98. Strangle

98. Strangle

"Rei," a voice I hadn't heard in ages resounded in my head, "You're alright like this."

It was ironic that the one to say those words were not someone real, outside, but her who was inside. Perhaps it was a sense of conscience, an obligation she felt was to be done-- regardless, it didn't serve to dull the ache in my chest.

"If you're hurting, smile." Eve had said at some point, "No sense in letting the crowd in on your sorrows, Drew. We're performers, we cheer others up. We're not here to be consoled and pitied, so smile and make them happy!"

I can't cry, I can't cry.

I can't cry, alright?

"Drew, listen--" Zen loved to put his forehead on mine, an act of affection perhaps much deeper and much intricately built than a kiss on the forehead. His face remained stoic and without a smile-- instead it was perhaps a little stern. Lovingly stern-- "If you're going to scream, if you're going to cry-- put a smile on your face and close your eyes. Don't ever let anyone read through you."

Thinking back to it, clowns were often an epitome of hidden sorrow.

Seems that depiction wasn't much far from the truth, after all.

"It's alright, Drew," I spoke to myself, my own voice trying to comfort the burn in my heart, "I'm not going to cry. Not anymore, I can't."

This time, I hope I can live up to my fake promises.

-

It had been around three hours since I was locked in. Aoba Koyo had my phone broken; and Katou Julie confined Chrome and I in a small room until further notice. The room was small and resembled a bedroom of sorts-- naturally, Chrome, unconscious, was on the bed. 

Sprawled across the floor a bit away from her, I wondered if she was physically alright. 

Despite being held a captive, none of my limbs were bound. However, I hadn't any belongings aside from the clothes on my back. The room was shut firm, windows were bolted-- even if I had slipped out of the room somehow, we were on a remote island with no clear route of travel out. Escape was virtually meaningless.

I had only the choice of waiting my time out alone.

-

It was only another hour after that when I heard another creak from the door. The doorknob twisted with a quick and sharp click; then the door pulled outward, opening with an irritatingly sharp whine.

Katou Julie was an older man. His hair was longer than the average casual. He wore a hat adorning his style and a rectangular pair of glasses-- if anything, he seemed as strange a man as Shamal would've been if someone didn't know him personally.

"Katou Julie, are you?" I spoke up, impulsively and before I thought it through. As usual, I bitterly reminded myself. Prying my lips into a smile anyways, a semblance of calmness, as I instinctively coped with the situation. "Nice meeting you. I'm Ninomiya Rei."

His response was a moment of bewilderness, appalled by the sudden and unflinching cheerfulness from the boy who was a hostage. Nevertheless, he grinned back, unfazed. "Please to see you as well!" he responded perfectly.

Stepping intoo the room unwarily, Katou Julie nonchalantly closed-- and locked-- the door behind him. Sitting down at the bed which Chrome lay, he stayed about a little away so as to not rouse the girl-- then he turned to me.

"I've heard." Julie smiled slyly, eyeing me amusedly like I was to be his newest toy or something. "You're some kind of clairvoyant or something? Everyone told me they're not so sure either, but you are one that definitely knows too much. Or so the others have said."

I chuckled. "not at all!" I assured, the words coming out incredibly easily, "I do not posses such abilities," the words slipped out even before I could think now-- was I speaking on impulse? Was I making up my words as I went? Why am I--? "it was all naught but tomfoolery!"

My tone and my choice of words surprised even myself. Having accessed the immense danger I was in, simply speaking to this one man-- it was like an automatic defense mechanism was set off inside my conscience. But if so, what role was I trying to play now? How was I doing it?

Who was the one speaking now, with such language unsuited to Rei?

"I am merely in likeness to you," I continued to speak. Somehow, I was speaking with utmost confidence. The words I spoke never crossed my mind, and yet it rolled over my tongue fluently. Why even was I saying this? What was I going to say next?

Then, it hit me.

"Akin to you," I smiled coyly, observing his every action as I spoke my next line slowly carefully, with one mocking demeanor-- "I have similarly been witness to these particular historical occurrences, Mr Daemon."

