Rogan the Detective ONC

The Game

It was all one of those really vivid nightmares that I couldn't wake up from.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself to stop me from going insane. Yet, no matter the countless times I pinched myself to wake up, it didn't work.

It seemed the murder mystery I was stuck in that was slowly turning into something even more sinister was my reality, and I... well, let's just say I wasn't coping as well as I hoped I would if I was ever in this type of situation.

"Let's play a game," the robotic voice repeated when none of us said anything but just stood there like deer caught in the headlights.

"No, no, no," I started chanting, knowing far too well how these types of scenarios ended. "Nope. No games for me, thank you very much."

"What is all this about?" Thomas asked sternly. "I demand to be released this instant."

The creepy laughter that followed was made even worse by whatever modulation technology the person used. A sudden chill spread down my back and then my whole body, making it hard to stop my teeth from chattering loudly.

"What is all this about?" Elizabeth asked when it became clear that ordering a lunatic around wouldn't work (which I could have told the newbie from the get-go).

"It's a game," the voice said as if she was asking something obvious. "Three strangers. Two secrets. One key."

As you might imagine, I had no clue what the creep was talking about. Most games I had participated in before didn't really focus on riddles. It was more about finding the right clues and piecing them together correctly. But then again, I kept forgetting that the stakes were much higher because we weren't doing a murder mystery game. There was an actual murder, and there was a real creep holding us hostage, demanding to play some ridiculous game.

"What are you even talking about?" I asked, allowing some of my frustration to surface as I couldn't stop it even if I tried. "I don't understand anything."

"Let me make it simple, Mr. Detective," the voice said with spitefulness that I didn't appreciate. "There are three of you, strangers who have never met. You all have secrets, but two must be exposed here and now. And they need to be the right ones. Only when the secrets are revealed will you get to leave this place."

"You sick piece of..." Thomas started to say, but Elizabeth stopped him by gently touching his shoulder and slowly shaking her head.

"What does 'one key' mean?" Elizabeth asked, her tone as neutral as her facial expressions while her eyes cautiously roamed the room.

That was when I realized there was probably a camera or two in the hallway and some in our rooms. That would explain the dramatic appearance of a wall just before we were about to leave the place once and for all.

I am ashamed to say that for a moment I only thought about solving the mystery with Elizabeth by my side and how grateful she would be for my help, how she would love that we understand each other without even saying a word.

Then I remembered the murder.

The real one and my mind stopped with the crazy romantic imaginings and went into panic mode.

"Oh, did I forget to mention," the voice said gleefully. "There is only one key. Only one of you is coming out of this alive."

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth asked, her panic only visible in how her eyes grew two sizes after the revelation.

"Yes, the one who finds the key first will be able to leave, no harm done," the voice said, sounding so happy-go-lucky about the whole thing. "The others...Well, they'll have to die, slow and painful deaths, of course."