Roll 1: Place your bets

“Away they go. Straight into the lead is Dancers Fury, Followed closely by Old Joe. Corky Boy is following closely in third. He is competing hotly with Free Spirit who is trying to push his way into the lead group, there they go, over the first fence. Dancers Fury now has to push hard to maintain his lead, and look at that! Free Spirit has made his way into third, pushing back Corky Boy who had a bit of a bad jump over the first fence back there, this is already proving to be a tough race…”

The sound of the television echoed around the living room and out through the open windows into the garden. Only one member of the family was not glued to the screen, waiting anxiously on the result of the bet they had put on the day before. A little boy sat in the garden playing with toy cars and men in the cool and fresh April air. It was a little cold so he wore a knitted jumper over his t-shirt; his long brown hair lay on his shoulders as he rammed a pair of toy cars together head on. Other children did this, rammed cars into each other, but this boy had a different agenda. Reaching into the old ice cream tub that lay on the patio beside him, he drew out several figures, and an ambulance. He placed a pair of Lego men by the cars, he lay them down as if they were dead. He put a toy soldier on the roof of the ambulance and ran it across the patio, he made siren noises as he ran it to the accident.

He heard the footsteps walk up the patio, but he did not bother to look up. He knew that someone, an adult was knelt down beside him, watching him. He put one of the injured in the back of the ambulance, laying the other on the roof along with the toy soldier. He then began to drive them back along the patio.

“Are they off to the hospital?” the person next to him asked.

“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” replied the boy, still without looking at the person next to him.

“I’m not a stranger.” replied the person. “I’m your friend, your imaginary friend.”

“I don’t have an imaginary friend.” The boy said, now turning to look at the person next to him. It was a man, he was dressed in a suit. All his clothes were black except for his tie, which was blood red. The man stood up and looked down at the boy. He was as tall as a mountain from the child’s perspective.

“I was going to invite you to play a game with me, because I am your imaginary friend, but you don’t want to.”

“What game?”

“Do you want to play tag?”

“Ok, tag.” The boy tapped the man on the shin; he then got up off the grass and began to run away. The once clear sky had quickly become overcast since when they started their game. They did not play for very long, only several minutes. The man caught up with the boy easily, and ran very slowly so the boy could catch him. Their game was relaxed, but inside tension was mounting.

“As we come into the home straight now, its Dancers Fury still holding firm, Jasper P has had a good run and is close behind, a good distance behind him is the main pack being lead by none other than Victor Jones, the horse with the highest odds in this race. A third place for him will still be a massive achievement. But this doesn’t seem enough. He is pulling away from the pack! Could this be a miracle in the making? It could easily be, he is pulling past Jasper P, and he is now in second, this is going to be a very close race. This is truly a miracle of recent racing, he is getting so close to Dancers Fury! I bet anyone who has a bet on either of these horses is on the edge of their seat. They are coming into the last few meters neck and neck, who will it be, who will pass the post first. It’s… it’s Victor Jones! The bookies had odds of 70:1 on this horse, what a miracle, I bet he has made a few people very happy.

Shouts and cheers erupted from the living room, £75 pounds well spent. It was at this time that their game ended.

“Well its time for me to go Jacob. I have things to do.”

“How do you know my name, and what is yours?”

“I’m your imaginary friend, that is all you need to know, and because I am your friend, I know lots about you.”

“When will I see you again?”

“In a few years maybe.”

“That’s a long time, I will be in school by then, and mummy says I will start soon.”

“Well someday we shall play again. Ok?”

“Bye bye then.”

“Bye Jacob.” The man walked towards the back door of the house, he entered. Jacob followed him. When Jacob reached the back door and looked inside however, there was no one there, but that was what imaginary friends did right? Make believe things, things from stories. His mum came out form the living room, smiling with joy. She looked down at her 5 year old son. Her smile faded, turned to shock.

“Jacob!” she cried. “What have you been doing?”

“I was playing tag in the garden with my imaginary friend.”

It was only when his mother grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bathroom did Jacob feel the pain. He started to cry, it felt as though his forehead was on fire. As him mum ran the taps and got the plasters out of the cabinet Jacob saw what she had seen. In the bathroom mirror his crying face stared back. Tears rolling down his cheeks, blood dripping down with them. His forehead was covered with cuts.

Roll 2: The game is on

Two years passed without incident, but some of the scars remain. Jacob would have forgotten if the marks were still not on his forehead. He was a child and he did not care much, he just went along with what his parents said. Apparently he must have fallen in the thorn bushes. Unlikely as only his forehead was scarred. His parents were too busy that day to really think about it. They had won several thousand pounds, and had saved it. Was it by coincidence or fate that they spent it on a holiday, and it was on this holiday, two years later that it happened again? This is the second roll of the die of fate

Jacob was sat down, on a beach, in the sun. His focus was on building a sand castle. The sun was beating down upon him, but he did not worry, his mum had smothered him from head to toe in factor 30, so that “Mr Sun.” Would not burn him. Jacob licked an ice cream his mum had bought from the hotel shop as he shovelled sand into his bucket, this was going to make a new tower for his little castle. His elder sister had promised to help, but instead she lay sunbathing nearby, not lifting a finger. Many people would have noticed a man, dressed in a black suit and walking along a beach in the hot Greek sun, but no one did, no one except Jacob. He recognized the dark and almost red eyes, the short black hair, the cheesy smile and above all the blood red tie.

This time Jacob got up, brushing sand from off he knees and hands. The man came and knelt down in front of him, so that their eyes were level.

“Remember me?” the man asked.

“Yes, my imaginary friend. Are we going to play a game?”

“Do you know how to swim?”

“No, mummy says that I will sometime soon.”

“How would you like me to teach you?”

“Do you know how to swim?”

“Of course I know how to swim, I am a really good swimmer, and I am going to teach you.”

