crazy a** psychopath like yourself! Secondly, if it is nutritional, then where the six pack at!? All I see are flabby man titties through that rusty a** apron of yours!”

I’m not gonna lie. This is kinda fun!

I think I like your inner black!

Thanks. I'm pretty sure I get it from my mom.

Parmesan: “Ohoho! You’re REALLY tempting me now!” He held Grace’s head with his free hand and the cleaver close to her neck! “Anymore rudeness and I will cut off your friend’s head!”

And the fun’s over…

S***! Roasting won’t do any good now! What else can I do!? Think! Think!

Michael: “Woah, woah! Chill now! Don’t take all of that to heart man! I’m just trying to save my friend know what I’m saying!?”

I think you still have a little bit of your inner black out, Mikey.

Parmesan: “Oooh, okay! Pardon me, that is understandable my ami! Unfortunately, I can't pass up an opportunity like this, especially since you rats destroyed my kitchen!”

Michael: “Hey, it’s not like we wanted to come here! We were fighting for our lives even before you came barging in out of nowhere!”

Parmesan: “Which is why I will complain to Mystery about this whole game of his, but right now, I’m upset, and I need to-” *Snort* *Snort* “Eat! No hard feelings ami!”

Michael: “Sorry, but you’re not eating anyone!”

Bernard: “Surprise b****!”

Parmesan: “Huh!?”

The chef turned around to see Bernard and Alan pointing the flamethrower right at him. In no time, the flame charged and covered him in its presence!

Parmesan: “AAAAHHHH!! JE SUIS EN FEU!!”

The chef was squealing like a mad pig and was running/stomping around like crazy! With Alan and Bernard both holding the flamethrower, they had a steady stand and weren’t being pushed by the force of it. The chef’s clothes were in flames and burning into ash. His pig mask was melting on his face, making him look even more horrific! His tentacles were flailing around so fast! The one that had Grace released her, which sent her flying across the room!

Grace: “AHHHH!!”

Michael: “Grace!!”

I ran to her as fast as I could. Thanks to the flashlight, I could avoid bumping into anything in my path like an idiot. Grace got flung to the far left.

*Clang*

I heard I clang noise. She must’ve crashed into something! I pray that she is okay! Eventually, I managed to find her. She was lying on the floor next to a random oven that she crashed into. She was bruised really bad, but she was still alive.

Michael: “Grace! Are you alright!?” I went to help her up.

Grace: *Groans* “Y-yeah, well actually no, I’m not…”

Michael: “I can see that. I guess we should’ve thought of a better plan.” I laughed awkwardly.

Grace: “What was your plan again? To act like a punk and burn him from behind?”

Michael: “I…panicked alright!” I stuttered. “Hey it worked didn’t it!?”

She laughed and smiled at me.

Grace: “Yeah, it did. You’re an idiot Michael, but that’s what makes you yourself, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I blushed. That comment felt so weird to me. I didn’t know how to respond, so like an idiot, I said…

Michael: “Um…uh…thank you! Anyways, I’m glad you’re not hurt!”

Grace: “I am hurt, really badly.”

Michael: “I mean! I’m glad that you’re still alive! That’s what I meant to say!”

She laughed again. I really am an idiot.

You sure are buddy. You sure are.

Grace: “Wait a minute.” She looks at the flashlight in my hand. “That’s my flashlight! YOU’RE the one who stole my flashlight!”

Michael: “Huh!? W-wait! Y-you got it all wrong! It wasn’t me!”

Grace: “Then why do you have it!?”

Michael: “B-because Alan-”

Alan: “Because I stole it from you, and he stole it from me.”

I shined my, I mean! Grace’s flashlight! I shined Grace’s flashlight behind me. Up ahead came Alan, Bernard, and also Hakim!

Bernard: “Found them! I told you I could see in the dark!” He carried the flamethrower.

Hakim: “How? Do all elves have night vision? Explain yourself.”

Bernard: “Don’t ask me. I don’t know.”

Alan came up to us.

Alan: “Like I said. I’m the one who stole it from you. I got too selfish. I apologize.”

