The Game (14 page)

There were a few minutes of complete chaos in the darkness. The lights came back on. Missy was on the ground, bleeding from a head wound. Julia was gone.

Candice got to her feet as the pain from the hit to her head faded. She tasted bile in her mouth. She bent down to Missy. “Are you okay?” Missy groaned, barely conscious.

The television monitor on the wall in the hallway blinked on and the animated man appeared. “And then there were five.” The fake crowed started chanting —
show us more, show us more
. “The voters have spoken.”

The feed switched to a live shot of Julia, as Caleb strapped her to a rack. She struggled to break free.

The animated man spoke again. “Thanks to Candice’s stellar play in the game, Julia will not die this round. But she’ll wish she was dead.”

Caleb, dressed in all black with a white stocking mask covering his face, walked around her. He had a large knife in one hand and an electric taser in the other.

“Oh God,” Candice said.

They watched Caleb tase Julia three times. Her body jumped and convulsed, rattling the rack and chains that bound her. He then took the knife and cut her clothes off, leaving her in just her underwear.

“I can’t watch this,” Candice said turning away, but a cryptic desire to know what was happening twisted her around. She turned around just in time to see Caleb holding a small butane torch to a branding iron.

Once the one-inch A at the end of the iron was glowing hot, Caleb stuck it onto Julia’s thigh. She screamed in agony as Caleb kept the pressure on.

Candice couldn’t take it, nausea overcame her. She wanted to throw something at the screen, but there was nothing, no way to stop it. Julia’s screams filled the air and tore at her gut like the fangs of a crocodile, biting and thrashing, twisting and turning.

Sienna turned away, crying; so did her twin. After what felt like an eternity, Julia’s screams turned into a whimper.

The animated man came back on the screen. “One might wonder who had the worse fate. Was it Missy, who was spared this agony because of the voters, but may face an even worse one soon enough? Is it Julia, who will now have to live through hours of agony? I guess that’s up to you to decide. Please make your way back to the cells before Caleb gets down there. Because after the clock runs out, all bets are off and Caleb is free to do what he wants.”

Candice and Alexis helped get Missy to her feet. She was barely awake.

A large garage type door cranked up, revealing the path back to their cells. Candice stood. Her confidence, so high just a few minutes ago, felt crushed. But slowly with each step, her resolve returned. She wasn’t going out like that.

Chapter 30

T
he news reports were disturbing, to say the least. Lukas cringed at the fact they were making a spectacle of this. While everyone else was wondering how it was possible this was going on, how it was possible the police and FBI couldn’t find out where the transmission was coming from, Lukas cursed himself for not being able to find a way into the facility. He got there in time, but without some tools, there was no way in.

Spinning away from the television in the storefront, he headed back to the Nissan truck that came with his new identity. “C’mon, buddy!” he said to Orion as the dog jumped into the backseat.

He carried the tools and threw them in the bed, being careful not to drop the lithium battery pack for the plasma cutter. Luckily, Craig Easton had a good credit card. He was able to buy what he needed.

By the time he got back to Iron Stone, the full moon had risen. He briefly thought about calling the police first, but there were several problems with that, the biggest one being that if they captured Angus while he was still Craig Easton, he didn’t know what the outcome would be. A part of him knew he had to kill Angus, or at least try. It might be the only way.

There were so many unknowns at play. The best plan was just to follow his instincts. The police would need warrants and things like that. They wouldn’t just take his word for it without investigation. It would be several hours before Angus was in custody or dead. He was here now and he could save them.

“Orion, I hope you’re one of those German Shepherds that likes to kick ass.” The dog barked in affirmation. “Excellent.”

Lukas slung the duffle bag over his shoulder and took hold of the cutter. He had never used a plasma cutter before, but the salesman at the store was helpful and gave a great ten minute tutorial. It wasn’t rocket science to cut things up. All he needed was a set of dark goggles, some leather gloves, and some point-and-shoot ability.