The man walked down the beach towards the sea. He stood still for a moment, allowing the water in the waves to sweep over his shoes and soak the bottom of his trousers. He did not seem to care. He then began to walk fully clothed into the water. Jacob followed him, running into the water until it was just above his waist. Just ahead of him was his imaginary friend. Jacob moved a little further into the water, he was nervous, but the smile on his friends face urged him on. each time he took a step forward, the water got deeper, but his friend seemed no closer, and the water did not seem to past his waist, what was going on?

“Now, put your legs up in the water, and kick your feet.”

Jacob obeyed, as he did however he felt his body suddenly become heavy, he was sinking. He instinctively tired to touch the bottom with his feet, but he could not feel it. He tried to doggy paddle, afraid of slipping under the water.

“I need some help!” he cried out.

“I am coming.” replied his friend.

The waves now seemed more ferocious, Jacob was helplessly bobbing up and down, he dropped under the top of one of the waves, soaking his head and face, getting a mouthful of salt water instead of air. Suddenly he felt something grab his hair, and push him down into the water. He struggled, kicking with his legs and flailing his arms around. He continued to struggle, gasping for air. Several of his kicks landed on the man, just as his world began to fade he felt himself being pulled out of the water, a voice whispering in his ear.

“In 8 years, run.”

For a few seconds Jacob felt the cool of the water again, but as he tried to gain control the world seemed to fade to black…

Feeling the warm sun on his face made Jacob believe he was alive, but the voices confirmed it, he was alive. His eyes stung as he opened them, he coughed up water, like the last time he began to cry.

“Jacob.” He heard his mother cry, he looked up at her. “What the hell were you doing?”

“Swimming.” Jacob replied through tears. He looked around, apart from his family around him, people had quickly lost interest and gone on to other things.

“Lets get him back to the hotel.” His dad said. “Oh, and Suzie, don’t think you are out of trouble.”

“But…” began his sister.

“You were supposed to be watching him, what the heck did you think you were doing?”

“I…”

They walked off the beach in silence, Jacob held his mother’s hand as they walked, he still did not believe what had happened, he wanted to scream and shout about how someone had tired to drown him, but the words never came out, something inside him told him not to say a word, a gut feeling had forbidden him to speak about it. Football fans poured out of beachside bars, cheering and whooping at the victory they had witnessed their team achieve on the television. As he was dragged through a chanting crowd he then began to remember what his so-called friend had said. 8 years. This time there was no blood, but a threat, a threat that would linger in his thoughts and become the greatest burden of his life.

Roll 3: Initiation

He was in position, ready to fly. They had stolen the pistol for this one, the battle of the titans. A small crowd had hung around after school; this was the biggest unofficial event of the year. They stood at the finish line, waiting to cheer the two runners on, bets of up to £10 had been made, and the spectators waited anxiously. 100m up the track, the two runners waited on the starting pistol. Jacob was ready, his thick muscular legs were ready to run, to his left, his opponent was also ready; her long blonde hair was waving softly in the breeze. The two fastest runners in the school, facing off for the first and last time. He brushed off several small insects that had been drawn to his bright yellow PE top, he waited, and waited. It seemed like an eternity, but inevitably, the pistol was fired. At the exact second they heard the noise, they both took off.

Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd gathered by the finish line. Jacob’s body had sprung into action, his heart pumped fast inside his chest; he could feel its pulse in his head, drowning out the shouts. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead, not daring to look to see how far forward or back his opponent was. His legs and arms were flying back and forth, he breathed deeply and steadily, counting the paces to himself. The finish line was getting closer and closer, he glanced to his left, they were neck and neck. She looked at him and they both had the same idea. Jacob picked his pace, pushing every muscle in his body, she did the same. The finish line was just meters away. This was it, the last few seconds. A foot swung out, and the ground came up. Jacob could feel the damp grass on his face, he knew what had happened, he had felt the impact, and it had hurt. Boos and cheers filled the air. Jacob had fallen. No. He had been tripped, less than a metre from the line. He slowly got up, his hands and knees were red and muddy. Once he was on two feet he looked around, ready to explode at whoever had tripped him up. he knew who it was, just by the look on his face.

“Rick.” He shouted. “What the fuck were you trying to do?”

“Win myself a tenner mate.”

“What, by fucking knocking me over!”

“Yeah, such a shame, better luck next time.”

Jacob tried not to, but he couldn’t help himself, he lunged at Rick, only to be held back by several people from the small crowd, normally they would only scream fight, egging people on, but today the fight was broken up. Jacob was glad, he knew he would have lost if there was a fight. he was a runner, not a warrior. He turned away and started to walk back across the sports fields to the changing rooms.

He knew someone was following him as he went, someone was trying to catch him, he prepared to run, ready to run for his life. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a friendly voice speaking too him.

“Y’know, you would have won.”

“Cheers Danielle.” Replied Jacob. “But you won in the end, damn Rick has pissed me off.”

“Yeah, well look on the bright side.”

“Of what?”

“Life silly.”

“Oh… Right.”

“Cheer up, far worse things could have happened. You could have fallen over right at the start. That would have been embarrassing, and you are still the second fastest runner in the school.”

“I guess. But running is important too me.”

“You say that all the time, but you never say why.”

“We all have our secrets Danielle.”

“You run like something darker than hell is chasing you.”

“That’s a funny way of putting it.”

By now they had reached the changing rooms.

“Speak tonight, yeah?”

“Alright, alright, but you call me.”

“Sure, see you later.”

They walked into the separate changing rooms, Jacob sat down on the first bench he came too. He looked up at the plain white ceiling and breathed in and out several times, his hands on his knees. He looked over to the other side of the changing rooms. Someone was sat with their back to him, in a black suit. Too big to be a student.

