A group of unsuspecting teens arrive to the set of a reality game show... a deserted island far from any continent. What could go wrong? They're kids after all. Told from every perspective, the dead, the alive, and the hunted. No being is expected t...
I'm sitting in the seats of an outdoor theater, and the curtain is closed... I wonder what show I'm about to see. A circus, or maybe a Shakespearean troop putting on their best work.
But of course, all positive possibilities were lost once I heard loud, heavy clinking from behind the dirtied, red curtain. I felt a wave of uneasiness fall over me as it slowly opened. The lights were dim, but I could barely make out a huge puppet on the stage in front of me.
Without thinking, I quickly dove behind the bleachers, abandoning my popcorn on the seats. At first I huddled in as tight of a ball as I could, but once I heard the stage light boom, curiosity got the best of me...
I could see Courtney, that stuck up CIT girl who got called chicken in the first challenge. I could barely make her out from the bruised and beaten limbs of her body, as well as the hooks hanging from every appendage. It was clear one of her legs was broken as well, which would explain a lot... Courtney didn't seem like the type of person to die in this fashion easily.
Whoever killed her must have known this too.
"Chris... where are you Chris?" She spoke in a strange, eerie tone. One that wasn't quite a whisper, but not a yell either. It was raspy and cold. I could see her body start to move from the stage, extending outwards towards the audience, floating above it all. She stayed closely connected by loud, rusted chains connected to the hooks stabbed inside of her. She never held a simple position, and instead always mimicked a dance pose, "I know you're here Chris. I see your leftovers... reminds you of us, huh? Come out Chris, I'm only here to... talk." Her pure white eyes snapped over to mine. As we made eye contact, I could see the tiniest of black dots on the inside of the white.
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I slowly made my way out from the bleachers... this was just a dream anyways, and she seemed a lot less violent than the others. Though, it's probably best to keep the distance between us.
"Hello, Chris."
"Hi...?"
"You seem worried about something... is the guilt finally catching up to you?"
I didn't answer.
"You can be honest with me, Chris. In fact, I'd prefer it."
"Can I ask a question first?"
She paused and squinted her eyes, seemingly to think about what the answer might be. Honestly, I didn't think she'd even consider it, but if it meant finding out how to end this weird cycle of dreams, maybe she's the one to ask... she seems so comforting. After some time, she nodded.
"Are you... dead? Like are you dead in real life?"
"Not only I, but also Lindsay, Trent, Beth, and all the others you've had dreams about."
"Seriously?"
She nods, floating closer ever so slightly.
"Is it too much to ask how to stop these dreams?"
"I can't give you that answer so easily, Chris... but I know you can figure it out."
"If I knew, don't you think I would have done it already?"
She didn't respond.
"Exactly, so why don't you just-"
"Don't get snippy with me, Chris." She started to rise above me so she towered over my frame, the lights bouncing from her back to cast a long shadow behind us, "I don't have to talk to you. I could be like the others... Now think."
"I'm not here to play games with you, Courtney. I'm not scared of... you-" she started to squint her eyes again, her eyes turning into a dark red, almost black color. Then, she opened her mouth, and my skin started to burn and pierce. It's what I'd imagine dying from heat and snow at the same time would feel like. How was she able to... "Fuck, stop it!" but she didn't. She didn't stop, as the pain became unbearable, I collapsed onto the ground. I gripped my stomach and curled into a ball until eventually it all stopped. I glanced up to see she had gone back to "normal".
"A lawyer cannot defend a client who's stance is based on lies."
"But..." I thought for a moment... I thought while my breath struggled to regain its steady pace.
"A lawyer cannot defend a client who's stance is based on lies."
"You're a lawyer now?" I stood, still struggling to breath.
"A lawyer cannot defend a client who's stance is based on lies."
I didn't respond.
"A lawyer cannot defend a client who's stance is based on lies."
"Do I need to come find you? In person, I mean." She let out a small smile before it quickly dropped.
"Chris, don't do it for yourself. Do it for them."
"It's safe, right?"
"A lawyer cannot defend a client who's stance is based on lies... and a lawyer must not lie them-self."
"So... yes?"
"Don't do it for yourself, Chris. Do it for them." My stomach dropped. Why couldn't she just tell me straight out?
"I'm not going."
She frowned before looking behind me into the distance. The sun was starting to rise and a trail of smoke floated above the tree line. It wasn't too far from where I was.
"What's that from?"
"They're losing hope, Chris. They grow more tired by the day. It's only a matter of time before they're all gone, right? They've lost more than you know... you will never understand... but they want you to try. It's the least you can do for our withering souls. No one can make you do anything... you're too rich for that. Even if you don't show up, you can sweep this all under the rug, Chris. But money can't buy you the ability to cover this up from your mind. The guilt will forever gnaw away at you... every night in bed... until eventually you can't tell the difference between reality and hallucination. You don't want me following you around, now do you Chris? Do you want DJ to see all the animals you eat for dinner? I'm sure Duncan would die to see all the kids you've falsely accused to hide the penalties from your name. Make the right decision." She glanced back at the fire before retreating back towards the stage, and letting the chains acting as her strings pull her tight.
The smoke's might built up, the fire spreading as fast as wood. Time was running out.
When I awoke, it didn't hurt my heart or my body. It was calm, and peaceful. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before getting out of my bed, being careful not to wake the woman beside me. I stepped into the bathroom and called Chef.
