The Games

Face your Fears pt.2

"I found Max!" Izzy shouted from a few rooms down. We had split up to find the boys faster, and it seemed to have worked. I hurried to her, and together we entered the room, locking the door behind us to keep any intruders out. I instructed Izzy to sit on the floor, and she did, waiting for further instructions.

"I'm going to connect these wires to both our heads," I explained, holding up a needle. "This will allow us to see into his mind. The needle will knock us out so we can help him face his fear." Izzy took a deep breath and nodded. "Here we go," I said, attaching the wire to her and gently injecting the needle into her arm. She quickly lost consciousness. I sat beside her, attached the wire to my temple, and injected the needle into my own arm. "Here we go... again."

When I came to, we were on a massive cliff, with the wind howling fiercely. Izzy stood dangerously close to the edge. "Where should we look first?" she asked, scanning the horizon. I spotted Max swaying on the cliff's edge. "I say that way," I pointed. Izzy gasped, and we both sprinted toward him.

"Max! Max!" we shouted, but he remained oblivious, his back turned. Suddenly, he faced us, though he still couldn't see us. He extended his arms and began to fall backward. "NO!" we yelled in unison. Izzy was the first to dive off the cliff, reaching for him, and I followed right after.

"Max, open your eyes!" Izzy shouted as we plummeted. He blinked in surprise upon seeing us. I smiled at him, and Izzy took a deep breath. We pulled him into a hug as we fell. "We're here for you, Max. You're not alone," I whispered. He nodded, and we held each other tightly as the ground rushed up to meet us. Just as we were about to hit the ground, a bright light enveloped us once more.

Max's eyes flew open, and we gasped for air, shaken but alive. Izzy quickly unstrapped Max from the table, and he stood up on unsteady legs, looking at us with gratitude. "Thank you. I-"

"Was your fear cliffs?" Izzy asked. Max shook his head. "Kind of. My fear was dying alone. It's just me and my baby brother. I know that someday he'll leave me, and I'll be all alone. I swore that if I was ever alone, I'd jump off a cliff." He paused, looking down. "But honestly, what I'm scared of is being alone and ending my life." Izzy had tears in her eyes.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Like I said when we were falling, we're here for you. You'll never be alone. And I'm sure Atticus would say the same if he were here." Max smiled and nodded. "Let's go find that stubborn asshole," he said, heading toward the door, with Izzy and me close behind.

We scoured the hallway but found no sign of Atticus. We encountered two people but we avoided confrontation, continuing our search. Reaching the end of the hall, Max opened a door. "He's here," he said, and we rushed inside to find Atticus lying on a table, drenched in sweat.

"We have to act quickly. Sit down, Izzy. Explain what's going to happen while I get the equipment," I said, grabbing wires and the needle. "Are you ready?" I asked. They nodded, and I attached the wires and administered the shots. I placed the third wire on my head and injected the needle into my arm. "Third time's a charm," I whispered before everything went dark.

"Kennedy, wake up!" Izzy's voice pulled me from the darkness. My eyes shot open, though I felt groggy. "Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. "Yeah, let's find Atticus."

We were in a graveyard. "What's his fear? Dead people? Spooky things?" I wondered aloud. Atticus didn't seem the type to be afraid of such things. Then we heard distant banging and screaming. We raced toward the sounds, only to find a tombstone reading:

"Here lies Atticus Knight, buried alive."

"Oh my God, his fear is being trapped!" I exclaimed. "Look for anything we can dig with, and fast!" Izzy soon returned with three shovels. "Perfect," I said, taking one. "Now, dig!"

We started digging. "Atticus, if you can hear me, we've got you. Just stay calm," I shouted. "I can't! I'm going to have a panic attack!" he yelled back, breathing heavily still banging. "If we don't calm him down, he might have a stroke," Max said, distressed.

Izzy suggested, "Sing to him. You calmed that other girl when you sang to her. Sing, Kennedy." I hesitated but then nodded and began singing.

(Play song here)

"Sometimes I'm beaten
Sometimes I'm broke
Sometimes this city is nothing but smoke
Is there a secret
Is there a code
Can we make it better? Cause I'm
losing hope
Tell me how to be in this world
Tell me how to breathe in and feel no hurt
Tell me how because I believe in something
I believe in us"

As I sang, Atticus's banging on the coffin gradually subsided. We continued digging, and my voice filled the air.

"After the wreckage
After the dust
I still hear the howling, I still feel the rush
Over the riot, oh
Above all noise
Through all the worry, I still hear your voice
Tell me how to be in this world
Tell me how to breathe in and feel no hurt
Tell me how because I believe in something
I believe in us"

We finally reached the coffin. I threw the shovel aside and jumped on top of it. Pulling with all my strength, I managed to pry the coffin open.

"Tell me when the light goes down
That even in the dark we will find a way out
Tell me now because I believe in something
We used to be kids living just for kicks
In cinema seats, learning how to kiss
Running through the streets that were painted gold
We never believed we'd grow up like this"

Atticus shot up, grasping at anything within reach. He grabbed my hand, taking a deep breath. "It's okay, we've got you," I said, straddling the bottom of the coffin and breathing heavily. He climbed out of the grave, and he extended his hand to help me out.

"We made it," Izzy cheered, jumping with a big smile. Before anyone could say more, a bright light flashed over us.

We unbuckled Atticus from the table and hurried toward the exit doors. As we ran through them, we found ourselves back in the arena, now packed with spectators. Monitors displayed everyone's worst fears, and the crowd watched with disturbing delight.

I glanced at the others. They were thinking the same thing: the crowd had seen everything. The arena roared with cheers and screams. We weren't the first ones in the arena this time. Two other teams stood on opposite sides, their faces showing a mix of relief and apprehension.

"Congratulations, Black Team," the announcer's voice boomed. "You've made it through the second game. And Kennedy, the singing was lovely as always."

I rolled my eyes and flipped him off. "I'm getting really tired of your attitude, little girl, so watch it," he hissed. I met his gaze with a smirk. "Well, get used to it, because it's here to stay."

I sat down, waiting for the other teams to finish so this day could finally be over.

Word count (1,258)