The Ring

Part 5: Epic Parties & Evil Plots

"Breaking news, seems The Ring completely lost control of its weather and all the contestants had to be removed."

"There are rumors going around that Brendon Peterson never made it to safety!"

"That Ross man is crazy if you ask me."

"All the contenders were safely removed from the Ring before things got too messy."

"This could have been a major tragedy!"

"I never liked The Ring, but this is for sure it's downfall!"

"Hello!" Garret stepped onstage and waved to the crowd. Cheers bounced off every wall in the ginormous room.

"First off, I would like to apologize for all the confusion of late. It appears round three had to be cancelled due to a loss of control. Weather is a dangerous thing! I'm also pleased to announce that all the competitors made it out safely!"

The audience erupted in applause.

"Come on up, guys!"

Maddi filed onstage with the rest of the high schoolers. As always, some treated the crowd nicely and others ignored them. Soon they were all seated, and the crowd noise had died down.

"It's good to see you again!" Garret exclaimed. It probably would've been more genuine and less of a joke if he hadn't just seen them the day before. "I was absolutely distraught when I heard the news! I'm thrilled to see you all safe and healthy."

The high schoolers gave some nods much not much of an answer.

Garret smiled brightly. "So, we all want to know, what was happening in the Ring when the cameras cut off?"

The crowd suddenly fell silent. It was as if every audience member was leaning in, listening closely.

The high schoolers looked around at each other, waiting for someone else to talk first.

"Well," Brendon started. "First Mr. Ross told everyone they were in danger and couldn't escape the Ring. So, I hid in that cave. I eventually left though, because I was running out of food. That's when a flying tree limb knocked me out. When I woke up next, I was in The Ring hospital."

The audience seemed a little disappointed by this yet interested.

"That's terrible," Garret said. "Your food almost ran out?"

Brendon nodded. "Well Ross was trying to kill us, no?"

The Markers looked between each other, rather confused.

"I'm not so sure about that," Mr. Marker chuckled. "It was very much an accident."

"So!" Brett exclaimed. "Let's reflect on your first two Ring rounds."

The crowd acted as if a grenade had dropped in the middle. Maddi decided that wasn't an accurate description, but the audience was going crazy.

The Markers laughed and lifted their hands, attempting to hush the mob.

"Now, I just can't wait to see this footage," Brett spoke. "But I'm even more excited to see the contestants' reactions." He glanced at Lexi and was met with a bored stare.

"First," Garret crossed his legs and sat back. "We will watch moments from round one."

Everyone fixed their eyes on the big screens around the room.

The screen lit up, playing The Ring theme song. The silver logo appeared shortly then the scene cut to Luke. He was standing with his hand clutching one of his daggers on his belt. The foghorn blasted and Luke ran off, along with all the other contestants. The screen showed multiple feet running, then stopped on Rylen. He was walking through tall, green grass. Suddenly he was falling; then landed in a bed of water.