Chapter 3: A Demon's Mask

"Rickkyyy," The deep voice echoed in Rick's mind. He rolled over, his head hurt. "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up." Rick groaned and felt around for a pillow, his eyes closed. His hands ran across a familiar bone surface. "Rick, you look like an idiot, wake up!" Rick pulled the mask towards him and propped his head against it. "I am not a pillow! Wake the fuck up!"

The words shouted in his mind and he let out a soft moan of annoyance. "Five more minutes."

"I am not an alarm clock, you prick!" Rick peeked his eye open, he looked through the hollow eyes of the Terror Mask. "Hello there, Sleeping Ugly."

Rick sat up and leaned away from the mask. He looked around. He was on his bed. He held his head and groaned again. "My head," He fell backwards, his shoulders hitting the ground so he was only half on the inflatable bed.

"Well, are you happy now that you've made a total fool of yourself?" The mask condescended.

Rick looked at his arm and noted the numerous colors on his arms. There was a rainbow, a unicorn and what looked like crudely drawn breasts on his arms and hands. There also appeared to be the words "Freddy was here." in red pen that was obviously supposed to be blood.

"I'm gonna kill them." Rick got to his feet and held his head. His mouth was completely dry. He staggered out of his room and into the bathroom across the hall. He turned on the sink and began drinking from the faucet. He felt awful. "I wish I had drunk some water at that bar last night."

"You know Rick, this all could have been avoided if John hadn't interrupted us!"

Rick paused, trying to remember what the Terror Mask was talking about. He wasn't getting anything but vague memories and all of a sudden West in his blue vest popped in his mind. He sank to his knee's as the faucet ran. "Oh yeah," He sounded very disappointed and stood up, bending over onto the sink and sucking up the water. He couldn't care less that it was warm. He looked up at his reflection over the sink and wasn't surprised to see numerous doodles across his face. This included a fake moustache and a black spot over his eye. He paused as he looked at his arm. It was completely devoid of hair. He ran a hand across it and looked at his left arm, which did have hair on it. "Those fuckers shaved me." He looked at his reflection and felt half his chin. They had shaved off the right half of his goatee. "Those dicks,"

"You should know by now that getting drunk in front of your friends is a bad idea."

Rick sighed. "I really should, shouldn't I?"

"Shut the fuck up Rick! I'm trying to sleep." John said out loud.

"You're a dick, John!"

"Freddy and Jason did it! Now go bother them."

Rick sighed and held his head. The noise was bothering him, but at least the Terror Mask's words didn't make his head hurt. He kept drinking from the faucet for about ten minutes on and off. He got as ready as he could and, to his annoyance, had to shave his goatee completely to make his facial hair even. After a shower that made him realize he had been written on with permanent markers and waking up the twins in revenge for writing on him, he and his friends set off for the festival. Rick actually brought his bag with the Terror Mask on it without it having to resort to blackmail. With West in the city, he wanted to be ready in case anything happened... such as the end of the world... again.

He met up with Jamie and his girlfriend, Jessica. He thought they looked like a cute couple, and Jamie appeared to be just as insane sober as he was drunk. "I am having a blast going in and out of your hole!" He said to Jessica, who was standing next to him and looking quite sour.

"Can you keep the sex puns to a minimum?" She said coldly.

Jamie frowned, looking at her. "Still pissed at me for ditching you?"

"Yes,"

"And would it make any difference if I said that I did it to save Amy from being raped and possibly killed and buried in a ditch somewhere?"

She crossed her arms and looked at him. It was pretty obvious she didn't believe him. Rick raised his eyebrow as he watched the affair. "She's kind of a cunt, isn't she? Why is she even at a music festival if she isn't a music fan?" Rick glanced at the mask on his backpack, he actually agreed with its assessment. He thought they LOOKED cute together, but personality wise, there was little to appreciate.

Jamie looked at the mask on Rick's bag, he leaned towards it and looked at it. "Where'd you get this creepy looking thing?"

"Uuuhh," Rick's eyes widened as he realized he had no excuse prepared for that question. His mind raced as he tried to think of a story.