Michael: “Yeah, blame him!”

Grace: “Hmmm, nah, that’s fine.”

Michael: “What!?”

Grace: “He apologized, and it’s not like it matters anymore. We all got out just fine.”

Michael: “Well…then why were you yelling at me?”

Grace: “Because I wanted to see how’d you react.”

Michael: “W-what!? But…I…”

I stuttered out of control. Grace laughed.

Grace: “Worth it!”

Hahahahaha! You got played!

Leave me alone…

Bernard: “Ya know, for a black guy, you sure are brave Mike.”

Hakim: “Really? He is more foolish than brave if you ask me.”

Alan: “Says the guy who ran in like a maniac.”

Michael: “I think I get it from my dad. Wait wait wait! Hold the phone! What happened the chef guy!? Where did Hakim come from!? Where’s everyone else!?”

Alan: “Easy, easy.” He gestured to calm be down. “Here’s what happened. Bernard and I kept burning the monster and eventually it died. It’s still in flames though, which is kind of concerning. Then-”

Bernard: “Then Hawk came in like a barbarian and started gutting the monster pig! Blood and guts were everywhere! It was wicked awesome!”

Hakim: "Shut up! That is not true at all!”

Alan: “Well he DID run in like a barbarian and stabbed the thing in the stomach over and over. He didn’t gut it though.”

Hakim: “I wanted to confirm that the giant hog was dead. For the record, I was the one who cut the power off.”

Grace: “You did that?”

Hakim: “There was an opened power box over there.” He pointed to the upper-right of the kitchen. “It had a note that said, “Cut here. You’ll need something sharp.” With my knife, I did what it asked.”

Michael: “So what did it do?”

Hakim: “I do not know! I thought it was supposed to help us!”

Bernard: “I mean, in a way, it did.”

Grace: “Was that the purpose of it then?”

???: *Yawn* “H-huh? Where am I?”

Hakim: “I heard someone. Who is there!?”

That voice…

Bernard: “Over there! It’s the kid!”

Bernard pointed south-east from us. I pointed the flashlight over to the direction.

Michael: “Emily!”

Grace: “Emily!?”

I saw her head peaking out behind a bunch of tables and counters in the far distance! I was so caught off by the giant pig chef freak that I’ve forgotten all about her!

Remind me to never have you babysit my kids.

Emily: “Mr. Michael? Ms. Grace!? Is that you!? I can't see anything!”

Michael: I’m coming Emily!”

I ran to her. The others followed behind. Grace couldn’t run from how injured she was, but it doesn’t matter right now. She’d want us to get Emily anyways. I was jumping over counters, tables, ovens, anything that was in my way, but since I was the only one with the flashlight, the others had a difficult time, well except for Bernard and his night vision. Alan and Hakim bumped into multiple stuff. Hakim gave off a few curse words in the process.

Hakim: “Ow! F***! S***! Wait for us, f***er!”

Hakim or Emily? The answer was obvious. I kept running to Emily. I could see her more clearly. She was covered in blood, most likely from the Indian volcano gushing out everywhere.

Michael: “Stay there Emily! I’m almost there!”

Emily: “Help!”

I was merely feet away from her. I kept running.

Michael: “I’m right he-Woah! Urgh! What the-?”

I tripped over something. I tried to get back up but something was tied to my leg. I tried to shake it off, unsuccessful. I used my flashlight to see what it was. It was……a black tentacle!!

???: “Missed moi?”

My flashlight went to the direction of the voice to reveal a horrific melted pig face!

Parmesan: “Salut I’ami!”

Bernard: “It’s the chef guy!!”

Parmesan: “Ohohohohohohoho!!”

The chef!? How!? He should be dead!! He was covered in active flames but that didn’t even make him flinch! Suddenly, I was lifted into the air by my leg! I dropped my flashlight in the process but the flames made the chef very visible!

Michael: “AAAAHHHH!!”

Parmesan: “You thought my flamer and a few stabs could kill moi? No, no, my friend, you would have to get in real deep to do that!”