“Oi mate.” Jacob said. “You alright?”

Right then, it was as if the whole world had slowed down, the figure stood up and turned around. It was like he was 5 again. The short black hair, dark eyes and long face. The tall body in a black suit. The blood red tie. It had started again.

“Hello again Jacob, remember me?”

Jacob did not say a word, instead he got up and walked out the door. As soon as he heard it close behind him he broke into a run. This was it, he had spent his whole life fearing this moment, and planning for it. It was time for action. He ran at full pelt around the side of the sports block, and out into the playground in front of the school. He looked around, where was the man? Seconds later his question was answered. The man came running out of the emergency exit, a wicked smile on his face. He cut up Jacob's attempt to leave the school via the main entrance.

“You can't escape!” shouted the man. “Today you will die.”

Jacob ran for one of the entrances to the school, all he had to do was make it through the building, back out around the side of the school and over the railings. He looked back at the man as he sped through the door. He carried a kitchen knife in his hand.

The rapid patter of feet through the corridors, and the banging of doors had attracted the attention of several teachers who were still present in the school.

“Jacob!” cried one of them, looking out into the corridor. “What the hell are you doing?”

“It's after me!” he shouted in response, not stopping. “Run!”

“Jacob, what is going on?” the teacher shouted after him. As Jacob left her sight she noticed all the doors seemed to open, one after the other, as if someone was walking through, she could not see anyone. She felt a brief chilly breeze and then nothing. Carelessly she thought no more of it, and returned to her work.

Jacob thought he was almost out. He could see the doorway leading to the back of the school in sight, he was drawing closer and closer, he could hear running footsteps coming from behind. He felt something hit him in the back as he grabbed the handle on the door. He spun around, only to be knocked to the floor as the door opened. There he was, the man, closer than he had ever been in 8 years. The tip of the knife he held was red with blood. Jacob knew he had been hit, he could feel it, burning pain. His back felt wet, but he knew it was not water. The alarm had gone off, Jacob prayed that someone would come. The man knelt down beside him, and raised the knife above his head, ready to bring it down on Jacob's chest. Jacob knew what was about to happen, he was ready. He thrust his leg up, kicking the knife out of the man’s hand. He rolled over and shot up. There were people coming up the corridor, he could hear them. He ran out across the grass, jumping across several picnic tables. He reached the fence; he was in the right place. A tree on the other side had thick braches that hung low over the wall. He grabbed onto one of the branches, and hurriedly pulled himself up. His instincts told him he was safe. But it was not until he was on the other side of the fence that he dared to look back. He crouched down behind the tree and watched at a pair of teachers looked around the fire exit, wondering how the alarm had gone off. Hopefully they had not seen him. When they were gone he made his way back into the school grounds, all the way back to the changing rooms, he walked slowly and cautiously.

As soon as he was inside the empty changing room he took off his top. With his back to the mirror he turned his head to try and get a look at his back. He had been hit by the knife, it did not hurt much, and it did not seem to be bleeding much. He looked at its top, it had some blood on it, very obvious against the yellow fabric. He stuffed it into his bag and hunted at the bottom for his old one, he found it, badly creased but he doubted no one would notice. He put it on and left the changing rooms. Slamming the door behind him as he left. Jacob had only got a few steps out of the door when he heard footsteps. Instantly he spun around, it was Danielle.

“Holy shit.” said Jacob “You scared me.”

“Sorry, all I did was walk out. Why aren’t you changed?” asked Danielle

“Oh, I went for another run, I can’t be bothered to change now.”

“Ok, alright then, you want to walk home with me?”

“I can’t.”

“We live on the same street!”

“Yeah, I’m kinda busy.”

“Oh, ok, I get it. See you around Jacob.” Danielle said, she then turned away and walked off. Jacob stood still for a moment, watching her walk off. He walked over to a water fountain, and began to drink. Realizing what he had just done.

“You fucked it up. Again!”

“Shut up, now is not the time to be flirting.”

“Right, now is when we should be running.”

Roll 4: Upping the ante

Nothing, absolutely nothing. Two weeks passed without event. Jacob went on with living, he found it surprisingly easy to just push his worries to the back of his mind and keep them there. It was not so much what had been happening to him that had bothered him, it was why. Why was a strange man attacking him throughout his life? How come he had not aged a day? He needed some answers, but he had no idea how to get them. Searches on the Internet on site that dealt with mysteries and the paranormal yielded no results. Although his easy winning streak was starting to close, it seemed that lady luck still favoured Jacob.

Jacob peered into the oven, checking out the sausages sitting on the grill pan, roasting to death. They were cooking just fine, they were almost ready. Above them the mash potato stood ready, the frozen peas boiled in the microwave and the gravy had be mixed up, lunch was almost ready. He liked to cook.

“Dad, Gary. Lunch is ready!” he shouted. Several seconds later his chubby six year old baby brother came waddling down the stairs and sat at the table.

“What are we eating?” he asked.

“Bangers and mash.” replied Jacob, portioning out the food.

“Pudding?”

“Ice cream.”

His dad came from downstairs. His hands covered in paint.

“I have just finished painting the dining room.” he said.

“That's nice.” Jacob said.

“I still miss the old house.” said Gary from the table.

“We are only a couple of miles up the road, we are just in a town now, that's all.” his dad said.

“Still... Hurry up with the food.”

“Alright, alright!” said Jacob. Brining the food over to the table. He sat down opposite his brother, their dad sat down after he had cleaned the paint off of his hands. They ate in silence for a minute until the phone rang.

“I’ll get it.” Gary said, sliding off his chair and wobbling over to the phone, he picked it up.

“Hello…”

“Who is it?” asked Jacob

“Danielle.” He said with a grin. “Your girlfriend.”

Jacob got up and walked over to the phone, he punched Gary lightly on the arm.

