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asterjennifer · 1 year

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Mystictober 2022 | Day 31 - Halloween

Collab with @marshmallowprotection<3

Summary: MC thinks they're going to the RFA's Charity Halloween Gala... but as it turns out, they're going to a different kind of scary party all together.

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After getting in you paid no more attention to the surroundings for the time being. Driver Kim knew where to bring you according to Jumin’s promise over the messenger, although the exchanged conversation had happened over two hours ago. It’s somewhat confusing considering the party’s held downtown where the apartment you’re currently staying at was built. But you hadn't really questioned.

Maybe there was traffic, or more likely simple construction sites that had to be bypassed.

Whatever the reason might’ve been, it’s nothing to worry much over. The RFA’s quiet in the chatroom ever since you entered the car. At some point you decided to just play one of your new phone dating sims; after your friend let you in on it, it became a real addiction. Some of the characters reminded you of old or current acquaintances that had crossed your life in one way or another.

Trees and bushes flew past you and slowly but surely that fact got deeper under your skin. The ride became jerky over time and at the latest when you peeked out the window to find nothing but forest, you started to worry. Where the good God was this driver taking you? You should’ve arrived at the festival almost two hours ago.

You tried making out the face of his in the rearview mirror, however, it’s too dark to make out any personal features. “Um, excuse me but...” You gazed back down to the corner of the phone; having your voice stuck in the back of your throat. Since when did the connection vanish? “Ah? What?” This was becoming more and more ridiculous.

Didn’t you have connection before sitting down in the car? Was that the reason for Yoosung to not answer your latest text? You told him that you’re on your way and normally he sent a silly sticker back to acknowledge the information you shared for safety reasons. This time there’s none of that kind.

“I’m sorry but where exactly are you taking me? You know the Halloween party is downtown, right?” Perhaps it’s considered rude to doubt the driver’s skills, you couldn’t help the bad gut feeling though.

Something about this left the tips of your fingers to freeze.

The abrupt stop pressed the seatbelt into your belly, making you wheeze out the already thin air. Blinking away the sudden shift you turned back to the window only to meet the closure of the forest. “The hell...” You mumbled out as you swiped your phone’s features down in order to find the flashlight setting; you couldn’t make out a thing.

“What is it, sweetie?” Getting addressed by such an inappropriate nickname out of the blue had you gasp silently. He reached up to turn on the small light inside the car, the smile that met you afterwards sent a chilling shudder down your spine.

“Didn't you order a taxi? I can’t remember it to be the opposite.”

The faded noises of nature blurred out of your focus. “I...” You’ve seen Mr. Kim before, and this man had not a single similarity with Jumin’s personal driver. These icy blue eyes that stared back, paired with one of the calmest albeit wicked smirks you’ve ever seen.

An unknown man sat in the driver seat; now a clicking sound echoed in the back of your head. Color ran dry inside your face when you pressed yourself deeper into the leather seat of the car. “Who- What...”

The guy your age smiled wider; his hand held onto the other seat as he turned back more. Shocking white hair almost shimmering under the dim, yellow light of the car. He even wore a mask and your adrenaline shot through the roof when realizing he must’ve taken you somewhere completely different. Anywhere but the RFA Halloween festival.

“You took a long time to understand the situation, dear party coordinator.” He chuckled the words out. “I’d say you should work on your gut instinct. But that’s pretty useless now.”

He left the car faster than you could process; having your heart hammer in the tips of your ears. He knew you. That man was aware of your position in the RFA. He even located your current position and slowly the puzzle pieces formed the whole picture together. How have you not seen the danger the moment you stepped into the car without getting a greeting in return?

The moment he opened the car door you hectically unbuckled yourself to jerk away from his hand reaching out. “YOU- You get away from me! You’re one of the- the...” Well, what were they?

He raised an eyebrow by your intense reaction, looking so much bigger due to the pitch-black night outside of the car. “I’m what? Do you think you know?”

