*CHAPTER 2*
~Seto's POV~
The first thing I noticed as I began to regain consciousness was the chanting. A hundred voices, all speaking in unison, completely monophonic. The language was rough and grinding. It was the type of sound that fills you with a sense of foreboding and gives you goosebumps, like the growling of the monster under the bed you're so sure you can hear when you're six years old.
The air was so heavy with smoke I could taste it. It wasn't the thick, acrid smoke of a fire; this was a sweet, intoxicating odor. Incense, I realized. Sandalwood…?
I opened my eyes to…nothing. The voices grated on, and I saw no bodies to attach them to. The smoke still hung thick in the air, but I was unable to see its source. I was blindfolded, and my hands were bound tightly behind my back.
A gong sounded and the chanting abruptly ceased. An ominous silence settled over the room. It seemed as if the chanters were holding their breath, waiting for something. And then an old, reedy voice rasped: "The sacrifice."
"Sacrifice," echoed the chanters, voices lowered to a reverent whisper. A bizarre chorus of drums and bells began to play as the chanters whispered: "sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice…."
A beefy, calloused hand closed around my wrist and I was jerked to my feet. I swayed, overbalanced by an unfamiliar weight, and very nearly toppled over backwards. The hand prevented that, however, and ushered me forward.
Another savage yank on the arm prompted me to stop. My hands were freed from their binds and the blindfold was whipped away. My eyes watered as the sickeningly sweet smoke that filled the room assaulted them. I caught only a glimpse of figures obscured by loose black cloaks before I was shoved forward onto a hard, white marble table.
That was when I saw the knife. Sacrifice…knife…SHIT! I thought. I twisted to the left and the knife grazed my shoulder before hitting the marble with an impossibly loud clank.
The chanting died away. The drums and bells came to a painful halt. The knife skittered across the table and clattered to the ground. The cloaked figures were completely still. I cautiously slid off the table and crept toward the back of the room and what I hoped to be an exit. The cloaked figures did nothing to prevent my escape. It was as though they had forgotten about me, strange as it seems. I reached the door and slipped outside completely unhampered.
Away from the eye-stinging smoke, I was easily able to recognize where I was. "What the hell happened to my house?" I muttered. Because I had just walked out of my home office and was standing at the top the stairs to find my house completely ruined.
Window frames were bare. The carpeting was hidden under a thick layer of leaves, vines, dirt, pinecones and twigs. The furniture had mysteriously disappeared. Walls were cracked and stained. It looked as though nobody had tended to it in decades.
What did those lunatics do? I swear to God I'll put a lawsuit the size of China over their heads for this! What in the hell were they thinking? And then a thought that froze every drop of blood in my body came to me: Where is Mokuba?
If they so much as cut his hair, they are going to die a horrible death, I thought, barely noticing the odd weight on my back as I sprinted down the hall to my brother's room. Hesitantly, afraid of what I might see, I opened the door and walked inside.
The room was completely barren, save for a few dehydrated creeper vines scattered across the floor. Gone were the toys, books and bed. Gone was the cherished X-box I'd bought him for Christmas. Every sign of my younger brother's existence was just…gone. Bathroom, I thought. Check the bathroom.
I nudged open the door of my younger brother's bathroom and found it just as deserted as his bedroom. Mokuba's a smart kid, I told myself. He wouldn't just sit here and wait for those psychopaths to catch him. Still, I couldn't bring myself to stop searching the bathroom. My eyes fell on the stained bathtub. They roved the empty cupboards. They rested on the cracked mirror—and then I forgot all about poor Mokuba, because staring back at me from the fragmented glass was a monster.
The monster had my face…same eyes, same nose, same hair. It had my tall and somewhat lean form. A pair of huge, silver-white wings extended from its shoulder blades. Each of its fingers was tipped with a sharp, six-inch long claw. It had a long, sinuous tail. I stood there, completely transfixed for quite some time before I realized that the "monster" was me. And then I lost it.
"Aaagh!" I screamed, pounding on the mirror with clawed hands, not wanting to see the freakish reflection anymore. The already cracked glass quickly shattered and rained to the ground under the blows. It wasn't until every glittering shard had been ground into powder that I was able to stop screaming. And then I sat, staring at my mutilated hands, whispering to myself: "This isn't happening…this isn't happening…."