“She’s not.” Jacob said coolly as he grabbed the phone. “Hello.”

“Hey Jacob, how are things?”

“Great, you?”

“I’m good. What’s up?”

“Funfair is in town tonight, you want to go?”

“Can’t, I have to baby sit Gary tonight.”

“Oh, ok, that sucks, well I guess I will see you on Monday at school then.”

“yeah, see you later.”

Jacob hung up, he sat back down at the table, not saying a word. His dad stared at him, his mouth open slightly, Gary was also looking at him while piling mashed potato into his small round mouth.

“You can go you know, Suzie is babysitting him this weekend while we are both out.

“But she lives over an hour away.” Replied Jacob

“She doesn’t mind, we pay her after all.”

“It’s ok dad, I’m not going.”

“Fine, well Suzie is still coming down so you can change your mind at any time.”

“I doubt I will.” said Jacob glumly. “I am going to take this upstairs to finish off. Leave your plates by the sink, I shall wash up. Eat your peas Gary.”

Jacob left the room, without saying a word. From downstairs Gary and his dad listened to the sound of feet on the stairs, then the landing, the slamming of a door, then the drumbeat of music.

“Gary, you tell me he likes this girl.” Said his dad. “But he doesn’t seem to want to spend a single second with her.”

“He’s a weirdo.” Gary chuckled.

“Eat your peas.” His dad replied. “Or you will get no ice cream.”

“Aww daddy. But they are horrible and green.”

“I’m going to talk to Jacob, when I come back I expect you to have finished your peas.”

“Fine.”

Jacob had his ear against the floor, he could hear them. The last thing he wanted was his dad confronting him about anything. He flung open his bedroom window, grabbed his wallet and phone off of his desk and clambered out onto the windowsill. Just below him was the roof of the garage. He dropped down onto the garage roof, and then off of the roof to the front of the house. He grabbed his bike that lay in front of the garage and sped off. He though to himself as he whipped through suburbia, he thought about Danielle. About the times he had screwed it up, he did like her, he longed to be with her, but things always got in the way. He looked at his watch, 2pm. The fair did not start for another 4 hours. He was going to go. He thought to himself.

“Third time lucky, right?”

The four hours passed quickly, Jacob had found plenty to do to pass the time, hanging out in the internet café or playing football in the park. At 5:45 pm he was one of the first in line at the entrance to the fairground. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, and the rides were already lit up like Christmas trees. It was only once he had paid his £4 and gone on in that he realized something. His family had not phoned him, they did not seem to care that he had been gone for almost 4 hours without word, and also that he had not told Danielle that he was coming, he could only hope that he would run into her.

The first stall he came too was called “shoot – 2 – win.” It was a cork gun game, knock a ring off the top of a wine bottle to win £10. Jacob knew he probably wouldn’t win, but luck had been with him recently.

“3 shots please mate.” He said to the short fat man working the stall.

“Best of luck.” The man replied, handing over three shaped corks to go in the gun. Jacob put one in the gun, he aimed and fired.

“Miss.” The man said. Jacob felt disappointed, he had expected to hit the target. He put the next one in, he closed his eyes as he aimed the gun, letting fate guide him. he fired.

“I don’t friggin believe it!” exclaimed the man. “You did it.”

The man willing handed Jacob £10. Jacob prepared to fire his next shot. He did the same again. Closing his eyes, he fired.

“Fuck me!” shouted the man. “You are the luckiest little bugger ever!”

“Give me the money.” Jacob said coolly. “Can I buy another shot please? I want to get that last bottle.”

“Hell no! Do you want to put me out of business?”

“Fine.”

Jacob walked off, stuffing the £20 he had eared in his pocket, ahead of him was a way to spend it. a sign outside an old gypsy wagon advertised fortune telling. There it was again, that burning instinct; he felt he had to walk inside. The scent of incense filled the air when he entered the wagon, a woman sat at a small round table inside, stereotypical of fortune tellers in movies.

“Hello there child, come closer so I can get a look at you.”

Jacob obliged, there was something calming about this lady, she was like a friendly grandmother, short curly grey hair, and glasses along with a aged face, but still healthy smile. However as soon as Jacob took a few steps into the room, she jumped up out of her chair.

“Don’t come one step closer.” The woman cried.

“Oh, is this a bad time?” asked Jacob

“No, it’s a perfect one, but whatever you do, don’t walk out that door. Stand there for a few moments.”

She walked towards him, she raised up her hand and touched his forehead.

“What are you doing?” exclaimed Jacob, stepping back.

“I am feeling your scars my dear, in fact, I know exactly what they are. Tell me, how many times have they come for you?”

“I don’t know what your talking about.” Jacob said nervously.

“Don’t play around with me!” shouted the old woman, suddenly she seemed a lot less friendly. “How many times have they chased you?”

“Three.”

“I see, well its good that you are still alive, so now I can give you answers.”

“Can you! Please, you must, I need to know!”

“Sit down then Jacob, and I will try to save your life.”

“Do I have to pay any money?” asked Jacob as he sat down at the small table.

“No my dear, I will tell you what I can for free, and your fortune will be another free gift. Now lets begin.”

“Who is chasing me?”

“That man you see, is not a man, he is an invader of your mind, a demon who has chosen to enter your subconscious mind.”

“A demon! Why, how?”

“The technicalities of it you will probably never understand, but he is inside you, and he can only been seen by you. He is there because you are part of a game, a sport.”

“What kind of fucking sport involves killing me?”

“A blood sport of course! You are the fox, and that man is the hunt. Of course you have survived 3 attacks, but on the 4th they become more powerful.”

“How do you know all this?”
”Don’t think you are the only one, this game has been on for centuries. A demon picks a child, the bets are made, and the game is on.”

“Well what the fuck can I do?”

