The Devil's Game - Chapter 1
A massive "Round 1" flashed up on screen giving Tim a moment to sit down and take in what was happening. Two girls from his school were mysteriously taking part in a secret online game show, seemingly against their will, and whatever this game show involved, it was most certainty not good.
The internet has at times played host to some of the darkest perversions known to man kind. If you got your kicks from adults being treated as babies, Exhibitionism, Nazi themed orgies or anything else you can guarantee that a small corner of the collective cess pool of the information super highway existed to satisfy your wants and needs. But even within this world of debauchery and depravity there exist places mentioned only in rumors and by word of mouth, places that the unspeakable truly did happen, without consequences or repercussions, where upon merely encountering it would change your life forever. No solid method for finding it existed, nor could those who've claimed to have found give replicable steps for how to get to it, but so the rumours went: at midnight on the first Friday of every month, the devil would begin his stream and only those whom the devil wishes would be able to find it.
He rewards those he deems worthy and punishes all others.
Tim sat at his computer, flicking through the various pages that he used to pass the time. Most were telling him the news he'd already read 12 times by now, and he was now well and truly bored. It was Friday; school had finished; the weekend was starting, and he had no plans or friends around to call upon until time had marched on enough for him to head back to school and continue on with the usual drudgery.
Tim was a tall boy, a healthy teenager, not particularly outgoing. He was average at sports, not a member of any teams though, and his grades were passable, but not outstanding. He spent most of his time browsing the internet for new forms of entertainment, and as his usual pass times were failing him tonight, and it was getting late, he decided to indulge his teenage hormones before calling it quits for the night.
He clicked through his usual go-to sites after switching his browser into privacy mode. He'd learned the hard way the importance of keeping no records or traces on a PC where others have ready access. Almost on autopilot, he began to sample the many sites that usually got him excited, but sadly none of them were doing it tonight. He moved his mouse quickly across the pages, already bored with the pickings presented.
One of the sites presented several adverts on its navigation bar which he usually ignored but as he went to click on another link his mouse passed over one of the adverts, and for the briefest of moments the two silhouetted females standing back to back became illuminated. He caught himself before he clicked the link he was intending. He swore he saw something wrong. Something that sent a chill to his bone, and left him feeling deeply unsettled.
The advert boasted no words or lewdness like the others. No click bait, no products or celebrities from the pornography world, not even a title to let you know what it was advertising. All it presented were two girls standing back to back, their black figures accented against the deep red background Slowly, and deliberately he moved his mouse back down over the advert and illuminated the girls once again.
Tim let out an audible gasp as the figures popped into view. They were small on his screen, but there was no mistaking it; it was Amber and Steph, cheerleaders from school and girls Tim only had the pleasure of sharing a single class with, yet he'd recognize them anywhere. What the silhouette hadn't show was the two were bound with their hands behind their backs forcing their chests forward and each with a ball gag in their mouth. Steph on the right was on the verge of tears and Amber held fury in her eyes as they both looked at the camera. Mercifully they were still wearing their bras.
Amber was a tall girl with luscious auburn hair she had large D cup breasts and fiery, ruthless personality. Steph, on the other hand, was a petite girl. She had a smile that lit up a room and a quiet, bubbly personality. She was smaller than Amber in many other respects as well, but beautiful none the less. Unlike Amber though she didn't have a boyfriend, despite the best efforts of some of the school's male population.
The longer Tim stared, the more he became sure it was them, and not some coincidentally uncanny look alike's. The looks they were giving to the camera each matched the girls' personalities to a tee. Amber strong and defiant, Steph meek and timid. The whole situation had captivated his attention like nothing ever had before in his life and before he knew what he was doing, he had clicked on the advert.
