Chapter Five

September 24th 2012 10:47 pm

I know he is here somewhere. He is meant to be stocking the newspaper stand, but I see now there is no newspaper stand. I see dozens of people walking down the street. I am unsure of what to think. Could AlfendQ of invited me here just to stand me up? He is a coward. He hid behind my sister two days ago. The handgun is in my pocket. As soon as I see him he's dead. I left behind a letter at my home in case I never come back. It is starting to look like I have done this all for nothing. Jacklyn will never be avenged. I scanned the crowd for nearly a half hour. Nothing. I decided it was time to walk home.

The investigators told me that her case was completely closed. This was how most AQ cases ended. Without closure. The police gave up after only two days this time. Its pathetic. The whole world being overturned by one man. Ever since his childhood he stacked the body count. He started by murdering a family in California. He moved on to an orphans home a year later. He killed the workers at a coal mining facility the year after that.

The air was crisp and cool, and I decided to walk around town for a little while. I needed to think. The gun was still in my pocket. I needed to figure out what could have happened. Why didn't AlfendQ show? He said he would, he gave me specific instructions of how. Now that I think of it, he never did tell me the why. Why would he want to meet me of all people? I had never considered it until now. I am a police officer. I am the last person that AlfendQ would want to deal with. Why?

I walked passed an alley. I could see see some people gathered talking. I was curious but kept walking. Business in an alleyway was never good. As soon as I looked away I heard shouting.

"Look! There he is!"

They all ran after me. I didn't know what to do. I ran as fast as I could down the street. Nearly ten people were following after me. I didn't understand but I didn't have time to ask. All I could do is run. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins. I needed to lose them. I looked back. They were about ten meters back. I looked at the street and ran across it. The traffic might slow them down. I needed to find my car. AlfendQ most likely sent these men to kill me, so if I let them, I would die tonight. If only I hadn't gone so far away from my car I would be able to escape. I reached the sidewalk on the other side of the street. I heard cars honking their horns behind me. They were still after me and not that far back. I could see my car in the distance. I passed some tables and chairs. I grabbed it and quickly swung it behind me. I hit a pursuer directly behind me. He collapsed. They were all getting closer. I wouldn't be able to keep going for much longer. I reached my car and quickly pulled out the keys. I swung the door open and jumped inside. I shut it and turned the keys in the ignition. Nothing happened. The car was dead. I had just gotten it looked at four days before. This was no unfortunate coincidence. My car had been tampered with.

The glass in my window shattered. One of the brute sized pursuers had punched a hole right through it. I tried to escape through the other door just to see more of them surrounding my car. I didn't have anywhere to go. They didn't seem to be armed. I took cover underneath the dashboard as broken glass rained. I couldn't fight them all. I was hit in the head with something heavy. My eyes closed. They got me. I was dead. My sister was going to be forgotten about forever... I failed...

September 25th 2012 1:24 am

I woke up with a headache. I don't know how long it has been. My eyes open to see a hazy dark shape in front of me. It was dark where I was. I was sitting in a chair. I could feel my hands tied behind my back. The shape became clearer as time passed. It was a person. He had short cut blonde hair and a clean shaven face. He was wearing a white surgical coat. This man had a look in his eyes that I had never seen before. His eyes were empty of all feeling. But I could see pure malice and hatred in them. The mans face twisted into a smile.

"Hello there, Devin."

He knew my name. Who was he? I could see the room a little clearer. We were in some kind of storage room. There was cans of paint stacked along the back wall. I could see paint rollers and trays as well. Brown paint could be seen on the floor all around me. A peculiar thing I noticed about the room was the cage in the far corner. I could see a steel bar cage in the corner of the room. It had a silver padlock on it. It was grimy and rusty like it had been around for years. I could see bones inside it. After that I noticed the table by the man standing in front on me. It had knives and other tools. There was also a needle and thread. I could see hot coals in a bowl. I realized what he was about to do. I struggled and writhed.

