Lunar's POV

Mathis and I hung upside down, dangling on the monkey bars of the playground at the park. Another stupid dare on who could last longer than the other as Jax stood on the ground using his phone as a timer. Castian leaned against the ladder, using his phone in case Scoria's phone decided to be an asshole.

"Two minutes have passed," Jax called as I folded my arms over my chest and yawned. I hadn't gotten the best sleep last night... My mind kept racing, and I couldn't get comfortable. My legs still ached from the warehouse, but I acted fine around Matty and our friends, the glint in Ozora's eyes always made me want to run away, but that'd give away what we did.

"What should we do when this is done?" Mathis questioned as she tucked in her shirt so it wouldn't fall and expose her breasts, "I say we go egging. OOOH, Or the fireworks, again!"

"Did we not learn from the last time?" I huffed with a low mutter, trying to contain my easily tempered exhaustion, "I almost died!"

"And you've almost died how many times since then? what's one more?"

Her response admittedly got me to laugh, even more so when she started to tickle me, "Hey, no cheating! I know what loser has to do, and I'm not doing that."

"Awe, embarrassed?" She teased, still tickling me as I struggled to keep myself on the bars.

"Six minutes," Cast spoke, growing comfortable where he rested. His free hand propped under his chin, and his eyes relaxed as he mostly watched me. He looked like he was ready to fall asleep or pounce on me. I couldn't tell which.

"I'm not embarrassed," I retorted, tickling her back, "I'd just prefer not to be alone!"

The dare was that loser had to spend the night in the cornfield nude OR spend the night at the spooks. Both are stupid ideas cause the cornfield was known for gross things that bite and cause infections. The owner took the shittiest care of the place, and the corn had been up for ten summers. People have gone missing in the damn field and were never found because the plants are so wild they destroy anything that tries to kill 'em.

I yawned for the second time as she stopped fondling me, "Did ya not sleep last night, Lune? You've been yawning all day."

"I got an hour at most, too sore to sleep and kept having a bad dream that wouldn't fuck off, so I gave up and stayed awake," I admitted. It wasn't bullshit, I did keep having a nightmare, so I just quit trying and left the bed. I didn't want to toss and turn and wake up Mr. Lincoln or Mr. Hayes. They had already had a rough day at the Company and needed rest, "I just played Call of Duty in the game room all night cause I didn't want to bother anybody."

I'm not entirely certain what happened with the Company, but Mr. Lincoln broke down in tears... Mr. Hayes said something about death from what I overheard, so I knew better than to raise questions. Some things are just better left unknown... At least that's what I keep telling myself.

"Ten minutes," Scoria stretched, laying in the grass as he crossed his legs, "He's not the only one who got shit sleep. I'd love a nap."

I know what happened with Jax. He'd called me last night in a panic because, I guess, somebody has it out for him. He went to Lava Lamp to clean up from somebody's birthday party. The place had been closed for a few days so everyone could rest and get over the alcohol. When he came back, the walls were spray painted with slurs, and all the glasses were shattered. He swears the place wasn't like that before, and I believe him.

"I swear, sometimes being black and blue is fun," Scoria started crying on the phone, "But in these moments I wish I could be anything but. I'm fine with the broken glass. I'm fine with the fucking spray paint. But, for fuck's sake, I can't control the melanin in my motherfucking skin."

"Do ya want me to come over and help ya clean up?" I murmured, "I don't mind at all."

"Please, stay home, Kiddo," He laughed through his tears, "I don't want you seeing any of this shit. It's horrible, and I can't handle you seeing it. Not to mention, I'm not sure if these assholes are watching, and I don't want to risk you getting jumped just for being my friend."

"Jax, that's every reason for me to come over. What if they jump you?"

"I'd like to see them try if I'm being honest," His tone was pained, "This is going to take me days to fix. I'm not leaving all night until I get these slurs off my walls. When I find out who did this they better start praying I don't shove my foot up their ass."

Listening to his crying while he cleaned broke my heart. Scoria had gorgeous blackish-blue skin. It sparkled and shined under blacklights and flowed well with his silver hair and accessories. He knew how to work what he had, but people treated him like garbage for his skin tone. He's always put on a brave face, but Lava Lamp is important to him so when they attack that place he breaks down and falls apart. It pisses me off.

