The Unmasked

“Who are you little girl?” He asked, she felt his arms reach around her and suddenly the ribbon at the back of her head loosen.

“No!” She screamed and kicked him. “No!”

He gave one final tug and the ribbon untied the mask slipped off of her face. And that’s when the real screaming began, the screaming of the Unmasked.



“Another one.” Said Liza. Again? They are getting more frequent, Annie thought looking at the body, or what was left of one, of a six or seven year old girl. She was charred but you could make out her torso, legs, arms, and head. All of her hair had been burnt off. No way anyone could recognize her yet. “Where is her mask?” Annie asked peeping out of her own.

“Dunno.” Liza said. “No one does know, that’s why the whole things cooky, this child ain’t gotta mask but she’s gotta be one of ours. Nothing can char a body that good and keep it intact. She does got a locket though.” Liza fished through her pockets as Annie watched and she finally with drew a gold chain with a silver heart attached. Annie took it gingerly into her own hand and opened it, or tried at least. “Another cooky thing that is, it won’t open, not for no one.”

“Right.” Annie said and tucked it into her pocket. She had didn’t have a weird feeling or anything but she liked puzzles and this was one she was determined to solve.

There was a loud chime from above. “Finally.” Liza sighed.

“Another day.” Annie began.

“Another dollar.” Liza finished and they laughed.

Annie took her hospital apron off and hung it on the rack before heading to her dormitory. That’s what she didn’t understand about her and her people, the Masked, why they didn’t just live with everyone else, but instead the lived in an underground community but were free to leave when they pleased.

She got to her door, 556, and reached into her pocket for her key, her fingers brushed the cool metal and then it was gone, she tilted her head up and saw her best friend, Dylan, they had met in second grade and were tied at the hip. “Hey stranger. Annie grinned up at him.

He smiled. “I think you lost this.” And handed her the key.

She hugged him before opening her door and walking in. “Come in.” She said but he already followed. Her room didn’t have much, one bed, one desk, one chair, one loveseat, two posters, a computer, and a lamp. Annie sat on the loveseat and patted the spot next to her for Dylan to sit.

When he was comfortable she said, “There was another dead one.” He grimaced under his mask. “Six or seven.” She rummaged in her pocket. “No mask just this.” She held up the locket and his grimace morphed into a face of sadness.

“That’s Amelia’s locket. My sister is dead.”


((I know this is short I'm working on chapter two now!~))

Tears fell from his eyes and out of his mask. So upset. She had just started school! Why not take him! He had lived so much longer. He had just started to love her and now she was taken from him. It was some sort of sick joke. Somewhere above whatever higher power there was, was laughing at him. ‘Ha ha Dylan, you thought you outsmarted me this time but I had many a trick up my sleeve and I am still on top.’

He stood up, he had to face the music tell his mom oh it would kill her. She had suffered through four miscarriages before getting what she wanted, a second daughter. Even if that meant her husband left her. “Wait.” Annie had grabbed his hand and he hadn’t noticed.

“What?” He asked voice dead, he wasn’t even sure the word came out.

“Do you know how to open this locket?”

“No. It’s from before my great-grandmother, no one knows how.” He said. Annie started to press it into his palm. “No, you take it, you’re the next closest thing I have to a sister.” He lifted the chain and put it around her neck. “I’ll be by later tonight, good-bye Annie.”

He walked to the door and opened it looked back at her, tears began to form again so he exited quickly and started down the corridor to his mother’s room. He could do this he told himself as he opened the door. “Mom.” He said seeing her knitting on the couch.

“Dylan!” She looked up. “Amelia should be home any minute, she’s upstairs.” That was his mom’s word for in the real world.

“Um, mom. She won’t be coming down.” He said sitting next to her.

“What do you… no. Not to my daughter, your sister! No!” He felt her face fall onto his shoulder and his shirt began to get soaked with tears.

“Shh.” He murmured. “She’s watching over us, She’s okay.”

By the time his mother had stopped crying and was okay to go to the hospital and reveal the identity of the girl with no mask his shirt clung to his skin it was so soaked. He got up as soon as the door closed and went to the bathroom he showered and changed into dry clothes throwing his others into the hamper.

He walked back to Annie’s and knocked on the door. She opened it and welcomed him in he went back to their loveseat for a while and did nothing for a while just sitting. Finally she broke the silence. “Why are we cursed?”

“I don’t know, hunny.” He said and just then there was a knock on the door. He went and got it there were to uniformed security guards with a brown package. “Dylan Elijah Cooper?”

No need to say my full name he thought but said, “Yes, sirs.”

“You’re mourning mask, details are inside the package as to how to put it on.” The shoved the package into his arms and left.

He sat down at Annie’s desk and unwrapped it, it was a black mask features contorted into a face of sadness. He frowned at it and looked at the directions, he was supposed to put this on over his mask and the take his mask on beneath it. He called Annie over for help and he had it on in seconds. “How do I look?” He asked getting up from the chair.

Annie burst out in giggles. “Ridiculous.” She said and he grinned under his mask.

It's good..
Needs some more to get into it properly though

It's really good. I like it.

Thanks you guys, hopefully there will be more Dylan/Annie charcter development in the next few chapters.

I like it. Keep it up. I'll be checking back for more.