"Hush..." The man quickly and accurately injected something into my neck. "The one who resists most is struck down the hardest. Remember that."

I tried to shout. Nothing came out of my mouth. I looked into the empty and cold eyes of the man.

"I have just injected you with a virus I built." The man cocked his head to the side examining my face like a vulture anticipating carrion. "This virus will relax your muscles for a short time. It should prevent you from moving but have no fear. The nervous system is still active. You will feel everything."

I tried to scream. The air refused to come out. All I could do is sit and look. I could say nothing. I just looked at this man realizing who this was. This was AlfendQ. This was the man who killed his sister and many others. I hated him. I wanted to kill him. He was a monster. An abomination. I could see it in his eyes. Nothing but evil. He is demonic.

He grabs one of the knives off of the table next to him and brandishes it. "Human emotion is a strange thing," he said. "One minute you are a brave hero hunting your prey. An exorcist if you accept the term. You crave victory, probably expecting to avenge innocents. The very next moment you are a shriveled husk. Now I see how you feel. You are driven by hatred. And a sense of misplaced justice. Today you are going to learn something new."

I felt the knife pierce my left arm. He ran it from the elbow down towards my wrist. I winced still unable to move.

"What we are going to learn today, is about the qualifications required to name yourself innocent." AlfendQ set down the knife and picked up the needle. He set it in the hot coals. "What makes a person innocent, Devin?"

I could say nothing. Innocent meant pure. Intentions are everything. I intended many years ago to stand up for what I believed. My intentions didn't matter then. My sisters intention was to live. She is now seen as an accomplice.

"You may think that a rule follower is innocent. Maybe a fleeting moment of passion infected with crime seems understandable to you. But what I say is that innocence is a matter of perspective. You'll find that even the most terrible and wretched villains of the world had their reasons. Vice versa, most others who are said to be good will betray you at the first sign of trouble. To you I am a villain. I am a demon to you. But you on the other hand, I see as a man of potential. Funny how the world works that way. It's cruel."

He took the red hot needle and placed the thread through the eye. It blackened as it came out the other side. He then inserted the needle and thread. All I could do was feel the fire. He slowly began to stitch the cut he made closed. I never understood what it meant for your life to flash before your eyes until now. I remembered my childhood. I grew up in south California in a small city several miles outside of Los Angeles. I remember everyday being told to, by my parents, this one thing. "Don't be afraid to fight for what you believe in," they would say. "If you won't do it then who will?" I remembered this always never sure of what to think of it. I became a strong political fighter. Not in the form of law or office but in protest. I lead many marches and protests against narcissism and greed. Many political leaders only wanted money and that frustrated me. I spent three years of my life dedicated to fighting for what I believe in. One day it all went wrong and one of the protesters beat a police officer trying to keep the riot from becoming violent. I was arrested shortly after. What did they call me? The people who arrested me? That's right. Rabble. They called me a rioter. Rabble. That name struck a chord with me.

"People aren't good nor evil," AlfendQ said. "We are all mixed gray knights fighting for our own benefits. Take me for example. Am I really, truly, without a doubt in your mind, a villain?"

I said nothing and looked back at the stitching. He was halfway down my arm. It was the most agonizing pain I had ever felt. I spent two years in prison. It would have been one year if I hadn't fought so much. But I remembered what I stood for. If I won't do it than who will? They finally let me out. I went to police academy and learned the ways of the law. Now here I am. I could feel the muscle relaxant wearing off. I was able to squeeze some words out of my burning body. The words felt like coals.

"Yes," I said. "You are a monster."

He looked up from the bleeding gash in my arm. He seemed surprised. "Monster is a strange word. I have heard it many times. Such an ugly word. The truth is that we are all monsters. What do we do when something is inconvenient. We abort. We run away. We do whatever we can; to make stable, our little worlds. Do you think I deserve to die for my own monstrosities? What makes them so different from yours?"

