The Game

Chapter 6: Save or Be Saved.

As Gary followed Mr. Beaufort closely, the others trailed behind, their footsteps echoing in the dimly lit hall as they were led to a room with a foreboding sign reading "The Sacrifice Chamber."

Anxiety gnawed at Gary's insides as he entered the room, a wave of unease washing over him, but he hid it very well under his seemingly unbothered expression, The air felt heavy with the weight of the unknown, as Gary walked into the room he looked around at everything just finding In the center of the room a chair, solitary and ominous, its restraints waiting to hold its occupant in place.

Gary hesitated for a moment, trying to think what might happen before reluctantly taking a seat in the chair and having two guards strap him in so he could not get up or leave until the game was finished, As he settled into the uncomfortable confines of the restraints, a sense of foreboding settled over him like he was drowning in the ocean.

Before him, a scale model of a cityscape lay sprawled across a table, its intricate details illuminated by a soft glow. Two buttons, labeled "Save" and "Punish," beckoned to him from the armrests of the chair, their purpose shrouded in mystery yet tinged with a sense of dread.

Mr. Beaufort's voice cut through the silence as he spoke into a microphone that was heard in the room, his tone tinged with anticipation "Welcome Gary to the Sacrifice Chamber Your challenge begins now with those buttons you see in front of you."

Gary's heart pounded in his chest as he surveyed the scene before him, a screen appeared on the cityscape that read "Johnathan Fatcher, Arrested for Arms Dealing, Assault with a deadly weapon, and Possession of Marijuana.",

He knew that Mr. Beaufort expected him to do something along the lines of punishing or saving the criminals displayed on the screen before him, he also saw a video of the criminal in a room standing and looking at the camera facing him.

But something in Gary's gut told him that there was more to this trap than met the eye, he knew how Mr. Beaufort was and knew he played off people's emotions, he knew if he hit save it might backfire, and this man was definitely guilty so punishing him to prison couldn't be the worst thing.

With a trembling hand, Gary reached out and pressed the "Punish" button, his heart heavy with the weight of his decision. Instantly, a sense of dread washed over him as he watched the scene play out before him.

The criminal, a young man with desperation etched into his features, was executed in a flash of light, his life snuffed out in an instant as a bullet flew right into his skull, A sense of horror washed over Gary as he realized the consequences of his actions, the weight of the man's death heavy on his conscience now after witnessing it.

For a moment, Gary sat frozen in shock, his mind reeling with the enormity of what he had done, The reality of the situation crashed down upon him like a tidal wave, leaving him gasping for air as he struggled to make sense of it all.

Joe screamed out "Gary! Are you okay!?"

Mr. Beaufort spoke up to Joe
"He can't hear you in there, nothing we say can be heard without using the speaker within the room."

Kelsey then spoke out
"Why would you make the punish button murder him! Does he really deserve that?!"

Mr. Beaufort smiled and simply replied
"I didn't make the button actually, I had a great team of people design this for me."

Lexa while scared spoke
"I mean at least he was a bad person guys, maybe Gary made the right decision, he isn't harmed after all."

Mr. Beaufort smiled
"For now, but our game has only just started."

Rachel then asked
"So he can't hear us anyways, why don't you tell us how this game is played Louis."

Mr. Beaufort raised an eyebrow
"Of course you know I love sharing my ideas, so what we have this time is called The Sacrifice Chamber, it is quite different than our last game,
Contestants in this game find themselves strapped into that chair with a scale model of a cityscape for visual, and two buttons labeled Save and Punish, you are presented with scenarios where you must choose between sparing criminals or yourself, Pressing Punish as you saw there instantly executes the criminal, while pressing Save results in a knife launching from the chair stabbing the player in the stomach, Multiple stabs or even just one could be fatal though, this trap shows that sacrificing oneself is the only way to save others, It challenges the very sense of morality versus self-preservation, forcing a confrontation of the consequences of prioritizing others over oneself."

Joe spoke out under his breath
"That's Disgusting, you can help others without harming yourself, this isn't fair."

Meanwhile in the Chamber
With a surge of determination, Gary made a choice that would haunt him forever, another criminal showed up on screen this time
"Matthew Fink, Arrested for Hacking  into a social media platform."

With trembling hands, he reached out and pressed the "Save" button saying to himself I can't let this guy die over something so stupid, his heart hammering in his chest as he braced himself for what was to come.

As the knife launched from the chair, a searing pain tore through Gary's abdomen, the force of the impact knocking the breath from his lungs, agony coursed through his body as he doubled over in pain, blood pooling beneath him on the floor.

Outside the chamber, the others watched in horror as Gary's ordeal unfolded before their eyes. The stab of the knife was a visceral reminder of the cruel reality of the game they were now trapped in, a twisted maze of morality and self-preservation.

And as Gary's cries echoed through the chamber, a chilling realization dawned on them all, in this deadly game, sacrifice comes at the highest price of all.

But he wasn't dead yet, and such the final criminal appeared on screen this time reading
"Jack Clarkson, Arrested for Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence."

Gary breathed In and out hard trying to catch himself after the brutal stab he felt from saving the last person, but if he took another stab like he did he would most likely die himself, he hated playing god like this, he wanted it to end, he pressed the Sacrifice button with a fist as he hated himself for it and saw another bullet fly through another person's skull killing them as the restrictions were lifted off the chair freeing Gary as he fell to the ground on his hands and knees.

Mr. Beaufort clapped speaking through the microphone "well done Garold, you are the first person to survive a game today, you should be proud."