Emily: “M-M…Mr…M…” She shook in fear.

Bernard: “WOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”

Bernard was also grabbed by another tentacle! He was hoisted in the air and dropped the flamethrower!

Hakim: “How!? I killed you! I will do it again!”

Hakim rushed in with the knife, but it did nothing as he was also grabbed by his leg and lifted him up in the air.

Parmesan: “That knife is not even close enough to digging in to me!”

Hakim slashed his tentacle with the knife and it worked! He fell down but was caught by another one! He tried to slash again but another tentacle grabbed his wrist and twisted it, forcing him to drop it!

Parmesan: “No more of that now!”

Alan tried to run away but bumped into something in the dark. He was immediately spotted and got grabbed too! He tried to turn on the noise maker but the chef yanked it away from his hand with his tentacle.

Alan: “No No Nooooo!”

We were all captured, hanging in the air! Everything was dark around me! I couldn’t see Emily, or Bernard, or anyone! The only thing I could see was the ignited chef! All I could hear was everyone screaming in fear and in rage! I was screaming in mixed fear and rage!

Parmesan: “Ohohohoho!! A feast for moi!!”

Emily: “He…uh…eh…” She couldn’t say words.

Parmesan: "Bien, bien, bien, what do we have here? A small child."

Grace: “Don’t you touch her!”

I heard Grace’s voice near us.

Grace: “Don’t you dare tou-”

*Smack*

Grace’s voice got cut off. Soon I saw her also hanging in the air unconscious! Everyone is caught now!

Parmesan: “Oh Pardon! I’ll try to be more gentle next time, but enough of that! It’s time to dine!”

He brought me right next to his horrid pig face!

Parmesan: “You’ve been giving me most trouble, so I will start with you!”

He slashed out his cleaver at lightning speed! This is it! This is how it ends! I just wanted a normal life! I wanted to live and love! Is that too much to ask for!?

Parmesan: “OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!”

Emily: “Eh…he…uh…AAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

???: “RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!!!”

Parmesan: “Oi? WOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

Bernard: “MONSTER!!”

I thought I was about to die, but then I heard the chef scream out loud. Not only that, but I heard a vicious monster roar right next to me! I can't see s*** anywhere, but the one thing that I saw in that moment in time…was a giant black claw coming right at the burning chef! In just a flash, I was flying backwards!

Parmesan: “LA VERITE EST DANS LE NOIR!”

Michael: “AAAAHHH-”

*Bang*

I hit my head on something in the dark and fell unconscious.

…

…

…

Mike, wake up.

…

…

…

Mikey, I know you can hear me. Wake up already!

…

…

…

Its dark. I cannot see any-

CUT THAT BULLCRAP AND-

Voice & Bernard: “WAKE THE F*** UP!!”

Michael: “Eh!” *Groans* “W-what?”

Bernard: “Ha! Works every time!”

Nadia: “You are an idiot.”

2 people I knew. Bernard, and the long since seen Nadia, crowded in front of me.

Michael: “Bernard? Nadia? Where am I?”

Nadia: “You’re still in the kitchen. You never left.”

I don’t feel good at all. My head is pounding. I tried to regain my thoughts. I rubbed my head with my half-fingerless hand. Now I remember. The chef caught all of us and then…I got thrown into something and that…thing…

Bernard: “You know I would help you up but eh…your hands still scare me hehe.”

Nadia: “That’s one thing we can agree on.”

What great friends you have.7\7\333

Bernard: “Here, you dropped this.”

I looked back up at Bernard. He held out the flashlight I dropped. I stopped rubbing my head and took it from him. I realized that the lights were back on, but were flickering a little. It’s not pitch black anymore.

Michael: “The lights are back on now?”

Nadia: “Yes. The blond boy somehow fixed the wires that were cut out.”

Michael: “The blond boy…Alan?”

Nadia: “Whatever his name is.”

Bernard: “It’s not perfect, giving the constant flickering, but you guys can at least see now. I was surprised he could actually fix them.”

