Chapter 11 Deal With The Devil

The girl's little body shook violently, as her petite feet backed away with extreme caution, since pure fear had filled her whole existence, her innocent mind desperately looking for a way out of this hellish situation that she had caused without knowing. But the way out was nowhere to be found and as if that wasn't enough, all she saw was a sharp move and almost immediately, her head turned to the side and pain laced her left cheek, spreading from her jaw, all the way up to her eye. Her bright (e/c) orbs immediately bubbled with tears, which were fast to cascade her small face, dripping down from her cheeks and reaching the cold floor.

'HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU _? ARE YOU RETARDED?! DID I GIVE BIRTH TO A RETARDED GIRL?' a woman screamed with all her might, slapping you across the face one more time.

'B-but mommy, y-you said I-I could have one after lunch…' you managed to choke out, trying not to gaze inside your mother's eyes in case this infuriated her more.

'SHUT UP! DON'T YOU F*CKING DARE TALK BACK TO ME.' she grabbed you hard by the shoulders and shook you so hard, that your small neck was unable to withstand the weight of your head, which ended up swinging back and forth violently 'You are just like your father! A good-for-nothing little sh!t!' she screamed at your face 'Now go to your room and make me forget that you even exist, or else you'll regret being born, you little brat!'

Before she had even finished her sentence, you had already darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs, rushing to your room and closing the door behind you, before you shoved yourself into the plain mattress that was your bed, covering yourself with the soft blankets and allowing your tears to fall freely from your eyes. Your tiny body was shaking violently by the frequent sobs and the tears never seized to fall. Your cheeks were hurting you like hell and you were sure that the bruises were already forming. And all of this torment for a tinny cookie. For just one cookie that your childish heart wanted. Was it so much to ask? But your mother was always like that, from the moment you first remember her…

*Tick* *tick* *tack*

Hmmm, what was that? It sounded like someone was throwing tiny rocks at your window…Could it be?!

In the flash of the second, you throw your covers aside and stomp on you tiny feet, before racing with all your might towards the only window of your room, immediately peeking outside to the neighborhood which was under the attack of heavy rain. Your teary eyes scan the whole place up, until they meet with a pair of sky blue ones; a boy, probably around twelve years old is standing in your yard, under your window, wearing a totally black hoodie and without paying the slightest attention to the torrential rain, he was smiling brightly to you. Before you even had the chance to think about it, you find yourself wiping the tears away, raising your own hoodie and opening the window, passing on the thick branch of the nearby tree and skillfully descending towards the ground.

'Hey, wanna go for a cupcake?' Jack beams at you, showing his whole allowance that was safely tucked inside his hoodie pocket. Yet, when you see his blue eyes fall on your little face, his smile turns into a frown 'She hit you again?' he whispers, clenching his fists with anger.

'She told me not to eat a cookie before lunch, so I ate it after lunch. She got really mad this time.' you whisper, sobs threatening to come out of your small chest.

Two arms grab you hard by the sides and Jack pulls you into a big bear hug, with you wrapping your hands around him and starting crying on his hoodie. At least he was here for you.

'Don't cry _, I don't want you to cry! What do you say I buy you two cupcakes?' he exclaims and steps back, looking at your crying face and smiling 'Let's go _.'

He grabs your fragile hand in his own and turning, he starts running towards the vast neighborhood road that was still pestered by the torrential rain. You try as much as you can to run behind him, but your small legs pose some kind of difficulty for you, so you do your absolute best to not fall behind. His warm hand around yours though is what you want to continue running along with him without the slightest complain, the reassurance that whatever happens, he will always be by your side, helping and protecting you. And you were content with that.

As you run through the big streets, you don't fail to notice that the rain has caused a solid and luxurious mist to spread around, covering the whole scenery and eating away any trace of colors. Yes, the whole place around you failed to have any color at all, surrendering into a misty grey and white color. The houses could no longer be made out at all and as you run further and further towards what seemed like the heart of the mist, you fail to even see anything else but Jack. Terror strikes your young heart and your breathing hitches, as you turn frantically towards Jack, trying to make out where you were going.

'Jack!... Jack stop!' you yell towards him 'I can't breathe!'

'Just a little bit more _. Don't give up now!' you hear him say, but right at that moment, his hand slips from your grasp.

