Disclaimer: I don't own the song Bad End Night or Homestuck.
Jade bit her lip, the intricate black ink of the faded letter in her hand staining her sweaty palm. Wide emerald eyes searched the darkness around her, a petite body shivering from the cold. She couldn't make out a path anymore, only the twisted trees that seemed to reach for her with gnarled branches. She shuddered as black, bony fingers raked past her cheek, through her cascading ebony hair, and into the chilling night breeze.
Jade squeaked, swearing she could feel something grip the hem of her shirt. She spun around, her pale green skirt flaring around milky white legs, to face the shadows, nervously calling, "Who's there?" The only answer she received was the playful wind caressing her face. Unsure, she turned and continued going ahead.
If there were more moonlight, she would have read over the letter she had received once more, to make sure that this was the right path. Unfortunately, the forest blocked out any light over head, only leaving a sort of gray twilight over her surroundings. She contemplated going back home, but got a feeling that if she tried, there would be something waiting for her. Something would reach out and grab her, bite into her neck and end her. Shivering at the thought, she pressed on.
Why did she come in the first place? Jade knew the legend of these woods. Anyone who enters never returns. Why would she come, knowing this? She cursed herself for her curiosity and sense of adventure. What fun was an adventure that scared you half to death?
There had been something alluring about the words in the letter. The words were enough to convince her to dress up in her finest clothes and go deep into the woods. She was just losing hope when the trees began to thin out, moonlight streaming through the gaps. There was an opening up ahead.
Jade started to quicken her pace, eager to leave the dark forest. As the trees rapidly thinned out, she could make out the shadow of a building in the distance. The moonlight streamed through the leaves, finally illuminating her way. It seems that sometime along the way, she had strayed from the path, going through the woods. Her heart dropped when she realized this. Now how would she find her way home?
The breeze ruffled her hair, running to play among the blades of grass that shone a dark teal in the moonlight. In front of her stood the shadow of what was no doubt a majestic building in the daytime. In the black of night however, it loomed threateningly, rotted and seeming to gasp for air. Its glassen eyes gleamed in the moonlight, a doorway acting as its gaping mouth. Jade hesitantly began walking towards it.
As the mansion, as Jade soon realized, came into view, she shivered. The frigid wind twirled around her, chilling her to the bone. She pulled the thin, richly green colored cloak around her tighter, the garment doing little to protect her against the cold. She grimaced as the somewhat comforting tickle of the prairie grass ended, leaving her at the mercy of a cold cobbled walkway. She pressed on even though her body screamed for her to run.
Now that she stood in front of the manor, she could make out the high stone archways and artful statues that were no doubt older than her, the girl who was fourteen years young. The door stood meekly in front of her, a dull dusky hazel emblazoned with golden and tarnished silver details and riddled with worn and rotten holes. This rich mansion seemed wrong, darkness slipping through it. It seemed rotten at its core. However, she couldn't turn back.
Gathering up the withering wisps of her courage, Jade knocked on the door softly, calling out, "Hey, is there anyone home?" Biting her lip with a slight overbite, she knocked again, "Helloooooo?" Gaining no answer, she turned her back to the manor and began to walk away.
The door creaked open behind her.
Jade spun around, eyes wide with panic. Instead of seeing a terrible monster like she had expected, she saw a rather ordinary looking boy, perhaps a few years older than herself. He was sharply dressed in a well tailored black suit, a dark green bowtie around his neck. His green eyes, mirroring her own, shone with pleasant surprise.
"Oh my!" Jade was immediately assaulted with a distinctly British accent, "You're out so far quite late! Do you need help?" Before she could say anything, she was immediately whisked inside. "My name is Jake," He bowed to you before continuing on, "And you?"
Jade didn't answer right away, feeling rather overwhelmed. The mansion looked much better kempt on the inside, richly furbished and decorated. The plush carpet underneath her shoes sunk with the imprint, deep red complimenting the violet hues around the hall. On the wall to her right, there was a picture of a man with orange eyes and a proud smirk, a woman with deep purple eyes, blonde curls cascading down her shoulders and a martini glass in hand, and a little girl with light purple eyes holding two dolls in her arms.