“Normally I would say that there is no hope for you, but I sense something different about you, as cliché as it may be, you seem to be a bit of a hero regarding this sport.”

“This is all bollocks, you are just making it up.”

“Fine, go. But before you do, let me tell you this. As soon as you walk out this door look to your left, someone you have feelings for will be playing a game, win for her, but keep the prize, do this and you will live, and see that I am right, because as soon as you step out of that door they will come for you. If you can out run them two more times, then you stand a chance.”

“Whatever.”

Jacob walked out of the wagon, he looked to his left. Sure enough there was someone he felt for. Danielle. He walked over, almost forgetting what the woman had told him, his stomach knotted up, it wasn’t her, it was the idea of something going wrong like it had always done.

“Hey Danielle.” Jacob said, walking up to the stall, it was a knocking down tin cans game. So far she had hit down one can off and 2 remained. Standing there, waiting to die.

“Hey Jacob!” she said. “So you decided to come in the end!”

“Yeah, you need some help here?”

“Hah, I bet you can’t do it.”

“Wanna bet.”

Jacob took the 3 remaining balls off of Danielle and threw the first one. He hit. He tried it again. Closing his eyes, letting fate guide him. he threw the ball, but did not hear the clunk of the can.

“You missed.” Laughed Danielle. “Where the hell were you aiming?”

“I’ll get this one, don’t worry.”

This time he opened his eyes, he aimed this time, and he had to make it. He dreaded making an idiot of himself in front of Danielle. He threw the ball. The can fell.

“Nice one kid.” The woman working the stall said. “What prize do you want?”

“I’ll have the rabbit please.” Danielle said. “that big cute white one.”

The lady took the soft toy down from its hook, rescuing it and placing it in Jacobs hands.

“Enjoy.” she said.

Jacob walked away from the stall and looked up into the sky. Stars smiled down on him. What could possibly go wrong for him. Danielle came up beside him.

“You going to keep that toy?” she asked him.

“Course, I may give it to Gary, he still loves soft toys. Unless you want it?”

“No, I already have too many.”

Jacob put his arm around her; he felt her move in towards him. His mind went numb, and the idea of something going wrong was gone, for just a few seconds, everything seemed right.

“Jacob.” A voice said. “Turn around.”

Jacob too his arm off of Danielle’s shoulder as he turned around. The fluffy bunny was no more. A knife was now stuck in its chest. If it had not been there the knife would have gone into him. In an instant Jacob had dropped the soft toy and ran. The gypsy woman was right. There the man was, chasing after him again, his suit and red tie blowing around behind him as he ran. Danielle just stood there, wondering why her friend had just run off when they were having a great time. He had done this before, what was wrong with him.

Jacob took a short cut, jumping into the coconut shy and out of the other side, through the small gaps in between the stalls and food vans. The man still followed him. He did not seem to be pursing him as fast as before. As Jacob neared the exit to the fair he noticed another man dressed in a suit, standing beside the entrance, he was looking straight at Jacob, his hands holding something black. Jacob veered to the left; he could see a hole in the hedgerow that ran around the field. He knew that if he went through it, then across the road on the other side to the leisure centre car park then he could reach his bike and get away even faster. He ducked down and went through the hole, he cut his face several times on the sharp twigs poking out all around him. He clambered out and straight onto the road, not looking for cars. A car hooted at him as he darted across the road, nearly getting hit. He looked back again, the man with the gun was coming from out of the entrance, and the other had come through the hedge, they both looked the same.

He grabbed his bike, glad he hadn’t locked it, but surprised it was still there. He got on it and began to ride. He heard the click of the gun in the silent darkness. The cocking action. It filled him with fear, he ducked down as he rode, hoping not to get hit. Nothing. He rode off into the night, the two men did not pursue. He travelled almost half a mile in silence down the bright orange lit main roads around the town. No one could see these enemies, he had to get away, out of town. He would get a train, go to a big city and hide there. He had money, well £26, but that could buy him a ticket, and he still had money in his bank, several hundred pounds. Up ahead someone waited to cross a zebra crossing, a man in a suit. Jacob stopped his bike in horror. Not again. It wasn’t over. The man turned to look at him, the red eyes and tie seemed to glow in the night. The man reached into his jacket pocket. Jacob did not want to know what he was going to get out. he turned off of the road and into a side street. Heading for the town centre and the station. He pedalled hard, wanting to escape death.

He reached station road eventually. The only road to the station, a lane of old terraced workers houses. At first it seemed as if the streets were lined with people. But Jacob knew they were not people. It was them. He stopped his bike at the entrance. He gulped, holding back his fear. He wanted to scream for help but he could not speak. He got off of his bike, tossing it down on the tarmac. All of a sudden all the lights in the street went out, it was bathed in darkness. There was only small rays of light coming through the curtained windows of the street. Jacob had a plan. He began to run again. He ran into the front garden of the first house, the back gate was open, he ran into the garden, jumping over the fence into the next one. Again, and again. He looked into some of the houses as he passed, he could see people watching television, relaxing on a Saturday evening to watch the cheesiest of shows, while he fought for his life just outside. His shoes were covered with soil from flowerbeds which he had crushed underneath. He could hear them behind him, also jumping over fences. There were several gardens to go. He crossed the final fence and landed outside the station car park. There they were. Coming from the direction of the station entrance. There was a train in the station, it was about to leave, the last few people were rushing on, and the guard was about to blow his whistle. Jacob ran faster than he had ever done before into the car park. There was a lone van parked up against an metal fence, behind which was the platform. Jacob jumped up onto the bonnet of the van, then up onto the roof. He jumped the fence and landed on the other side. His feet stung from the impact. He slipped through the doors as they shut. The train pulled away into the night. The lights in the street came back on, this time however they had not disappeared. Instead they stood watching on the platform and behind the fence, unable to stop Jacob now. At the same time several miles away Danielle won another soft toy, she was waiting around, hoping for Jacob to return, but she knew he never would...

