Make Me

THE GAME

PART 1:

By the time I arrived at the strange funhouse's main hall, side by side with Lucifer, everyone else seemed to be gathered. My jaw locked tightly, as my eyes looked to the barely dressed boys and girls, mostly my age. All of them had collars, different designs though completely, but all richly decorated with beautiful stones and gold.

The floor looked like a chessboard, and right above us, a long gallery stood, where the sins waited for everyone to be silent.

"Have fun, Seth" Lucifer offered me a shifty smile, placing his hand on my back, where Jude usually keeps his, and my skin crawled as if it refused to have anyone else touch me other than him.

Or maybe it was just my general discomfort and burning hatred towards Lucifer... both could be true.

"Don't let the illusions bite..." he whispered in my ear before giving me a light push. Just as I could've replied to him, he disappeared from my side, and I was left with the silently staring and gaping pets in front of me. With me, there were about 10 people here, excluding the sins of course, but I was obviously the odd one out, in a suit and tie next to all the sexily, but not very practically covered crowd.

"Welcome" the woman spoke up, and now every eye turned from me to her, including mines. Her features were more than pleasant to look at, and so I had no problem paying attention for this short while... I wonder what her name was, I would've found it rude to just address her as "Pride".

"At the table on your right, you can find your crystals. Each of you shall take one and put it anywhere on their body. You are free to try something sneaky, but I also have to remind you all, that the hunters aren't shy" she continued, her voice formal and stern, while she motioned to the table. No one really moved until' I did, and I wasn't sure why, but judging by the other's faces, they were so broken in that they hardly breathed if they weren't ordered to. I couldn't decide if I was more repulsed if it was just immense pity that clenched my chest this way. I could never become like this, and I'm pretty sure Jude knows that... I hoped at least that he does. And I hoped that he wouldn't want to see me as such a brainless, broken soul... But of course, I'll find out when I actually die.

I walked over to the table and picked up one of the small crystals. It was the size of a fingertip, and I stared at it for a short while, wondering where I should hide it.

I slowly ran my finger through my upper body, trying to feel which part is the most hidden, or less likely to be found by simple touches... The stone was small enough to hide in my v-line, so I quickly pulled my dressing shirt up and placed it in the small dip just above my crotch. Should be fine.

The other pets walked over to me, and they did the same, mainly just staring at the small stone in confusion, but they ended up picking their chest, or the inner side of their arm or thigh. The last thing I wanted is for Jude to have a reason to get between my legs really, so that certainly didn't come up as an option for me.

"The game will be held in this funhouse, and right now we are on the ground floor. The goal is simple: You must get to the roof. Once you do, you win the game... As for the rules:

Each floor will have at least one task, that you must complete before you can get to the other elevator. Both the tasks and the illusions will be made up by one of your hunters at a time, and though you'll be going to the same place, you won't see each other due to the nature of this magic, so don't even think about getting through it by someone else.

As for the hunters, they'll be free to roam the floors, but they can only interfere or interact with you on their assigned levels... Except for the last floor, just before the roof, there everyone is allowed. The magic will be broken, the preys can see each other. The one who gets to the roof first, wins.

The hunters are free to use any means necessary other than violence, to get your crystals... It counts as violence if they hold you down with strength or keep you from moving against your will, so don't worry about that part." She seemed to be done with her explaining, but I still had a few questions, that I meant to address.

"Can we use violence to fight off hunters?" I stepped ahead, so I could catch her eye. Her cold gaze snapped to me, tilting her head to the side as if she tried to wrap her mind around what I just said.

"Sure Seth, I'll make sure to tell Lucifer and Judas to be very careful, for they are in great danger." she rolled her eyes, almost laughing out loud from the idea.

I was at a loss of words, staring up at her in utter confusion, then horror... Lucifer is my other hunter? Didn't I have enough problems already?

I bit my tongue and didn't reply anything that would worsen my situation. The sins disappeared into the thin air, and a golden elevator opened before us. So, what if Lucifer is involved too? I should've seen it coming... Now I have all the more reason to win... And it's not like he could harm me.

