Author Games: Superhuman {Closed}

Finals :: Darius Lionel Entry

May NOT reach first place

My eyes fly open and relief floods me. I shudder. I don't ever want to relive those memories again. They remind me of who I was before and who I swore never to be again. This thought is enough to bring the bitterness back. I clench my jaw, then feel something tugging at the back of my mind. I can't help smiling a little as I open it up to her, but frown when I hear her words.
"So how was it? I suppose you had a good time?"
"Really? Do I look like I had a good time?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"You look the way you always do. Like someone just annoyed you."
"Yeah, and that someone would be you," I snap.
Before she can reply, I hear a scream from Justin. I raise my eyebrows at the cat, chuckling.
"Looks like somebody had a bad dream," I sneer. His body shoots up into a sitting position, eyes wide. When he sees me smirking he scoots back,  glaring at me. I turn to Marissa whose expression mirrors Justin's.
"See, they all look like they've just seen a ghost. You, on the other hand, look completely indifferent," the cat points out unhelpfully.
"Why, thank you." I say the first thing that comes to my mind, which exits my mouth in a very sarcastic manner. The cat ignores me, turning her focus to the room. Mist has begun to engulf it and a silhouette has appeared in the middle of the room. I sense fear, but it's not coming from within me. I frown and glance around, my gaze finally resting on a mass of quivering fur at the corner of my glass triangle.
"Have you suddenly become a scaredy-cat?" I ask teasingly, and she lifts her head as if it were too heavy, her eyes fixed on something within the mist. I turn to squint at the figure, and realize it's a person. A very... absurd-looking one. I don't think I've ever seen anyone dress like that before. He's wearing a long-sleeved tuxedo which is blue on the outside and green inside. His shorts are dressed for a completely different occasion, and he's barefooted. He's wearing khakis. I widen my eyes as the mist around him clears. He has pleasant facial features with a jawline so sharp that it could be used as a weapon, but his head looks like it belongs to the wrong body. His body is flat and ugly, as if it would suit a toad better than him. His gaze is locked on Justin's, almost like they're having a silent conversation. Marissa stares at him with wonder and shock.
I raise my eyebrows questioningly at the cat. Who is he?
"A Gamemaker." she whispers, then gives a startled mew, placing her paws over her eyes. I don't think I've ever heard such a weak sound come from her except for her dying moment. Right now, she sounds like she's being strangled to death.
I turn to see the Gamemaker staring at us. The cat's body is trembling. My eyes darken. What is he doing to her? As if able to read my mind, he spreads out his arms, an innocent smile spreading slowly across his lips like venom. My breath stops as I take a step back, heart hammering in my chest. Before I can respond, he speaks. His voice is soft and raspy, but as clear as crystal, as if it's being said in my mind.
"Greetings, all. As some of you may be assuming, yes, I am one of the Gamemakers. I have something each of you want." I look at him in horror and shock when I see the item dangling from the tips of his fingers.
"No!" I press myself against the glass. "Don't drop it!"
He smiles, making eye contact with each of us. "Not yet," He shakes his head gently, wagging a finger. "You either reveal to me your deepest physical fear in exchange for this or find a way to snatch it from me."  Anger boils from the pit of my stomach. How dare he steal such a thing from me? When the glass is smoothly raised, I dart out from under and charge toward him. I can feel the cat tugging at the back of my mind, but I'm too angry to bother. My focus is all on that Gamemaker. How could he even qualify to be one? He's a thief and nothing more. As if hearing my thoughts, the Gamemaker turns and holds up that object, coaxing us to come after it.
Spurred on by anger and nothing more, I put on a burst of speed. The cat has no choice but to come bounding after me. I hear her warning mew but don't heed it until the last second. The floorboard beneath me springs up, sending me flying through the air before landing on my bottom. I glare at the cat who seems to have temporarily gotten over her fear of that Gamemaker, staring down at me in a gloating manner.
"I warned you, didn't I?" she sniffs, holding her tail high.