He asked in a mocking tone. “Perhaps you do know... I’m the one who brought you to the apartment, after all.” Your attempt to slap his hand ended in vain as he’s quicker in movement and took hold of your ankle. The force behind his action made you hiss out in pain.

The guy immediately loosened his grip seeing you pinch an eye close. Regardless, he made no effort to let go despite you wiggling in his grip. “It’s no use fighting, darling.” He tugged again. “You’re at the end of the world... Nobody will be able to rescue you.” The horror on your face seemed to amuse him.

“Be good and do what I say if you don’t want me to hurt you.” The words cut through your fear and left you no choice but to behave. You knew he’s not joking.

After driving for so long you truly had to be somewhere out of town; it wouldn’t surprise you if you’re out of Korea even. Feeling weak because of all the fear it took you a good moment to come out. Your legs wobbled as the stranger locked the car up. Why did he come for you now? Where were you? What would he do now that you’re basically served on a silver platter in front of his feet? The more your thoughts wandered the harder it was keeping tears of desperation repressed.

Now that you’re standing outside, the cold air made you shiver to the bone. October came with a weird taste of medium temperatures and yet there were winds that caused many to fall sick. The thousand colors of the leaves not visible around this time of the night, you forgot what time it was anyway. You hugged your arms for both comfort and warmth, doing your best avoiding the man’s gaze when keeping your eyes glued to the ground.

But the sudden touch on your elbow got you snapping your attention back up to his face. “Don’t shiver just yet,” He pulled, a subtle command to follow him. “I have planned something fun for you. I’m sure you will like it.”

“Wh- Why did you bring me here...!?” You hissed out by accident. Luckily, he didn’t appear affected by your rude tone of voice. He just kept his grip tight while dragging you in front of a huge building decorated with a turquoise roof.

The spit stayed away as you found it hard to believe that what you’re perceiving is real in the first place. “Oh my God...” Breathless, the words fell over your lips unconsciously.

Only the high hum of the stranger made you aware of your own reaction. “Glad you like it.” He looked over his shoulder for a split second, but that’s already enough to set you off again.

He ushered you in through a huge front entrance and inside the building itself was so much to examine that your vision got a little dizzy. Whitewashed walls mixed up with dark blue curtains and ceiling, somewhat giving the place a royal attitude. Some side tables with many species of flowers; most of them you didn't even know by name. But the decoration caught you off guard the most.

Some weird bats hung up on the walls, real pumpkins standing around in the corridors with judging stares engraved into their faces. There’s a struggle to have the place Halloween themed, yet it’s just that. A struggle. Since it appeared empty at the same time. “Don’t slack off.”

His voice muttered directly at you, guiding you through this suspicious place as if it’s a children's play. For you it’s a massive headache given there were countless corners and floors that he pulled you through. There’s no chance in hell you’d remember the way out. Unless someone’s going to help, it’s not like there weren’t other people that passed by.

Beyond your hope, something whispered into your head that neither the people nor this guy would be kind enough to help you back home. The people wore costumes, however, they all had one thing in common; their faces were mostly covered or hidden under thick hoods and masks. Like they couldn’t afford being recognized by anyone.

Most walked with their heads lowered, it’s odd for sure. “We're here.” The unknown man came to an hold in front of a door that’s looking like every other.

“Where...?” You wondered hesitantly, watching a certain shimmer rush over his eyes as he pushed the door open. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Obligated to obey, you let him bring you inside a small room with only one table. Clothing’s placed down tidily as he leaned against the door with his back. Was he blocking it on purpose? “This is your costume for tonight. Thank me, right?” You inhaled sharply.

Having the role of the party coordinator left you the choice not to dress up for the party; much like for the rest of the RFA. And this year you didn’t feel like dressing up as something particular. Nonetheless, him urging you changed the course of plans entirely. Not sharing his anticipation, you still walked over to figure out what he’s seeking to dress you up in. Why was he into this at all? So many questions.

It surprised you that it’s a yellow-colored outfit, reminded you of a specific Disney princess you’ve watched in your childhood. “Is that... A Belle costume!?” You squeaked and the stranger threw his head back when laughing. “Haha! Your reaction is just like I expected.”

