T W E N T Y - E I G H T
Urban Jungle

THERE IS JUST something about being alone that wrecks my nerves, causing a bundle of anxiousness to erupt deep within me. Sure, there were times in which I absolutely adored being alone due to the fact that it provided me the wonderful opportunity to think. It was a time for reflection and evaluation. Unfortunately, at a time like this where any second could be my last, being alone also makes me afraid.

I am afraid that something or someone could just attack me from behind. If that happened, there will not be a chance for me to even know what hit me until I am six feet under. There was nothing in this world that mattered more to me than my friends and family and hence I am afraid that I would lose my friends since I could not be there to help them in case they were met with the face of trouble. With them all currently split up and injured, anything could happen. The possibilities of a disaster occurring were endless and this fact made me weak at the knees in fear.

Time was passing by way too fast, and in what seemed like a blink of an eye, it was already nightfall with stars glittering in the night sky. Tonight, the stars were not blocked by the mass accumulation of dark clouds. They glittered brilliantly against the noir canvas of the night sky, shining like a thousand gemstones that were positioned to form those brilliant constellations that held so much meaning and story to each connection. The stars seemed to be telling a tale and watching one happen at the same time. Located so very far away, they seemed unbothered by the harsh effects of reality and how I craved to be like them; to be among the stars.

But for all of that, now was simply not the time to dream. It was the time to survive.

At exactly 8:25 in the evening, the skies were already a pitch black. Strangely, the sun did not set at the usual 5 p.m. as it would on any other usual winter evening. That was the way in which I had always been used to; longer days in the summer and prolonged nights that felt like an eternity when winter hits. Whether the late sunset was a good sign or not, I could not too sure. After all, Death had made all the good situations into those in favor of him instead. Every single second was like walking on thin ice. The grounds of reality and stability could break at any given time.

There was a creak in each step I took, the old wood seemingly breaking even further whenever weight was applied to it.

"Someone really needs to renovate this place. If the police doesn't knock it down into rubble after we are all free, that is." I thought silently to myself, frowning as I examined the ratty old wooden planks that made up the floor. "The blood that they will have to clean off is atrocious and enough to make even the toughest of souls to gag."

Down the journey, I kept my eyes peeled wide open for any signs of items resembling the 'strings' in Death's little riddle. His strange affection for cryptic messages had definitely not gone unnoticed. At this rate, I might even have the chance to be able to laugh about this one day in the future and dub him as the 'riddle boy' whenever I recall this unfortunate tale to whomever which are willing to listen.

Unfortunately, with each new riddle, my heart was also growing weaker and weaker in terms of courage and bravery. There was only so much in which a person is able to take before they come crashing down. I am just hoping that I could hold in more than I give myself credit for.

With three orbs down, my skin was getting back the color it had lost on the first night. Though it wasn't as fully opaque as a normal human being should be, I am finally not as ghastly as a ghost as well. It teetered on a sharp blade in between, with just the right amount of pale and just the right amount of bright. And yet, I still felt sick to my bones. Every inch of my muscles was aching and the cut on my palm was starting to sear once more due to the intense cold.

I slowly let out a breath of air between my teeth, pushing the feeling of pain and tire to the back of my mind for I was determined to trudge on.

When I rounded the corridor in which Cassiel and I were attacked in while searching for the yachts, an eerie and horrifying tune found a way to me, freezing my movements as my jaw dropped open. The blood-curdling and petrifying voice of a little boy echoed down the hallway, a mock tone of joy in it as it repeated the sentence as part of the lyrics.

From what I know, the voice was singing an old song from what I recognize as an even older movie that was meant for children. Whatever happy memories I have had of watching that movie evaporated away the very second the chords made their way into my eardrums. I knew that from now on, there was no possible way for me to ever watch that movie the same again.

The song was on a rewind, continuously repeating the short selective lyrics in the song before it all ended with a little child's giggle in the background. Undoubtedly, this sent shivers right down my spine as my hairs all stood on their ends. As a reflex, I began to rub my arms, hugging myself tightly as I curved each corner with much more dread than the previous one.

Though as much as my heart had screamed at me to run as far away from the source of the song as possible, I knew that I was right on track. As usual, the orb was in a specifically devised trap, and I was walking straight into it. But then again, what choice did I have?