“What the fuck was that eh?”

“Shut up.”

“You ruined another perfect moment.”

“They ruined it, not me.”

“That old woman was right. It must all be true.”

“Where the hell is this train headed?”

“Who knows…”

Roll 5: An Ally

Jacob shuffled about on the seats, trying to get comfortable. He put his legs up over three seats and turned his head to the side to look out of the window. There was very little to be seen from the carriage at night. A man who had just gotten off the train at the first stop had left his evening newspaper. Jacob lent over the isle to the seats on the other side and picked it up. Ignoring the glares from a middle aged woman. He knew she was not looking at him because he was reading someone else's paper, he knew that his face was covered with cuts, and that his clothes were scuffed and dirty.

The door to the carriage slid open, and the ticket collector walked in. Jacob wanted to buy a ticket to the city, it hopefully would not be expensive as it was not peak time. He got out his wallet and waited to buy a ticket. The ticket man made his way quickly up the carriage, stamping tickets from the passengers scattered around the carriage. He eventually came to the woman.

“Hello Henry.” she said to the ticket collector.

“Well hello Miriam, not many people on tonight eh?” replied the ticket collector as he stamped her ticket with his little machine.

“Well there was a young man sitting there.” said the woman, pointing at Jacob. “But I think he's gone now, he must be a fare hopper.”

“I'm still here.” Jacob said, confused by what she was saying.

“Ah, we get a lot of them these days, not to worry, there ain't another stop for a good few miles, I'll catch up with him.” the ticket collector said.

“I am still here!” Jacob said loudly. “I have not moved an inch.”

“See you tomorrow Miriam.” the ticket collector said, moving along the carriage and past Jacob. As he went past Jacob grabbed his sleeve. The man did not seem to notice, pulling away and walking off.

Jacob did not know what was going on. He got up and walked up the carriage to the woman.

“Excuse me.” he said.

She did not answer, she continued to read her book, scratching her nose. Jacob tapped her on the shoulder. She looked around in surprise.

“Is anyone there?”

“Hello!” shouted Jacob, she and none of the other passengers seemed to notice him.

Jacob knew it, no one seemed to notice him. He tried several other passengers on the train, he seemed invisible, like a ghost.

“Wow!” he said to himself. “Brilliant.”

He stepped off the train several hours later, it was getting late, and the station was closing. The giant clock above the timetable in the station read 10:58pm. All the shops were shut. The people on the train were leaving through the doors, heading out into the night. Jacob was tired, he sat down on a row of seats, he stared up at the ceiling high above. He heard footsteps, a security guard walked by, Ignoring him. Jacob knew that what was happening to him was unreal, but he did what he always did, embraced the moment and put it too the back of his mind, ready to deal with it in the morning. He held his limbs close to his body for warmth, and as he stared at the neon signs of the fast food restaurants across the large main hall his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

It was not the most comfortable place to sleep, but Jacob slept until 8am the next morning. He got up and rubbed his eyes. Looking around he could see that the place was already bursting with people. All the suit wearing business men and women were travelling around. If that man was here, he would never able to pick him out. Jacob decided to stay seated for a while longer, letting the place clear out slightly before he moved on. Jacob wondered what he was to do, he could return home and look for the gypsy woman at the fairground, but would she still be there, and would she even notice him.

“Oi mate.” Jacob heard someone say, he ignored it, no one would be talking to him any more. “Oi you!” Jacob looked at the speaker, a boy, he looked a little older than Jacob, and he was wearing scruffy clothes.

“You can see me?” asked Jacob.

“Blatantly, can you see me?”

“Err, yeah. What the fuck is going on?” asked Jacob

“They chase you too?” asked the boy, sitting down next to Jacob on the seats.

“Yeah, and now no one can see me for some reason, and I don’t know what the fuck is going on.”

“How many times have they chased you now?” the boy asked.

“4 times, you?”

“Its 5 for me now, I’m Rob by the way.”

“Jacob.”

They shook hands and said nothing for a few seconds.

“How much do you know about what is going on?” asked Jacob

“I know a lot about it, what do you want to know?”

“Well this gypsy lady tried to tell me some stuff but I didn’t believe her.”

“I met her, you should have listened to her, she knows a lot, this whole thing is fucked up.”

“Do they ever give up?” asked Jacob. “Can I win?”

“She said you have to outrun them 6 times, on the 7th you can then fight back.”

“Why is it that we have become invisible?”

“Its hard to explain she told me, but basically the further we go, the less real we become, and the more real they become. We go further into our imaginations and they become closer to the real world. So now no one can see us…”

“But everyone else can see them.” Jacob said, his jaw dropping.

“What happens if we win?”

“Dunno, I guess its all over I suppose. I met someone else in our situation, she died right in front of my eyes.”

“How?”

“About five of them kicked her to death in the corner of an old warehouse. I was only on my second run, so they did not come after me, but I was still powerless to help her, and no one else would ever notice the men in suits kicking into what would be empty space to most people. Now I am just worried that I won’t make it for my last run. If they come for either you or me, they will try to get both of us. We need to work together.”

“Anything, I just want to live.”

The world seemed to slow down; from out of the bustling crowds they came. Tens of them, men in black suits with black shirts and red ties. They seemed to move with caution, they could now be seen. The two boys saw them drawing their guns from their pockets. The boys jumped up, and began to push and shove their way through the crowds, shouting to each other.

“Split up!” cried Rob as he ran up a flight of stairs to some shops. People had not noticed the boys, but they had noticed the men, men carrying guns. As the boys ran the men grouped together.

“Fire at will boys.” One of them said. “Civilian casualties don’t matter, and remember Robert is more important that Jacob, but try to get both of them.”

