JINX

EPISODE 7

They stood right in front of a chocolate brown door, with a clean silver knob. His heart starts beating twice faster than normal, as the silence makes the atmosphere more intense than he could expect. He gulps once more as there's no movement coming from the guy behind him; he didn't push him to open nor shout at him, instead, he stood there. Silent than ever.

After a couple of seconds, he could himself starting to feel different. His vision started to get blurry, he could already feel his thirst, his hunger but at the same time, he wanted to vomit because of his head beating in a very painful way.

"Wha-"

His vision starts to turn as he doesn't know what is happening. He already felt the heaviness of his body as he felt like falling. The darkness overtook all over his vision. And that's the last thing he remembers before waking up.

•••

The night is still too young for it to end just like that. He was awakened by a sound of footsteps. A lot of steps that he cannot count how many pairs of feet are walking. He slowly blinks his eyes, trying to adjust his blur vision. When he's okay with the clarity, he soon realized that he's being dragged somewhere. He looks up as he sees two men pulling him.

"Let go! Let go of me!!" He shouted, trying to fight back and escape from their grips. The two guys look at each other.

"f**k. It must've been better if he just shut up."

"Yeah. Couldn't agree more." They continue walking as he continues fighting for his freedom.

"Let go! No, let go!"

"Aagghhh!! Where are you taking me!? Let me go!" He yells, trying to shove his gripping hand into his swollen arms, probably because of too much tight gripping. "Please... I just want to have a rest..." He pleaded, with a mixture of anguish and rage.

The two guys didn't seem to bother as he keeps on compelling to him. He didn't stop fighting back, wishing he could somehow be strong enough to fight back.

"Stop moving 'ya kid! Or you wanna get smacked right in the face!" The other guy stated with such authority. He gulps as he had nothing else to do but to shut his mouth, once again.

I thought I am strong.

I thought I am not afraid.

That is just what I thought.

He didn't want to use his remaining energy just fighting. And he doesn't want to die weak if this is the night for him to shut his eyes... forever.

He was drugged upstairs as they pass several closed doors. He silently observes around as he tries to come up with any plan he could think of by just observing the surroundings he's in. But first, I need to identify where they are.

They took a left turn as few more doors came into his vision.

But not just any normal doors. It was all rusting steel doors. Miguel gulps as he can smell disturbing scents around. Dirty floors with dead rats, spider webs and dust, kinda wet white floor, almost yellowish with the color of the water, more like rotten or something. He stops me from puking as he can't take the sight of it.

I just wish I could go home with my mom.

They stop at the twelfth door because he was counting. The rusting steel door slowly opens, with the disturbing creaking sound came erupting in his ears.

Miguel was made to stand up and just before he could even balance himself, a strong hand brutally pushed him inside as Miguel landed on his knees. But what made it worse was that his knee hits a rough, spiky item which made him contort in such pain. He unexpectedly lay his hands on the floor as he looks down, not wanting to ever look up and examine the area.

"This is the man, sir." He could hear the guy announced.

"Look up, kid." He demanded but he didn't move a muscle. He doesn't wanna look up but he doesn't want to die either. Fighting over what to choose best, he didn't even notice the man already standing in front of him, surprisingly pulling a strand of his hair. He doesn't have a short nor too long length of hair, long enough to be grabbed perfectly.

"Aaahhhhh!" Miguel outcries the pain all over his body. But not enough pain to make him give up.

"I SAID...LOOK UP."

He forced him to look up by pulling his hair up, leaving Miguel with no choice but to look up, meeting a pair of green scary eyes. The eyes he's sure can remember.

"Val—" he was cut off when he saw the swivel chair turns as a man in a suit wearing a big yet creepy smile on his face. He has a half mask from his left face, making him wonder why. The mask is all pure black, making it scarier and scarier. His smile perfectly complements his skin color and the mask, as well as the suit he's wearing. Yet the design of the mask is like real skin like his original skin was replaced with it.

