What Game Will You Play

Chapter 28

(Edited)

Aiden stares at me like he is trying to figure something out. He does not say anything, but I can tell something is on his mind.

I am the first to speak. "What?" I ask him.

"Nothing," he says and turns to start walking towards the back of the tent.

"What, I want to know."

"You're going to get mad at me."

I can't help but laugh a little, "Well, now I have to know."

He stops walking and turns around to face me. "I just thought you would be more scared. I saw the look on your face when I was bringing you and your townspeople over to the maze to get you guys out. You looked terrified. You even looked scared when you were asking me to help you get back in. I don't see any of that fear now."

When I don't respond, he keeps going. "It's not a bad thing you're no longer scared. I was just noticing." He says awkwardly, like he wants to stop talking, although he continues anyway. "I know girls don't like being called scared since most people assume scared means weak, and I didn't want you to think I was calling you weak. Fear is what keeps many people alive, and fear can make people do amazing things. I'm scared all the time. Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad," I tell him.

I'm not. He's right. Fear is a good thing. I was scared before, but I'm also scared right now. Apparently, I just got good at hiding it. Or maybe I am too exhausted to care about anything like fear right now.

I am not even scared of the guards anymore. I am more scared of not making it back to Devin. I promised him I would come back, and I do not intend on breaking that promise.

Most of all, I am scared of not finding my Dad, but most of all, I am afraid of finding him dead. I know we have not had time to look for him in every booth since we have been running from the guards, but I am terrified that I am going to turn a corner, and he is going to be laying on the ground lifeless.

"Is this one of those things where someone says they're not mad, but they really are, and you are going to get me back for it later?" Aiden says.

I snap out of my thoughts. "No," I tell him with a slight smile on my face.

"Okay, if you say so. But just in case you are lying, you should know that I know a cop. If you try anything, he will find you." Aiden says to me with a sideways glance so I can see the smile on his face that tells me he is joking.

We start walking again along the side of the show tent until we come to the area where my Dad, Devin, and I, along with a few others, broke out from. The spot now has a long piece of wood covering the opening. On top of the wood lies a section of the tarp that is now ripped in many places and has a few holes that look to be from bullets. Light shines through parts of the tarp that does not have wood behind it, and I am tempted to look in and see if I recognize anyone in there.

I point to the hole in the tarp, and Aiden understands what I am asking. He gets closer to it, peeks in, and then comes back to stand beside me. I can tell by the grim look on his face that it's not good.

"If you want to look inside, you can, but you might not want to." He says to me in a whisper.

"I want to," I tell him. There is no changing my mind about it. Maybe there is a small chance that my Dad ended up in there somewhere, and they didn't kill him.

"Alright. Just be careful. There is a circle of shooters in the center. Each of them is holding a gun, and if they spot you, there is a good chance they won't hesitate to shoot you," Aiden tells me.