With the fabric between your fingers, you turned around to read his expression. Or any little hint letting you know this was a big joke. Disappointment spread bitterly over your tongue as he waved his hand when leaving the room. “You have ten minutes.” He said shortly.

“I come back in whether you’re finished or not. So don’t waste time.” And with that, the door’s closed in your face. The snapping sound of a key letting you face the reality of being locked in.

Panic suffocated your chest; was this for real? Ten minutes? Why the hell should you dress up as Belle from all available costumes on this planet? Your eyes searched for some clue, a lack in security to escape. It didn’t take long until you came to terms with defeat and instead focused on getting the outfit on before he’s going to bust into the room.

Clumsily yet determined you managed to have it sit right a few minutes later. To be honest with yourself, it was a pretty costume. It didn’t feel cheap either. The fabric shimmered whenever you tilted it into different angles. You probably should’ve been fonder of your safety and tried breaking down the door; but once you made a reality check with your current situation it’s obvious you had no way out. The clock above the entrance did its job, ticking endlessly and after twenty minutes you felt deeply unsettled once again.

Didn’t he want to come back ten minutes ago? Where did he leave to? You fell out of thoughts by the vibration of your phone at the table, acquainted with the type of texting that popped up on your lock screen. The username and profile picture familiar much against your liking.

▹ Unknown: Are you ready to play, dear royalty?

The nickname as upsetting as before. You scanned the room from top to bottom, feeling the little rest of courage leave your system. Knowing you couldn’t procrastinate on your fate any longer you opened the messenger while biting your lip bloody.

▹You: I thought you come back after ten minutes...

▹Unknown: Change of plan. Tough luck, I know.

You frowned annoyed at the cocky response. Who did he think he was, really. Hopefully Seven or someone else noticed your absence and came to track your phone to rescue you. That’s the only thing you could bet on for the time being.

▹Unknown: We play a game tonight... So go to the garden. I’m sure you’re smart enough to find it^^

What an insinuation. You cracked the door handle and for some reason the door actually opened up. Did he pass by to unlock it? This entire guessing game left your mind spinning. Weary, you observed the empty floor; nobody and nothing to find. Which didn’t mean you could put your caution to rest. He spoke of a game in the messages, it could mean literally anything.

As you slowly reached the end of the corridor, you could examine the beautiful garden on the other side of the windowpane. If it wasn’t almost worth being kidnapped for this outstanding view alone, you stopped in your tracks to just admire the flowers blooming under the moonlight. It’s somewhat ruined as there were tables and weird fake hedges put up. Although there’s some distance, you’re able to tell they’re not real.

You sighed. The smell of something undefinable sweet filled your nose; it’s nothing you’ve ever smelled before. If this game happened outside, perhaps the stranger named Unknown in the messenger prepared things with the help of the hedges, despite your prayers that not to be the case. Sadly your luck seemed to have run dry ever since he picked you up in front of the apartment. The buzz of your phone proved a small presumption you wished so badly to be false.

▹Unknown: Go out already and don’t stand there like an idiot. Let’s celebrate Halloween for what it is, hmm? We play like adults. I promise it will be fun.

However it’s possible; he’s aware of your whereabout and actions. Which could only mean one thing. Unknown was able to track and see you. Another shudder ran down your back after you took a deep breath and turned the doorknob to step outside. Your intuition told you this would be a lot to deal with, but nothing fun.

————

There was not a doubt in your mind that he was going to push you into doing something you didn't like. This was the hacker, after all. He managed to manipulate everyone you knew many times and at this point, you had no idea what he was capable of.

Even if he was playing a game at this point that was meant to be out of your control, you didn’t know how long that game might last, even if he was allowing you to think you had a semblance of control, you didn't know how long that would last, and even if you figured out the way out of here, there was no chance it would help.

It wasn't like he was giving you a say in anything.

This was something that he had created specifically to get under your skin. You knew that you had to play along with everything because he held all the cards. He can make you do anything,

you thought. You didn't know where you were or how to get back. It didn't even matter at that point that you had a phone.

