บท 7: Mary Had A Little lamb
"Can you at least tell me your name," I asked the demon girl i guess, this is probably her domain and she said she would leave with me if i win, i wonder if that is a good idea..
"Ok" she said, her childish tone almost playful. "My name is Mary."
Mary. Something about the name felt wrong, like a mask for something far darker. But there was no denying the malicious glee in her voice as she spoke.
"I like this game, James," Mary continued, her voice echoing all around me. "You're doing so well. Better than the others… they didn't last this long." She giggled, and the sound sent a shiver down my spine. "But you're different. You've got fire inside you, and not just because of that little lamp. You've got something else."
Her words hung in the air, and I felt the fire within me flare in response. She was right. There was something else inside me now, something darker, born from the flames that consumed my soul.
"So, if I win… you'll leave with me?" I asked, my eyes scanning the twisted horizon for any sign of her. "And what then? What happens when this game is over?"
Mary's giggle returned, this time more menacing. "Oh, James, you're so silly. You think this will ever really be over?"
The question sank into my chest like a lead weight. Of course. This was no ordinary game. It didn't end with a simple victory or escape. I could feel it in the air, in the very core of my being. The hunger, the fire… they were never going to stop.
"But… if you win," she continued, her voice softening, "I'll come with you, and I'll make sure you never feel that hunger again. We'll be together, James. And I'll keep feeding your fire."
The temptation in her words was like a drug, laced with a dangerous promise. The fire inside me flared again, feeding on the possibility, but I hesitated. Could I really trust her? Could I survive whatever this game still had in store for me?
"What do you get out of it?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, though there was no one to focus on. "Why help me at all?"
Mary didn't respond at first, but I could feel her presence closing in around me, like the brush of cold fingers against my skin. When she finally spoke, her voice was lower, more serious, though still tainted with that eerie innocence.
"I like you, James. You're interesting. Most people just break. But you… you're burning, and it's beautiful. I Want you, I need you "
"Uh huh, so these are your lambs?" I asked, my voice laced with sarcasm as I gestured toward the grotesque creatures crawling from the cracks in the earth. Their twisted forms moved unnaturally, with jerky, broken movements, like marionettes pulled by a careless puppeteer. But despite the sarcasm, my mind was racing, trying to understand what game I was truly in.
Mary's giggle echoed in response, her voice teasing, but there was a predatory edge beneath the playfulness. "Yes, they are. Aren't they precious? They're so hungry, just like you." The air around me seemed to grow colder, and I could almost feel her breath against my neck, though she remained unseen. "But you're different, James. You're my favorite lamb."
The creatures advanced, their hollow eyes gleaming, but instead of fear, I felt something else rise within me. The fire. The hunger. It roared, louder now, surging with a power I was only beginning to understand.
"And what happens if your favorite lamb decides not to play?" I asked, clenching my fists as the flame within me flared, casting a sickly green glow from the lamp that had reappeared in my hand. I wasn't sure how much longer I could control it. Every second felt like I was slipping further into its grasp.
Mary's voice darkened, her teasing tone dropping away. "Oh, but you are playing, James. Whether you like it or not. You can't stop now. The fire won't let you."
She was right, of course. The fire had its claws in me, and I couldn't pull free. It was consuming me, burning away any remnants of the person I used to be. I could feel the flame licking at the edges of my mind, eroding my thoughts, twisting them into something darker, something less human.
"But don't worry," she whispered, her voice curling around me like smoke. "I'll take care of you. You'll never be alone again. We'll burn together, James."
"Yeah, just make sure to fulfill your promise" I said, my voice steady but hollow, as if the fire within me had burned away the last of my fear. The lid of the black lamp creaked open, the green flame flickering wildly, hungrily. It reflected in my eyes as the hunger surged, consuming the air around me, ready to devour whatever came close.
The creatures, sensing the shift, hesitated. They were grotesque, twisted versions of things that might have once been human, now just empty shells driven by the same hunger gnawing at my core. But the moment that flame roared to life, they seemed to shrink back, as if recognizing something far more dangerous than themselves.
….
I was done getting rid of these monsters, and now i lay here panting from exhaustion.
"Seriously," I muttered to myself, staring at the sky that twisted and shifted above me, "I think I might develop PTSD after this." My voice echoed back, swallowed by the oppressive silence.
"Hmm, one more to go and we can leave, Hide from the shepherd for an hour and you shall live and be free" She said gleefully.
My heart sank as Mary's words twisted through the air. Hide from the shepherd for an hour.
"Wait, the shepherd? What the hell is that?" I asked, pulling myself to my feet, the ache of exhaustion settling deep into my bones.
Mary didn't answer right away, just hummed a soft, eerie tune that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The silence stretched, and for a brief, horrifying moment, I wondered if she was toying with me if this entire thing had been another setup for failure.
"You'll know when he comes," she said finally, her voice softer, almost sweet. "He's not like the others. He'll find you, James. You can't hide from him… not really."
I swallowed hard. "Great. That's super helpful, Mary."
She giggled, that haunting sound again. "But if you can last an hour, if you can keep him away… well, then I suppose you win."
My mind raced. The shepherd. Another nightmare creature, probably worse than the others I had faced. I couldn't begin to imagine what kind of horror this place would unleash now. But there was no time to dwell on it,I had to move. If this was the last trial, I'd have to outsmart whatever the shepherd was, even if my chances felt slim.
I tightened my grip on the lamp, the green flame still flickering weakly inside. It had been my salvation so far, but I wasn't sure how much longer it could hold out, or if it would even work against the shepherd.
"Time's ticking, James," Mary said, her voice taking on that playful tone again. "Better get going before he comes looking."
I spun on my heels and ran.
The twisted landscape blurred around me as I sprinted over uneven ground, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The air felt heavier now, like the world itself was pressing down on me. Every sound seemed amplified the crunch of rocks beneath my boots, the ragged rhythm of my own breath, the distant, low hum of something stirring in the shadows.
I didn't know where I was going, just that I needed to keep moving. But the twisted terrain was unfamiliar, shifting and warping as I went. No matter how far I ran, it felt like I was getting nowhere, like the landscape was folding in on itself.
And then… the air changed.
A deep, low vibration thrummed through the ground beneath my feet, growing louder with each passing second. It felt like the earth was groaning, twisting in response to something massive and unseen. My heart pounded in my chest as I stumbled to a stop, straining my ears, hoping,no, praying, i was imagining things.
But I wasn't.
A shape began to materialize in the distance, towering and shrouded in darkness. Even from this distance, I could feel its presence heavy and oppressive, like gravity itself was bending toward it. The figure moved slowly, deliberately, its steps shaking the ground as it advanced.
The shepherd.
Instinct took over. I turned and bolted in the opposite direction, my legs burning with effort, but no matter how fast I ran, I could feel the shepherd's presence growing closer. It wasn't running after me it didn't need to. It was simply moving, and the world seemed to warp around it, bending space and time itself to close the distance between us.
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