Ready Or Not

Chapter 6

Reunion

XOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: Well, we're near the end of the story!

For anyone expecting a bloodbath, sorry, you won't find those kinds of gory concepts from me. I don't mind a bit of violence to move a story along if it fits, but stories/films/what-have-you like that never left a good impression on me. Kakurenbo caught my interest because it was scary in a very simple sense, and I wanted to write it out that way.

Anyway, I hope you like the final chapter! The next chapter will be an epilogue.

XOXOXOXOXO

Theodore breathed heavily as he cautiously walked down the street. The fog was thick. It was hard to see anything more than a few feet away. The night air was getting colder and colder as time went by. He could see the light mist of his breath as he panted. Every little sound made him jump in alarm and spin around, only to find that it was only a trashcan falling over, or just the wind...

He couldn't do this. He just couldn't. Alvin, Brittany, Simon, Jeanette and Eleanor were gone. He was truly alone, left to fend for himself. Was it really all up to him to save them? Where was he supposed to look? Where would he even start?

I saw Eleanor, Theodore thought, breathing on his hands in an attempt to warm himself. She survived for days here. If I can find her, maybe we can get some answers together.

"One, two, three, four..."

Theodore paused, holding his breath. What was that? Someone counting? And if so, who? Where?

"Five, six, seven, eight..."

It was Eleanor again. She was still okay! But where was she? And why was she counting?

Wait, Jeanette said that Eleanor and the other girls had played some game like hide-and-seek, or tag, Theodore remembered, rubbing the back of his head. What was it called again? Onigokku.

"Nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come..."

Theodore shivered at the eerie chanting. He shook his head. It might be an imposter again. Or it really could be the girl he was looking for so fervently all this time. Either way, he had to stop running and do something. If it was a monster, he'd have to be quick and think on his feet. He couldn't spend forever in the Devil's Labyrinth running away.

Obviously, that was not an option now.

The voice seemed to come from down the street. He quickly made his way towards the sound of her voice, praying the real Eleanor would be there waiting for him. Luckily, he didn't run into any more trouble when he finally came upon the highest building in the city. It had large, thick circuits running along the outside of it. Theodore didn't know too much about machines, but he assumed they had some kind of energy coursing through them.

He licked his dry lips. It was time to go inside.

He carefully pushed open the wooden door of the building. Nothing inside, except abandoned bookshelves, desks, and carts. He gulped nervously, shining his flashlight all around. Nothing popped out. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He discovered a long, winding set of stairs that led up to the higher levels of the building. He ascended.

It was a long, hard trip for the chubby little boy. Nevertheless, he pressed on. He had gotten this far, there was no way he was going to stop now because he was a little tired. As he continued his climb, the loud noise of a machine running and letting off steam caught his attention. Light began to illuminate the area as he got closer to the noise. What was up there?

He finally made it to the top of the stairs, after what seemed like ages of climbing. He panted, resting against the railing. He glanced towards the slightly open door just a few feet away. Bright light was shining out from inside.

He caught his breath, clutching his flashlight to his chest., and slowly pushed open the door.

Theodore dropped his flashlight, nearly falling backwards at the sight. W... What the heck is this!

In the middle of the large room was a massive, creaking generator. It had many outlets and cords running from it, connecting to countless power sources: children. Children that, for months or even years, had gone missing from the neighborhood. Dozens of children were accounted for, strapped in by metal chains. Strange, metal straps where wrapped around their wrists and ankles. Theodore gasped at the scars left from them, small traces of blood evident from the bruising. Cindy, Jill, Tammy and Jessica were also among the captives. They were alive, but unconscious. All of them looked so tired, like soulless husks. Some of the kids, far away from the center, were nothing but skin and bones. They were barely alive.

And then he saw them: Alvin, Brittany, Simon and Jeanette were strapped near the center of the line. They, too, were unconscious, their heads hanging forward. He could clearly tell that they were breathing, alive.

"E-Eleanor, what... what is going on? What are you doing?" Theodore demanded, staring at the blonde girl who had her back to him. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, as if she was exhausted. He couldn't believe that this... all this terror was all her doing. "Ellie, please, answer me!"

Eleanor giggled darkly and slowly turned around. Theodore gasped. Her eyes... it was one of them. However, other than her blackened eyes, there wasn't much else out of place. No frightening smile, no claws. But her voice, while it was hers, had a demonic tone to it as well. It was as if she was possessed.

"E-Ellie," Theodore whispered. He grew furious and pointed at her. "Let her go! I know you're using her! What do you want with her?"

The demon-possessed girl chuckled darkly. It chilled and disgusted him to know that this monster had his Ellie. That somewhere, deep down, she was still in there. Cold and scared. She had tried to warn him to run, to not suffer the same fate she did...

"Be happy, boy. You've won the game of Onigokku," it said, clapping Eleanor's hands. "Your little girlfriend here won the last game."

"W-What? What are you talking about?" Theodore shouted. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"It's very simple. Onigokku is a very easy game, wouldn't you say? The last one standing gets to be it next time. I'm sure she would be very happy to know that you made it this far. It's a great honor for her to pass on the mantle to you," it said with a laugh. "It's a shame you didn't leave, though. She had so much faith in you."

Theodore glared at the demon. "What do you want with all of us?"

"Energy," it said, motioning towards his collection of children. "You have energy in your world too, correct? But we find children to be much more effective."

Before Theodore could react, it grabbed a lever and pulled it down. The straps around Alvin, Simon, Brittany and Jeanette's ankles and wrists lit up and sent an excruciating burst of energy through them. They screamed in pain, begging for it to stop. Theodore covered his mouth in terror. The lights around them surged with new-found strength.

"You... you use kids to light the city," Theodore said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"That's right," the demon said, smiling at him with Eleanor's angelic expression. "Come. You will be our new hunter, Theodore," it said, extending Eleanor's hand. It pulsed with dark power, slithering and hissing around her fingers and palm.

"Congratulations."

XOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: Looks like Theodore's it.

Next is an epilogue!