Paranoia

Ariadne couldn’t believe it, the countess dead, but who could have done it. She didn’t know anyone except for Saron, and any of these people could have murdered her but who was it. “Okay everyone calm down”, Cynthia shouted, “there is no need to panic we can all just depart from this manor and no more blood will be spilled. At that moment the maid entered the room, “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, you see we are locked in.” “I am not going to spend another minute in this room full of potential murderer’s”, Saphira said, “if I am going to be trapped in here, I will at least not be unarmed.” With that she left the room, and hurried upstairs to her quarters.” I am with Saphira”, Ray said, “if we are going to be stuck in this place we may as well at least be prepared to defend ourselves”. The group nodded their agreement and solemnly made their way upstairs in icy silence. Soon the room is empty except for the countess body, whose life blood is slowly draining out onto the floor. Ariadne stays with the group as she walks up the stairs, hoping that in the crowd the killer wouldn’t dare strike. As she reaches the top of the stairs she politely says goodbye and enters her room. She lies down on the bed, wishing that its silky comfort could relax her alert mind, but Ariadne knew that sleep would not come tonight. As she is drifting deep into thought a knock on the door startles out of her reverie. “Who is there?” she shouts. “Its Amy, may I come in?” After a moment of thought Ariadne replies,” Come in.” The door opens and Amy strides in clad in an even more beautiful Victorian dress than before. “I’m so sorry to bother you but I don’t think I will be able to sleep with the countess’s death running through my mind.” I know what you mean”, Ariadne replies,” I don’t think I will be able to sleep until I am out of this manor.” “I just can’t believe that she was murdered though, how could it have happened!” Amy wondered aloud,” and who could have had such a dark motive….. Her sentence was cut off by a bloodcurdling scream. Ariadne leaped from her bed and rushed out into the dim hallway, Amy right on her heels. A crowd of people had assembled outside of Saron’s room. Ariadne pushed through them and when she saw what lay before her eyes she couldn’t help but cry out. On the bed lie Saron, eyes rolled back into his head and skin the sickly color of rotten meat. “Another murder,” Cynthia said in disbelief, “then this is not some mere revenge killing, someone is out to get all of us!” “I’ll go get the maid”, Saphira said in a brisk tone. She quickly ran down the stairs in search for the maid. “In the meantime”, Lian said, “We all need to stay calm and find out how he died.” They murmured their agreement and began an inspection of his body. “I have the answer”, Ombra’s icy words rang out, “The man’s bloodstream is filled with a toxin that we use in small doses to temporarily put patients to sleep, and it would appear that his personal flask was somehow filled with the stuff.” “But how do you know”, said Cynthia. “I work in the medical field and this toxin is almost undetectable except for the slight paleness that is noticeable in blood, whoever did this is very good at what they do.” “Does this mean you are ruling yourself out”, Cynthia said irritably,” if I were a murderer I am sure I would try to divert others by directing the blame away from myself.” “You are quick to accuse me, paranoid that your cover had been blown.” HOW DARE YOU!!!” Cynthia screamed. “Silence”, Saphira says, “the maid is dead she’s been hung from the rafter by the sash on her dress.”

What about the butler,” Ray questions. “Dead as well”, Saphira solemnly says,” He was trapped in the oven and has been burned alive. “But how could this have happened”, Lian exclaimed,” We all went to our rooms almost directly after the countess was murdered.” “Looks like someone was quite busy during that time”, Kai murmurs. “I am not going to sit idly by while we are picked off one by one”, Saphira shouts and draws a sword, “it’s obviously one of us, now are we going to have to do this the hard way.” “Are you meaning to say that you will kill us all to find out who did it”, Lian says in disbelief, “what would that accomplish.” “Funny how you’re so quick to threaten all of our lives, Cynthia mocks, “you know you were gone a long time, how do we know you didn’t kill the maid and butler yourself.” “Enough of this nonsense”, Ombra voice rings out sending a chill down Ariadne’s spine, “We should all pair up in groups and wait in our rooms, that way if the killer happens to leave and attack a group, the one whose partner is missing can identify the one gone and the group being attacked will have each other to help defend themselves.” “One problem”, Lian says with a sigh, “there are only seven of us left.” “Very well one group will have three”, Ombra responds,” If you do not mind Ray and Kai may I be in your group if you would oblige.” “Sure…..” Ray says,” that would be alright.” “Amy would you be in my group”, Ariadne asks, “I would feel much better knowing that I have a friend with me.” “Of course”, Amy says sweetly. “Then it is settled”, Ombra says, “Ray, Kai and myself, Cynthia and Saphira, and Amy is with Ariadne. They say their farewells and Ariadne and Amy enter her room. “I’m going to try and get some sleep okay Ariadne”, Amy says. She then curls up in a chair and almost immediately falls asleep. Ariadne watches her sleep for awhile and she too begins to drift into sleep. Finally after a long night Ariadne lapses into slumber.