The connection wouldn't lead to anything but him.

You tried to send something back to the RFA but it just glitched and errored out. You weren't sure how far you were from the apartment, much less the city, and you blamed yourself for not thinking more clearly. This was your problem. You always trusted your gut and it didn't matter if your gut was wrong. You went through with it every single time.

Jumin had told you that it would be Driver Kim.

You trusted that without a doubt. You didn't even think to talk to him at first because it was always him who came to get you. It was that blind trust that had led you to this situation. It wasn't a bad thing, but now you were starting to regret how much you trusted yourself and the people around you. You always wanted to see the good in people. That's why you trusted him in the first place. Unknown wanted you to squirm when you thought about it.

Your phone buzzed again.

▹Unknown: Good. You’ve started walking. Now, if you haven’t noticed, you’re standing in front of a maze. I'm sure that somebody like you knows exactly what these things are all about.

▹Unknown: People assume that it's fun and games to send children into a labyrinth. But, is it? Is it supposed to be fun to send somebody into a never-ending maze that seemingly has no way out? Don't you think that's the only metaphor for Halloween that makes sense?

▹Unknown: I think it is. It's reflective of what the world truly is. You never know what's going to get you as it's waiting around the corner. Is it a savior, or is it a monster? People like to think there's always someone waiting for you on the other side that's going to save you from the monster. Well, I'm here to tell you that that's not the case.

▹Unknown: In this world of monsters and ghouls, there’s only evil waiting around the corner. There is no treat on the other side for people. Don't you know? That's what Halloween is all about. It's not about people having fun or getting treats. The real lesson is showing people that only good children are able to be rewarded. If you’re not allowed to partake, you’re just a trick. You can never have a treat if all you've ever been is a trick.

▹You: People say Trick or Treat for a reason. Do you mean to say that you only care about tricks?

▹Unknown: Haha…

▹Unknown: The real trick is letting people assume there’s always been a treat on the other side of their pleading.

▹Unknown: Let's not waste any more time on your foolish questions. The only thing that I need you to do is play along with my little game. If you do what I tell you and go along with it, maybe I'll let you have a reward at the end of the night. What do you say? It's not like you have anywhere else to be.

▹You: …

▹Unknown: Good. Now it’s very simple. All you need to do is escape my maze before the clock runs out. That doesn't sound very complicated, does it? I'm sure you've done this many times before in your childhood. It was a privilege for you. It was a fun little game for you to play just like all the other people in this world that think this is a game. Well, this is a treat for me. Do you think that you can get out?

▹You: Are you just going to watch me walk around this maze all night?

▹Unknown: Wouldn't you like to know, Party Coordinator?

▹Unknown: I think it's much more fun if you don't know what sorts of tricks are waiting for you inside. Maybe if you're lucky, you'll run into a treat.

▹You: You said there are no treats.

There was no response after that. You had no choice but to put your phone away and figure out what you were going to do. There were so many ways to go inside the labyrinth that every time you turned around it felt like you were losing yourself. It was twisting and turning around you every time you found a new corner. Every time you thought you were close to something, it turned into a dead end. There was no way to figure out which way was left and which way was right.

To you, it felt like this had been purposely designed to have no end in sight.

If you didn't know any better, you might have thought that he was watching from somewhere above that had given him a view of the entire maze. It was too dark for you to see if there were any cameras hiding in the tall grass. It was possible that he was watching you from a computer but you weren't entirely sure. Maybe that was his entire point? He wanted you to be afraid of what could happen instead of what might actually happen.

It was a way of making you feel afraid of everything. If you couldn't even trust the rules that you had been given, what could you trust? What could you believe if he could easily take it away? The only thing that you knew about the hacker was that he was crafty.

He knew how to say things without letting anyone be the wiser about what they meant. It was how he had easily tricked you to go into the apartment in the first place. He told you one story and made it more and more intricate as it went along. It was easier to believe him that way. It was hard to doubt him when he made it sound so simple. Unknown made it seem so casual to pop into the apartment and leave a note. It seemed to be the same way that he had led you into the situation, too.

