Far beneath the earth, the Hollow Kingdom lay hidden within a vast cavern. Water dripping from towering stalactites, each drop echoing through the ancient city as pale mist drifted between weathered stone buildings. The lighting was dark enough that you could only see a person if they were less than three feet in front of you due to a slight fog that draped the city. Everyone fought to steal food and even a drop of clean water from each other just to survive. The fog that covered the city that made stealing and killing easier for them, pillaging any poor soul around.
Deep inside the castle, a man sat in front of a fire in his study. The chair he was in looked to be one size too big for him, yet somehow he fit perfectly in the chair. The fire casted an evil shadow that lurked past him all the way to the door.
Another man stood at the door, waiting to be invited in.
"Enter." His voice echoed through him and down the corridor.
"Thank you, Master." The man spoke as he slowly made his way towards him. The man was round though he wasn't fat, just big boned, yet stood almost 6 feet. His master still towered over him. He would do his master's heavy lifting. Whether it would be fetching a guest or taking the lifeless bodies to the death pit deep in the castle's dungeon.
"Romeo, is everything prepared for this evening's events? "
Incubus asked as he stared into the fire with his hands crossed in front of his face.
"Yes Master. Everything is ready accordingly." Romeo said as he kneeled down to bow before him.
"Excellent." He said with a grin as he snapped his fingers, they both disappeared as if the room were always empty. They walked down the corridor where their footsteps echoed behind them. They came to a door, it was tall and metal like, the door handle was round and in the center of the door. Either one said anything as Romeo grabbed the handle and pulled open the door while bowing. Without looking at him, Incubus stepped into the room. It was cold and wet in the room. In front of Incubus, laid two table stabs with both Al's parents on each one.
They were blindfolded and tossing their heads back and forth. They could hear someone coming near them. As the sounds of footsteps got closer, Al's mom let out a whimper that led into a semi quiet cry.
She didn't want to cry loudly and cause something bad to happen. Al's father on the other hand, kept trying to pull his wrists free from their restraints while yelling, "who are you? What have you done with my daughter?"
The voice of her husband pierced her ears, "Barry?"
Barry was too busy yelling and thrashing that he did not hear his own wife's cries earlier. "Jane?" he stopped moving completely. The expression on his face changed from anger to concern.
Jane's cries went from soft to loud and was unable to control her sobs in between words. "Honey, where… wuah… She was at home this morning." Jane tried to take a deep breath to calm it down. Meanwhile Incubus watched as these two humans tried their might to communicate their situation.
Romeo picked up a tray with a few knives on it. A steak knife, a chopping knife, a fillet knife. He walked the tray over to Incubus while keeping his head down. Incubus smiled as Romeo approached, still watching them. He picked up the chopping knife as his gaze met it with and stepped towards Jane's table first. He ran the knife down her table alongside her arm from her shoulder to her hand causing a shrieking that rang in the room. Both of them quickly became quiet. Jane's body tensed harder as the knife's sound grew longer.
"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" Barry screamed out. "We can talk about this and work something out, please don't hurt us." Incubus looked from Jane to Barry while smirking. Then turned towards Romeo placing the knife back on the tray.
As he turned around he snarled, "You can beg again, but it won't do you any good. You are to stay here until your daughter arrives."
Barry gritted his teeth, "What does my daughter have to do with any of this?"
Incubus reached for the blindfold on Barry's face and pulled it down past his mouth. He leaned forward until he was a foot away from Barry's face and said, "She has everything to do with this situation."
He left the blindfold where it was around Barry's neck and walked over to Jane. Barry's eyes followed his every step, not a word escaping his lips. Incubus stopped next to Jane's hand and turned towards Romeo where he was patiently waiting for his next command. Barry's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen next.
"Please don't. Whatever it is, take it from me." Barry started to shout, Jane still blindfolded could only hear what was happening. Once the words left Barry's mouth, Jane began to scream, she was unsure what was happening.
Incubus rolled his eyes as he picked the chopping knife back up. As he ran his finger across the blade he spun around facing them. "You don't get to call the shots." He picked up his arm and slammed it down on Jane's fingers chopping off the ring and pinky fingers. Jane let out a scream that echoed through the entire castle.
"No! No! No!" Barry screamed at him! "NO!! Why ? Why her? Why couldn't it have been me?" Barry cried out.
Incubus picked the knife up covered in Jane's blood still as she whimpered and screamed in between. He began walking towards Barry with a grin across his face. Barry kept repeating the word no. Each step Incubus took, the no's became louder and louder. Once he was in front of Barry he leaned down towards his ear and whispered, "we need every part to make this work." He leaned back up and raised his arm, slamming the knife on Barry's ring and pinky chopping them off as well.
