Zoe wakes up in a strange room without a clue on how she got there. She and the seven other people are instructed to play a game. A game that will push them all to their limits, that will expose their deepest, darkest secrets. A game meant to kill...
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Chapter Seven: Run
The hallway is uncomfortably quiet besides the soft humming of...something. I figure it's the AC unit. But what I do know for sure is that there is no natural light. No windows. Just light fixtures on the ceiling.
"Are we in a basement?" I whisper as Rodney and I walk slowly down the hallway in front of us while James and Ximena stalk behind.
Rodney nods. "That would be my guess. Monica said she drugged us at her party, right? We're probably in her basement. It would be easier that way." He glances over at me. "Do you recognize anything?
He's referencing to how she and I used to be friends. "We never came down into the basement. We mostly hung out in her room or in the living room."
"Shhh!" James hisses.
I snap my head back at him to - well, do nothing. I doubt I'd intimidate him. But when I glance back at them, I try to stifle a laugh. Ximena is clung to James's arm, a look of pure terror on her face. He, however, is very annoyed.
We reach the end of the hall. But it's not what I expected. The path forks. Either left or right. I gaze up at Rodney, my eyes questioning. He shrugs and points at the two behind us.
Ximena seems too scared to offer her opinion. James gestures left while trying to shake off the talon of claws Ximena has dug into his arm.
Rodney has let go of my hand by now, and it feels awfully cold without it. The entire group is silent. I think we're all worried about Monica finding out we've escaped and we have no idea where she is. So, the quiet gives me time to think.
Before today, I never looked at Rodney this way. I always knew him as the quiet, brooding loner. He liked to sit alone, talked to few people, and he'd read a lot. Part of me wanted to go up to him and ask what he was reading, but I figured I'd get the "I'm reading in public for a reason" look.
Hell, after today, I'll probably want to sit and read alone too.
Now when I look at him, I see this strong, intelligent person that has showed me more kindness than any of the other people here. I wonder if he was just being nice or if he sees something...I don't know, special in me.
It's not just him though. I'll never be able to look at any of the people I woke up with the same way again. Albeit some of them are dead, but it's still viewing someone in a different light.
Adrien and Chris were worse than I thought. They took bullying and torment to a whole other level. Jen, who I looked up to, was a coward that was afraid of affecting her life even though it could've saved another. James is selfish and consumed by his privilege. Ximena is smart but she wouldn't show it, perhaps because she was worried of stepping over Adrien.
And Monica. Oh Monica. I always saw her as this sweet, but sad girl. She had a soft heart but it had seen so much damage. I think it changed her. It turned her into a bloodthirsty villain whose revenge has clouded her judgement. I'm afraid she's gone too far to turn back now.