The only thing that you could do was take a deep breath and hope that you could figure this out. It was obvious that he was amused by how frantic you were becoming. Whether it was a trick of the imagination or something else, you could hear the sound of somebody laughing in the distance. It was that haughty and menacing laughter that had taunted you moments prior. He was getting a kick of how frantic you were becoming.

Your outfit wasn’t making it easier to navigate things. The path that you were following was narrowing by the minute. You didn’t think your eyes were playing tricks on you in the dark. There was no doubt in your mind that you could feel the thickets of thorns digging into the

fabric. It felt like you were going to trip over your own feet if you continue to push through. Yet, you didn't want to stop yourself.

There had to be a trick to this, you thought.

But, there wasn’t. There wasn't enough light in the path to tell you where to go. It felt like every corner was the same as the last.

The only thing that told you that you were making any progress was the sound of his voice taunting you from afar. His voice wasn't clear but it was the one thing you could use. You had no way of knowing if you were heading back to the start of the maze or if you had gotten any closer to the end. It felt like your lungs were getting tighter inside your chest. Your anxiety was getting the better of you, too.

It was like a merry-go-round that wouldn't stop no matter how much you felt like you needed to get off. Even if you could pretend that you were cool, calm, and collected, there was no way that you could keep it up forever. You thought you could handle things that were thrown your way but even you had to admit that sometimes it was too much for you to bear. So much had happened since you’d first spoken to this man on your phone but now it felt like it was coming to a stuttering conclusion.

You took a left turn, then a right turn, then you went straight for a while, then you felt like you hit another wall, and then you had to repeat the process over and over and over again. Nothing that you did felt like it was getting you further. There were no lights or clues along the way. It was you, the darkness, and just the sounds of nature haunting you.

▹Unknown: What’s the matter, your highness? Are you getting scared that the wolves are going to catch up to you?

▹Unknown: You know what? I'll give you a hint that should motivate you. What’s the most dangerous thing in the world?

He was taunting you just because he could. Logically, you knew that there was only so much that he could do to you. You had no idea what he wanted to do with the RFA, but you knew that whatever he wanted to do to you to hurt them meant that he couldn’t remove you from this planet. Whatever it was that had made him so mad in the first place couldn't make him do something so terrible to you. He needed you intact.

If that wasn't the case, he could have done something a lot worse to you a long time ago and you wouldn’t have been here in the first place.

Right?

You went to put your phone away but you felt a hot puff of air against the back of your throat just as you began to lower your arm. Any thought that you had in your head was thrown out of the window almost instantaneously. Your skin began to crawl and your heart stopped briefly if only to pause before it started to thump loudly in your ears.

“It’s me.”

The shrill sound that echoed in that area, was you. Yet, you paid no mind to that because there was no reason for you to think about it. The only thing that you could think about was getting out of that dark and menacing tunnel that you had been lured into like a moth to the flame. It didn't matter if you were the bravest person in the world.

You’d been lured to a location with somebody that you didn't know. He was pushing you around and you had no idea what he was capable of.

Even if he was playing a game, you weren't sure you wanted to play along for his amusement anymore. It was becoming scarier by the minute. If he was following you around that meant that he was waiting for you to reach the right moment when he could do something. It wasn’t what you wanted to do. He never said that he was going to be chasing you down through the maze. He just said that you had to make it out to the other side.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

Unknown’s laughter echoed all around you. You scrambled to find your way out of the spot you were in but at this point, it felt like you were seeing spots. You had to find a way out of here before he decided to change the way the game was presented. This was his game and he was the one that made the rules. There was nothing that said that he couldn't change his mind halfway through. It hadn't been clear to you what his game plan had been from the start.

The only thought in your mind had been: he wanted to see you squirm. It was like he found pleasure in the misery of others. It wouldn't surprise you if that was the case given how far he had gone to make you feel as though you were truly powerless in the face of every ability that he had amassed. It didn't matter. This wasn't the Halloween you wanted to play around and find out.

