The Devil's Lover
Author: Tsukino Migoto
Date: 2016-04-04 04:00:00+00:00

The Devil’s Lover

I'd give you my heart and I'd let you just hold it.

I'd give you my soul but I already sold it.

–Hollywood Undead

Previously known as ‘I’m Sorry but I’m All Out of Nice’

©Tsukino Migoto月野 見事

2013 & 2014

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*NOTE: Please note that the title in the parts (the name of the characters) will tell you which characters' point of view is being presented and if no name is written on the title then it'll be presented in third person point of view. Don't get confused. Have fun reading! Explicit content. Readers’ discretion is advised.

PROLOGUE

“What is your wish?”

“Death.”

“Settled for less, then?”

“Yes.”

“How ‘bout revenge?”

“…..”

“I promise they will suffer more than you.”

“…..”

“And you’ll get to see them fall one by one…”

“Death. That is my wish.”

“Revenge first. Then, death. Sounds nice?”

“What’s the catch?”

“You. Your soul. Your body. They will all belong to me.”

“…..”

“Sounds nice?”

“…... Sounds nice.”

1. AWAKENING

Trance stares at the white surroundings… He can’t be in heaven. He does not deserve to go there. He looks closer, scanning the area and starting to make connection inside his brain. Hospital… he thought. So he’s still alive? How nice… Trance thought sarcastically at his condition. Then, he realizes… he’s not wearing his spectacles yet his eye-sight is remarkably clear. He then lifts up his hand, slowly, struggling to do so. Why does it feel really heavy? How long had he not moved his hand? He thought. At the success of lifting his hand, he places his palm right on his chest. Something is missing here… he thought. He has no idea as to what. The smells of medicine fill the air. The sounds of people rushing here and there fill his ears. This is not real, he thought. There’s nothing more that he wanted than to just disappear at that instant. He closes his eyes as if the whole world will go black along with his sight. But the smells and the sounds are still so vivid. He is still alive even when he doesn’t want to. And there’s just something missing in his chest.

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His family is very happy to see him awake. They are smiling happily and crying at the same time but Trance wonders why… he can’t smile… he can’t even cry. He misses his family, yes. And he had just known that he’s been in coma for more than a year. It’s a surprise but he can’t feel anything out of it. He is… hollow…

“I don’t remember,” Trance said and those words of his frustrate everyone in the room, especially Detective Mona. She was determined to catch the offenders and sent them right to where they belong. But Trance could not remember... She asked to meet the doctor in private to know more of Trance’s condition and what the doctor told her made her even more suspicious towards the boy’s behavior.

“It’s strange for people to have been in coma for a long time to be in their healthiest condition. His brain scan does not seem to indicate any memory lost, his muscle is also showing tremendous result. He can move normally even after lying on the bed unmoving for more than a year. It’s remarkable!” The doctor commented full of excitement.

“Okay, despite of his remarkable body condition, his brain is not suggesting any memory lost? Are you sure, Doctor?” Detective Mona asked seriously, trying to get straight to the matter at hand.

“Yes. His brain activity is remarkably normal, detective,” the doctor said and nodded his head aggressively. This finding sparks his interest for a new research in the medical field. He could gain novelty out of this.

Detective Mona could see the doctor’s excitement but she could care less. She is even already annoyed to the fact that doctor kept spurring the word ‘remarkable’ over and over. All she wanted was for the boy to find justice. “So it’s possible that he’s been traumatized and is afraid to testify?” She guessed.

“Well,” the doctor shrugged. “That could be the only explanation…” he said. They both have their eyes on the boy through the glass that divided them from the other room. Each has different desire and thought inside. But each has no idea that in the next few days, they will see all hell sets loose in their small town.

2. TRANCE WILSON

~First year all over again~

I lied. I remember. I remember all of them, the five of them… Oh of course I remember…

Looking in this mirror now, I realize how different I look without my thick-lens glasses. My grey eyes look different as well. How to explain this? It’s just that looks in my eyes. It’s kind of evil… It’s not as innocent and nice as it used to be…

I’ve cut my dark brown hair shorter to a spike. It’s still messy like always but it used to be longer when I was in coma. I was a total nerd…

Ever since I woke up, I always have this headache and it feels like I’m hearing voices… maybe I’ve been too near to death that I can now hear ghosts whispering? Hmm, I’m being silly… Ghosts are not real.

I’m starting school today. Senior year at the beginning all over again. The same school. My mom was worried. She wanted me to transfer to another school. No way in hell. I don’t know why, but I insisted to go to the same school. Maybe… I just really wanna see their faces, reliving those moments. What’s with all this confidence in me? Hell, I actually feel like I was reborn… I wanna see those faces. I wanna hurt them. I want them to suffer.

I’m starting my first year of senior high again though I was supposed to be in third year this year but school thinks I should start over. They don’t want me to miss out. But I know they just don’t want to put the school in a bad reputation so that’s why they told me to start over. So that I can get good grades to improve the school’s reputation. A bunch of hypocrites… It’s time to face all these useless humans.

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He is smiling at me. It is a knowing smile. I wonder why? Does he know me? I don’t think so. Here are all new faces… my ex-classmates and year-mates would be in third year. I haven’t seen any familiar faces just yet. I know I’m not experiencing any amnesia… I’m fully aware of that. So who is he? Why do I feel like… there’s a familiar feeling towards him?

“I’m hurt that you’ve already forgotten about me,” I heard a voice! It’s talking to me! I feel a rush. A panic. But I did not flinch. I just sit quietly at my place though my heart beats accelerate. So I really can hear ghosts?! “Silly. I’m no ghost,” the voice said again. The ghost must be reading my mind!

Wait. Not a ghost? “Who are you?” I asked nervously, using my mind.

“Look up front,” the voice said. I followed. Damn… It’s that guy. The guy who smiled to me. The one I felt strangely familiar to. “Ready for revenge?” He asked. Revenge? Okay. That surely rings a bell. Memories hit me like gunshots;

~“I promise they will suffer more than you.”~

~“And you’ll get to see them fall one by one…”~

~“Revenge first. Then, death. Sounds nice?”~

~“You. Your soul. Your body. They will all belong to me.”~

Oh, now I remember who he is…

3. YOU ASKED FOR IT

“Oh my God, is that you, Trance?”

Trance was in a state of trance when he heard the voice. As he turned to the direction from where he had heard it coming from, he saw a brunette-haired girl with brown eyes approaching him. Trance stands motionlessly at his locker, staring at her. It’s Joanna. She was one of the few who had been nice to him two years ago. He recognizes her but no emotions play within him so he could not portray any on his face. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t need to care.

“Joanna,” Trance called, monotonous even to his own ear. Joanna quickly hugs him once he is within reach. Trance feels awkward at the hug. He doesn’t know how to respond. No hugging back, he just froze there, clueless as to the reason for the girl to be so affectionate towards him. “I was worried about you,” she said when she broke the hug. There are drops of tears hung in her eyes and Trance could not comprehend the situation.

Like a script, he heard himself assures her; “no need to worry. I’m okay.” He finds it hard to react towards this. He feels nothing. Numb. Vacant. It’s awkward to even fathom so much care from a person you care nothing about.

“You look so different without your glasses,” she commented, squinting her eyes to see the handsome boy in front of her clearer. In fact, he looks more confidence, returning glances with little efforts at all. He used to look away when someone looks into his eyes. Now, as Joanna sees it, he looks back into people’s eyes with such fierceness that other people had to look away. Feeling threatened for no reason at all, Joanna also looks away.

“Yeah. You look so much better like this,” Joanna’s best friend, Trudy also commented on Trance’s looks. It was out of a sudden. And only then that Trance notices her existence. It’s only the first day of school for Trance. These are the only two familiar faces he had met today. He didn’t reply anything to their comments. He just has his eyes locked down on them vacantly. An empty stare that could last an eternity. And for that, the girls’ faces began to sour. They wonder why he is behaving like this. It was like he is a different person and he’s not as nice as he was before.

“Whoa! Look who we have here!” A familiar voice rung in Trance’s ears. He looks at the owner of the voice in recognition.

“Peter…” he mumbled, looking confident despite of the arrival of Peter and his gang; Justin, Andy, Noah, and Anthony. They all look at Trance in disbelief to how much the boy looks different. But they couldn’t finger what was so different about him.

Peter scans him up and down to make sure that Trance is the same person before he commented; “you look great, nerd. Lost a few memories, right?” he asked in an arrogant fashion. There’s no portrayal of regret shown on his face for his past sins. Of course, his father is the sheriff. He must’ve heard about it from his father. About Trance’s so-called memory lost.

Trance smiles at him. It’s not a nice smile. It’s a wicked one. To his own disbelief, that would be the first time he had smiled ever since he got out of the hospital. “I remember a few stupid people in my life,” he indicated quickly and just as quick, he turns his head around to walk away from the locker hall. He doesn’t think that he should be bothered with him. Not yet, though. But Peter blocks his exit just as quick too.

“Who did you just call stupid?” Peter asked angrily. Trance only looks up at him with a sick smile plastered to his face. He’s not intimidated at all over Peter’s attempt to frighten him. This even makes Peter a little nervous but he refuses to back down. He needs to show this guy who’s boss. How can he be nervous over a boy he used to bully all the time? He even raped Trance the last time he saw him. He smiles a little at the back of his head over the memory. Trance only got what he was asking for!

“Leave him alone, Peter! You’ve done enough already,” Joanna tries to back Trance up. Peter only smirks at her indifferently to brush her off.

“Strangely,…” Trance suddenly said. “I don’t remember mentioning you as the stupid ones but since you’re so moved by the calling, you must be one then,” Trance said to Peter, scorning him in a way.

Peter looks at Trance in anger. “You asked for it,” he said as he rises up his fist towards Trance who is standing still on his ground. He doesn’t even look alarmed. Rather, he is amused. He notices everybody’s eyes on them now. Of course, people enjoy seeing other people being bullied as long as they’re not the ones being bullied. They thought of it as an entertainment for them. Selfish people…

To Peter’s disbelief, Trance catches his fist effortlessly with one of his hand and grip it strongly. Peter is shocked to see the strength in Trance and the speed of his movement. He tries to free his fist from Trance’s grip but the grip is too strong. He starts to shudder. He feels his bones being almost crush as he whimpers in pain a little. “No, Peter,” Trance said, looking wickedly into Peter’s eyes who’s now crooking his eyebrows in panic. “You asked for it,” he repeated Peter’s words and with a strength he never knew he had, he pushes Peter back with just that one hand of his that was holding Peter’s fist. The strength and speed of it were almost inhuman.

Peter crushes his back to the lockers behind him in a loud bang. The lockers are crushed from the impact. And Peter is agonizing in pain. He feels blood coming out from his back that had hit the lockers. He manages to shoot a look at Trance in fear mixed with confusion as he hears Trance laughing a low haunting evil laughter. Everyone there including Peter’s gang, Joanna, and Trudy were speechless to the incident. They couldn’t even close their mouths which were widened in horror. They could not believe what they had seen. Entertainment, is it? Now they get to see one. They should be happy, Trance thought amusingly to himself.

“Trance Wilson,” a teacher called out to him as he arrived at the scene. “Headmaster’s office. Now!” He ordered. Even in his stern voice, Trance can trace the teacher’s anxiety over what he had witnessed. But Trance chooses to only smile nonchalantly at the order and walks his way towards headmaster’s office in obedience as he teacher went on his way to help Peter.

As Trance passes by Peter’s gang on his way, he manages to shot an evil glance at them and said in a low haunting whisper “I don’t forget.” He smiles wickedly at the end of his whisper. He knows it won’t be long until one by one, they will all drop dead.

4. NUMBER ONE ON THE PILLS

“Hi.” Trudy stagger at the sudden greeting from Trance whom she had just noticed had been leaning against a maple tree stood at the sidewalk on the way to Trudy’s home. Is it possible that he had been waiting there for her for a while now? She wondered. Today, she had witnessed an unbelievable strength portrayed by Trance from pushing Peter back to the lockers. It was terrifying to think that Trance has such ability. He seems like much of a different person now. She shudders at the thought. But still, she would pretend.

“Oh.. Um.. Hi, Trance!” Trudy greeted, noticing her own nervousness from her own words.

Trance smiles suddenly at her which looked like he was trying to showcase an honest smile but his eyes are not smiling. It became a malicious one instead. “You seem so innocent,” Trance commented about her. It was out of context. Trudy immediately grasps the situation. The danger of it. She remembered her own sins. She knew… but she decides to keep pretending. She could pretend that she doesn’t even know what that supposed to mean but she could not deny the fact that she feels a scary aura coming out of Trance. It was like she can feel that something bad might happen. So she decides to keep on walking to the safe path. Towards her own house. She must move quickly so that she could get away from him. But despite of the urgency of her intention, Trance manages to block her path.

“What do you want?!” Trudy asked defensively as she feels pressured by this uneasy feeling she has deep inside of her. A dark swelling uneasiness that keeps growing bigger and bigger by the minute.

Trance only smiles at Trudy as if he is amused by that sudden defensiveness she showed. “I know what you did,” Trance indicated knowingly. This makes Trudy became even more uneasy. No way Trance would have known what she had done to Trance more than a year ago. “Your heart is tainted…” Trance said his last sentence like that of a whisper by an evil sorcerer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Trudy cried as she pushes him away from her path. She can hear Trance is laughing evilly behind her.

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~1 year and 10 months ago~

“I love you, Trance,” Trudy confessed. Trance looks troubled by her confession.

He crooks his eyebrows and frowns. “Um… Trudy, I’m sorry…” He said, looking real shameful and guilty towards Trudy.

“No. It’s okay,” Trudy said, giggling a little in an effort to hide her embarrassment. “You must’ve had someone else then,” She continued, giggling nervously again.

“It’s not that,” Trance said, still refusing to look at Trudy in the eys. He just stares down to the pavement.

“Then, what?!” Trudy asked, getting a bit angrier at Trance’s rejection of her love confession.

“I’m not into girls… I’m sorry…” Trance admitted, raising his glasses a little with the tip of his finger, feeling embarrassed that he had to admit he’s gay in such a way.

Trudy had her eyes widen in surprise. She then smiles, pretending to be okay. “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone,” Trudy promised to Trance. It was a lie.

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~1 year and 9 months ago~

“Hey Simone… You know Trance Wilson? Our class nerd?” Trudy stopped Simone, the head cheerleader of the school.

“Yeah, what’s with him?” Simone asked uncaringly, shaking Trudy’s hand away from her like dismissing a disgusting insect.

“He’s gay,” Trudy said.

“What? Really?!” Simone seems excited now like she had won a golden ticket.

“Yes. He told me himself,” Trudy said and smiles, feeling satisfied. She knew that Simone will definitely spread the rumors around school. Trance deserves it for making her shaming her by rejecting her love for him.

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A tall guy with dark uncaring hair and wild dark brown eyes appeared before Trudy as she tried to get away from Trance who is still standing behind her. “Who are you?” She asked. Her eyes are filled with tears.

“Me?” He asked her back in a deep charming voice. “I’m your worst nightmare,” he then indicated in a proud manner with a twisted smile on his handsome face. It was the kind of charm that will not swept her away but instead only frightened her. She wanted to run away but one of her hand was grasped by the guy. He grips her hand real tightly.

“Let me go! Help!!” Trudy screamed but then she realized that everything around her went black. The pavement, the trees, the houses… are all gone. There’s only darkness and she’s in the middle of it with Trance behind her and the guy gripping her hand in front of her.

“How do you like feeling helpless, Trudy?” Trance asked.

She lost all hope. And that’s when she finally decided to beg. “I’m sorry… Trance, I’m sorry…” She falls down to her knees.

Trance only smiles at her evilly. “Too late,” he pointed out.

In horror, Trudy screams loudly as she relives the pain that Trance had went through. The tall guy made her feels them all through a telekinetic connection. And when he finally lets go of her hand, she sits motionless on the pavement. The trees and the houses are also back into her view. The guy then whispers into her ears a sweet seduction that she could never refuse; “your mom’s pills in the closet. Take it. Swallow them all. Let them choke you to death.” She was hypnotized. She could only obey.

She nods slowly at him. She then stands up and walks home like a zombie. Her eyes unblinking…

She opens the door to her house…

She gets into her mother’s room…

There’s no time to lose.

She opens the closet…

And she took the bottle of pills…

Her hand that opens the bottle does not even shake. She doesn’t seem to portray any anxiety. She could not show it on her face. Deep inside she’s screaming. She wanted to stop but she couldn’t. Her body is not hers anymore. She swallows them all. She feels herself choke. The pain in her throat is excruciating. But she could not even scream. Without her consent, her own face is smiling as she falls down to the floor to her death.

5. TIME FOR PAYMENT

Leaning against the tree, he looks past the row of houses on his left. One of those houses belongs to Trudy and that very house will ground a tragedy in the morning.  “Time for payment,” the tall guy who had been squatting beside him all along said to Trance. He has deep piercing eyes that will not go unnoticed and a face that will always display a knowing dangerous smile here and there.

Strangely, Trance feels intimidated with his mere presence. A sense he hardly has since he woke up from his elongated sleep. “I’m not done yet,” Trance spat, partly defensive, partly aggressive.

Smirking, the man ascends to a stand, towering Trance with his height. “Yes. But for each soul I take, you must pay me.”

“With what?” Trance asked.

“Your body…” he answered slyly, his face is brought closer to Trance’s. Inches apart with their lips almost met. Trance sees the demeanor as a provocation. But he refuses to be provoked that easily. He decided to play indifferent.

Chuckling, Trance shot a question; “So the devil is perverted after all, is it?”

“Tch tch tch…” He hushed Trance with a smirk that never eases from his face. “Don’t call me by that name here. My name in this form is William Ackerman. So, call me William.”

Trance chuckles again. Deep inside, his heart is beating loudly but by playing such a carefree attitude towards the devil, he thought he might calm himself for a bit. “Where did you pick that name? From someone you heard on the street?” Trance insinuated.

“That… is none of your concern, my dear…” He answered in a charming but dangerous tone that was enough to shut Trance up. He then touches Trance’s chin with his finger and brought Trance’s face closer to his. Again, it was as if he’s about to kiss Trance. But instead, he only smiles in a charming seductively evil way towards Trance. “You’re mine…” he stated.

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William brought Trance to his house. A fake. Everything is fake. He fakes the house. He fakes his family. He fakes his identity. But everyone will believe him. Because William is the devil. His illusion is real to the eyes of others. Only Trance knew of William’s secret. But it doesn’t matter because only William knew of Trance’s dirty little secret as well. Trance had trade his soul for revenge.

They are in William’s room now. “Lie down on the bed,” William instructed. Trance feels a bit nervous which is perplexing even to himself. Because he can’t feel anything at all before this, but when William is around, he can somehow feel again. He’s becoming more of himself. The old Trance. Of whom he used to be.

“Hmm… You’re wondering why you have emotions now, isn’t so?” William, reading Trance’s mind, made a correct guess.

Trance only looks wonderingly at William as he lies on the bed. “Yes. Why is it?” He asked William eager to know the answer. He has a thought that he might not like the answer but he wants to know the truth after all.

William looks at Trance with his piercing dark brown eyes. He takes off his shirt as he answers; “well… because I have your soul.”

“What do you mean?” Trance asked again. He is confused with the short answer.

“I am keeping your soul. Look…,” he shows the palm of his right hand. Something glows inside of it. “Your soul is in here,” he said. “Only you can see this. That’s why you have feelings when I’m near.”

“But I already trade my soul to you. Why are you still keeping it?”

“My dear… It’s as a signature to our agreement. It is safe and sound, for now, with me. But once you’re done with your revenge, I’ll get to eat it,” he said, licking his lips as if he’s tasting it. Trance shivers. Part of him dreads the idea. The other part likes it.

“Will you kill me?” Trance asked as William undo his zippers.

“Death is your second wish, correct? Revenge is your first,” William answered. He’s naked now and he walks steadily towards Trance who’s lying on the bed totally unprepared for what’s to come. He gets on top of Trance. “Your wish is my command, my dear,” he continued.

With a memory of the past which now seems surreal to him, Trance feels his heart ache a little. “You’re no different than those guys who raped me,” Trance indicated as he looks the other way, feeling disgusted at the devil.

“Oh, there are vast differences between me and them. First of all, I don’t share… and secondly, I am very gentle…” He said and he kisses Trance’s unwilling lips.

Trance can feel himself resisting the devil at first. But later, he just lets himself indulge in the kiss. It’s a gentle kiss. William is right. He is much gentler. He then slowly takes off Trance’s shirt. They kissed again. William broke the kiss and now starting to kiss Trance’s neck, body, and all the way down to Trance’s waistline. He unzips Trance’s trousers and took Trance’s harden dick into his mouth. Trance moans. “William…” he called in a soft seductive tone.

“Am I correct, Trance?” William asked as he let go of the suck.

Trance hesitates to answer at first but his body is already answering to William’s question. “Shut up. Just put it in,” he said like a spoil kid begging for his favorite toy.

William smiles charmingly. “Sounds nice…” he said. William started to enter Trance. Trance jolted a little. It is a sharp pain. Maybe he should relax and just give in. He knows well that if he resists, it will only be more painful. He moans a little. He senses a smirk across the devil’s face. He is not afraid. He feels nothing… He clings to William’s shoulder, waiting for William’s dick to completely fill his hole.

