A Game Show Demise

Chapter 5: Round 3

"Alright, welcome back everyone, we are now at the last round of the show for the day!" Eralyn says, cheerfully compared to the rest of the atmosphere on stage. "And my, it's gonna be sad to see these contestants go, but I'm really proud of how hard they're working! So, let's get this last round on the road!"

Deimos goes to the board, looks at us and says, "Apologies if these questions get a bit...personal."

The topic names flip over. I look up to see what to expect...I see my name. I see every contestant's name on the board in the space where the topic would be. Was it a glitch? Was it just a trick on my eyes?

...it wasn't a glitch, it would've been fixed by now.

And considering everyone else's reactions...it wasn't just me.

"Uh, pardon me, why are our names up there-?" Dawn asks, trying to be rational.

"Dude, what the hell?! Stop with the creepy shit!" Cyrus yells, slamming his hands on the desk.

"Is it a glitch?" Bianca asks under her breath. We share a glance at each other, and I slowly shake my head.

"I don't think it is..."

"Isn't someone supposed to choose a category by now?" Deimos asked, looking over at Eralyn, completely ignoring our questions and concerns.

"Oh yes, apologies!" Eralyn says, then points to me. "Alright Elina, you choose the first question!"

I look at the board again...nothing's changed. I notice that there's only three questions for each topic. If I can just answer them quick and easy, I can be done. I can go home. We all can go home.

"...Elina for $300."

The question flips over. "What is the name of the girl who feared being forgotten?"

My eyes widened. I knew my sister had that fear. She was always pretty clingy with family and her friends, not wanting to be left alone. I never really minded it, I liked hanging out with my sister. We knew a lot about each other, including each other's fears.

"You have an answer Miss. Hatheway?" Deimos asks, looking straight at me.

"...Liliana Hatheway."

"Correct!" Deimos says. I notice that he seems to be taking the reins this time around...I didn't like that.

I don't even choose the next question, it chooses itself. It's in Cyrus' category, and it was multiple choice for some reason now: "Which of these family members has caused physical damage to Cryus? A: His Drunken Father, B: His Whore Mother, or C: Both?"

"DUDE, WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!" Cyrus yells. All the other contestants, including myself, all react similarly to him. I also saw a sudden new side of him as I noticed him trying to not cry.

"Sorry, that's not an answer, wanna try again?" Deimos replied, smirking again.

"OH, YOU SON OF A- UGH-" He screams a bit, holding his head in his hands, before looking up at Deimos. "IT'S FUCKING A, NOW FUCKING STOP!"

"Correct choice, but I'm unsure what you mean by stop?" Deimos replied, obviously fully aware of what he was putting Cyrus through.

"The audience..." Bianca whispers to me. I look over at the audience...they don't look phased. They're cheering like Cyrus just got the right answer...could they not see what the hell was happening?

A question from Léon's topic comes up, another multiple choice: "What news is Léon going to hear from his fiancee? A: I Had a Miscarriage, B: I'm Ending Things Between Us, or C: Both?"