He pulled the blazing needle out of my arm having sewn up the wound entirely. I looked away from his face. I couldn't give him the satisfaction that he wanted so much. I felt a fist grab my throat and squeeze. "LOOK AT ME!!! What makes me different than you!!! TELL ME!!! NOW!!!"

I looked again into his eyes. They were now blazing. "Your philosophy is wrong! This world is filled with terrible people but when you look past it you can see so much good. You are the only villain I see here. You deserve to die for what you have done. You take good people and murder them!"

AlfendQ looked at me. The silence I saw was more terrifying than his shouts. His eyes flashed and he began to laugh. His head raised upward as he cackled. I saw him pick up a new tool. It was an wooden stick. His laugh stopped and he struck me across the face with the stick. My nose began to bleed and my skin turned purple. He was strong. I had a splitting headache now. He somehow managed to hit me that hard without knocking me out. I wouldn't be saved by the sweet release of sleep.

"You are right in a way." AlfendQ raised his stick again. "I am a monster. I do deserve to die. But the question is?" His eyes flashed. "Don't we all?"

He brought down the stick again. After this hit he set the stick down. He grabbed a new tool and he twirled it around in his fingers. It was a potato peeler. I screamed. Over the next few moments I thought over some things about my life that I had never thought about before. Where was my sister when AlfendQ took her? She was visiting me. She came to San Francisco to see me for the first time in about four years. She was in the death game because of me. I had invited her to visit. It was my fault. I was a monster myself. In fact the blame was on me. She wouldn't have been here. I did it. I killed her. It was me.

"Good and evil don't exist." AlfendQ said. A pile of my skin was on his tool desk and blood soaked the chair I sat in. "What I am is a human being. I am my own entity and the rules of this world are what I choose them to be. It's the same for you and everyone else who claims to have morality and justice on their side."

I killed her. I am the reason she is dead. My screams grew louder. Time disappeared. For all I know I have been in this chair for a thousand years. Ten thousand years. My skin on my left arm had been scrapped clean off. I felt empty. I could hear music in the distance. The piano. I love the piano. The notes were sweet in my ears and eased my burning skin. I shut my eyes. My sanity was gone. My resolve has changed. I have learned the truth... I am Rabble...

8:47 pm

Two and Rabble were dead. Two had been shot in the head. His laser tag gun was still there shining blue on the ground intact. He died most likely instantly and painlessly. I was the only one left alive in the room. Rabbles neck was broken. Blood was spilling from his mouth onto the ground and I felt nothing. He was dead. That was for certain. I remembered when my wife died. It was just like this. I was left alone looking at all the bodies. I didn't know what to do. What was there to do? Nobody here was the killer. AlfendQ was one of the other four players. I needed to find them. But where to start. Two was the only one I really looked at closely and talked to. Everyone else in the building was currently unknown to me. I remembered the personal letter that AlfendQ wrote to me. It would be wise to start with that. I pulled it out and read it a second time.

Hello One,

As my most formidable adversary, unfortunately, you will be the target of a lot of suspicion in this game. Because of this I will give you an advantage. You will soon encounter a record player stuck in the head of a doll placed in prayer room. The message will explain something of interest to you. This game is not a simple clue hunt as previously thought. For a reason I will leave as a surprise to you, a killing game will break out among the six players. Keep in mind you are one of two that I have told about this. Be careful of who you trust. After you find the tape recorder, I recommend that you head to find Three and Four who are in the Weeping Room across the hallway. You can trust them. Do not head to find Six under any circumstances. Goodbye and good luck.

I didn't have any other options. I had to trust AlfendQ. I saw weeping room as we went into the library. It wasn't far. Rabble was dead. The halls would be safe for now. My name is not important. The question I had on my mind was what if AlfendQ was lying? What if I was meant to find Five and Six instead and Three and Four were dangerous. The truth is I couldn't know. I was at a point where all I could do is guess. Was he lying or was he helping me? I decided to take the safer route and head directly to weeping room. It had to be done.

