“Two thousand dollars for this car?! Are you kidding me?!” inside an old, smelly pawn shop with sticky floors and moldy walls, Jianmen’s loud yell could be heard by almost the entire street: “This car can barely drive!”

“That’s the price you’re gonna get. This one’s been here for years, and I’ve been taking good care of her - if you can’t take the price, I have some bicycles with training wheels some dipshit father pawned for some quick cash and never returned. I’ll give you those for a hundred, how ‘bout that?” the overweight man with a grossly under-groomed beard and mustache said to Jianmen and Josephine Wong with food crumbs and droplets of beer on his facial hair: “You won’t find nothing like what I have here anywhere in this freaking town. And, uh, trust me, you don’t wanna spend too much time in this place if you’re not from here.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, dear.” Josephine Wong patted Jianmen on his chest and said, like a real girlfriend trying to calm her boyfriend: “We don’t have that much cash with us. Do you take credit cards? Or do you accept mobile payments?”

“I’m not taking none of that nerdy techy mumble-jumble. I only take green I can see and count with my own damn fingers.” the overweight man took a gulp of beer while laughing in a gloating manner, beer spewed from his mouth and dripped from his beard and his already stained shirt: “A’ight, I’m in a very generous mood. So tell you what, my offer can stay here for another day or two while you get the cash.”

Jianmen did not say anything and just turned around and burst out of the door, acting like he was indeed upset.

“So now what? ” Josephine Wong asked: “When does that part about us blowing off steam start? This place is really giving me a ‘it better be gone or renovated’ feeling.”

“Don’t worry. We can start tonight.” Jianmen replied: “Our room is 313, no way in hell the rooms on the first and second floors are empty. So I think, remember this is just my theory, if they’re trying to torment us, they will no doubt try to trick us into one of those rooms and torment us using illusion or nightmares.”

“Hmm, you think so?” Josephine Wong held onto Jianmen’s left arm and said: “I think they will probably try to use illusions trying to scare us out of our room instead. And where do you think that girl’s family is held?”

“Oh I already know that, they’re in a dungeon, under Jimbo’s Pawn Shop.” Jianmen smiled: “We just need them to focus on tormenting someone, while we go into the dungeon and find the family, and maybe a few more other hostages.”

“That’s very… very considerate of you.” Josephine Wong sighed again as she looked down on the dirty floor ahead of them.

Stolen novel; please report.

At night, thinking they were acting in total secrecy, Jimbo, the owner of the pawn shop, Karl, the old man with one crooked eye behind the counter of the motel, Madeline and Trent, the old couple running a small grocery store a few minutes’ walk up the street, and Vincent, their supervisor, the most well dressed of the lot and the Town’s mayor all gathered together inside of a clean, cozy and spacious room with drinks and luxury food placed on an L shaped table in the corner, and several screens showing live footage of Jianmen and Josephine Wong’s room from various angles, all from magically hidden cameras.

“What’s the story this time?” Vincent the mayor asked as he stuffed a biscuit topped with caviar into his mouth: “Stranded young couple?”

“Yeah, stupid boyfriend and hot girlfriend.” Karl said: “Don’t know how they got here, don’t care. Their fucking car broke down - as it would.”

All the people in the room started laughing.

“Are we cutting them loose or are we keeping them?” Trent asked.

“Oh, Trent, Madeline is sitting right there.” Jimbo laughed as he drank his red wine directly from the bottle: “I thought brunette’s not your type!?”

“Shut the fuck up, Jimbo.” Trent flinched in pain as Madeline pinched his belly fat: “Ouch! Madeline, baby, I would never! I’m just asking if we want to keep some pets around, you know, for the show.”

“Even if we are keeping them for the show, we’ll need to fix her face.” Madeline stared at a screen showing the footage from the bathroom, where Josephine Wong was washing her face in a thin and tight T-shirt: “And her …. her everything.”

“Oh whoo.” Karl laughed and said: “Never seen Madeline so pissed before, and for a really good reason.”

“She’s about to shower. ” Vincent also had his eyes fixated on the screen depicting the bathroom.

“Oh, come on, come on, come on!” Jimbo yelled as droplets of red wine spilled on his shirt as Josephine Wong found some towers and put them on the rack near the shower and was ready to lift her shirt: “Come on baby, show us the goods!”

“You fucking pigs!” Madeline cursed and clapped her hands, banging the metal rings on her fingers together.

The shadow of a pale, thin and severely wounded woman appeared in the bathroom mirror just in front of Josephine Wong. Josephine Wong instantly jolted backwards screaming and fell into the shower, almost banging her head on the metal handle bar on the wall. This commotion brough Jianmen into the bathroom, and he helped Josephine Wong up and brought her back out of the bedroom and onto the bed.

Aside from Trent, all the other men in the room groaned and complained as things developed this way.

“Fuck me, Madeline, I knew inviting you was a fucking mistake!” Karl grabbed a large piece of steak from the table and made himself a steak sandwich while shaking his head.

“We have internet here, if you’re so goddamn thirsty just go watch porn like you would every day!” Madeline said loudly: “Focus!”

“Come on, Madeline, let people have fun.” Vincent as he picked up a cocktail and ate the olive first: “You and Trent have each other, but we don’t have anyone here! We’re bored and want some actions every now and then!”

“You can always go on the frontline and fight the lycans and blood suckers.” Madeline stared right back at all the other men staring at her.

“Alright! You used your turn already, no more for you unless we all have our turns!” Jimbo said, shaking his wine bottle: “And I am saving mine until I’ve seen some action! Who’s with me!?”

“Yeah right Jimbo!” Karl laughed out loud: “I’m with you!”

Yet unbeknownst to them, the footage they were seeing, were actually scripted and programmed performances done by a meticulous but not too difficult spell, which means there would be enough close calls to keep them engaged but never any actual “action”. And at the same time the real Jianmen and Josephine Wong had already found a secret trap door to the dungeon under an old wooden cabinet with a ten thousand dollar price tag.