Suddenly the whole screen on his PC flickered off, leaving Tim in his room in complete darkness. Tim swore under his breath, thinking the power had gone out but as he jumped up to start scrabbling around and find either something to illuminate his room or to turn the pc back on, the pc, as suddenly as it had turned off, sprung back into life. Gone was the web browser he was using and the familiar task bar and shortcuts he was used to. Instead, a deep red filled the screen. On its left sat a menu of buttons, each decorated with strange patterns; swirls and thorns that felt decorative and at the same time quite foreboding. The right-hand side was conspicuously empty save for a timer counting down. Whatever it heralded, it would only be a minute before Tim found out.
Tim sat confused by it all but felt no compulsion to act upon his better judgment. He was drawn to see how this played out now, repercussions be damned. The timer marched slowly on, now only 30 seconds remained. Tim could swear that each second was longer than the last. His desire to know was now a burning need, each passing second enrapturing him more and more until as the final seconds ticked away he could barely contain himself.
3...2...1!
The timer disappeared leaving a black screen in its place. A text box sprang to life under the menu bar filled with cries of joy from hundreds of users. What they were pleased about was a mystery to Tim as the blank screen left him thoroughly disappointed and yearning more. Depressed at the lack of anything exciting or worth his emotional investment he slumped back into his chair and sighed audibly. The quiet calmed him for a moment until he heard something faint, a sound cutting through the darkness and silence of his room.
He sat up and listened intently. It was getting louder, cheering, like a football stadium in the distance. There was something else. Music? Yes, there was definitely a melody. The screen remained stubbornly black but the music and crowd grew louder. Carnival music? Yes, that was it! An organ grinder or harpsichord. He felt like a blind man at a circus. The music and crowd now were clear as day and their volume seemed steady for the moment. The disconcerting music unsettled him but before he dwelt too much on it, a crescendo was reached and the black screen sprang into life.
He'd been right. It was a circus. The screen revealed a live stream of a big top tent. It seemed more permanent than the ones he'd visited as a child. The audience stands were concrete, not steel, and the stage area was polished wood, painted in a myriad of colors. Towards its center was a raised circle with what looked like some ornately painted variant of a pentagram. The star had seven points, not five, and constructed into it was depictions of the sun and moon. The camera swept through the open space revealing several large screens directed towards the audience presumably so they could receive decent close ups of whatever acts were to follow.
Tim didn't realize it but he was leaning forward in his chair, the desire to solve the mystery of what was going on here tormenting him. The music continued to blare out when finally an announcer cut in, shaking him from the trance he didn't realize he'd been falling into.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Came the call of a young, feminine voice. It garnered an instant reaction from the crowd and the internet chat whom both broke out into a frenzy. The lights in the hall dimmed and the camera moved in to focus on the curtain to the rear of the parade circle. "Welcome once again to The Devils Palace!" The announcement was followed by fireworks and pyrotechnics leaping from the floor, illuminating the dimly lit arena. From where they leaped a spot light was left behind.
She was beautiful. Fishnet stocking up her long shapely legs. A leotard hugged her body tight, cut higher than most, accentuating the curve of her hips. Styled like a tail suit, the white leotard hugged her large breasts which rested just below a neat black bow tie to match the tailored jacket who's tails hung neatly off her beautifully tight behind. She could easily have been a model with her figure, but what caught Tim's attention the most was her smile. It illuminated the stage, with high cheek bones and a cute button nose, framed perfectly by jet black hair. She was adorable, gorgeous, sexy and perfect in almost every way. Tim was momentarily stunned.
"Welcome one and all" she continued as the music faded "to the greatest show on Earth! Where mysticism and the dark arts meet for your enjoyment, where only one rule applies and that is:" she paused for dramatic effect and cupped her ear to listen for the inevitable chorus as the audience cheered the answer:
"DON'T LIE TO THE DEVIL!"
The woman smiled what Time felt was a sinister grin but anything this woman did seemed to be drowned out in his mind by her attractive features. "Now before we introduce tonight's contestants let's meet the man himself! A man who needs no introduction! The purveyor of Magic's galore! The connoisseur of perversion! The Devil Himself! Your host and Overlord: D" Tim wasn't sure how you could dramatically introduce a letter but this woman managed to do so with ease, and to her credit, the crowd went mad at this man's introduction.
