Leon was walking back home from soccer practice, still elated by the adrenaline when he heard the screams.

It was initially subtle, just a slight pricker to one's ears. However, it began to grow louder steadily, as Leon looked around in confusion.

‘Is someone hurt? Where’s that coming from?’ He thought, trying to see if he could see someone injured.

When he couldn’t see anything, shrugging his shoulders, he walked faster. Normally, this was a relatively safe neighborhood, compared to the other neighborhoods in Report. However, Leon’s early education on what to do when you hear screams kicked in, making him start digging around in his pockets for a key so that he could quickly get in the house.

Abruptly, the screams in the distance stopped. ‘Did the medics come? What was that?’ He wondered.

After about ten minutes, Leon reached his house. Looking up at the familiar bungalow-style house, he smiled.

Reaching his front porch, he fished out his key and unlocked the door. It creaked open with the familiar sound that Leon had grown up hearing.

Stepping into the house, he wondered why everything was so quiet. They would almost always be the sound of Ollie, his three-year-old sister laughing at something.

However, as soon as he smelled the smell of lasagna cooking, his feelings of curiosity vanished as he felt sweet saliva pool in his mouth.

“Mom, I’m home!” He yelled, hurriedly bouncing up the stairs to change into new clothes. As he reached his room, realizing he hadn’t heard a reply, he called out again.

“Mom? Dad? Are you here? Ollie?”

When no reply came, Leon went to his bedroom window to peer out at the driveway. His mom’s car was still there, as was his dad’s.

‘Where did they go?’ He wondered as he hastily changed out of his soccer uniform into some shorts and a loose shirt.

Bounding down the stairs once more, Leon checked on the lasagna in the oven. The lasagna was, to his horror, a bit overcooked. ‘Why..’ he thought, wincing at the burnt edges.

‘Ugh, where are they?’ He looked around the house. Checking the backyard, he called out again. “Mom?!”

Where else could they be? ‘Oh yeah, maybe the basement.’ After all, his dad had begun to work on some new project. Maybe they were all down there, surveying his work.

Leon pulled open the door to the stairs of the basement and turned on the lights.

As he skidded down the stairs a thought came to mind. ‘Isn’t this when the guys die in horror movies?’ Leon wondered, stopping in pause.

Shaking his head, Leon headed further down and opened the basement door.

Instantly a sharp smell of iron flooded into his senses.

Leon almost threw up. ‘What’s this smell of blood?’ He thought, his fight-or-flight instincts flaring to life.

As he slowly crept in, the smell of blood grew impossibly strong. “Mo-mom?” He hesitatingly called out, heart pounding as he inched closer to where the room branched left, making a blind spot that couldn't be seen from the stairs.

‘There might be something there. I need to get back up.’ He thought as he walked closer. However, his legs wouldn't stop.

And when he turned that corner, the sight that awaited him would be forever scarred in his mind.

The image of his mother and father’s bloodied faces staring up at him, eyes devoid of life, with multiple gunshot wounds in their bodies gushing blood that slowly stained the concrete floor.

Leon immediately felt the blood drain from his face as he took in this horrific scene. Stumbling back, he vomited acidic white liquid as a pounding in his ears began.

He averted his eyes from the blood and tried to calm down his shaking and trembling body.

Wide-eyed, he noticed a crimson message written on the concrete wall.

‘Written with my parent’s blood.’ He thought, biting back his tongue as a deep rage began fostering within his soul.

Victor. We have your grand-niece. Take this as a warning. Next time will be worse.

‘Victor? Who’s Victor? Grand-niece? You mean… they took Ollie??!!’

Leon quickly stumbled even more back. Leon’s panic sparked to its full. He had to call the authorities. It would be all right. They would find Ollie. Time was of the essence.

However, as he turned back, he saw something else that chilled him to the very core. A person peeked out from behind the basement door where Leon had just entered.

The person looked disturbing, wearing a mask that showed a face with a wide grin and maniacal eyes.

Leon leaped back in horror. “Who are you?!” He yelled back, as his legs began shaking.

“Hey there, friend.” The person said, his scratchy voice carrying hints of madness. “I’m just here to finish up some business.”

Leon quickly looked around and snatched up a hammer from a worktable.

“You get any closer, and your skull is getting smashed.” He said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

“Oh, my friend. We both know that you aren’t doing anything.” The person said, sliding out of the doorway. He held a knife in one hand. “C’mon. I’ll make it quick. I promise.”

‘No, no, no.’ Leon began hyperventilating. Was this how he was going to die? Alone by some maniacal guy who had probably also killed his parents?

As the person gilded closer, Leon held the hammer tightly. Then, mustering up all his courage, he charged forward. ‘Please! Just one hit!’

But whoever Leon had been praying to, did not heed his calls.

s he approached, the person simply giggled. It was a hideous sound, sending shivers down Leon’s back. Then easily, he sidestepped Leon and slammed the hilt of the knife into his head.

Gasping in pain, Leon was out before he hit the ground.

***

When Leon woke up again, he was no longer at his house.

‘Where am I?’ He thought, looking around.