As my headache died down, I went to stand up.

Michael: *Groans* “What happened? The last thing I remember is the chef getting grabbed by something.”

Bernard: “Oh man, where do I begin? It all happened so fast! Everyone was in panic and confusion!”

Everyone…everyone! I snapped out of my coma and started to panic!

Michael: “S***! Where’s Grace!? Where’s Emily!? Where is everybody!?”

Bernard: “Grape and wittle Emily are sleeping right now. I gathered-”

Nadia: “WE gathered.”

Bernard: “Right, WE gathered them together. They’re just over there.” He pointed south from us. “Then we went to look for you, and here we are.”

Nadia: “The meathead and the blond boy didn’t even help. They just moved along once they figured out the exit. Such ungrateful men.”

Michael: “The exit? Wait! Where’s the chef!? Is he still here!?”

Bernard: “Oh don’t worry about the chef. He’s donzo!” He made a slice gesture in front of his neck. “I’m more worried about that monster, but it doesn’t seem to be here anymore.”

Michael: “The chef is dead?”

Bernard: “You wanna take a closer look?”

I was curious, but first thing’s first.

Michael: “Later. Show me Grace and Emily.”

Bernard: “Okay! Follow me.”

We walked over to Grace and Emily, who were thankfully still in one piece. The flamethrower was also here. Grace was awake but still very bruised. She was sitting on the floor. Emily was, once again, was unconscious covered in dry blood. Grace turned to look at us walking in.

Grace: “There you guys are! What happened!? Where is everyone else!? Where’s the chef!?”

She was asking the same questions I asked. Again, it’s relieving to have someone who’s just like you.

Michael: “Don’t ask me. I just woke up from my coma.”

Nadia: “Glad to see that you are wide awake.”

Grace: “Nadia? You’re here too?”

Bernard: “May I explain now?”

Michael: “It’s a start. Go ahead.”

Nadia: “I am curious of what happened. Amuse me.”

Bernard: “Yes! Here’s how it all went down…”

2 hours later…

Shush! I need to hear this!

Bernard: “So, I hanging upside down, screaming for my life and flailing my arms around, you know, the usual, when suddenly, it appeared before my very night-vision eyes! The black beast! It was completely dark with huge claws and teeth-like daggers! It gave a thunderous roar that was almost as bad as the remote! It tackled the chef and I went flying in the air, right into a random stove! I was hurt pretty badly, but I could still hear the beast and the chef screaming, along with other noises that I wished I didn’t hear. Naturally, I stayed out of sight, but eventually the noises stopped. Everything was quiet. No beast noises, no chef screaming. I couldn’t tell what happened. After a while I quietly walked over to the scene where it all went down. All I saw was a sight that almost made me throw up! The chef was dead, and that was the last time I saw the black beast.”

Nadia: “That story is hard to believe, especially if it’s coming from you.”

Michael: “I think I remember seeing a claw grabbing the chef, and I sure as h*** heard a vicious roar.”

Grace: “Yes, I can't forget that roar.”

Nadia: “You’re telling me the elf was the only one that saw this…beast?”

Bernard: “Yeah! I have night vision!”

Michael: “That’s right, he does have night vision, though we don’t know why.”

Grace: “With all of these pieces of information, it must be the truth.”

Nadia: “Perfect. It’s just one nightmare after the other.”

Michael: “That reminds me, where were you this whole time?” I pointed at Nadia.

Nadia: “Isn’t it obvious? I ran to the entrance we came from.”

Michael: “You just left us!?”

Nadia: “What would you wanted me to do? Fight like a barbarian? I hope you realize that there was not much I could do.”

Grace: “She’s got a point Michael. We were lucky enough to all make it out alive. We weren’t even the ones that killed the chef.”

I remember when we did the flamethrower act. The chef stated that it didn’t make a dent in him, and he was clearly on fire without a care in the world.

Nadia: “It’s not like I had it easy either. I was almost caught by that deranged lunatic if it wasn’t for the lights going out. I had to evade those revolting tentacles of his!”