She was finally brought to reality with Jake's question, blushing slightly in embarrassment. She answered, "Uh, I'm Jade!" She gave a grin to the boy, getting another in return. Suddenly, a squeal sounded from ahead.
Before Jade was nearly knocked over by a blur of light blue and white lace, she spotted the two dolls from the photo leaning against each other against the wall. One had platinum blonde hair and red button eyes, a line serving as a mouth, and a black suit embroidered with crimson, a red gear on his breast pocket. The other had messy black hair and blue button eyes, a stitched smile stretching across its face with little buck teeth, a suit of dark green embroidered with dark blue on its body, a blue wind symbol on the breast pocket and a little hat on its head.
How cute! Jade thought to herself before her vision was filled with lace.
"Oh, Jake! Isn't she precious?" The girl took Jade's hands, smiling happily. She had on a simple, pale blue dress embroidered with white lace and a white apron around her waist. Her blue eyes shined happily behind round glasses and her short black hair bobbed as she curtsied in front of their guest. "My name's Jane! And you are, sugar?"
Jade was about the answer when a new voice filled the hall, clear and full of command, "What's the ruckus about?" A girl about Jade's age descended the stairs, looking at Jade with calculating violet eyes. Jade recognized her as the little girl with the dolls from the photo.
Jane bowed to the girl before turning to go, "Dear, let me serve you tea! It will help ease the cold!"
"I'll help you," Jake bowed to the girl before following Jane out, leaving Jade and the mysterious girl alone.
The two examined each other. Jade self consciously tugged at the green bow around her waist as she noticed the girl's expensive looking black gown. There was a dark purple sash tied around her waist, a skull gleaming on the light violet headband that held her blonde hair back, a golden bracelet with a sun gleaming on her wrist. Jade bit her lip nervously as the girl seemed to analyze her.
The girl in front of her finally smiled faintly in amusement, starting to speak. "Well, you don't look like one of mother's friends."
"I, um… Just came here…" Jade fidgeted a bit, shyly twining her hands together and looking at the fingers. "I'm Jade Harley."
"My name is Rose Lalonde." She held out a hand, giving a polite smile. Jade grinned at her and shook her hand. Jane flitted back into the room, holding a tray of tea in one hand and plate of small frosted cakes in the other.
"The tea is ready!" Jane announced, "Shall we relocate to the sitting room?"
"Hold on." Rose went towards the wall, scooping up the black haired doll. "Jade, you can grab David if you wish."
"David…?" Jade tilted her head, obediently going to the wall and taking the red eyed doll in her arms. This struck her as a bit odd. Did Rose still play with her dolls? Holding the little toy to her chest, its still face against her bosom, she followed the chipper maid into another room.
This room was outfitted with a theme of cream and pale blue, a comfortable and pleasing palette to the eye. She sat across from Rose on a soft armchair, sipping her mint tea and nibbling a cake. Rose told Jane, "You should inform mother and father of our unexpected guest." Jane nodded and was off.
"Oh, am I imposing?" Jade asked.
"No, not at all!" Rose answered a little too quickly before continuing calmly, "We almost never get guests anymore, much less any of my own age."
"That's so sad!" Jade frowned. She eyed the little dolls set beside Rose and reached across to hold Dave again. "Do you still play with them?" Jade thought that she could see the slightest hint of painted red on the Dave's cheeks, as if the doll were blushing. That was ridiculous, though!
"Not 'play', per se," Rose replied, watching her guest over the rim of her teacup, "David doesn't like me calling it playing and John complains about it."
Jade smiled, "I think that's cute! You devised personalities for them!"
Rose chuckled, as if that thought were folly, "I never created their personalities. They're their own people."
"Huh?" Jade held up the doll in her hands, glancing over it "They say that puppets have personalities like that. Is it like using a puppet, then?"
Oh hell no, Harley. You did not just compare me to a puppet.
Jade dropped the doll in shock, looking at it with wide green eyes, "It… It talked!"
