Scenes/plotlines/ideas

The Letter Game (scene)

"H," he calls out, disgustingly enthusiastic, pinching a small sticky note between his fingers and holding it out in front of him. The man, who told us to call him Omni, reaches into a glass bowl to grab another one. "F. And..." he scans the room with a smirk on his face, grabbing a third and final piece of paper for this round. "K," Omni concludes.

The girl next to me gasps softly. I glance over at the name tag placed on her desk which reads: 'Kelsey'. As sympathetic as I am feeling for her, I can't help but think, 'thank God it wasn't me'.

Omni chuckles and crumples the three pieces of paper and tosses them onto the table he was standing behind.

"I am going to need Kelsey," he points to the girl next to me. "I am going to need..." he squints at the name tag of a boy in the back of the room. "Flynn. And I am going to need..." Omni scans the room as he stretches out the word 'need'. He points to a timid looking middle-aged woman a few seats down from mine. "Heather."

The three of them slowly stand up out of their seats, the squeaking of the chairs on the floor taking the place of silence.

"Come on," Omni beckons to them. "This will be fun."

I hear Kelsey's heavy breathing as she creeps around me towards the table in the back of the room. When all three of them reach Omni, he whispers something to them that I can't hear. It must not have been anything good, I conclude, looking at the side profile of Heather's terrified face. She eyes the gun in Omni's pocket but her attention is redirected to the sound of a knife being plunged into the wooden table.

"I wish I could let you sit with it for a minute. Take in the harsh reality. But we don't have enough time. One of you three better chop off your hand in two minutes," Omni demands, starting a timer.

The three look between each other and keep avoiding eye contact with Omni, and the only thing showing on their face is pure terror. Neither of them touch the knife planted into the wood.

Omni sighs, obviously annoyed. "Look, you're down to a minute and fifteen seconds. Hurry this up, will you?"

Finally, Flynn reaches for the knife, pulls it out of the table, and stands there with it in his hands. He doesn't move, and Kelsey and Heather take a few steps back.

My foot taps on the floor and I am filled with anxiety. Damn it, Flynn, you're running out of time, I think to myself.

"Time's up," Omni shouts, making just about everyone in the room jump. Without a second thought he whips out his pistol and pulls the trigger leaving a gaping hole in Kelsey's head. The entire room jumps and gasps, but Omni just chuckles and turns towards Flynn and Heather. "Have fun with the branding." He gestures to the door behind him and they both hesitantly enter. Omni chuckles, making a burning 'tss' sound as the door closes behind them.