I hummed as I skipped toward master’s room. He had called me to look after Sharla while he was away visiting a… cousin I think. Anyway, he needed someone to look after Sharla while he was away because it has been 2 weeks and she hasn’t woken up yet so if she does she will probably need someone there. Master had someone reattach her toes and tongue. Not sure how, probably some advanced technology that I didn’t know about but honestly, I didn’t care. I felt kind of bad for getting her tortured in the first place but I had to obey master. Not much has happened for a few weeks, everyone still hates me though. They all had to go through the nightmares because I spoke to master about their plan. Why did Sharla get a worse punishment than everyone else? I had no idea. I stepped into master’s room.
“Master? You called for me?”
“Yes, please come sit down.” He waited until I sat down on the bed to continue, “I need to leave in a couple minutes and won’t be back for a week or so, so can you stay by Sharla’s side?”
“Yes, master,” I chirped.
“Thank you, Gérald, I knew I could count on you,” he smiled. Why did I like his smile so much? It made me blush.
He waved goodbye after instructing me on what to do and how to take care of Sharla before leaving. I looked at Sharla, she seemed okay. There were scars all along her arms, and I had to admit they looked kind of pretty. I could see the scar where master cut her shoulder and where the nail went through her palm. The swelling from the bees had gone down a while ago. Turns out she’s allergic to bees.
I got up and took a book from master’s bookshelf. He had a ton of books, and that was not an exaggeration. I opened the book and looked at the first page. It was about... me? I looked at the other pages and saw that they were about the others. There were 100 pages. All the contestants in the House of Horror.
Name: Gérald Winterbotom
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Date of Birth: November 1
Blood Type: O+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Sally Winterbottom
Father: Louis Winterbottom
Status: Alive
Name: Natanael Rolvsson
Gender: Male (Birth) Gender Fluid (Current)
Age: 16
Date of Birth: February 16
Blood type: O+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Clara Rolversson
Father: UNKNOWN
Status: Alive
Name: Sharla Gray
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Date of Birth: October 7
Blood type: A+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Anna Gray
Father: Joseph Gray
Status: Injured
Name: Danita Hart
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Date of Birth: June 12
Blood type: AB-
Planet: Earth
Mother: Claresse Hart
Father: Davis Green
Status: Alive
Name: Addison Battle
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Date of Birth: June 12
Blood type: AB-
Planet: Earth
Mother: UNKNOWN (Birth) Selene Battle (Foster)
Father: UNKNOWN (Birth) Stevenson Battle (Foster)
Status: Dead
Name: Archer Burton
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Date of Birth: April 1
Blood type: AB+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Kennidy Burton
Father: UNKNOWN (Birth) Daniell Burton (Step-father)
Status: Alive
Name: Kathlyn Hunter
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Date of Birth: June 25
Blood type: AB+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Hannah Frost (Birth, Dead) Samantha (Foster, Current)
Father: Kevin Frost (Birth, Dead) Samual Hunter (Foster, Current)
Status: Dead
Name: Izabel Woodrow
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Date of Birth: December 10
Blood type: A+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Olivia Woodrow
Father: Liam Woodrow (Dead)
Status: Alive
Name: Sarah Lukeson
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Date of Birth: March 9
Blood type: O+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Harper Lukeson
Father: Sebastian Lukeson
Status: Alive
Name: James Castle
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Date of Birth: January 10
Blood type: AB+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Ellie Castle
Father: Mateo Castle
Status: Alive
Name: Gertrude Gurtreude
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Date of Birth: July 17
Blood type: B-
Planet: Earth
Mother : Scarlet Gurtreude (Birth, Current) Sofia Gurtreude (Step-mother, Current)
Father: Levi Samson (Birth)
Status: Alive
Name: Eva Miller
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Date of Birth: January 1
Blood type: AB+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Zoey Miller
Father: Luke Miller
Status: Alive
Name: Adam Gage
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Date of Birth: January 31
Blood type: O+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Riley Gage
Father: Owen Gage
Status: Alive
Name: Echo Volkov
Gender: Female
Age: 12
Date of Birth: December 14
Blood type: B+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Stella Volkov (Dead)
Father: Asher Volkov
Status: Alive
Name: Thomas Biondo
Gender: Male
Age: 12
Date of Birth: September 21
Blood Type: A+
Planet: Earth
Mother: Angelika Biondo
Father: Carl Biondo
Status: Alive
This was all I managed to read because Sharla started to stir next to me. I looked over at her and saw that her eyelids were fluttering.
“Sharla?” I asked.
“Mmm,” she turned over in her sleep and blinked her eyes open. “W-Where…”
“We’re in master’s room. You’ve been out for a whole 2 weeks. Is there anything you might want? Water? Food?”
“Water… Food…” she really didn’t seem to be paying attention to what I was saying. I decided to get her some water and food anyway. I went to the kitchen and got some oatmeal and water. When I returned Sharla was sitting up and looking at her toes. She seemed not to believe that they existed. She looked up as I sat down next to her and handed her the food. She tried to pick up the spoon with her left hand but it didn’t seem to be cooperating with her. She frowned and tried again.