"Someone's in pain here, in case you didn't notice," I mutter, rubbing the bruise painfully.
"In a matter of fact, I did," she says, flicking her tail towards Justin whose nose is running with blood. "What? He's in much more pain than you. Plus, I'm only going to help you if you two travel together. He treats me much nicer than you do."
"Help me? You can help? I never knew you were capable of doing such a thing!" I feign surprise.
"Now, someone's forgetting how I saved his life from that dagger," she mocks, mimicking my tone. That cat certainly is a fast learner. I glare at her, getting up to walk over to Justin. Seeing me, he gets up too.
"I'll clear the obstacles for you. Don't argue - it's the best shot you have at getting as little bruises as possible." Her face softens when she detects my worried expression. "Don't worry, I've got a smaller and more agile body. I won't die, I promise."
"But how can someone be so sure they're not going to die? People don't die on purpose."
"But cats do. Nah, just joking. Look, the worst I can get is a lot of bruises. You seriously don't think I'll be able to waste my last life on an obstacle course made out of wooden boards, do you?" she looks at me curiously.
"Curiosity can kill a cat," I say under my breath, before hardening my eyes as Justin nears us. I explain to Justin the gist of my conversation with the cat as she comes to stand in front. Justin reaches down, rubbing her behind the ears. The cat arches her back, purring.
"Hurry up or we'll never finish this," I tell the cat.
"You're just jealous, aren't you?" she says smugly.
"Shut up!" I hiss as she laughs, springing into action. I can't help but admire the way her sleek, black body moves, almost as if she were dancing. It moves gracefully like water, dodging all the obstacles that would have brought both of us down. I glance to my left when I hear a startled yell from Marissa - she has gotten herself shut in a wooden box. Chuckling quietly to myself, I hurry on, determined to clear this obstacle course and catch the Gamemaker before he can get away with my treasure. Abruptly, the cat skids to a stop in front of a river.
"What're you - " I begin, then stop myself when I see the acid bubbling dangerously in front of us. "Oh."
"I'll go first. See you on the other side!" she mews cheerily, bunching up her muscles, preparing to take the first leap.
"No!" I shout. "Wait! What if you... fall in?"
She snorts. "You've seen me dodge every single obstacle on that course. Do you think I would fall in? Besides, you'll have to cross it anyway too."
I desperately search my mind for a retort, but it seems like the cat is right once again. "Whatever," I mutter, shrugging.
"I know you're worried. Don't worry, I'll be safe," she tries to assure me before immediately taking off. "Told you." In a flash, she's at the other side before I can say anything more. Seeing her move with such agility and ease, Marissa takes off right after the cat.
The cat narrows her eyes at me. "Coward," she taunts.
"I didn't have a chance to go first!" I protest feebly as Marissa crashes onto the bank in front of the cat. She sniffs disdainfully, whether at Marissa or me I don't know - I'm too busy fretting about how to step on a lily pad. Without warning, Justin pushes past me, his eyes focused on the object in the Gamemaker's hand. Determination is what drives him on. He moves like the cat, muscles responding in just the right way. Soon enough, he has completed the course. I raise my eyebrows. Impressive skills. Is he a human or a cat?
"That confirms it."
"What?" I growl impatiently. That cat is starting to get on my nerves once again. She simply doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut.
"Your cowardice." She shrugs, as if she had known all along. I roll my eyes and leap from lily pad to lily pad, trying to copy the way Justin did it. The lily pad wobbles a bit whenever I land, but I realize that if I manage to balance my weight correctly, it won't overturn. However, an impatient mew from the cat causes me to lose focus and land awkwardly, my balancing all wrong. I wobble dangerously on the lily pad and this is where I make my fatal mistake. I look down to regain my footing.
Immediately, the river of acid seems so much deeper. I widen my eyes, my increasing heart rate just making matters worse. Its depths loom up to me, threatening to swallow me whole.