"Box" he prompted Romeo.
He walked over with a small black box, Incubus picked up Barry's ring finger and placed it into the box. After he grabbed Jane's finger off the table, he turned to Barry, throwing his hand in front of his mouth as if he was shocked by something and said, "Oops! There's extra pieces." Incubus turned around and walked out with Romeo in tow.
Al and Marco went downstairs to find her mom didn't make it home yet. As they went into the kitchen, Al turned around to look up at the clock above the doorway. She could barely make out the time reading 5:15pm. The moment she could make the time out, the doorbell rang. It echoed throughout the house. The air became eerie, Al looked at Marco with a confused look.
Al moved slowly towards the door. The kitchen opening was connected to the main room with the front door and stairway across from each other. Al was frozen in front of the door, Marco watched from his place in the kitchen doorway.
Her hand finally gave in, slowly lifting to the doorknob. Her hand began to shake as it got closer. She knew it couldn't be her parents, they wouldn't knock on their own door. She didn't have friends so that wasn't an option she thought to herself. Al closed her eyes and took one last breath, trying to take in what courage she could find.
The door began to crack, she opened her eyes once she felt the crack was wide enough to peak her head out. Her eyes widened with fear, she knew this presence she felt from him. She began to step back with tears in her eyes causing her to stumble backwards falling to the floor.
In the doorway stood a tall man with a black suit and tie. Gold handcuff links on his wrists. Black hair slicked back fell a little past his shoulders. He was tall and skinny. Behind him stood another man a little shorter than him but rounder. His hair was short and blonde. His clothes were tattered and dirty all over.
The man stepped into the house. "Hello, my dear. It's so nice to finally see you again." He said to Al while holding out his hand to help her up. Al feared to the core, couldn't move anything from her shoulders down, her head turned to look at Marco. He was now kneeling before this man. Al's heart began to race unsure of what was happening.
"My dear, there is nothing to fear. I will not harm you. Please allow me to help you." He said to her as he placed his hand in front of her to help her up.
Al looked back at him with tears down her face. "Nn-o" she muttered as she began to scoot back to give herself some space from the situation unraveling before her. She began to pick herself up, she kept her eyes on the man before her and Marco.
"I know you… you are that man that stalks me… what was it In..Inccu-" she was cut off.
"Incubus dear, the name is Incubus." Al's body began to shake, she didn't know what to do. Marco got up from his stance running to Al. As soon as he touched her, Incubus snarled toward him. Marco pulled his hands away, but Al turned and threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"What is going on Marco? Why did you kneel to him? Why aren't you doing anything?" She cried out to him.
He left his arms by his side staring at Incubus with an angry face. Incubus could only giggle in return at him.
"My dear, he hasn't told you yet? I gave him a couple of hours to be able to tell you." Incubus said with a smile shifting his gaze between the two.
Marco flinched, his anger turned into fear.
They fell asleep, he didn't want to stress her out more than she was along with wanting to give her time before spilling everything out to her. He had planned to pack everything and run before Incubus got there. Incubus gave him a 6 hour head start to get there and tell her everything.
The moment Al felt him flinch she let go of him, stepping back giving him the same look she'd been giving incubus. Scared out of her mind, she quietly said, "ww-what"
anything from her shoulders down, her head turned to look at Marco. He was now kneeling before this man. Al's heart began to race unsure of what was happening.
"My dear, there is nothing to fear. I will not harm you. Please allow me to help you." He said to her as he placed his hand in front of her to help her up.
Al looked back at him with tears down her face. "Nn-o" she muttered as she began to scoot back to give herself some space from the situation unraveling before her. She began to pick herself up, she kept her eyes on the man before her and Marco.
"I know you… you are that man that stalks me… what was it In..Inccu-" she was cut off.
"Incubus dear, the name is Incubus." Al's body began to shake, she didn't know what to do. Marco got up from his stance running to Al. As soon as he touched her, Incubus snarled toward him. Marco pulled his hands away, but Al turned and threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"What is going on Marco? Why did you kneel to him? Why aren't you doing anything?" She cried out to him.
He left his arms by his side staring at Incubus with an angry face. Incubus could only giggle in return at him.
"My dear, he hasn't told you yet? I gave him a couple of hours to be able to tell you." Incubus said with a smile shifting his gaze between the two.
Marco flinched, his anger turned into fear.
They fell asleep, he didn't want to stress her out more than she was along with wanting to give her time before spilling everything out to her. He had planned to pack everything and run before Incubus got there. Incubus gave him a 6 hour head start to get there and tell her everything.