“Yes boss.” Was the unanimous reply.

Pandemonium ensued as they started to fire through the crowd of people, people ran in all directions, giving the men more room to move. Several of them began to fire at Rob who was running above them past shops which people were pouring out of, some of whom were hit by the bullets. Shouts and screams echoed through the station as the security guards and police moved into action. As people fled past them they moved into position. Rob had hidden inside a shop, hoping they had not noticed him. Jacob on the other hand was out in the street, sticking to the back of the crowds gathered nearby, torn between watching what was happening or running away.

“This is the police, put down your weapons or we will open fire.” One of the officers shouted.

“Don’t do it boys.” Whispered one of the men. “There are 10 of them, 30 of us. You three.” He said, pointing at two of the men. “Chase down Jacob, the rest of us will go after Rob.”

“This is your final warning, lower your weapons and put your hands on your heads!” screamed one of the officers.

“Remember boys, we are not immortal in this realm, we must fight fast, before more of them arrive.”

They fired first. Three of them broke from the crowd and ran off in the direction Jacob had run off in. They could hear the small low noise of the silenced pistols firing, the loud bangs of the bullets from the guns of the police officers, the tinker of brass on shining marble floors. As they neared one of the exits, they saw they were faced by a crowd. Raising their weapons they shouted.

“All of you, humans! Move now!”

The crowd did not seem to move. They stopped as they came face to face to a lot of angry people. “Move! All of you!”

“You guys are bloody terrorists!” shouted someone in the crowd.

“Yeah, suit wearing terrorists, we aren’t letting people like you through.” Another person cried out.

“We will shoot you all if you do not move.” Said one of the men, holding his gun up, and trying to move the crowd back.

One of the crowd members stepped forward and coolly said. “You don’t have enough bullets.” The three men looked at him, he was a big fellow, he looked tough. There was a few seconds of silence. In a flash, the man from the crowd struck out. he kicked the first man in the groin, and then grabbed the gun from out of his hand.

“Fuck these human bodies!” screamed the first man. “Kill him.”

The other two men opened fire, killing the man from the crowd who had stood up to them.

Instead of moving back like the men had expected, the crowd looked angry, several people had screamed out.

“We need to find another way around.” One of the men said to the other. They moved away from the crowd and began to run back into the station. The fire fight was already over. All of the police officers had been wounded or killed. The two men running in look behind themselves. The crowd was coming, running in. Jacob followed them at a distance, he needed to find Rob. A fight ensued as the crowd met the 15 or so remaining men. Out numbered and ambushed, it would be over soon. Jacob ran past the fight, up a flight of stairs to where he last saw Jacob. He looked behind himself as he ran, these so called demons had been beaten fast by an angry mob that had come out of nowhere. He was lucky. But was Rob?

Jacob was running past the row of shops when one of them stepped out in front of him. The demon stared straight at him. a smile stretched across his face. Jacob didn’t have time to run. the demon grabbed him and pinned him to a wall. He shoved the gun in Jacobs forehead. Jacob could feel its cold barrel pressing into his skin, the demon began to speak. His voice was suddenly a lot deeper, and more menacing.

“You caused us so much trouble, little boy!” he said. “Robert is dead, and now it is your turn.”

“Fuck you.” said Jacob, desperately trying to keep his cool.

“What are you going to do? Hurt me? You can’t, the rules are in our favour.”

Jacob could see that there was no way out. he began to loose hope when suddenly he spotted something. A smile spread across his face. The demon glared at him, his finger ready to squeeze the trigger.

“I may not be able to kill you.” Began Jacob. “But they might.”

The demon turned around for the last time. Punches and kicks came flying at him. A shot was fired, the demon was down.

The small group that had attacked him walked away, leaving Jacob on the floor, obviously they did not see him. Jacob got up, and went to walk into the shop, he had to find Rob. As he started to walk, something grabbed his leg. He looked down. The wounded and beaten demon was staring up at him, blood throwing from his mouth.

“You… Are good. T-t-t… tomorrow, we will… find you… one more time…”

Jacob felt the demons grip loosen, he shook the hand off of his leg and walked into the shop. The demon was right. It didn’t take him long to find the body of Rob. He was dead, shot several times, blood was flowing out of him over the clean floor and across magazines and newspapers. Jacob did not know what to do or say. In Robs hand there was a knife. Jacob took it, he did not know why, but something urged him to take it. He walked out of the shop. Past the bewildered crowds who just moments ago had been fighting as a savage force. They seemed oblivious to what they had done, but they still felt the exhilaration of victory. Jacob squinted as the sunlight hit him when he walked outside. He did not know what to do, he had nowhere to go. He could only go home.

“Where are we going now?”

“Home, why?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to know.”

“You should already know, after all you are me.”

“No, I am just a voice inside your head.”

“Yeah, a part of me.”

“Not quite. Why are you going home?”

“I want to go there to see the gypsy woman.”

“What about Danielle?”

“She won’t be able to see me.”

“But the fortune teller won’t either.”

“Something tells me she will.”

“Well good luck to you Jacob.”

“You mean good luck to us…”

Roll 6: Melancholy Victory

Jacob made his way home from a different station later that day. He arrived home in the evening. On the train he sat still, not moving a muscle. He tried to control his thoughts, he needed to hold back his anger, his fear and his regret. Tomorrow was his final chance to escape. He needed somewhere to sleep. Just off station road there was the church. A safe haven for those in trouble for centuries. It was open, but empty. Jacob walked inside and lay on a pew, it was very uncomfortable, but it was the best he could do. He needed to sleep somewhere. He could hear the rain outside, falling from the heavens. Little did he know then that when he woke up, he would face something from hell.

“Good morning Jacob.” A voice said.

Jacob opened his eyes and looked up. Standing in the isle beside the pew was the demon. Still in his black suit with a blood red tie. Jacob jumped up at the sight of him.