"Darius! Don't give up! You can do it, come on!" the cat encourages. I look up, but the shore is too far away. I'm never going to make it. My lack of confidence causes the whole world to sway beneath me. I'm unable to move on. I can't do this.
I look up at the Gamemaker. His eyes are taunting and that sly smile is back, almost as if he's anticipating what I'm about to say next. As long as I get out of here alive, what could one little secret do? It's not like he's going to kill me with it anyway.
But I'm wrong. As soon as I utter those words, I can feel his triumph and I know I've made a mistake yet again. This time, it's my desperation that betrays me.
"I... My fear is spiders. I'm scared of spiders. There, I've said it! Give me back my father's watch!" I shout, trying to push away the fear that is building up within me. It just makes it worse as he whips out a remote, toying with its controls. A plank appears in front of me, leading to the bank. I take in a deep breath and step forward. It's less scary than the lily pads because it's made of metal, which I know will never break or flip over under my weight. Still, the acid below is bubbling more dangerously than ever. I can feel the others watching me, the tension in the air as they place their bets internally on whether I'll be able to make it. My face is drained of color and my legs are shaking so much I don't know if I'll just fall in because of that.
Suddenly, some acid spurts onto the plank right in front of me. I squeak and jump back. The Gamemaker chuckles. I look up to see the remote control in his hand. The cat glares at him, but flinches when he reaches down to pat her.
"Don't let him get into you. He's a jerk," the cat says softly. The Gamemaker's gaze focuses on me, and I know he can hear every word of our silent conversation. The cat realizes this too and backs away slowly, her claws digging into the ground. I need to get to my cat, or she'll be in deep trouble. I can already sense the Gamemaker's fury, radiating off him in waves. My eyes trained on both of them, I step over the puddle of acid that's slowly starting to chew away the metal and make my way to the opposite side of the bank.
The moment my feet touch the ground, the Gamemaker shoots me a grin and takes off running. A growl rises in my throat. I've just told him my deepest fear, my biggest secret, yet he still wants to play games with me?
"Well, he is the Gamemaker after all. What fun would it be if he just let you have your father's watch like that?"
"Oh? So you're on his side now?" I demand, locking gazes with her.
"No! I never said I was and never will be!" the cat exclaims, shuddering.
"Actually... what is it with you two? As in, why are you so afraid of him?"
"He's going to get away, you'd better hurry up," she mumbles, pawing anxiously at the ground. I can tell she's trying to avoid my question. However, I can already see Justin and Marissa hurrying after the Gamemaker, and I've no choice but to listen to the cat once again.
Up ahead, the Gamemaker seems to literally pass through the barricade blocking us effortlessly, while Justin and Marissa clamber each into a carriage in front of us. I haul myself over too, since it seems to be the only way to get across. Once my cat has gotten into my carriage and just as Justin is about to climb out, it jerks violently back, going three separate ways. I probably have the most subtle reaction of them all: Justin yells, Marissa screams while my breath just catches. I've been through scarier things in my life. I can see the barricade slowly retracting behind Justin and Marissa. My heart starts to pound faster with the carriage increasing its speed as it descends the track. I try to push bile down my throat. I've never liked roller coaster rides. I can hear Justin whooping though. He must be having the time of his life.
"You alright?" the cat asks, concerned. I grip the sides of the carriage tightly as it comes to an abrupt stop. The door swings open and I stumble out, glad the torture is over. What I do not know is that there's worse to come. Stepping out of the carriage was a horrible idea. Once I've exited, the carriage door slams shut and it whooshes back up to where it came from. I stagger forward, but end up on my knees, head reeling. The cat comes over to me, rubbing her head against my thigh and asking me the same question.
"No... I... throw up..." I mumble, my mouth unable to form proper sentences.
"You look quite pale," she points out unhelpfully. I press my lips tightly together. I don't even have the energy to glare at her.  Suddenly, I spot something small scuttle across the floor. It comes right up to me. I back away, my heart slamming into my chest, the feeling of vomiting all forgotten. Another one comes. Then another. And another. Soon, the whole room is filled with the noisy chatter of...