“Why…?”
“The nail went through some very important things in your hand and it was not being able to walk or not being able to use your left hand. Master decided that walking is more important.” Then I grabbed the spoon and helped her. She was really quiet.
“Where… master…?” she murmured.
“He went to go visit a cousin. Is there anything else you need?”
In response she just yawned and huddled under the blanket. I sighed and leaned against the wall. She fell asleep and I started to feel a little drowsy as well. I fell asleep against the wall.
---
When I woke up Sharla was still asleep but there was a tray of food left for us. I took one portion and ate. When I was almost done eating Sharla woke up and looked at the food. She blinked a couple times before I brought it to her. I helped her eat again and then she looked at me, “Why am I not dead?” It was the first sentence that she spoke since she woke up.
“Master isn’t cruel. You’ll suffer for breaking the rules but he wouldn’t kill you. No unless you got him really mad, and you didn’t. Master was just… bored… and you still needed to be punished so he took it out on you.”
“So because he was bored I should be in pain? I wanted to die, Gérald. DIE. How… how could someone do that? I-I n-never… n-never did a-anyth-thing to h-him.” By the end she was sobbing.
“Sharla you… you disrespected master. He- he doesn’t like that so…” I said as I patted her back.
“How d-does th-that just-ify a-anything?” she was hunched over in a ball. I stayed silent and she eventually fell asleep again. I just sat there for a while, contemplating what she had said. Could it be true? Could master be evil? No! Master is kind. She just got on his nerves. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. But what if…? I pushed the doubt down. Master was good. There was no way master was evil. No. I didn’t remember falling asleep but I must have since I woke up to a tall figure standing over us.
“Ah, you’re awake. Come quickly, we must leave before it is too late,” their voice sounded female but I wasn’t completely sure. I curled back into a ball next to Sharla, who was, luckily, still asleep.
“Wh-who?” I stammered. Not my finest moment.
“Fine. I’ll keep this quick. I’m a hunter. Emily Sallan. I have come to save you from the vampire. Now come quickly or our window of escape will be gone,” she spoke so fast it took me a moment to understand what she was saying.
“But- but I-” I started.
“You what? Worried that the monster will find you. Don’t worry it won’t,” she growled. “Now you have 10 seconds before I leave with or without you.”
“I- t-that’s not wh-why I don’t want t-to leave. I-I he- master isn’t evil. I w-want to stay,” I stammered as I shook Sharla awake.
“What about the girl then? She want to stay too?” Emily scoffed.
“What? Why…?” Sharla murmured as she woke up.
“5 seconds.”
“Sharla, you can go with Emily, she will get you out of here, or you can stay. Your choice,” I quickly explained.
“Oh, I’m going all right. There’s no way I’m spending another moment in this place if I can leave,” she sounded super excited. She jumped out of bed and smiled.
“At least one of you is reasonable. Come on… Sharla was it? We need to get out of here,” Emily said. And with that they left. I could faintly hear Sharla asking why I wasn’t coming as well and then Emily responded that someone will come for me and not to worry. I just stared at the door, frozen with shock. Moments later hands were grabbing me and tying me up and gagged me. I didn’t even resist. They set me in the corner and left. I couldn’t even move. The doubt returned.
If people like this are here to ‘save’ us then is he evil? Could he be? But he was so kind to me?
Thoughts like these swirled around my head for hours before I heard annoyed cursing outside the door. It sounded like master but he was with his cousin. He stepped into the room and looked at me. He sighed.
“I suppose it’s a good thing I left early then, huh? Maybe that fight was worth it,” he spoke gently as he untied me. I fell against his chest, still unable to process what had happened. He gently stroked my hair and set me on the bed.
“Could you tell me who did this?” he prompted.
“Emily S-sallan…” I murmured, still not really knowing what was happening. He growled, making me flinch.
“Gérald, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.” I recounted the events, still out of it. He sent for someone and gave them instructions. I wasn’t really paying attention.
“Gérald? May I ask why you stayed?” This made me blush a little. It was embarrassing.
“Y-you’re one o-of t-the kindest pe-people I’ve e-ever met,” I murmured. He seemed satisfied with that answer. He pulled me into his arms and laid his head on my neck. I felt his fangs come out and perce my skin but it didn’t hurt… That confused me but I soon drifted off to sleep.
---
I woke up and master wasn’t there so I yawned, turned over, and fell back asleep.
---
I was woken up by the bed shifting. Master had sat down on the edge of the bed and looked like he had just come out of the shower. He must have been covered in blood to do that.
“Master?” I asked.
“Yes?” he hummed.
“Why were you in the shower?” I asked.
“Well, one of your friends was caught, the others managed to escape but I needed to punish her.”
“Her?”
“Echo.” He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about this anymore.
“Wh-what are you g-going to do with m-me?” I asked tentatively, hoping he wouldn’t get mad at me.
“Thank you. Without you I wouldn’t have caught a single one of them. And because you stayed. You were good.” I smiled and curled up to fall asleep again.
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