Your lungs inhale a sharp breath and your eyes open wide with surprise as you see your hand slip away from the boy's grasp for just mere millimeters; yes, if you just quickened your pace for a bit more, you would be able to grab his hand once again, yet the moment that happens, the moment you let him go for just a fraction of a second, your best friend disappears out of thin air. Like his existence never was inside this world, he simply vanishes right in front of your terror-seized eyes and in his place, a pure white anemone remains inside your protruding hand, strangely enough, the only remnant that he ever existed, that he walked this earth. Abruptly, your feet come to a stop and your head turns into every possible direction, trying desperately to peer through the fog and find your best friend, denying the fact that he might be lost forever, that he must left you behind and went somewhere where you cannot follow him. No, Jack would never do that to you.

'JACK! JACK, WHERE ARE YOU?!' you scream, clutching the fragile white flower against your chest 'JACK I'M SCARED!'

Nothing.

You were greeted only by the deafening silence which succeeded your words. No matter the direction you were looking at, no matter where you looked intensely through the mist, Jack was nowhere to be found. And you were scared. You were scared because this mist appeared as if it swallowed everything living around her, even if this was your friend, your words, or even your own existence. And God may have mercy, you knew not what monstrosities it could produce.

'JAAAAAACK!'

'_ …'

Your heart literally skipped a beat in the sound of your name. The yell that was about to come out of your lips got drowned somewhere within your lungs and your brain refused to take in the information you were given. Because you knew this voice; you knew to whom it belonged and it meant everything but good. It was a dangerous and hellish voice, coming straight out of the deepest pits of hell, yet it had some kind of allure in it, you had to admit at least that. Without having control over your own body, you slowly but steadily feel your legs turn you towards him, turn you towards the demon that has been reaping away your life day by day and the demon that has most probably killed your best friend. So as your eyes bore themselves into that eternally crying black tears mask, you can't help but feel your lungs inhale sharply.

He was standing there; just a few meters away from your vulnerable form, the man with the navy blue mask. His auburn-colored hair was now completely freed from his hood, as he had thrown it back, enabling the cold wind to rush among them and make them wave in the faint breeze. His whole stance was loose, but you knew better than that, so you immediately saw that he was holding onto his bloody scalpel with his left hand, while on his right hand, he was holding to your complete surprise, a luxurious blue anemone.

'The game is over _.' He says, his voice barely above a whisper and sounding triumphant 'I finally got you.'

Your eyes flash open almost immediately and you are blinded by the bright light that has flooded the whole cold and white room, making your hands fly on your eyes immediately and a whimper to leave your parched lips. God damn, what is happening now? Wait a second, why are the lights open? You were still inside the lab right? Well, the rattling of the chains around your wrists was a proof of that along with the sheer cold that was penetrating your sides, but the last thing you could remember is falling asleep inside the total darkness… but now…..light must mean nothing good.

You remove your hands abruptly from your eyes that have adjusted finally to the light and as you gaze towards the room, your breath immediately is cut short and out of pure instinct, your body shivers violently and backs away towards the wall behind you, trying to get as far away as it could from the blue masked man that was sitting only inches away from you, his head tilted to the side as he was observing you while you were sleeping. Thankfully, your scream never left your lips but your head hurt you immensely under the sudden movements; yet the man appeared to be completely undisturbed by your actions, not paying the slightest attention to you backing away from him as he continued to observe you, tilting his head to the other side, a movement that reminded you of a curious dog…maybe? Whatever it was, anger shot up inside of you and you furiously looked towards the black holes of his mask, where you supposed his eyes were.

'What the hell do you want now? Haven't you tortured me enough?!' you angrily blurt out, before you really had the chance to control your furious self.

In your sharp words that seemed to echo inside the cold room, he straightens his head once again and you can clearly feel his absurd empty gaze fall on you, like a concrete wall that came in hard contact with your face. He remains silent though, allowing the tensed silence to fall among you, which only made you angrier. You were done playing games and definitely the beating game.

'How is your head? Do you have any memory blurriness, difficulty in speaking or thinking or any other symptom?' his voice forms the words next, seemingly even and betraying nothing of his true thoughts.

The question though, was what caught you by surprise 'W-What?'

'Do you have any memory loss, difficulty in forming coherent sentences, difficulty in thinking or understanding what I'm telling you?' he cocked his head to the side once again.