"I'm a he, thank you very much." There wasn't a doll there anymore. Jade saw a pair of long legs. Slowly looking up, her eyes widened even further as she looked into a pair of shades. There was a boy a year older than herself, wearing the doll's same clothes, standing in front of her. "Like what you see, Harley?" His lip twitched upwards in a smirk.
"But, I, you, doll, wha-" Jade spluttered, but was cut off by a puff of air blowing down her neck and a voice.
"Boo."
Jade shrieked and scrambled away, Dave smirking off to the side and Rose silently laughing behind her tea. The other doll- no, the other boy- snickered. Bright blue eyes seemed to twinkle in merriment as Jade finally got to her feet, huffing and glaring at the boy, "Don't startle me!"
Rose giggled quietly from her spot across the low coffee table, "I forgot to mention that John is a bit mischievous."
"Now you tell me." Jade sat back in her spot, nibbling on another cake, pouting. John and Dave leaned on each side of the armchair, raising an eyebrow.
"You just saw two dolls come to life," John began.
"Not dolls," Dave corrected, "Figurines." That was hardly the right word to describe their once plush limbs and button eyes, but Jade let that slide. Dave seemed too cool to be called just a doll.
"Anyway, you saw us come to life, and there's no shocked silence? No asking if we're possessed?" John asked, seeming a bit disappointed.
"It was surprising at first," Jade admitted, "But I'm over it. You seem perfectly normal now to me."
"You're no fun!" Two boys whined in her ears. Well, John whined. Dave just said it because he's obviously too cool to whine. Jade still detected some disappointment in his voice though.
Rose rolled her eyes, "Oh, sod off you two. You don't have to scare every guest we have, you know. Isn't it nice to not have anyone run screaming from you?"
"Nope," The two boys said in unison once more.
"Who's the little lady?"
Jade turned towards the doorway where the voice originated. Standing there were a man and woman, like in the photo from before. The man was dressed in a fine pale orange suit overlaid with a white cloak while the woman had her hair up in an elegant bun, a flowing pink evening gown pooling around her feet. Orange eyes studied her, an eyebrow quirked.
"Hello, father," Rose said politely before gesturing to Jade, "This is our unexpected guest, Jade."
"Oh, isn't she just the cutest thign!" The woman slurred. She paused before correcting herself, "Thing."
The man took a few more moments to examine her before striding into the room, holding a hand out. "My name is Dirk. That's my wife, Roxy and of course you've met my daughter and her dolls."
"Not a doll," Dave corrected again, "A figurine."
"Sure, whatever the doll said," Dirk rolled his eyes, as if the conversation were a daily occurrence. Jade shook his hand and caught the smirk playing on his lips. "You know what this means…"
"A party!" John clapped excitedly.
Roxy smiled at Jade, "We've already got the dining hall set up. Jane and Jake should be back any moment now!"
Rose got up and stood by Jade's chair, whispering, "Jade, you have one more chance to escape. These parties can get a tad… out of hand…" There was no way that Jade would leave now! She loved parties! Besides, it didn't look as if Rose really wanted her to leave.
Jane and Jake entered the room, bowing to its occupants, smiles of accomplishment gracing their faces. Jane happily sang, "The party is ready! Be merry and festive~"
Jake added, "Only if our guest wishes to join us. We wouldn't want to overwhelm the poor dear."
"I'm in." Jade looked at everyone in the room as she said this. Rose looked completely delighted, light violet eyes shining with barely contained excitement. Jane squealed, beginning to flit out of the room. Jake grinned as well, standing by patiently. Dirk gave a small smirk and Roxy hid a large smile clumsily behind her martini glass (which failed).
Dave and John, however, glanced at each other with slight frowns.
As quickly as it was there, the looks of disapproval were gone. The two previously fake boys turned to her, smiles in place (a smirk, in Dave's case). Jade decided it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. John took a hold of her hands and Jade couldn't help but notice how cold and wax-like they were. It was as if he was dead… Almost like a corpse…
Jade pushed the disturbing thought away when John cheerfully said, "Welcome to our mansion!"