Bernard: “Oooooohhh, YOU were the one by the entrance.”

I remember that the chef saw someone while me and Bernard……Bernard and I, were sneaking to the flamethrower. I guess she was just following her survival instincts. I can't really blame Nadia for leaving us, but knowing who Nadia is, she most likely was going to leave us as bait without a second thought. I still despise her, but I need to let it go.

Grace: “Where is everyone else?”

Bernard: “Oh yeah! Continuing the story, I went to search for all of you guys. I found all of you guys. Alex and Hawk were the only ones’ awake. Alex fixed the lights and we dragged Emily to where we found you.” He looked at Grace. “Alex then found the shortcut key on the Indian guy’s dead body and they decided to go ahead through the south door.”

Michael: “The south door?”

Bernard: “Yeah, the door just along where we came out of. I'm guessing that’s where the man went through and popped up out of nowhere.”

Grace: “And they went without us!?”

Bernard: “Yep. Not a care in the world. Not me though! I’m smart enough to know safety in numbers!”

Nadia: “Exactly right. That meathead alone would get me killed if I went with them.”

Grace: “They’re going to get themselves killed!”

Bernard: “I told you I was smart. Also, I think they’re sworn enemies now.”

Michael: “What?”

Bernard: “Yeah, they hate each other’s guts. They were arguing the whole way, like who gets the key and who looks where. Stuff like that. I figured I’d stay out of that, and more importantly, find the rest of you. Eventually, Naddy showed up and we went to search for you.” He looked at me. “And now we’re here. The end!”

So that explains everything up till now. Jesus, we just survived a crazy f***ing chef and we still fight. I still don’t get why Alan has a hatred towards Hakim. I get that it’s Hakim, but he never provoked Alan whatsoever.

Grace: “I want to ask, what was the sight you saw Bernard?”

Bernard: “It’s over there.” He pointed to the direction. “I’ll warn you now, blood and guts everywhere.”

I figured by the way he was wording it.

Nadia: “We don’t need to see it. We already know what happened. The chef got teared by that beast thing.”

Heavily bruised, Grace used all of her strength to get up off the floor.

Grace: “Show it to me.”

Nadia: “What!?”

Michael: “You sure Grace? You’re not in the best condition right now.”

Grace: “I want to confirm that the chef is, in fact, dead.”

Bernard: “Oh believe me, he is. He’s not even physically a human anymore, if he ever was.”

Grace: “Do you believe that he is dead so easily? We thought that when you showered him with the flamethrower and he was still walking.”

Bernard: “Yeah but-”

Grace: “This is a world where supernatural things happen. It’s not impossible for him to put himself back together.”

Bernard: “…It’s true! That’s a very good point!”

Nadia: “Then how about we leave this place before that happens. I’ll carry the little one and-”

Grace: “NO!”

We were all taken back by Grace’s sudden outburst. We stood silent for a few seconds before she spoke again.

Grace: “We…can't just run away. If we don’t confirm his death, he might come back. You can't just run away from your problems.”

Nadia didn’t respond. She just looked down, like she felt guilty.

Grace: “I just don’t want anyone becoming a victim."

I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, Bernard had my back.

Bernard: “Hey, let’s all relax now. There’s no harm in checking out the body…well…what’s left of it anyway.”

Michael: “I’m with Grace on this one. Better safe than sorry right? Let’s all go check it out.”

Nadia: “You all go ahead.”

Michael: “Are you serio-”

Nadia: “Just to watch the little one.” She pointed at Emily. “It’s best not to leave her alone, right?”

That’s true, but this is Nadia.

Michael: “What do you think Grace?”

Grace: “That’s fine with me, but if you leave her…”

Nadia: “I will not. I will holler if anything happens.”

Grace: “I'm putting my faith on you Nadia. Please don’t run away.”

Nadia went silent again, then she spoke.

Nadia: “I will not. Now go already before those two simpletons get any bright ideas.”

Hakim and Alan. Bernard said they went on ahead. We have to make sure they don’t get into trouble, or worse, die.

Bernard: “Sooooo…are we going now?”