William groans a little when he had fully entered Trance and he smirks again, looking down on Trance’s lustful face. “Do you like it?” He asked.

“Shut up,” Trance quickly answered as he blushes his way through it.

William smirks again and started to move slowly. Trance moans which each slam and it really turns William on. No human ever excites him like this. Of course… only he knows why himself. He had his eyes on this particular human for centuries… But that is his dirty little secret he meant to keep.

He eases down and plants a kiss on Trance’s neck as he moves. Trance moans louder with the touch of his lips on his skin. William loves the sound of that moan so he licks Trance’s neck all the way up to his ear and sucks on his earlobes. Hell… the sound of Trance’s moans got him all needy…

He hovers on top of Trance and looks down on him as he moves. The sight of Trance’s dirty face makes him want to eat him whole! He then pulls away and forces trance to roll over as he enters him again, roughly this time. Trance groans and jolts in surprise at the sudden aggression shown by William.  A little later, William moves fast inside of him as he strokes Trance’s dick in a quick manner. Trance started to scream now. Scream of lust and pleasure… And William loves the scream. It is the kind of scream that enflames his desire to devour him whole.

A while later, Trance spurts his semen all over the bed and looks all despunked. William smirks, loving the fact that Trance had cum for him. He moves faster inside of Trance and allows himself to get lost in the lustful screams. After a long while, William finally ejaculates inside of Trance… He leans his head down on the back of Trance’s neck, breathing hot breath into his skin, panting… When he can finally breathe normally again, he smiles his sweet seductive smile to himself and eases in closer to Trance’s ear and whispers; “You’re mine…”

6. CHARLATAN

The news of Trudy’s death spread in school like a deadly virus causing the kids in school to be mentally and emotionally disturbed. This is since suicide is rare. Especially in a town like this. To portray their grievances, roses and other flowers are placed by the side of Trudy’s locker. Candles are burnt too. The somber atmosphere is even more glorified by the heavy rain that keeps falling down that morning. It’s funny, thought Trance. Because while she was alive, he didn’t notice her having many friends compared to the flowers placed at her locker. So I guess we’ll only have friends when we die. That’s the beauty of tragedy, thought him with a smile pursed on his lips.

In the midst of the gloom and sadness, Trance walks to school like it’s any other normal day. He cannot comprehend other people’s sadness over the death. He cannot relate to them. He feels nothing inside. But of course if the time comes, he can act like he ‘feels’ something. But in truth, he feels nothing at all. He passes by William who is walking to another class. William is the only one he can relate to. They both are uncaring of the death. Of course, they are the caused of it anyway. They exchange glances with one another and within that few seconds,the smile on William’s face makes Trance’s heart race. And he can hear William’s voice in his head whispering softly, “your body felt nice last night…”

Trance blushes away the moment he heard them. Damn those eyes and that charming devilish smile, he cursed while flustered. What an idiot, he thought to himself in defense of his own embarrassment. It was only a few minutes later that he notices Joanna standing at the side of Trudy’s locker, crying non-stop. Well, Trudy is her best friend after all. Trance tries to rationalize in his head as to why Joanna would cry over the lost of Trudy. It’s not like Joanna has much of any other friends anyway. Life would be lonely for her after this, maybe but Trance can’t relate to that. Trance cannot care less but he thinks that he must at least pretend like he cares. So he walks straight up to Joanna and hugs her. Joanna cries in his arms. “I don’t understand… why would she commit suicide? Why?” Joanna mumbled in his arms. Trance replies nothing as he pats her back several times imitating a friend consoling another friend. But at the corner of his lips, He can’t help to purse a tiny evil smile.

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It’s lunchtime. It’s the time where all hells break loose and all the devils will swarm for the greatest sin of gluttony. As he walks into the cafeteria, Trance recognizes almost everyone. All of his previous classmates who are now in their third year have their eyes on him as he passes them by. They are whispering into each other’s ears words he can’t bother to care. He takes a sit at an empty table all by himself and there out in only a few distances away, he can smell fear from them. He smiles at the knowledge as he hides the mere excitement he gets from attracting fear. He notices Peter and his gang a few tables away from where he is. They turn their faces away from looking at his as he looks at theirs. Look who’s afraid now…

Without warning, he can sense someone’s presence near his table. As he raises his face to see the person, he is sure that he recognizes the face. It’s Bob. He is quite a plum guy and he is definitely from Trance’s previous first year class. “Congratulations, Trance! You finally get to show Peter who you really are!” He congratulated him excitedly. That is so uncalled for. He must’ve meant the incident yesterday where Trance fought Peter back.

Trance looks into Bob’s heart… It’s tainted… So he smiles picturing dark adventures in his mind. “Really, Bob?” He asked. Bob can’t see the malice behind his eyes.

“Of course! You know how I’m always on your side, right? How are you now? I heard you had some memory lost. Is it true?” He asked, sounding as if he’s concerned about Trance. He’s not. He’s a charlatan. A hypocrite.

Trance puts his spoon down and pays all attention to Bob. He looks deep into Bob’s eyes. “Bob,” he called and he pauses for a while as he smiles devilishly. “You’re up next,” he indicated in an evil tone with malice in his eyes. It was like a curse. It was like Trance is cursing Bob to his doom. It got Bob startled. He wonders what Trance meant since he didn’t see it coming but those evil eyes that Trance displayed sends shivers down to his bone. Without a word, he silently gets up from the seat next to Trance and walks out of the cafeteria, looking slightly frightened. He passes by William on his exit.

William enters the cafeteria and walks straight up to sit next to Trance right where Bob had seated before. “Hey,” William greets Trance.

“Hey,” Trance greets back.

“Have you found someone for today?” He asks normally like asking him if he had found someone to go out with when in truth, he was meaning their next victim.

Trance only smiles to the question. “Yes,” he answered with his eyebrows slightly raised.

William also smiles. “I’m anticipating the payment,” William told Trance through his mind.

Trance blushes while chuckling for a bit. “Are you always this horny?”

“All the time.”

“Why is that so?”

“Because Trance, you’re my favorite one so far,”

“So far?”

“Yes. For over an epoch of existence, you’re the most interesting one.”

“Well, I’m flattered.”

Offshoot. FAIRYTALES UNTOLD 1: Peter Pan.

I’ve wondered countless of times as to why people fall in love. And I have all the answers that I think would suit my own understanding of this very complex human’s emotion. But the more I think I understand, the more I’m aloof to any connection with human beings. When people love you, they become very scary. But I can always use love to my own advantage. To get what I want. That’s all that’s worth living for.

“Wendy, do you want an adventure?” was the question asked by me towards the boy who possesses one of the saddest blue eyes I had ever seen. I almost fall in love only by looking into those eyes, I think. Almost. Or maybe not. Maybe it was lust.

He smiles at me. Even his smile looks sad despite of the fact that it seems he had tried his hardest to conjure up the smile. I believe that was the most genuine smile he could produce. “What sort of adventure?” He inquired.

I smile back at him with a warm and friendly smile as an answer. I pull both of his hands and place them on my chest as I said; “to a land where you will never grow old. You will always be happy. You can play all day and you will never have to dwell with any responsibilities of an adulthood you’ll soon come to face.”

“Happy? There’s a place like that?” He displays interest on his face as he laid the questions down to mine.

“Yes,” I confirmed. With his hands pressed to my chest, I pull my face closer to his. So close that he can feel my breath on his lips. “A land called ‘Neverland’,” I whispered. His face flushed red. I think he wanted to say something but couldn’t. I notice he finds it difficult to breathe and that’s when I knew that it’s my cue. I plant a soft kiss on his lips. Not too little but not too much either. Just enough. Just enough to make him want more but doubting everything at the same time too. A sweet torment I knew all too well to give.

I push him down to the bed. His sleeping garment is blue in color but under this light, it looks like it is cream in color instead. “Peter-,” he called out to me as he tries to resist the temptation. But it’s too late. I already want him. There’s no turning back.

“Shhh…,” I hushed him. “Wendy, it’s okay. If you want to be in Neverland, you’ll have to fly to get there,” I informed as I slowly slip my hands into his garment and tease his nipples with my fingertips. He lets out a soft moan that makes me want to hurry up and feast on him. “This is the only way for you fly,” I continued. I pull his garment off of him forcibly. He doesn’t even try to protest this time. I smile to myself, amused by his innocence and curiosity.

This is what humans are all like. Pure yet so tainted.

He has to endure the pain that I inflict on him through the opening in between of his spread legs. He jolts, screams, moans, and cries. But it’s okay. It’s temporary. Soon, he’ll be in Neverland. He’ll be young forever. He’ll escape this wretched world of lowly human beings.

As I dress him back up when we’re done, he looks at me shyly. “So I can fly now?” He asked, unsure of my promise.

“Of course you can!” I said happily. I jump out of his window to demonstrate. As I levitate on air, I confidently smile at him “See?”

He hesitates at first. One of his legs is up on the window but the other froze.

“What’s the matter? You don’t trust me?” I asked. He doesn’t say anything. But determination is written all over his face. “Give me your hand,” I instructed as I stretch out one of my hands towards him. He takes it quickly after only seconds of consideration.

Now, we’re both out of the window. Both us levitate on the air, holding each other’s hands tightly. He laughs the moment he realizes that he is floating. I bet that’s the first time he ever feels so happy. I laugh along with him too. This time, everything is genuinely displayed on his face. Happiness radiates through his formerly sad, sad blue eyes. “Peter, I’m flying!” Wendy shrieked in excitement.

“Hmm. For now,” I said with a nonchalant smile. It took a while for him to realize that I no longer have that warm and friendly smile on my face. That I am now looking at him with a steady uncaring gaze. That my eyes are no longer smiling despite of a smile pursed on my lips. A look of a psychopath.

He looks back at me in confusion. “Peter?”

“Wendy, welcome to Neverland.” I let go of his hands. The moment that I do, gravity took a hold on him and he falls fast to the ground. The sound of his screams fills my ears. I laugh at the sound. It’s so beautiful. It’s so wonderful. Everything is right. Now, on the ground, his sleeping garment is in the color of red.

He will be young forever. He will always be happy. He can play all day and he will never have to dwell with any responsibilities of an adulthood that he’ll never have. He can be all that in death.

That is what humans are all like. Pure yet so tainted.

7. NUMBER TWO BY THE ROPE

As the cool evening air pierces his skin, Bob jogs through the path that is lit by an afternoon glow. The path is clearly lit at this hour. He needs to lose some weight. And he needs to finish this lap before it gets dark. He does this every day after school. He’s been dying to get some attention from Simone, the hottest girl in school. He thought that maybe by losing some weight, he might get a chance. He thinks to himself that he is actually not quite bad-looking. Therefore, he is determined to exercise regularly.

Out in the distance, on his usual path ahead, he thinks he saw two figures standing in the darkened part of the woods. As he gets closer to the figures, he notices that one of them is very familiar to him. So he halts, wearing a smile on his face towards the persona in front of him and slightly waves his hand at him. Initially, he wonders if he should just keep on going on the path or should he back off as he got a little spooked by the presence of the other persona. I’m being silly. It’s nothing, he thought. So he keeps going on the same path, thinking that he doesn’t wanna stop and say hi. He should be home before dark so he should finish this lap in time. As he passes by the two figures, memories float through his mind…

֍֎֍

~1 year and 8 months ago~

Bob catches up to Trance who’s been walking to class in a hurry. “Hey, how about that assignment?” He asked.

“Oh, I’ve done it,” Trance said, handing Bob a piece of paper that he took out from one of his books in his hand. Bob had lied to Trance that his father is sick and he could not finish his assignment on time.

“Thanks, man. You’re the best!” Bob said, grinning happily while giving a single congratulatory pat on Trance’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. I’m glad I can help you. How’s your father?” Trance asked.

“Um?” For a while there, Bob has forgotten about the lie but then he quickly remembered. “Oh. That. Yes, he’s getting better,” Bob lied. It was an awkward lie that normal people could see right through but knowing Trance, he is sure as hell Trance would not notice that. Trance is naïve. He’s like a child. Easily lied to and used.

“That’s good news. Okay, see you,” Trance said as he paces up into the classroom he was about to enter from before, leaving Bob behind checking the assignment.

“Hey, Bob.” Bob turns around at the greetings, seeing Peter and Noah walking towards him. “What’s up with you and that nerd?” Peter asked suspiciously. An aura of ridicule written all over his smirk of a face. If Bob answers wrongly, he will be in the same team of being bullied as Trance so he must choose his answers carefully.

“Oh… He was helping me with my assignment. Well, you know. He said he wanted to go out with me, you know. I decline. But he’s been very nice to me and helps me out with this. Maybe he was hoping I would fuck him,” Bob made up a story. A story only suited to Peter and Noah’s hearings. The three of them laugh out hard at the last remark. Phew! He was saved.

֍֎֍

Deranged, Bob feels a presence closing in behind him. It’s strange. He was jogging but the guy behind him is obviously walking but how can a guy walks that fast? The evening is closing in. It’s almost night-time now. How did the day get to be dark so soon? Bob wonders. Then suddenly, as quick as the breath he takes, everything turns black. He stops in his track, taking in his surroundings. He sees nothing but black. The guy is still walking behind him. He panics. So, with adrenaline rushes to his brain, he starts to sprint. He runs as fast as he could. But every time he turns around to take a look, the guy who’s walking steadily behind him is still closing in on him. And at that, he’s smiling evilly.

Bob no longer knows where he’s running to. The darkness doesn’t seem to have an end. He can’t see anything but black. No signs of light at any corner. Everything is black. No trees, no jogging path, no houses on the street. He quits running when his legs finally tired of the act and he kneels down to the ground, huffing, trying to catch his breath. He senses another presence walking towards him from his front this time. As he looks up, he sees Trance. The guy who was walking / chasing after him from before is now standing behind him. He feels like he’s being cornered by the two. “Trance, what do you want?” Bob asked among his tired breath. This is his last defense. Playing innocent is a skill of his.

“William knows what I want. Why don’t you ask him?” Trance only looks into Bob’s eyes with a wicked smile. Bob is confused. The malevolence of Trance’s spoken words. He had never been cornered like this. He never knew Trance, out of all people, could corner him like this. He trembles in fear a little. Not knowing of his fate. Not knowing of what to do. He turns to look at the guy standing behind him.

Without warning, the guy squats next to him and touches his cheek with a force so strong that it feels like his heart is being ripped out. The touch was cold. So cold that it chills him down to the bone. It was like he was being pierced by ice and his body got frozen from limb to limb. Bob lets out a high-pitched scream of pain. Yes. In that moment, at the touch, he is reliving the pain and suffering that Trance had gone through. It lasted for only a few seconds by the looks of the touch but to Bob, time passes by in his head like the whole miserable years of Trance’s experiences. The sufferings, the fatal blow, the thrusts, the insults, the punches, the piercing of a needle.

When William’s done, Bob’s eyes went blank like in a state of daze. The streets, trees, and houses are back into view to him. But his body is no longer his. William whispers into Bob’s ears; “there’s a rope in your trunk, correct? Take it. Hang yourself at the highest tree in the forest.”

William leaves the woods with Trance by his side as Bob, on the other hand, gets up and walks slowly to his car like a zombie. He then opens his trunk. He takes the rope. He walks back into the woods. He looks at an old oak tree in the woods emotionlessly. The tree is a popular site among the teens in the town. It’s where they held gatherings and party out of their parents’ knowledge. Now, this place will hold a new event for Bob. Bob climbs the tree. He ties the rope strongly to the tree’s branch. He makes a loop and wears it around his neck. Like a necklace. A necklace of death. And without hesitation or regrets, he pulls the necklace to fit the size of his neck. How can he even hesitate or feel regret? He is screaming on the inside but no sounds come out from his mouth. His body is not his. Not his. Not anymore. He had signed a one-way ticket to hell. The show must go on. Alas, he jumps down. The rope stretches bearing the weight of his body. The show has come to an end. The genre, as it seems, is a tragedy.

8. ANOTHER PAYMENT

Trance can hear Bob’s grunting from being choked by the rope from a near distance. He thought he could hear the neck snapped as well. He smiles slightly at the sound, amused by the pleasure of doing something evil. Of inflicting pain and suffering on another. All his life, pain and suffering were inflicted on him, but this time, it is his turn. Right or wrong. It no longer matters. Morality is a lost cause. But only soon after the smile, his body trembles just a little. And he starts to question his morality. A lost cause as it may. Morality stands there for a reason. “Am I doing the right thing, William?” He asked.

William wears his same old carefree face. His lips curve into a devilish smile at the question offered to him by Trance. “Hey, that’s nice Trance’s asking. The new Trance had no soul, remember?” He reminded Trance.

Trance shivers a little to the answer. It is not what he wanted to hear. Just give him yes or no. William never gives him a straight answer. He then gets a bit angry. All William do is play games. Trance is not in the mood for games. This life of his, this vengeance of his are no games for him. “It’s your fault! You are carrying around my soul that whenever I’m near you, I come to feel again,” Trance hissed, putting the blame on his old soul. His soul, his kindness, his morality that he had loathed so much. “Just get rid of it! I hate it!”

“Tch tch tch…,” William hushed Trance. “Be patience, my dear. Where’s the fun in that?” William asked, making Trance even more annoyed. “I want you to feel when you’re around me,” William indicated as he eases in closer to Trance. He moves like he was one with wind. Like he is gliding in the dark. A swift and careless but thoughtful movement.

“The hell is that supposed to mean?!” Trance asked William angrily, shooting him a glance fill with despise and disgust.

“By Hell, you are damn cute when you’re angry, Trance. You know that you can’t even be this angry to others. Look what your soul can do to you. It can make you fill yourself up with emotions. That. Is. The most. Beautiful thing about humans,” William commented lengthily. “And why bother knowing of what is right? Or wrong? How can anything in this humans’ world be right or wrong? Right or wrong is given to you. It was taught to you. It was told to you. It was instructed on you. It was placed upon you.” As he descends closer to Trance’s height, he allows his cold lips touch the tip of one of Trance’s ears and whispers; “nothing is right. And nothing is wrong, dear Trance.”

Trance looks at William quizzically. A shiver runs through his spine. There are wants. There are desires. There’s hatred. But there’s also curiosity. “Then it will all be for nothing. If there are no right and wrong in this world, then we have lived all this while for nothing.” Trance pointed out. His heart is pierced deep with sadness. Such a sad, sad life humans have to live. Abiding invisible forces. Being obedient to invisible rules. Hoping to receive love and acceptance from an invisible God.

“If you haven’t lived for more than an epoch, I guess you wouldn’t understand,” William calculated and then he quickly places his thumb on Trance’s chin. “Just pay me,” he ordered and forcibly kisses Trance impatiently. He pushes Trance to lean his back against a tree. He explores Trance’s mouth with his tongue sending pleasurable tingle to every spot. Trance can feel himself getting even chiller to the bone. William always makes him nervous. The kind of nervous where you wish for more, to be closer yet also wish you could run farther away with loathe to every touch.

William then breaks the kiss slowly, leaving Trance somehow gasping for air. The kiss makes him breathless. The nervousness makes his heart beat faster. It was like he almost had a heart attack. What the hell? Trance thought silently to himself. He shouldn’t be this nervous. This wasn’t the first time he kisses another man and this surely wasn’t the first time he and William kiss. Maybe the surroundings of the woods that made him nervous instead of the persona in front of him. The coldness of the night air and the darkness of the area… The bitterness he feels towards the world, towards humanity, towards the meaning of one’s existence.

In a jolt of surprise, Trance moans a little as he feels William’s cold tongue suddenly trailing the skin of his neck. He clutches at William’s shirt, trying to hold his balance. His body feels like it was floating on air. William is clearly excited by the sound of the moan. “There’s a nice ring to your moan,” William complimented.

That compliment makes Trance quickly engulfed in embarrassment and so he covers it up by being angry. “Shut up!” He hissed. “Are we going to do it here?” He asked.

“Do what?” William asked, teasing Trance.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t understand.”

“Seriously, do what, Trance?”

Trance sighs. William sometimes can get him on his nerve. Never a straight answer. Evil smile with a charm. All-knowing eyes. Intimidating aura like he can tell what everyone else is thinking. And also the fact that he carries himself with such steps that portray he is of a higher standard than the rest of them. Out of place. Yet exactly where he should be all the same. “Okay. Are you going to fuck me here?” He asked, stressing the word ‘fuck’.

William grins like a child winning a candy bar for free. “Yup,” he answered shortly. The short answer makes Trance feels like the question he threw was a waste of time. Trance sighs again. “Take your pants off and hold on to the tree,” William then ordered. Trance doesn’t want to waste anymore time. Being with William makes him feel restless enough. So he quickly abides to his order. As he holds on to the tree, he feels his opening is being push open by William’s harden dick. In a few second of forethoughts, he wonders what is William’s true form? Does he even have a true form? Will he ever find out? He closes his eyes as he endures the pain and the whispering from William’s lips which are brushing against his ear, “I love you.”

Is he hearing things right? Trance has no idea nor the bravery to believe in the words. But as William moves inside of him, with his soul attached to William, he decides to believe it for a while. Just for that little while of their temporary intimacy. He heard of similar words before from lips of a liar… and a traitor… He is not going to be a fool again. To believe is to become a fool. He is not going to be nice again. He had given all of him to that person and got to be crushed by the person who professed the word ‘love’ like a religion as if he was a mere bug. No. he’s not going back there. That’s it. I’m sorry but I’m all out of nice, he monologues a conversation to himself, to assure himself that he’s not who he was. Not anymore. Tears run down his cheeks as he thought of that person and he drowns himself in the pain of pleasure from William. To endure pain is to know you’re alive. Forgiveness is weakness. Love is weakness. Love should not exist in his heart. Love should not exist at all.