"Come on, Harley," Dave grabbed her hand, wrenching her away from John's grasp, "You agreed to party, so let's party." Jade shivered as she realized that his skin was cold as well.
"We'll pour the finest wine!" Jake grandly announced, walking away with a quick stride.
Dirk twirled Jade away from the two doll boys and the poor girl was relieved to come into contact with warm, living flesh. He said, "A meeting like this must be fate, you know."
"Lord knows how long Rosie has waited for another friend." Roxy said loudly, sobering up slightly.
"Mother, please," Rose said, a hint of embarrassment coloring her tone and a light pink on her cheeks, "don't."
"You see, Rosie, bless her little heart, is a bit shy," Roxy said dramatically, "It just breaks my poor heart. She still plays with the dolls we got her for her fifth birthday!"
"For the love of God," Dave whined slightly in the background, "We are not dolls!"
Roxy ignored him, "It's wonderful to see my little Rosie Posie coming out of her little shell!" Rose groaned loudly in the background.
"Are we going to this party of not?" Rose snapped, face flushed red as she glared at her mother. Roxy laughed heartily and, being lead by Dirk with a hand on his arm, she left to the dining area. Rose began to follow, her dolls in tow. Jade, giggling slightly at her new friend's plight, followed everyone else.
Jade was left speechless at the grandeur of the dining hall.
The high ceiling reached far above their heads, painted a pristine white and gold. The plush cream carpet underneath her stockings was soft with a gold carpet leading towards what looked like a dance floor. The table looked as if it could seat dozens more than just their measly party of eight, but the entire length of it was laid with delicacies, pastries and wine as far as the eye could see. It took Jade a few moments to stop blinking in awe and actually sit down next to Rose.
Jake poured everyone a glass of wine and Jane brought out more baked goods. Now that Jade looked at it, it looked like most of the table was overlaid with sweets as far as the eye could see. It made her fondness of the sugary confections become insistent, and she was half tempted to just have a meal of sweets. But, of course, that would be terribly rude.
Dirk held up his glass, the others doing the same. Jade was confused for a moment before realizing that she should probably put up her glass as well. She quickly did so, nearly dripping the red substance on her mostly white blouse. Dirk spoke loudly, "I propose a toast to our guest and new main character. Let us celebrate the beginning of a happy night!" They clinked their glasses together and began to feast.
Jade, while finding the man's words to be odd, looked over to Rose, who was neatly eating her food in between sips of wine. She asked, "Aren't you a little young to drink?"
"I usually don't drink at all," Rose replied, "But tonight is special, so I think I'll make an exception." She took another sip of her drink.
Jade began to eat, nearly exclaiming her delight out loud at how delicious the food was. The roast lamb was so tender, it fell apart as soon as it entered her mouth, the creamy mashed potatoes seeming to melt on her tongue. After setting aside her empty food plate, she immediately started on the sweets. It was a wonder that she could resist them for so long!
Between bites of a perfectly sweet and sour berry tart, she spotted Dave and John having an almost silent conversation. John refused to touch the confections before him while it was all that Dave ate. This struck her as slightly odd, for Dave didn't seem to enjoy the sweets and John seemed to want to steal the pastries right from his companion's mouth.
Those dolls are so strange… Jade thought to herself. She giggled as she imagined Dave's exasperated voice say, "We are not dolls. We are not puppets. WE. ARE. FIGURINES."
Rose looked at her friend curiously, "What's so funny?" She hiccupped a bit, causing Jade to giggle more. Perhaps the alcohol was finally settling in their systems.
"Oh, nothing!" Jade giggled again and Rose started to giggle along with her, both girls' cheeks becoming increasingly flushed. Soon, most around the table were laughing at jokes that weren't really all that funny, crying at stories that really weren't that sad, and just losing what little sense they had.
John and Dave rolled their eyes, as they were dolls and couldn't get drunk.