This is weird. Way too weird 'Well, no… I don't think I have any of these. Why?' your eyebrows furry in confusion, unable for the very first time to understand from where those questions originated or what caused them. Because you were not so idiotic to even think that he suddenly was worried about your well being, not when he was the one that crashed your head on the wall, trying to crash it like a porcelain vase. No, murderers do not have any feelings of remorse or anything like that. Then what did he want?

'Can you speak with ease?' he continued on with his questions. It was a bit as if you were responding to a doctor after a serious surgery.

'Yes.' You replied cautiously.

'Then sing.'

Well, to be honest you were pretty sure that no matter how hard he had hit your head against the wall, the blast didn't leave you with any problems, but as these particular words left his lips, you were pretty sure that he had said something else and your injury messed up with the message that your brain took in. Did he just ask you to sing? I mean…really? No, it was impossible, why the hell would he ask you to sing to him? Weird things man, this was impossible. Confusion must have been written all over your face, because you heard him sigh wearily under his mask and he repeated his question patiently.

'Sing. Now.' He demanded, his voice strict and urgent.

Yep, you had heard correctly. As his words settled in, you were unsure if you should laugh or not. He was really asking you to sing.

'No. I have no reason to.' You reply smugly, giving him a sly smile full of irony.

'If you don't sing' he cut you off and stuffing his hand on the pocket of his hoodie, he took out a syringe, filled with a menacingly looking green liquid 'I'll stab you in the throat with this and you'll never be able to speak again. Quite the deal, don't you think?'

In this declaration, your smile dropped into a frown and anger bubbled up inside of you once again 'Who the hell do you think you are, threatening me and trying to make me do things that I don't want?!' you demand to know.

'If you have forgotten, let me remind you that I am the one that decides whether you live or not. I told you before, you are my experiment and if you fail to meet my expectations, I will simply dispose of you. Do I make myself clear?'

'And how do I know that you won't kill me after I do finish singing?'

'You don't.'

'Well this is reassuring.' You roll your eyes.

'I'm not here to offer you comfort _.'

You press your lips together, pondering upon what you should do. If you infuriated him this time, you were sure that this needle will come in contact with your neck and you were positive that he wasn't fooling around when he said that you won't be able to talk afterwards. So you should oblige to his request and sing? Why for? What would he earn if he listened to you sing? Your analytical mind was racing and finally came to the conclusion that you would sing, especially when you saw him take the needle in his hands and begin to play a bit with it, something that appeared more threatening to your eyes than it really was. But you would keep an eye out; you would look for any indications that he had his guard down or any other clues, so that you could take advantage of it afterwards. Maybe this was your chance to discover the key to your escaper. And it was barely one song.

'Well, fine.' You finally back down 'Do you have a preference maybe?' you ironically ask him.

'Whatever suits you.' he says.

'Fine.'

You give it a little bit of thought, but eventually decide on one of your favorites. It was short as well, so you would be done with it quick. You inhale and exhale, trying to relax your nerves a little bit and then you open your mouth.

'Witness, tell me, what you think of my life?… Judge me, jury, if I'm wrong or I'm right… I've got secrets and lies that would blow your mind!... You're the one who taught me not to love; I'm the one who taught you to say no….. Away I go, away I go-o away, I am a ghost..'

As you sang, your eyes were cautiously nailed on the man, waiting patiently for any movement of his body, any small clue that would allow you to find his weak spot. At first, when you started singing, his whole posture became stiff and his dark gaze fell on you, but it was nothing as when he was talking at you; he was looking at you like a normal person, like all the tension that was hidden within him had suddenly gone away. After that split second passed, you saw his shoulders relax for barely a millimeter, leaning forward a little bit, like he was so tired that he couldn't keep himself standing straight. His hand let go of their tight grip on the needle and loosened up, resting against his knees peacefully.

It was peculiar, but it seemed like he relaxed a little bit; like the murderous aura that always surrounded him like a black mist that covered his head was suddenly gone and he was finally able to think beyond the madness that surely pestered his mind. A true wonder if you could say; it could definitely be some kind of advantage for you if you were able to play your cards right; and you would, since it was the only advantage you had right now. A serial killer with no human emotions that was drawn by your voice. If only you knew in the past, that this attribute would turn into your advantage some day.

'Jesus, save me I'm in love with this hell…! Murder, madness, can't escape from myself… I've got secrets and lies that would change your life! You're the one who taught me not to love; I'm the one who taught you to say no… Slow down, slow down, slow down, don't let go…. Away I go, away I go-o away… I am a ghost..' you sang the last of the lyrics and then fell silent.