Ariadne woke with a start. It is still very dark outside and Amy looks almost unconscious in her chair. Fearing the worst Ariadne gently attempts to rouse her from her sleep. She wakes up with a start, a flicker of anger residing on her face for a moment, until it passes and is replaces by her usual icy calm. “You almost scared me to death”, Amy laughingly says, “I thought I was going to end up like the others for a second there.” Ariadne laughs and playfully pushes Amy. Their laughter is turned to a sense of horror when the almost paranormal sound of Ombra screaming cuts through their laughter like an arrow screaming towards its prey. They rush into his room and to their complete horror find a most gruesome sight. The twins are a pale green, and have been laced together through a series of knife cuts and are hanging upside down with their heads under buckets that have been filled with their own blood. “Saphira”, Cynthia quietly says, “you know what you have to do. She nods her agreement and almost faster than lighting lunges at Ombra with her sword. He dodges, body moving so fluidly he appears to be entirely made of liquid. She issues a return stroke and Ombra narrowly avoids it. Cynthia and Lian join the fray grabbing knives from the table and aid in the assault on Ombra. Ombra runs to his bag and unsheathes a black long sword He begins to fight Saphira back, delivering vicious thrusts and slashes toward her neck. Saphira ducks to avoid one of the slashes and Lian’s neck receives the blow and her head rolls to the floor. Ombra lunges at Saphira with a brutal strike. However, it is clear Saphira has him greatly outmatched and after a short flurry of blades, thrusts the blade deep into his heart. Ombra slumps to the floor dead and his blood slowly flows over the room floor. “A heartless murderer has no right to live”, Cynthia says with utter distaste. “He has much skill however”, Saphira pants, “if he hadn’t attempted to best me in sword craft there might have been no way I would have been able to land a blow.” “From what I gleaned from the countess before she was murdered”, Cynthia says, “He was a renown physician and a very experienced acrobat.” “I’m just glad it’s over”, Ariadne sighs. She then feels a prick in her neck and falls to the floor unconscious.

The Ugly Truth

She slowly awakes, and all her senses are dull. She realizes she is in her bed and gets up to scan the room. Satisfied she sits in the chair and slowly she regains alertness. Suddenly the door flies open and a masked figure in a black skin-tight suit raises a tube to its lips and exhales. Ariadne dives to the floor and a dart, obviously dripping with poison, hit the exact spot her heart would have been sitting in the chair moments before. Without even a pause the figure turns and rushes out of the room. Ariadne rises to her feet, runs out of the room and runs into the countess’s quarters. Cynthia is on the ground dead, impaled by Saphira’s sword and Saphira is wearing a black skin-tight suit and holding Amy by the neck with a dagger raised. Ariadne quietly picks up a black blade from the Cynthia’s lifeless hand and sneaks up behind Saphira. Saphira turns and yells, “No You……” Her sentence is cut off by the blade in Ariadne’s hand. Amy slinks to the floor gasping for air.