When the plates and feast were cleared away, Rose giggled, taking Jade by the hand and leading her to the dance floor. While an invisible band played a fast paced waltz, the two girls clumsily danced with one another, although both had no rhythm due to the alcohol.
As Rose was spun away by her (only tipsy) father for a dance, the two dolls (I apologize, I meant figurines) entered the floor. Dave was the first to take her hand, pulling her in and leading her in the dance. Jade giggled as John spun her away, twirling around with her to avoid being caught by Dave. Dave eventually caught her arm again and took her back. Jade laughed, enjoying the fake fight over her.
Soon, the party had ended. Dirk carried his passed out wife while Jake and Jane began to clean up. Rose started to lead Jade to her room, giggling and hiccupping the entire way. Jade stumbled a bit, but eventually the duo made it to the guest bedroom. Jade lay down on her bed as Rose swayed a bit. The drunk blonde finally tipped over, plopping on top of Jade and sending the two into another fit of laughter.
John and Dave (who weren't beside the bed five seconds ago, Jade's foggy brain failed to recognize) rolled their eyes in unison as Rose passed out. Jade made a sound of discomfort as the weight on her back grew heavier, then laughed again as she realized that such a funny sound came from her mouth. Dave picked up Rose and began to carry her away, presumably to her room.
John stayed behind to properly tuck the village girl into bed, smiling as she attempted to make jokes. Then, she said something between slurs that made him freeze, "Hey, John, you're really cold! Are you dead or something?"
Jade watched as his face grew to be completely different. His smile became more forced, his eyes not visible behind his bangs. It could have been the alcohol talking, but Jade could swear that John looked as if he wanted to kill her. As if a gust of wind had blown, the expression was gone, replaced with a look of innocent confusion. "That's silly, Jade! Why would I be dead?" He turned away, leaving the room.
"After all, I was never alive."
Unfortunately, Jade had passed out before catching those words.
Jade awoke to distant voices calling, "Emergency, emergency!"
She winced, rubbing her sleep blurry eyes, looking around the dark room. Looking out the window, she could see the full moon high in the sky, stars burning like little embers. Ugh, her head was pounding from the night before. She could barely remember any of it.
Jade stretched before leaving bed, swinging her feet on the ground. As her headache ebbed away, she realized that it shouldn't be night. She was naturally an early riser. There was no chance of her sleeping in, especially this late!
Jade padded into the eerily silent hallway. She couldn't hear the voices of the other occupants of the mansion, only a tense silence. As she went along the hallway, she could swear that she could hear whispers. She couldn't make out what they were saying, only that they muttered near her ear sadly before running if she turned to look.
Jade, was becoming steadily unnerved by the soundless abyss that seemed to engulf her surroundings and called out, "Rose? Jane? Jake? Anyone? Is there anyone there?" Her calls echoed off the walls before fading, engulfed by the darkness. Biting her lip, she continued to pass by hallways and empty rooms.
Soon, she spotted a clock, still and lifeless. It was devoid of any ticking, its hands stuck five minutes to midnight. There was something wrong with the minute hand, though…
She shrieked as a hand tapped her shoulder.
"I didn't even try to scare you this time!" John raised an eyebrow. Jade breathed a sigh of relief.
"John…" Jade looked behind him, "And Dave too! Do you know where Rose is? Or maybe Roxy and Di-"
"NO!" Both quickly answered. Jade looked at them in shock and confusion as the dolls shook their heads rapidly, eyes widened.
"You don't want to go near them now," John warned, face paling and matching the cold and waxy texture of his skin, "It's never a good idea to do that when time stops!"
Jade blinked at them, green eyes widening in shock. It took her a while before she answered, "Time stopped…?" That was when she realized how sick Dave looked. His skin was too pale to be natural; his shades had been discarded, showing that red eyes had clouded over, blonde hair in disarray. Jade noticed that he was leaning on John, body trembling badly. The red gear on his suit was slowly losing color.
"Dave… Are you okay?"
Dave tried to answer, but it was cut off by a series of harsh hacking and coughs. He collapsed to his knees, holding a hand over his mouth, red blood dripping from the crevices between his fingers. Jade looked on in horror, watching as he stopped, standing up shakily and leaning back against John. John frowned before something that Jade couldn't explain took place.
