Video Games

Chapter Fourteen

“Go!”

The eighteen of us run; I grab Tynoco’s hand and begin to sprint through the building. As we run, hand in hand, Tynoco turns to me and smiles at me with this look of pure fear. “I need to tell you something when we get to our spot. Where are we going?” We turn another corner and continue to run down the corridors. We have to get as far away from here as we can, for if only one person starts and the person is properly searching for us, we’ll be able to hide for the five minutes intended. Or that’s the plan; whether it goes well or not, we’ll find out in a bit.

“We have to get as far away as we can,” I say; I’m not sure if Tynoco is fully listening, but I don’t really care right now. The less we talk, the less breath we’ll lose in the process, the further away we can run, the better chance we have at winning this game.  We continue to dart down corridor after corridor before we see three rooms. The second one seems the most likely, for the third one has a broken window and the first one has an open door. Maybe we are going to get caught… I really hope that we can make it through the second round. This will give us a lot of money for the market.

Pulling open the door, I can see the classroom layout and multiple terrible places to hide. Then, this one place – another door – catches my eye and we go over to it. As Tynoco pulls on the handle, we realise that it’s locked and that we have about ten seconds until the troop comes looking for us; there’s a clock in this room. “There must be a key,” Tynoco exclaims; I let him search for it. Taking a chair and placing it against the wall, I reach up and steal the clock from above the whiteboard. Knowing that we have a certain amount of time left makes it more intense, but more exhilarating.

Then, I join the search for the key; the two of us go through the desk as if our lives depend on it. Well, in a sense, they do. Tynoco will be in danger if he gets caught this time; I’m not letting him die. Tynoco makes it to a little drawer containing an envelope; sealed. Immediately, he rips it open and I instantly fear that we’ve made a horrible decision. What if that triggers something? What if there’s some kind of alarm inside of the envelope that signals our location? Anything is possible in the game.

“It’s in here!” Tynoco cries out to me, holding the key out above his head and smiling proudly. Beckoning him towards the door, I place a finger to my lips and he does the same; he’s quite loud sometimes. Now is not a good time to be loud. In fact, silence is your worst enemy and best friend in this situation; it’s a love hate relationship. The silence means that your audio is louder, enhanced; you’re at a higher risk of being captured and taken away to whatever torture is in store this time. If it’s louder where you are, it masks your breathing, yet draws more attention. Nothing is really ideal in this situation.

The key turns in the door with ease; the two of us slide inside of the tiny room and look at the clock. Two hundred and eighty seconds to go; the seeker has only been out for twenty seconds. Maybe having the clock was a bad idea. Tynoco locks the door behind us as we crouch down. Once the metal and the click of the turning key is heard, we lean against the door and pray that no one can see through the glass. “Ryota,” he pants. “I need to tell you something.” He pulls this device out of his ear and sighs slightly. “I can’t hear anything and that’s why I’m a terrible seeker. My device can’t pick up sounds as quiet as your breathing, not down here, anyway. I’m going to die.”

Hugging him, I watch him place the device back into his ear. Suddenly, Tynoco gasps and looks at me as if he’s seen a ghost. He doesn’t say anything, but I know exactly what’s happened: the drawer has been left open and the envelope is left in the open. The main seeker is going to know that we’re in here if they see the envelope. Tynoco locks me in here, wanting to secure my safety and chance at survival. He then paces over to the desk and picks up the envelope; his face suddenly turns pale as the door flies open.