Broken Boundaries (2) |Sweet Pea|

|18|

The room was a complete mess; there was random prices of rubbish all over the floor and graffiti sprayed across almost every wall. Her original fear of the abandoned building only grew when she saw the countless numbers of what looked like voo-doo dolls hanging from yhe ceiling.

People were scattered around the floor, assumedly playing G&G, with packets of Fizzle Rocks next to them. Whenever Lola pointed her torch at someone, they cowered away as if it burned them. Lola couldn't help but wonder how long all of them had been hiding out here and how they were surviving.

When no one seemed prepared to attack Lola, the girl began to relax a little but she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her gut. As the two silently looked around, Lola's torch-light landed on some sort of totem with a skull she feared was real on it.

When she saw the silhouette of a person beneath it, she figured it was who they were looking for. Not wanting to bring any more attention to themselves than they already did by walking around with torches, Lola nudged Jughead's side and nodded towards where her torch was pointing.

Jughead approached the outline with caution, not sure of how they would react. "Are you Kurtz?" he began, not receiving any answer. "I'm here to talk. One leader to another" Jughead continued. Lola was fully prepared to turn on her heel and sprint away at any moment, but the body in the shadows nodded and Jughead sat down meaning she would have to join them.

"I'm the Serpent King and she's my right hand" Jughead stated, nodding toward his best friend. As he spoke, Kurtz seemed to be studying him slightly until his eyes drifted to Lola at the mention of her.

His eyes became trained on her as he studied her as well. However, he didn't turn back to Jughead. Instead, his eyes locked with Lola's, giving her the urge to squirm and look away. As much as she hated it, Lola couldn't bring herself to look away; she was too stubborn to give in first.

"We're here to make an offer. You're all wanted for making and dealing Fizzle Rocks. But if you and your Gargoyles join my gang, I can promise you immunity from the sheriff's office and the law" Jughead stated. Lola wondered if Kurtz had even been listening to him at all considering his gaze was still focussed on her.

"Law. Immunity. I have looked into the eyes of the King. And his," Kurtz began, waving a finger in the air. "Is the only law. The law of Gargoyles, carved in stone" Kurtz finished, still staring at Lola. His voice sent shivers down the blonde-haired girl's spine; he sounded so detached from reality, bordering on insane.

"So you wanna play a game? I'm a game master. Let me be your fame master" Jughead pressed, not wanting to back down. As Lola continued to refuse defeat, she noticed a very slight change in Kutz' empty eyes. Whatever Jughead had said had gotten his attention, whether that was a good are bad thing.

"You think Gryphons and Gargoyles" Kurtz began, finally tearing his gaze away from Lola and turning back to face Jughead once again. His voice, while somehow remaining detached, now had an almost angry edge to it. "Is a game? You are mistaken" he stated while standing up. Both Lola and Jughead stood up after him, unsure if he was likely to attack or not.

"You come here as a king but you are not a king. And you think we are playing a game but we are living... a prophecy" Kurtz continued, holding his hands up to gesture around him before sitting down again. Lola looked at him skeptically, not trusting him in the slightest.

"And you are all just sacrifices waiting to be made" the seemingly insane boy in front of them stated, looking back and forth between them. Lola felt like his cold and empty eyes were staring right into her soul, reading her darkest secrets and uncovering her greatest fears.

"The Gargoyle King lives. He will decide and he will choose" Kurtz explained. He seemed to have calmed down once again and his eyes returned to Lola's, ignoring Jughead once again. "And only the worthy will ascend."