A Deal With Dark

Three

Chapter Three

(Back to Maddy's POV)

I felt something tight wrapped around me when I awoke. Rope. And there was something sticky on my mouth, too - duct tape. My arms were tied behind my back and my ankles were tied to the uncomfortable chair I was seated in. A single dim light flickered above me, swinging ominously from the ceiling. And sitting in front of me was Mark. He was tied up the same as I was, with tape on his mouth and fear glistening in his eyes.

"Mark!" I spoke, but it came out muffled from my mouth being secured shut. He spoke back, trying to tell me something, but I had a hard time figuring out what it was. After about the fifth time he repeated it, I guessed that he was saying, "Be quiet." But how could I do that when we were both tied up in some dingy, unfamiliar room? I had no memory of getting there, and I needed answers. But then an unsettling ringing filled my ears, getting louder and louder by the second. I wanted to bring my hands to my ears to cover them, but I couldn't. And then I realized why my ears were suddenly ringing as the only demon I had ever met entered the room, standing between Mark and I.

Dark looked at me first, a smug smile on his face as he ripped the duct tape off of my mouth.

"What the hell is happening? Did you do this to us?" I asked, glad to be able to talk clearly.

"Well, of course. I couldn't have you trying to escape. I'm not really in the mood to chase anyone today," he answered. "And that goes for you as well, Markimoo," he added, pulling the duct tape off of Mark's mouth.

"What is all of this for?" I wondered out loud. I knew Dark was a sick individual, but I hadn't ever expected anything like this. I mean, how did he even pull it off? Did he drug us? A million questions swirled around inside my mind like a tornado.

"I thought we could play a little game." Dark pulled a quarter out of his pocket, turning it over in his hand.

"Don't do this, Dark. Don't involve her in this. She hasn't done anything, she doesn't need to be a part of your games!" Mark pleaded. I saw tears in his eyes. They were dangerously close to sliding down his cheeks.

"Relax, Mark. You don't even know the game yet! It's just a simple coin toss..."

"A coin toss? For what?" I asked.

"For your life," he replied coldly, and my heart skipped a beat. "You two get to decide who's heads and who's tails. Whichever one wins gets to live."

"No, no, no. NO! You can't do this!" Mark screamed, writhing in his seat, desperately trying to free himself so he could stop the horror that was slowly unfolding. He was completely losing it. How long had he been a part of Dark's terrible games?

"It was a mistake to let you talk. Who knew you'd be so much more vocal with her here?" Dark held Mark still and put a fresh piece of duct tape on his mouth before turning back towards me.

"So, since he won't cooperate, how about you choose? Do you want to be heads or tails?"

"How do you expect me to choose in a situation like this?" I asked him, terrified of making the wrong choice. But then again, was there really a right choice? Either way, someone would die, and someone would be emotionally hurt. "I can't choose," I decided.

"Fine, then I'll kill you both," Dark shrugged, pulling his knife out. He turned to Mark, holding his weapon close to his neck...

"TAILS! I'll be tails. Please, don't hurt him." I was crying now, panicked and shaky. I knew there was at least a chance that Mark could live if Dark did the coin toss. He'd still have Dark to deal with, but at least he would still be breathing.