When his eyes opened again, peeking through his window showed the sun was a breathtaking orange as it started slipping below the horizon. He must've fallen asleep for a bit, rising from the chair and stretching a few joints, which made satisfying popping noises. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to rest as the village meeting was starting soon. Taking a few minutes to prepare himself, he eventually stepped outside and joined the flow of villagers streaming toward what he assumed was the town hall. Upon entering the building, he found it was a large rectangular room designed to lead your focus to the wooden podium where the man who had previously entered his shop now stood.
Wooden chairs were filling up most of the room, but there was some space in the back for people to stand, which he gladly took, shoving his body into a corner and leaning against the wall, arms crossed. When the last of the villagers trailed in, the doors were closed, and a hush fell over the room. The other Players are easy to spot, the shining words above their heads providing a helpful beacon. They were sitting down in chairs scattered throughout the room; he was the only one standing among the Players.
"Ahem," The village head clears his throat, leading everyone's eyes up to the podium, "I'm sure you're all aware that we are facing a crisis as a village. There appears to be a strange illness spreading through households. I assure you that Gregory is doing his best to find the source of this illness, but until then, he recommends we stay inside and not contact anybody if you can help it." As soon as he finishes talking, the room breaks out in frantic whispers as people converse.
Suddenly, a voice shouts above the din, "I'll bet it was that Night Merchant! He must be causing this illness, he's cursed us!"
"Don't be ridiculous! Leave the fairytales to the children. Did you lose your head on the way here?!" Someone else yells back. The effect is instant, with the room dividing cleanly into two sides, some people yelling out for the Night Merchant to be banished and run out, while others staunchly defend him. The clamour ends when the village head abruptly slams his hands down on the podium.
"Look at yourselves, arguing like this in the middle of a crisis. I want you all to take a good, long look at your behaviour tonight and reflect. For now, this meeting is adjourned." The village head scolded everyone sharply and took his leave out the back door. Breathing a sigh of relief, Gabrien ran his hands through his hair. The noise was getting on his nerves, and he would've left the building entirely if it had continued for much longer.
As the building clears, he eventually meanders his way out along with the stragglers, preferring to hang back so as not to get crushed by the crowd in their anxiousness to leave. Upon hitting the first breath of fresh air, he spots Dahlia waving him over from a short distance away, along with the rest of the Players. It was a strange feeling, looking upon the surviving Players. What had once been enough people to crowd a room had now dwindled down to a measly five.
"It got kind of crazy in there, huh?" Dahlia says, trying to make light conversation as they travel back to her house. Nobody was in the mood for such a conversation, so her question floated off awkwardly into the silence. Eventually, they reached her house and all huddled inside, sitting closer to each other than before in some facade of comfort.
"So…is it true?" Maria, ever the pragmatic one, asks for clarification. The only thing betraying her nerves is the slight tapping of her finger on her upper arm.
"Yep, not the most pleasant thing to awaken to in the middle of the night." Gabriel sighs. The room is quiet once more; there are no shocked gasps or exclamations. Just the tired silence of people who had long since reached the point where they knew death was the only likely outcome.
"What are we supposed to do? How do we get out of this? I just want to go home." Cassidy breaks out into sobs, sinking to the floor as she cries. Gritting her teeth, Maria marched up to Cassidy and slapped her in the face. Wincing, he watches as Cassidy starts crying harder. Though the action does make her look at Maria.
"We don't have time for needless crying and whining. We know about vampires, about their weaknesses. Gabriel here even managed to kill one, so we know it's possible. Instead of crying, we need to be preparing. It might not happen tonight, but something is going to happen by the time our five days are up, and we won't be spending that time snivelling, so get it together!" She yells in the girl's face, shaking her by the shoulders. Her words aren't just for Cassidy, but for all of them.
"She's had enough." Stephen reaches out and places his hand on Maria's shoulder. Pausing, she quits shaking her and sighs, letting go of the shivering girl and standing back up.
"I apologise, I let my anger get the best of me. But I hope you will all consider my words." She rakes her eyes over each of us individually, a subtle threat in her gaze.
"Well, not everything is completely lost. We have the stakes, and we know who the enemy is. We're not going down without a fight. So let's cheer up, we'll make it out of this!" It was a nice speech, but it didn't do much. The atmosphere in the room still had an anxious edge to it, and nobody could look each other in the eye.