John tilted his companion's pale and dying face towards him, pressing his lips softly against the boy's. Color gradually returned to Dave's face, his eyes regaining life again. The red gear on his suit's pocket became bright red once again while the Breath symbol on John's suit glowed with a sort of aura. It was as if John was breathing life back into the other doll.
As they both pulled away, Dave looked at Jade with a straight face, placing his sunglasses back on his nose. "I'm fine now, Harley."
Jade was silent for a few moments before asking, "Why can't I go to Rose or Dirk or Roxy?"
"Rose is fine," Dave said, "It's just Dirk, Roxy, Jane and Jake you shouldn't go near right now."
"But why?" Jade asked, looking at him. The red eyed boy reached into the pocket on his suit and took out a folded piece of paper. Dave silently handed it to her. Jade carefully unfolded it and smoothed out the creases before her eyes widened.
The picture was similar to the one in the hall from the day before but with one big difference. Rose was no where in the picture. Instead, there was a little boy with red eyes, holding a strangely dressed puppet with 'Cal' printed on its shirt. Jade looked up at Dave, shock written on her face, "Dave… This is you!"
"Yeah…" He laughed bitterly, no humor showing in his tone, "With my mother and brother." He gestured to hi right, where a red gear had appeared. Jade turned to it, watching as a scene unfolded through the disk.
"You know… John and I were like you and Rose, once."
Dave frowned, flinging the offending puppet away from him. He had spent thirteen years with it. He was tired of it by now. Lil Cal came to life before his eyes, still grinning even with tears streaming down his face. "Don't you want to play anymore, Dave?"
"Hell no." Dave answered before hearing a squeal from downstairs. Curiosity peaked; he wandered downstairs to find out what had Jane squealing this time.
There was a guest?
Surprised, he looked at the awkward boy with buckteeth as he talked to Jane. He hadn't had any human interaction except those of his family for a long while. In truth, he had become quite lonely. Perhaps this is what drove him to be friendly to the stranger, in his round about way of course.
Or maybe it was because no one could hate John.
Jade watched as the two friends interacted, a party starting. She shivered, noticing how eerily similar it was to the night before, from what food John ate to Dave drunkenly dancing with him. Jade was becoming freaked out.
"And then time stopped. When we woke up…"
John ran, Jane and Roxy hot on his trail. He tripped in his haste, sprawling out on the floor. Jane smiled as she held the knife over his cowering form.
"STOP!"
Dave pushed him out of the way before he was struck down, the knife lodging inside his throat. He looked back at John, gurgling as the blood entered and pooled past his lips, spurting from the wound before he silently fell, no more sound leaving his throat.
John had no time to react as Dirk sliced his throat cleanly.
"Oh my God…" Jade slowly shook her head, tears starting to gather at the corner of her eyes. She looked in shock at the doll boys beside her, expressions blank and backed away. "Are you… dead?"
"Yes and no." Dave replied. "Keep watching."
Jake came back, two little blank dolls, one with a red gear and the other with a blue symbol, in his hands. Jane set one over each boys' hearts and kissed each on the forehead. Slowly, the bodies disappeared, the dolls slowly gained new features, one with blonde hair and red eyes, the other with black hair and blue eyes. The bodies were gone… And in their place were dolls.
"So you're…" Jade looked away, a quiet sob escaping her throat, "You were killed!" Through her tear blurred eyes, she saw the dolls look at the floor. She also figured out what was so wrong with the clock.
The minute hand was the knife.
Gasping, she looked around. John had disappeared who knows where and Dave was slowly relapsing into another fit of coughs. To the right of the clock, she could see the outline of a doorway in the wall. Frantic and fearing for her life, she tore through the wallpaper, letting the door swing open. Dave tried to call from behind her, trying to warn her of something, but was left on the ground, gasping for breath.