What didn't help was my jeans were slick, so I kept having to adjust them so I wouldn't fall off the bars. It drew me from my thoughts. However, my patience was low from being tired, so at the fifteen-minute mark, I caved and let Mathis win, "I'll take the Spooks. I'd take that over getting lost in a fucking cornfield with insects that'll eat me alive. At least in the Spooks I know I'll just be shoved in a fucking egg sack and mutate with no pain."

I fixed my hair, plopping down on the grass and throwing my arm over my face, my left leg bent while the other rested on the ground. Elysium, I was so tired. Matty laid next to me, Castian on the opposite side while Jax lifted my head and laid it in his lap, "I'll go with ya, I'm not going to risk ya dying. We thought you'd pick the cornfield, not the death trap."

"Am I doing this bullshit tonight?" I had a feeling Scoria felt he owed me for staying on the call with him. He'd scrubbed all the paint, and started picking up the glass but ended up falling asleep a little bit in the V.I.P room. We only got off call early this morning because the phone cut out.

"Ya don't have to, Lunar Moon," Matt laughed, lightly punching my arm and then hugging it as she rested her head against my shoulder, "You never have to do any lost bet. I just like teasing you."

"I want to. I'd rather us have fair odds instead of cheats," I yawned, leaning my head delicately against Cast. I was trying to make sure it wasn't obvious, if it was nobody said a thing, "It wouldn't be fair if you had to, and I didn't."

***

Lunar's POV

"Would you quit it?" I chortled at Jax as he shoved me into his warmest coat. It was chilly out, and I had refused a jacket to wear in the Spooks for the night. He had also shoved a bunch of snacks and water bottles into a bag because Castian decided if anybody was going to "save my stupid ass" it was going to be him because "he didn't trust Scoria not to be an asshole."

"I will not," Jax huffed, taking my phone and immediately putting himself on speed dial if he was needed. Good Elysium, I fear for if he ever has children.

"Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Hayes are parked outside the Spooks, and Cast will be with me the whole night. Stop being paranoid," I laughed as he shoved a beanie onto my head, messing up my hair. That got him smacked, "Don't touch my hair."

I could see the hidden grin on Castian's face. Yeah, asshole. I hang out with you too much, now I'm obsessed with my hair.

Scoria's look of shock was amusing as it succeeded in him backing off, his hands going in the air in surrender, "A'ight, a'ight. I'm done. But seriously, if anything happens you call me. I'll be here in five. No bullshitting, this place isn't safe. The morning is bad, the night is worse."

"If you start up again, I'll let Castian smack you," I pointed over to Ozora, his sleeves being rolled up as he popped his knuckles with a grin playing on his lips. Jax running off had us cackling as I pulled up my mask, Cast doing the same as he joined me in entering the Spooks for the night. We were in sync in placing earpieces in our ears as I spoke, "Pieces are in, how is everything?"

"Time is starting...now," Mr. Lincoln replied through the mic, his tone unamused with a small sigh, "8:00 PM to 8:00 AM. We'll be here."

"We've got an hour before shit gets heavy. If we need a place to hide, I know where to go," Ozora immediately had me following his lead, taking me to a deep part of the Spooks. It was about a ten-minute jog as he brought me over to what looked to be part of what once was a water tower, a giant pipe sticking out of the ground with two broken ladders traveling up it. I followed him all the way up to the top of the pipe before we peered down. The pipe had ladders on the inside as well, only having space to fit the both of us and tall enough that we couldn't be reached even if a six-foot male was dangled by his ankles. "As long as we don't get a God, we're all good. It's also soundproof, with no echo if we make a sound. We'll be low enough that the air scent won't carry. We just got to make sure they don't see us climb up. This is only a last resort, though."

Slipping off the bag I took out a few snacks and two water bottles, handing him one and his snacks. Then I dropped the bag into the pipe and did the same with the coat, "No being weighed down."

"Time to split up," Cast chuckled when we came back to the ground, "We don't want to get cornered together. Plus, us together makes a stronger scent."

With that, we parted ways, not going too far of a distance but enough that our scents split. I could no longer see him, probably cause it was dark, and my vision was skewed. Pulling out my phone and dimming it, I looked at the time; 9:06 PM.