You stumbled through the thicket and found yourself pushing through the brush until you fell outside of it, tumbling on top of the pavement. You were breathing hard yet you could see that you were free from the labyrinth. Relief filled your veins as you realized that you made it out of his trap. You didn't know what the reward was for getting out but you knew that it had to be a better option than playing cat and mouse.

It was obvious that you needed to keep going but it wasn't like you knew where you were.

Even if you stumbled out of that place there was no way in hell that you were going to be able to get back to the car and figure out how to get back to the city. No matter what you tried you were going to be trapped. Unknown knew that. It had to be why the sounds of his footsteps had never gotten louder behind you. He knew he could walk because you were too terrified to turn around. You had played right into his trap. There were no treats. There were only tricks to be hard. What kind of lesson was he trying to teach you with this game?

It took a lot of work, but you managed to pull yourself off of the ground, and you realized that the area surrounding you had been decorated for a party. There were lights, streamers, candles, and decorative objects all over. For somebody who didn't seem to like the holiday, it felt like he had gotten a little too excited about the whole thing. It was kind of amazing. You dusted off the dirt but felt perplexed.

Had he tried to frighten you so badly just to bring you to a party?

You didn’t know what to say. You stood there, lost in thought, and it wasn’t long before Unknown found you. You knew he was coming from the sounds of his boots against the ground but you didn’t run this time. Instead, you stared at the fountain which shimmered with a liquid blue that seemed too bright to be natural. Who was this guy and what did he want? What was his purpose in doing any of this?

“I see you’ve won our little wager,” he said.

“And?” you countered, spinning around to face the masked man with piercing eyes. “What was the point in any of that? Is this just an elaborate scheme to terrify me out of my mind? I could have gotten this from the RFA. What's the point of trying to scare me like this? I don't get why you're doing any of this.”

Unknown’s hand was quick to grasp at your waist, yanking you forward so that you settled against his chest and had to look at him. “Oh, but you see, that’s the point. This is all about teaching them the true spirit of Halloween. They think that it's fair to play trick or treat by any means possible. It's a game to them when they have fun and think that their monsters are only real in their imagination. Those people are easily manipulated by the outside world. They think it's great to play these games when there are children who don't get to decide between getting a trick or treat.”

His hot breath fanned against your cheek. You couldn't help but quiver as the intensity of his words begin to invade your senses. “Why did they get to decide who gets what? Is it fair that some child gets nothing but a game of tricks over and over again? Why is it that they get all the sweet treats and people like me get nothing but a bag of rotten eggs? Do you think that's fair? Do you think it's okay for people to decide who is right and who is wrong?”

“I mean, think about it. Why do they get to decide who gets to have something sweet when somebody else's left out in the cold? Is it fair for them to think that they're allowed to believe that the world is justified as it is? Do you think it's okay that they get to lock away the monsters that they assume are evil just because of the way that they act or feel? After all, I thought that you said that you were the kind of person that doesn't judge a book by its cover… just like that princess you’re pretending to be,” his laugh was taunting at best, and judgemental at worst.

“So, I brought you here tonight to remind them of this reality. I think that I finally deserve to have a treat after all these years of being tricked. But do you even know what the best treat is for somebody like me? I'm sure you have your thoughts. But, the best treat for me is to play a trick on all of those suckers. I'm going to play the biggest trick on them and there’s nothing they can do about it. I made their party coordinator disappear. That's right, the treat for me is playing a trick on all of you.”

It was at that moment that a shiver ran down your spine. You knew that you weren't getting out of here. He had made that abundantly clear. It was all the more reason why he found it so easy to laugh at that petrified look in your eyes. Even if he was devilishly handsome underneath the moonlight, you knew that there was malicious intent in those eyes. Yet, his hand was gentle and didn’t pinch.

What was he?

“Happy Halloween,” Unknown whispered. He invaded every aspect of your personal and left you reeling, knees trembling, with nowhere to go but him. “I am the beast that takes good care of the princess.”

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