A horn blows over the speakers, bouncing off the walls, pulling Simone from her sleep. She shoots up, soft sheets falling from her chest as her eyes bounce around the room, searching for the source of the horn. Her eyes fall on a small speaker above her bedroom door.
"Level One will begin in thirty minutes. Please report to the elevators." Helen instructs.
Simone signs, half expecting to have woken up on the next level, surrounded by murderous intent. She swings herself off of the plushy mattress, her bare feet warm against the marble floors. She looks at the clothes set for her on a vanity chair, all white like the day before. She looks around, investigating the long pale blue drapes, the white cement walls with gray laces like engravings, and an array of plants spread around the floor and dresser tops. Then, she finds the camera in the room's corner.
Grabbing her clothing, she goes to the bathroom, being sure to shut the door behind her. She walks, the floor tiled in golden marble, around a large white tub in the center of the room. Mirrors cover a wall holding marble counters that match the floor and beautiful emerald sinks with golden faucets. In the far corner is a large shower with green stones infused into the glass door and the tile of the walls and floor.
Finding no camera, she jumps in the shower, enjoying the only upside to this whole game. The fucking shower. Her mind wanders to the tensions of the night before. There are whispers and plans being made. Yesterday they were essentially given permission to kill whoever they want as long as it was during a level. The adults are creating alliances, teaming up with people they think can help them get to the end. The strong seem to be teaming up with the strong, leaving the younger and less experienced contestants to fend for themselves. In the last level, people died because they fear their own deaths, afraid that by going to save another they might lose their own life. Today, during this level, people will die because other people want them to and not because they have to or because there is no choice. Based on Sylvester's exit after killing a contestant yesterday, today will play off their own fears.
Simone dresses and heads down the stairs and into the room of elevators, joining other contestants who are waiting for the start of the next level. The white chairs are gone, leaving everyone on the floor.
"Seventy-seven players remaining. Please select an elevator and descend to Level One."
They look at one another, then at the elevators. Simone shifts through the others, deciding on the elevator she exited the day before. The night before? Honestly, she and the others haven't seen a window since they entered the dome for orientation. Obbie looks in her direction and waves at someone as she maneuvers through the cluster of contestants failing to choose a door. She smiles at Simone, placing a hand on her shoulder as a man and two other women crowd in behind them.
*Ding*
The elevator doors open and contestants flood in quickly. The doors close after a moment and the elevator starts to descend. Simone is scrunched into the corner, the others standing like buildings next to her small stature.
"You watch my back and I'll watch yours?" Obbie offers a grin as she lightly squeezes Simone's shoulder.
"Yeah, sounds good."
Obbie nods and turns her attention back to the door as the elevator comes to a stop. The doors slide open and everyone crowds out, scattering around a large, open room, again made fully of cement. A variety of knives, crossbows, and gas masks sit atop a table, though not enough for everyone. Three doors, one on each open wall, have signs reading 'Enter' in green above them.
"What do you think we should take?" One of the contestants asks, looking over the objects on the table.
Simone turns to see 9's bruised face as he looks over the choices.
A silence falls over the room and someone screams as 9 coughs blood. He looks down, inspecting the new arrow in his chest. He falls to his knees as Emmerson comes into Simone's view. Rodrick and three other contestants attempt to help 9 whose blood has soaked through his shirt, dripping between his fingers. Emmerson turns away, reloading the crossbow before sticking a small handful into his back pocket. He grabs a gas mask and enters the level using the door on the left.
"Level One, Gas Chamber. Choose your tool and find the exit. Exits will open once, then lock. All unused exits will remain open for twenty-five minutes." A timer reading '25:00' starts to count down on the screen in the corner.
Everyone looks in shock between them before a woman with brown skin and a large dark bun steps up, grabbing her own crossbow, ammo, and mask.
"Yo!" Rodrick yells after her as she enters the level using the door on the right.
They run to the table, snatching anything they can get their hands on until nothing is left. Greed fills the room, and a fight breaks out as someone attempts to steal another's weapons. A woman stabs a man for his gas mask as Obbie grabs Simone by the hand, pulling her through the door and into the next level.
They run into tall stalks of corn. Simone looks up at the black sky above them, a light mist falling from nothingness as the breeze brushing it across her cocoa skin, setting the hairs on ends. The room smells sweet and tastes slightly of sugar cane. A scream echoes in the distance as Obbie drags her to the side, her heart beating through her chest.
"Don't make me regret picking you," she says, handing Simone the gas mask, keeping a large dagger in hand. She points up, "whatever that is is not for our benefit. Stay low and move your feet lightly. They will kill us if they find us."
Simone nods, putting the rubber of the mask over her face, adjusting the straps so it can't fall off. Obbie takes her hand, ducking down as they move through the cornstalks. Rapid steps crunch around them, running in all directions. The room slowly falls quiet as they move, then Obbie stops, shaking her head as if trying to wake herself up. Hysterical laughter sounds, sending a chill down Simone's spine.
"Obbie, are you okay", she asks, looking back to Obbie, and attempting to ignore the laughter in the background.
She turns and looks at Simone from head to toe before giggling. "You look crazy with that mask on." Her voice is deep and distorted. She continues, dropping her dagger, as she attempts to bury the laughter in her throat with her hands.
"Twenty minutes remaining." Helen's voice echoes off of itself in all directions.
Simone looks to Obbie, who is staring at the mist, holding her hands and tongue out as if to catch snowflakes. Eyeing the dagger on the ground, the worst thoughts come to her mind. 'Should I leave her? I could go on my own with both and find the exit before the time is up.' Hesitantly, she picks it up and turns to run but can't seem to let herself leave.
"Fuck," she whispers to herself. Grabbing a hold of Obbie and dragging her through the field like a scolded child. Simone stops, making contact with murderous green eyes. Emmerson stands, looking between Simone, the dagger in her hand, and giggling Obbie - who seems to be experiencing some kind of high.
Simone takes a step back, not sure if they should run or if running would even make a difference in their adjoined fate. An arrow flies by Simone's head, missing Obbie and hitting another masked contestant between the eyes. A perfect shot. 'Who is he?'
He turns, leaving Simone and Obbie alone, his footsteps distancing from them as he searches the field for the exit. She quickly takes the mask off of the dead contestant and turns to give it to Obbie, who is no longer standing behind her.
"Obbie!" She turns, hoping for some sign of her. Her heart beating out of her chest as the thought of her next step runs through her mind. 'Should I run after her? Maybe I should just find the door... but Obbie. She saved me on the first level and teamed up with me for this round.' Simone shakes out her shoulders, attempting to throw away the fear gripping at her chest, coercing her towards the nearest exit.
Tieing the extra mask around her wrist, she picks a direction in search of the only person who has been on her side.
--- Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to comment and vote! All notes are welcome ---
Word Count :: 6477 of 8000
YOU ARE READING
The Price of Life - A Novella
Mystery / ThrillerSOOO we obviously didn't make the deadline lol. This story is unfinished and will remain that way. This is the best example of a rushed concept with no actual plot lol. I wrote blind and hated most of what I had written. I've redesigned this concept...
