The Death Game

Chapter 2

Job Application? Or Death? (Chapter 2)

After a few hours passed, I got a notification on my phone. I looked at my phone and saw that it was a notification from the website www.thisjobistodiefor.com. This website send notifications? I wonder what the notification is. I read the notification and realized it was an address. Not just any type of address. A familiar address that I've seen before. I've seen this same address in Dad's office before. Does that mean he has something to do with this stupidly highly suspicious job? What does he have anything to do with, well, anything? He doesn't even know that the job exists-...No. He does know. He has that address in his office. But if he knows, then how is he important? Is he even important? Ugh! I am asking too many questions. I have to go to this address and get to the bottom of this. I exited the basement and grabbed a coat. I saw Mother watching the news on the TV. "I'm going somewhere, Mother," I said as I grabbed a coat off of the hanger. Mother instantly looked at me. "Where are you going?" Mother asked. "Somewhere," I muttered as I headed for the door. "Arthur, you know I don't like it whenever you leave without telling me where you're going!" Mother said. "You don't need to know where I am at all times, Mother. I'm 20. Don't you trust me?" I looked at her with a look that begs her to let me go. Mother looks like she's about to protest but she stopped. "Fine. You can go. I'm just...worried about your safety is all," Mother sighed. I was practically thrilled that she allowed me to go, but I didn't want her to think I was happy. As much as I wanted to leave her, I didn't want to upset her. I forced a fake fake smile and decided to say something to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, Mother, I'll be alright. I'll be back before you could say 'Arthur,'" "Arthur," "You get what I mean," I said. Mother smiled. I kissed her on the cheek and walked out of the door. Once I saw that she wasn't looking at me anymore, I made a run for it.

Arrival...

House number 13...14...15...16. I stopped running and looked at my phone and the number on the building. 20. I have arrived. It was a giant skyscraper of a building. It was even high enough to touch the clouds. That is one big building. Now, let's get this over and done with. I don't want to stay in this hellish building. I walked in without anything but the determination to figure out whether the job was real or not (though I had my suspicions that it wasn't real). I walked in and the first thing I noticed was that there wasn't anyone in sight. Strange. Usually job interviews have someone interviewing you. Where is everyone? I walked around aimlessly looking for someone. After a few more hours passed, I gave up. This was all a waste of time after all. I turned to the door to leave when I heard someone clear their throat. "Ahem." I turned around and saw a pale white man looking at me. He was wearing a smart, black tuxedo and a smile that was so blinding I thought I was going to be blind after looking at him. He also has black hair that was neatly combed. When did he get here? I tentatively approached him. "Hello sir. May I ask where everyone is?" I asked. The man just smiled at me. "Uh, sir, where is everyone?" I asked again. Maybe this guy speaks another language, or maybe no one is here. Maybe it's just me. Then again, wouldn't everyone see the poster? It's quite eye-catching. Suddenly the man started walking. I watched him curiously. Where is he going? The man turned around, sensing me watching him, and beckoned for me to follow him with a smile. He wants me to follow him? That doesn't seem like a good idea for multiple reasons. But this guy is the only person I found in this empty building. Maybe he's leading me somewhere I need to be. Maybe he's leading me to where everyone else is. If anyone else saw the poster. I reluctantly followed him, but I made sure that I stayed far from him without losing him. We walked for ages and when I thought I couldn't walk any further, he stopped in front of a door that was disguised as a part of the wall. We stopped in front of a creepy door that is disguised as a wall. This isn't weird at all. This is just an ordinary day. Definitely ordinary. I stared at the man, waiting for him to tell (or beckon) me that we weren't stopping here. But he didn't say anything, instead he nodded his head as if to tell me to go on. I looked from the secret door to the man and eventually decided to go in. I've taught myself self defense when Dad was alive. I was sure no one could hurt me without being knocked unconscious. Dad was a very dangerous person when he was alive. He always abused me, Mother, and everyone else too. He would always hurt other people if they made him angry. Not to mention he has a bad drinking habit. I taught myself a few things here and there since he always seems to attack me and Mother. Whenever he comes home he always drinks first, becomes aggressive and hostile and attacks everyone. That's why I learned so much self defense and how to protect myself. That's why I kept on telling Mother that it was a good thing Dad died. And that's why I feel no regret whenever she cries as a result. Enough talking about that son of a gun. I have other things to worry about anyway. Like the question "where am I?" Seriously, I don't know where I am. I walked through the door and found myself inside of a dark corridor leading to nowhere. It felt like I was walking in an infinite hallway, but I kept on walking anyway. Eventually I saw light coming from the end of the hall. I ran for it. I stopped when I realized that I was in a big room. But I wasn't alone this time. There were people everywhere. Hundreds of thousands of them. Everywhere I looked there were people either staring back at me or chatting and/or staring at other people. There were every category of citizens imaginable. From millionaires to homeless people. There are even people who are in debt here. So I am not the only one who saw that poster after all. A million other people saw it as well. I instantly realized how noisy the room was. It was a room full of a lot of people. People who like to talk. A lot. "When is it starting?" "I don't know," "Maybe they're looking for one more person to enter," "Or maybe they're just scamming us all!" Why do I have to end up in a noisy place filled with people everywhere? Why? Most importantly, this doesn't seem to be anything of what the poster says. According to the poster, whoever signs their names in the website has to work an office job. I'm just in a room with a lot of people inside with me. They all seem to be waiting for something as well. I don't know what it is, but they seem to want it to happen now. Judging by how impatient people are, I'm just going to assume that whatever it is everyone's waiting for has to do with the money that is promised in the poster. Suddenly an elderly woman around Mother's age trudged through from the door that I came from and tripped on me. "Sorry, I didn't see you there, child," she said in a low, raspy voice. The elderly woman was wearing a black veil on her face, concealing her hair and face from sight. Her clothes matched her veil since they were oversized and covered her arms and legs. It seems like she doesn't want anyone to see any part of her body at all. Maybe she has a disease that made her cover everything. Or maybe she's just being secretive because she's hiding something from everyone here. It's definitely one of those options. I just have to find out which one it is. Although, I am not that interested in this grandma anyways. After a few minutes passed, there was a loud SLAM! heard. Everyone turned around to face the door that was now shut and protected by two burly men wearing black military armor. Both of them were each carrying a gun. Before I could question why there were now military guards guarding the door, a loud voice came over a hidden speaker in the room. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the B.D Skyscraper. You are all gathered here by a poster of which I have set up. For those of you who are confused as to why you are here instead of being in the office working on your computer or whatever, I must tell you that you have been lied to. No one is going to be working in an office earning money like that. The only way to earn money here is to survive the challenges I have designed for this very moment. Whoever tries to leave this room will be shot by the guards." The guards started to reload their guns to add emphasis for whoever this mysterious voice belongs to. "No one will leave until there is only one person left standing. Whoever that person is will be rewarded with us sparing their life and money. Please follow the armed guards to proceed to the other room or you will be forced to go there by force." The room was immediately flooded with more armed guards that came out of nowhere. They started to push and shove people this way and that, trying to get everyone to go somewhere. One guard spotted me and tried to push me towards the other people, but I resisted his pushing and fought back by kicking him in the groin. The guard sprawled to the ground in pain. I have to get out of here. I have to leave. I ran for the door that was guarded by guards and was about to shove them out of the way when multiple guards pounced on me and pinned me to the ground. I tried to squirm out of their grasp but one of them hit my head with something hard and I passed out. I felt my body getting dragged somewhere. In my mind I knew they were taking me to the other room. Where the death game starts.