As the door slowly swung open, a low, low room was revealed. It took Jade a little while to adjust to the dim lighting, but when she realized what the room held, she gasped. Her eyes widened with open fear, her shaking hands clasped close to her body as she froze, screaming.
"Oh my God!"
In the room, there were ten coffins.
Terrified, but with her curiosity peaked, she slowly trudged into the room. As her feet padded across the chilled tile on the floor, she took time to examine each coffin. Six of them had two dolls, with one soiled with a strange color of blood and the other dressed in rich clothes, all with grey skin, black hair and horns.
The first coffin held a bull horned boy splattered with orange all over his legs, a beautifully eerie girl beside him with ram horns and pupil less eyes. The second held one boy with a red and blue eye, covered in yellow with his red eyed companion, who was sitting with a scowl. The third had a boy with a broken horn, covered in blue sitting next to an innocent looking, catlike doll. And so it went on, until Jade counted twelve. Looking at the nameplates, they went as follows:
Tavros and Aradia, Sollux and Karkat, Equius and Nepeta, Terezi and Vriska, Gamzee and Kanaya, Eridan and Feferi.
Jade shivered. Had they all been killed as well? In the back of the room were four coffins, each with a symbol. She recognized Dave and John's symbol, as well as the gold sun that was on Rose's bracelet. That could only mean that the white symbol… was hers. She heard footsteps and hurried out of the room, making sure to close the door. Around the corner came Jane, who went up to her with a worried expression.
Jade flinched as she came close. All she could see was Jane's joyful face as John's throat was slit. Jane flitted around worriedly, "Oh dear, did you hurt yourself? I can look over that if you want!" Jane gestured to a small cut of Jade's wrist and gently started to take her hand, about to examine it.
"No!" Jade quickly pulled her hand away, imagining the blood from Dave's still body staining the maid's baby blue dress. Holding the cut defensively, she started to back away, "Stay away from me!" She turned and absconded, flying through the halls quickly and leaving a worried Jane behind.
She quite literally bumped into Jake, who had nearly dropped the tray of empty dishes in his hands. He looked at her oddly, a look of almost brotherly concern in his eyes. He looked at Jade, frowning, "What's wrong? What has you so spooked?"
She backed away, her eyes widening in fear. In Jade's eyes, Jake had the same heartless look as when he carelessly handed over the blank dolls that seemed to have trapped John and Dave's spirits within them. As Jake reached a hand out, she swatted it away, causing the other hand to drop the china dishes, "No! Leave me alone!"
Jade ran through some more halls, leaving a hurt Jake behind. She ran again, wondering where Rose was. Jade had to warn her. If not, she would be next! Jade didn't want to die, nor did she want her friend to meet her fate. She wondered if their deaths would end up being similar to the dolls'. Pushing away the disturbing thought, she ran by those who were once friends, now unfamiliar faces. She ignored their voices, giving into her fear and the urge to just run and never look back.
"Where are you going?" "Are you okay?" "There's danger!" "Please, wait!"
It had become a crazy night, with the maid, butler and heads of the house chasing after their guest. Jade knew she had to find the ending to this madness. She needed to find a happy ending. But where could it be? Nearly sobbing, she called out, "Please, let me go! I want to go home!"
But she knew that she would only be allowed to go home when the play ended. She would only go home with the happy end. She wondered, as her legs grew weak and ached from running for so long and her mind foggy with fear and exhaustion, if the true end was with the grave. She shook her head. She couldn't allow herself to think this.
It wasn't much longer before she was cornered by the four, her back to the clock and secret room. Could she somehow escape into the room? No, she couldn't. If she did, then they could catch her. She backed to the clock as they closed in, hands reaching for her. In the corner, Dave's lifeless corpse stared back at her, his face and gear on his suit devoid of all color. John mourned over him.
She looked desperately for any means of escape. There had to be a key to the ending she needed! Jade screamed, burying her face in her hands and sobbing, "Leave me alone! Stay away from me, you monsters!"
Perhaps it was the primal fear, or perhaps it was just her body trying to defend itself, but she remembered the gleaming knife in the clock behind her. She stopped moving for a few moments, her eyes shadowed by her bangs as she bowed her head.