Ariadne rushes to help Amy up. Amy thanks her and then falls back to her knees. As Ariadne rushes forward to help her up, before she can even blink Amy thrusts out with small syringe. Ariadne’s body instantly goes limp. “Why”, she croaks. “I cannot believe you were so blind”, Amy laughs darkly, “I’m as good as dead with Saphira slowing draining the life out of me and you come along and save ME, the very person who has murdered every single person here. “But how”, Ariadne manages to whisper out. “Simple, the maid was in league with me at first. She was tired of the countess and she said she would gladly help me end her. She shut the lights off and I had readied myself to throw the blade in the countess heart. I was off slightly but she still was killed almost instantly. Then later that fool Saron heard me discussing it with the maid. I hurried upstairs and before he got to his room, filled his bottle of liquor with the toxin. After he was dead I returned to the maid. She was upset that I had killed an innocent and threatened to expose me. So I paralyzed her with a dart and hung her from the rafter. The butler happened to walk by. I felt bad for his luck but he had to die. So I shut him in the oven. By then I knew someone would stumble across his body soon, so I decided to enter your room to give myself and alibi, and I knew you would stick up for me if I could befriend you. When they noticed the body I didn’t count on Ombra having that much knowledge on the toxin, so I planned a way to frame him. After we were paired I pricked you with a dart when I brushed past you as we entered the room. As soon as you were unconscious I could carry out my plan. I walked into their room. I began a conversation with Ombra about my suspicions of Saphira. I had a needle fastened to my wrist and I stuck him with it when he while he was talking. As he passed out, I pulled out my blowgun and killed the twins as they slept. After a series of surgical knife cuts, I laced them together with a ribbon from my corset, slit their throats, and hung them upside down to stage a death only a true master of the medical arts could perform. When he awoke, it was much to my delight that they turned on him and ended his life. Poor Lian she didn’t deserve such a death but it saved me the trouble and this made my job much easier. I pricked you again and they help me take you to your room. We then all returned the murder of the twins. I excused myself and put on my black suit. Before I put on the mask to finish the job, Cynthia confronted me in this room asking me why my dress was missing a lace. She had me figured out but her mistake was holding Saphira’s sword. I easily disarmed her and took the weapon from her, then quickly killed her. When you awoke I opened the door and shot the dart at you. I missed but I had no time to attack again because I saw Saphira coming down the hallway I had just come from. I rush past her and quickly threw on a dress in my room, and then ran into the room where I murdered Cynthia. I was ecstatic when she was wearing an almost identical outfit to the one you saw me wearing when I attacked you. Saphira was very skilled and quickly disarmed and prepared to kill me. But I almost screamed with happiness when you walked in and saw me in peril, and Cynthia dead with Saphira’s blade stuck through her. She was trying to tell you that I was the murderer but you didn’t even give her a chance. And so here I am now with a dilemma what to do with you. Shall it be poison, a knife, suffocation, oh the possibilities.” “You won’t get away with this”, Ariadne cried weakly. “Foolish girl”, Amy says icily, “I already have.” With that she strode into her room and returned with a bow. The last thing Ariadne saw was an arrow screaming towards her heart.

“Thank you Ariadne”, Amy cries, “I would have been dead if you had not shown up, and here Saphira dropped this key when she attacked me, I think it opens the manor.” “Thank you Amy, I hope to see you again soon, I will write to you”, Ariadne says cheerfully. “And I will write back”, Amy calls. Ariadne rushes down to the door, unlocks it, throws them open, and runs to the stable. She takes Saron’s horse and rides out to main road and begins the trip back to her house. Back in the manor Amy is in the countess’s room, smiling darkly as she slips a bloody blade into a draw with a picture of the countess underneath……

Ariadne helps Amy up and checks to see if she is hurt. The two sit for awhile and recover from the shock of what just happened. Ariadne laughs with Amy when she notices something that sends an icy chill that almost stops her heart. In a spot where Amy’s dress is ripped she sees the leg of the skin tight black suit that the masked figure was wearing. “Amy why do you have on that black suit, Ariadne questions as she picks up a knife from the floor. Amy’s laughter stops, and her face is replaced by an eerie smile. “Little Ariadne, you couldn’t just accept it, could you.” Amy leaps to her feet and quickly does a series of back flips to put distance between herself and Ariadne. She pulls the blowgun the masked figure had earlier out of a strap on her ankle and rips off her dress. She raises it to her lips and exhales. Ariadne leaps to the left and picks up another dagger from the ground and hurls it at her. Amy cartwheel out of the dagger’s path and laughs hysterically. “Do you really think you are a match for me”, she says manically. Ariadne realize she is directly under a chandelier that’s only support is a frayed rope. “No but I don’t have to be to ensure that justice prevails!” She aims precisely and throws it at the rope. The chandelier comes crashing down and impales Amy. “You b**** I can believe a slut like you could kill me”, she screams hysterically. “Goodbye Amy”, Ariadne says sweetly, and plunges the dagger into her neck. Ariadne slumps to the ground and weeps.