"Then, I hope to see you all tomorrow morning," Stephen states, stepping out of the house. Maria takes her leave after him, and following her is Cassidy. The only people left are Dahlia and Gabriel, who enlisted to stay behind for a short conversation.
"Well, that could've gone better?" He scoffs.
"You're telling me. Vampires are walking around, and all we're doing is crying, arguing, and making stupid speeches." Dahlia sighs, placing her hands over her face as she sinks into a chair.
"It was a pretty stupid speech," He smirks.
"Quit that, just because I said it doesn't mean you get to repeat it." She smacks him on the side, but there's a small smile on her face.
"Right, well, I'm going to head back now, I'm not very keen on walking around at night in the dark." He says, glancing out the window. There was only the tiniest sliver of sunlight left, and while his house was just across the street, he didn't want to push it.
"Alright, have a safe trip, good luck, hopefully you don't get mauled crossing the street." She sings.
"Now that's just mean." He huffs, walking toward the door and opening it.
"It's not mean, it's revenge." She hums, and he sticks his tongue out and closes the door in her face. Looking around, the street was empty, not a single soul could be seen, even though the night had just begun. The usual fanfare from the Night Merchant was missing as well. A chill ran up his spine, and if he dashed across the street a little faster than he normally would, well, nobody had to know.
After going to the bathroom and changing, he crawled carefully into bed, clutching a stake to his chest for some semblance of safety. Sleep was something he sorely needed, but it wasn't something he often got, even before getting sent to this place. It was hard to get comfortable; flashes of the vampire that attacked him last night streaked through his mind, mixed with memories of events in the past. But finally, after about an hour of tossing and turning over and over again, he manages to slip into an uneasy sleep.
His eyes groggily open, and for a second, he feels around for his phone to check the time. Reality comes crashing into him when he can't find it, remembering that, oh right, he's in some sort of death game. This only adds to the paranoia when he can't identify why he woke up. The shutters were still closed, and there was no light seeping through, which meant it was still dark outside, nowhere near when he would usually wake up. It was strange, while he was asleep, he could've sworn he heard a…
Tap…Tap…Tap
It was slow, a steady rhythm that would've lulled him back to sleep if it wasn't for how out of place it was. It made his body freeze in place, not even daring to breathe as his eyes roamed the room, looking for where the noise was coming from.
Tap..Tap..Tap
The pace increased, and he was able to pinpoint the location. It was coming from his windows. A shiver racked his body as he lay paralysed in bed. Should he open the shutters? Would it be better to know what was making the noise, or simply leave it be and let his imagination take over?
TapTapTap
It was almost frantic now, a constant sound that filled up his head, making it hard to think past the fear that rushed through him. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself that vampires can't come in without an invitation. Of course, that was when the whispers began.
"Let us in."
"Come on, it won't hurt."
"Join us, don't you want to live forever?"
Heartbeat steadily increasing, he covered his ears with the pillow, hoping to block out the noises. The worst part was that he could hear people he recognized. The stern tone of Katherine, the raspiness of Charles, the nasally voice of Joseph, and the liveliness of Marcella.
"Ahahaha, look! He's terrified, aw, poor thing."
"C'mon, if you let us in, you won't have to be scared anymore. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"All you have to do is invite us in, just a few words, it's not hard."
They continue over and over again, rattling around in his head, making it impossible to block them out. No…no! He's not just going to take this; obviously, they can't come in. So what is there to be afraid of? Sucking in a deep breathe he throws the covers off his body and stalks toward one of the windows. Throwing open the shutters with a bang, his heart stutters and his breath catches. His entire window was covered from head to toe in pressing bodies, each one with glowing red eyes staring out at him from the darkness. They wriggled and writhed, drool pooling from the corner of their mouths, slobbering on the window.
There are familiar faces of the Players they had lost. No longer did they have the glowing words above their head; instead, it was replaced by sharp red eyes and glistening fangs. There were others as well, the older victims from the beginning, and even a few younger ones. As soon as they noticed him looking, their tapping became even more relentless. They mocked him in high-pitched, grating voices, begging to be let in. Slamming the shutters closed, he shakily walked back over to his bed, pulling the covers over his head and covering his ears. He closed his eyes and begged for it all to stop and go away.
It went on for hours; they only left when the faint morning rays began to peek over the forest's edge, most likely to avoid the sun. Only then did he get any sleep.