"Tell him the truth!" The mask said cheerfully. "He won't believe you and then it will give you more time to think of a lie."

"I found him in a mansion full of monsters and lost my soul to him and saved the world and my wife... then the multiverse. I decided to keep him since he's a dangerous artifact that can destroy the world and I don't want others to use him to do that." Rick paused as he realized how stupid that sounded. "But mostly he's a present from a friend who shall remain nameless and is also an artist."

Jamie looked at Rick with a baffled expression. "You just make that up on the fly?"

Rick laughed nervously. "Yes, I did."

Jamie blinked; still looking clueless. "That sounded kind of stupid."

Rick shrugged. "The best part was the sex afterwards."

"I still remember that, the sound of you two fucking in the back seat of your car afterwards. It was very distinct from the casual sex you have now. Like I said, I have it down to a science now."

"Okay then, good luck with refining that story." Jamie laughed a bit and looked at Jessica, who was looking far from happy. The crowd around them was thick and there was a massive stage a couple dozen meters away. Goat Whore was preparing to do a song.

"Yes, this is my kind of music." Rick said, only to pause as Jamie was putting his face in his palm as Jessica attempted to talk to him. He looked at her through his fingers and then up at the evening sky. He closed his eyes as she shouted at him while the music started. He was clearly not paying attention.

"You know what?" Jamie put his left hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry... but fuck you. I am really sorry that I wasted months trying to make this work. I realize that I'm a moron and I was trying to save a sinking ship. Fuck you." He turned away and walked off.

Rick looked at Jessica, who was fuming. "Well now that he's realized he's an idiot, I can tell you that me and a friend of mine think you're a cunt. Both of us."

"Aw, Rick, I appreciate you telling her she's a cunt on my behalf." Rick ignored the mask and squeezed his way through the crowd, trying to find Jamie. He looked disappointed as he looked through the sea of heads. He wasn't going to find him. He'd have to wait till Jamie went home to talk to him.

Jamie managed to shove his way through the crowd and into the parking lot. He paused and groaned as he realized he didn't drive here himself. "Fuck, I'll have to walk." He didn't want to hitch a ride with anyone and he was only a few miles away. He looked at his shoes and started walking east. "I can't believe I'm so fucking stupid."

He ended up hoofing two miles, taking the back routes by the less populated stores. He passed by a pair of younger males that were standing in front of a shabby looking pharmacy. One of them paused and looked at Jamie. He seemed to recognize him. He whispered to his companion and the two ran off down the road. After twenty minutes of walking, Jamie managed to get by the river. He sighed and walked on the stone bridge. A couple cars drove by as he crossed the road. It was only a half a dozen meters long. Two of the cars stopped by, Jamie turned around to look at the two cars. One was a rusty looking red camry, one of the older models. The other was a truck. There was at least five people in the back. The doors of the vehicle opened and he found himself surrounded by ten people. He felt nervous, there was no way so many people would stop by the road like this to give him a hug or a bundt cake.

"Told you it was him." He was fairly certain they were all males but it was dark and he couldn't see their faces too well.

Jamie stepped back and raised his hands. "Whoa! I hate to seem like the clueless victim, but who the fuck are you guys?"

The closest one spoke. His voice indicated he was pretty young, probably Jamie's age, who was twenty-three. "We are your executioner."

"Two weeks ago you killed one of our guys and we stick together, ya know?" It was a male in the back. Jamie could see they were all pulling out weapons. Mostly knives, one pulled out a gun. He stepped back, his eyes widened and fear coursed through him. He looked around as they cornered him at the wall of the bridge. He looked below to see the river below. It had a fairly strong flow, but it may be his only chance to survive. He put a hand on the rail and the closest one moved in, jamming a knife in his stomach. He grit his teeth and yelled from the pain. He leaned over the railing and let himself fall into the river. "Dammit! Follow him!" The group got back into their vehicles, one went to one side of the river and the other vehicle crossed to the other side.