"Spiders!" I scream. "Get me out of here!" The cat glances at me guiltily, then slinks into the shadows. I try to block out their chatter, but it's simply too loud. Slowly, the whole mass of tiny bodies and spiny legs begins to move towards me. I stand up and step forward, in a brave attempt to crush them or even chase them away. Bad idea. My plans are getting more horrible by the minute.
They attach themselves to my leg, some scuttling further up onto my chest. Soon, I'm so overwhelmed by the sea of spiders that I collapse to the ground. The spiders invade just about every inch of my exposed skin. I can feel their tiny legs on my face, tickling the skin gently. I close my eyes, but the darkness doesn't help. I open my mouth to scream again, but somehow a spider finds its way in. I close it, trying to cough out the spider which seems determined on crawling down my gullet. I'm so traumatized yet unable to scream or do anything.
I can only shudder violently, sweat pouring down my face. It's only been five minutes yet tears are starting to stream down. I'm so desperate and traumatized that I'm actually crying. I try to find the cat's voice in the mess of the spiders' chatter, but I'm too panicked to do so. I struggle to my feet, deciding I can't just lie here and traumatize myself to death. However, my legs tremble and soon I find myself back on the ground. I curl up, the sobs getting louder as I rock my body back and forth. I'm experiencing a living nightmare - even reliving memories wasn't as bad as this.
"Darius!" I hear someone shout faintly. "Fly! You can fly!" For a moment, I'm so stunned that I forget I'm supposed to be scared. The words are so random and absurd that I just freeze.
"Don't you want to get out of here? Fly!" My jaw drops the moment I turn my head slightly to look at him and catch sight of what is on my back. Then I start flapping.
The cat utters a yowl of shock when I rise into the air, my magnificent, handsome wings beating in the air. The powerful wings on my back fan the spiders away like specks of dust. I keep turning around, trying to look at it. It's white and glimmering with a sheen of sparkle. It has some intricate designs on it which makes it even more beautiful. I give a whoop of delight when it has sunk in and somersaults in the air.
"I can fly!" I shout, laughing. I don't think I've ever been so happy before. It's like my heart has been freed of some burden, the feeling of flying lifting up all the hopes that have been pushed down for the past eight years. I swoop down, catching sight of Justin and his tear-streaked face, cradling my cat in one arm.
I hold a hand out to him. "How did you..." He grabs it and tries to force out a smile, holding out a phial to me. As I ascend slowly, I peer down at the words on it: Put an item you treasure most inside. It will be destroyed in exchange for anything you wish to seek for.
One glance at his face tells me he doesn't wish to elaborate further. He must have lost something dear to him, just to grow wings for me. A warm feeling floods me. It takes me a while to realize what it actually is, never having felt this for so long. Gratitude. He seems deeply troubled, so I dip a few times, getting a laugh out of him. We fly over to the Gamemaker and on the way, he tells me his suspicions about the eccentric guy.
"All of us were staring at the same item that he was holding up, remember? When you shouted for your father's watch, I knew something wasn't quite right, because what I saw in his hand was a locket. Now, without him around, I think the locket in his hand was simply an illusion. Not wanting us to suspect, he had manipulated our minds into believing that it was real, causing mine to become foggy with anger. He used this to lead us into the carriages, so that he could split us up. He has had mental conversations with me too. That's already two of our powers, telepathy and manipulation, all of which has something to do with the mind. I wonder if he has your power too: the ability to communicate with animals. This can't be fair, when he has two or more of our powers."
"It's alright, life is unfair to me all the time. I think the fates have sort of a grudge against me," I shrug, my eyes sparkling with something I've never felt in a long time: humor. I just made a joke. He laughs and I smile. It feels so good to be rid of all my bitterness now.
I swoop down as Justin lets out a whoop of joy, his sadness all forgotten. A look of surprise flickers across the Gamemaker's face. Immediately, he clicks a button on his remote, causing walls to shoot up around us.