Michael: “Yes, lead the way.”

Bernard grabbed the flamethrower.

Bernard: “Just in case.”

Me and…ugh…GRACE AND I…followed Bernard.

You gotta get your grammar fixed pal.

Grace got better at walking. She graduated from limping. I looked at my surroundings as we walked. There were small stains of blood here and there, but as we walked further, the amount of blood was increased and was all over the place!

Bernard: “There it is.” He pointed. “You might want to cover your nose.”

I walked over to where he pointed. What I was shown…was truly a haunting site! Blood, guts, everywhere! I couldn’t believe my own eyes! The smell was revolting! Huge chunks of insides were scattered all over! I feel like I’m going to throw up!

Grace: “Jesus!”

Bernard: “I told you, not a pretty site.”

Grace: “The smell!”

I asked a stupid question.

Michael: “What the h*** is that!?”

Bernard: “That is…well…what’s left of the chef.”

That should’ve been obvious.

Bernard: “The black beast struck him.”

Grace: “This black beast…did THIS!?”

Bernard: “Well, I didn’t see it, but it’s a pretty good guess.”

Holy s***! I now understand why Nadia stayed behind!

Michael: “Bernard! Get your flamethrower! We’re burning all of this to ashes!”

Bernard: “Oh sweet! This is gonna be awesome!”

Grace: “Hold it!” She motioned us to stop. “What if there’s something useful in here?”

Michael: “I'm sorry, useful? IN THERE!?”

Grace: “Yes, in there.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

Michael: “Are you saying that you want us to DIG though his guts and intestines to possibly find something useful!?”

Grace: “Think about it! What if he had a key on him? We could be trapped here if we just burn everything!”

…

I wanted to protest so badly. SO BADLY! But…it could possibly be true. I don’t want to be trapped here forever, but I also don’t want to dig through giant pig intestines! Nadia SO had the right idea not coming!

Michael: “MmmmmMMMM!” I balled my broken fists up. “Fine! We’ll do a quick search!”

She looked pleased.

Grace: “Thank you Michael.”

My anger went away. How could I be mad to that face? Bernard just looked back and forth from between us.

Bernard: “So…just to clarify, we’re not burning the leftovers?”

Michael: “No, we’re not.”

Bernard: “And instead a burning it to the ground, which is totally awesome, we’re going to dig through the filth, which is totally not awesome.”

Grace: “That’s correct.”

Bernard: “…Great…” He looked disappointed.

And so…we did. Myself, Bernard, and Grace…were digging through insides. Giant, disgusting, revolting insides of a giant-a** human/thing.

You can't just replace ‘me’ with ‘myself’. It’s still grammatically wrong.

Leave me alone. I am digging through organs with my broken hands. Goodbye childhood.

You lost that when you lost your fingers buddy.

Leave. Me. Alone. Please.

Bernard threw up during his digging at least twice, and yes, he threw up through his mask. I also threw up as well, and YES, it was through my mask! I’m not questioning the mask logic anymore. I was literally praying for Nadia to scream right now. Anything to get me away from this! It never happened, but something else did happen!

Grace: “Okay guys, new plan! This is getting us nowhere and we still need to find Alan and Hakim. Let’s get the h*** out of here!”

Michael: “Thank god!”

Bernard: “Yes! Time to burn it!” He picked up the flamethrower.

Grace: “No! We still can't burn it! If there is a key or an item in there, our last resort is to come back and dig it out. The chef is clearly dead, so we don’t need to worry anymore.”

Bernard: “Aww.” He dropped the flamethrower. “Can I at least wash my hands from organ fluid?”

Michael: “Is there a sink around here to do that?”

Bernard: “Yeah, the one I tried to drink from, remember?”

Grace: “Wait, what?”

Michael: “Oh yeah, you said you were unsuccessful. Get us there! Now!”

Bernard: “I believe it was this way.” He picked up the flamethrower.