֍֎֍

Trance pierces the tree’s trunk with his nails as William thrusts in and out of him from behind. He disregards the pain on his nails against the hard trunk. He can feel blood seeping out from in between his nails and the skin beneath it. Strangely… he likes the pain. Maybe he was accustomed to it.

He strokes his own dick as he savors the pleasure being thrust by William. He likes to hear William’s panting and loves the feel of William’s hot breath near his ear. The tingles it sent. He moans, closes his eyes and let himself go with the flow. When he finally reaches his peak, he lets his dick ejaculate the sticky white liquid out. He can feel the man behind him smirks shortly before he starts to move faster in him.

They both moan in the pleasure that hold them close. It’s always a wonder of how much pain can give you pleasure and how much sin can give you satisfaction. It’s a rush that’s hard to be explained with words. A rush you know you’ll feel only when you feel it. A feeling that will be forgotten once it is over… Forgetting it is what makes it have some sort of control over you. An irresistible charm. Because you would want to have the taste of it all over again… That’s what makes sex addictive, isn’t so?

William moans louder and finally spurts his semen inside of Trance. Human’s body is strange to him… though this is not the first time he uses a human’s form, it’s just different when he is with Trance. It’s like holding something in him for so long and finally only be able to release it. It still is… a dark secret he meant to keep. He smiles slightly to himself. No one will ever know…his deep dark secret. A secret he has kept for centuries.

9. NUMBER THREE ON A RAILWAY TRACK

A beautiful day it is. The weather is warm. The wind is blowing strongly. Who would have thought that a day such as this will be stained with blood? Mark places his head on the railway track. He hears the sound of the train coming. He didn't want to do this. But the guy who came with Trance told him to do it. He had lost control of his own body. It just moves on its own. He knows he's going to die but he can't get up. He knows he will face an unbearable pain as his neck will be ripped open by the train’s wheels. But he can’t stop that from happening. He can't even blink his eyes. He just looks at the train as it gets bigger and bigger in his view. He can feel his heart is beating faster. There's no stopping to it. He can't even close his eyes as the train approaches, running over his head. The blood spills all over the trail. The flesh and bones scatter across the ground.

... Mark is dead.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 7 months ago~

Trance was pushed back to the wall. Mark gave him another punch to the face. Trance couldn’t even see it coming as his glasses had already fallen to the floor. Mark only laughed as Trance also fell down to the floor after the hit right next to his glasses. "You know. I hate faggots like you..." Mark said as he gave Trance another kick in the stomach. He then looked at Trance's glasses with disgust on the floor as if projecting the owner of the glasses onto it and he steps on it until the glass smashed into pieces. He laughed again and left Trance lying there wounded on the cold floor, unattended to, fill with shame and humiliation.

֍֎֍

Trance wakes up abruptly from his deep slumber and after a few moments of adjusting his eyes to the dimly lit room, taking in his surroundings, he gets up from the bed slowly. It's 9 p.m. He is still at William's house. He must head home now. He had been coming home late daily these days that his parents had started questioning him things he couldn’t even bother to answer. They are obviously worried about him. He never answered them of where he went and of what he did. Every time, he just walked into his room like he could not hear them. Perfect ignorance coupled with perfect indifference. They all think that he's still in his post-traumatic state as it appears. They didn't know that he just plainly doesn't care. He couldn't care. How can he? He has no soul to begin with.

It's good that William is keeping his soul anyway. He does not think that he can handle it if he has his soul with him. He'll definitely be broken and gone mad. He puts his clothes on in a hurry. He does not feel that it is necessary to hurry home nor does he feel that it is necessary to stay either. It’s just a routine to him. At night, he should be at home. That’s what other kids do. Well, what most kids do. And that’s how it was with the old Trance’s lifestyle. At night, home is where he belonged. "Leaving?" he heard William’s voice from behind him, slicing through the air like a knife.

"Yes," he simply answered.

William gets up to a sit on the bed with the blanket covering his lower part of the body. They made love again last night after the third death. William was persistent in calling it ‘making love’. But to Trance, it was just pure sex. Love couldn’t exist in a relation like this. In school, however, it's getting tense. Everyone is freaking out over the suicide frenzies that had been going on. Especially the students from the Third year of senior high. Because the suicides had been happening around them. Well, they haven't figured out yet that the students who died were in the same class as Trance was in their first year since they had been separated to different classes as they hit their third year. Soon, people will start to notice the pattern, perhaps. Oh, they all can do the math quite well after that. "Come here," William suddenly pulls Trance closer to him by wrapping one of his hands around his waist despite of the fact that Trance was perfectly obvious ready to leave. His hand is locked around the waist with a force that indicates he is nowhere willing to let him go.

Trance leans in closer to William with a sly smile on his face. It’s almost as if he wanted to plant a kiss on William’s cheek. But William does not allow it to happen for he immediately grabs both of Trance’s wrists with a strong force, pulls him back onto the bed and pins him down flat on his back. He can see William's naked body perfectly now as the blanket is no longer covering him as he hovers above him. "What's up?" Trance asked uncaringly despite of a little smile curves on his lips, amused by the sudden authority displayed by the charming devil.

William only smiles back at him and chuckles a little with an amusement matching to Trance’s. "I just want to take a little more time looking at your face," William said.

"Are you trying to be romantic?" Trance asked.

"Am I being romantic?" William answered with another question.

Trance only sighs and looks away, letting William be. He doesn’t care about getting home. He doesn’t care about staying. He doesn’t have a purpose. A reason. A drive. There's no use arguing with the devil. William then holds Trance's face, letting go of his wrists in the process, to pull it facing up front so that they can both look into each other’s eyes. Their eyes locked and for a moment lost in time, it looks almost intense, almost lustful, almost hateful, but also almost in love. Without taking his eyes off of him, William then gently kisses Trance's lips. A soft inviting kiss. An invitation and a suggestion for a more intimate extension. They kiss for a while and Trance can feel himself lost in the kiss. With his eyes shut tight, he adores how the devil is good at this. At kissing that is. But the kiss ended abruptly. By the devil himself. And when Trance opens his eyes again, he sees William is eyeing him like a predator looking at its' prey instead. There’s no love in those eyes. Just mere lust. And not of sex. But of blood and flesh. Almost like a hunger. It is in that moment that William's eyes slowly shifting from normal human’s eyes into a vertical split like that of a snake. But it is glowing red in color, illuminating in the darkness. Trance shudders at the sight before him. He can’t deny the surprise of seeing something like this for the first time. Could it be this is his true form? "William?" He called, feeling cold sweats running on his forehead.

The lips on William’s face curve dramatically into a smile. A smile of a devil. "Are you afraid of me?" William asked him in a distorted voice that sounds like a growl mixed with a whisper. He sounds almost alike to the possessed girl from the movie 'Exorcist'. Only that William is scarier in appearance and manner. It was as if you could not predict when he will strike or if he will strike at all. The smile left William’s face out of a sudden as he lets go of the trembling Trance and jumps out of the bed in an inhumanly manner. William creeps in a distorted conduct slowly into the bathroom attached to the bedroom they were in. "GO!" He yelled at Trance from the distance. "Leave! Now!" He ordered in the same scary voice. Trance would not miss this chance. With a survival instinct so strong and a shot of adrenaline rushing to his brain, he quickly gets up from the bed and runs towards the door of the room. He rushes down the stairs and feels completely relieved as soon as he got out of the front door.

He bangs the door shut and runs a little to the pavement. He takes one last look at the house and quickly concentrated back on the pavement, running away in a jog. A little distancing from the house, he no longer feels afraid. The fear disappeared as if he it has evaporated into the cold night air. He is no longer trembling... It must be because he's far enough from William now. And it means that he's far enough from his soul. So, he walks steadily towards his home. Thoughts of the previous incident still attached to his brain but he is no longer bothered by it. But just a little, he feels a little unexplained craving. For death. To be eaten by the devil. Or to be rid of this world. To disappear as if he never existed in the first place. He craves to be in danger. As long as the danger is by the devil himself. He longs to be taken away. He longs to be gone.

10. WILLIAM ACKERMAN

~Perfect Now~

~♫Music♪♫~

PE class. It’s when all hells break lose. Humans’ children scatter upon the school compound like the wretched lowly beings that they are. I found Trance at the field. The only human’s child that I had come to grown an interest in. I jog slightly towards him in order to join him. He looks at me indifferently at first but a moment after, there’s a note of worry crosses his face. “Are you okay?” He asked me. “Last night you look like a vampire about to eat me,” he indicated.

I shake my head in defense. “I’m fine, honey,” I assured him. Of course, it’s a lie. I’m not fine. Yes, I was about to really eat him last night. Literally. “I was just teasing you,” I added another lie.

He merely shakes his head at me, not commenting any further, as if he’s shaking away all the wariness out of him.

~♪Hey you, Miss wearing the crown, Run me around, Dragging me down♫~

At one end of the field, a group of cheerleaders are practicing their monkey-like routine while at the other end, the football team is practicing aggressively. Funny. These humans are so alike to animals. They think that they’re much more intelligible compared to animals. But really, there’s not much difference.

~♪Hey you, Miss head of the class, Never come last, Pain in the ass♫~

Meanwhile, both Trance and I are stretching out, getting ourselves ready for a run. That’s what the teacher wanted to test out today. Our running skills… Humans do this. They are always testing, always searching, and they are never satisfied. Such curious beings they are.

~♪Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Look who's perfect now, Got my feet on the ground. Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Got my feet on the ground, Look who's perfect now♫~

“Hey Trance, is that your new boyfriend?!” I heard a voice yelling out to Trance out of a sudden. At first I thought what I heard was the sound of nails scratching on a chalkboard but as it turns out, it was one of the cheerleaders; Simone. Oh. She’s the head cheerleader… I see. She’s trying to bully Trance again as it seems. Trying to bring him down. These people never learn.

Trance looks at her without a hint of angriness or annoyance. Of course, his soul is well shut by me. That’s why he didn’t care. He will only feel when I let him feel. I didn’t tell him that yet. Trance then sticks out his tongue to Simone and yells back, “hell yes! We’ve totally fucked!”

~♪Hey you, Miss never too fall, Standing so tall, Knowing it all♫~

I immediately laugh at that remark by Trance. It was surprising even to me. It’s wonderful how little thing such as a soul which encompasses our fear and self-regard, when discarded, can do wonders to human’s life. Trance didn’t laugh along though. Maybe he doesn’t think that it’s funny. Simone’s also obviously doesn’t find it funny. She looks rather pissed off. “Wow, you’re such a faggot, Trance. Dress like a girl already,” she jeered at him in a mocking manner.

~♪Hey you, Miss living a lie flying so high, Goodbye, goodbye♫~

Trance did not even flinch at that detestation.  “I’m gay. Not transgender. Gee… when will that wizard gonna get back to you about that brain, Simone?” Trance replied sarcastically. I laugh even more at this second remark.

~♪Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Look who's perfect now, Got my feet on the ground. Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Got my feet on the ground, Look who's perfect now♫~

“You fag!” Simone scorned at Trance, getting angry by Trance’s sarcasm. That is what will happen to people with lower intelligence level. They don’t have a good comeback so they threw insulting word instead. How pitiful. Almost sad, really. But also funny.

I had never laughed this hard in a long time. Trance then lifts up his middle finger in the air towards Simone. “Suck this, Bitch! ‘Coz you won’t get to suck mine…” He mocked her. There are many students around the compound. They appear to be really interested by the mouth-war they’re having. Reading their thoughts, they found it amazing that Trance fought back because his story of always being bullied by many is quite famous.

Reading Simone thoughts, on the other hand, portrays a real vicious thinking. She can’t accept the fact that Trance stands up for himself today. Trance used to let her say anything and never fought back.

Humans. Similar to monkeys. When they manage to gang-up on someone, they feel powerful. The art of bullying. A gang against one. They derive pleasure from this act, as it seems. They derive a sense of belonging. They derive power. What a fictitious belief. A vicious attack on those who are different than them. And it’s also hierarchical, if you know what I mean.

~♪Now I see, Now I found, Now I know what you're about, I keep you out of reach, won't let you pull me down. My favourite superstition left me a piece, but the puzzle's missing, And it didn't take too long to figure out, Look who's sorry now♫~

Hell… I’m going to make Trance more famous. “Trance…” I called out to him.

“Yeah,” he looks at me, smiling. He’s satisfied that he is not afraid to fight her. Soul discarded along with fear.

“Let’s give ‘em a show,” I suggested. He smiles back at me in agreement. We both understand what that means. Therefore, in the middle of the field, with that many people watching… gaping their mouth wide open, under the light of the morning sun, we kiss…

~♫music♪♫~

It’s a passionate and lingering kiss. From the corner of my eye, I saw Peter looking at us in disbelief. He seems to be engulfed in fury. I can smell jealousy. He walks away from the field at the immediate pain protruded invisibly in his heart. We break the kiss and stare into each other’s eyes romantically as I hold his chin with one of my thumbs.

~♪Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Look who's perfect now, Got my feet on the ground. Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Got my feet on the ground, Look who's perfect now♫~

Then we heard it. People are clapping their hands at us and are screaming in excitement. Their eyes are shining in awe towards our bravery. The teacher who’s there at the field scolds us a moment later, “Trance Wilson! William Ackerman! Headmaster’s office! Now!”

We’re gonna be sent to detention class, is it? Is homophobia supposed to be something forbidden in a Christian school such as this? Religion is another matter matched to the act of bullying and differing. Not many humans’ children are aware of this though. But, that’s the last thing we would care about. We win. The cheerleaders shut their bitching mouth. The footballers, the guys who raped Trance, were stupefied. It’s a glorious win.

~♪Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Look who's perfect now, Got my feet on the ground. Look who's perfect now, Got my head in the clouds, Got my feet on the ground, Look who's perfect now♫~

Oh well, at least, that’s what the devil can do. I can make wrong things look right in the eyes of the others. It wasn’t long after the incident that we became a phenomenon around school. Whenever people see us walk by, they’ll whisper with excitement to each other. They’re smiling when they see us together like they want some more action from us. We became real popular. Like an icon.

~♫music♪♫~

Probably… it’s just something to get their minds off the suicide circle that’s been going on. Sadly for them, no, the killing will not stop. Revenge must be taken. More lives must be claimed. More hearts must be ripped apart. More blood must be spilled. Everything is sooo perfect now…

11. TRANCE WILSON

~history~

“What is going on, Trance? You’ve never been called to the headmaster’s office before in your entire life and now you’ve been called twice?! This time, you kissed a BOY in public!” My mom rumbled. I almost had forgotten that I was breed in a Christian family, imposed upon Christian beliefs. That I must pray to God. Pray to God and God will pay heed to me. And I will be saved. The noise of my mother’s high-pitch voice is hurting my ears. I wonder how God will sound like. If God sounds alike to her, I rather listen to devil instead. At least William is soft-spoken. God didn’t come to my aid. William came. Maybe this is God’s will after all.

“Yeah,” I simply answered her nonchalantly. I believe that sends her furthermore into rage. I can’t figure out why she’s so angry. A kiss is a kiss. Regardless if it is a boy or a girl. In public or in private. A sin, claimed by her, or an approved act. They are just an act. An act done by many. Practiced by many. What’s so wrong in that? I guess some people can’t see the beauty of conducting an immoral act. The art of committing sin.

"Can you believe him?!" My mom asked my father furiously. My father had lost for words. He is torn in two. Looking into his heart, he is feeling pity towards me for everything that had happened and he thought that what I did at school was probably just me being disruptive. I can do this ever since I woke up from the coma, you know? I can look into people's heart and know what they're feeling. Not that I care much but it just happens. I have no control over it. I also noticed that I am also a lot stronger and faster. William said he had lent me some of the devil's ability to help me get my revenge. This abilities, honestly, are quite profoundly useless to me. I don’t need them. He should just hurry up and kill them all already. All at once. And then me. End me. That’s all that I wanted. I guess William enjoys playing games. Little by little. Slowly. Maybe he enjoys getting things slowly done. But I know that I’m not enjoying my time at all. I want it all to end.

My father's about to speak to me when I stand up quickly and walk straight to the door emotionlessly. I decided that I needed some fresh air. Being with these people doesn’t help. "Don't worry. Soon, I would not be a burden to you anymore," I said as I open the door and get out into the dark, cold night, blending in. I heard my mom's crying in the arms of my father as I walk on. Why is she crying? I can't feel bad for what I did or said. I have no soul. How can I feel anything? The best I can do is to ignore them. Having no soul is the only thing I like about coming back. The wait is torturous however. Waiting for it all to end. William. Dear William. How I despise his games.

I know where I'm heading. I'm going to William's fake house. He's dangerous and unpredictable but he's the only one I can trust. If he's going to kill me there and then, I would not even care. He should just quickly get rid of that soul of mine. That soul is making me having second thoughts. I hate having second thoughts. I hate the old me. I hate the nice me. I hate these games. I hate having to be a player and a part of this.

"Trance!" I heard someone calling me as I pass the neighborhood’s soccer field. I turn around and to my surprise, not quite, but pretty surprised, I see Peter huffing for air, trotting hurriedly towards me. He must've trotted quite a distance to catch up to me just now. I look at him with little interest and put on a face like I was saying 'what d'you want?' at him. He looks at me in the eye for a moment, struggling to find a word to say. He opens and closes his mouth repeatedly like there's something he really wanted to say to me but it got choked in his throat. Finding no meaning to stand there waiting, I turn back around quickly to head back to where I was heading to. "Wait!" Peter called as he grabs my arms and pulls me for a turn to face him.

"What, Peter? Asking for another push from me?" I said, skeptically, reminding him that I had pushed him back to the lockers a few days back. He is still gripping my arms tightly.

"I... I'm sorry..." He finally managed to say what's he had been trying to say.

"For what?" I asked, pretending to be stupid at first but then I glare at him sarcastically. "Oh... for raping me with your friends and beating me to death, is that it?" I chuckle, being slightly cynical in that statement formed as a question by me. "Yeah.. 'sorry' should make up for it," I indicated sardonically.

He looks like he's really feeling it. Guilt, I mean. Looking into his heart, yes, he is feeling guilty. But I could not care less about that. "I... Look, Trance... I..." he could not finish his words.

"Let me go," I ordered him casually to let go of my hand.

"Trance..." he called out to me. "I still love you," he told. It was out of the blue. In the dark, he told me that. And I am reminded a little by the past. "You and I have history, do you remember?" He asked, probably thinking that I really had lost some of my memories.

"Oh yeah... that's it. We're history... Remember?" I asked him back. In a way, that tells him that I still remember, of course. And that it had ended. What’s in the past should remain in the past. Especially if it hurts. We buried the thoughts. Wait. Hurt? Am I feeling hurt? I thought my soul had been dumped in the gutter. Why am I feeling hurt now?

"You broke up with me. I was furious! That's why I did it. The original plan was that I would be the only one to rape you but they joined in. I didn't know how to react. I couldn't stopped them," Peter is trying to back himself up which only sounded much like a selfish statement from a bastard that has no heart. Is it me or him that’s living without a soul? What kind of an inhuman statement was that?

Something stirs up in me. It's anger and also... sadness... "Let me go. You're disgusting me!" I said, despite of not putting up any effort in trying to pull my hand away from his grip. Tears build up in my eyelids. Why do I have these? Why am I feeling? Shit! William must be near-by. My soul... it must be near-by. "Are you asking for a punch, Peter?! I said let go!!" I shrieked at Peter.

With a little hesitance, he lets go of my arms which he had been gripping at for a while now. It still feels warm on my skin from where he had touched. It brings back memories. Tears stream down from my face and so is he from his face. "I'm sorry..." Peter said in a broken voice. Forgiveness? You asking for forgiveness? What a joke.

I fight my feeling. I was going to be nice and forgive him again. Like many, many times before. I had forgiven him many, many times before. No. Not this time. "'Sorry'. Would not. Change a thing!!!" I yelled in anger. "I'm not who I was anymore. You're going to get what you deserve," I said, turning around, quickly pacing up to walk away from him. Walking away from my past. Walking away from my broken heart. Anger erects in me as I realized that this is William’s doing. I'm going to punch William silly for this when I find him. He made me feel. I hate it. I hate it! I HATE IT!

12. PETER JENNINGS

~selfish~

I did this every time. Watching him leave broken and crying... Watching him suffer... I did this every time... What a coward! What a jerk I am! What a selfish jerk I am! And the worst part is… I can't even stop myself from being that way. What a loser... Why can’t I just face this fact that I am in love? That I wanted him to always be by my side? What is wrong with me?

We were very close back in junior high. We had known each other since middle school and were considered to be best friends back then. I realize of that. But, as fate settles in, in the last year of junior high, I got accepted into the football team. I got accepted by the popular kids. I got popular. And no one can know that all this while, Trance Wilson, the school nerd, the nobody, is my boyfriend. We were not best friends as thought by many. We were lovers. So, I bullied him to ensure my new friends that there was nothing going on between us. They didn’t know that I’m gay. Lord no. Not in this Christian school. Not in this standard heteronormativity society. No. They didn’t know of that little history between me and Trance. They just thought that I left him as my best friend because Trance didn’t deserve to be my friend anymore. Because I had become popular…

But Trance is the nicest person on earth. He went along with me bullying him and when we were together in places unknown and unseen, we were still lovers. He accepted my fears. He accepted my selfishness. He was the nicest person. I was the worst. He accepted me for who I am. I did not accept him for who he is. I am still the worst.