My voice grew louder and louder, until I was shouting it: "This is NOT happening…this is NOT HAPPENING!"
"Happening…happening," mocked a hundred voices. "Happening…happening…." Apparently, the cloaked figures had finally realized that their sacrifice was missing. They poured into my younger brother's room, an unending sea of black, billowing robes and low-drawn hoods. And all the while, they chanted: "Happening…happening…happening…" as if to rub it in my face.
"The sacrifice," said the reedy voice, and still the cloaked figures filed into the room. "The sacrifice…."
No! I exploded out of the bathroom and smashed into a willowy figure, knocking it off its feet. A pair of arms, a confused scrabble and I was out the door and running down the hall with a mass of the specter-like figures in pursuit.
"Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" they shouted until the word distorted into a constant bloodlust roar. I could feel the tips of their fingers brushing my back. Their footsteps pounded in my ears. They were so close…no way out…window! Lets see if these wings really work, I thought, making a desperate dive for the exit.
I was out. Falling, wind rushing up my nose and into my eyes. Wings out. Soaring. Flying away from my ruined mansion as the cloaked figures screamed "SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE!" after me.
~Jounouchi's POV~
I've woken up with no idea where I was or what I was doing there exactly twice in my life. The first time was about two years ago. I'd gone to a party at Kitami Nohara's house. Every school has a Kitami Nohara. She's the girl that's in all the honors classes, and you wonder how she managed it. She's the girl that comes to school stoned half the time and throws a party every weekend. Anyways, I'd gone to the party and ended up so drunk I couldn't tell up from down. I woke up the next morning in a ditch about five miles away from Domino with a hangover the size of Manhattan and all the money in my wallet missing. I'll spare you the gruesome details and say that my trip home wasn't much fun.
This time, I didn't have a hangover—a plus. This time, I was also seeing snake-haired freaks and everybody was calling me "Gabe"—a very, very big minus. At least I managed ta find Yug, I thought, sparing a glance towards my best friend.
Yug was still sitting on the ground, where the snake-haired girl had left him. He'd been understandably freaked out when she'd dumped him there. (I would have pissed my pants if I had been in his place.) Discovering that his puzzle was missing must have been too much for him to handle at that point, because that was when he just kind of…shut down.
I'd tried yelling, screaming—everything short of giving him a punch in the face to snap him out of it. Nothing worked. He just sat there, staring off into space. I was starting to get worried. And very pissed off.
What da hell did we do ta deserve dis shit? I stewed. We're just a couple a' normal kids for Christ's sake. If I eva' get my hands on da asshole behind dis, I'll kill 'im. Who would sit down and plan somethin' like dis out? Kaiba? He's definitely got enough dough to make dis work…. I clenched my hand into a fist at the thought. But he was in da explosion, too. Besides, even he's not dat big of an ass. But den who is it? And why us?
I sat in that tent a long time, trying to figure it all out. The scorching heat fell to a more tolerable temperature as the sun began to set. Shadows lengthened and deepened. In all that time, I saw more sweating, sunburned people come and go than I cared to count. None of them paid me any mind as they went bustling around the tent for a drink of water or something to eat. By the time one of them actually acknowledged my existence, I was so frustrated with the situation I was at the end of my fuse.
"The master'll be giving you a beating if he finds out you stayed in here all day, Gabe" berated a grubby girl that couldn't have been any older than twelve.
"Goddamn it! My name's not Gabe!"
The girl was understandably surprised, but she recovered quickly. "All right, what would you like your name to be today, sir?" she queried, fixing me with a quizzical stare. "I can suggest several names that suit you. How about jackass? Or maybe half-wit? Or perhaps—ow, Gabe, you're hurting me!"
I had grabbed hold of her thin wrist and held it tight enough to feel the bones bend under the pressure. "I dunno know who you are, but why don't ya tell me what da hell dis is all about?" I growled, giving her arm a hard jerk.
She stumbled and came to a halt directly in front of me with a yelp. "Stop it, Gabriel!"
"His name's not Gabe," Yug quietly stated. "His name is Jounouchi."