It looked so real, you wouldn't think it was a mask at first sight. But if you look closely, you'll see some spots that tell you it was a mask.

"Hello, Miguel."

Two words. It took him only two words gave him the f*****g chills down into his spine. He starts to feel cold inside, as he could feel his body weakening.

"How are you?"

Miguel doesn't know silence was a perfect answer or giving him a wrong answer will make any difference. He doesn't know at all because the man with a half mask "words" made him shut up, made Miguel's own words stuck on his throat.

"Don't worry. We won't hurt you.." that made his ears itch. It was as if just hearing those words had an impact like a static television with a high pitched tone.

"Won't hurt me? WON'T HURT ME!?" He bursts out of anger as he thought of it. "You won't hurt me? Well, f**k you all!" He shouted, containing all that he wanted to say. He is facing death and if he won't think smart and choose his words smart, he can die in just a whistle of the wind. The man he recognizes step back as the guy with a half-mask stood in front of him, turning his smile into a pout.

"I am truly sorry for the undisciplined act." He paused as he looks at the guys behind him, then back at him. He didn't look away because he wanted to look tough. After, the man's smile returns. "Perhaps I'd be able to make it up to you."

He stands up as Miguel didn't move as he watches the man in a mask stand right in front of him. He gulps as Miguel couldn't see what will happen next, looking down on the man's leather shoes.

"Bring them in." The man in a mask demanded. Soon, he could hear pairs of steps coming inside.

"Here they are, sir." One guy said. The man in a mask approach him but didn't kneel to face him.

"Point out who struck you or even lay a hand of you without your consent." The man wearing the mask ask him, but he decided to shut up.

"I'm going to ask you again, Miguel, and this time, I won't answer... who hit you earlier or just now?"

"I..." Miguel paused as he knows that even if he would turn to familiarize them, it won't work.

"Point him out—"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

He kept silent for a moment before answering. "I was brought here with a blindfold. All I can remember is that I was running and the next was I was in a car with I don't know how many but—"

"Did they lay a finger on you?"

He didn't respond. He is afraid of speaking up, but afraid for himself as well.

"Answer me!"

"They did, they did!" He almost broke down into tears but fought the feeling of crying in front of them. The next thing he knew was hearing a gunshot, and he was frozen there, like a statue. The aftersound of the gunshot made his ears thump like his eardrums want to explode that instant. He starts to shiver as he starts to think that he could be next and that he is nervous. His tears almost fell as he was shocked to hear a body fell on the ground.

Someone's dead. A dead man is in front of me. I witnessed it. I heard it. I saw it. He thought to himself, not wanting to show any hint of panic.

The man bent down as he lifts Miguel's face. He could feel the man's cold skin touches his skin, sending chills down his spine. He tries not to look scared nor intimidated, even if his inside tells him to shiver in fright.

There is it. The plain mask is facing him. That smile he never wanted to see, that teeth that show yellow, that eye that looks at him, like staring at his body like transparent. The fright he felt was never hidden. Even if he tries convincing himself that he's okay, that he is not scared... he is.

"Now, they'll not be hitting you again." He said as Miguel had mixed emotions at the moment.

I don't know if I should feel the relief because he won't be hurting me anymore, or should I be frightened because he might pick someone else to hit me.

"All you have to do is follow me, or anyone who demands authority."

Miguel gulps for the nth time as he hated the fact of being under the power of anyone else. He doesn't want someone ruling him like a robot. He wanted to rule himself.

"I need an answer, Mister Miguel Craigg."

"Ho-how'd you know my name."

"I've known you for quite some time now."

"Why me?" He asks immediately, wanting to get the answer already.

But all he gave is that chilling evil laugh. He let go of his chin as he stands back up. And suddenly, he could feel himself being carried by the man in a mask, back to my feet with such care.

"Discard him." He commanded as the others carry the three dead bodies, pulling it out of his sight.