He walked confidently to the side door that faced the valley. There were no lights on outside Iron Stone Mountain, the place was, after all, abandoned long ago. Although there was a strange familiarity to it, he didn’t recall being here before yesterday.

Sometimes he wondered if the people he became bled some memories of their own into his mind. There was no way to know for sure.

After slipping on the gloves and goggles, he clicked the igniter and the white-hot arrow of plasma glowed bright with a whoosh.

The steel door looked formidable, but the plasma cutter sliced through easily. After working the hot stream around the doorknob in a C-shape until the entire lock system was separated from the door, he pried the door away from the handle and opened it. The deadbolt remained stuck into the sill, so he slid it out and tossed it aside.

The corridor was dark, but the LED flashlight lit it up in full detail. The dog stayed by his side the entire way. “Let me know when you smell the bad guys, okay?” The dog chuffed in response.

He came to a four-way intersection. “Which way, Orion?”

The dog tipped his nose into the air, but didn’t indicate which direction they should proceed. “You’re no help.” He knew partly which way to go since he had walked the entire facility earlier when he could still penetrate walls with just a breath-hold.

Lukas moved straight across, but came to a steel roll up fire door. He went back to check the other two options back at the intersection. They all had the same roll up door. “Guess we’re cutting again.”

He used the plasma cutter to carve out a hole big enough to crawl through. Once on the other side, he saw another small door to his right. He twisted the knob and knew he’d found his way to the right place. She was strapped to the bed, spread eagled in her underwear.

The room appeared empty but the camera could see him. He quickly slid his back to the wall to stay out of view, and shimmied directly under it. Then he reached up and pulled the video cable.

He went to the bed and pulled the gag from her mouth. “Zyanna,” he said.

“Who the hell are you?” she replied as he undid the nylon ropes that held her to the steel bed frame.

“My name is Lukas. I’m a friend of Candice.”

“What’s happening?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Where’s Candice? Is she okay?” She rubbed her wrists and ankles, ringed raw from the binding.

“She’s in here somewhere.”

Zee stood up and flexed her legs. “Why should I trust you?”

“You have no reason not to.”

She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. “I don’t trust anyone.”

“You trust Candice.”

Zee looked at him. “I love her, she’s my best friend.”

“She came into this place to save you. She needs you now more than ever.”

Zee’s face hardened. “I’d kill for her.”

“You may have to.” Lukas spotted a pair of jeans and a red tee shirt balled up on a wire shelf near the door. He assumed they were Zyanna’s, so he tossed them to her. She didn’t hesitate slipping into them.

They headed out into the hallway.

“What’s the plan?” Zee whispered.

“Get everyone out of here before he can broadcast.”

She raised her brow. “What do you mean, broadcast?”

Lukas didn’t answer and just moved forward. They slid slowly past some security lights. The darkness was thick between the far-spaced dim fluorescents, but the flashlight filled the gaps.

Orion barked and stopped in front of a door. Lukas twisted the knob but it was locked. “Turn your back, look away.” He fired up the shoulder-mounted plasma cutter. In a matter of seconds, the knob was reduced to nothing.

They entered the room. Buzzing exposed fluorescent lights flickered overhead. A girl on the cot cowered and curled into a fetal position.

“Jesus,” Lukas said as Zee shimmed past him to the girl.

“Hey, you okay?” Zee asked as the girl unfolded and sat up.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Zyanna, this is Lukas. What’s your name?”

She didn’t answer right away but then she said, “Julia.”

“What are you doing here, Julia?”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she steeled her lips. “I guess I lost the game today.”

Lukas nodded. “You’re the one that was on television.”

She held up her shirt, pointed to her legs. There were capital A’s burned into her flesh all over, probably six in all. “This was on television?”

“What’s going on here is all over the news. It was broadcast all over the Internet.”

Zee stood upright, facing him. “Then why in the hell aren’t the police here?”

“They can’t find it.”

Zee narrowed he stare. “But you found us?”