I didn't hesitate much, just went ahead and stepped into the overly decorated thing, waiting for the others to get in too. The pets stood there awkwardly for a good moment before they gathered the courage to follow me, but as soon as they crossed the entrance, I lost sight of them one by one, and the elevator door closed. With my heart way up in my throat, I could feel the pleasant tingling of both excitement and fear rush through my veins. I was going to win... no matter the cost.

As I arrived on the first floor, a small, creepy clown-laugh alerted me to get out of the elevator. It appeared to be a ran-down ghost house. Lamely placed plastic skeletons and "scary" masks were laying on the ground, the walls damaged and worn-out, and the smell matched this outlook.

With a slightly confused face, I began walking through the seemingly endless hallway.

"Hello?" I called out, wondering which hunter set up such a boring level. Were these already illusions, or was this real? As I kept walking, my eyes came across a quite old, and dirty full-body mirror. I slowly smiled and walked in front of it... I hoped it would be one of those strange mirrors, that distorted your body or your face, but my reflection seemed perfectly normal. A little tired, with curiously sparkling eyes, and messy hair. I didn't recognize myself ever since I've met Jude, but I liked it. After all, he promised to make me the man I aspired to be... But is this it? An overly exhausted pretty boy?

I smiled at the idea, eying myself up once more.

"Hi, dear..." a deep voice whispered, and I jumped as it ripped me from my thoughts. I spun around since I felt someone's breath on my neck, but there was no one behind me... The hallway was empty, without a trace of anyone other than me. Slowly calming back down, I turned back to the mirror but froze as my eyes met Jude's. I stumbled back, hitting the wall as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, or more like... What the hell. It was bizarre, to see Jude move with me, blink when I did, and make the same expression as I had on... His face never moved like this. I blinked a few times, and before I realized it, my reflection became normal again, but... smiled at me. It was a patronizing smile as if he was better than I was (which was absurd). He now appeared to be older, his hair slightly longer and a quite large scar ran across the left side of his face, making it gloomier and more serious. My walking stick was in my hand, and I wore an elegant long coat, staring back at myself with arrogant indifference. I took a step closer, wanting to see more of what seemed like an older version of myself, but it disappeared, now leaving me with no reflection whatsoever.

"Very funny" I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the strange occurrences, as I pushed myself away from the mirror, so I could continue my way... I should find whatever my task is and complete it. My voice kept echoing around me, getting deeper then higher, repeating my words over and over again, until' it drove me crazy.

"VeRy fUnNy" A horrifying, raspy voice giggled behind me, and I spun around so fast I thought my neck will break. My throat tightened at the sight of the oddly shaped creature staring at me with a slightly tilted head. His hands were long, almost reaching the ground, but the thing itself was very tall and illy thin. Its features were sharp, but in the dim lighting I could only make out his scarily distinct jaw and cheekbone. Eyes glowing red, a toothy grin completing the grim sight. "Very funny... VERY fUnNy," his voice came and went, sometimes getting as quiet as a squeak and the next second it was a maniacal yell. I took a few steps backwards, reminding myself that the black and white coloured monster, was, in fact, an illusion.

"What do you want?" I demanded, forcing some bravery on my tone.

"It's bEhInD you..." it giggled again, his strange voice hurting my ears. It raised one of its hands and pointed behind me with his oddly long fingers. I swallowed, instinctively glancing behind my back.

"I'm bEhInD you" the creature screamed at me, an inch away from my face, making me fall back, as I tried to get away from him as quick as I could.

I got to my feet and began running in the opposite direction, my heart nearly stopping with each step I heard the strange figure take after me, its laughter echoing from everywhere all at once. Rushing through the hallway, my eyes found a door that wasn't there before, and without thinking I grabbed the handle and threw myself in there.

I was completely surrounded by darkness, and the only noise I could make out was the creatures violent claws scratching the other end of the door and my heart way up in my throat. I locked the entrance and pushed myself away from it. "Jude?" I asked unsurely, knowing he has to be somewhere on this floor too. I wanted to get out of here, or just hear his voice, so I would somehow get a grasp of reality again.

"Yes?" a quick shiver ran down my spine when I heard the purring deep voice near my ears. Since it was too dark to make basically anything out of it, I could only pinpoint where he stood when he wrapped his hands around me from behind and pulled me into a hug I was more than content with.