The deafening roar was explosive. It was a cry that Tim felt no natural beast on Earth could have made. It turned his blood to ice as it sounded, and clearly, some of the audience were similarly shocked as the sounds from the venue dropped to next to nothing, though with the roaring it was hard to make out any other sound. The lighting came to focus exclusively on the back curtains and as they parted Tim felt his breath catch in his throat.
It was ferocious. Its body as long as a school bus; its head perched upon a long scaled neck was several stories high; its imposing figure now looming over the audience. Sharp teeth glistened and dark brooding eyes peered menacingly out of a tough looking skull to stare deep into Tim's soul.
A dragon? Of all the things Tim had expected to see after clicking on the web advert, this had nowhere near been on the list. He leaned in closer to admire the realism. He couldn't make out if it was Computer Generated, Animatronic, or a combination of both. The people in the Audience seemed to be well enough reacting to it but he had no way of knowing if this was all pre-recorded now. The web chat seemed to predominantly be made up of people poking fun at the drag, perhaps off the back of some in joke that had been made prior. A few though seemed to be expressing sympathy and condolences to it. For the life of him, Tim failed to understand the people on the Internet.
The dragon took a step forward and let out another blood-curdling roar, stretching the wings on its back as it reared up to fill the entire width of the space. The lights caught it just ride to give a fiery shadow across its body and Tim now could finally see something he'd failed to spot until now or rather someone.
A man, cloaked in shadow. He wore a black suit, a gold chain from a pocket patch hung out from his waistcoat and the lapels and cuffs of the jacket were trimmed with gold braid to highlight them nicely. His figure was trim, with broad shoulders and long legs. Down each leg was a golden stripe and his shoes were a mirror polish. Across his right shoulder hung a cloak, white lined, with a chain securing it around his neck, leaving his right side obscured in an elegant, almost regal manner and on the one hand Tim could see, a white glove covered it. As the camera settled on him away from the dragon it became clear that this was no ordinary man. His hair was a scruffy black to match the female host and on top he wore a large top hat, making him seem even taller than he was. What really finished the whole ensemble off though was the man's face.
He had none. No face. An outline was clearly visible but where skin and features should have been, a black smoke hung in place, obscuring any chance of seeing the man's identity. Tim was now convinced that this stream had been cooked up in some studio for the benefit of internet saps. Any minute now there was going to be adverts proclaiming some B-movie or product he must absolutely engage with and that would be the end of it. A cheap money making scam. The chat box was a nice touch.
The man stepped forward, clapping as the hostess took a curt bow and moved backward away from him and the dragon behind him, the spotlights coming down behind him to illuminate. This, Tim guessed, must be "D". He stopped to turn around and look towards the beast, its eyes glowing a dark yellow, and its gaze now fixated on the man, not making a sound or movement. It was waiting for something. Tim watched the spectacle closely, trying to derive some intention or emotion from the man but besides a cool calm, he was impenetrable. D raised his arm and pointed his palm at the dragon. He then made a quick swift gesture with his hand as if flipping something lying flat in front of him over.
A large bang and smoke filled the screen, the signal D having performed clearly was for the benefit of the pyrotechnics and the guys operating them. The fog cleared showing D and the hostess standing side by side, hand in hand, on an empty stage, any sign of the dragon's presence having completely disappeared. The crowd stirred again in adoration of the cheap magic trick and special effects as the two hosts smiled and waved, or at least Tim assumed D was smiling.