Julia stood. “Why didn’t you bring the police?”

“Because they would take too long. They’d have to get warrants, they’d have to sit me down and listen to my story for ten hours before they believed it. By then, someone would be dead.”

Zee looked at him suspiciously.

“Look, you guys can leave right now. Head out to the gate and call the cops. But by then this whole thing will be over.” He pulled a small backup pistol he bought from the guy at the hardware store. “Take this.” He held it out to Zee. “And get out of here the way I came in.” He handed her a small flashlight. “It’s a safe exit. Call the police and tell them what’s going on.”

Zee looked at him, then at Julia. “You ready?”

Julia nodded. Zee handed her the pistol and flashlight. “You go.”

“No, Zee, you go with her,” Lukas insisted.

“I’m not leaving here until I know Candice is safe.”

“Candice?” Julia said.

“You saw her?” Zee asked.

“Yes, she’s in the game.”

Zee looked at Lukas and nodded. “I’m going with you.”

Julia said, “I’ll be fine, you two go.”

Lukas stepped in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Follow through the doors. When you get outside, go straight into the wooded area. There’s a trail that leads about a quarter-mile. You’ll find a blue pickup. The keys are in it and there’s a cell phone in the glove box. Lock the doors and call the cops.” He called the dog. “Orion, take her back to the truck and protect her with your life.” The dog chuffed. “Just follow him, you’ll be fine.”

They watched Julia and Orion shimmy through the hole at the base of the door, then turn back towards the center of the facility. Just as they turned a corner, the lights came back on.

Candice heard the alarm that signaled the start of the game, but refused to leave her cell. The next round was starting but she didn’t want to play. She wondered what would happen if she just refused to participate. So she just sat there on the cot and refused to move.

She casually examined the red marks on her arms and legs, still stinging from the balls of waxy fire that had slammed into her. They got off easy yesterday and she knew it. Although Angus hadn’t specified anything for round two, something told her it was going to get incrementally worse.

After several minutes, the loudspeaker addressed her. “Candice, if you refuse to play, I will randomly kill one girl right now.”

A long sigh involuntarily escaped her. Begrudgingly, she dragged herself from the bed and headed toward the white room. Once there, Candice saw that Alexis, Missy, and the blonde twins, Sienna and Sophia, were waiting. So too was the animated man on the screen, only today his hair wasn’t yellow, but dark blue. The setting behind the man was not spinning gears but a waterfall of fire.

“How are you doing?” Candice said to Missy.

“I’m tired, light-headed.”

“You should be resting.”

Missy shrugged. “I don’t think I have that option.”

The realistic animated man knocked on the screen with his digital knuckle. “Nice of you to join us, Candice.” She faked a smile and crossed her arms.

“Today’s game, in honor of my blue hair, will be black and blue day. I hope you ladies know how to defend yourselves in combat, because today you’re going to get that chance. But first, we must spin the wheel and see who the hunted will be.”

The wheel spun. Sienna’s name came up.

Digital man smiled. “Ah, the lovely blonde Sienna. Caleb will be hunting you this round. Will he kill you? Or take you to the torture room where Julia currently wishes for death? Only the voters can decide. Of course, the Bonus Round participant will have the opportunity to save a life.” The screen went black.

The door rolled up and they had to proceed into the corridor.

One second after the door closed behind them, everything went black. There were screams and Candice felt arms wrap around her. She struggled but couldn’t break free. She twisted and writhed, attempting to break the bear-hug grasp until she finally wriggled away in the darkness. A door slammed.

When the lights came on, she gasped. Lukas and Zee stood before her. Ragged breaths of joy and relief attacked her body. She turned and threw her arms around Zee. “Oh, Zee, this is unreal.”

“Shhh, keep it down,” Zee replied.

“Vince, I mean, Lukas, how…”

Zee looked at Lukas with a tilted head. “I thought you knew each other.”

Candice nodded, smiled. “Oh, we do… I’ll fill you in later. Right now we have to go.”