And silence was all that greeted you once you did finish. You didn't speak, he didn't speak; you just stared at each other, with your brain working by a thousand miles per second, since all your observations about your voice and the effect on him were coming true. He was standing perfectly still, like he hadn't even understood that the song was over. Well, things were bound to get interesting.

Then, after what seemed like eons, he leaned back and the dark aura returned around his head.

'Sing again.' He demanded.

'No.' you smiled deviously at him, but when his hand flashed forward and grabbed you from the neck, you rushed to explain yourself 'I want to make a deal with you before I do sing.' You blurt out, as his fingers started to cut off your air supply.

He said nothing, only leaned his head to the side 'A deal?'

You nodded 'Y-yes.' You swallowed hard, trying not to pay any attention to his tight grip 'I can and will sing for you all day long, anytime you ask me to do so, without complaining at all. In return, I want you to bring me food and my medication.'

'You really are an airhead or a suicidal right? You really do believe you can make a deal with me?' his voice was obviously mocking you and for a split second doubt passed from your mind, yet you decided to play it all.

'I'm only asking you for something to eat and then I'll do whatever you ask me. I won't even try to escape anymore, you have my word.'

In your words he simply sighs and removes his hand from around your neck. Then, instead of resting it beside him, he places it on his mask gently and pushes it further up, revealing what was hidden behind. And it was that fact that drained all color from your face. Because as his coal black skin came into view, you noticed that his lips were pushed up in a devious smile, revealing the two sharp lines of shark-like teeth. The scream drowned once again inside of you, as in a mere blink of an eye, he had grabbed you from the neck and slammed your head on the wall, bringing his head millimeters away from yours, leaning over to your ear, with his sturdy body completely covering you, making you highly aware that he was a lot more dangerous and ready to kill you at any given moment. What appeared to be sharp nails dig themselves inside your neck, injuring you even under the protective fabric of his gloves. But when he finally whispered to you, when he whispered inside your ear, his voice was low and nothing like you had ever heard before; it was demonic, coming straight out of the pits of hell itself.

'You seriously believe that I will give in to your request or that you do have a chance to escape this place? You think that I'm the only one that wants and can kill you in here?' he purrs and then you feel him grab your chains and with a hard yank, he breaks them, before he takes them in his hands and backs away, pulling them along with him, yanking you towards him as well 'Let me show you something.'

He was pulling your chains along with him, with your hands aching you so much that screams started coming out of your mouth as you tried to pull your hands away from him, while he dragged you along the floor, making his way towards the door of the lab. Seeing it, you began to toss and turn, screaming with all your might like a lunatic and pulling your chains, trying to prevent him from pulling you even further, since the fear that washed over you for what you were about to see if you did cross that door, was so strong, that your heart started paining you immediately, reacting to the loud heart beating. Instead of stopping though, he simply turned and slapped you across the face, so hard, that stars begun to pass right in front of your eyes and you stopped fighting him altogether, allowing him to open the door and pass to the next room, which surprisingly enough, was a bedroom.

A huge, old-looking, double bed was resting against the opposite wall with two large libraries on each side of it that were literally overloaded with books. Various things and clothes were tossed here and there, while the wooden flood creaked with every step he took and he threw you just a few steps away from the first door, leading you to hurt your already injured hands as you pushed them forward to protect yourself out of instinct. You inhaled a breath sharply and looking around, you noticed that out of the single window inside the room, the sun was setting behind a luxurious pine forest. Still, your attention was shortly cut off, as he grabbed your head and turned it towards the other direction, pointing towards a second door.

'You see that door _?' he says menacingly on your ear 'Outside of this door lurk far greater nightmares than me. If you do have some chances of living inside here, once you pass this door, you are already dead. Pray to whatever God you believe in for the door to stay shut, because if it doesn't, your life will be over in the most gruesome way. And when I say that you'll be eaten alive, I mean it, do you understand?'

His grip tightens on your neck and you are forced to nod, gulping hard.

'Good. Now, do not try to negotiate with me again, because I'm going to have your head served on a plate, understood?'he breathes out 'Never. make. a. deal. with. the. devil.'

A/N: The song you are singing is Witness by 30 Seconds To Mars :P Go hear it :3