I opened the door and slipped through it. Hopefully silently. I shut the door and closed the bodies in darkness. I walked down the dark hallway for a little while until I came to the Weeping Room door. It was silent so far. As I got closer to the door I heard something strange. It sounded like screaming. Very familiar screaming. I had heard this voice before many years ago. They couldn't be here. There was no way. What I was listening to was another tape recorder. Suddenly the screaming cut off. Confused, I waited. Someone had turned off the tape recorder. After a short time I heard voices. Then a gunshot. One of the laser tag guns had gone off. It appears that Three or Four didn't respond well to the big reveal tape.

I quietly opened the door. I needed to see and gain as much information as possible. I could see a shadowy figure standing above the body of another. It was very dark and I couldn't see much. I opened the door and stepped inside knowing that If I couldn't see them they could see me. I waited. The figure that was still alive was breathing heavily. I assumed that, like me, they didn't know what to do. I suddenly remembered my glowing laser tag gun. He could see me.

"Who are you?"

My name is not important.

9:13 pm

One's name was not important. He stood in shock in front of Three. He had messed up. He had forgotten all about his laser tag gun and the light of it gave away his position. This was an unfixable mistake, One realized. He had to do something.

Three walked slowly in One's direction. He looked at Four's body and then back at One. Did he know that he had killed him? Had One figured out exactly who he was and what was he doing? He needed to come up with an excuse and fast.

"How long have you been there?" That sounded suspicious. Three wished he had come up with a better question.

Not long enough, One thought frustrated. He hadn't seen enough. He was unsure of what was going on and eyed the laser tag in Three's hand. The blue flashing light had gone blood red. This had to signify something. Most likely it happened because he killed Four.

"Why is your gun on red?" One asked at last after a moment of tense silence. His reaction to this question should determine it.

Three thought quickly. He changed his stone face to a look of fear and terror. He added a twinge of sadness. "He attacked me. I had to fight back." His hands shook. His performance needed to be perfect.

This reason seemed good enough to One. Something seemed off with Three. One wasn't sure of what. He decided to question further to get a better idea of what happened. "Did he hear the big reveal tape and panic?"

"Yes. There was nothing else I could do." Three needed to act like he was suspicious of One. That would make it seem more natural. "He thought I was AlfendQ." He pointed his gun at One. "Are you AlfendQ!"

"No," One said. He was confused because this seemed very out of character for Three. Wasn't Three stone face? The expressionless giant who was unfazed by the killer tape and awakening inside of a strange place. "Calm down. We can figure this out without using the guns. I need you to trust me or both of us will likely die." Maybe he would listen to reason. One was afraid he would have to kill Three if he couldn't get things to steer in his favor.

"I am not going to die tonight!" Three fired the gun at the wall behind one to get him to back off. One did so.

Wrong approach, One realized. He needed to calm Three down quickly or else he was dead. It was a fifty-fifty chance of survival if he got into a shootout. They were at too close range to take cover and break the even odds. "If you would like," One said with an idea. "To prove I am not AlfendQ I will set my gun on the floor. You do the same. AlfendQ wouldn't do that would he?" One set his gun on the floor and stepped away. This was risky but it was a risk he had to take. He looked carefully at Three. One saw the look on his face. It wasn't one of fear. It was stone. It was a face with an agenda. One realized, Three didn't think he was AlfendQ. He was going to kill him. He had given up his gun. A second and final fatal mistake.

"I don't believe you." Three did believe him. But it didn't matter if One was AlfendQ or not. What had to be done had to be done. Three fired the gun at One. One died instantly. He slumped backwards against the wall. No blood. No outward signs of injury. As he fell to the ground he thought of his wife, and then he realized something. He knew who AlfendQ was.