The Dark Fairytale

Chapter 4 | Deeper Troubles

"Is she dead?"

I heard an unfamiliar voice; my conscious returning to me, waking me from the dire unknown. I felt my head throbbing in pain, my throat burning with thirst, the cold breeze like knives on my skin. 

"Her pulse is a little weaker, but she's alive," I heard another voice, a bit deeper this time. "Wait, she's moving," I asked, opening my eyes to the amber orbs, they were staring back at me with confusion and wonder. I blinked a couple of times to adjust my vision. The place looked vaguely familiar, like a maze of woods you would see on the cover of a gothic novel, only way denser and way more darker.

The person in front of me, not familiar at all. He seemed to be in his late teens and his hair as black as raven and skin as pale as milk. The contrasting characteristics suited him, in a way it made him look mysterious. His amber eyes fixed on mine, his sharp jawline set in a stoic expression.

"Who are you?" I asked, rubbing my temples. "What is this place?" I inquired, still feeling a bit dizzy. I couldn't remember anything, like anything that was before this moment, didn't exist at all. "You don't know?" he asked, his expression now giving off his dubiety.

"It's a forest... How did I end up here? Do you know me?" I asked with a bit of hopefulness in my voice. "Aren't you one of the contestants?" another voice asked and I glanced back in the direction of a caramel-skinned guy. He was dressed in a leather suit, something a special agent from espionage would wear; his black hair chopped in a military kind of fashion. He seemed to be in the early twenties, if not younger. 

"Contestants?" I asked in bewilderment.

"You have the band just as we do," he nodded, pointing to the wrist band I had on. I studied it; it was a silver band with an inscription of eagle head with two guns strapped to it's back. I hardly remember putting it on.

"You don't remember, do you?" the amber-eyed guy asked me and I shook my head in negation. "What do you remember?" the caramel-skinned guy asked me, now leaning forth in my direction. "I..." I searched in my memory of some reminiscence but I couldn't find any. 

"What's your name then?" the other guy asked and I shook my head again. They both looked in each other's direction like trying to reach an agreement about me. "You know, that's a bit odd," the amber-eyed guy sighed in the end.

"It can be the virus," the caramel-skinned guy proposed. "It didn't affect anyone like that. It will only mess up with our agility and emotions. Wiping out memories, that's a bit over the top," the other guy argued. "Wait, what virus? Was I injected with something? What are you guys talking about?" I asked, now getting a bit anxious about my whole situation.

I saw them looking at one another once again.

"What's going on?" I asked, this time in a calmer voice. Though I doubt it hid the desperation in my voice. I could feel the chills in my bone. Maybe it's the snow that has started to fall, or maybe it's the new-found knowledge I've seem to possess. I couldn't tell for sure.

"You're in Addoredda," the caramel-skinned guy said finally. "I'm Jacob, he's Jareth. We're participating in the annual competition for the warriors across the Rigel Empire. And judging from that band on your wrist... you're too.

To make the competition difficult, we are injecting with a virus that will affect our performance. But there's a cure and we have to find it in teams, starting tomorrow morning. There are other teams as well, so we have to be quick," he explained. "All the teams that are able to find the cure will get clearance for next phase," he added.

"And those who don't..." I asked. A part of me knew I won't like the answer but another part, still asked.

"They will be bound here, driven to madness for as long as they live," Jareth finished.

"That's insane," I almost shouted.

"Those are the rules. If you're here, then you might have known what you were getting yourself into," he spoke, before getting up.

"But... "

That's unfair. Why would I, out of all the places, choose to be here?

Why am I even part of such game?

"What if I want to quit?" I asked.

"Don't talk bullshit. This is Adoredda. The only way to quit is to die," Jareth said, looking around, probably searching for a direction.

"And that too if you're lucky enough. Many just keep wandering around, without any purpose, waiting for their days to end. The virus doesn't leave any consciousness, they are like walking dead," Jacob corroborated and I shuddered. "I get it, it's hard to wrap your head around but we all are trained fighters. People are here to win Adoredda's treasure. I'm sure you're here for the same. Even if you don't remember," he said, giving me a smile. It was supposed to reassure me and even though I couldn't believe any of it, I nodded anyway.

There were a million thoughts inside my head, a million questions, and a million possible answers. Who am I? Why am I here? Why don't I remember anything? 

"And besides, your condition might be because of the virus, right? So what if you're taking the cure can bring your memories back. That makes quite a sense, doesn't it?" Jacob stated, pulling me out of my thoughts. "So if I find the antidote, I'll get my memories back?" I asked, acknowledging this new hope. "Well, I'm quite sure it should work," he said thinking about it for a second. 

"Yeah, that's it. I just need to find the antidote. Thanks, Jacob. You don't know how much it means to me." 

"Nah, it's no biggie," he smiled. I figured he smiles a lot. That makes me wonder why he's here, in a place like this, part of a game like this. "Anyways, we're searching for a hideout," Jacob "You wanna join us?" he asked, helping me to get on my feet.

"Will that be okay?" I asked, unsure of what I must do. He said we have to form teams and I don't think I have a bit of luck finding any better.

"Well, we're short of one member and you look like you can use some help," Jacob said, raising his eyebrow. "So what do you think?"

"Well... I don't have an option, do I?"

"Unless you wanna freeze to death or be a meal, then yes, you have plenty," I heard Jareth's voice from afar. Jacob laughed and I rolled my eyes. I could tell it's almost dark, Arzya and Delan, Rigel's moons, casting bluish lights. The land has started to cover with snow, making it slightly slippery and difficult to walk. Far in the woods, I heard a howling sound, like a melancholy hidden in a chilling sound.

"You wish, Jareth," I shouted, following his trail with Jacob.