DESPERATE

23

Randall ransacked the entire house, looking for items to use in his twisted game. He left the hostages alone in the living room, terrorized and helpless.

Jordan was the only one who resisted. He shook his head frantically, until the bandana slipped off his eyes. He glared at the others, who knelt with their heads bowed. They had given up. He wanted to scream at them, but the duct tape over his mouth silenced him.

He tried to free his hands from the zip ties, but they only cut deeper into his skin. He couldn't stand or jump. His legs were numb from kneeling too long. He dreaded the 'family game' that Randall had planned. He had to escape and hide. He had to be quick. He lay down and rolled to the kitchen, hoping to find a sharp object on the floor. Nothing. The basement door was slightly ajar. He crawled on his stomach and slipped inside.

Jordan felt a small hand grip his leg. "Foolish boy, are you trying to escape? You can't leave us. We're your family." Randall pulled him back into the living room by his feet.

Despite his small size, Randall was surprisingly strong. He had no trouble dragging everyone around and arranging them into a perfect circle. He removed their bandanas and ripped off the duct tape from their mouths.

Dionah screamed in pain, "Damn bastard, that hurts!"

Randall squeezed her throat, "I'm in charge here. I can do whatever I want. Don't push me. Don't make me lose my temper." His breath smelled like rotten eggs and made Dionah gag.

"Randall, I know you have a good heart. Please set us free. We promise not to tell the police." Kenzo pleaded, hoping to appeal to the little man's conscience.

Randall cackled manically, "Kid, do you think I'm that stupid? Oops, I wet my undies. Well, I guess I have to take them off!”

"NO, please don't! It will traumatize the children." Jillian begged.

Randall glared at Jillian. "Woman, shut the fuck up!"

Vinny yelled for help, so Randall punched him in the mouth and knocked several front teeth out. It certainly shut him up.

"Don't you guys want to play a game?" Randall asked, his voice dripping with malice. He gestured to the ax on the floor. "If anyone tries to escape, calls for help, or bites me in the face, I swear I will chop your head off without mercy."

Randall scanned the room, enjoying the sight of the hostages' bodies quivering in terror. He cleared his throat and announced, "The game is called Do it or Die. I invented it. I will close my eyes and pick an object from the pile. You have two options: do what I tell you or die. Simple, right? Let the game begin!"

He tapped Kenzo on the shoulder and grinned. "Are you ready, kid?" He closed his eyes and pulled out a bottle of soy sauce. "I want you to drink it all!”

Panic surged through Kenzo as he stared at the bottle of soy sauce. He shook his head frantically. "No, no, no. Soy sauce is gross. I can't do this. Your game is twisted, Randall. You're a sicko." He pleaded.

Randall smirked and pointed at a glass of water on the table. "Fine. If you don't want to obey me, you have to drink this instead." He said to the terrified boy.

Jordan, Kenzo's friend, tried to warn him. "Kenzo, don't drink the water. It could be poisoned. He's crazy. You don't know what he's capable of."