Jade smashed the glass above her, tearing the knife from the clock's frame triumphantly. She held the shining, coldly glinting key to herself for a few moments before finally speaking.
"I fooouuund it!"
Jade lashed out, the knife quickly slicing through her first victim's throat. Jake's eyes widened in surprise as he fell back, blood draining from his body. Dirk made a sort of strangled gasp and slumped beside the lifeless body, gathering the butler into his arms. Roxy grabbed Jane by the wrist and ran from the room.
From where Dave's body lay, John let out a pained moan. The blue symbol on his suit began to dull, and his face took on a sickly pallor as he coughed. Jade raised the blade above Dirk as he mourned, a manic grin spreading across her face. She giggled slightly as Dirk held his servant to his chest, whispering sweet words to him.
"Please don't leave me…" "Please stay with me." "I love you."
Jade struck, the knife lodging into the man's skull with the force of the blow. As blood poured down his forehead and dripped past his shock widened eyes, he fell to the side, his lover's body falling from his grasp.
Jade smiled, gripping the knife's hilt and pulling the blade out. She smiled as she held the blade proudly; thinking that this must have been what Arthur felt when he pulled out Excalibur. She stopped killing to defend herself.
She continued killing for the fun of it.
The weight of the shining steel felt good in her hand, empowering. It was like a lifeline of sorts. If there was any fun to be had, there was only one way. Someone was going to die. Jade was perfectly delighted with the idea. She started to walk through the halls, her previous fear forgotten in her new found madness as she stalked her prey.
Jane was the next one she had found, cowering in the corner of the kitchen, holding a sort of pitchfork to her chest tightly. She seemed to be praying, blue eyes squeezed shut and her hands clasped over the weapon, her mouth moving silently. Jade laughed silently to herself. The maid looked so pathetic now! Where was the joyful look of the kill?
Jade tapped her shoulder. Jane spun around and tried to defend herself, attempting to drive the pitchfork through Jade's chest. Jade, amused, slapped her when she started to gain a hopeful look. As the weapon fell from her grasp, Jane tried to reach for it but shrieked as Jade stabbed her hand. Giggling, the villager grabbed her by the hair, pulling her for eye contact. Jane trembled, her wide eyes brimming with tears as they streamed down her face.
"Don't be sad…" Jade used her hands, knife still clenched in her right fist, to tilt the corners of Jane's lips upwards. Jane squeaked as the blade grazed her cheek, a little droplet of blood dribbling down her neck. "After all, Dirk died with his lover and Roxy will join you soon."
Jane tried to scream but Jade had already slit her throat. Jane's sounds were reduced to frightful gurgles as her vocal chords overflowed with the blood. Jade stood up, letting the carcass drop unceremoniously on the ground.
Jade heard movement and silently followed, her now rust colored knife glinting in hand. She stalked her last prey as she ran back into the room with the clock. Roxy stopped, throwing her hands over her mouth as she saw the still body of her husband. Looking back at Dave, she saw John gasping for air, clawing at his chest, as if he were teetering between life and death.
Roxy sank to the ground, her gown becoming stained with red. She buried her face in her hands and started to cry, tears running down her cheeks. Jade, not liking the sight, decided to put her out of her misery. She stabbed the woman in the throat, watching as she fell forward to join her husband and his secret lover. Jade felt as if she were forgetting someone. Was it John? She turned and saw that John had died along side his friend, his skin and symbol having lost all their color. But there was someone… Jade couldn't remember…
As Jade pondered, someone slit her throat from behind.
Jade's eyes were widened in surprise before she slumped to the ground, the bloodied knife falling from her limp hand. Jade had died, never really finding the happy end. In the now dark room devoid of all life, a shadow gave a round of applause.
"Even if it wasn't the right ending, it was a wonderful show…"
As the shadow picked up the letter that had fluttered from Jade's placid skirt, it wept.
And that's the end of Bad end Night! I may do two sequels based on Crazy Night and Twilight Night...
Review~