Jamie crashed into the rapids below, screaming out loud as he fell. He tried to swim but his body wasn't moving anywhere near as fast as it usually would. He bobbed up and down the surface of the water as he struggled almost helplessly against the current. He was pushed down the river for well over three minutes, he spotted the truck running by. He was difficult to spot in the waters, so that may give him a chance. His mind raced as he collided with a fallen tree and managed to grip onto it. He slowly pulled himself to the shore and watched as the truck passed. It would only take them a short amount of time to realize he wasn't in the river any more. He crawled onto the ground and held his stomach, which was bleeding profusely onto the ground. He was surprised he hadn't bled to death yet.

He looked to his right, in the direction of the river's flow. He felt something, something was close to him and whatever it was, it was hardly friendly. There was an abandoned building overgrown by the tree's and wildlife. It was almost hidden from the view of the road farther away from the river. These men weren't following any paved roads to track him down. The building looked like it used to be some kind of wood-working facility. Jamie collapsed on the shore, he was sure he was going to die.

"Ooooohhh, interesting" He heard a woman's voice. He looked around, pushing himself up to his hands and knee's with one hand on his bleeding stomach. "I've never been the type to believe in Fate, but this is the kind of luck that hardly ever happens."

"Where are you?" He couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. "Please help me,"

"I will, just come into the building. I'm in there."

He stumbled to his feet and slowly made his way to the building. He couldn't move very fast and he saw the camry pass by the other side of the river. It was driving upstream. They realized he had gotten out of the river. "Better hurry, boy." He pushed himself, willing himself to move faster. He reached the door, still holding his stomach with his left hand, he pushed it open. He fell onto the ground.

"You're getting closer, just come forward a bit." This woman sounded like a harmless vixen, but despite that there was something about her voice that made him feel like he was hearing the voice of Satan himself. He didn't care, he was desperate, he didn't want to die. He pulled himself forwards and looked at a hole in the ground of the abandoned building. The wooden floor was coating with muck.

"I'm in here, just reach in and grab me." He reached into the hole in the ground, his fingers wrapped around a smooth, unfamiliar surface. "There! You've got it boy." He lifted something light out of the hole and looked at it. Even in the shadows of the evening he could make out the white surface of a mask. It had rather delicate features with indentations across it. He watched with amazement as the blood on his body defied gravity and sucked up, into the mask. "I am your ticket to salvation."

He couldn't believe his eyes. This wasn't possible. "I don't understand." His voice shook as he could feel the life draining out of him.

"Child, please, you need to be a little more humble. Do you want my help? Do you want to live?"

Jamie rolled over, onto his back, looking at the ceiling. "I don't want to die."

"Then trust me, put me on. I can save you. Believe in me." As he heard her voice, he lifted the mask and slid it over his face. He closed his eyes, only for them to widen as pain shot across his whole body. It was life every muscle was screaming at once. He screamed out loud and felt new life, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself onto all fours he watched with terror and confusion as his flesh seemed to swell on his body. His stomach wound sealed up and he screamed like he never had before. His bones cracked loudly as they rearranged under his flesh, which was swelling up as muscles bulged and tightened across his body. His legs stretched out and snapped, tearing apart his shoes as his feet completely changed their structure.

"Relax little boy."

He felt further pain as something pierced his skull at multiple points. He grabbed at the mask and tried to pull it off as his fingernails thickened and formed into pointy-white claws. "Make it fucking stop!" He screamed out loud, his mind so overwhelmed with pain, he had no idea what was going on.

His spine lengthened slightly and his chest expanded enough to tear apart his shirt. He watched as glowing red lines burned up his body, searing his flesh and he continued to scream. The pain eased and his body seemed to cool down. He rolled onto his stomach as he heard the slamming of car doors in the distance. There was a broken mirror in the room. He looked at his reflection in it. The indentations within the mask were glowing blood red. He looked like a monster. His feet had become massive talon-like hands. He stood up and tried to straighten his back, but his new bone structure wouldn't allow it. He walked towards the mirror, looking with horrified eyes at his new reflection. "What have you done to me?" His head hadn't changed size much. His muscles, while much larger, were sleek and his build seemed to lean more towards speed. His hands had become clawed versions of themselves and sat comfortably on the ground. He seemed to be more like a four legged beast than a bipedal one. The lines across his body glowed red and seemed to shine more brightly for a second. He stepped back, feeling awkward on all fours.