"Have fun," he smirks, disappearing in a puff of smoke. The moment he leaves, Marissa turns on us, enraged. Her eyes are blazing like the fire in her hands, which spreads out behind her like a raging monster. She advances on us quickly, forcing us to back against the wall.
"I was going to win!" she hisses. "I'm not going to let you spoil this for me again. You were supposed to die, Justin. Not Eva. You. And now I shall end this once and for all. There's no way out." Her face flashes with anger as the flames rear up higher. Justin backs away, the side of his right arm against the wall. Behind him, I'm forced to stand so close that our backs are suffocatingly pressed tightly against each other, even with my wings retracted back into my shoulder blades.
"Darius," Justin wheezes through the smoke. "Hurry, spread your wings before it's too late!" My cat is in his arms, her face buried deep into his chest.
"I... can't." My heart goes out to this one boy who has saved my life countless times. I realize that Justin has allowed me to achieve something no one ever has able been able to do before. Giving me wings not only granted my freedom out of the cave, but also freedom out of my grief. I feel like a completely different person, my bitterness and anger all set free. I've been changed for good.  "You'll be pushed into the fire. There's not enough space for both of us to get out of here alive."
"There only can be one victor anyway. Save yourself and the cat - take the dagger with you too," he shouts over the crackle of the flames. I can almost feel its heat searing my skin and I know Marissa is just biding her time, watching us suffer. I know that our time is running out.
On impulse, I spread my wings and fly straight up. Justin stumbles forward from the force, right into the flames with my cat. I pull him out, his clothes smoldering and sandy hair now the color of ashes. I fly up until I get a good view of Marissa. She still doesn't know we've escaped the fire.
"You alright?" I hesitantly poke at the cat's mind.
"Get me out of this hell first before you start blabbering!" she snaps. Well, she's definitely alright, aside from some singed fur.
Now is going to be the difficult part. "Justin?" I ask as he lets out a hacking cough. I know he's just almost been burnt to death and now I'm going to ask him to do something he has never dared to do in his life. Something he might regret forever. "Take the dagger in your hand and stab Marissa. We need to do this, or we'll never get out of here. You're nearer to the ground, so it'll be easier for you to do it. Close your eyes if you must."
He looks silently up at me and I know the silent battle that must be raging through his mind: to kill or be killed?
"You must overcome this fear of yours to survive," I tell him, trying to urge him on. It seems to take forever, but he seems to finally understand the urgency of the situation and nods his head with the slightest of movements. I can tell he isn't really up for it though. After all, who would want to be a murderer except me? I can feel the euphoria of flying dying down now, the bitterness closing in again. Before I can let it consume me, I swoop down to Marissa.
"Now!" I mouth to Justin. He squeezes his eyes shut and stabs the knife through the girl's gut. She barely has time to scream before passing out. Seeing the blood that flows onto the flow must have evoked some of the hard feelings inside me, the ones which I thought had been set free.
Without thinking, I drop Justin into the fire. His screams echo in my head as I ascend. The last I see of him is the desperate look on his face, a look of hurt and betrayal, one which I will never forget.
I never thought it was possible, but I realize there actually is something worse than losing my father. Murdering my potential best friend and cat, using that to repay how he saved my life. I never knew killing an animal could cause me to feel such devastation. Now I know for sure I can never find pure happiness in my life again. I just threw away the perfect chance to. Maybe it was my greed to clinch the prize. Maybe it was just that one moment of rashness. But the instant I see his desperate I know that whatever prize there is out there for the victor of the Superhuman Games will be nothing compared to what I've just lost. I will never feel that comforting presence in my mind again.
I have made the wrong choice, like the so many other times I've done in my life. My life will never be perfect, even with the wings and all. I don't think I can ever love anyone again. My life will be the same as before - being victor of the Games has changed nothing of me.
When the past tributes won the Games, they felt a 'sense of achievement'.
When I win this Games, I feel regret, hollow and empty. I have gained nothing and lost everything.