King of Hearts

I remember screaming, I remember yelling. I remember passing out. So, I suppose I wasn't all that surprised when I woke up, but I was startled at where I was. I was seated at a table, cards in front of me. There was a candle, but it wasn't lit as the room was light enough from the window.

It seemed as if I'd been playing cards, and fallen asleep while doing so. While I didn't think this was what had happened, I assumed it had to be as across from me sat a man. He appeared to be the other person playing this card game.

I didn't even know which game we were playing, as the set up was not familiar. Nor was the man in front of me. Come to think of it, this whole room seemed more like a case of déjà vu rather than a familiar setting. I had the feeling that I'd only been here in my dreams, but never in real life.

"So, Patrick. You're awake." The man across from me grinned. "Yes, Pete. So it seems." His name was Pete. My name was Patrick. Simple as that. I wonder why people always have to ask each other what their names are?

I grinned back at him, and he spoke. "So you've finally joined me?" I didn't quite know what he was talking about, but that didn't really matter. "If you say so, then yes."

"So I'm not alone, then." Pete's grin widened, and I didn't know what to think of it. I felt like a child, just having my eyes opened to the world. Everything was new, and everything needed to be questioned.

"Were we playing a card game?" I asked him. If so, we needed to continue. Games were serious, you couldn't just leave them in the middle. They had to be finished.

"Why yes, Patrick. We were. As a matter of fact, it was your turn. Why don't you pick a card?" His disposition was devious, but there was no rule stating that it had anything to do with the game. There were never rules, they'd just be broken.

I looked down on the table, and saw a line of cards. Eight of them, in a perfectly straight line. Each one was beautiful in it's own way, but one of them above the rest. It had an 'X' carved into the back of it, and it just screamed for me to pick it up.

So, I reached towards it, and grabbed the card next to it. Ace of spades, not a bad card. "Yes, that's what I thought." Pete said, keeping up his grin just as while as I did mine.

"My turn." he said, more to himself than to me. I nodded, and observed what he was doing. He moved his fingers around in anticipation, his eyes darting between the cards as he made his choice.

His eyes brightened when they came to rest on one card, all the way to the left of the line. He reached for it, flipping it over in the blink of an eye. "Look, Patrick! It's your heart!" and so it was.

To just anyone, it was simply another Ace of Hearts. But I could see how it was my heart, just the way it looked it had to be mine.

A dark look flashed in his eyes, and he looked up at me with that insane grin of his. I had a feeling it wasn't as relaxed and somber as the one that resided on my face.

Suddenly, the curtains flew shut. The light disappeared, and the memories came back. Memories of sanity, memories of life, and memories that told me how I came here, why I was in this room, with Panda

Suddenly, I suppose for the second time, I was snapped back into my sanity. I realized that Pete having my heart wasn't a good thing. It was something severely worrisome, and I shook my head and stood up, backing away from his evil glare and grin.

"P-Panda? What a-are you d-doing?" he reached behind him, pulling something from behind his back. Suddenly, his face was once again splattered with blood, his top hat was tilted to cover his face in shadow. His grin was the only part visible, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

I looked down, and saw him toying with a knife in his hands. "I have your heart now. Your soul." he said, leaning casually against the wall. "Now all I need is you life."

He snapped his head up to look me dead in the eyes, and I felt fear. Not only of him, but for my life. I knew that there was no escaping him, but I still tried.

I mad a mad dash for the door, pulling on the knob to find it locked. I looked back to him just as he started walking towards me. "Muffin, don't be so scared! You can't stop it now, I already have you heart. It's mine now, play for keeps."

He smiled sweetly, and somehow I found myself missing that crazed grin of his. The fake innocence on his face was too much to bear. It was a tangible lie, mixed in with this whole place that seemed to be tangible thoughts.

"It's just a knife, it can't do any real damage. Unless, of course, I want it to." the smile turned back into the grin, but it didn't cause me any relief like I thought it would. It just made me even more scared. If I thought those delusion's I'd had were laughing at me that first night when I came here, they were certainly having a fun time now, watching my demise.

I pushed my body against the wall, as if getting close enough to it would allow me to slip through. Pete walked slowly towards me, never dropping his gaze from my eyes. And I couldn't help but stare back.

It was like the rose, I couldn't have time to be worried when I saw his beauty. He was kind of like a venus fly trap, the sweetness calling me in, no sign of danger until I was already being consumed.

He came even closer, so close that his body was pressed against mine. I wanted to turn my head away, I wanted to break the contact, but I couldn't do it.

He lifted the knife up to my chest, pressing the point into my flesh. It didn't penetrate, but I suspected it soon would, ending my life.

"One thing, before you go, Patrick. You've been such a nice guest..." he trailed off at the end, placing his lips on mine. I couldn't help but kiss back, as if it could save me. As if he would drop the knife.

But he didn't, just kept massaging my lips while the knife pressed harder into me, causing blood to seep out from my veins. "Are you ready, Patrick? To join the others?" he mumbled against my lips.

I knew this room had secrets. And I was about to become one of them. These four walls would be the only ones to see me die, to hear my screams. I couldn't answer, but I got the feeling he didn't really expect me to.

His mouth never left mine, but just as he was about to thrust the knife in, I felt something in my hand.