Sinner's Game

4 - Twelve

Hendrick

Hendrick's mind kept spinning like the ceiling-fan above his head. He had 5 more minutes to sort his thoughts, strategies and ideas, then it was time to roll. His plan rested folded inside of his pocket, waiting to be turned into reality. The clock appeared to be sprinting. Time was mocking him.

Nervous taps got placed on the desk in front of him, as his fingertips created a steady pattern. Even though he knew what was coming, he was still nervous.

I think I finally got what I have been missing, he told himself. I just need one good run, and then all of this is going to be over and I can finally rest.

3 minutes remaining. The old teacher started to slowly finish her talk, yet she didn't slow down at all. It was a wonder itself that she still had a working voice after all the talking she had done in the last two hours. Most of the children had already started packing their stuff, were now scrambling and sorting their pencils and rulers off their desks and into their backpacks.

"...and remember to read the pages 32 – 34 inside of your text book during next time, since the next lesson is going to be essential for understanding all the following ones, and you can bet that all of this stuff will be part of the final exam, because..." The words poured out of her parched mouth like a waterfall: relentless and never-ending.

And then time ran out.

The clock started ringing, both clock hands pointing at twelve as reality started glitching. A mechanical screeching was audible as the teacher's face distorted momentarily before being replaced by something entirely different. Time was frozen, and the 'teacher' was the only creature besides Hendrick left moving.

The old, wrinkly face of the teacher had been replaced by a roundish, white mask carrying an inhumanly wide smile which almost reached from one side of the mask to the other. Lifeless teeth stared at Hendrick in a pitying manner. He felt a familiar feeling build up inside of him as he stared back, deep down into the white pit of emotionless void.

A mechanical voice seeming to originate from the face echoed inside of Hendrick's head: "'Sinner's Game' will now begin. Clear all stages to win. Good luck."

Hendrick had prepared himself as much as possible. His plan had to work. The mechanical screeching inside of his eardrums didn't bother him at all. He was focused and ready. Whatever horrors laid ahead of him, whatever obstacles would be placed inside of his way, there was no way he could be stopped. Hendrick realized he had started scratching the nail of his thumb against his middle finger.

The classroom started glitching more heavily around Hendrick, changing its shape and appearance before enveloping him in a storm of blue particles. He then found himself flying through a current of blue matter, getting launched through reality towards his destiny.

He closed his eyes.

Everything turned black.