House of Trap

04 | Game Goes On

Silence suffocated the remaining eleven survivors who sat around the dining table. The chair on the far edge of the table remained an empty space that Harvey Duncan used to occupy. The theft of one's life in a brutal demeanor was a haunting disturbance to the onlookers. The moral conflict arose when they were faced with the decision to return to the safe mansion, or aid their deceased friend in a proper and respectful burial.

But when one person turned on the heel to escape the living hell and find comfort anywhere but the wretched aquatic chamber, another followed. And another one. And another one. Some might have struggled to stay longer, but the fact their footsteps led them back inside the mansion made them no different.

In the end, they were like a colony of parasites bound as victims to the Game Master's orchestric playroom. The string of life was merely a thinning cord about to snap and disintegrate at any point. One mistake would mean the end of their orchestrated performance.

For the longest time, no one had dared to say a word. They just sat there in a circle. Mourning because they were afraid, not because they cared. Silent to avoid judgement, not because they had nothing to say.

The game had to continue.

"We need to solve this equation," Madison was the first one brave enough to break the silence. Someone had to speak. They may not be able to bring the death to life, but they had a chance to prevent taking life to death.

"We just lost a person," Ashlyn uttered, her voice hoarse from the silence she'd been holding. She glared viciously at the girl as if she was at fault. "How can you talk about the game like Harvey's death meant nothing?"

"That's not what I meant." Madison stared at the others who were mainly avoiding eye contact. Ashlyn looked at her like she was guilty of some trespasses, but Ethan's gaze had that calming glint that shielded her from any condemnation.

"So how long were you planning to mourn for him?" Damon suddenly questioned. He stared at the others with a look between urgency and boredom. His hand kept fiddling with a black colored ballpoint, unconsciously twirling it between his fingers.

"What are you talking about?" Mark questioned defensively.

"Do we have to hold up the entire game until the other is done crying? The only way for us to escape this house is by completing all the games. The more time we waste, the longer it takes for us to go home," Damon stated sternly, his lips pressed to a thin line. Obviously, he had zero remorse for causing Harvey's death.

"I hate to say this, but the dumb pepper head is right," Bree said, ignoring as the guy frowned at the name. "We don't even know how many games we have to play."

"The food supply is limited too," Shirley added, staring at Mark who had helped her with this information. "We can only last for two or three weeks. No more than that."

"Tell Ashlyn to stop devouring everything like a bulldozer, and we might be able to last longer," Natasha muttered quietly, but just loud enough for the other to hear.

"This is not the time to fight, please!" Shirley stopped the two girls before another commotion would erupt that day. "Like Maddie said, we need to solve this equation."

"Right." Maddison spoke and placed her paper with the equal sign on top of the table for everyone to see. "Since mine is an equal sign, that means I am at the very end of the equation."

"Is this based on age order? Maddie is the youngest," Jay questioned.

"That can't be. I am the oldest among us and I have a plus sign," Shirley stated, showing hers. "There must be a different order."