"Yug!" I exclaimed, letting go of the poor girl's arm in my surprise. "You're OK!"
"His name's Aiden," the girl curtly responded, rubbing at her wrist tenderly.
"No, my name is Yuugi," Yug gently corrected.
The girl shook her head. "The heat's made the two of you loony."
I was about to say something that would have made a sailor blush, but Yug cut me off. "We really aren't the people you think we are. It's not the heat, and we're not just making it up; I promise. We both just woke up here and we're not exactly sure where 'here' is."
The girl looked from Yug to me warily, searching for any sign of trickery. "You're on Master Colbert's plantation," she finally sighed. I was never quite sure if she believed us or if she just decided to play along.
"Plantation?" Yug repeated.
"Yes. You've always belonged to the Master for as long as I can remember."
"Wait a second," I interrupted. "Dat sounds like slavery ta me."
The girl smiled a humorless smile and replied: "You are slaves."
"Oh, no. Sorry to tell ya dis, kiddo, but slavery went outta style a long time ago," I answered. Ha! Let's see her explain dat one! I thought. Now we'll start gettin' some real answers.
"Really? Last I heard, slavery was legal since the year 3020," the girl replied.
"3020?" I screeched. "What in da hell?"
"Jou, don't!" Yug shouted. I struggled to regain my composure as he asked: "What year is it now?"
"3145."
~Mai's POV~
I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. My eyes tingled with tears, turning the stoplight into an ugly red and black blur. Don't lose it, I told myself. Not here.
I blinked furiously as the light turned green. By the time the pickup truck ahead of me was moving, the tears were gone. Just make it home, I thought. Yes, that was right. Don't go into hysterics in the car, because we wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we, Mai? Would it make any difference? I wondered. Somebody wants me dead.
I'd gone to see them. I'd gone to see them and I wished I hadn't. The burns…the scars…the pain…somebody had meant them for me. And to think the only reason I'd escaped was because I was so vain.
Two in the morning? I'd thought. Uh-uh, not happening. I'm not going around with ugly bags under my eyes just for some silly duel. I need my beauty sleep.
My stomach clenched dangerously at the memory and I pulled my Fiat Spider off the road and snapped off the ignition. I managed to make it out of the car before I started retching.
Who could be that sick? I wondered once I'd finished. Who would want to do that to them? To me? I sat on the hood of the car with my face buried in my shaky, sweating hands and took deep shuddering breaths. "It's going to be all right," I whispered. "You're fine." Ten minutes later, the Spider was comfortably parked in my garage and I was home.
I walked in the door to be greeted by a scornful meowing. Jinx. I'd forgotten to feed Jinx. The tabby was perched on the edge of the couch, gazing at me in such a way as to suggest it was saying: "I know you're upset, but honestly! How could you forget to feed me?"
"I'm sorry, honey," I muttered as I absently opened a can of Cat Chow and poured it into his dish. I twiddled his velvety ears on my to my room. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was sleep.
It seemed to take every last ounce of energy I had left just to make it up the stairs. I was so drained I didn't even bother to change into a pair of PJ's. I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow.
I was there. I was at hill house. I saw Jounouchi, Yuugi, Ryou and Seto. They were speaking to each other; arguing. I could see them, but I couldn't hear them. Their lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Leave!" I tried to yell. "Get out now!" But the words wouldn't come. All was silent.
A flash of light…the explosion! A look of terror on each boy's face as he was flung through the air like a rag doll by the shock wave.
The heat was unbearable. The air was hot and heavy; filled with smoke. I choked and wheezed, trying desperately to take a breath. I gasped on the sulfurous air and could hear nothing but the roar of the fire.
My vision blurred and darkened and I was falling. Falling through darkness with a rushing in my ears as I choked on the scorching fumes of the fire…. And then I woke up….
I woke up and I couldn't breathe. I wheezed, panicked and my hands flew to my throat. But no…they weren't my hands. A pair of dirty, rough hands was already around my neck, squeezing…choking….
I flailed and whimpered, trying to get away from my unseen attacker, but to no avail. He tightened his grip on my neck and whispered: "Die, bitch. Die."
My foot connected with something soft and I heard my attacker grunt. And suddenly the hands were gone! I rolled off my bed and onto the floor with a plop and half-crawled out of my room.
