Bioshock Infinite: The novel

Raffle Square

Still skeptical about the mark on my hand, I made my way down to a more populated area. Residents in suits and dresses with decorative hats looked to a stage on the fairgrounds.

The man on stage wore a tall black hat and suit with a long jacket, as I approached I was able to hear his voice, "Splendid haha! And now the 1912 Raffle has officially begun!" He announced. I walked up toward the front, pushing through the large crowd.

"Hey, mister! mister!" A woman shouted, grabbing my attention. She wore a red and white striped dress as well as a bright smile. I approached the woman, she was holding a woven basket full of baseballs. "Wouldn't you like a ball?" She asked me.

"Sorry, no sale," I replied.

"Silly there's never a charge for the raffle. You been sleeping under a rock?" She joked.

A free raffle? How does that work? I reached in the basket and grabbed a free lottery ball. Turning the ball I read the number written in red, "Seventy-seven..."

"Seventy-seven? That's a lucky number. I'll be rooting for you."

"Bring me the bowl!" The lottery host yelled on stage as a beautiful woman approached from the side of the stage, "Is that not the prettiest young white girl in all of Columbia?" He laughed. The brainless crowd erupted in cheers.

The man stuck his hand in the bowl and grabbed out a red card, "Alright than... the winner is..."

I didn't know what the raffle was for, but the anticipation grew, "Number seventy-seven!" He announced.

"Well what do you know?" I said surprised by my luck of the draw, what were the odds?

"Over here! over here! He's the winner!" shouted the woman who had given me the winning number.

"Number seventy-seven, come and claim your prize, first throw!" He announced as the crowd began to chant, "First throw! First throw! First throw!"

The curtain raised on stage as a white man and black woman appeared on stage tied up. They wore torn clothing and the set behind them was set in a jungle with monkeys and a black priest, evidently mocking the women's race. The crowd sarcastically hummed to 'here comes the bride.'

"Please... please don't do this!" The woman begged.

"It was me!" The white man spoke, "It was all me! Please... Please no! Please!" I raised my hand to look at the baseball. "Please, what are you doing?!"

"Come on are you gonna throw it...or are you taking your coffee black these days? Hahahahahaha!" The announcer asked sarcastically, almost falling over with laughter at his own joke.

"Let her go, please! I'm the one you want!" The tied up man begged.

What was I to do? the whole city was watching me.

"Oh, looks like we've got a shy one here! Hahaha... We've gotta do something about that! Time's a-wasting, my boy! Why don't you give her a throw!"

I looked at the ball one last time, determined what I was about to do, I turned toward the announcer, "I got something for you, you son of a bitch!" I yelled, winding my throw up to hit the smirk right off the bastards face.

"Wait!"

...

Before I could release my throw a police officer grabbed my arm. "It's him!" a man behind me in the crowd yelled, recognizing the mark on my hand.

The announcer walked over to me, "Now, where'd you get that brand, boy? Don't you know that makes you the back-stabbin', snake-in-the-grass False Shepherd?" Another police officer grabbed my other arm as I struggled to shake free from their grips.