Page 102 of Tempt Me

His breathing stopped. The silence stretched for a moment before Judas walked out of the woods. He was covered in blood, with an eerie smile stretched across his face.

“Judes…?” I said carefully, seeing that my brother was not who was walking toward me.

“Tick-Tock. Another drops.”

I backed away from my brother, looking behind him, waiting for Randall or Goliath to emerge from the woods.

What was happening?

What the fuck is wrong with Judas?

The leash handle dragged along the floor as he took more and more steps toward me. My back had the cliff behind me.

Judas screamed, his body convulsing into a pained growl as he held his head in agony.

“Judas?”

“Pharaoh.” The words were different than before. “Run... I can’t…she’s…”

Concern and complete confusion about what was happening to my brother made me weak.

What is wrong with Judas?

What is happening to my brother?

He looked like he was fighting…withhimself.

He was flashing in and out of two different people. His words were a contorted mixture of both, the terrifying, insane clown and my flesh and blood.

“Judas. What is going on? Man, let me help you! What the fuck is happening, brother?”

Judas walked forward and shoved me away from the cliff, his own body falling closer to the edge. I reached out for him, and that bubbling laughter returned.

“Poor, Pharaoh! Tick-tock. You can’t see that the monster you’ve been searching for has been right in front of you all along.”

I recoiled. His words made me falter in my steps.

What…

The words of the madman’s relative came back into my mind.

“Not me…not I…it is he. Soldier Two is who…did…this…to…you.”

“No…” I said, my heart shattering into pieces on the ground before me. “It can’t be…Judas...you can’t have taken her from me...why? How could you!”

My brother laughed, smiling at me as he licked the blood that ran down his hands.

“Where is Goliath and Randall, Judas? What did you do?”

He simply smiled.

“Tick-tock. Your time is up, brother.”

“Judes. Please. Tell me he was insane. Tell me this is a dream. Please.”

“See, Lithy Poo figured it out before you. He was running like a hero to come tell you. So, he had to be silenced, of course. You wanted that footage so badly. It showed me. He tried to kill that bitch for getting in his head, but that wouldn’t work so well for me. She had to live.”

Who the fuck was he talking about? Silence, Goliath?