The devil's challenge

Chapter 4

"You just can't stay away, can you?" He chuckled, laughing at me and our situation. He could drop me easily and I would fall hard on the floor. But he didn't. But he also didn't help me up, he just simply stood there with me in his arms. Staring into each other's eyes. "Why are you here this time?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I'm competing in the game." I said and he widened his eyes. "You?" He laughed. "You won't even pass the first round."

"Says who? You don't know me nor what I am capable of doing." I spat in his face. "No, but I think I caught you just a few weeks ago, and to see on the red mark on your neck that's still there, I would say you still remember what happened last time." He spat back at me. "Oh, Fuck off, Luci" I snapped. He chuckled but then he got an angry look in his eyes. "What did you just call me?" He snapped too. He asked me that, daring me to repeat it. But also in a threatening way.

"Luci, you know I made you a little nickname. Isn't it cute?" I said smirking. "Yes, it is and this is too." He said in a sarcastic way and slightly annoyed. But I wasn't prepared for what he was about to do. He dropped me. I fell on the floor, my head hitting the ground first. "Ouch" I sighed out in a bit pain. "See, you can't even handle that. So what are you gonna do in the game? Start crying?" He mocked me.

"Fuck you Lucifer, I hate you." I yelled at him after getting up from the floor. "Just let me get this clear with you... Nala. I'll make sure that you're the first to leave the game. Understood?"

"Firstly, do I fucking look like a Disney figure to you, a lioness to be more specific. And secondly, You won't because I'll make sure to be in the final challenge. And that is a promise." I said and walked away from him. I walked into the room full of competitors. There were 16 men and 8 women. Plus myself 9 women.

"All participants to the playroom. I repeat All participants to the playroom."

2 minutes later everyone was in the room.

"Okay, I'm your instructor. I'm now gonna tell you where you can hide. As you can see this is kind of a kitchen.

If you go up the stairs here, you enter a living room and bedroom. These are also the places where you can hide. Be anywhere else and you're out. You can hide wherever, Lucifer will go outside for 5 minutes. After those, he will have 10 minutes to find you all. The first 5 who are found are also OUT. One rule: don't snitch. Understood?"

"Yes" everybody said together.

"Alright Lucifer, outside I'll call you in after those 5 minutes."

I looked one last time at Luci and the bastard was looking at me. He gave me a playing wink and turned around. Leaving the room.

"Everyone ready? Set. Start!"

I ran up the stairs. There were a lot hiding spots but all common ones. The closet, under the bed. Under the couch. The couch. I went over to the couch and took out it's pillows (to sit on) and there was a whole empty space. Hmmm, I grinned to myself, knowing I fitted in to that empty place. I quickly got in the couch and put the pillows back on top of me. Luckily I knew how they were positioned and was able to put them on me the same as they were before I took them out. i was just in time. I saw a lot of the others share a hiding spot. Stupid.

"Lucifer enter the room"

He entered, the door closed, more like slammed close hard. "Alright let's see" I heard him say. His voice full of amusement. He started downstairs, I know because there was a very little space that I could look through. I watched him as he found 3 people in the kitchen. Now he's checking the living room downstairs. Another 5 people were found. That means I'm going to the next round. Yessss! He just checked behind the stairs and there was this 1 stupid person who thought it was a good spot.

He was now coming upstairs. He checked the living room upstairs first. He looked in the closets. And under the couch. He bend down right in front of me which made me hold my breath and close my eyes. Waiting to hear his footsteps get softer. I opened my eyes again. He's now in the bed room. Checking the wardrobe. 6 people. 6 people who hid together in a common hiding space. Not gonna lie that wardrobe was huge.
10 more people and 2 minutes left. He looked under the bed, only to find another 3 people. And then under the sheets on the bed to find 2 more people. Okay, 5 more. He walked over to the desk that was besides the bed and found someone under the desk. He walked back into the living room and looked after the couch, again so close Lucifer. I didn't even think someone was behind it, but apparently 2 people were. 2 people were left now. He thought for a second before going downstairs and look behind the curtains. I think he thought I would be there, because of a few weeks ago. But I wasn't obviously. But the other one who was still in hiding was. So now he only needed to search for me. He walked back upstairs and when he entered the room I was in, someone yelled "Time's up. Come out, last person." I grinned to myself knowing I could irritate him. So I yelled "Lucifer, I thought you could search some better." And I could hear him groan out of anger. I kicked the pillows off of me and walked past him saying "Better luck next time, Luci" and walked downstairs to the rest of the people. It took Lucifer a while to come too. I think he's calming himself down and trying not to kill me at the moment.

When he finally came down he stood right beside me. "The 5 who were found first, please leave the room, and go wait in the room next door." The five people left. "Alright, congratulations all 20 of you are going to the next round. In the next round tomorrow, 10 will be out. It's the seducing game. Lucifer can choose 9 people and the public also chooses 1 of you to go through. See ya tomorrow" and everyone walked out.

I walked towards the kitchen downstairs (not in the playroom) to get something to drink. I searched for a glass. I found some, on top of the whole thing. I stood on my tiptoes to reach the glass and when I almost got it someone came up behind me and took it. I turned around to find Lucifer once again behind me.