"I have made us one,"

Jamie shook his head. "No, this is a nightmare. It's all just a bad dream." He crouched low and held his head with one of his massive clawed hands. "What the fuck is going on here?"

One of the men could be heard shouting. "He's in the building, I can see the blood!"

Jamie seemed to snap back to reality and his eyes widened. "They're gonna kill me." He said.

"Wrong," The woman's voice said. "I'm starving and I need some exercise."

Jamie looked up at the entrance, lowering his hand. "What are you talking abo-" He couldn't speak all of a sudden as his body froze up. The mask on his face burned and his flesh burst open, revealing patches of sickly, glowing red energy across his body. Short, boney spikes burst from his flesh along his spine and the mask mutated, stretching further around his head. His doubled in size an he felt the muscles in his stomach compress and it gave him a more feminine appearance. He practically screamed in horror in his own head as his body moved freely of his control. He tried to fight the movements, but it was like he had been trapped inside his own skull. The color left his vision, save for the blood on the ground and some glowing blue lines on the ground. "I'll make this quick. After all, I just need to wet my new claws a bit."

One of the men walked through the building. He took one look at the thing that was Jamie and his eyes widened in fear. Jamie felt his body move forwards and grabbed the man, pulling him into the building, he screamed and struggled as this mask held him with just one massive clawed hand. She debated what to do with him and grabbed him with both hands. She applied pressure and the markings on her body glowed bright, they channeled up the hands and the man seemed to swell, veins popping against his skull. He burst like a balloon in a shower of blood. "Oopsie, he popped too soon."

She cackled out loud and burst out of the wooden wall, she turned, looking at the 9 thugs left. Jamie screamed inside his own head as he felt his body burn white hot and the lines across his body flashed green. She dashed past them before they could even react, moving so quickly. She stood in front of the Camry and jammed a clawed hand into the hood of the vehicle, destroying the engine. She pulled out her claws. She bent low and lifted the vehicle, grunting as she did so and flipping it over. She looked at the thugs, who were slowly turning around and laughed. She jumped on top of the truck and the green on her body flashed red and the men finished turning around. Their bodies seemed to return to a normal speed. She brought down her fists on the top of the vehicle and electricity coursed across the truck. It vibrated, even with Jamie standing on it. The tires popped and melted while the metal scorched and smoke issued from under the hood. She jumped off the truck and the group started to run.

"I'm not done yet," She ran forwards on all fours and swiped a claw past three of them, dismembering their bodies to pieces, blood staining the earth. She grabbed one of them that was close with her left foot and crushed his torso and head in the palm of her foot. She cut the rest to pieces with her claws in a matter of seconds and the earth was soaked with their blood, the air ripe with their screams.

Jamie could feel his body burning, he wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He felt his body deflate, he reverted to how he was when he first put the mask on. He toppled over, groaning. His mind was racing. "What just happened?" He finally had control of himself again.

"I took over your body, I wanted to test drive my newest toy." The woman's voice laughed darkly, Jamie curled into as much of a ball as he could manage in reaction.

"I wanna go home." He was wet with blood and he couldn't stand it. It was like some vivid nightmare.

The woman's voice echoed in his mind. "You're not going home any time soon Jamie."

Jamie shivered, closing his eyes, at least the color had come back to his vision. "How do you know my name? Who are you? What are you?"

The voice sighed, sounding exasperated. "I'm wrapped inside every crevice of your mind. Where do you think I learned your name? I learned it from your head." Jamie curled more tightly at her words. "And my name... I am called the Nightmare Mask." She scoffed at him. "Now get up and get moving. We don't want to be found here."

Jamie uncurled, she had a point. He couldn't be caught here. He began running south on his hind legs, moving with surprising speed.