The orb was specifically there, and obviously, the song was to lure me in. If I chose to not go, I will eventually die due to the fact that I will never retrieve that orb. If I go towards the source of the hair-raising music, there's a high chance in which I will still die as Death would be waiting for me at the other end of that tunnel.

I guess I had to take a chance. The inevitable fact is that no matter which path I take, the chances of me dying are almost on par. If I chose to venture down, there might just be the slimmest of a chance in which I could walk out unscathed and victorious.

A gust of blizzardy air threw itself around me, forcing me to wrap my arms tighter around my body as I stepped past the door and out into the open. The waters were frozen, a sheet of ice layered on top of the river and holding the boats present mid-rock. The scene was just as I remembered, the very place in which I had been in with Cassiel right before I got transported into that freak of a funfair.

I stood at the dock where I had originally left Cassiel a while ago, looking out at my family yacht as I scanned the surrounding area for the other boats. It was then had I realized that a little more away from the door that led out to the open was a garage-like area. The metal rolling gates were half drawn up and when I looked a little longer, it began to slowly go up even further as if inviting me to walk in.

The music came back, playing louder than ever before as my eyes darted about warily, hand pressed tightly to the gun in case of an emergency that would need me to move quickly and efficiently. It was an undoubted fact that the music was coming from inside the gates. Hesitantly, I pivoted myself backward and away from the docks, stepping closer to the larger version of a garage.

A blur of pale green wisped past me, causing me to turn around rapidly. With hands holding the gun, I was poised to shoot at the next sign of movement. And when the figure sped past again in a blur, I shot at it, missing it by a few inches as the bullet hit the walls of the building before crumbling to dust, leaving the walls completely undamaged.

Frowning, I walked towards the sound of the music, finger still placed lightly over the trigger just in case. There was no need for me to check the time now considering that I was so painfully close to the finishing line, but the weight of both the watch and my bracelet was weighing me down mentally and emotionally. Whatever happened, no matter how much I hid, the time had and will always be ticking. My shots were also numbered down to two more left.

The giggling voice of the child at this point was almost comparable to the blast of the party music back when the party was still in full swing. The notes hung high in the air, forcing me to edge towards a dark cave-like room behind the building. Resembling like the inside of a garage belonging to a stately home, the place was dark, moonlight barely even entering as the sound of dripping water resonated every once in a few seconds.

"Hello?" I called out softly into what looked like a dark void.

It was unwise for me to make a sound, but it was a natural instinct. The place seemed bereft of life, and without any light source, it only proved that perhaps the orb wasn't here at all like I so quickly assumed it was.

But as usual, my judgment was too quick. A blinding light tore through the room, illuminating a few feet in front of me as I squinted at the light. There was a small round ball towards it, floating in the air and I instinctively reached for it, smashing it to the ground as it cracked open. In an instant, a wave of sensations filled me as the room was cast into darkness once more.

Moonlight streamed in better now, illuminating just enough as it shone through the room. There was no door, only a large space in between that was filled with wires and cables. They hung from the ceilings, dangling and entangling themselves in an array of blacks, blues, reds, and greens. If I didn't know better, I would even say that it looked almost like the literal definition of an urban jungle, with the cables resembling tree vines and the 'garage' being the jungle.

Just as I was about to turn to leave, satisfied that I had gotten what I came for, a muffled voice came from the end of the room as I squinted into the dark. Past the shadows, there was a figure, a man to be exact, tangled up in the wires as the cables bounded his arms and feet, dangling him from the ceiling like a puppet. A cloth bounded his lips tightly, disabling him from speech as his wide green eyes practically screamed wordlessly. Whether it was for help or for me to run, I could not be too sure.

Stepping a little more into the said urban jungle, I squinted at the dark in an attempt to completely make out his features. The floor was damp with slight puddles of water, drenching my heeled boots as they clicked, the sound of my footsteps echoing around the enclosed area.

All breath left my lungs when I realized who was bound like a puppet and hung above the ground. After all, there was only one man I knew at this party with those familiar forest green eyes and light chestnut brown hair.

Cassiel.

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