The moment Al felt him flinch she let go of him, stepping back giving him the same look she'd been giving incubus. Scared out of her mind, she quietly said, "ww-what"She dropped the box, spilling the fingers across the floor in front of her. Al couldn't believe it, everything felt like a terrible nightmare.
Marco lunged forward towards Al, but stopped himself, he knew he was going to be punished already for touching her in front of his master. He didn't want to make it worse, if he was going to save her.
"Now then, Marco will escort you to the castle and in the meantime I shall take my leave to have Romeo finish preparations for our wonderful event." Incubus snapped his fingers and in a blink of an eye vanished along with Romeo.
Al and Marco were left alone with her parent's fingers and the pain of the events that just unfolded.
"What is going on? You better explain it now! Not later, now."
Al screamed at Marco without moving her position. She still sat on the floor, her legs still weak. Marco was just a few feet away from her, but standing up walking towards the door to inspect the outside area. He turned towards Al.
"I was going to tell you.. Really." he threw his arms up towards her. "Please understand the rules I had to follow." Marco pleated back.
"I don't care! We were friends! How could you!? You said you would protect me. Protecting me means my parents too!" She began to cry as the word 'parents' rolled off her tongue.
"I'm sorry… please…. I can't do anything about it. He will kill me then I won't be able to save you." Marco said to her as he moved closer to her to help her off the ground."
She glared at Marco, "Save me? I'm already in hell, buddy." Al pushed his hands away and got up herself.
Al stood there next to Marco in silence. She stared at the floor, the longer she stood there staring, the quicker the sorrow turned to anger. Marco watched as her expression changed.
"Will you follow me to my house and I'll explain what I can when we get there? We will prepare for the journey and head out in the morning."
"No! We head out as soon as possible if we don't, he will torture my parents even more or worse kill them." Al snapped at him finally allowing the anger to spill out.
"Fine. Can we just go then? I have to pack everything." Marco said as he headed out the door. Al nodded as she followed behind him.
They went across the street and down three houses to the left of her house before standing in front of Marco's old house.
Marco stepped in front of the door taking a deep sigh. He reached into his pocket and pulled a brass key out placing it into the dead bolt above the doorknob. Once he finished unlocking the door, he opened the door and stepped inside like he had never left.
Al stood behind him watching his every move. She watched as he disappeared into the dark doorway. She never stepped foot inside his house before. Marco always told her it was because his mom never cleaned the house causing him to feel embarrassed. She never pushed the subject because Al's parents never said no to Marco coming over to her house.
From the darkness, Al could hear Marco's voice reach out to her. "You coming?"
Al took a deep breath and stepped forward. Marco turned on the light as Al walked in. She began to scan the living room. A few holes in the walls, a chair, with no furniture. Everything had dust on it as if he never even lived there.
Marco led the way to his room down the hallway. He opened the door and Al could see a clean dust free room with a freshly made bed and a white dresser. The bed was neatly made with blue sheets and blankets. He had blue curtains to match. The walls were all white. His room looked as if it was supposed to be a part of a showing house for sale. Al let out a gasp throwing her hands in front of her mouth to stop herself from being rude. She expected it to look like the rest of the house, she was taken off guard.
Marco stared at the ground as he sat on the bed.
"Not what you expected, huh?"
He said to try and lighten the mood.
"I-I um…" Al paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. "I just thought when you said your mom didn't clean you meant like an episode of hoarders or something."
She stood in the doorway unsure if it was safe to even be in the house still. She didn't want to trust him, but she didn't know what other choice she had.
Marco patted the empty spot next to him on the bed and like a dog she followed the command. Al couldn't control herself from sitting. It was like her body knew it needed to rest a moment to take in everything that was happening.
Without a word, tears rolled down her face. Marco didn't look at her, knowing it would make things worse.
"Let me tell you a story of a boy. A boy who was destined to be a slave to a wicked monster."
Al looked at him, tears starting to slow down, words started to slip off her tongue, "What do you mean? Are you talking about yourself?" Marco could only nod in agreement.
A silence fell between the two, Al couldn't believe he called himself a slave.
"Okay… what happens in this story?" Al broke the silence.
Marco, still staring at the ground, tried to keep his focus on the same spot of the ground in between his feet. He finally found the words to explain his life.
"There was a husband and a wife that worked hard to buy their dream house to live with their son. Their son was only 3 years old at the time, which was a great time for him to grow up in a decent home since his parents had come from broken homes." Marco took a deep sigh before continuing his story.