I realize that I am being a ruthless idiot, but I can’t stop myself. I don’t want to lose the fame that I had gained. My reputation in football. My reputation among the girls. Among the cool kids. I don’t wanna lose that. It matters a whole great deal to me. God, it was horrible of me. I can’t forget what I’ve done to Trance. I can’t forgive myself. I understand if he can’t forgive me too. The worst part is that I still was in love with him when I allowed my friends to have their way with him. How can I allow myself to be such a dick? That wasn’t even humane of me. I can’t stop. I just can’t stop myself. God, I really hate myself. The whole days of last year passed by like a recurring nightmare to me.

I didn’t see him for the whole year since he is in coma. I sneaked into the hospital to check on him sometimes and then went back home crying and banging my head to the wall. I’m beginning to get into a new habit of burning my body with cigarette. The burning sensation on my skin helps me forget. It helps me to ease the guilt. It makes me feel like I can make it up to Trance by hurting myself. How pathetic. All I could do was watched him on the bed lying motionlessly. Sometimes I wonder if she was alive or dead. No movement. I wonder if he was breathing. Only the machine next to him that assured me that my Trance was still there somewhere. It hurts the most knowing that it was me. I was the one who did that. I thought I had lost him for good. Why haven’t I changed? Why haven’t I learnt my lesson? Why can’t I appreciate him more?

And now, I can’t stop crying. Why the hell am I crying? Am I feeling sorry for myself or for Trance? Maybe both. He seems to be just fine now. He has that guy. Damn it! Seeing them together makes my skin crawl. If I were to do the same, coming out of the closet with him like that, will people accept us? Fuck, I hate having these feelings. He really hates me now. He was disgusted of me. Yeah! He should! I am disgusted of myself too.

Trance… My sweet Trance… I’d want nothing in this entire world than your forgiveness. But for now, I should savor this burning sensation on my skin. It hurts. It stings. But it also feels so good. The pain makes me feel strong. It helps. The pain might offer me redemption. Absolve me. Release me. Forgive me. Love me, Trance. Love me again.

Offshoot. FAIRYTALES UNTOLD 2: Sleeping Beauty.

I will take good care of you, my love. I will. That was what ‘he’ said to him when he was covered in blood, shame, disgust and pain back then. That is what ‘he’ will do. A promise is meant to be kept. Especially if it was sealed with a contract of blood and sacrifice.

֍֎֍

Looking down at the old man, who is lying perfectly still on the bed now breaks his heart. The only signs that he is still alive would be the sounds of him heaving difficult breaths with each passing seconds. Rhythmically. “Kaname,” he called out to the man standing beside his bed. It won’t be long before he leaves this world that he had come to love. “I’m dying,” he indicated.

The man touches the hands of the old man he has been with for a long time. The skin feels familiar despite of the effect of aging. It is something he will never understand. Growing old. “I know,” he agreed. He feels something stirred up in his heart. Something unrequited. Something pure. Broken. But pure.

“Can I make one final request of you?” He asked.

“Ever since you lost both of your legs, when have I ever denied your request, King Hubert?”

The King smiles a little to the man, unchanged through time. An immortal. A demon. “I want to be with them,” the King said. Kaname looks at the King quizzically for a while, trying to understand what he was talking about before realizing what he meant.

Tears slip out from the corner of both of his eyelids. “Don’t do this to me,” the demon begged. After all these years, not once the King had spotted him crying. This weakness. This side of him. But now, on his deathbed, Kaname finally shows him his true self.

“I have many requests. I told you to take good care of me. Of Prince Phillip, my son. Of my armies. But this time, this is all I asked of you, Kaname,” the King, now, took turn in begging.

Kaname leans down so that his face would be closer to the King’s. “May I?” He asked. The King only smiles in agreement. So Kaname plants a soft lingering kiss on the King’s lips. Tears flowing. On both of their faces. Hearts aching. The lips he had loved all his life. The only times he ever felt truly alive despite of his long, long life was the times he has spent being in contract with the King. Doing his bidding that was never uninteresting to his eyes. “Your wish is my command, my King. My love.”

֍֎֍

“Human’s child, how come you are lost in these woods?” The voice, distorted, inhuman, echoes in the air. Prince Hubert looks around, overwhelmed in fear, but at the same time, he is interested. He is curious. His young heart desires an adventure. And he yearns for the unknown.

“Are you the demon they’ve been talking about? Aurora? That’s your name, isn’t it?” Prince Hubert asked. “I’m not here trying to kill you. I heard that some people had kept you locked in here. Is the rumor true?”

“And if it is? What benefit does it to you?”

“I’m here to release you.”

Laughter echoes in the air now. Evil. Amused. Wickedly amused. “I’m hungry, human. If you release me, what if I eat you up? Will that be beneficial to you?”

“I’m willing to take that risk.”

Silence. The leaves are rustling among the wind. The darkened sky looks beautiful even in its uncanny dimming light.

“Demon? Are you there?”

After another moment of silence, the demon speaks again. “Human’s child, may I know why you dared yourself to this length?”

“Because I have nothing else to lose.”

“To release me, you need to offer me sacrifice. A blood sacrifice. I see you’re here empty handed, human.”

“I’m sacrificing myself. In return, I want you to take down a kingdom that is now at war against my kingdom. My father is on the battlefield. I’m willing to die for his sake. For my kingdom’s sake.”

A small laughter is heard. But it is not a mocking kind. It is one with amazement. “Kingdom will always be at war with another kingdom. You die this once, your father lives, your kingdom survives. Then, all it takes is time. A small moment of peace. And another kingdom will come to declare war with yours. By that time, will your kingdom survive? Will your father live? You, have withered. What would it be by then? Have you thought of that?”

Feeling slightly defeated, Prince Hubert sighs in anger. “I don’t care! I want my father to live. What matters is now. This is for the better.”

“Dear Prince Hubert,” the demon called. “What if, you offer me a sacrifice of your blood, of course. But you will live. I will do your biddings for you, I promise. I will take good care of you, my love. I will. I love an innocent heart such as yours, my love. You interest me.”

It is a surprise to Prince Hubert, at first, to be called ‘my love’ out of the blue and for the demon to know his name. But he must not ask questions for now. He is running out of time. And energy. “What do you want, then?”

“Some of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some of your body parts. It’s all I take. And a contract will be formed.”

Dreadful to the idea, Prince Hubert gulps a little in fear. In fear of what’s to come. Will he make it, to live without some of his body parts? Which parts would he give? But throwing aside his fear, he is reminded that he was here before ready to sacrifice his whole self to the demon. This is already too merciful of the demon for only wanting some of his body parts. “Alright then, I’ll offer you both of my legs.”

֍֎֍

What the King had asked of Kaname was for him to devour him as a whole. To be with them. To be with both of his legs that he had lost. Inside of Kaname. Inside of the demon known by many as Aurora. The mouth at the back of the demon’s head is ready for a feast. He will feast on the King as a way of keeping him. For eternity. King Hubert will be with him forever. In his veins. As his blood and as his flesh. That was the King’s final request. It pains him. His heart is broken. For the first time in his existed, he longs to die too. He longs for death. But no. He thinks he is already dead. Living. Breathing. Moving. But dead.

To kill off his loneliness, his emptiness, he heads to a place far from seeing eyes. His hair turns golden. His face pale. He is going to sleep. So that it is almost similar to that of being dead. One day, someone will awake him, when he is ready. Someday in the future, someone will form a new contract with the sleeping beauty.

13. WILLIAM ACKERMAN

~evil wish~

Trance looks real furious as he lashes towards me. He pushes me behind. It does not hurt, of course. But I just find it so amusing to see him like this. I like playing with him in this manner. It’s adorable. Turning his soul on and off whenever I see fit. He, on the other hand, does not find it amusing at all, as it appears. I won’t be too surprised. Kind people, once they got a taste of evil, they don’t like to venture the path of going back to being kind. Hell, he needs humor in his life though. No wonder he was so broken. He had found no joy in little things at all. I smile at him in the most charming way possible. I have to utilize my charms once in a while, don’t I?

“You A-class Jerk!” he cursed at me. Even in his choice of words, he’s adorable. Even in anger, he’s adorable. Even in tears, he’s adorable. “Why did you do that? Why did you let me feel?” He asked me immersed in fury. By hell, he’s adorable. Did I just deploy ‘adorable’ more than once already? I think I did. But hell, he’s really adorable.

I sigh as I place both of my hands each on one of his shoulders, still smiling, trying to calm him down. Trying to woo him in a way. But he quickly pushes my hands away. Tch tch. He dares?… “I just wanted to see if you still had it in you to sentence him to death sooner or later, Trance. It was just a test,” I said nonchalantly, quietly sulking to the fact that he had pushed my hands away. The very hands that had saved him.

“A cruel one, then,” he commented.

“I can see you’re still troubled by your emotions towards him,” I insinuated.

He sighs at me angrily as an answer. He’s thinking about how I would know of such things. Is he an idiot? I can read people. Not like reading a book. But reading into their lives, their emotions, their thoughts, their desires. That’s just a plain gift for being the devil. And that wretched human’s child named Peter, his desire is off limits. He desires of what’s mine and for that, I want him to suffer more than anybody else. “I’m not who I was anymore!” Trance indicated sternly towards me. I think he just shouted. I don’t fancy people shouting. How rude. Has he forgotten who I am? Has he forgotten who held out his hands towards him when he was on the brink of death?

Enflames by a tiny spark of fury, I calmly step forward towards him. But with each step I took forward, he took a step back. Probably he notices the evil red glow in my eyes. Probably his fear is functioning at the moment. Probably. “I know of your little history with him, Trance. The devil knows a lot of things. Remember what he did to you. You can never forgive him until he’s dead,” I reminded him. “Never think of even forgiving him, Trance.”

It took a few moments that our eyes locked on one another before he finally nods at me in agreement. With that, I smile at him feeling satisfied that now his respect towards me is portrayed once more. Once in a while I must remind him of who I am. I am a devil. A devil that had sealed his fate. I shut his soul back in. Back to the depths of the unknown. Now, he can no longer feel. He then looks at me with no other emotions but hatred. Hatred towards those who had broke him. “We have another victim to take care of,” he said.

I nod at him slightly as a sign of aware. “Yes,” I agreed.

“Can I make a request?” he asked.

“Sure, dear,” I said to him with a smile. I like it when he asks like that. It would sound better with a ‘please’ though. But this will do, I suppose.

“I want her to do it at school,” he said, with an evil look in his eyes. The kind of look that I adore the most of his. “I want her to commit suicide at school… Tomorrow…”

I chuckle lowly at that evil side of him. He can be very charming when he’s malignant. “Sure, my dear. Let’s see her tonight and ask her to do it at school tomorrow. I’ll abide to any orders from you as long as it is assured that you are completely mine… With each soul I take from revenge, I gain more power. Revenge of the innocence is the strongest of them yet. Your revenge, however, is the most beautiful of them yet.”

14. NUMBER FOUR OFF THE BUILDING

It’s the urge you get when you’re in a high place and you look down, you feel like jumping or you feel like you’re closer to falling down. It was like gravity has a wicked scheme of trying to pull you down without you knowing it. Lindsay is not getting the urge as she stood at the ledge of the school’s highest block’s rooftop. All she knew is that she had to do it. William, Trance’s new boyfriend, told her to do it last night. Before that, he made her feel Trance’s sufferings. She could not handle the torment. But it was not up to the point that she wanted to kill herself. But those words from William… It is absolute… It is final. The order that she cannot refuse. A compulsion.

She feels like she is obligated to do whatever he said. It’s like he was speaking the words of the devil. And last night, he told her to jump down from this building. It is currently recess time. There are many students wondering around down there. She doesn’t want to do this. But, she has to. She has no choice. She could not even show it on her face the kind of emotion she is feeling right now. Her face looks empty like that of a zombie. She has no control over her own body. She can’t even blink as she feels the surge of adrenalin running through her body and the cold strong wind blowing on her face as she jumps off from the building.

All the way down… she goes… she can hear people screaming in fear at the sight of her falling. She can’t even blink her eyes. She can see the ground perfectly as she hits it. Lindsay… one of the school cheerleaders… is dead…

Peter groans, feeling his stomach churn sickly at the gruesome sight before him. That of flesh and blood of what was once a human being, laying sprawled almost disfigured on the ground. Simone, his current girlfriend, screams in horror and fainted at the sight of it. Peter closes his eyes, refusing to spare any more glance at the crippled, bloody body on the floor. He kneels down to hold the unconscious Simone in his arms. As he no longer knows what to do with the panic voices all around him, the people passing by frantically, he looks the other way and that is when he catches a sight of Trance with William. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Did Trance just smiled? How could anyone smile over such horrid incident? Peter thinks to himself as he notices Trance turning around to leave with William by his side.

William puts his arms around Trance’s shoulder and just faintly, almost mistakable, almost impossible, Peter detects that William had shot a knowing glare at Peter. It is almost like a warning. Peter feels a current of shock from the glare. He has a weird feeling like that William guy knows what he is thinking. It doesn’t make sense but… he is sure that something is wrong. He knows Trance all his life. Trance is the nicest guy on earth. How can he smile over something so horrifying? He needs to find out, he thought silently. Something is up with the two of them. Something is just not right about them, he thought again in his head. Something is wrong.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 6 months ago~

“Hey fag! You try to steal my boyfriend, didn’t you?!” Lindsay lashes out to Trance, pushing him back like a mad woman ready for a cat fight.

“No. I didn’t,” Trance backed himself up.

“Well Tyler told me you try to hit on him. Have you no shame, Trance? He will not even spare a filthy glance at you!” Lindsay ridiculed him.

“I did not hit on him. I really don’t.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re a fag and you’re sooooo going to suffer for this!” Lindsay promised. Trance knew back then that she will do something really bad.

“Wait! I really didn’t do anything!” Trance tried to convince her with little success as she is determined to bring him down.

“Faggie bitchy liar…!” She only replied with another insult at Trance.

֍֎֍

As he was being penetrated deeper, Trance moans to the intoxicating pleasure of pain. William gets undeniably excited with the moan. He thrusts into Trance even more forcefully. Trance starts to groan. “William…” he seductively whispered William’s name. “Please be gentle,” he begged, whispering, almost smiling in a jokingly manner.

William smiles at the seduction. He understands the fact that they are now in one of the cubicles in the school’s toilet so Trance doesn’t want to make much noise. “Okay…” he said, whispering back to Trance. “This is an amazing payment,” he added.

Trance smiles at the comment, feeling proud of being praised. He whispers back to William; “I know…” He chuckles a bit as he added; “I could be in love with the devil himself.” They both struggle to keep down their laughing voices at that last remark by Trance. There was havoc on the outside. People are disoriented by a death so sudden and grisly. However, on the inside, to them, there is nothing but delight. The pleasure of suffering from pain and of inflicting pain on others. The perverse pleasure of celebrating death.

15. NUMBER FIVE DOWN THE RIVER

Tyler stands still at the edge of the bridge. The river is flowing real fast down below. It is registered to his knowledge that the river is deep… with sharp rocks underneath. It is definite. And he’s going to jump. Yes, he is devastated by the death of his girlfriend, Lindsay a few days back but it’s not like he’s going to take his own life for it. It’s just that he was told to do this. No choice. He has to feel that cold water and that distinctive sharp pain. He has to die. The devil’s order is absolute…

֍֎֍

~1 year and 6 months ago~

“Hey Trance… Wait till you hear the announcement today,” Tyler came at Trance with news he had no desire of hearing. He was in the middle of changing his books at his locker. The statement caught him by surprise. There was a wicked smile plastered across Tyler’s face that made Trance felt unsettled. He immediately left after he had said it. Trance wondered what was that all about… but he could feel in his guts that it was not something nice. No. Not at all nice.

“Announcing to all you listeners out there,” on the speaker of the school, Trance can hear Lindsay’s voice echoed. “The school famous nerdy faggot, Trance Wilson, is such a man-eater! Be careful of your boyfriends, biatch. ‘Coz he may eat them like a wolf! So long, suckers!!!”

At the end of the announcement, Trance felt his face hot with shame. The fact that everyone else was laughing did not help. They were looking at Trance who stood dumbstruck at his locker. That was the world. Anyone. As long as it wasn’t them. Anyone will do. Anyone else being bullied, as long as it’s not them. All they had to do was laugh along and they’ll be fine. They’ll escape being the victim. Trance quickly ran away through those laughing crowd and hid himself in one of the cubicles in the toilet. Tears were streaming down fast on his face. He felt deeply hurt at the accusation because it was a lie. They were all liars! And it hurts him most because those people, the crowds, they didn’t care of what’s true. As long as it wasn’t them. They didn’t care.

֍֎֍

Trance sings a song as he witnesses Tyler jumping down to the river from a distance; “~Liar… Liar… pants on fire… Liar… Liar… goes down by the river…~” he then leans his head and the side of his body to a tree as he looks at the dark surroundings near the river. There’s nothing but dark woods on both sides of the end of the bridge above the river. The sound of the fast-flowing river fills his ear. William walks closer to his side, looking at where Trance is looking. The moonlight is shining brightly above them.

“You’re not going to change your mind, right?” William asked.

Trance shows no sort of emotions in his eyes and face. “Why would I change my mind?” He answered William with another question. “It’s fun doing this,” he stated.

William chuckles for a bit and then he brushes his lips to Trance’s ears. Trance closes his eyes at the soft tingling sensation he feels. “What about Peter?” He later whispered a question to Trance’s ears.

Trance is the one who chuckles this time. “Hey, Devil, are you jealous?” He asked.

William quickly pulls himself away from Trance. “Pay me now,” he ordered. Trance laughs even more at that. It’s obvious that William is avoiding the question. Perhaps the answer is clear. Perhaps it doesn’t matter. Perhaps there’s no answer to the question at all. But still, jealousy operates within an evil heart.

“Yeah… yeah…” Trance simply said, uncaring of having his question answered. Perhaps he’ll just play along with the game this time. Perhaps he will even come to enjoy it.

16. NUMBER SIX BY THE RAZOR

Monique locks herself in the bathroom. She can hear people banging the door from the other side, forcing her to open and let them in. But she can’t open the door no matter how much she wanted to. Because she has to listen to the devil and the devil told her to take the razor and cut her wrist deeply with it. So she does what she was told to do. The pain is unbearable, especially because it is a deep cut. The blood flows fast tripping down from the wrist to the floor. But she can’t even scream from the pain. The burning sensation of the sting from the touch of the cold air to the wound. She can’t even show the pain she feels on her face. Her expression shows nothing but of emptiness. The blood keeps flowing… It will not stop. Until she can’t breathe from the loss of blood. And she will slowly wither away.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 5 months ago~

Trance is sitting down at one of the tables in the cafeteria. He sits there alone since no one would sit with him, obviously. If anyone sits with him, they’ll also be ridiculed by the cheerleaders and will be marked by the football team bullies. No. no one wants to live a miserable life. Anyone else. As long as it’s not them.

The cheerleaders passed by Trance on the way to their table. The side of the cafeteria which was only filled with the popular kids. That the other kids would only look at, wondering what it will be like to be a part of them. Monique shot a glance at Trance. She was holding a cup of juice in her hand. With a mischievous smile, she turned around and walked back to Trance. She pretended to stumble and the drinks spilled all over Trance. “Ooops… Sorry, I slipped,” she said without any hint of feeling sorry. It sounded more like a joke than an actual apology. Trance could not even say anything back at her since all of the cheerleaders and the kids in the cafeteria were then laughing loudly at him.

The sounds of their laughter combined filling the air like toxic. Trance almost could not breathe. The air seemed like it was poisonous. It was puzzling to him as to why he was treated like he is some sort of an amusement to them. He stood up slowly, giving up on caring of mocking faces and insulting voices. He walked away slowly, as well, drenched in the sticky fruit juice that had blended with his clothes, passing by the laughing people. He kept walking. He kept walking away. Far from them. Until he can no longer hear their laughter. Until he can be alone and forget about the world.

֍֎֍

“Mrs. Cuttingham, can I have a minute with you?” Peter asked a teacher, out of a sudden, who was just about to enter the teacher’s lounge. The suicide circle that had been going on lately has been the only thing that the people at school are talking about. It only happens among third year and he can’t help but feel a bit nervous about it.

“Oh, hi Peter. What’s the matter?” She asked, sounding concerned.

Peter flashes his charming smile at her. “No. Nothing really. I was just hoping that you can give me a copy of the list of students in my class from the first year? It’s just that this is the last year for me so I really want to send them goodbye cards. I thought you might have them since you were our homeroom teacher back then,” he lied with an excuse that no sane persons who knew him would believe him but then again, Mrs. Cuttingham is not one of his friends. She wouldn’t know that he’s not one who would actually write goodbye cards. That’s just plain cheesy and uncool. Cool kids like him don’t do that. But let the teacher believes for a moment that there are kids with good hearts these days. A fictional belief, of course.

