Dangerous Game

Stu or Chicken?

Lucy wished she was able to hide away in a corner somewhere so she could read. Because of the contamination, Venable had ordered everyone to stay in the same place, in the music room.

It felt like Hell.

And then she had to spend even longer around the irritating people and eat with them.

“Stu never went outside, he was with me most of the time,” said Andre. He had been crying, it was obvious. Lucy felt bad for him, Stu was his boyfriend. Dinah stood with a hand on his shoulder.
“Well, people do strange things when they're stuck inside 24/7,” said Coco with a slight shrug as she touched her hair.

Lucy stopped paying attention for a while, she had gotten used to ignoring Coco’s complaining.

“Fuck you, I hope they come for you next,” said Andre, glaring at Coco. Lucy looked up at the people again.
“Nobody is coming for anyone, not unless you break the rules,” said Mead as she walked in. She could hear the banging of Ms Venables stick on the floor as well.

Lucy frowned as she thought to herself, she tended to break the rules a lot, just not the serious ones. She wasn’t going to get radiation sickness from irradiation or contamination soon.

“This is a difficult time for everyone,” said Venable with her usual stern expression. “As a small consolation, we have a special treat.” Ms Venable lifted the lid of a pot and steam rose out from it. That looked like actual food.

“No cubes tonight?” asked Emily with a furrowed brow.
“Where did the meat come from?” asked Jaz. Lucy realised most of them were thinking the same thing. If the meat came from outside, it would be contaminated. And Stu had conveniently died…

“Enjoy the bonne bouche. Don't get used to it,” said Venable as the Greys started serving everyone some of the hot stew.
“You think bribing us with a hot meal is just gonna make everything okay?” asked Andre.
Coco didn’t hesitate to eat a mouthful of the food. “Oh, my God,” she exclaimed. “I think my mouth had an orgasm.”

Emiliy and Timothy both exchanged concerned glances while Lucy looked to her left at Jazmin.
“It’s not just me that finds it a bit weird, right?” whispered Lucy.
Jazmin shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s food.” Jaz picked up the spoon and hesitantly tried a mouthful. “It’s not bad food either, it’s quite nice.”

“Andre,” said Venable as she sat down. Her voice was softer for once, it didn’t have the sharp edge it usually did. “We're not trying to bribe anyone, but there is something we all need to understand. There is no ‘us’ and ‘them.’ We are in this together. No individual is greater than the group. We did what we had to do. This is quite simply a tragedy.”

Lucy wasn’t convinced, something had to be off about the food.
“Where have you been hiding the fresh meat?” asked Dinah. She hadn’t even picked up her spoon yet.
“We have resources for special occasions,” Venable said vaguely. That was a vague and suspicious answer to Lucy. Looking at Jaz again, Lucy refrained from saying anything. Jaz didn’t seem overly happy with the food either but poked at the lumps in her stew.

Andre pulled a bone from his mouth. “Tell me this doesn't look like a finger.” Venable said nothing and drank from her glass of wine that she had. Lucy looked at the bone Andre helf between his fingers and she couldn’t bring herself to tell him that it wasn’t a finger. It looked too much like one to say otherwise. “Oh, Jesus Christ. This stew is Stu!” Immediately, Coco stood up and started retching.
“Mallory! Come here and stick your fingers down my throat!” she exclaimed. Lucy cringed, wishing she had skipped this dinner despite the wrath she would face from Ms. Venable.

“For heaven’s sakes, don’t be ridiculous. There are lines that can never be crossed,” she said. Lucy wasn’t sure whether to believe her. “Not eating people is of the first rank.” Jaz looked to Lucy who shrugged. She didn’t really know what to do any more but Jaz hesitantly ate another spoonful.

It wouldn’t make sense for the stew to be Stu if he was contaminated. Unless he wasn’t contaminated, it was incredibly coincidental. Lucy frowned as she watched Jaz and Evie eat it. Her stomach churned and she stood.
“I need to leave,” she muttered before rushing out of the room.