"We were happy for a while when we moved here, my parents got along great. We spent a lot of time together whether it was playing around the house or taking a trip into town. It wasn't long after we moved here that a big man came to our door on a dark rainy night. My father was a kind man who would help anyone who would ask for it. He opened the door to find the big man soaked, I later found out his name was Romeo. He just stood there staring at my father, without an expression. My mother and I were sitting on the couch. We were getting ready to have a family movie night. My parents had worked a lot so they always made it a point to spend one day and one night with me. My father asked him if everything was okay, but Incubus came from behind Romeo saying everything wasn't okay, that he needed help. My mother threw her arms around me tightly as she let out a small whimper. My father smiled with kindness and told the man he would be happy to help him. We watched a smile go across Incubus' face. He spoke with evil words as he explained his plans to kill my parents so he could use me for jobs and errands he could not do. We watched in terror as my father backed away from him. Incubus' arm flew from his side to my father's throat, slamming him sideways against the wall. You could hear the wall bust through, as incubus giggled. You could hear him whispering something in my fathers ear. My father's face went pale white as Incubus spoke. When he pulled his face from my fathers, you could hear my father whispering 'I'm sorry' to my mother and I. On the third I'm sorry, Incubus crushed his throat and let my father's lifeless boy fall to the ground. My mother held me tighter while whimpering no, no, no. Incubus turned our way, my mother began to push me behind her as she moved in front of me. As he got in front of my mother, he said with a grin, 'you can't stop destiny.' He leaned in and all I could hear from my mother was one last whimper before her body jolted still. I could feel him pull something out of my mother before her body fell to the floor. In an instant, my life was changed forever. He told me I did not have to worry, I was there to help him. I didn't fight him, I did not want my parents' death to go in vain."
Marco laid back, "I followed every order I could to be here today. There were times when I accidentally mess up he would torture me, to remind me i could have my parent's fate, but that i was too important to kill. That I was privileged to be there, though I never thought that as the truth. I played along with his little playhouse make believe crap."
Al laid back next to him, turning her head towards him. "What is his whole deal anyways?"
Marco turned his head to face hers. " He says his lover died a long time ago, he keeps her body preserved until the day he can bring her back."
Al raised her eyebrows, "how is he going to do that?"
"With you." Marco calmly said back to her.
Al let out a nervous laugh, "wh-what do you mean me?
"I mean you are the reincarnation of his beloved Emily. He needs your soul to bring back Emily in a ritual."
Al could just stare at him. She kept thinking to herself he's kidding, there is no way she was another person and that this was all a big nightmare. She pinched her arm in hopes it didn't hurt and she knew she was dreaming everything. But the sting of the punch trickled down her arm. "Damn." She whispered, then started to get louder. "Damn. DAMN. DAMNIT."
Al threw her hands on her head and gripped her hair in frustration. Marco put his hand on her back. "I'm going to help you." He said to calm her down. Al looked at him, "How do you escape something like this? How are YOU going to get my parents back?"
Marco sighed while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm working on that. Everything is moving so fast.. It's been hard to keep up with it all."
Al sighed, she knew he was doing the best he could. "I just want them back, do you know where he has them?"
"If he has them at the castle, then he has them in the torture room, that's the only place he would take your parents' fingers like that at."
Al gave a confused look, "Torture room?" Al paused a moment, " You mean an actual torture room, where they are being tortured?"
"It's quite possible, hopefully not, but I can't put it past him." Marco didn't want to lie to her, but didn't want her to worry too much. He knew how his master was, he was in fact torturing her parents and the longer they waited the more her parents went through. He did care about them, but not as much as Al and as long as she was the one that was safe, he didn't care what happened to anyone else.
"Let's get packing and try to get to the train station in town to get out of here and on our way to Hollow Kingdom." Marco suggested to take her mind off her parents for a moment.
Al nodded as she sat down on the bed, Marco made his way into his closet and grabbed two bags, he had Al's clothes in his dresser and began packing as she watched.
She giggled, "How did you manage to get some of my clothes?
Marco's cheeks began to turn red as he paused for a moment, he could only say, "Don't worry about it."
Al just smiled, allowing him to finish what he was doing. Marco packed both his clothes and hers. He also grabbed a few blankets in case they slept outside.
"There isn't food here so we are going to have to pick some up on the way to the train station. Are you ready to go?"
Al nodded her head at him and started to follow him out of his room to the front door. "Are you sure you are ready? We can run away right now and get a good head start before he catches on." Marco asked her one last time before grabbing the doorknob. As he looked back at her, he could see determination in her eyes.
"Ready as I'll ever be… Let's go."