D waved both his hands signaling for the crowd to settle before he began. The microphone clearly not needed, stayed with his assistant. "Welcome one and all. It's lovely to see you all again." The audience maintained its Hype as he spoke. His voice carried a regality to it Tim had never heard before. His pronunciation was very deliberate but not forced, and he seemed kind and genuine at least. Tim was beginning to wonder if this show had anything at all to do with the link he'd clicked to get here. Deep in the pit of his stomach though he couldn't escape an uneasiness building. "I notice we have a few new faces in the crowd and out there on the live stream so allow me to introduce myself. My name is D, and I have the pleasure of being your host and master of ceremonies this evening. Of course, you've already met my lovely assistant Maddy." Whoops, and cat calls rang out as Maddy took a deep bow, allowing her large mammaries to hang below her and strain against the fabric of her outfit. Tim was hoping against hope that the cameraman was as taken with Maddy as he was, if only so he could stay holding that angle for a bit longer, but sadly it was not to be as the camera returned to a wide shot of them both and Maddy stood up with a teenage giggle and smile.
"The name of the game is Speak of the Devil" D continued. "A game where I have the ability to grant you literally anything you can dream of, but everything has a price, and you take your life into your own hands as you battle it out for the ultimate prize." He paused to let that all sink in, though Tim for one was having a hard time following either the premise or the rules. D smiled "Now I do apologize for bringing out Barbara again, but she was so desperate to see you all again. She had so much fun last time that she couldn't contain herself and I thought a reminder of the show would do her some good." D gestured to the stage where the dragon had stood. Barbara was clearly the dragons name, so Tim now wondered what exactly had happened last time. Was that some kind of veiled threat or insult? Perhaps an in joke for the long time viewers? He didn't have long to ponder as a clap from D brought him back to the presenters and the lights in the hall dipped dramatically in response. Maddy stood center stage illuminated from all sides, with D appearing momentarily beside her. "As has become somewhat of a tradition now Maddy will be demonstrating today's theme with her usual grace and charm." D wrapped his arm around Maddy's thin waist and pulled her close. She smiled as she pressed her body up against him. Clearly these two were in some sort of relationship, otherwise, their dedication to good showmanship was going above and beyond the call. "Care to explain what we have in store for the lovely crowd tonight my dear?"
Maddy smiled, instantly melting Tims heart as she pushed away from her Male co-host. "Well D..." taking a few steps away she turned and began to take her jacket off. Sliding it off her shoulders slowly, seductively, she revealed the white sleeveless blouse struggling to contain her rather ample assets. If the entire show continued to focus on her Tim wouldn't have minded in the slightest. His jaw was already on the floor at this point and eyes taking in as much as he could. Missy seemed to be responding to the obvious attention, running her hands along her curves to exacerbate the growing problems in a lot of the trousers of the audience.
"Tonight's game features a lovely pair of young girls who've traveled a long way to be here." She began as she strutted to the center. Tim's attention was suddenly back as she started to explain. "Well known for having the run of their school, these two friends have often skipped school to spend time with friends, getting to know a fair few of the local football team all the while." This was now uncomfortably close to the truth. All the cheerleaders were known to skip out on school quite regularly, and Coach Madison had on several occasions caught them in the wrong locker room. Though never damming evidence, Amber had more than once enjoyed detention off the back of locker room antics, and Steph, who never seemed to leave her side, often joined her.
"A recent argument between the two brought out their competitive side, so tonight we're going to see just how smart these two cheerleaders really are." Tim remained on the edge of his seat. It couldn't actually be them, could it? They'd never live it down at school if it were. "Which of our two cheerleaders will find herself at the top of the pyramid, and which one will be left as our prize bitch." The whooping and hollering from the crowd reached a fever pitch now, as the words were left to hang in the air. Maddie smiled and winked knowingly at the camera, distracting Tim yet again from his chain of thought. Tim swore he saw more pointed teeth in her smile but the stream took him away before he could ponder on it more.
Swinging around the camera settled on D who swung his arms out in a grandiose gesture. "Ladies and Gentlemen, May I present tonight's guests, the cheerleaders from the west, Amber and Steph!" Tim leaped out of his chair. The lights came full on and standing in the center of the ring stood the two cheerleaders in question. Unlike the advert which had lead Tim here, they were fully clothed, though it was the schools cheerleading uniform. If Tim needed any more confirmation it was the two girls he shared a physics class with, the school's mascot, a golden retriever called Lucky, as well as the school's name written in large letters across their chests, would have convinced even the most skeptical of viewer. Tim worried that with such a specific reference to their locality, they might well be in danger once the show finished, but the show was continuing on, and for now, he could do nothing but watch.