A relieved sigh left my mouth, despite his touchy welcoming, I really was glad that it was him and not Lucifer.

"My, my, you are trembling" he whispered, pulling me to his chest to comfort me, caressing my sides gently. The urge to melt in his arms was now stronger than ever, knowing that he was the only thing keeping me safe from that beast. While my head was filled with fear and images of the monster, his hands kept going further down my body, undoing my belt, while his tongue invaded my mark, letting the burning sensation run through my skin, using the fact that I had no strength whatsoever to defy him now. His suggestion caught me off-guard, not knowing how to react to his sudden advances.

My brows furrowed in a dizzy, confused expression, yet I wasn't able to move away somehow, being glad that he finally held me, knowing I was safe from the creature... I didn't resist while his fingers slowly pushed my pants down, just enough to reveal the top of my boxers, fear and desire creating quite a strong mixture in my veins, that I got drunk on in just a few seconds.

He turned my head in his direction, pulling me in for a kiss, forcing me to open my mouth wider... His tongue was long and somehow different than usual, but I couldn't quite explain how in the dizzy fog that filled my mind. "J-Jude" I moaned out softly, partially questioning the situation, but my tone was undeniably lude. As I pressed myself closer to him, and let my hands travel down his body, I began feeling a little odd... At first too busy with the lustful kiss, I couldn't comprehend the bony, bizarrely thin ribcage that laid under my fingers, but as a few seconds passed I realized that Jude wasn't that much taller than me... or he wasn't supposed to be. I could feel his mouth stretching into an unnaturally large grin and my stomach turned with fear and disgust, pulling away from the thing so fast, I almost fell on the ground again. Resisting the urge to throw up, my breathing became completely incoherent. "jUdE... jUdE..." the creature howled, mocking the way I said his name. Horror and panic froze my whole body, yet my instinctive need to run away from him decided that it was time to move. Despite the complete darkness, I began running in a direction that I thought to be away from the thing that followed me. My lungs burning, and mouth bleeding from how much his teeth had cut my tongue up I still didn't find the bravery to stop. "wHere are you rUnNiNg, DeAr?" it echoed behind me, the awful laughter filling the empty room, as I kept trying to block it out.

After a good minute of aimless rushing, I bumped into a hard surface and fell through some kind of door, landing on the ground painfully. My hands still trembling as I tried to push myself into a sitting position to look around. The light was blinding, though it wasn't that bright, my eyes got used to the darkness that used to surround me for long minutes before, so I needed a little time to adjust.

"Finally..." I heard Jude's voice so my eyes shot up, afraid it would be the creature again, but no... it was him this time, sitting next to the golden elevator door, which was wide open as if waiting for me.

I couldn't say anything, I just gaped at hit for a few seconds, slowly getting on my feet. There were so many questions floating around in my mouth, and I wasn't sure if he was aware of the nightmare I've just experienced.

"You are just... going to let me through?" I asked unsurely, still panting from the last few minutes. I glanced behind my back, but the door was completely gone, the empty hallway showed only, and there was no sign of the strange monster.

"I've got what I wanted for now... So sure, please go ahead" he smiled pleasantly, but his eyes twinkled with something dark and entertained. I swallowed a little, trying to contain myself, and all the questions and curses I wanted to throw at his head.

"What... what was that...?" I asked quietly, pointing behind my back. His smile grew into a grin, tilting his head to the side.

"Me, OF COURSE" his voice broke off like creature's for a second, and I stumbled back. I kept my eyes on him, but Jude didn't move or threaten to stand up, just gave me a wink. When I realized he just changed his voice for a moment to scare me, I offered him an angry glare.

"Off you go, dear" he suggested, gesturing towards the elevator, and this time I took the chance without a second thought. A relieved sigh left my mouth as soon as the doors locked behind me, though I felt like this was only the start... I knew Jude would play around with me if he had the chance, but this just seemed cruel. But then again, I'm also quite certain, he had a specific purpose with this night-terror like experience, and it annoyed me that I just didn't see what he earned from it.

But what matters now is that I've got through it.

The first floor: done.