Long story short, we found the sink and we all washed our hands and other parts that were bloody or dirty. I tell you now, washing my fingerless hands, made my spine shiver. Then we made it back to Nadia, who is surprisingly still here, and Emily, who is still unconscious. If only the sink was big enough to wash Emily clean of blood.

Nadia: “I told you I would keep my word. So, what happened?”

Michael: “A pointless, disgusting adventure that’s what happened. You made the right choice to stay here.”

Nadia: “Oh good!”

Grace: “The chef is officially dead.”

Nadia: “Even better!”

Bernard: “And now we’re finally leaving this hellish kitchen.”

Nadia: “Splendid news!”

Michael: “Yeah, let’s go find those idiots before they cause any more trouble for us.”

Nadia: “I couldn’t have said it any better myself!”

I got to give to Nadia. She actually kept her word and stayed put. She has a little bit of my respect now, but staying put can only go so far. Regardless, I hoisted Emily over my shoulder.

Michael: “Bernard, you’re up.”

Bernard: “I should become a kitchen tourist lol.”

Bernard led us to the south door. Now I remember. It was one of the doors I couldn’t open. Well, it was open now as Grace pulled it opened. I’m glad those two didn’t lock us out at least. Stairs appeared on the other side. We proceeded to walk up. With Emily on my back, it became a slight challenge, but it was manageable. I took one last look back at the kitchen. We never did solve the puzzle, and now we never will! Just gotta find those idiots with the key. We made up the stairs to a pink and purple-striped hallway. Nadia sighed in relief.

Nadia: “Now this is more like it. No grease stains, no crazy chefs, and most importantly, no more kitchen!”

I gotta say, I am glad that we’re out of that god-forsaken kitchen. There were two ways, left and right.

Grace: “Which way do we go?”

Bernard: “Idk. I’ve never been up here before. Well, if we came from there into the kitchen…” He pointed to the right. “…then it should be this way.” He pointed to the left.

That makes sense, but in the process of Bernard explaining, something hit my mind.

Michael: “Hey, are we…forgetting someone?”

Bernard: “Huh? Are we?”

Grace: “Let’s see. Bernard, Michael, Nadia, Emily, Hakim, Alan, and myself. Oh, and the deceased man who tried to kill us. That’s eight. There was nine of us!”

Emily: “Mm…ugh…what…?”

Grace: “She’s waking up!”

I gently put Emily down on the floor. She looked around at us as we gathered around her.

Emily: “Uh…huh? W-Where am I?”

Grace: “Emily, can you hear me?”

Emily: “…Ms. Grace? Mr. Michael? The funny guy and the rude lady?”

Nadia: “Rude lady!? What happened to Ms. Nadia!?”

Bernard: “Heh, the funny guy.”

Emily looked at herself. She saw that she was covered in blood.

Emily: “Eek! W-Why am I covered in…!?”

Michael: “Don’t worry, it’s not your blood. It’s someone else’s.”

Emily: “S-Someone else’s!?”

She was shaking even more now. Everyone looked at me.

Grace: “Michael!”

Michael: “Uh…I mean…I didn’t mean…!”

Grace: “Hey shhhh, look at me. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Emily stared at Grace’s mask. She gave her the same relief look she gave me the time I lost my fingers. That look really does wonders, and wonders it did. Emily stopped shaking and calmed down.

From your stupid mouth! Haha!

Shut it!

Emily: “W-Where’s Ayaka…?”

The moment she said that, we all came into realization.

Michael: “Ayaka!”

Grace: “Ayaka!”

Bernard: “Ching Chong!”

We all looked at Bernard with disappointed looks behind our masks.

Bernard: “…Um, was that too much?”

Michael: “…”

Grace: “…”

Nadia: “…”

Emily: “…”

Bernard: “…I’ll shut up now…”

To Be Continued :)

Mystery: “Surprise! It’s not the last of the prologue! You should’ve seen your faces! Hahahaha…huh? You’re saying I didn’t know how long this was going to be so I had to split it? Why that’s preposterous! I would never……okay maybe, but next time will be the last……actually I shouldn’t say anything because I don’t really know. J-Just pretend that it is! See ya!”