CHAPTER THREE: MR. SIN

CHAPTER THREE: MR. SIN
'The Office', 11 p.m. 

You are only gone for ten minutes— enough time to prepare some tea.

Apparently, that is enough time for hell to break loose. By the time you return to your laptop, you have a hundred missed messages waiting for you. It appears that most of them are from the committee group chat, which is really only used when there are problems in paradise. Or well, whatever passes for paradise here, anyway.

You take your seat in front of the screen and pull up the newest missed messages.

You have no idea what they’re talking about. At least, not at first. Then, you do a quick scan of earlier messages and realize what the problem is: it is one of the reader’s comments— one that clearly suggests a man who looks like Mr. Sin ought to appear in the story.

J.D. Wylder is adamant about making the real Mr. Sin participate in the Fiction. Mr. Sin, of course, has approximately 99 problems with this suggestion. The first most being that he, as a writer, should not have to cave to the demands of the audience. But— and this part is important— J.D. Wylder’s opinion on the matter is not personal.

He, like you, seems to have employed the use of some random number generator to come to a conclusion. It’s different from the one you used last time, apparently more “true” but the result is nonetheless fair.

When you join the conversation and argue in favor of Wylder’s opinion, Mr. Sin lashes out at both of you. He brings up many valid points, but in the end, you and Wylder are able to grind his resistance down to zero. Eventually, after a long string of heated comments, animated GIFs and passive-aggressive emoji use, you leave a comment on the chat that apparently convinces Mr. Sin to at least give the suggestion a try.

A soft chime sounds from your laptop, alerting you to the fact that the story has continued. Equally curious and terrified (because Mr. Sin is rather merciless as a Writer), you open up the blog and resume watching the Fiction.

SELECTED SUGGESTION, #4

Location: Mysterious Library, Time: ??? 

Ren takes a deep breath and forces herself to turn around. Behind her, she sees a gaunt, pale giant of a man who is dressed entirely in white. He is thin— so thin he looks sickly and on the verge of collapse. His eyes are watery, silver-blue discs that stare at her blankly.

Belatedly, she realizes that he has a gun cocked to her forehead.

“Hello, Ren.” His voice is eerily soft.

Ren backs away from him slowly, her eyes traveling from the gun to the man’s face. How does he know my name?

The man smiles grimly. “I wonder what happens if I kill you?”

He lifts the gun.

And shoots.

Ren drops to her knees in shock more than strategy, but it does not matter. She misses the bullet regardless, hears it whistle over and past her head and into the depths of the library. The crow, which is still fastened to her shoulder, squawks with clear indignation.

Ren has no time to think— the man has already readjusted his aim when she looks at him again. Move, she thinks, and her body suddenly snaps into action. She stumbles away and the next bullet whizzes past her ear. Ren, now behind the table, pauses long enough to consider her options. Run or hide.

She knocks the table over and crouches, and the third bullet hits the wood with a thump. She is still thinking, still trying to find a way out of this sudden disaster— when the crow huddles close to her ear and whispers, “Hey, watch this.”

Before Ren can stop the bird, it takes to the air with a sharp and triumphant cry. “MY NAME IS JASPER. FEAR ME.” It rushes at the gunman with a horrendous shriek, talons out.

Jasper and the pale man meet in battle: talons against metal. The man swipes the gun through the air, but the bird dodges it gracefully and resumes its assault.

Ren stares at the struggle with wide eyes. Now is the time for her to run, she realizes. It is the only time she will be able to escape without the gunman having a clear shot at her back. She makes to stand, but her legs are shaking and she cannot steal her eyes away from the battle.

Then, the scream of another bullet shatters the air. Ren startles back into action.

She has only just found her feet when she notices the broken lamp and open book on the ground. The mysterious book that gave her its warnings in terrible black, bold letters. It is open to a page that is blank, save for four words:

TAKE ME WITH YOU

Ren does not hesitate. Even when she snaps the book closed and gets a look at the cover, which features the silhouette of a very ominous, familiar mask, she does not falter. There will be time to think later, when she is not running for her life.

