Behind closed doors

Chapter 5

The night was drawing in and most of the group were gathered in the common room and gathered around a table for a game of Rummy. Messing with the newbie had been fun and all, but they expected more of a reaction. If she was a fighter, then it would have been interesting to see how she would have tried and most likely failed to throttle Jeff and Toby. Or even if she was more of a flight person, a good scream and scramble for escape might have been an interesting watch.

But no. She froze, whimpered and looked like she was wishing to pass out or get killed so she wouldn't have to live through the fear anymore. Now that had been entertaining, it gave them more of a chance to mess with her. But little reaction had made it turn slow all too soon. So Alice, seeing that her job had been done, led the newbie back to her room and donated a tatted pair of night clothes before leaving and rejoining the others and dealt a number of seven cards between the five of them.

"So place your bets, lady and gents... and Toby;" Ben smirked, taking his turn, "How long do you think newbie's gonna last?"

"A week." Jeff answered instantly.

Alice rolled her eyes, "That's optimistic."

"Well I would say three days but it's going to take her a while to figure out how to move again first." He reasoned, "Damn freezer reflex."

"But it's adorable," Alice cooed mockingly, "Poor little sap."

The game continued victorless for a few minutes, the conversation running dry. Jack rarely taking a chance to keep a card he picked up before quickly returning it. Jeff however was never satisfied and constantly exchanging his set just to alter it again. With Ben observing the others craftily and Alice focussed solely on her own cards; that just left Toby to crack his shoulders every now and again to change his course when and if he felt like it because at the end of the day, it was just a game and didn't need much concentration.

"Why hasn't Slendy told her what we do?" he asked, shifting his deck into order.

Jack shook his head and took his turn, "I wouldn't want to know, she gets some bliss in ignorance."

A quizzical twitch sparked behind the mask, "I'd just get confused."

The spectre peered over the top of his deck, "Sounds about right..."

"Slender's on a job;" Alice explained, picking up another card before discarding another, "I'm not wasting my time doing someone else's dirty work, I do that enough already."

"And the rest of us do fuck all evidently..."

"Speaking of which," Jeff added, "I take it Shad hasn't shown himself yet?"

"Nope." Toby answered, "You don't think he's tried to get loose do you?"

"We can't get loose." Jack sighed, "Can't, shan't and won't."

"Such a happy, bastard..." Ben muttered sardonically, rearranging his cards, "Nah he wouldn't run for it, him and Slendy go way back. And it's not like it's the first time he's vanished like this. And what a treat he'll get when he hears about the newbie."

Alice scanned the back of her opponents cards before playing her turn, "He'll be back tomorrow most likely before Slender gets back in the night to fill her in."

Jeff slyly swapped a card, "Is that what he does to the girl recruits, Alice?"

"You're disgusting."

"I'm a winner." He quipped, laying down his set smugly, "If this was a job, I'd get to live another day; you're loosing your touch."

"On the contrary," she returned, tapping one of the cards he'd set down, "You can't have a heart in a strip of clubs." And to prove her point, she exposed her own cards to reveal a straight set, "You loose again, Jeffy-boy."