He was in a huge abandoned warehouse with overgrown vines and plants all around the spacious room.

As he tried to get up, he found that he was bound by ropes to a metal chair. Struggling against it, Leon tried to see if there was any way to get out of there.

‘I need to call the police.’ He thought, trying to reach for a jagged stone he had spotted on the ground.

After almost tipping over, he finally managed to grab the rock.

However, a voice suddenly came from behind.

“C’mon friend. It's no use. Stop struggling”

As soon as the words came, Leon’s body froze. A paralyzing fear began creeping up. The stone slipped from his slackened grip.

“Pl-please let me go.” He said, struggling to keep his voice steady.

As no response came, he struggled to turn backward, toward the voice. However, before he could do so, he was blindfolded with a smelling rag and was lifted from the chair, someone cutting off his binds.

“No! Wh- Stop!” He said struggling, flailing his arms. However, as soon as he felt the cold metal of a knife on his throat, Leon froze instantly.

“Friend. We must be quiet when we meet him.” The voice came.

As Leon was carried, his thoughts began running rampant. ‘Where were they taking him? Where was Ollie? And.. mom and dad.’

At the last thought, tears began forming in his eyes. Why was this happening? What did they want from a 12-year-old kid like him?

Suddenly, Leon was tied to a pole, standing up, and someone removed his blindfold.

Shaking his head to clear his muddy mind, he looked at the people standing in front of him. One was the man he had seen in the basement, his face grinning widely even without his mask. The other people were a man with salt and pepper hair, staring at Leon with a tired and rugged expression, and finally, a person whose eyes were completely covered with a half-mask that seemed to radiate darkness.

The masked figure carefully approached Leon. “Hello, there.”

For some reason, the words seemed strangely alluring, like it was almost hypnotic.

“Please let me go. I don’t have anything you would want. I’m just a kid.” Leon strangled out, tears forming in his eyes.

“Yes, you are a kid. However, you do have something that I need.” The person said, fiddling around in his pockets.

“I don't have anything! Please!” Leon’s panic was beginning to take a toll on him, as he started to see double.

“Of course, you don’t know anything. Now… calm down.”

As soon as the last two words were uttered, Leon suddenly felt at peace.

‘Wait… why am I struggling? I mean, the police will be here soon. All I need to do is wait.’ He thought as he relaxed into the pole he was tied to.

“That’s good…” The person said. “Now… let me kill you.”

“Okay…” Leon said softly, his head nodding slightly. ‘Wait. What am I doing? Wh-’ The thought shattered through the feeling of peace that he was feeling. He looked at the man with wide eyes. To be able to influence Leon’s mind…

‘Is he a Reborn?!’

A Reborn was someone who had managed to complete the Trials. They would need to go to the Spire and risk their lives as they completed the challenges that were given to them. However, only a select few had ever accomplished this, as nearly 99% died in their ascent.

Leon looked at the man in front of him with a new horror. No matter what Leon would do, there was no way he was going to be able to escape from a Reborn.

“Wow… such a strong mental resistance at such a young age. I’m surprised.” The man said, patting Leon on the head. “You are the one.”

“Please let me go! What would a person like you want with me?!” Leon’s panic reached a new high as he began to struggle even more against his bonds.

“Calm down.” The masked man said, finally pulling something out of his pockets.

He put it right in front of Leon’s forehead.

“I’m sorry, but this is a goodbye.”

“Wait, wh-”

BANG

***

After the gunshot that exploded half of Leon’s head, the men grabbed down his bloodied body and began to cut off his arms and legs, sickening sounds of cutting and slicing heard.

It almost looked like they were trying to find something within them. After which they then dragged his main body to a huge trash can. And after lighting a fire inside it, they dumped Leon’s body into the hungry flames.

Two of the three men (the maniac and the man with salt and pepper hair) began mocking the deceased boy, laughing as they jokingly recounted his final moments.

However, as the masked figure ignored his twisted companions and began once again searching for something within Leon’s cut-off limbs, the figure grew visibly more agitated.

Hurriedly cutting deeper into the disemboweled limbs, he began scratching at his head in agitation. “No, no, no.” He muttered under his breath.

Finally, after searching for a full hour until the limbs were all tattered flesh, it was clear that the thing he was searching for was not there.

“Hey, boss! What about my payment?” The maniac came skipping in anticipation to him, his mind already envisioning the things he would buy with the payment. Although he had been just a man who had escaped from a mental hospital, the masked man had promised him riches beyond his wildest dreams for the killing.

As the grinning man stood before him, the masked man slowly stood up. “Die.” He said harshly, staring at the smirking man.

And suddenly, the maniac grabbed at his throat, and with his eyes widening in realization, he tried to fight back the mental command.

However, it was useless.

With a sharp crack, the maniac snapped his neck.

Slumping down, the dead man landed on the ground with a soft thud.

The masked man stared at the corpse for a second and then turned his attention to the other person.

“We made a mistake. They have already moved. We need to hurry.”

“Okay.” The man with the salt and pepper hair nodded lazily, jumping down from the ledge where he had been resting.

“Let’s go.”