Amber stood arms crossed, showing a frustration and anger boiling below the surface. Steph however slightly behind her, trying in vain to stay away from the cameras and keep herself hidden. With such a large venue and camera surrounding them, this effort was largely in vain.
Walking over, D stood in front of them and whispered something. It did nothing to soften their mood, but before giving them a chance to respond he swung round to continue his address to the viewer.
"Aren't they beautiful ladies and gentlemen, a vision of young adult beauty, no blemishes or spots between them, unlike last weeks contestants." A chuckle from the audience trickle round the room. "We're going to be doing a simple, easy game today ladies. Because of your non-familiarity with the rules, we'll have Maddie explain." Maddie came up behind them and attempted to casually drape and arm around Ambers' shoulder, but was brushed off almost violently.
"Ooh, catty" Maddie teased, causing Steph eyes to widen in fear. "Maybe next time." she turned to address them properly "This one's so easy, even a dumb cheerleader could understand it. A Simple quiz. Most right answers wins. Every right answer you get is a point, and every wrong answer is a penalty." A deep 'Ooh' erupted from the audience at the thought.
"What's the penalties?" Amber interrupted, letting Tim hear her speak for the first time. An evil grin adorned both hosts faces at the question.
"Don't worry, you'll find out."
A massive "Round 1" flashed up on screen giving Tim a moment to sit down and take in what was happening. Two girls from his school were mysteriously taking part in a secret online game show, seemingly against their will, and whatever this game show involved, it was most certainly not good.
The stage returned with each girl stood behind a podium as the hosts held cue cards in front. Whoever was pulling the strings of this online show, clearly no expense had been spared.
"You'll never get away with this you fuck. You better let us go!" Amber cried out for all to hear.
"It's too late my dear, the round has already begun and here comes your first question," D replied
"Go to hell"
"Question 1, Which city is the capital of Great Britain?" Focus switched back to the two girls, however instead of leaping to answer the easy question, they both remained tight lipped.
"Come on now girls, if you don't answer we'll be forced to give you both a penalty." Maddie pleaded though it seemed like she was equally hoping they'd press their luck as play along. When the silence held, attention turned back to D.
"Well, it can't be helped. Since it's both of you for this first one, how about we start off on easy mode?" A snap of his fingers and the stream focused in on the two cheerleaders. Their eyes instantly glazed over and their faces looked completely blank. Turning towards each other they stepped out from behind their podiums and into a deep embrace. Steph lifted her leg, her cheerleading skirt lifting tantalizingly as she wrapped it around Amber. The taller girl, on the other hand, pulled the two of them tight together, their busts compressed lusciously and met Steph in a deep passionate kiss.
Tim could not believe his eyes. In his wildest dreams he'd never thought he see two of the hottest girls at his school having a lesbian kiss in cheerleading uniforms. His hand wandered south to his now strained boxer shorts as the two girls fought for dominance, tongues dancing between breaths, hands trailing each other backs. This was hot, no doubt.
The scene didn't last long though as not long after it began, the light returned to their eyes and they pushed away from each other, falling backward to the ground.
"What the fuck was that?" Steph cried as she rubbed her lips on her sleeve. The hosts looked on with glee.
"A demonstration of my power my dear" D replied with malice. "I control this world, everything from what you do to how you look; from what you think to what people think of you, all of it is my domain. If you think that's bad, you better start playing the game properly, else you might just be being led home on a leash..."
Terror was the only word to describe the look on Amber and Steph's faces. Pure and simple terror. They pulled themselves up to behind the podium and looked around at the audience and cameras around them. They were trapped, and the only way out was to play and win the game. But the question D had yet to answer, the question on Amber's, Steph's, and Tim's mind: What would happen to the one who lost?
Tim smiled at the thought. This was about to get exciting.