I flew down the stairs as the man in my room screamed after me: "Goddamn you, you bitch! I'll kill you!" I could hear his heavy footsteps in my room and then the hall.
Adrenaline fizzed through me. Where to hide? Where to hide? I sprinted into the kitchen and looked frantically for an adequate hiding place.
The cupboard under the sink? No, too small.
The table? No, too obvious.
The pantry. Perfect!
I made a mad dash for the pantry and dove inside just as the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs. By the time my attacker had found the kitchen, I was safely hidden away.
"Where are you, bitch? Where are you hiding?"
I shivered. His voice was deep and gravelly and awful to listen to.
"Come out, come out wherever you are," he sang as a troupe of pots and pans clattered to the floor.
Oh, God! Oh, God! He's searching the place! I thought. I'm going to die!
"Come on out, bitch!"
My cell phone, I thought. I can get it…. I could get it. You see, I always keep my cell phone in my purse and my purse was hanging on a peg just outside the pantry door. It was so, so close. So, so tempting….
"Get the hell out here!" More assorted clunks and clanks. Is he searching the refrigerator?
Cautiously, my stomach doing somersaults and my hands shaking uncontrollably, I edged open the door of the pantry until I could see the man. He was tall and muscular. Even through the loose tee-shirt and black sweats, I could tell he was chiseled like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He definitely didn't look like the type of person you wanted to be cornered by in a dark ally. He also happened to be turned away from me.
Slowly, terrified that he would whip around and see me at any second, I felt for the purse. My fingers brushed the thin leather strap and I clutched at it like a lifeline. Eyes glued to the man's back, I pulled the purse to me as he tossed my coffeepot over his shoulder.
Please work, I silently pleaded as I pressed the power button on my cell phone. I'd been meaning to charge the phone for days. I almost cried with relief when the familiar green glow lit the pantry. My fingers were shaking so much I could barely dial 911.
One ring…two ring…an answer! "Domino police. What's your emergency?" The lady at the other end of that line could have been eighty years old, covered with liver spots and completely bald and I would have been happy to give her a kiss.
"There is a man in my house," I rasped, casting a nervous glance at the barely open door. I was horrified to see that the man had discovered the knives and was now stalking around the kitchen, butcher knife in hand like a lion stalking its prey.
"All right. Please stay calm. What's the address?"
"It's—"
"Goddamn it, bitch! Where are you?"
I whimpered and the woman on the other end of the line inquired: "Is that him?"
I nodded, then realized that it was very unlikely she could see me and answered: "Y-yes. It's 4281—"
"Found you!" The door was suddenly ripped open and there was the man, standing in the frame. "Drop the goddamned phone!" he ordered.
The phone slipped out of my hands and landed on the floor with a clunk. I stared, too afraid to close my eyes or look away from the man that was going to kill me.
You notice the strangest things as you're about to die. I noticed that the man was wearing a pair of scuffed, blue Nike's. I noticed that his shirt was a V-neck cut. I noticed that his sweats were about one inch too short. I noticed that his knuckles were white as he clenched the knife. I noticed how the knife reflected an image of my kitchen sink.
He doesn't have a face, I thought. But that was silly. Of course he had a face. It was the shadows; it was my panic…right? The only evidence I saw to prove me wrong was the single glinting, golden eye.
"And now, you die, bitch." He took a step into the pantry…and was attacked by a yowling monster. No…not a monster. Jinx. It was my cat.
He stumbled back, waving his arms frantically, trying to pry the cat away from his face. I pushed past him and ran for the front door. My heart pounded and my hands shook as I pulled on the door—and it refused to budge.
The lock! I thought, and began to fumble with the chain. I could hear the man thundering after me, and then a howl from Jinx and a roar of pain from the man.
I slipped out the door as the man shrieked: "Damn cat!" and ran for downtown Domino as fast as my legs would go. They won't stop, I thought with a sob. They won't stop until they've got me!
Author's Notes: Sorry this one took so long. The Seto POV at the beginning took me forever to write! Anyways, hopefully, you enjoyed it. Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Thanks to Ryan-Ookami, Angel-Belle, BluJay and kimi no vanilla for all your wonderful reviews!