“Oh sure. I’ll get it for you, dear,” Mrs. Cuttingham said, raising her glasses for a bit. Peter smiles at her, pleased that his lie works wonders. He needed the list. Because things are starting to make sense to him somehow... He starts to notice that the students who had committed suicide were his classmates from first year of senior high. He just needs to make sure that he is right. If he’s right, then, Trance might be behind it. He has no idea how just yet but he’s going to find out about it. But he is aware that Trance has every reason to wanting them dead. But how did he make them commit suicide was a riddle begging to be solved. He wants to be the one to solve this, especially when he believes that the new guy William is suspicious. There is a malign feel to his gaze, his smile, and everything about him. And he hates that he has to be with Trance. He wants to be rid of him.

֍֎֍

William gets up from the bed slowly and puts his clothes back on. He looks back at Trance whose sound asleep on his bed. He has a growing affection towards him, he knew. It’s not supposed to happen. He is the devil. He wasn’t supposed to have any feelings. But he’s been keeping Trance’s soul with him for a long time now that it has started to backfire on him. He’s the one who can feel now since he has a soul with him.

It feels good at times to have emotions, William thought. It is because at times he can feel really happy when he is with Trance and he gets truly satisfied when he has sex with him. But at other times, having emotions is just too much for him since he can feel anger and jealousy. Those emotions are eating his rationality. He has been trying very hard to keep calm these days.

William quickly walks to the window. He takes one last look at the sleeping Trance before jumping out of the window. He was about to hit the ground when gravity seems to has lost its power on his body. He is levitating for a few seconds before he lets gravity gently pulls his feet back to the ground. Fixing his clothes, he slowly walks away from Trance’s house. The moon is so bright tonight. He likes being outside during the full moon. He feels even more powerful with the moonlight shining on him. He can’t wait for the revenge to be over. But the torment of waiting is a must. It is more satisfying to have what you want when you have waited long enough for it. After that, he’ll get to own Trance as a whole. He has been anticipating it.

17. NUMBER SEVEN IN THE TUB

The water had filled the bathtub. Lana, one of the school cheerleaders, looks down onto it with no hint of emotions on her face. She slips into the bathtub and sinks herself into the water. She can no longer hold her breath after 30 seconds. She is suffocating. Bubbles started coming out from her mouth. Asphyxiated. But she can’t get out from the water. The words of the devil are clear. She will have to just wait until she dies. Until she fades into the dark.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 4 months ago~

Lana was finally done with copying the posters she had made. And it is especially made for Trance. She knew it in her heart that she was doing the right thing. She had to ask everyone to go against that sick faggot. They were taught in a Christian school, for God’s sake. Of course such disgusting thing should not flaunt his ass around in school. It only made sense if she distributes the posters around. She was doing this in the name of God! No rooms for such abomination! She will paste the posters around school. She couldn’t care less of the consequences because she knew she was doing the right thing. And the faggot must die!

֍֎֍

Among the hall of lockers, Simone stares down at another bouquet of roses on the floor. This time, it’s Lana who died. She feels dreadful. It’s not a common feeling for her to feel but this had been too much. One by one the cheerleaders and the senior year students are committing suicide. It doesn’t even make any sense because when she last saw them, they looked just fine. They looked like nothing in the world is ever going to make them kill themselves. It’s just so odd… She can never understand why people do such stupid things. Why would anyone end their lives? She can’t never even comprehend the thought. It’s all so morbid. It’s all so out of this world. Life is too good to be wasted like that.

The school is starting to get real gloomy as well. People no longer chat as lively as they always do when they walk around the school and laughter is hardly heard anymore. This place used to be so lively! Feeling completely underwhelmed, she decides to skip school. As she was about to leave the school, she acknowledges William sitting on a bench under a shady tree. He is reading a book. Alone. Looking hot as hell. How can a hot guy like William be gay? She thinks to herself. And that’s when she finds it interesting if she could try to get her mind off of this suicide circle madness for a while. William is Trance’s boyfriend right? Trance is nothing compared to her. Oh come on. He’s probably gay because he never had sex with a woman before. Who knew? And she is one who’s very, very good at sex, apparently. She feels confidence that William will definitely fall for her charm. So, with a mind and a bravery of a child, she walks towards William, getting her sex appeal on full bloom.

William looks up at her as she draws closer. There’s a small smile that crosses his lips. He closes his book as she sits next to him. “Hi,” she greeted.

“Hi,” William greeted back. He is smiling a charming smile at her. Anyone would fall head over heels for that smile. Why does Trance got to own this guy instead of her, really?

“Where’s Trance?” She asked, trying to start up a conversation.

William licks his lips a little before answering. It thrills Simone to see him do this. It was as if he was flirting with her. “He’s in detention. Apparently he was rude to a teacher,” he informed.

“Oh… Trance has changed quite so much…” she commented, chest forward. She lets her breast brushes against William’s elbow a little. William notices the gesture. It amazes Simone that William looks like he knows what she is thinking. Or wanting.

William chuckles a little to the small gesture of her flirtation. Simone smiles seductively at him. But in a blink of an eye, the charming smile that was plastered all along on William’s face disappeared. “Thanks to people like you,” William then said.

The statement caused the smile Simone had on her face shifted into a frown. “What d’you mean?” Simone asked, playing innocence. She can’t help but feel a little nervous. Only now that she notices that all this while when William was smiling, only his lips smiled. His eyes didn’t. That was well-known as a smile of a sociopath. And even psychopath.

William puts on a devilish smile this time towards her as if he can read her mind. He holds up the book he was holding in front of Simone. “If it’s up to me,” he said slowly. Evil seems to flicker in his eyes. The book he was holding, then, suddenly bursts into flame. Simone gets up quickly from where she was sitting in a state of shock to see the sudden flame. “I would have you burn,” he continued. Just as quickly as the fire appeared, the fire then disappeared. The book is now back to normal. Simone can’t believe her eyes. She ponders to herself if what she had seen was real. It was like a magic trick. A wicked magic trick! William laughs at the horrifying look on Simone’s face. He gets up slowly and walks away while still laughing at her. Simone still can’t believe her eyes. Her heart is still beating so fast from the shock. And when logic hits her brain, she begins to feel scared. She looks around, hoping for approval. Hoping for sympathy, even. To see if anyone else saw what she had seen. But everyone else seems like they haven’t seen anything. She can’t believe that this is happening to her. No. She needs to quickly head home. She needs to forget all this. She can’t be tricked and played like this!

18. NUMBER EIGHT BY THE FLAME

When Simone reaches her home, it dawns on her that it is still early and her parents are still at work. That means she’ll be home alone. But home is where she feels safe. The most. Nothing could go wrong from there. She gets into her house quickly and closes the door just as quickly. She is still feeling a surge of panic overflowing inside of her. William is a scary guy, she thinks to herself. She can’t believe that only now she starts to realize of this. It is ever since he is around that people are dying one by one. But wait. When was that? When was it that he started to attend the school? Was he there all along? Was he a transfer student? Did he grow up in this town? No. Hold on a second. How did she know him? How did anyone know his name? Did he ever introduce himself? Who… is he? Questions shoot through her brain like bullets and she’s afraid that she has no answer to all of them.

She feels shiver running down her spine. She was about to walk into the kitchen when suddenly, from a corner of her eyes, she saw a figure sitting on her sofa. As she turns to look at the person, anger mounts up inside of her. So she comes lashing at him in anger. "You psycho! What are you doing in my house?!" She asked angrily. Trance, on the other hand, who was sitting on the sofa, does not look intimidated from the shriek of her voice. He just wears an evil smile on his face like an invisible mask and is looking at Simone calmly.

"It's your turn, Simone," she then heard a voice of someone familiar whispering from behind her. She turns around to look and it was William standing behind her. Both of his hands are tucked inside his pockets. He looks uninterested in everything. He looks like he is comfortable where he is. Like he belongs there. Like it is his house instead of hers. And that infuriates her even more. She didn't even hear him coming. There was no squeak from the door. What the hell is happening? She no longer knows whether she should be angry or afraid. Which is more powerful?

"What do you want? I'm calling the cops!" She tried to threaten them. That only makes both Trance and William laugh in replied.

"Owh Simone... Didn't I say I'll have you burn?" William reminded her. She knows which is more powerful now. It is fear. Engulfed in fear, she has a look on her face like she's about to cry. Must she give up? Is her life going to end? Will they really burn her? She wonders silently.

Trance gets up from the sofa and walks towards William as he passes by Simone uncaringly. He then pats William's shoulder. "Get it over and done with," he instructed. William smiles wickedly at those words and Trance simply walks out of the house. Hands taken out from his pockets, William steadily steps forward towards Simone with a smile of a monster. His eyes glowing in red…

From outside of the house, Trance can hear the ringing of Simone's scream. He only laughs to himself at the wonderful sound of torture he is hearing. The scream plays like a song to his ears. William must be making her reliving the pain and sufferings. Oh. He knows the drill. Not long after, staring at sky, without looking at the place where one more soul will be taken, he can hear William getting out of the house and walking towards him who was sitting at the porch. "Let's go," he said. Trance gets up and walks side by side with William away from the house. The house behind them is in flame... but no screaming can be heard. Of course, no matter how painful, they can't scream. It's part of the torture too. It's the beautiful part to the torture.

֍֎֍

Trance slouches down on his bed. His body is tired from the previous intercourse he had with William but he doesn't believe that he needs to rest. Downstairs, his parents are making such a ruckus about the deaths that's been happening in the town lately. They are worried about him. They are worried if he might also commit suicide. That was silly of them...

His phone starts to ring out of the blue. It sounds foreign to him. It’s been so long since it had rung. It’s been so long since he even has to use it. He looks at the caller ID. It's Peter. Indifferently, he looks at the screen for a few seconds but he answers the call nonetheless. "Yeah?"

"Trance, I thought you would not pick up."

"What do you want?" Trance asked uncaringly.

"Can I see you? At the usual place?"

Trance keeps silence for a while, pretending to be thinking when in truth, he's not. There’s no need to think about it. The answer is clear. "No," he simply answered and quickly hung up on him. He rests his head back to his pillow. It was a stupid thing to answer the phone in the first place. It’s not like there’s anything he wants to know or has to say. His phone is ringing again... again... and again... He ignores the ringing and closes his eyes. Then, unexpectedly, he hears a loud thud in his room. He opens his eyes calmly to look. And there right beside his window, he spots Peter. That’s when it comes to his realization that this person had sneaked into his room. But he can’t feel angry. He can’t care. He is surprised a little for the effort but for the most part, he is more amused than anything.

"Trance..." Peter called out to him. His voice soft. Just the way he would call him when they were alone, together, back then. Soft-spoken. Soft touches. Soft kisses on his neck and soft sucking of his skin. This wasn't the first time he sneaks into Trance's room, of course. When they were lovers, he used to do it all the time. And a little memory travels in Trance’s mind of those hot sessions they used to have in his room. Both had to keep the sounds of their moaning down. Him being on top, ravishing him like he was his favorite delicacy. Those were the days.

Trance only sighs at him, almost as if he had felt defeated. He gets up from his bed to a sit and looks at Peter straight into the eyes nonchalantly. "Your girlfriend is dead. You should be mourning right now. Not sneaking in into someone else’s house, Peter," Trance simply commented.

Peter does not reply to the comment. He chooses to ignore it. He doesn't even love Simone. He’s sad that she’s gone, of course. Everyone is sad when someone they had been in contact with dies. But the one he was in love with all along is Trance and here, right now, Trance is right before his eyes. He looks at Trance deep in the eyes, savoring the moment. It’s been a long time since he last got to really look into his eyes like this. Them, being alone together like this. In this room. The very room where he had countlessly become one with Trance. Trance, however, only sighs again, refusing to look longer into Peter’s eyes. "I miss you," Peter then said.

Trance nods a little. "Of course you do," he commented back. And this time, he does look back into Peter’s eyes longer. Peter was looking at him painfully. The look of someone yearning for something he can no longer have. But Trance was only looking at him like he is waiting for Peter to break apart. The look of someone wanting the other person to die a miserable death. How did they get to this?

Peter can't hold it in anymore being there in the room full of memories between the two of them. So he quickly walks up to Trance and kisses him on the lips, forcing his tongue to enter Trance’s mouth, exploring it with a kind of hunger that could never be satisfied. Trance does not push him away but he is not returning the kiss. He doesn’t agree but he also doesn’t refuse. Peter breaks the kiss after a while, aware of Trance’s indifference. He looks into Trance's eyes quizzically. "Do you love me?" He asked, trying to find assurance if this is right. If this is real. If Trance is still the same person he used to know. Can he just believe that he is still the same? Can he just live in fantasy?

Trance stares back into Peter's eyes. He then pulls Peter by his wrist unexpectedly to bring him closer. Trance is aware of burning scars on the wrist. But he chooses to ignore it. He is the one who starts to kiss Peter on the lips this time. With that, Peter loses his mind. He quickly gets on top of Trance, lying him down on the bed, kissing him harder than before. A lust. A  hunger. An insatiable desire. They were never fulfilled. He keeps wanting for more. It’s always like that when it comes to Trance. As he was kissing Trance’s neck ready to engage in intimacy, Trance words out to him an answer. "I think not," Trance simply said. Stupefied and in shock, Peter stops what he was doing and he can’t hold back tears which started to mount in his eyes. That sentence breaks his heart.

Trance can already read Peter's heart from the start and he knew that Peter is on to him about the suicide circles in school. "You are quite a genius and curious," he then commented. Peter did not understand why Trance had commented so. "If you really want to know, Peter, yes. I killed them," Trance confessed. There’s an evil glow portrayed in his eyes. Peter pulls himself away from Trance as soon as he heard it. He is trembling. He can't believe what he had just heard. He cannot say anything to it. No comments. No nothing. He doesn’t know what to even think. Trance laughs at that reaction by Peter. "And I can tell you who's next," he told. "The mastermind... Chris!" Trance continued. Peter only looks at Trance in disbelief. He then quickly gets back to the window. He looks at Trance with a face full of sadness for a while before he sneaks back out.

Offshoot. FAIRYTALES UNTOLD 3: Red Riding Hood.

Red was the color. And is all the color that’s left for them. I promise that when I leave, they will all be covered in red.

Father Thomas sat in a corner with his head covered in both of his palms, sobbing softly to his defeat. Today, he had failed to save Enrique, a 10-year-old under his care. One by one, the boys in the village had died from an unknown disease. They call it the ‘Red Plague’. The plague begins with dark red spots as tiny as a dot appearing on the bodies of the boys. They first thought it was mosquitoes or some sort of insects’ bite but the red dot grew day by day. It only took three days for the plague to spread to rest of the body. At first, the boys’ bodies looked like they’ve been dyed red. But within seconds, their bodies will start to bleed. Before death, their bodies turn completely red as if they’ve been skinned alive. No one knows what to do or how to cure the disease. Help was requested but before help could even reach the village, Father Thomas feared that it might be too late.

What was odd was that the disease only seemed to be infecting boys within the age of 5 to 10. And only boys instead of girls. Even when quarantined and with no contact with one another, the disease still hit the boys. It doesn’t seem to infect those who are older or younger than 5 to 10 years old.

Three more boys were lying on the beds arranged in the infirmary of the church. Father Thomas could only look at the boys. He had lost his hope. Now, all that he could do was to watch them die. This is not right, he thought. They don’t deserve to die this young. But he knew he could not blame God for this. God can’t be at fault. There have got to be a better reason why this was happening.

“♫Tili-tili-bom. Krichit nochnaya ptitsa. On uzhe probralsya v dom. K tem, komu ne spitsya~~♪”

He jolted up to a stand in surprise. In the corner where he was sitting, he can see clearly a figure was standing by the side of one of the boys’ bed which was the last bed nearest to an open window. Cold wind blew inside the room. The window was previously shut tight. There was no one there before. It was when he was lost in his thoughts, as he rationalizes, that this cloaked figure had entered the room through the window and sang the lullaby in Russian.

“Who are you?!” He asked in a stern manner. He felt less intimidated by the figure cloaked in red. It was smaller and shorter than him.

In answer, the small cloaked figure continued singing the lullaby; “♫On idet... On uzhe blizko... ~~♪”

“Answer me at once!” Father Thomas demanded. But his eyes were widen in horror as the small figure pulled its’ hood down. It was a boy. Not more than 10 years old with his skin pale, eyes bluer than the sky and hair in the color of ember. “No… It’s not possible,” Father Thomas mumbled to himself as he fell down to a kneeling position which leveled him to the same height of the boy.

The boy smiled at him sweetly. “Am I not your little red riding hood, father?” The boy asked. The tone was of innocence but the voice was pretty distorted to be that of a boy. He walked closer to Father Thomas who was in tears and had started to pray. “God can’t save you,” he continued. “These boys must die, father. I was merely saving them from men like you! May their innocence remain intact in death, unlike me!” The voice grew in its distortion to a growl as the boy got even closer to the father.

With their faces only inches apart from one another, the father started to beg; “please…., Kirill. I didn’t mean to kill you. It was an accident,” he explained. His voice trembled.

“Oh. That must mean you also didn’t mean to rape me?” He asked. To that, the father kept his mouth shut. His days were numbered but he never counted this would be the way for him to pay for his sin. “You’ll come to hell with me, father. Now I’ll forever be your little red riding hood. You’ll have a fate worse than death!” He ended his words with both of his small hands wrapping around the throat of Father Thomas. A twisted smile was formed on his face and his eyes turned dark blood red. There will be four bodies left in the infirmary tomorrow. But only one of those souls will be eternally tormented.

19. NUMBER NINE A GUN TO THE HEAD

Chris takes his father's gun from the drawer slowly. Somehow, that was what he was told. To do it all slowly. For him to take his time. But it must be done. There’s no stopping to this. He puts the gun to his head. He has to do this. He just has to. William smiles as he is reading Chris’ thoughts. Chris is afraid. Too afraid that he might as well just piss in his pants if it weren’t for him being compelled to be calm. The normal him would have had done it. He is a coward in a mask of a warrior. All his life, all he ever did was pretending to be that person. A strong person. A brave person. But now, fear is his name. His own body won’t react to how he wants it to be. What a torture… He knows he will go painfully. One fatal blow. His brain will splatter all across the room. But he can’t stop this. The gun is already in his mouth and he pulls the trigger.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 2 months ago~

Chris made Trance kneel to the ground. His hands are gripping Trance’s hair, pulling it just so that it would get closer to his erected penis. “You like dick, right? Now, suck!” He ordered. He is forcing Trance to do oral to him and Trance refuses to do it. With all of his might, Trance fights Chris from having his way with him. He is crying with every resistance. His face is already filled with bruises from the punches thrown by Chris in an effort to weaken him so that he’ll surrender to his desire.

Chris doesn’t think that he himself is gay. But he has to admit that Trance is a cutie in a way and that he wanted this to happen. He thought that Trance is gay anyway so he’ll just suck any dick. But with each resistance from Trance evokes anger inside of him. How can someone as low as a faggot not wanting to suck his dick was what he was wondering. He feels insulted, somehow. And it infuriates him. He then hits Trance one more time on the face and zips his trousers back. “You’re gonna pay, Trance!” He warned. Trance lies down on the floor in distress. The pain he has to endure being in the school doesn’t seem like it’ll ever coming to an end.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 1 month ago~

“Hey guys,” Chris calls up to Peter, Noah, Anthony, Justin, and Andy. “I got an idea. Why don’t you guys just… you know? Rape Trance for once?” He suggested.

“What?! We’re not even gay, Chris,” Justin ridiculed Chris.

“You don’t have to be gay to rape someone who’s gay, Justin,” Chris said, rolling his eyes at them.

“Yeah…” Noah nodded. “That’ll teach him not to show his faggot ass around anymore,” Noah added to the idea.

Andy leans back on his chair. “Well, Trance is pretty cute actually. I wouldn’t mind fucking him,” Andy said and the statement ended with a loud laughter.

“You asshole! Are you gay?!” Anthony asked while laughing. They all laugh at that remark.

“No I’m not, silly,” Andy defended himself. “It’s just that I think I’ll enjoy it, that’s all.”

“So, Peter?” Chris asked.

Peter simply nodded at them with little interest.

֍֎֍

Trance falls down hard on the pavement. His eyesight is getting blurry. He then feels his limbs are weakening. He can’t move his hands and legs. His body feels heavy. Breathing is hard. Gasping for air, he braves himself to speak. “Okay, William. I’m sorry!” Trance apologized. It almost sounds like he was begging instead.

William only squats next to him. It is written all over his face that he is still angry. “I’m warning you, Trance. If you let Peter lay one more finger on you, I’ll leave you like this!” He hissed.

“I’m sorry…” Trance apologized again. He didn’t know that what he did would anger the devil. He has no idea that William will be this angry.

“You will be like this if it weren’t for me. I made your eyesight clear and I made you move just fine! You owed them all to me. Do you think anyone else waking up from a coma would be as functioning as you?! If it weren’t for me, you’ll be like this! So you need to appreciate me more. Understand?” It was not a question. He was not asking. It is an order. A threat, even.

“Yes,” Trance answered. “Please…” He begged.

William nodded to himself, partly satisfied with Trance begging. The other part is trying to rationalize his actions. Trying to calm down. He then touches Trance on his wrist. And just like magic, Trance can see clearly and move normally again. “If you let him kiss you again, Trance, I’ll kill you myself,” he threatened. He then gets up from the squat and starting to walk away.