He looks at his tie as he decided not to look at his mask anymore. He is trembling, he is cold, he is hungry, he is thirsty, he is already tired, and he doesn't want to die yet. He could hear some beeping sound and after that, he stated the words "bring him."

In a matter of seconds, he could feel himself being dragged once again, out of that pressure room. They brought him into space with a closed steel door. The steel door swings open, revealing the darkness of the whole room. He trembles as he remembers his fear of darkness, but trying to fight for his freedom now is not the best timing. To stop himself from panicking, even more, he closes his eyes as he waited for them to place him down and leave him. As soon as he felt the cold tile hitting his bare feet, he sits there, still as possible.

He started blinking after they turned the lights on, rapidly adjusting his vision. He even used his palm to cover the light so he could adjust nicely. After his vision is clear, he looks around the wide space they're in. There were old long tables pushed from the edges, as well as chairs connected to them. He started guessing it was a former canteen.

Maybe this is a school? A hotel?

He looks around and was surprised to even see more people lying on the floor. They all noticed the light, making them slowly stand up, and like him, they all start sinking everything that is happening with them.

"No no no no no!" The guy with blonde hair, probably on his mid-thirties, complained. Miguel with the others silently observes the guy.

"s**t! This is not happening!" The woman with brown hair, an eyeglass also panicked.

What is happening? Miguel thought to himself, still dumbfounded to why they're acting that way. The woman look at him with eyes wide open. The woman approaches her as it scared him, stepping back bit by bit. As soon as the woman approaches him, she held his arm tight. That made him realize that the woman is shaking. Not breaking the eye contact, she screams at him."Slap me."

"What?"

"Slap me. Pinch me. Punch me! Tell me that this is not happening." The woman kept trembling as he is shivering just by hearing the woman.

"Do it!"

"No!"

"I SAID DO IT!"

"NO! I'M NOT—"

The others gasp as soon as another woman stand up for Miguel, doing the slap for him. The woman who kept shaking him stopped, realizing the pain that the slap had caused her.

"Shut up because this is all happening. And if you're not awakened by my slap, then I guess you have to hit yourself real hard on the walls until you break your skull, you bleed and you die!" The woman stopped as she walks away, confining herself into a corner. The woman who saved him looks at him.

"Miguel?

"How did you—"

"If they happen to let us go even just for an hour, we need to talk." Miguel gulps again as the woman who just saved him from the intense moment walks away from her, sitting at the same place she's seated. Miguel could feel his heart thumping so fast. He couldn't seem to count for how many times he tried to push the fear aside. He has done it countless times and none of these attempts were a success. Now that he's seen two strangers panicking and another seven silent persons?

But what made him surprised even more is that he didn't expect a man that would be on the same page with him. He was then about to run and hug the person just to calm himself, a bit relieved that he knew someone but something in his mind tells him not to.

His feet didn't even move an inch for his muscles are like frozen at some point, he cannot seem to answer the question 'why'?

"Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and Gentleladies!" The guy with a half-mask came into that room, making all of them stand up. Miguel tries to understand what is happening but all his mind says is that

You're in grave danger!

You have to survive

You have to escape

You have to make a plan!

"I know you're still all wondering about what is happening but guys, you know what is happening! You just don't want to admit it yourself.

"f**k you! I'm done with the game, I did what you told me! Why am I here?" The man who freaked out earlier steps forward, making the guy with a mask smirk.

"Did you Mr. Roderick?" The man in a mask asks, making the guy stop marching forward. The man with the green eyes whom he recognizes steps forward, punching the guy named Roderick. Roderick fell as they all gasped, but not Miguel. Miguel flinched a bit but he kept silent. He starts observing every possible weakness to take notes.

"W-what are y-you—"

"Confess, mister Roderick." The guy with the green eyes said like he knew everything.

"What?"

"Confess!"

"I have nothing to confess, mister Clock!" He exclaimed, balancing himself to stand up.

Mister Clock? Did he just call the man in a mask, MISTER CLOCK? Why?

"Do you want to take this the hard way, Mister Roderick?" The man asks.