“Get away.” Jacob shouted. Standing up and stepping backwards.

“Calm down, I can’t hurt you here, this is a house of god. Instead I wish to talk with you. I wish to explain a few things.”

“Fine, go on, but if you move one inch I’ll leave.” Jacob shouted in reply

“Firstly, yes I am a demon. I come here with an offer, a way out of this game. You see, I don’t want to kill you.”

“Of course you don’t.” said Jacob sarcastically.

“Really I don’t, I let you get away all the times when it was just me, when the other demons were entered into the game, I had trouble trying to keep you alive. Who stopped the crowd getting onto the train after you, who made the people riot? Me, I want to save you because you can save my arse. If I give up at this final stage I will be set free, and you can join the demons, one day returning to be a human again. If you leave the church without accepting my offer, you will have escaped, and I will be forced to kill you. Nothing but pain lies for you outside that church.”

“Nice speech.” Laughed Jacob. “But I don’t want to be a demon. I’d rather take my chances.”

Jacob began to walk toward the open exit, it was morning. He could see the vicar at the gates, changing one of the posters on the church message board. The demon walked up behind him.

“I won’t chase you, but the others will, they will all look like me. You don’t stand a chance; they have bent the rules further in their favour. Look in the distance.”

Jacob looked out at the road going past the church. There was Danielle, walking to school.

“Listen to me, I will give you advice. Talk to her, say what you have to say, now is the time. She will be able to see you, I promise.”

Jacob did not know what to say as he stepped out of the musty church and into the fresh air. “I’ll hope I don’t see you again.” he said coolly. I have won 6 times now. I guess I will have to kill you sometime.” He said, turning around to look at the demon who stood still in the entrance to the church.

“Don’t worry about that, you defeated me the moment you set foot outside of this church. Now go chat to the girl, before she gets away.”

Jacob ran across the church yard, dodging through gravestones, he vaulted over the low stone wall that ran around the church yard and jogged up the road behind Danielle.

“Hey Danielle!” he said.

Danielle turned around and saw him. “Oh my god!” she cried, running up to him. “Where the hell have you been since Sunday? You look a mess.”

“I… I’m sorry. I left you, I had to sort some problems out, but I think it’s all over now.”

“That’s good, I was so worried about you, you seemed so scared.”

“Don’t worry, I love you. I’m sorry I left.”

He said it. Those three fabled words, they came out like nothing special. But in the back of Jacobs mind a great burden was lifted. They leaned in towards one another. They kissed. A perfect moment until….

Jacob heard it. It was not silenced this time. The bang of a gun. He knew what had happened. He pulled away from Danielle. She was dead. It was then it happened. The great burden was back. All the anger and repression he had ever felt came back out. All the thoughts he had pushed to the back of his mind came forward, blasting their way into the open with a destructive power that made Jacob roar as he watched the body of Danielle drop lifelessly to the floor. Jacob turned to look back at the church. Standing in the churchyard was the demon. Out of the church and not yet defeated. A liar, a cheat and a killer. Jacob plucked up all his courage. He ran. Not away from the Demon but towards him. Jacob vaulted back over the wall. he jumped and dodged gravestones. He was running faster than he had ever done before. Rage and hatred spurred him on. In his pocket he could feel the cold of knife. The demon raised up his gun and took aim. He pulled the trigger…

There was nothing, no gun shot, just a click. The demon tried again, a click. He ejected the magazine, it was empty. It was too late for him. There was Jacob, the fox he had spent over a decade hunting. Jacob raised the knife, he bought it down, feeling it pierce flesh. He struck again, and again. As he did the world seemed to fade again, as if he was going to sleep when he was fully awake. He stopped attacking and looked around. There was nothing but darkness everywhere. Where was he. Jacob dropped the knife and looked down at the demon. Hopefully he was finally dead. So, had he won? Was it over? He could hear movement behind him, the demon getting back up. Jacob went to pick up the knife only to find that it had gone. The demon’s wounds were still there, and hot red blood was dripping onto the dark ground.

“So, you won. Congratulations.” The Demon said with a laugh

“I did it?” asked Jacob, breathing heavily.

“Yep!” said the demon, reaching out to touch him. “It’s your turn now, welcome to the next round.”

“What!” Jacob wanted to shout. But the words never came out. he could feel the demons hand on his head, it had a cold touch, he long to push it off, but he seemed paralyzed. All he could do was scream inside as he felt life being drained away from him, the world tumbling into darkness, and then into a blinding light. The creation of a new beginning…

Roll 7: Aftermath

Jacob had now idea how he ended up like this. He had half expected to wake up in is bed, to find out that it was all a dream, his entire life, just a dream. That is what happened in a lot of stories. But he was not so lucky. His luck had finally run out. He had no choice.

“In other news today, two teenagers were found dead today outside a local church this morning. The two teenagers have been named as Jacob Harrison and Danielle Parker. It is believed that they had died of natural causes, however the case is still undergoing further investigation. There will be a service being held in the same church next Monday.”

Jacob had a grave now; he was a dead man, cut off from the rest of the world still. He knew there was only one way he could return. He longed to return. Straightening up his tie he walked forward across the finely cut lawn of the garden. Behind him there was a pub, crammed with people, tensely watching a world cup football game. On a knife edge between victory and defeat, Jacob knew how that felt, and he was about to teach that lesson to someone. A little girl no older than 5 was playing on the swings in the pub garden. The summer breeze wafted gently through the area. Carrying with it the mouth watering smell of a barbecue somewhere nearby. Jacob ignored this; he was focused on the girl. As she saw him coming she stopped swinging, she looked up at him, the same look he gave someone once. One of curiosity, and fear. Jacob smiled down at her. The fabric of his blood red tie glinted in the early summer sun.

The End