“Wait! What about the payment?” Trance asked.

“I don’t want it!” William said and walks farther away from Trance.

Trance crooks his eyebrow in confusion. He never thought that the devil would be that possessive. In that exact moment, to Trance, William is almost human-like. Almost.

20. FIRST LOVE WON'T ALWAYS BE YOUR LAST

~2 years ago~

Peter kissed Trance again this time. No matter how many times, it was never enough. He was also tempted to kiss him when he was at school, pretending to be his bully. The smells of him also drove him crazy at times. Trance only smiled at him and he smiled back. They were in Trance’s room. It will be Saturday tomorrow. A day off from school. It felt great to be away from that for a while. Trance also felt great that he was not going to be at school even though it was only for the weekend. “I’m really sorry that you had to go through this, Trance?” Peter said. He did not want to lose his popular friends, of course and that had caused Trance to be a victim for him. Since his popular friends hated Trance. But Trance understood of it. He could be what people would call a willing victim in this. But he couldn’t help himself. He was in love with him. And he couldn’t let him go. Though he knew deep in his heart that this was bad for him. This was going to end badly. But for now, he needed him. He needed Peter’s love.

“It’s okay…” Trance said. Somewhere inside him, he had faith in Peter. He thought that maybe Peter will change someday and everything is going to get better. But there was also a tiny part inside him that screamed out every time for him to just run away. Far, far away from Peter. He stared at Peter, taking in his shape as Peter got up and put his clothes back on.

“I love you,” he said as he planted a kiss Trance’s cheek quickly. He then snuck out through the window. Trance laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He really was in love with Peter. They’ve known each other for a long time. But things had got to this and there was no going back from there. It was awful. This, he was aware of. If people heard about the situation he’s in, people will say he’s an idiot to keep on holding on to Peter. But he couldn’t help himself. He was in love with Peter and he couldn’t picture his life without him in it.

It’s okay to be bullied at school. It’s okay for people to look down on him. As long as the one he loves was happy, then he won’t mind. He would do anything for the one he loves. He’s just that way. So, people can call him stupid or whatever. He didn’t care. He knew that one day Peter will stand up for him. He will… He smiled a little at the thought. At a silly fantasy.

Back then, he didn’t know how bad Peter will betray him. He just didn’t know… It’s just that, when it came to the people you were in love with, no matter how obvious the lies were, you just wanted to believe in them. Love is not blind. Love just makes you refuse to see the truth.

֍֎֍

~1 year and 1 month ago~

“Are you seriously breaking up with me, Trance? Why?!” Peter shouted. That was the first time Trance, being alone with Peter, ever saw this side of him. He was in rage. And the rage was out of control. It sent shiver down Trance’s spine. But he had made his mind. He had had enough of it. Enough of pretending. To him, they were just prolonging the inevitable. It will end sooner or later. Better sooner.

He mustered up his courage to talk back to Peter. Something he never thought of he’ll ever do. To shout back. “Why? You asked me why? Well, apparently I’m tired of being an idiot, Peter,” Trance said. He was about to leave when Peter grabbed him by the wrist strongly.

“You are NOT breaking up with me. No. I’m NOT letting you go!” Peter yelled. He then pushed Trance back to the wall and raised his fist as if he was about to give Trance a punch. He really was going to hit him and that fact alone hit himself with a wave of shock. A sudden realization of his demeanor.

Trance’s eyes were widen in surprise as he looked into Peter’s eyes in disbelief. That, if the fist had landed on his face, would be a real punch. Not the ones he got at school which were supposed to be fake ones. They were alone together. Never once had Peter been violent when they were alone before. This is real. And he couldn’t believe what Peter was about to do. Feeling completely exhausted from the emotional roller-coaster, he gave up. Peter halted, realizing of what he was about to do. They looked into one another’s eyes for a moment of silence, maintaining the position. Eyes filled with tears, Trance managed to word out; “What? Are you gonna hit me here too? Is at school not enough for you? You’re getting so used to it, aren’t you?” Trance asked, feeling deeply hurt and betrayed.

Peter slowly let go of Trance as he realized that this was not right. This. Everything. Everything was wrong and for the first time, he had no clue of what to do or say. “Trance…-” He was about to apologize but Trance cut him in.

“-It’s not going anywhere, Peter. You and me…” Trance said. Pulling Peter’s hand off of him, he stepped away from his lover. Ex-lover. His eyes were filled with tears with each steps but Peter can’t see it. Peter kept staring at the blank wall in front of him, refusing to face Trance. He refused to accept this betrayal. He refused to accept this rejection.

“You’ll REGRET this!” Peter threatened. Trance could hear Peter’s yelling in anger from behind him in the distance but he ignored him and kept on walking. He never felt so free in his entire life. A weight is lifted. But another weight seems to crush on his heart as well. Conflicted, scared, but determined. He felt brand new.

21. TRANCE WILSON

~Take It All Away~

~[Please hear the voice of the soul within]~

~intro music~

I watch my soul-less self walks pass me. He can’t see me but I can see him and I have been watching his every move. I am invisible to everyone else too. I’m like a ghost attached to this place.

~You've stripped me down, the layers fall like rain, It's over now, just innocence and instinct still remain~

I saw Peter passes a glance at the soul-less me who was completely lost in conversation with the manipulating devil, William. They were standing side by side at Trance’s locker flirting with one another as it appears. There’s a hint of sadness in his Peter’s eyes that just made it hard for me to look away. So I walk to his side, aware of him not being aware of my existence.

~You watched me while I slowly disappeared, I reached for you to save me; you were frozen in your fear~

He is looking down to the floor, to the nothingness. And he seems to be lost in a deep thought. A drop of tear sparkles in his eyelids. He wipes it away slowly and walks to the men’s room. He locks himself in one of the cubicles. I follow him all the way there.

~Take it all away, Take it all away, Take it all away, Take it all away~

He lights up his cigarette and inhales the smoke deeply before exhaling puff of white smokes. I remember how he always did this after sex. Deep inhaling and exhaling from his cigarettes. Tears are streaming down on his face. He pulls up the sleeve of his shirt and he places the burning cigarette on his skin. I can hear his flesh burns. Soft and low crackling sounds. My heart burns too. He closes his eyes as if he was savoring the pain. “My dear, Peter, what have happened to you?” I asked even though I know he will not hear me. I remember what happened a year ago vividly in my head. I was betrayed by the only guy I ever loved. By him… By Peter Jennings… I started to cry too reliving the memories.

~Circling the pain inside my soul, I reached inside your silence to steal what you won't show~

They took turns. Peter was the first. Then, it was Anthony on me. He was thrusting into me. I could no longer scream as I had gone tired of screaming. I could only cry and whimper, imagining I was somewhere else and that that did not happen to me. It was happening to someone else. They were all laughing but I only had my eyes on Peter. I looked at him. I was hoping. Like those little fantasies where he’ll rescue me. A hopeless dream.

~I tried to find the answers in my fears, But what was found is lost again as soon as it appeared~

My eyes were begging him to save me. But he didn’t do anything. I had a tiny spark of hope in him. But then I gave up. My illusion was shattered. There was a streak of pity and panic across his face. But he still didn’t do anything. He pretended with all of his might to enjoy watching me being tortured. Love was an illusion. I was shattered by my own dreams.

~Take it all away, Take it all away, Take it all away, Take it all away~

Anthony was banging my head to the ground as he was thrusting in me. Yeah the pain was excruciating. I tried to open my eyes but I couldn’t. Dirt had gotten into them. Damn. I thought I was already in hell. I’ve bled far more than I’ve ever bled in my entire life that night. And I also cried far more than I’ve ever cried in my entire life... The tears seemed to flow endlessly. And then it was like the tears had dried up and I have no more tears left to cry. So I stopped thinking. I stopped feeling hurt and I saw myself lying on the floor. I was not moving. I looked around. They were still there. They looked like they were panicking at that moment. They couldn’t see the other me. I thought I was dead and had become a ghost back then.

~music break~

“Is he dead?” Anthony asked.

“I don’t know!” Noah shouted back. “Let’s just leave him here,” he suggested.

“No!” Peter said. I saw how devastated he was back then. But that was only because I knew him well. He had hidden his fear so well in front of his stupid friends. “Go! Just go! I’ll take care of it,” he assured them. They all nodded and ran off.

~I'm breaking; I can't do this on my own, Can you hear me screaming out, am I all alone?~

He kneeled down beside me. He was trembling and then tears streamed down from his eyes. It was too late. Why the fuck would he cry over something he could’ve set right? He held out his hand to my neck to feel my pulse. “Oh my God, Trance, I’m so sorry…” he begged. He looked relieved shortly after. Probably because he could feel that I still had pulse. The tears flowed non-stop from his eyes. He then held my face with both of his hands. “Wake up, Trance… Please… Wake up!” He screamed.

~music break~

Then there were flashlights around from the other side of the woods. He quickly got up and with a little hesitation, he ran away. I saw it all happened before my eyes. I was then taken to the hospital by the passerby who had heard Peter’s screaming and came into the woods. I wished he had come sooner but fate decided otherwise. I was in a coma, not death. Though death would have been all that I had hoped for. All the while, I was there watching my unmoving body on the hospital bed. I also know of Peter sneaking into the hospital to watch me sometimes. Why, Peter? Why did you do this to me? You said you loved me. You said you wanted to be with me. Is this how you treat the person you love? I’m tired of crying. Tired of thinking. I get out from the cubicle. I should not care about Peter. He doesn’t deserve my love at all. I was mistaken to even think that he will change. He won’t change. He’ll remain being an idiot for the rest of his life and live in denial. I was stupid to ever love someone like him. If he wants to hurt himself, he can just do it. I won’t care anymore. William looks at me as I walk back to the hall of lockers. Yes. He’s the only one who can see me. Sometimes, he lets a part of me gets back into the soul-less Trance to make him feels.

~You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away, You take away~

He’s the devil who persuaded me to take revenge. Agreeing to him was a stupid mistake too. Now, I’ll never be able to escape. I’ll belong to him for eternity. I was only wanting for death back then. I never wanted more. Now I’m stuck to him. He came in a horrifying form to me back then but I can’t quite remember the details now as to how he looks. I guess that’s just what will happen to your memory if you meet with a mysterious hidden being. You could never describe them. Nonetheless, he was the only one who’s been there for me. He’s the only one who stood up for me.

~Ending music~

Maybe those people deserve what they’ll get anyway. They all should just burn in hell. Peter, too. No matter how much I loved him and cared for him. No. I will not let him get away. He doesn’t deserve to be cut loose from the revenge. They will all burn in hell.

22. PETER JENNINGS

~Pieces~

~Intro music~

I have my eyes on them when I can. They look happy together. They look so happy to be in the open like that. It just hurts. That could’ve been me. With him. That could’ve been us. I look back to the inside of my locker. A tear is hanging in my eyes. I wipe it away slowly, pretending like I hurt my eyes or something so that people won’t know that I’m actually crying. Not sure if anyone was even paying attention but couldn’t take that risk. I take the books out of the locker and walk away from the locker hall. I pull a little and cling tightly to the strap of my bag and that hang on one side of my shoulder. I walk straight into the men’s room.

Once I’m inside of a cubicle, I push the lid of the toilet bowl down and sit on it. I have a cigarette somewhere in my pocket. I search for it and when I found it, I quickly light it up. There’s an urge inside of me that I must satisfy. I inhale the cigarette deeply. This urge must be satisfied… I thought. I exhale. There’s no stopping to my overflowing tears right now. I’m deeply hurt. It hurts not to be able to let out of what you really feel. It hurts not to be able to be yourself. It hurts to let the one you love slip away. And it hurts deeper to realize… that it was all your own fault.

~I'm here again, A thousand miles away from you, A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am~

I place the burningcigarette on my skin once the sleeve was pulled up higher. I can feel the fire eating away my skin. The pain on my skin is overwhelming. However, it’s burning away the pain I feel in my heart.

~I tried so hard, Thought I could do this on my own, I've lost so much along the way~

I pull the cigarette away and look at the burn mark it left on my skin. That round part of red flesh. How pathetic. Is this the best that I can do? I cry even more at the thought and lean my head on the wall. I can’t stop crying.

~Then I see your face, I know I'm finally yours, I find everything I thought I lost before, You call my name, I come to you in pieces, So you can make me whole~

Trance… He’s the only best thing that ever happened in my life. And I just had to screw it. How stupid can someone be? I was the stupidest of all. Trance was always there for me. He had always accepted me. He just had to go through it all alone. I wasn’t there for him. I was a selfish brat. Am I regretting it? Yes, I am. But what’s done can’t be undone. Can it?

~I've come undone, But you make sense of who I am, Like puzzle pieces in your hand~

Why can’t I just go out in the open? Why can’t I just be honest to myself? Being popular and having it all mean nothing to me now. I should probably just tell everyone who I really am so that I won’t have to feel like this again.

~Then I see your face, I know I'm finally yours, I find everything I thought I lost before, You call my name, I come to you in pieces, So you can make me whole~

I miss Trance. The old him… What had happened to him? He had changed so much. It almost seems like he had lost his heart. Like he had no emotions and he just didn’t care. God, I feel really hurt remembering him looking at me in the eyes with no emotions in it at all. It’s painful to notice that. I wipe my tears away and wait for a while. There’s no more ‘love’ or ‘care’ in those eyes. They’re all gone.

~music break~

I walk out of the cubicle once I’m sure my face no longer looks like I’ve just done crying. I’ll be late for class. I speed up along the hall. I pass by William. I glance at him. He has a smile on his lips. He always has that smile. A smile like he’s about to crush me to pieces. He really hates me, huh? Perhaps he knew about me and Trance? Whatever. I got to get to class.

~I tried so hard! So hard! I tried so hard!~

“Hey, what’s up?” I said to Andy as I saw him walking into the class. We’re both late.

“What’s up? Haven’t you heard, Peter?” He asked me. He’s looking pretty messed up.

“About what?” I asked.

“It’s Chris this time. He died. God, I can’t take it anymore of this suicide circle,” he explained and commented. We both sit down at our seats.

I didn’t say anything. I was deeply horrified. Wait. Hold on.

~Then I see your face, I know I'm finally yours, I find everything I thought I lost before, You call my name, I come to you in pieces, So you can make me whole, So you can make me whole~

I remembered what Trance had told me. “And I can tell you who's next. The mastermind... Chris!”

Shit! So, it’s true… He’s behind it all. But how did he do it? How did he persuade people to commit suicide? That just doesn’t make any sense. Some drugs maybe? How did he put the drugs into people’s system? Or is it hypnotism? Where the fuck did he learn hypnotism?! William maybe! The fuck! What the fuck! I close my eyes, thinking. So, who’s next? And that’s when I remember about the list I have so I take out the list Mrs. Cuttingham gave me. I quickly crossed out each student’s names that had already committed suicide. There are 18 of us in the class. I put circles in the names of students whom I knew were good to Trance and had played no roles in bullying him. They are Joanna, Mike, and Patrick.

I crossed Trance’s name with a blue highlighter and the last five names are clear to me now. It’s us. Those who gang-raped him… We’re the only ones left. Anthony, Noah, Andy, Justin, and… me.

23. YOUR DARKEST FEAR .I.

The electricity in Anthony’s house went out of a sudden. He jolts up from his bed, looking around at his room’s dark surroundings. Sighing, he lies back on bed. He looks at his window. As he was about to close his eyes, he notices a shadow of someone passes by outside his window from the corner of his eyes. He jerks himself up from the bed in great horror. What is that? He thought. It’s impossible for anyone to walk by his window because his room is on the second floor!

He then quickly runs to the door. He opens it and gets out. He then opens the door of his parents’ bedroom and looks down on them. They are soundly asleep in their bed, as if they had no idea that the electricity had went out. I’m being silly, he thought to himself. He then closes the door of his parents’ room and walks along the hallway. The lights are flickering now and the whole hall is lightening up again. The electricity is back. Anthony sighs in relieve. He walks back to his room feeling emotionally drained.

Once inside his room, he slumps down on his bed, feeling good at the warmth of his mattress with his eyes closed. He didn’t even realize that someone is standing beside his bed, looking down on him with a sinister look. Anthony opens his eyes at once when he feels a presence in his room. But he sees nothing. The man was gone as soon as he got his eyes opened. He then looks behind him towards the window. Nothing’s there as well. He looks back to his front and screams in horror as he saw a pair of eyes is watching him deeply and wickedly. He falls down from his bed and quickly stands back up to look at the man before him. “The hell, Trance?!” He spat.

Trance does not say a thing. Something is different about Trance. He has a very sinister looks on his face. He’s not looking normal at all. He only stares at Anthony wickedly with a threatening smile on his face. “Surprise, Anthony?” He asked. But it is in the voice of an inhuman being. His voice is distorted. It sounded like a growl mixed with a whisper. It’s like the voice of a person being possessed.

“What the hell?” Anthony is in fear now. He staggers and he starts to move backward, away from Trance who’s coming closer to him. His eyes are now glowing. It is red in color and it splits vertically. Anthony screams in horror at the sight of it and he screams for help. But no one hears him, of course. This is what the devil can do.

Trance looks into Anthony’s eyes and he understood of Anthony’s fear. “Being gang-raped? That’s your greatest fear? How ironic…” Trance commented, still with the same bone-chilling voice. He then laughs… It is a roar of evil laughter and with that horrifying voice of his, it made Anthony started to cry in fear. “Hey, I’ve brought some friends with me…” Trance then said with a glow of evil in his eyes as he said ‘friends’.

Dark shadows start to appear from behind Trance. They look like men but they wear masquerade masks and they spills out evil inhuman auras along as they appeared. They started to move closer to Anthony. Anthony tries to shove them away but they are too strong. They are holding his hands and legs to stop him from moving. It was as if… they’re about to… gang-rape him. Anthony’s greatest fear is coming to life. He screams and backed away once they let go of his hands and legs. The shadows are laughing evilly with inhuman sounds of laughter. Anthony did not realize that he is backing away to his open window and he trips over. He fell down from his window. He screams out loud as he fell down to the ground. He can feel a few of his bones breaking. When he opens his eyes, the shadows are now standing in front of him. They are still laughing the same inhuman scary laughter. Fighting the pain, Anthony gets up with all his might. He struggles to get up on his feet. Limping, he tries to distant from the shadows. “Get away from me!!!” He screamed. But they only continue laughing. He then reaches the tarred road when they stopped laughing and disappeared into thin air. There’s only Trance now looking at him. “What do you want?!” He yelled at Trance.

“Death,” Trance replied in his usual voice now with a wicked smile plastered on his face and that’s when Anthony realizes that headlights are approaching him. It happens in a split of seconds. Anthony was hit by a car. His limp body flew from the impact 5 meters back. He is covered in blood as his body shook violently before he gasps for his final breath.

Trance walks away from the scene when the driver gets out of his car to check on Anthony. Trance stops somewhere in the wood, groaning in pain as something came out from him. It’s William. He gets out from Trance’s body in soul-like material before he became solid again. Trance was possessed by William. It was what William wanted to do to satisfy his lust for blood for the final five victims. William smiles at Trance. “Does it hurt?” He asked. Trance only nodded in answer. “Soon…,” William said as he descents closer to Trance. “You’ll be completely mine,” he continued as he finally plants a soft kiss on Trance’s lips.

24. YOUR DARKEST FEAR .II.

Ever since the news of the death of Anthony, everything turns completely gloomy for the third years. Nobody is talking in a happy mood. No sounds of loud laughter. People even feel guilty for laughing. They don’t get into active conversations, even. It was as if the whole school is mourning. And everyone is just wondering who’s next or if this will ever stop. Peter, Andy, Noah, and Justin sit at their usual table in the cafeteria. Moments had passed by with nothing more than awkward silence between them.

“It just doesn’t make sense. Why would Tony killed himself? He seems just fine. No way he would even want to do it,” Justin suddenly said.

“Yeah… They say he jumped out of his window and found himself not successful at dying so he walked to the main road waiting for a car to hit him. That’s just bogus!” Noah exclaimed.

As they were talking, Andy notices Trance and William walking inside the cafeteria. They take a sit at the other table across them. “Do you guys think he really had amnesia? I have this odd feeling like he remembers everything,” Andy asked, indicating Trance who’s sitting opposite of them.

“If he remembers, he would have told the police, Andy,” Noah assured him.

“He would have. I agree on that. But I also kinda having a bad feeling about him,” Justin made a sudden remark in agreement with his friends.

Andy stares at them for a while. There’s a bit of a glow in his eyes as he studies Trance. Peter realizes of the way Andy was eyeing Trance and William once in a while from where they were sitting. He knows that looks. It’s jealousy. And desire. Peter starts to comprehend the situation and it makes him want to speak. “You actually have a thing for Trace, isn’t it?” Peter asked Andy abruptly from being silent most of the time in a bit of an angry tone. How can he be blinded by this all this while?

“What are you talking about?” Andy gets defensive by the question which makes everything registered even clearer to Peter’s knowledge.

“I knew it, Andy. That’s why you jumped in to fuck him when I’m done that day, right? It was supposed to only be me,” Peter accused Andy.

“Do you want me to punch you, Peter?!” Andy threatened, getting up from his seat with his fist clenched. Noah holds him back by pulling his shoulders.

Peter also stands up. “I was such an idiot to ever be friends with ALL OF YOU! You are all hypocrites. God! Look what I got! Wanting so much to be a part of you jerks that I ended up hurting the only person ever matters to me.”

