The Twisted Game of Hide and Seek

by hylio

It was late at night, and Flamer6798 (Flamer for short) the Stars Shoyru, was in his bed, dreaming his dreams. But his dreams were anything but peaceful. Writhing in bed, Flamer was only minutes away from screaming. He hadn't gotten out of his bedroom in time, and the Pant Devil was going to mess him up....

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" he cried, sitting up in bed, breathing hard. Hylio (his owner) and Mochaen (his foster brother) ran in at the sound of his scream, knowing what was wrong. Flamer's dreams were frequent, but always a little different.

"Flamer! Are you okay?" hylio asked, knowing the answer already.

"I...I'm fine...except that this time, I didn't get out in time and the Pant Devil was going to kung fu me up and the room was filled with fog and...and...and..." Flamer broke down sobbing into hylio's shoulder. Hylio patted his shoulder and hugged him until he was done with his crying. Mochaen discreetly left, knowing his presence wouldn't help anything.

Flamer's dreams were always the same, but with one significant difference each time. They always started out with Flamer in bed, sleeping peacefully. Then the crystalline clock in Flamer's room would begin sounding," 1...........2........." Flamer would wake up, and had to get out of the room before the clock shouted '3', or else the Pant Devil would finish him off for good. Flamer always managed to slip out before the clock said '3'. After that, he had to hide. Each dream, the hiding spot was different. If the Pant Devil found him, it was good-bye Flamer. If he didn't, Flamer stayed alive.

In the particular dream Flamer had had that night, he had not got out before the clock cried '3' and the door had slammed shut, locking itself. Flamer had slid down to the floor and edged over to the wall. Fog began seeping in through the walls, and Flamer quickly moved back to the middle of the room. The Pant Devil had floated down through the ceiling, in all his evil glory, and was laughing hideously at Flamer.

"I've got you now..." he said, rushing towards Flamer....and Flamer had awoken then, screaming fit to raise the dead.

Hylio patted Flamer on his shoulder again, and Flamer looked up, tears still welling up in his big blue eyes.

"Why does the Pant Devil keep haunting me in my dreams?" asked young Flamer. Hylio sighed.

"I don't know, Flamer, I don't know. But I would give anything to stop your nightmares," hylio replied, hugging her Shoyru tightly. Flamer hugged hylio back.

Suddenly, the walls shook, and, in a swirl of blue smoke matching his body perfectly, the Pant Devil flew in. Both Flamer and hylio screamed, causing Mochaen to rush in. When he saw the Pant Devil, he screamed too.

"What...what do you want?" asked hylio, trying to keep from breaking down in tears.

"Anything. You said, quite plainly, anything. I want what is of most value to you," the Pant Devil boomed in his thunderous voice, evil red eyes gleaming maliciously.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE FLAMER AND MOCHAEN!" hylio cried, grabbing both Flamer and Mochaen.

"I don't want your pets, insignificant human! I want your Neopoints! I want your items! Suffer, you and your lowly pets! I want you to become poor!" the Pant Devil laughed.

"Take them! Take them all! Just leave me and my pets alone!" hylio shouted back. The Pant Devil snapped his fingers and all was taken, even the NeoHome, out from under hylio and her pets' feet. The Pant Devil laughed again, and said, "This just may be the last time you see me...."

Then he flew away. Hylio hugged her pets, and they all cried, huddling against each other for warmth. That night, they trekked over to their friend, neon_neo_angel's, home, and she let them stay there for the time-being, until they could reshape their lives.

And after that incident, the Pant Devil disappeared from Flamer's dreams, and the twisted game of hide and seek Flamer had to endure each night stopped.

The End