I can't move my hands are flailing uselessly, nails scraping against the shifting wood to no avail.

  I looked around but all I saw is more trees more trees, and even more trees.

  Agatha whispered: "don't waste your time," her voice calm "relax, you should attack its core instead."

  'What?' I thought—it was an absurd idea, a core? Relaxing? it almost sounded like a game.

  "What cor—" But before I could even finish, more limbs locked around me I couldn't speak couldn't even move my hands.

  I'm starting to feel dizzy with no air going to my lungs, it all felt like being under boulders.

  Then a crazy idea came to mind, the last thought I could manage; the ghost of that creepy bird used to be able to possess my body so could Agatha do it?

  But then my eyes widened; antlers, the almost human skull and steps that made my blood stutter, it's that thing.

  Suddenly, the lack of air wasn't the most dizzying thing, my consciousness fogged and began slipping quickly my eyes felt heavy like muddy rocks.

  Then I fell unconscious.

  .

  .

  .

  In the Center of his domain, that thing wearing the human skull walked through it while dragging a human body, his steps calm.

  The human... looked human but his legs weren't his ears were pointy, it was a weird sight.

  Unbothered by its prey's abnormalities he slowly tied the human to a long stick, one that was big enough for a scarecrow.

  All around the Center, in three circles is more bodies tied to sticks, but each one looked more like a mannequin than anything else.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Each one of the mannequins in the circle was just a little different from one another, shorter taller skinnier weirder... and their faded faces too even without features they were different.

  But none of the mannequins have hair on them as if that hair is somewhere else.

  The wearer of the human skull stared at Odd for a long moment, stranged by something or maybe confused. Then he spoke:

  "Agatha..." his voice a strangled mumble, like he was speaking without air, breathless.

  "I didn't expect you to leave your... duty so rashly..." He chuckled, shaking the human skull with his head.

  Agatha didn't speak, the silence stretched until he broke it again: "Should I tear his flesh apart just to get a reply? How... irritating, always so."

  Then Odd's body stirred his eyes snapped open and sharp, she tilted her? his? head before she spoke, her voice sharp:

  "Don't you get tired from killing humans? You and those like you will get humans extinct."

  She shook her (Odd's) head: "why am I even

  trying? Just... leave me the hell alone; you wouldn't want me as your enemy, would you, Creek?"

  Creek smiled under the mask of the skull his eyes roamed down the human body Agatha possessed, before shaking his head.

  "Did you come for the devine skin?"

  Agatha blinked once, the silence stretched again before she sneered.

  "No... you got me here, you oaf."

  Creek stilled, then chuckled his voice shriek.

  "I guess I saw a human and couldn't hold myself. But... let's be real, you do want it, the devine skin."

  Agatha didn't respond his eyes locked on Creek as she contemplated for a moment, then smiled.

  Creek turned his head to check on his

  collection of mannequins before he turned his attention back to Agatha.

  "What about a game..." his voice was offset as if the sound came from the wrong direction, not that Agatha would care she was a ghost of songs herself.

  "A game...? For him, isn't it? I see..." She tilted his (Odd's) head for a second. "I'm listening." Her voice quiet.

  Creek smiled under the mask. "The rules are simple... he just has to run away."

  Agatha smirked prompting Creek to tilt his head, confused.

  Agatha shook his head. "Mm, I'm just amused... this man... he has done nothing but running away; it's instinctive to him by now, I bet."

  Creek hummed for a second. "I see..." an eye opened from within the wood of his staff and another from the bone of his skull.

  "In that case, I'll make it more interesting. Every one of my servants will follow him as he runs away. If he somehow gets out, he'll find the third Divine artifact, or dies in the way."

  Agatha tilted his head, making the expression on Odd's face a scowl then Creek shakes his head. "But of course, I won't follow him... otherwise it'd end too quickly."

  ***

  It was dark for a while, somehow I still feel alive I still breath, and slowly my eyes opened.

  The first thing I see is the clearing with no trees for a distance, the mannequins are there, a doz—... did that one move?

  I took a deep breath, a shiver went down my tendons as I took a step back.

  Another mannequin tilted its head, it would have looked almost like the effect of gravity almost...

  Then the sound of snapping wood echoed and I knew immediately to run the hell away, more than five mannequins moving with historic abandon on all fours and some on thees some on even ones towers me.

  A few more snapped off of their pegs and even more followed until all of them were running without hesitation in their heist.

  I was already running through the woods my feet are very tired by now already but I might make it...