"Who the f**k are you? Recruit? Because the last time I got here into this game, you're not beside him. You think you're that intimidating—" he was cut off after the man punched him right in the stomach. He groans in pain and falls again. Now, Mister Clock was the one to make the man step back, and he did. Mr. Clock was the one who took a step forward, looking down on Roderick.

"You think we don't know anything?" He asks, making Karlos immediately respond with fear in his eyes. No words have been said, but his eyes were enough to tell that something happened.

"N-no! That was a mistake, Mister Clock! I didn't know it even happened! I was just drunk and I didn't know that guy even–"

"Quit about your f*****g excuses, Roderick! You think I'm stupid, huh?"

"Please..." he pleaded as he starts sobbing, trying to hold on the man with a mask. But all he did is push him using his foot and step back a bit. He then scans the nine persons standing, until it landed on the woman who asked a slap.

"Oh welcome back, Miss Camilla!" He exclaimed, making the woman use her hair to cover her face. Mister Clock laughed at this action.

"Step forward, Ms. Camilla."

Just when Miguel thought the woman won't move, she did step forward, beside Karlos. The woman didn't stop shivering, not because of cold but because of fear.

"Oh Miss Camilla. I thought you won't be coming back. But I'm happy you are!"

"Please, Mister Clock... I did everything you told me—"

"How's freedom anyway, Miss Camilla? I heard you had enough time."

"Mister Clock—"

"How was cheating with your husband once again by f*****g your best friend? Did your kids.... what were their names again? James and Christina? Well, did they eventually found out about your affair?"

Fucking your best friend? Cheating? Siblings? What is happening!?

"Mister Clock please..."

"You made your choice and now, you're here... and this is not the first case, though. So tell me, why should I make you walk out of this place again?"

"Mister Clock, please... I'm not doing it again I promise—"

"Promises are made to be broken, Miss Camilla. And I'm allergic to promises."

Camilla didn't respond as she kept on sobbing until it was loud cries already. It was total silence until Mr. Clock's eyes landed on Miguel.

"Hey, kid!" He called out, making him look up around him, realizing that the rest were looking at him. He then realizes what is happening.

He turns his gaze to Mr. Clock as he could feel his knees weakening.

"Miguel right?"

He nodded.

"Tell me, does these two deserve a shot to play with us?"

He didn't respond.

"Hey, kid! My boss just asked you something!"

"Don't be too harsh, Valentine. He's just afraid—"

"No, I'm not." They look at him with surprise, not expecting his answer.

I was right all the time. He is Valentine.

"Wow! Such bravery, Mister Miguel... now tell me, how long do plan to act tough?"

"Maybe after I kill you?" He said without stuttering. Mister Clock approaches him, still amazed at his bravery. As soon as he stood right in front of Miguel, he didn't flinch nor blink.

"You're interesting, Miguel. I like it... not like these bunch of idiots standing behind you."

He didn't respond once again. Mister Clock took another step forward, probably one step gap between them.

"So tell me Miguel... do Mister Roderick and Miss Camilla deserve a shot to come to play with us after disobeying the law of our God who has shown them mercy?... or do they deserve to die?"

Miguel tries to look for words that could trigger the man behind the half mask. He doesn't want to weaken his guard, even if he had felt such disapproval inside him.

You should not make the boss angry!

Don't say anything stupid!

He gulps as he didn't remove the fierceness on his eyes. With such courage, he decided to mouth the words his inner side disapproves of.

"Do they deserve to get killed by your own filthy hands?"

Mister Clock was taken aback after hearing what Miguel just said. And just after he sinks it all in, a big and evil smile forms on his lips.

"Bravo!! Bravo Mister Miguel, bravo!!!" He exclaimed, clapping his hand continuously. But it only lasted for ten seconds before the game face of Mister Clock came back.

"You're interesting, Mister Miguel..." he paused as he looks at Camilla and Karlos. He then signaled Valentine.

"Take off both of their clothes."