Drew-?

The next moment, I was choking. Having thrown himself at me, Julie's arms reached out, his hands curled around my neck-- and those strangely icy fingers pressed down at my larynx. Shutting down my vocal chords and rejected passage through my airway in one quick move, with experienced hands-- his fingers squeezed my neck down tight and hard-- was he attempting to tear my neck off by the bone?

Like it was time to wonder about that now.

Pain-- It sent waves upon waves of shock and hurt, reverberating throughout my body. The strength to gather air refused to be summoned. My hands reached up and claws at those hand desperately-- my mouth locked open, choking, spluttering, inaudibly begging against my will-- my eyes went wide, the burning water prickled at the edge of my eyes. 

"Hey, how much do you know?" a calm voice overlapping the screaming in my head.

I didn't, couldn't register.

If there was anything I could hear, it was the thumping, thumping, rapid beating of my heart going into a dangerous frequency, an earthquake batting through my brain over and over and over and over and over; my head was telling me so, so many things-- maybe it reminded me of Drew. Maybe it was trying to recall self-defense articles Drew had once looked through. Maybe it was telling Rei to calm down. Maybe Drew was saying something to comfort Rei, maybe Rei was trying to feign calmness and attempt another act to get out of this situation.

Maybe, maybe, maybe--

I writhe-- I cry-- she struggles-- she screams-- We don't-- Air... Drown, Death?

And that was when the panic started.

I shuddered-- paralyzed, I screamed. There was no voice, but the force in that scream was louder than any more I've ever done. A soundless, toneless howl, of desperation-- an outcry that only no one could hear.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head-- 

"THAT'S ABOUT ENOUGH, JULIE!!" 

Abruptly, all pressure was released and a gust of cold air flooded trough my throat in pools too large to accommodate. My lungs rejecting the sudden intrusion, I choked and a painful fit of coughing and hacking racked my senses. My throat felt impaled, shredded apart, my lungs shook and tremored, and tore itself out from within. Oxygen was still not coming to supply for my much needed organ functions. 

Every sense in me was screaming, begging, desperately pleading for air that was immediately expelled from those lungs that refused to permit entrance.

Writhing on the ground, I hacked. my body was thrown around by what I suddenly realized was an attack. One I hadn't gotten for-- eight years-- 

"Hey, what's going on with you??"

Someone had approached me now-- who was it? I saw the face but my head was too muddled to register. My head was drilled through by a pounding headache, was it a fucking axe digging my brains out, I didn't think I doubted--

Turning away, I choked, screamed at each excruciating migraine that shot up few levels each time a cough racked my figure-- asphyxiating-- I ended up wanting nothing but to just let me die, please. Just let me die. Kill me, please, make it stop-

-

-

-

-

-

My hand reached out, taking the man closest to me-- Aoba Koyo, I recognized. Hooking his by the collar and throwing myself upright, I bashed him in the forehead with my own.

With a pained howl, he tore away and backed out, "What on earth--??"

Suzuki Adelheid, Aoba Koyo and Katou Julie. Those three were  the only ones in the room. Chrome is here too-- but my suspect is that she's been hypnotized by an illusion, and thus isn't in any state to battle.

Pushing myself up with ease, I traced my fingers over my neck-- to where the imbecile had wrapped those creepy finger around just a moment ago-- 

"It'll be alright now, Rei," whispering to myself softly, tidying my disheveled jacket and scrutinizing each member of Shimon carefully.

She knew exactly what she said to Daemon, and why she said it. It wasn't a stupid, smartass mistake or anything.

I wanna have fun too, Rei, was simply the reason she tried to rile Daemon up.

Even so...

"Well, wasn't that dangerous? If I'd changed places a second later, Rei would've died!" I chuckled, sarcastically, my smile sinister and enraged, "though strictly speaking--" placing a hand above my unmoving, unbeating heart-- "I didn't think you'd actually kill me."

Gotta remember to restart this heart before I change back.