Author's Game Entries

Task 2: "I want to see them squirm..."

He is the last one. Of all the tributes to enter and leave this room, Ajax is finally the last of them. He also has to be the bravest of them all. After watching each one of them go in, only to come out ten minutes later looking utterly shattered, like they'd just seen their worst nightmares; what kind of guts does it take to go into that room after them?

As Ajax sits in the lone stiff operation board of that very room, he finds himself recalling each of their terrified faces, all 23 of them. He can't help but fear the same is going to happen to him.

Abruptly a soft clinking sound beside him startles him out of his thoughts, causing Ajax's gaze to instantly dart to the source of the sound which just happens to be a pink haired capital woman in a nurse's uniform. She is adjusting a few jars and syringes on a metal tray, and everything would seem fine if it wasn't for the fact that her hands are trembling enough that the jars keep clinking together.

The lady notices his reflection move on the glossy sterile cabinet in front of her and she quickly turns to look at him with a smile that is clearly fake. "Are you ready?" She asks, walking over to test the straps that were holding Ajax down to his seat.

"Ready for what." He grunts in response, giving her a inhospitable look.

Her smile falters at this, and she suddenly looks somewhat pale. "It's alright, you're the last one aren't you? No one else is going to come through here, so everything will be alright." She speaks again, her response having nothing to do with Ajax's question, and instead it didn't even sound like her words were directed towards him.

"Besides, you're a strong boy, yes you are. You can handle this, I'm sure of it." She runs a hand through the boy's curly red locks as if to comfort him, but it only manages to bewilder and freak him out more. This lady is acting insane, what the hell happened to the other tributes to make her this concerned about him??

"Joy." A male voice harshly speaks up from behind him, causing the capital woman to jump. Her head snaps in the direction of the voice, and Ajax tries to look as well but his head is strapped in place and can't be moved.

"What are you doing, we don't have all day. Give him the serum." The familiar voice continues sternly, and the woman whose name seems to be Joy nods meekly.

Quickly scurrying back to the tray she had left on the counter, she picks up a syringe and fills it with a clear liquid from one of the jars. She brings it over to Ajax with reluctance and as she wipes the crook of his elbow with an antibacterial swap he finally starts squirming under his restraints in a futile attempt to break free.

"Don't-" He starts to growl, but is cut off as she swiftly sticks the needle into his arm, pushing the plunger down and injecting the liquid into his system.

"I'm sorry." She apologises as she moves the medical instrument back from his arm.

Ajax can't seem to find a rude enough reply to express his anger before he instantly feels his world start to spin. As the drug takes effect he can feel his skin grow clammy, the room around him suddenly feeling freezing while the seat felt like fire.

His line of sight starts narrowing into tunnel vision and despite his growing panic Ajax's struggles grow more feeble by the second. It isn't long though before his eyes roll back into his head altogether, the serum forcing his heart rate to slow to that of a deep sleep.

"To quote a Japanese proverb... Fear is only as deep as your mind allows... The question is, Ajax, how deep is your mind?" He can hear the man behind him chuckle manically, and the sound is the last thing he'll remember before the drug pulls him under and he blacks out completely.