The Death Game

Chapter 7

Failed Plans (Chapter 7)

The Next Day...

I tried to think of ways to escape this place, but all of my plans have failed over and over and over again. I once had this plan of just attacking the guards guarding the exit and making a run for it. But I forgot about one major detail, the guards are older than me and even though I am pretty strong, the guards are trained militaries and they are a lot more stronger than I am. I think you can guess what happened. I attacked the two guards in the exit but I was no match for them and got knocked out. Again. My next plan was finding out who the mastermind was. I tried talking to the guards. I cleared my throat. "Hello, guard. I wanted to ask you about the mastermind. Can you please tell me the identity of the person who is responsible for all of this hell?" I asked. The guard didn't say anything. All he did was look straight ahead, like all of the other guards here. Does the mastermind pay all the guards in the building to stare at nothing but nothingness? I sighed. I was thinking of heading back to my room when I realized that I needed to use the bathroom. At first, I was frustrated that I had to go back from the way I came to use the bathroom. But I remembered something Alpa said before she died. "There's a secret door here that connects to the bathrooms, including the men's bathroom." The secret door. I can use the secret door as a shortcut to the men's bathroom. All I had to do was find it. I searched and searched the numerous doors in the skyscraper and I eventually found one that led to numerous passageways. That was when I knew I found the secret door. I hope Alpa wasn't lying when she said it leads to the bathrooms. I walked and walked and eventually found the men's bathroom. After using the bathroom, I was about to head back when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. A shadow of a tall man walked around the halls. When the shadow got closer to me, I saw that the man was wearing an all black tuxedo with a black mask that kept his face hidden. The uncanny man eventually stopped at a regal looking door. I continued to watch the man as he opened the door and disappeared inside as if he never exited. Who was that person? How come I've never seen this guy around here before? It feels weird, but I feel like even though I've never seen this person in my entire life, he seems...familiar. Why do I keep on thinking that strange men are familiar? First I thought I'd heard the mastermind's voice somewhere when I was probably just imagining it. Then I think this man looks familiar. I was about to follow the person when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a guard. "What are you doing? Get your hands off me!" I said. The guard didn't reply. Instead, the guard pushed and shoved me to the direction of my room. "Why are you trying to take me to my room? Who is that person?" I asked. The guard still didn't say anything and kept on pushing me. "Answer me!" I said. When the guard pushed me again, I shoved myself out of his grasp and pinned him to the floor. "I said answer me!" I exclaimed. Suddenly the guard pushed a button on the glove that he was wearing and mist appeared out of a small contraption in the glove. I didn't understand what the mist was, but I suddenly felt sleepy. That's when I realized that it was sleep gas. I tried not to breathe, but I've already inhaled a lot of the gas already. I collapsed on the ground and the guard pushed me over and set himself free. As I was about to drift off to unconsciousness, I saw that man again. The one wearing an all black tuxedo with a matching black mask. One word filled my mind upon seeing him. Mastermind. Then I was finally asleep.

The Next Day...

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEEEEP! I woke up, startled, until I realized that I was in my room. I soon remembered what happened last night. Did I actually see the mastermind that night? Or was it someone else? I'm sure I've never seen that man in my life. Not knowing what to believe, I walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Then I brushed my teeth, got changed and headed out. It turns out, nobody died last night. That was a relief. When all of us were in one place, I was about to tell everyone what happened last night, but the voice in the speaker interrupted me. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an important announcement to make. You all will now have curfew. Anyone caught sneaking after 8 PM will be killed immediately," the mastermind proclaimed. I'm not sure if it was the fact that the mastermind suddenly announced that there was now a curfew for all of us or the fact that the mastermind instructed us to go to bed at the exact same time I saw him. When I saw him, it was 8:20 PM. "Guys, I have something to tell you all," I said. "What is it, boy?" Treyvon asked while munching his toast. "Will you please finish eating before speaking? It's disgusting to see the inside of your mouth," Lady Daphne snarked. Treyvon rolled his eyes at her and Lady Daphne glared back. "What is it, dear?" Francine asked. I winced. Ever since Alpa died, Francine's been acting a lot like Mother. She's always asking me if I was okay all the time and she keeps on giving me embarrassing or affectionate pet names. She was also acting a lot more affectionate towards me now. It was creepy how much she acted like Mother. I ignored my disgust and continued to explain to everyone who I saw last night. "I think I just saw the mastermind. Last night, I needed to use the bathroom, so I decided to use the secret passageway. After I was finished, I saw a man dressed in black with a black mask enter a regal door. I didn't think much of the door thinking it was the supplies room or something, but when the man entered the door, I knew that it had to be something important. I was a little confused at first since I didn't recognize the man, but he seems familiar to me for some inexplicable reason. But soon I deduced that the man was the mastermind. The evidence was all there. A man sneaking into an important looking room in the middle of the night while every one of us were asleep. Well, every one of us except for me. I think you get what I mean. I think I saw the mastermind last night." Everyone stared at me like I was crazy. Kristoff finally spoke. "Look, Arthur, I know how much you love a mystery case to solve, but this isn't just any case to be solved. It might get us involved with the mastermind. We know he won't hesitate to kill people!" Kristoff said. "I agree with Kristoff. The mastermind is dangerous and I would rather not get involved with him," Flavio said in his Italian accent. I was disappointed. Francine put her hand on my hand. "Don't worry, Arthur. Even when these men say no, I'll come with you," Francine said with a smile. "Bah, I might as well join ya on ya mission. I was craving an adventure anyways," Treyvon said. All three of us looked at Lady Daphne who was styling her hair. She didn't even acknowledge us staring at her. After what felt like an eternity of staring, she looked at us. "Why are you all staring at me like that? Cut it out, it's creepy," Lady Daphne said. "Are you going to join us on our quest to reveal who the mastermind is?" I asked. Lady Daphne scoffed. "I don't have a choice now do I? It's either I die out here or help the only three people I know," she said. "Is that a yes?" Treyvon asked. Lady Daphne sighed. "It's a yes," she confirmed. "So we're all on board with finding out who the mastermind is?" I asked. "You got that right," Francine said with a cringy smile.