Kneeling, I tied my shoes, tightening them. I knew it was pretty stupid to do, but that was the point, don't want to be an alert target. Pretty boring. I had almost been done with my left shoe when I saw acid drip next to me, a small grin forming on my lips as I lazily held up my finger, "I don't want to hear shit from you until I'm done with my shoe."

The silence seemed to make the hairs on my neck tingle and stand. Looking above me, I saw nothing, my face going pale at a voice behind me, "Have you finished your shoe, hm?"

It was the voice of a child, a twisted accent between British and Russian...It sent shivers down my spine. My body whipped around to a boy no older than eight or nine. He had blonde hair, pure black eyes, and a split-mouth with spider claws dwindling around as he grinned at me. His veins were pulsing and flowing in waves as he wore a small torn tux. His irises were lifeless, yet vibrant. He was taunting life itself.

"It's quite rude not to answer," He spoke again, tilting his head as a slightly angered glint sparkled in his eye, his body stepping forward while mine stepped back, "Weren't you taught some manners."

"Lunar, get out of there. Lose him," Castian spoke through the mic. Each step I took had this kid close behind, "That's Livion. Don't play his games."

"Don't be rude," Livion growled out, my speed was getting quicker but he was just as fast, "If you keep being impolite, you won't like the reward."

Running into a wall, I followed it out of the alley, taking that moment to run. My heart was pounding. He appeared like a child, but his accent was thick and fluent like he'd been around a long time.

"Oh, this again?" He huffed with boredom, "Why do you all choose this route? All I wanted to do was have a playdate! Fine, I guess we can make a game of this! I'll count to thirty!"

C-Count to thirty? Wh-What for? Tag? Hide-and-Seek? Being eaten? Shitting my motherfucking pants?

"If you're going to hide, hide about three or four blocks from your location, you're in his territory," Castian muttered, "He may look like a child, but he's one of the oldest Gods here. I think he was a God not long after my mother."

Ducking through a few buildings, I froze at the sight of a few of the big spiders. I had, maybe, five in one room. Every inch of me froze and whitened to paper, "Oh, I am not ready for you sons-of-bitches."

"Don't worry about them, you're a God's target," Castian sounded like he was running himself, "They know better than to take a God's meal. They may be brainless, but they're not entirely stupid."

Backing out of the building, my body broke into a sweat at the familiar little voice, "Still here? Don't tell me you're going to be slow, that's no fun! Selectively Mute and slow, how boring."

"I-I'm not mute," I managed to find my tongue, backing up from Livion. He remained still, allowing me to at least attempt an escape, "N-Nor am I slow. H-However, it is quite unfair, my odds. I'm only human, I have no fighting chance if you don't give me enough time to try. Thirty seconds to me is five for you, if you want a fun game how do you expect me to try against such odds? Besides, shouldn't players know their names? How is it fair if we don't know one another?"

"I suppose you make a fair analysis, maybe you will be a treat for my game...My name is Livion, and my pronouns are He/They," His head tilted, the bones cracking horrendously as his eyes gleamed in thought. A big smile formed as he gave a nod, "If thirty seconds is five to me --- which is quite mathematically correct --- several five seconds will need to be added. How are 300 seconds? That way each of your thirty seconds adds five seconds to me. You're five minutes makes one minute for me. Fair enough? I promise I won't even move from this spot."

"Al-Alright, I'm Lunar...M-My pronouns are He/Him," I watched as he sat where he stood, folding his hands comfortably in his lap as I repeated to myself, "Five minutes. More than fair. Th-Thank you."

"Your time starts now," He smiled, closing his eyes fondly, "One Apollyon, two Apollyon.."

His counting had me on the move, Cast chuckling, "Good tactic. Admittedly, I never would have thought of that. I personally wouldn't have introduced myself. Fuck that."

"You're a hybrid, I'm human," I murmured, "Thirty seconds for you is twenty seconds to him. You'd be able to get away."

"What's thirty seconds between the two of us?"

I could hear the cocky tone, a roll of my eyes playing out as I muttered, "We've already discussed this. We don't need a rewind. Let me have some confidence."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Are you underestimating me?" I laughed, still running. The slight hesitation gave me an answer, "Alright, you asshole. Watch this human prove you wrong."

