The JereMike Collection

Game On

Somewhere else in the Pizzeria, Jeremy screamed against the puppets cloth.

"Let me go!" He shrieked, the plea muted by an arm. "P-Please...I just-"

His sentence was cut off with an oof, his back slamming into something hard and cold. Prying his eyes open, his heart lept up into his throat as the light above him vanished, the sound of a box closing amplified in his ears.

His hands shook uncontrollably as he fumbled with the flashlight, finding the flashlight switch and flicking it on. The sudden light provided a split second of relief to the guard, only to be replaced by a feeling of sheer horror as the illuminated mask of the puppet appeared before his eyes.

Lungs now deprived of air, a silent scream was made as he scooted to the back of the prize box, trembling in terror. But, much to his surprise, the Marionette only hovered, his once empty sockets now containing a white spec. Funny how Jeremy was seeing a lot of insanity like that tonight.

The puppet cupped his face, amused to see the teen so frozen. "My beautiful music as stopped" He spoke, his tone growing grim. "I wonder why..."

Jeremy's breath hitched, a sob threatening to break from his throat. "Y-you can t-talk...?"

A shake of the head. "No, for I have no mouth, no lips to move. No lungs to breath. How could I ever utter a single word?" The puppet chuckled, a disembodied voice circling Jeremy ears. The nightwatch cringed as the sound rotated around him, entrapping him with their echoes.

"But I do not need to talk for you to listen"

Jeremy swallowed, leaning away. "....I don't understand..."

The confinements of the box denied him any escape from the puppet, or at least any other option that didn't include him scrambling over the current resident. It was small and compact, even for the Marionette it seems, for the entity had to hover over the nightwatch quite closely, long limbs intertwined with Jeremy's own.

"Y-your going to kill me now...right?" He grit his teeth, his body shaking. "C-couldn't wait for M-Mike to do it for y-you...?" He inhaled as he spoke, a hitch in his breath as the name rolled off his tongue. He meant to say Benjamin, really, he did. But the thought of Mike's hands wrapping around his neck was an image that burned in his mind.

The Marionette hardly reacted. "To die from his hand would be a much more painful death than to die by ours." He watched the boy cringe at the statement. "Even though that is not my intention, I would still be doing you a favor"

The flashlight shook in Jeremy's grasp as the Marionette continued, casting wavering shadows against the mask. "Quite some trouble you've caused, little clover. Gambling with a man the likes of Benjamin is not a wise choice."

Jeremy eyed the figure, ignoring the nickname. "I-I have no other choice..." He stammered. "He had Mike...a-and if I didn't agree he would have-"

The Marionette leaned in closer, cutting off Jeremy sentence with a hitch. "You tell lies to justify your decision, but your reasons are admirable." A glimmer shined in the eye of his mask. "You knew you had another option, one that would free you from the binds of our hauntings, but would leave your friend to the hells."

Jeremy swallowed, his lack of argument suffocating. "I'm doing what I have to" He mustered

"You should of ran from the danger, little clover. At least then would one soul escape the tyranny" The voice continued. "But you've made the choice to stay, to play a game with fate." The words rolled off clearly, the puppet's voice left swirling discomfort in his chest.

"Why risk everything for a man who has already been condemned to misery?"

Jeremy bit his lip. "W-what are you getting at...?"