The Clock Strikes

The clock strikes eight. The weather is acting strange today. Something feels off while grey clouds shift above. Ladies put on elegant gowns and gentlemen put on extravagant suits. All with unknown identities to every other guest due to a mask hiding their faces. Every card is on the table. You could be dancing with the prince or the house maid. Anything can happen tonight at the formal, annual masquerade ball. Everyone in town dresses formally, places their mask on, and takes a carriage drawn by white horses. Women and men pile in the castle and began to dance. Different partners every few minutes. The clock strikes eight. Chatter is rising as people get comfortable. Every mask is hand-crafted. Wine drank and masks kiss. The clock strikes nine. Dancing is happening and people are enjoying themselves. Carriages galloped back, away from the castle. The clock strikes ten. A light rain is heard outside. Raindrops hit the beautiful glass windows. The sky is growing dark. Trees are blowing in every direction. Screams are heard nearby but no one checks it out. A few guests are no longer dancing or in the room. The front door was shut. They never left. The clock strikes eleven. More wine is shared. Two types in fact. Half the crowd to one and one half to the other. The storm is growing. The clock strikes twelve. Right on the bell, half the crowd dropped dead. The others are trapped to dance over their bodies. The storm is raging. Trees block the roads making it impossible for the carriages to come. Someone standing is killer. The clock strikes one. Many of the people are gone. Not out the front. It’s too dangerous to leave in this weather. A hundred people left. The clock strikes two. More people gone. A couple more dropped. Other continued to dance. Not a single worry. The clock strikes three. Only a handful of people are left and still no worry. The clock strikes four. Mostly everyone drops and the storm is the strongest. The clock strikes five. Everyone but a masked girl and the masked killer are dead. The storm ends and brings a little rainbow in the clouds. He makes her dance with him. Not wanting to be killed, she does. The clock strikes six. He drags her away from the castle and to a hideaway. Identities are revealed. The clock strikes seven. News has spread and anger is rising.

He keeps her captive but does she want to stay or leave? Both are safe as neither had an identity. He forces her to be with him as the threat of death over her head. Escape is impossible since chains are used. Masquerade parties make it easy to take out your enemies.