"Lunar, do ! Gods are not meant to be fucked with!" Castian spat as I came to a stop at the edge of the child's territory. You could hear the regret and temper as he ordered, "For the sake of your life keep going!"

"He wants to have some fun," I panted, going into one of the buildings, "Why not give him some? Think about it, he's been stuck in a town with very little interaction. Most prey is ill-minded so he probably hasn't been able to truly get much logic with his games because he's limited to what prey he gets."

Livion had a brain. He wasn't stupid. That's not at all what I'm getting at. He's been stuck in this damn town getting whatever he wants. He's an entitled brat. He needs to learn he's not at all getting what he wants tonight. I'm not running. I'm not cowering. I'm not being eaten. This bug's getting put in his place.

I calculated the time I had left. I'd been running for a minute and a half. 90 seconds total. I found a couple of things I could use to my advantage, most of them being pipes or things to make lots and lots of sound.

I encountered what looked to be a few of those big metal sewer pipes, so I quickly rolled it to where it was needed, moving the others into certain spots. Next, I located a giant fallen storm siren, disconnecting each speaker and the wires, "I'm going to need a new phone...and my ears checked."

With less than thirty seconds to go, I grabbed a pike and climbed to a high place. I could see a lot from where I was. Even seeing Castian running in the distance, "Nice headshot."

I watched him come to a halt, his head looking around until he saw me, "Lunar, get the fuck down from there!"

"Too late. My time's runout," I ducked when I saw Livion stand, knowing their eyes had opened up, "Game begins."

From where I was hidden, I watched as they skipped around, lazily searching in buildings. I wasn't stupid enough to give away my location too soon, I needed at least some level of time. He seemed to be enjoying himself, which made me wonder what his life was like before the Spooks.

Livion twirled around, holding his arms out like he was an airplane. Then they jumped onto a building like it was easy, dancing on the roof and jumping onto another one. I could faintly hear him singing the Ring Around The Rosie song. How fitting, a song about the Bubonic Plague.

"Lune, get out of there. For Elysium's sake, this isn't a game!" Ozora's tone was a plea. I could see him at the edge of the territory. He didn't seem to want to dare to enter, knowing if he did his presence would be known. I'm guessing that'd piss off Livion. Livion wanted a fair game, if Castian came in it may be seen as two against one, "Fucking Apollyon, if he doesn't kill you, I will."

"It is a game," I mumbled, sneaking my way around my hiding place and grabbing a rock, "And I intend to win it."

I threw the rock at the sheets of metal I had laid out, the child's attention perking up with excitement, "Dear friend, hiding near metal is so noisy! I thought you wanted a fair game!"

His rushing over there had me darting to another spot as quickly as possible. I needed them distracted if I was going to climb down from where I was, taking another rock and throwing it in another spot.

"Goddess Elysium, am I going to need a new phone..," Shoving my hand into my pocket, I whipped out my phone. Taking it apart, I connected the wires to it, pulling apart some of them as I backed up, looking up every few seconds as Livion seemed to catch onto my own little game.

He didn't look thrilled at being tricked as he snarled, "You cheated, I don't like cheating. I played fair, you didn't. Cheaters don't get nice, cheaters don't get gentle."

"You never gave any rules. Therefore, I didn't cheat. I simply gave my own game," I kept backing up, still connecting wires, twisting them in certain ways to connect to my phone like how you connect speakers to a computer to make a sound. Passing the sewer pipes, I lured him into the center, my heart pounding because I wasn't entirely sure this was going to work, "You want a fair game? You make it equal play."

"My territory, my rules!" His face was splitting through his mouth, his fingernails forming into claws, and his spine sounded like it was shattering as it dislocated and morphed. His legs started to split and twist, his skin beginning to peel. His body started to grow in size. It took my entire willpower not to wretch, "I don't like broken rules."

"And I don't like entitled little brats," I flickered my eyes back to my phone, finishing the last wire, immediately going to those high-pitched sounds that burst eardrums. At the same time, I connected it to the speakers. I sat down, allowing him to keep growing in size, my fingers on the button as I looked up at his still growling jaws, "Naughty children don't get to finish their games, so ."