Watchers

Chapter 35: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?

"Come with us," Sasha says. "We're getting out of here tonight."

"I'm already thirteen weeks in," Francie says. "That's a quarter of the way to winning."

"You could also lose your life on any given week in this nightmare house," Sasha pleads. "You said it yourself - the only prize is getting out alive."

Francie looks conflicted, and Daniel pushes her out of the way so he and Sasha can step into the hallway, saying, "Come with us or stay here - it's up to you, but keep out of the way."

He pulls Sasha toward the stairs and Francie follows them. Daniel has no idea what to expect but he knows they won't have much time once whatever it is happens - there might be people watching the cameras inside the house and finding entertainment in watching them escape, but there won't be any cameras except those belonging to the Watchers on the outside, and probably The Elimination Game's own security team waiting for them.

They march quickly through the living room and Daniel is just rounding the kitchen island, aiming for the knife block on the counter, when he trips over something soft.

He pitches forward and nearly cracks his head against the counter, but catches himself just in time and looks down.

"Erica?"

She's sitting on the floor with a knife of her own, turning the blade so that it catches the low, artificial moonlight from the windows. She doesn't react to having been tripped over, even though Daniel kicked her thigh pretty hard.

Sasha comes around the island and drops to her knees, asking, "Are you okay?"

It's a terrible question - how could she be? - but Sasha's trying to soothe her, putting her hand on Erica's shoulder and talking softly to her.

"We're going to get out of here," she says when Erica remains mute. "Right now. Do you want to come with us?"

Erica just looks at her blankly. She's halfway to catatonic and Daniel's pulse is racing. They don't have time to comfort Erica right now.

"We have to go," he urges, taking the longest, sturdiest knife from the block and nodding toward the Elimination Room door.

"You think the way out is through there?" Francie asks.

"It has to be," Daniel says. "It's where the losing contestants-"

It was a dumb thing to say and it sets Erica wailing again the way she did all evening, but Daniel doesn't have time to pick his words carefully right now.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Look, we need to keep moving or we're going to give whoever's on the other side of the door too much warning."

"We can't leave her like this," Sasha says. She's trying to take away Erica's knife, but the sobbing girl won't allow it and the careless way she yanks it away from Sasha makes Daniel nervous.

"We need to leave," Daniel insists. In desperation, he hauls Erica to her feet. The knife drops to the floor and he feels a little bit of relief, but this is going to be a much harder task if they have to drag Erica out of the house like dead weight.

Behind him, Francie says, "That's exactly what got you here in the first place - Sasha's bleeding heart."

The words send a chill down Daniel's spine. He turns around, letting Sasha handle Erica while he squints at Francie in the dark. "How do you know that?"

"If she hadn't been trying to save you, she probably would have escaped the Haven," Francie says. "History repeats itself."

"Oh god," Sasha says. "You're the spy."

"You can't leave," Francie says, her voice going cold, and then she lunges at them.

Daniel grabs Sasha's hand and pulls her and Erica around the other side of the island, running through the living room as fast as the three of them can go. He grabs the Elimination Room doorknob and prays that his cotton batting trick will work a second time. Francie is closing in on them.

Daniel pulls and the door opens. The lights come on in the Elimination Room, glaringly fluorescent. He tries to push Sasha into the room first, but Francie takes Erica's other hand and they're caught in a human tug-of-war.

Erica is crying and Sasha's pleading with Francie to just let her go. When someone finally gives, it's Erica. She slips out of Sasha's grip and slumps to the floor at Francie's feet. Daniel doesn't have time to think - he just slams the door shut.

"No!" Sasha shouts, but the door latches and for better or worse, they're trapped.

Francie's frantically trying the knob on her side, calling through the door, "Don't do it. You won't like what you find out there."

"We lost Erica," Sasha says to Daniel. "We've got so much blood on our hands."

Her face screws up in agony and tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

"We did everything we could," Daniel says, but even he doesn't believe it.

One thing's for sure - there's no going back now. Only forward.