Wicked Game
Chapter 2- Drop Dead
Rebecca felt the creature's grasp around her and fought relentlessly to get free. But since the thing was strong and they were moving at such a speed, she found it difficult. Finally, with a large blast of her silver aura, she was dropped, landing on the floor of the basement.
"You want a fight?" she growled, the sheer amount of power she'd summoned making her gray cloak billow around her. "Well you got one!"
"You really think you can oppose me?" it replied. "Pitiful." The demon said no more as it swiped and clawed at the girl. Locks of her blackish purple hair were slashed from her head and gashes were made all across her torso and limbs. She screamed in pain, hoping someone would hear her. The instant her voice called out into the air, the attacks stopped.
"The more you scream, the more fun the game gets. But that doesn't mean I can't score some brownie points while I'm at it!"
Swift didn't have time to scream again before she felt herself blacking out.
!
!
!
"Oh my God..." Cyborg whispered, seeing the small puddle of blood on the carpet of the hallway.
"We must find our friend quickly!" Starfire commanded. "She is injured and alone with that beast!"
"We know, Star." AJ agreed, never taking her burgundy eyes away from the spatter of blood. "She's still in the tower, but that thing is screwing with my powers. So I can't determine exactly where she is."
"Then I suggest we split up." Joy spoke. "We can cover more ground in half the time."
"But that's exactly what it wants us to do!" Beast Boy all but screamed, flailing his arms about. "Makes it easier for it to pick us off!"
"As much as I hate to admit it, Beast Boy's right." Raven agreed.
"So we search the entire tower, top to bottom, all together as a group?" Bohusk drawled lazily. The half-reaper boy had been boredly playing with his nail driven base ball bat since they'd gotten out of the living room.
"Exactly. So if that...thing comes for us, we'll be ready and have it out numbered."
"But we'll have it outnumbered anyway if we split up into groups of four." Joy insisted. Raven hesitated a moment, seeing as everyone was looking to her for answers. After all, she is Robin's second in command. She pondered the blue eyed mage's request and decided that the quickest way to find her adopted sibling would be to split up. She didn't have to like it, but she decided to go with it. With Cyborg, Starfire, Joy and Beast Boy heading one way, Raven, Falcon, AJ and Bohusk headed the opposite.
!
!
"Seems your little friend screamed, boy." the creature hissed towards the Titan's leader. Robin was well aware of the fact. He'd watched Rebecca get attacked relentlessly. "Do you know what that means?"
If Richard thought he was afraid before, he was down right petrified now. Without even being seen by the boy, a needle imbedded itself in Robin's left shoulder, puncturing the main artery found there.
"Each time one of your little friends scream, I'll open another vein. You've got six main arteries running through both sides of your neck, both wrists and down each leg. If they're not careful, you'll eventually bleed out." With a dark laugh, the thing vanished again. Leaving Robin still trapped and now bleeding across his uniform and onto the floor. Robin knew he didn't have much time. Even the one opened vein could kill him if permitted to keep bleeding. He only hoped the Titans catch on to this game before it's too late.
!
!
!
"Might as well start here and work our way up." Cyborg told his half of the team as he shone his light into the basement.
"I am still unsure that we should be searching here for Swift." Starfire stated, wrapping her arms around herself in discomfort. The Tamaranian princess couldn't shake the feeling something, or someone, was watching them.
"That thing could've taken her anywhere." Joy replied, already descending down the stairs.
"Miss Gloom and Doom is right." Beast Boy chuckled. "Becks could be half-way to china by now." This earned him a firm slap to his head by the onyx haired empath.
"Shut up a sec." Cyborg called, having walked ahead of everyone. "I think I just heard somethin'."
The three other Titans fell silent, listening for whatever their friend heard. Beast Boy's pointed ears twitched at the almost inaudible sound.
"It sounds like moaning." he said, cupping a hand around his left ear to try and catch more of the sound. He silently led the others around a few corners, coming to a stop near the Christmas decorations. There, hidden behind a few large boxes, was Rebecca, clutching her bleeding torso.
"Swift!" the four Titans hollered upon seeing the missing girl. Joy immediately tended to her wounds, sealing up the deepest gashes first.
"What happened?" Starfire asked, kneeling beside the sorceress.
"That thing grabbed me and drug me down here." Swift deadpanned, glaring at the Tameranian. "It attacked me, but stopped the second I screamed."
"But why?" Beast Boy asked.
"Dunno."
"I've sealed her skin where it'd been broken." Joy stated, healing the last of the cuts. "But I'm concerned about this black residue around the edges of the cuts."
"Must be somethin' off the thing's claws." Rebecca replied.
"Maybe. Better take you to the med bay so we can be sure."
"But why would I do that, when I finally have you right where I want you?" Swift's smile became wide, and fanged. Her indigo eyes then flashed to blood red. Silver aura shot forth from her hands, trapping everyone where they stood.
"Mortals are so gullible." she sneered in a voice that was much darker.
"What have you done with our friend!" Starfire demanded, her eyes glowing with anger.
"I borrowed her body so I can show you a little trick."
"Haven't you already tricked us enough for one day?" Joy seethed.
"Oh no. This trick is much more...disturbing." she grinned malevolently once more before snatching a box cutter from atop one of the boxes. She drug the instrument up and down both arms, leaving a trail of red in it's wake. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Joy and Starfire watched wide eyed. Unable to speak as their friend slowly killed herself. With one last slash to her tender throat, her eyes rolled back in her head and her magic failed. She fell uselessly to the floor, blood still pouring from her arms and throat.