002 I’m Apophis

Raven looked at Darren, carefully. She hadn’t looked at her relationship carefully like this, in a long time.

She was an orphan. Alone, for too long. So when Darren barged into her life, she grabbed onto the illusion of having a “family” of her own, too tight to see all the red flags. The countless rain checks Darren took for Emily. The phone calls from Emily that could pull Darren out in the middle of the night, once even DURING sex.

How could she have not seen?

It was never about Darren having a struggle between her and Emily, because he would always have chosen Emily over her. Time after time.

Even on a life and death matter, even if it was basically murder, when he tricked her into giving her own life for Emily.

“Raven, you are the best gamer I have ever met. You are a survivor. An expert in horror games! You will be fine in the game--”

“In a supernatural, lethal game where your precious Emily almost died in,” Raven looked at Darren with calm eyes, “What was the candy you forced me to take?”

“...the invitation to join the game...” Darren murmured, “Raven, Emily almost died in the game, and I didn’t know what else I could do--”

“So,” Raven let out a light laugh, “That’s your excuse to kill me?”

“You won’t die! I have got tips for you,” Darren shouted frantically, “Emily learned a lot about the game! Listen to me carefully, we don’t have a lot of time--”

“Don’t make me laugh, Darren Collins. Didn’t know what else to do?” Raven cut Darren off coldly, “If your tips work, then why didn’t YOU go in her place? Instead of being the generous ex at the expense of MY life.”

Darren looked at Raven with sorrowful eyes, as if Raven was the one who was signing her own death sentence--

...Not him.

“Raven, it’s not the time pointing fingers. Listen to me, please...” Unusually, Darren took the high road this time, “The game is REAL. The injuries, death, and the money! You die in the game, you die for real. Do you hear me? Just survive and you will get to come back to reality--”

“By tricking someone else into it?” Raven let out a snort.

The room started twisting, as if being sucked into an invisible blackhole. The view on the hallway where Darren was remained normal.

“I know you are mad at me right now, but this is the best option for us!”

Was your “us” you and me, Darren? Raven looked at him with cold eyes. Or you and Emily.

“I’m done being the third wheel in this twisted threesome, Darren Collins,” Raven raised Darren’s expensive camera -- the one he cherished like his own baby, “I’m flattered that you deemed my life worth of a bait like your ‘baby doll’, and here is your goodbye--”

Raven made a light, swift, almost gentle flip of her wrist, and the camera fell to the ground lens-down, shattering into pieces with a loud thud.

“Raven...” Darren murmured hurtfully, for a moment as if more at losing Raven instead of the camera.

“It’s okay, Darren Collins,” Raven raised a bright smile, taking a step back from the door, “I entered the relationship with my own dirty little secret. So now we are even...and done for.”

“We are not done! You hear me?!” Darren suddenly jumped up, his fist in the air as if he wanted to put his fist through the sealed door frame.

But he didn’t dare.

“Raven, you will come out alive!” Darren shouted at her with genuine worry in his eyes, “You come out, and I’ll marry you! You have always wanted a family, no?!”

See? He knew. He knew why she held onto him. He knew he was crossing the lines when he did. And he knew how to lure her back in.

He didn’t know she really wanted a normal family with him once, and now, he would never know.

“Don’t give up on yourself! Raven, I’ll wait for you!” Darren shouted, “You will survive this! I know!”

What a joke. Raven laughed out loud. She wasn’t giving up on herself. Just on him.

“Try to hoard money if you can,” Darren blurted as if just remembered, “You can pay the game to heal injuries, even if you lose a whole leg. Emily also needs 1000 if you can--”

“You are not hearing me...” Raven shook her head slowly with a compassionate look, as if pity for how dumb the person in front of her was, “Darren Collins. If this game was real, and people could die in it and purchase anything they want beyond the limitation of reality, then...”

Darren stared at Raven, waiting eagerly.

“...then you better hope that I WOULD die in it,” To keep being enslaved for him and earn money for his precious Emily? Raven let out a cold sneer, “I’m Apophis, remember? You wouldn’t like it when I come... for you.”

The God of Chaos, comes with only destruction.

Darren said something, but Raven could no longer hear because she was being sucked into the invisible blackhole. It seemed from his lips that he said--

“I’m really sorry...”