“Who are you talking about? What have gotten into you?” Noah asked, worried if his buddies are going to punch each other in the face.

“I’m talking about Trance! He was my boyfriend,” Peter confessed.

“Fuck. What? Y-you’re gay?!” Justin asked in terrible shock.

Peter gives them a how-come-you-still-ask look on his face before replying. “Yeah. And I’ve been pretending all this while like I’m not, just for the sake of having you accepting me,” Peter said with his voice started to crumble.

Andy looks at Peter in disbelief and is immediately disturbed by a thought. “But wait. That’s just sick. You raped Trance. He’s your boyfriend. You didn’t even stop us! And that just made you even more of a jerk than us,” He stated out his sick thought.

“True…” Peter confessed. This time, tears hung up on his eyes as it later slowly flows down on his cheek. “And you know what? I think it’s coming back to haunt me. All of our sins. All of our wrongs! It’s coming back… if that’s just what it takes to right all the wrongs that I did, then I’ll embrace my fate. You guys should too ‘cos mark my words, Anthony is just the beginning. Soon, each one of us will die. Can’t you see the pattern? Here’s something for dumb asses like you guys to look for!” Peter stated and throws the list Mrs. Cuttingham gave him to them. “Cross out Anthony’s name and see who’s left,” he instructed and immediately walks away, caring less and less with each steps taken.

The three of them wear a dumb-founded and dreaded looks on their faces as they look at the list. They then look at each other in disbelief. They pass a glance at Trance and William at the other table and catch the sight of them smiling wickedly at them three. They wait no longer. The three of them also walk out of the cafeteria in a hurry.

֍֎֍

That night, Noah tosses and turns in his bed. He can’t sleep. He’s afraid… He wishes over and over in his head that he could turn back time and undo all of the wrongs he did. He’s too young to die and he has no idea how he’s going to die. He just knows that he will. He feels agitated.

“Your greatest fear…” He suddenly heard someone whispers into his eyes and that made him jump out of his bed in fear, screaming out a little. He sees Trance with menacing eyes sitting at the side of his bed.

“What do you want?!” He asked in fear.

“Tch. Tch. Tch,” Trance hushed him in a wicked manner. “Are you that afraid of me?” He asked in a slight hint of cynicism.

Noah trembles. “I’m sorry…” He said. It sounded more like a beg and a whimper of fearful cry of a child.

Trance only laughs at Noah. It sounded normal at first but later the laughter turn into a growl. “Snakes…” Trance said in a distorted voice, his eyes are now red in color and it’s glowing. He’s more of a devil now. William is starting to show himself through Trance’s body as a medium. “That’s your greatest, darkest fear…”

Snakes… Huge snakes started to appear from behind Trance. They are three times bigger of the size of normal adult snakes. They hiss as they slither closer to Noah with their tongues coming out and in. Noah screams at the sight of them. “No! No!!! Get away from me!” He screamed. Trance hands out a knife to Noah. Noah takes it immediately without thinking and starts trying to shoo them away with the knife. Trance only smiles sinisterly, looking down on him.

Noah then starts to notice that scales are appearing on his leg. Is he becoming a snake too? That was his first thought. He then screams in horror and starts to wipe his skin off of the scale. The snakes around him had disappeared. He is crying. He cries badly like a child. He’s too frightened. His heart feels like it’s about to drop out of his chest. The sight of his own skin turning to scales of a snake sickens him. He feels like throwing up. Only then he realizes the use of the knife. Hell… twisted as fuck but he can’t help it. Because he can’t have scales on his body! No! So he starts to peel the scales off of his leg with the knife given by Trance. One by one, the scales were removed. Painful, but worth it. Little did he realized, he is actually skinning himself alive. And tomorrow, they’ll find him… drenched in blood,… with that knife in his hand,… his all-red skinless dead body…

25. YOUR DARKEST FEAR .III.

Peter had stopped coming to school as soon as they heard the news of Noah’s gruesome death. So did Justin and Andy. Andy had run away from the town. He went over to his family lake house somewhere north to escape. He thought he could escape. But he can never escape… None of them will escape their fate.

Peter sneaks into Trance’s room that night. He was hoping he could talk to Trance to make him stop. But Trance is not in his room. So he waits. He waits for Trance to come home. He lies down on Trance’s bed, taking in the smell. He misses Trance’s smell. In truth, he misses everything about Trance. He misses their small conversations. He misses the thrill of hiding out from the crowd. His eyes tear up a little at the thought. He wants to go back but at the same time, he’s afraid to go back as well. He hates who he was. He wishes he didn’t do the things that he had done. It’s already pass midnight. Trance still hasn’t come home. Peter shakes any disturbing thoughts away from his mind. All that he could think of is probably Trance had went out to kill again tonight. He doesn’t want to think of that. He doesn’t want his Trance to be like that. He paces around the room, shaking off of the thoughts. The longer he waits, the sleepier he gets. At last, he falls asleep on the floor. He only awakes when he hears sounds in the room and he notices Trance sitting on his bed, staring down at him.

“Oh believe me, if it’s up to me, I would already have you dead by now,” Trance said to him.

“Trance, are you okay?” Peter asked because there’s just something wrong about Trance. He doesn’t sound like him at all. And he is perplexed by Trance’s attitude. It was almost as if… he sounds like… William?

Trance only chuckles lowly. A little wickedly too at Peter. “But Trance wanted you to be the last one,” Trance continued.

That is just weird. Trance is talking as if he is not Trance. Then, to his horror, he witnesses something coming out from Trance. It’s like a spirit or a shadow of some sort. Peter holds back his scream that only leads out to a small gasp coming out of his mouth. When the spirit began to materialize into a solid form, it turns into the figure of a human. It is William. “Wh-what the hell was that?!” He asked in horror. His body is shaking. He can’t believe what he had just seen. But he had seen it. So he has no choice but to believe it.

Trance is panting. He looks at the direction of Peter but he can care less about him. The possession is exhausting him. He just wants to lie down and rest. So, he chooses not to answer Peter’s question. He just continues to lie down on his bed and closes his eyes. He is breathing heavily. “He’s tired. Try talking to this one instead,” William said as he stretches his right hand towards him. Something in his palm shines. Confused, amazed, and terrified at the same time, Peter can only look at the light. And that’s when something materializes next to William. He now sees Trance. He is a bit transparent. It’s like he is a spirit. “That’s his soul,” William explained. Peter looks at the boy on the bed and then back at the transparent figure next to William. He doesn’t know what to think or what to say.

Peter looks into the transparent Trance’s eyes, focusing only on his eyes. Tears form in his own eyes as his heart whispers softly that yes, that’s him. That’s the Trance he knew. That looks on his face… “Trance…” He called out sadly to him.

The transparent-Trance looks down to the ground, refusing to face Peter’s eyes. “We’ve killed Justin just now,” he stated.

Peter shakes his head at that statement. “Wait. What? What?! Why did you do it?” Peter asked in disbelief. He is suddenly engulfed in rage. Why is his Trance doing this? His Trance wouldn’t hurt anyone!

“Getting my revenge… William is helping me to it,” he said as a matter-of-factly.

“William?” Peter asked again, staring at the man beside transparent-Trance who is constantly smiling the smile of a psychopath. Questions are pounding in his head. He then glares at William and then passes a glance at the solid Trance on the bed. Everything starts to make sense to him. “No way… You sold your soul?” Peter asked.

“Wow… This one is a genius,” William made a remark.

“And that made you…,” Peter looks at William and gets his eyes widen at a disturbing thought inside his head. “The devil.”

“Correct,” William said. “Bravo!” William claps his hands with little excitement towards Peter. The psychopathic smile lingers on his face.

Peter cannot say anything to that. He is dumbfounded. He then only looks at the transparent-Trance with his tears still hanging in his eyes. There’s too much to digest for what he had learnt and seen that night. But he knows deep down inside of him that this was all his fault. He had made Trance turned out that way. “Trance,” he called. The transparent-Trance looks at him this time. “I’m turning myself in,” he stated. Trance does not seem to get what Peter meant at first so Peter starts to explain; “I’m going to confess to the police that I was the one who raped you and got you into coma. I’m going to take responsibilities for the wrongs that I did,” he explained.

William hisses angrily at Peter. “Do you think by turning yourself in, you can take back what you did, Peter?!” He yelled angrily. He then looks at Trance’s soul who’s now sobbing. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for him, Trance!” He warned. He then made Trance’s soul no longer visible to Peter’s eyes. “You best go now,” William suggested. “Or you can stay around and watch me do Trance in front of your eyes. You have a thing for that, don’t you?” He smirks at Peter.

William then gets on top of Trance on the bed. They start to kiss each other hungrily. William takes off his shirt and starts to unzip his trousers. Trance starts to push down his pants. Peter does not even realize that he had tears overflowing down from his eyes by then. He does not want to wait to witness them. He feels a bolt of a pain striking in his heart. It’s jealousy and sadness for the fact that he had lost Trance. Probably forever. He gets out of the room through the window quickly. He had lost him for good. He can’t win over the devil and he’s going to die in that psychopath’s hands soon. What’s more hurtful is that, he can’t even make up to his faults and Trance had not granted him with forgiveness for all of the wrongs he had done to him. He only wishes for his forgiveness. It’s okay to die if that what it takes for Trance to forgive him. It’s okay… He thought.

֍֎֍

Justin’s greatest fear… is demons. It didn’t take a lot for William to finish him off. He just asked his demon friends to do the job for him. On the morrow, they will find his mutilated body… scattered all across the floor… in his room. The scene was even worse than that of Black Dahlia…

26. YOUR DARKEST FEAR .IV.

The sky looks like it had been dyed with the mixture of the colors of orange and blue. Here, the sky is clearer than the sky back in the town. He doesn’t feel the gloom here. The gloom of deaths that had surrounded his high school can’t reach out to him out here. Andy enjoys the cool breeze of the evening air at his family’s lake house as he looks out from the balcony of his room. He had heard the news of the death of his friends. If it’s true that Trance is on a killing spree to kill them, that nerd won’t get to him out here. He feels relieved to be away from the lunatic town surrounded by death. He feels sad, yes. But there’s nothing he can do. All he can do is save himself. That is just basic human nature.

He was about to get in to get ready for a bath when he suddenly spots a shadow passes outside the entrance door to his room. He shoots a look straight at his room’s entrance. “Who’s there?” He asked and was answered by nothing but a gust of wind. He fears if a burglar had barged into the house. It is a huge fancy house so he won’t be surprised if people were to try to enter and steal things inside. His mom and dad went out for grocery so it was only him left alone at the lake house. They can’t be back so soon, he thought to himself.

He walks to the door and takes a look outside at the empty corridor. No one’s there. He gets back inside his room and grabs his phone. He thinks of calling the cops just in case if there are robbers in his house. He dials the number but all he can hear is static sound coming through his phone. He quickly pulls it away from his ear. “What the hell?” He muttered. He looks up at his door again and is in great shock to see Trance leaning against it.

“Boo,” Trance said, teasing him in a way. That simple word made Andy stumble down to the ground and hit his head hard on the floor. He fainted.

֍֎֍

When Andy opens his eyes, he realizes that he is somehow floating in the air. He struggles to lift his hand up to hold a side of his head. His head is bleeding. It must be due to the impact of his head hitting the floor from before. His vision is a bit blurry at first. Was he tied to a tree or something that he is high up in the air? He thought. But when he can see clearly, to his horror, he is floating on the air of the lake behind his lake house. There’s no rope tying him. He screams in great terror for he can’t believe what is happening. Then he saw Trance levitating on the surface of the water steadily. He has a malignant smile on his face. “Hey, you! This is not funny! What did you do to me? How did you get me like this?” He asked. He does’t have any theory left in his head except that maybe Trance is a psychic or some kind of a mutant like those from X-Men series. “Put me down!” He ordered.

Trance lets out a low evil laughter. “Gladly…” He said. “But you have to wait for my little friends to arrive first,” he continued.

“Friends?! What friends?!” Andy asked.

Trance laughs again. And the laugh ended with a distorted voice of a growl and whisper. His eyes then turn red and glowing. “They’re here…” He said in that sinister distorted voice.

Andy crooks his eyebrow in wonder but also in terror. He then looks down to the waters of the lake below him. His greatest fear is coming to life. Down there, in the water, crocodiles are swimming back and forth. They look hungry and sggressive. “ARghhh!! Noooo!!! Please! Don’TTT! I’m sorry. Forgive me, Trance! Forgive me! I’ll do anything…just please…let me go!” Andy begged trying to run away in mid air but stuck levitated on the same spot.

“Let you go? Okay,” Trance said as he quickly snaps his finger. Andy falls down to the water as gravity at last took a hold of his body once more. Trance only smiles sinisterly as he looks down on Andy being eaten alive by the animals. His screams fill the air. Beautiful, he thought. The sight is beautiful.

27. YOUR DARKEST FEAR .V.

His days were numbered, he knew. But that’s alright. He has come to terms with it. Peter looks down on a picture in his hand. His eyes are watery. It’s the picture of him and Trance during the first year of junior high. They are grinning widely in the picture and they had each other’s arms around one another’s shoulders.

“That’s tricky,” he suddenly heard a voice. He looks up only to see that the owner of the voice is standing at the window of his door. He knew that this day will come. He’s going to take it down calmly. William is there in the body of Trance. No. It’s the devil. In the possession of Trance’s body. “Your greatest fear is losing Trance’s love,” he murmured.

“Is it my turn now?” Peter asked calmly. “So what if that’s my greatest fear? You got a problem with that?” He asked. He knew that the one speaking to him is the devil even though he is in the flesh and blood of Trance.

“Tsk,” William exclaimed with a frown on his face. He then slowly came out from Trance’s body. Trance is panting from the exhaustion of bearing William inside of him. “What do we do with him, Trance?” William asked.

“Let me kill him myself,” Trance said. That suggestion from Trance made William’s eyes glow in excitement for a bit.

“Wonderful idea,” William commented. He snaps his finger shortly after that and a knife appeared beside Trance. Trance takes the knife. Peter feels amused. Ironic that it’s his time to die but he can’t help but think that the devil had acted a bit like that of a magician. Trance looks determined to end him but at the same time he is also hesitating and he can feel an overwhelming pain in his heart.

“William, did you just make me feel again?” Trance asked in anger.

“I only let a part of your soul in. Maybe I should let your whole soul in, don’t you think? That is his greatest fear, right? Losing your love? If you kill him with your soul intact, then his darkest fear is coming to life,” William insinuated. “And I was also curious to know if you still love him or not.”

“Don’t!” Trance warned. “Take it back! I don’t want to feel!” Trance yelled at William.

“Why? Because you can’t do it, is it?” William asked. Peter can smell jealousy coming out from William. He then lets his right hand glow and he shoves it to Trance. A light enters Trance’s body. Trance groans in pain as soon as the light disappeared. He is sobbing now and lies down on the ground bearing the pain.

“You jerk!” Trance called to William.

“Do it!” William ordered now. He looks even angrier than before. “Kill him!”

Trance holds the knife up to Peter as he gets up to a sit. He is starting to break apart. His eyes are red, waiting for tears to come and it was clear that he is trying with all his might to fight his fear. He wanted so much to do it. Peter only closes his eyes, getting ready to be killed. If this is the way to pay for his sin, then he is ready. But Tance’s hands start to shake and he begins to lower the knife down to the ground. “I’m sorry…” he said as he shakes his head in frustration. Crying and shaking his head over and over. He wanted to but he’s scared and he can’t bear to look at Peter like that in front of him. Memories of their moments flash in his head. It comes and goes like waves. And with each wave, it hurts him even more.

William sighs in a disappointed manner. “My dear Trance,” William called as he squats next to Trance. “I knew all along that you’re not going to kill him,” he stated. A hint of sadness is portrayed in his voice. Or not. Or yes. Trance couldn’t quite decipher the signal delivered by the devil.

“No, I’m going to. Just give me a little more time,” Trance begged. He can’t handle the pain in his heart. Having his soul again makes him weak and disoriented.

“I can see your heart, Trance. Don’t lie to me,” William said. “It’s okay. I was happy being with you all the while I was with you,” he commented. Peter can’t say anything. He can just witness the drama in front of him. He has no ideaof what was happening but he can feel pain in his heart too. The same room. Two boys and a devil. All of them are hurting. It appears so.

Trance starts to cry lowly. It was as if he wanted not to cry but he cries nonetheless as he was trying to hold the tears back in but fails miserably. He whimpers. “I’m sorry… William… Please do it for me… I’m sorry,” Trance begged and cries even more.

“I’m disappointed in you,” William said. A drop of tear is hanging on one of his eye. “I’m giving up on you.”

“What do you mean?” Trance asked. He is feeling panic at that statement from William. He never meant to be a disappointment to William and he definitely feels sad when William said he had given up on him.

“I’m leaving you. That’s what I mean,” William stated.

“No, don’t go,” Trance said. He is pulling William’s shirt when he said it. “Stay!” He begged.

“There’s no point in me staying here,” William simply said and pulls Trance’s hand away from his shirt. He stands up and looks down on Trance sadly.

Trance wanted to stand up too. He wanted to cling to William so badly. But he can’t get up. His body feels very heavy and his heart is overwhelming with a mixture of unexplained pain. “But you promised me! You promised me death!” He reminded William.

“Yes. I did and I’ve fulfilled them. I gave you enough deaths already. I promised you death but I never promised that it is your death that I will grant. I twisted my words just to suit your needs at the time. No, Trance. I will not have the heart to kill you. I love you. So, I’m letting you go. It’s your choice anyway, and you chose not to kill him,” William explained. There’s a hint of sadness in his tone. But Trance wasn’t sure. William is unpredictable in his own special ways.

“You said you’ll eat my soul!” Trance yelled from the ground.

“Well, I lied,” William simply said.

“Please just kill me! Eat my soul. Don’t leave me like this! I need you!” Trance begged again.

William squats back next to Trance and kisses him on the lips softly. All the while, Trance clings to William tightly, afraid to let him go. When William broke the kiss, he looks straight into Trance’s eyes. “Goodbye, Trance,” He said as his body begins to become transparent that Trance could no longer cling to him. He then slowly disappears from their sight.

“No,” Trance muttered. “NOOOOOOO!!!!” He yelled. He lies down on the ground, bearing a devastating pain in his heart. He can’t take it anymore. The pain is too much. The world then becomes black to his eyes. Peter quickly rushes to his side to hold him. Peter’s arms wrapped around him was the last thing that Trance felt.

28. START AGAIN

~Intro music~

It’s been three months since William had been gone. Trance hasn’t seen William at all. He sometimes waits in his room. He talks to the air too as if he was talking to William in hope that he might just talk to him back. But there was nothing. Every time, he was alone. There was no one there. He misses William so bad. William is not perfect. William is in fact the worst kind of person… no… the worst kind of entity to be with. He feels a heavy weight in his heart. It’s very painful to lose something he desires. Nonetheless, he still can see clearly and he can move just fine. That must’ve meant that William didn’t take back the gifts he gave to him. Those are all that he had left of him. He wanted to hold on to them so tightly if he could.

~And I remember everything, Everything I loved, I gave it away like it wasn't enough~

Trance sighs to himself as he was leaving for school for the day. To be honest, he hates school. He doesn’t want to be in one at all. He just wants to escape far, far away from the place and perhaps he will meet William again somewhere. It’s funny that the devil feels like home more than home. If he is to be carried into hell then maybe he’ll turn hell as his home and he’ll be able to live comfortably. No one at school remembers William except for him and Peter. It was like he never existed. And that hurts him even more.

~All the words I said and all you forgive, How could I hurt you again?~

Trance does give in to the thought that maybe he should just commit suicide sometimes and just die and get to hell to see him there. Yeah, that would probably be the best idea.

~What if I let you in? What if I make it right it? What if I give it up? What if I want to try? What if you take a chance? What if I learn to love? What if, what if we start again?~

Peter glances towards Trance that was walking to the field. There’s not much to practice anyway today. Half of the football team members and the cheerleaders are gone. Nobody is in the mood to do anything. So, Peter walks to where Trance was sitting in the middle of the field… watching the sun above him...

~All this time, I can make it right, With one more try, Can we start again?, In my eyes, You can see it now, Can we start again, can we start again?!?~

“Hey,” Peter called to him. Trance does not reply. He just stares at the spaces in front of him without looking at anything specific like he is lost in his own thoughts and the world around him no longer matters. Peter sits down beside him. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“I will be,” Trance simply answered, without paying much attention to Peter.

Peter remains silent for a while. He then looks at Trance again and opens his mouth to say something but closes it back as he was clueless on where to begin.

~Emptiness inside me, wonder if you see, It's my mistake and it's hurting me~

“If you’re going to say something, just say it before I get bored,” Trance warned. It’s abnormal for them to sit together out in the open like this. This never happened even once when they used to date each other.

Peter smiles at those words from Trance. He’s becoming who he was again, he thought. He is the Trance that he had loved. “Um… I was just wondering if we can start again, you know?” Peter then suggested.

“By starting again, do you mean that I get to be the idiot who let you do everything your way and you get to be the selfish idiot who will do anything your way again. Is that how it is?” He asked cynically. “’Coz you know… I’m sorry. I don’t think I want to go back there again.”