She tucks the book beneath her arm, regains her footing, and flees down the nearest corridor.

She only stops to catch her breath once she has reached the turn leading into the next hallway. When she turns around, she very nearly chokes on air. Walking between the bookcases is the pale man with the gun.

Ren has just enough time to wonder about Jasper before the man lifts his gun and shoots. The crack sends Ren scuttling away, down into the next corridor. She empties her mind of thought and continues running. She does not stop. Can not stop.

She does not know how long she has been running when the hallway suddenly changes.

The first thing she realizes is that there is suddenly space. Space enough to breathe. The second thing she notices is that the hallway is completely quiet. Other than the sound of her own hurried footsteps and frenzied heartbeat, there is nothing. Her pursuer’s footsteps have faded completely.

Ren falls to her knees with a deep sigh. She glances around warily, but sees nothing beyond the overwhelming collections of books and her own shadow. She squints, and forces herself to take deep, steadying breaths. One, two, three. One, two…

“Hi.”

Ren scrambles to her feet immediately.

In front of her stands a man in a smooth, soot-black tailcoat jacket that is similar to her own. Beneath the topmost layer he wears indigo stripes and, absurdly, a matching but ostentatious bowtie that is so big it all but hides his neck. Yet for all of the strangeness of his attire, it is not his clothes, but his features that shock her.

At first, Ren thinks his face is splattered with blood; the fierce red specks are so violently scattered on his face that they appear unnatural. Then, her gaze focuses and she realizes, with some relief, that they are freckles, not blood. Less shocking, but just as vivid, are the man’s electric blue eyes and startling red hair. His hair is so unruly it looks almost like a cloud of fire.

“You must be Ren,” he says.

Ren takes a step back and glares. The man’s hands are clasped behind his back, but that does not mean that he is weaponless.

“How do you know my name?”

“I’m a mindreader.” The man smiles at her pleasantly. “Or perhaps I heard Mr. Sin say your name earlier. I have very, very good ears.”

Ren narrows her eyes and clutches the book to her chest. Mr. Sin? How does this man know the gunman? And how does he know her name?

“Who are you, and where did you come from?”

“Dan. But you can call me Danny, Daniel or Dandelion. And…” He taps his chin. “Some Place. Let’s say I came from Some Place.” He holds out a gloved hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ren.”

Ren stares suspiciously at his hand, wondering if there is some kind of trick to his glove. She does not have time for introductions with strange people when she is on the run. And yet, for all of the caution inside of her, there is also desperation.

It would be nice to at least have one acquaintance in this strange place but…

She locks eyes with the man and considers. TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST HIM? THAT IS THE QUESTION. 

But before she can take his hand, Dan reaches forward and grips her fingers tightly. His pleasant smile widens into a startling, shining grin. His eyes are sparkling when he cups his free hand to his mouth and shouts in a singsong voice:

“I’ve found her, Mr. Sin!”

Ren tries to pry his fingers away, but to no avail. The man does not even flinch. He turns his bright smile on her. “Good luck, Ren.” Abruptly, he turns and pushes her into one of the surrounding bookcases. There is a terrible moment of free fall. Ren stares straight ahead at Dan, who is smiling at her with his hands shoved in his pockets. Behind him stands a shadow with sapphire eyes and a gaping crescent-white smile. It is waving at her.

Ren braces herself for an impact that never comes.

She falls backward and through the bookcase. Dan and his shadow disappear all at once, and before Ren can take in her new surroundings, she hits the ground hard. Harsh light blossoms across her vision. She forces air into her lungs as she sits up. She squints and blinks, groaning as she tries to take in her surroundings.

“Oh!” Ren is vaguely aware of a voice. “Are you okay?”

The voice draws nearer and Ren, still cautious, pulls back. Light dances mockingly in front of her eyes as she squints, trying to make out the voice’s owner. She arches her head and looks up. THE VOICE BELONGS TO… 

(Next chapter release: Friday, April 20)