Author's Note: Now, we come to Germany. How is he fairing with all of this madness? Can he survive all of this? He barely gets any attention in this series. It didn't turn out as long as I wanted, but I made up for it in the end. I still haven't gotten started on the Halloween special for Tea Leaves. But that is about to change tomorrow. I just need to finish up the -Man Halloween special and I will be set. I think you will see Yao and Ju again next week. Keep an eye out for that. For now, enjoy this week's match.
Match Seventeen: Albtraum:
Ludwig is beside himself. He could see what was going on around him. First, there was that never-ending fog around Europe. Nobody knew what was causing it. There didn't seem to be an end to it either. Then everyone seemed to be drifting apart. No one is really talking to each other anymore. Kiku wasn't acting like himself anymore. Feliciano had changed and he didn't like it. Gilbert was still there but that wasn't the same. The German man didn't know what to do.
Ludwig woke up to his phone ringing in the early hours of the morning. The German man mumbled to himself as he felt around for it on the nightstand.
"Hello?" he asked. White noise came through the other line. Ludwig narrowed his eyes as he sat up.
"Hello?" he asked. The German man heard heavy breathing and… weeping?
"Hello? Hello?" Ludwig asked. The whimpering sounded so soft. He strained for a listen.
"Hello? Who is this?" the German man asked.
"Help… me…" a child's voice said. And then the line went dead. Ludwig stared at his phone.
"What the hell?" he asked. It seemed too early in the morning for a prank call. Ludwig looked at the screen and frowned. He couldn't just dismiss it as nothing. Ludwig couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.
It doesn't make any sense. Ludwig stared at his phone.
"Ludwig? Ludwig?"
Someone hit him on the arm. The German man looked up.
"Huh?" he asked. Gilbert sat across from him, frowning.
"Were you listening to me?" he asked. His brother shook his head.
"No," Ludwig admitted. Gilbert frowned.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Did you get any weird calls last night?" his brother asked.
"No, why?" Gilbert asked. Ludwig frowned as he looked at his phone.
"I got one last night," he said. "It was just random noises and someone saying help me before the line went dead." Gilbert looked perplexed.
"Was it a prank?" he asked.
"I don't think so," his brother said. "Who would do that so early?" His brother sat back and took a thought.
"I guess not," he said.
"I tried to call the number back I got nothing," Ludwig said. "The number might have got disconnected or something." His brother didn't know what to make of this.
"If it happens again, block them," Gilbert said.
"Right…" Ludwig said. He set down his phone and took a bite of his sausage. Gilbert took a drink of coffee with a concerned look in his eye.
The fog's really dense in Germany this morning. People look like ghosts walking around. This didn't stop Ludwig from working. Something told him that he shouldn't go out unless he had to. This morning was a time to go out. Ludwig looked at his list.
Duct tape
Batteries
Beer
Beef
Chicken
Beans
Canned soup
Lentils
This trip to the store shouldn't take so long, should it? There weren't many people on the streets. Why would they be out here in the fog? There was something unnatural about this fog. The weathermen around Europe struggled to have an explanation. They didn't know when it would clear up either. Ludwig really didn't want to be outside.
It didn't help that he had the feeling of being followed. Good thing, Ludwig brought his gun with him this morning.
"Excuse me," a small voice said next to him. Ludwig turned his head. A child about eight years old stood in his path. She looked like she came out of the 1950s.
"Are you lost?" Ludwig asked. The little girl didn't speak. She slowly shook her head. The German man slowly approached her.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "Where are your parents?" The girl slowly shook her head. Ludwig shivered as he got closer. Something told him to run away. Had Lydia come back again? That didn't seem right.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" the German man asked. The girl didn't answer. But her mouth twitched into a little smile. Ludwig trembled when he noticed. The little girl turned and ran away. The German man was left standing there, confused.
"Who was that?" he asked. Nothing about that exchange made any sense. Ludwig shook his head and kept walking.
The shopping trip was quick. Ludwig gone what he needed and went home. Ludwig still felt like he was being watched. But that little girl was nowhere in sight. At least he had to look forward to that.
The German pulled out his cell phone.
"It's me," he said. "I'm okay. I just had the weirdest encounter. There was a little girl staring at me. I tried to talk to her but she didn't respond. She just smiled and ran away. It was so creepy."
As he walked by, that little girl stood across the street, watching him. But she wasn't alone. Several other children in masks joined her in the fog. They held hands. The girl's eyes glowed a dull red. They matched the smile on her face. She waited for her guest to see what she had for him.
When Ludwig got home, he found something peculiar watching for him. He would've missed it if not for the shiny surface catching the sunlight.
"Hm? What is this?" the German asked. He pitched it up off the ground for a better look. A puzzled look came over his face.
"A ticket?" he asked. Ludwig turned it front and back. This indeed was a ticket. But a ticket to what? There were only two words that answer that question with a sense of dread.
Dark Circus