~I known where we've been, How did we get so far? What if, what if we start again?~

“No,” Peter said. “I wanna make it right this time. I want us to stop being idiots… Ever!” Peter promised.

“I don’t believe you,” Trance said.

“I can prove my love to you,” Peter promised again.

~All this time, I can make it right, With one more try, Can we start again?, In my eyes, You can see it now, Can we start again, can we start again?!?~

As soon as he said those words, Peter pulls Trance closer to him and he kisses Trance’s soft lips at the spot where they are sitting next to each other in the middle of the field. Everyone looks at them in surprise as they were kissing. Some halts in whatever it is that they were doing. Peter is proving to Trance that he no longer cares what people think or say. He loves Trance and this time, he will no longer hurt him. “Will you forgive me?” He asked Trance shortly after the lingering kiss.

~I'm lost inside the pain I feel without you, I can't stop holding on, I need you with me!!! I'm trapped inside the pain, Can we ever start again? I'm lost without you!!!~

Trance looks at Peter quizzically. Slowly then, little by little, a smile was curved upon his lips. He does not say anything.

Peter was happy by the smile. That is all he needs. “Ack!” Peter suddenly uttered a low cry as soon as he feels a sharp pain in his chest. He looks at Trance in disbelief. Trance still has that smile on his face… as he stabs Peter with a knife straight to his heart. He then twists the knife inside of Peter’s chest right before he pulls the knife out of the deep wound it had left. Peter falls down to the ground. Blood started to ooze out from the wound. Some had also flowed out of his mouth. All of the kids in school were screaming now at the horrible sight and they ran away quickly from the scene in horror.

~One more try, Can we start again? In my eyes, can you forgive me now? (Can we start again?), Can we start again (one more try?), Can we start again? Can we start again (can you forgive me?), Can we start again?~

Trance wipes the blood off of the knife using the linen of his shirt calmly. He does not care of the people’s hysterical screams all around him. He then looks down on Peter who’s lying next to him. The ground of the field is soaked with blood now. He can see that Peter is gasping for breath. “Now I forgive you,” he said to Peter as Peter gasps for his final breath and closes his eyes forever.

~Music ending~

When the policemen arrive at the scene, they took Trance in for interrogation. Trance does not even resist his arrest. He just follows them calmly with a smile on his face. It was as if what he had done nothing wrong. He seems to have no guilty conscience at all.In fact, he looks like he is satisfied. And that perplexed everyone around him.

29. THE DEVIL’S KNIGHT

Trance: I am the devil’s knight. I killed them all. I made them commit suicide.

Detective Mona: How did you actually make them want to commit suicide, Trance?

Trance: I had help from the devil…

Detective Mona: Are you sure?

Trance: Yes. They all deserve it. Trudy… she lied to me. She told everyone I’m gay. Then, people started to bully me. They poured paint in my locker, threw food at me, at worst they hit me and kicked me. They bad-mouthed me. They made me feel worthless. They made me feel down. They deserve to die…. Peter, Noah, Andy, Justin, and Anthony… Those are the five that raped me and beat me until I got into a coma. I lied to you when I said I didn’t remember. I remember everything clearly in my head.

Detective Mona: Why did you lie, Trance?

Trance: The devil told me to lie. He said I need to get back at them myself and that you can’t help me get back to them the way he can help me get back to them. He can make them suffer. He can make them die brutally. And he’s right. He kept all his promises.

Detective Mona: Who is the devil, Trance?

Trance: The devil is the devil. You can’t know who he is… for he does not exist in your eyes. You see, I trade my soul for a wish. And my wish is to have them all dead. Now they’re dead and he’s going to come and get me. He’ll come for me. I know he will. I belong to him. I belong to the devil. I’m his knight.

֍֎֍

Trance’s parents can see him from the other side of the glass of the interrogation room. They cry non-stop as they watch their son’s behavior. He seems to no longer be the kid that they knew. It was like Trance had become someone else. A cruel, irrational person… Someone who thinks that killing people is okay and necessary…. They feel very sad at Trance’s transformation. They wish they know how to help him. Trance now had gone insane from the trauma he went through. That was how they rationalize the situation.

Detective Mona promised them that she’ll sort things out for them. She said that Trance needs to see a psychologist because he seems to suffer from Post-Traumatic Disorder that resulted in Bipolar Disorder that could also trigger him to suffer from mild Schizophrenia which causes him to hallucinate. For the night, Trance will be locked up in a cell until he meets with the psychologist on the morrow. What can be concluded by them is that Trance had gone insane.

30. THE DEVIL’S LOVER

Trance keeps on staring at the ceiling of the cell that he was in. He is lying on a hard metal bed. He cannot feel anything in his heart. He is aware that he has his soul with him now. But he just feels very empty. A human with a soul but that acts without a soul.

“Congratulations,” he suddenly heard a familiar voice in the corner of the room.

He quickly gets up to a sit on the bed and can’t help but smile to the persona in front of him. “William!” He called.

“As promised, I’m here to take you with me,” William said to Trance with the same smile on his face that matches the one portrayed by Trance.

“I told you I only needed more time, didn’t I?” Trance reminded him.

“Yeah, yeah… To be honest, I didn’t think you have it in you to do it,” William said. “But you did it nonetheless… I’m so proud of you.”

Trance’s smile grows wider as he blushes a little. “Where are you going to take me?” He asked.

“Somewhere only I know,” William said.

“I never said this before. But I love you, you know,” Trance stated.

“I know,” William said and he kisses Trance on the lips hungrily. “I miss you,” he stole a moment to speak in between the kiss.

“Me too,” Trance replied in the middle of the kiss too.

“I hope you’ll still love me when you see my true form on the other side,” William said as he broke the kiss and takes Trance’s hands into his.

“One thing you should know about me is that I’ll always accept the one that I love as he is,” Trance stated.

“Very well,” William said. His smile turns wicked but charming all the same. His eyes glow red. “Oh and by the way, you’re not the devil’s knight. You’re the devil’s lover, Trance...”

֍֎֍

The police are dumbfounded when they saw no sign of Trance in the cell the next morning. Trance is missing. However, there’s no sign of forced entry or escape at all were left in the cell. It was as if Trance had vanished into thin air. They look at the security tape where there was a camera placed on the wall overlooking the cell. Trance looks like he was talking to someone before he… vanishes, for real… into thin air. The tape sends shivers down their spine. Now, they all have no choice but to believe that it could be true of what Trance had said about the devil and him.

.THE END.

֍֎֍

EPILOGUE

Surely we will not talk about this place, right? I don’t want to tamper with your imagination as how to this place looks like, feels like, or goes like. It’ll ruin all the fun. Besides, what better ways to be most afraid of going to hell unless if you know nothing about it, isn’t so?

Welcome to hell, people. I’m William. I’ll be your tour guide… There… now you see that wicked smile on my face. Admit it. I have my charms, now, aren’t I? You’ll be seduced to join this endless nightmare…

Oh before I forget, this guy that has been standing beside me is Trance. Cute thing, isn’t he? Don’t look much longer at him or I’ll burn you! He’s mine. End of story. Touch him, you’ll go to the deepest pit of hell.

Where are we going today? I’m going to take you to a memory. Long ago… before those suicide circles… Before Trance was hurt… Even before Peter… You see? You guys are missing the point here. I met Trance somewhere in a history long forgotten. His past… Or more precisely, in his previous lives.

Today, I’ll give you answers to the question as to why I chose Trance… Because I don’t make deals with people as I see pleased as what to you humans seem to believe. I don’t. I don’t dwell in your affairs. I’ll only dwell with you in hell. But there are people which I crossed path with that really interest me up to the point where I do want to make deals with them. Like Nicolo Panganini… he wanted to be the best at playing the violin that he was willing to trade his soul for it. And similarly, Leonardo Da Vinci, who wanted to be great at art. They are all here in hell with me now… Just like Trance.

So back to the questions… Why I assisted him in all those killings… Why I’m so damn attached to him… And the actual questions… HOW and WHEN did I fall in love with him, a simple human being, destined for hell anyway? So… shall we begin?

֍֎֍

~Year: 750 BC ~

Seeing all these humans move by their own choices never fail to amuse me. They are slaves to time, money, power, lust, and feelings… How pitiful. It’s always good not to have emotions. It’s wrong to think of me as emotionless because I do feel. But I can cast those emotions aside, unlike humans.

I have a mission coming down here to the sun-lit world of the humans. And that is because the time has come for me to test them. It’s time for plague… It’s necessary… Because in times of adversary, we will know how strong or weak is their faith and how cruel and kind is their hearts. It’s my duty to test their faith… I am for this sole purpose.

Lying before my eyes is a young man who’s in his death… ‘cause I can smell it. I can smell death. And this young man… the time is near for him to die. He is tied to chains on the wall. He is covered in blood… his own blood, I supposed. Several of his fingers were missing. I suspect that he had been tortured to give out information but of which he clearly didn’t give because he is still alive.

He lifts up his head, struggling in pain at the process, to look at me as he whispers a question; “Who are you?”

I didn’t answer. I just smile down at him, amused at his strong will to survive. “Do you want to be free?” I asked.

He laughs a little in amusement as if he’s thinking that I’m asking an obvious question. “More than anything…” he said.

“How ‘bout a deal?” I asked.

“In return for what?” He asked.

“Your soul,” I said.

He crooks his eyebrows at my question. “Are you the devil?” He asked. A correct guess indeed… I only smile my usual cunning smile as an answer to his question. He smiles back in return arrogantly. “Well, sorry dear Devil sir, my soul is not for sell,” he said.

“Very well,” I replied and walk away. But I didn’t actually left. I watch him. Tortured again and again.... Yet he still did not talk… How stubborn... And in the end, they gave up and plunge the sword right through his heart. I saw his blood filling the floor up to the door. But what interests me the most is that, I saw no fear in his eyes. None at all… as he dies…

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~Year: 1350~

This is in the times when I started The Black Death… I can’t stop. It’s going to end eventually. It’s supposed to already end but I’m getting a little bit too fanatic at spreading plague. I love to see how the humans… deal with it. As I said, they never fail to amuse me.

I didn’t mean to look for him again. But to reasons unknown, I still look for him and I found him again. This time, he is crying by the side of two marked graves.

I approach him slowly… “Who’s in there?” I asked, indicating the owner of the graves. He is at first shocked to have found my sudden arrival and at the sudden question. But it is true to my guessing that he had no recollection or whatsoever of our first meeting in his previous life.

This is because he is looking at me through the eyes of a stranger. “Who are you?” He asked.

I smile at him. “A friend,” I answer to his question as to who I am this time. “So who’s in there?” I asked again.

He turns to look back down to the graves and continues to cry. “My wife and my child,” he said.

“Is it the plague?” I asked. He only nods in agreement. My, my… this is my doing then. I was the one who caused the plague, isn’t so? “Hmm… would you like to have them back?” I asked.

He turns to look at me in anger. “What do you mean?!” He asked.

“I can bring them back if you want,” I simply answer.

It’s anger at first, then confusion, and now fear… it’s written all over his face. “Who are you, really? Don’t play games with me!” He spat.

“I never play games,” I answered. “Well at least I’d like to think so…” I added.

“What do you want?” He asked.

I look deep into his eyes as I answer; “Your soul…”

He looks frightened… it was as if he could guess of my true identity. But he didn’t answer to my offer. “Find someone else,” he said instead. And he gets up from the ground and walks away from me.

I follow him, of course… without his knowledge. And found him putting something into his drink. There… I can smell death. Strong scent of it is filling the air. And he drinks it. He is choking now. I know what will happen so I turn around and walk away. It was poison that he had put in his drink…

Never before I feel this way… Something is coursing its’ way to my heart. And I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. Is it… heartache?

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~ Year: 1601 ~

I don’t want to look for him again but I can smell him. I’m too familiar with his smell now so much so that I can follow his scent. He is now the son of a duke. A trouble maker… Yet, a peace keeper… And wherever he goes, there will always be a smile on his pretty face, a mischievous one, but it’s very pleasing at the same time.

I smile to myself as I look at him. Damned if I know why the hell I’ve been following him over and over in each of his rebirthing… Maybe I’m too ignorant to notice the fact that he has done something to me somewhere in my emotions. And I don’t like it.

“Stop it, Harold,” he said as he laughs. Harold is kissing his neck. They are both laughing as they run together into the dark. Harold is a farmer of the estate. It’s the night of a ball. Harold is having an affair with the son of the duke who is the estate owner. The son of the duke snuck out of the ball in secret to meet his lover. I don’t know why but I feel a bit angry looking at them. I don’t like it when Harold is kissing him, the son of the duke, the one I’ve been following since his previous lives!

“What are you doing, Luke?!” I then heard a voice coming from the woods towards them. The old man is holding a gun. So Luke is his name in this lifetime? The old man must be the duke, Luke’s father. Two of the duke’s men are standing behind him. “You bring shame to our family!” He yelled and he lifts up his gun towards them.

“Father, no!” Luke said, holding his hand out towards his father to stop him. But one of his father’s men takes him away from Harold and drags him to the side of his father. “Don’t! Don’t do it, father!” Luke begged.

Harold knew what’s coming and I can also smell it. That strong scent of death… he turns around to run but he only manages a few steps as the loud gunshot noise fills the air. Harold falls down to the floor with a loud thud.

“NOOOOOO!!!!!” I heard Luke screams. He is then dragged to the house. And Harold’s body is taken by one of the duke’s men to be buried.

Luke since then has been locked up in his room. I no longer see his smile. He doesn’t eat. He doesn’t drink. And I’m beginning to get that smell out of him too now. The very scent of death… So I approach him…

He is sitting by the side of his bed in sadness when he notices my presence. He quickly gets up in surprise. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” He asked.

I walk closer to him. “Do you really want to know?” I answered him with another question. Tears were streaming down his face and he looks away to the window. He is beginning to calm down. It’s as if he does not quite care anymore of my presence in his room. He then sits back down to his bedside right where he had sat before and lets himself being swept away by his own sadness again. I slowly sit by his side as I reached him. “How ‘bout a deal?” I asked. I refused to wait anymore.

He turns to look at me. There’s just that that very sadness in his eyes makes me shiver a little because though I am familiar with the look, it never before came from the eyes of someone I really long for. Then, without my apprehension of the situation, he pulls my sleeve to meet his face and he kisses me. It’s a wild kiss. It’s like a kiss he’s been holding back for a while. But… why?

I push him away with a look on my face that I never gave to anyone before. A panic look… “What did you do that for?” I asked. He didn’t answer. He completely ignores my question and pushes me down to the bed. He got on top of me and started to kiss me again… and again… and again… and what disturbs me is that he is crying while he is kissing me. He couldn’t stop crying.

I wanted to stop him but I really can’t. This is not something unusual for me to kiss a human. I seduced many before and took them to bed but this time, it’s quite different. Maybe it’s because I had longed for him. I couldn’t say that it’s love. I don’t know if I’m capable of feeling that. But I had wanted him… I had yearned for him... And to have him in my arms right now only confuses me more. And it just breaks my heart because I knew… I knew he did not kiss me because he loves me nor was it because he is suddenly attracted to me. He is not even interested in me. And this is definitely not lust. He more or less does not even care of who I am. He is just using me…

He is using me to vent his frustration out. To let go of his sadness… All he really wanted was not me… it was Harold, his lover… I’m just a tool here. But I just let him. I let him use me. I let him kiss me. And our clothes were stripping fast. I hold him close. I’m feeling his body’s heat close to mine. His chest to my chest… his breath to my breath… his groins to my groins… pressed to each other…

He went down to my lower part and started to caress my penis. He then puts it into his mouth and begins to suck it. The sensation… how to explain this sensation? The kind you want to remember about but always forget the morning after? And that just will make you feel like you wanted it again… over and over.

I push him down now and I get on top of him, facing him. His sad eyes… how alluring… I started to push my penis down into his opening. A steady opening… all ready… he’s too familiar with this, isn’t he? I slide it in real slowly and when it finally went all in, I heard him groan in satisfaction. So I move… I move slowly at first and just let myself enjoy looking down on him. But later I start to move real fast that he begins to scream in ecstasy. I am moaning and groaning as well for the sensation is overwhelming. I was moving real fast for a while before I pull my penis out and he growls in frustration at what I did.

But I’m not done yet. I push him face down on the bed and start to slide my penis into him again. I didn’t go slowly anymore this time. I only go fast. And I let myself enjoy listening to his screams as I move. I keep on moving… I don’t know for how long… but I finally stop when I reach the climax and spurts my semen into him.  This feeling… it’s overwhelming for me…

I heard him panting as I ease down to take a look at his face. His eyes are closed… I just lie down next to him, staring at him… He still didn’t utter a word to me. And I keep staring at him… until he falls asleep.

I don’t sleep. I never sleep. But I just rest my eyes and wait… I’m waiting for him to get up. The sun is rising when I heard him move. He didn’t even as much as turn to look at me at all. He just grabs his robe and puts it on as he walks over to the window watching the blazing sun that is half-risen. I get up to a sit and watch him as he climbs the window. I smell it again. No…

He didn’t turn to look at me at all. Not even once. This scent is all too familiar and upsetting… He just gently lets the gravity takes on the weight of his body. And I hear him fall to the ground. That very scent of death… how cruel… For the first time in my life, I feel it. Something wets my cheeks… how cruel… how can a mere human be this cruel to me?

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~ Year: 1981 ~

I know now… No matter how much I can cast emotions aside, in truth, I’m not much different than humans… I long for someone to be with. And I just know that he is the one I want to be with. And I can’t bear the thought of losing him again. In this lifetime, I wish he will trade his soul for a wish. So that I can take him with me… So that he’ll be mine forever…

“Make a deal with me,” I begged him as I hold him in my arms. He is shaking. The smell of death yet again filled the air. It won’t be long before he’s gone.

“What do you m-mean?” He asked. He is holding the pain in his chest. He had just been stabbed in his chest by a girl. He is Mr. Popular in this lifetime and he rejected the girl’s love for him completely oblivious to the fact that the girl was not much sane.

“Is there anything you want?” I asked.

He only smiles at my question. “Look mister, I don’t even know you,” he said.

“Does it matter?” I asked again, trying hard to keep myself composed when in truth, I’m losing my composure. Tears yet again filled my eyes.

He looks at me in confusion, as if he’s wondering why I am sad for him to go. Of course, he didn’t remember our previous encounters. “If there’s one thing I want,” he said. “i-is… to not… be p-p-popular a-any-m-more,” he said, stuttering as he is losing his breath. And he closes his eyes… again… How many times do I have to go through this? No. No more. I will not let him go again! I’ll do anything to ensure that next time… he’ll make a deal with me.

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~Year: 2013~

I saw him. He is looking down at his body lying helplessly on the bed, supported by the machines to stay alive. He is a wondering soul. He didn’t know of this. But I had everything planned out. As I said, I’ll do anything to ensure that he will make a deal with me.

I saw everything happened a year ago when his bullies raped him and left him for dead. I didn’t do anything to stop it because I didn’t smell that scent of death coming from him. I knew he’ll be alive. A year was gone only to make sure that his heart is filled with hatred and revenge towards them. And who was it that tempted those bullies to hurt him, to make him suffer, to make him have something to trade his soul with? Me! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the culprit! Me, the cunning devil! Everything goes according to plan… Now, the only thing left is for him to agree on trading his soul for a wish…

“What is your wish?” I asked him as I walk closer to him.

He does not know who I am but he doesn’t seem to care as he answers; “Death.”

I smile my charming cunning smile at him. The usual devilish thing I’ll do… “Settled for less, then?” I asked again all composed.

“Yes,” he simply answered.

“How ‘bout revenge?” I asked, seducing his tainted heart to reconsider. The very heart I tainted… He did not answer me. He just stares into space uncaringly. His eyes are full of sadness. “I promise they will suffer more than you,” I tempted him again. He still did not give me an answer. I only smile slyly to myself and sits beside him. “And you’ll get to see them fall one by one…” I said with the most seductive tone ever whispered to his ears.

“Death. That is my wish,” he said, being stern about his very wish. I’m getting a bit impatience but I maintain my cool.

“Revenge first. Then, death. Sounds nice?” I tempted him again.

He then looks at me with his eyes narrowed. “What’s the catch?” He asked.

I smile. A good question indeed. “You. Your soul. Your body. They will all belong to me,” I said. He looks away as he snorts a little at me but he didn’t say anything. “Sounds nice?” I asked. He is quiet for a while before he finally gives me the answer I’ve been longing to hear…

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“Sounds nice,” Trance said as he follows me into the dark. “So are all those who trade souls with you became your slaves?” He asked.

“Slaves?” I make a face at his question. “There’s better word for that. I’d call them ‘assistants’, my dear,” I said to him.

“But we will work for you for eternity and there’s no chance for escape,” he stated the obvious with an uncaring attitude. I only smirk at him. “So what’s my job?” He asked.

“You? Let’s see…” I started. “You get to lie on bed all day like a good housewife waiting for me to come home,” I said and then I flash him one of my devious smiles. He only smiles back at me, feeling amused I supposed. He must’ve think I’m joking. “Sounds nice?” I asked.

He chuckles a little and then he sighs as he looks deep into my eyes. “Sounds brilliant”, he answered as he lifts up his face a little to receive a kiss from me.

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LYRICS CREDITS:

1. Ashley Parker Angel - Perfect Now

2. RED - Take It All Away

3. RED – Pieces

4. Tili Tili Bom

5. RED - Start Again

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