Page 47 of Psyop Kings

He doesn’t deserve your efforts.

I pace the bathroom a few times as I try to piece this all together. Megan was my partner in class. We became quick friends. She randomly disappeared and everyone acted like it was normal. I found a lead that took me to a Crowne event and was then lured to a bar where I ran into Theo. After that, I blacked out from being drugged and woke up in a coffin-like space in their floor. It’s been mental head games ever since.

Thisisa head game.

But why go through such effort and considerable detail to fool me?

Because you’re important.

They can’t just erase you like they did Megan.

It’s getting harder and harder to stick to the facts. My reality. What I know. But I have to or else this facade they’ve created will consume me.

I’m going to have to play along.

Not just for my sake and safety, but for Megan’s too.

I stop my pacing to look at my face. Dark circles ring my eyes, and my skin is splotchy. The manic twitching in my eyes tells me I won’t be fooling anyone anytime soon that I’m okay with this game of pretend. I’m going to have to work on my poker face.

I brush my teeth and then splash cold water on my face. Finally, I escape the bathroom and sit on the vanity chair. I’m not keen on making myself look prettier for them, but I do need to make sure I don’t look so pitiful. I swipe on some concealer around my eyes and powder the red spots before glossing up my dry lips.

I definitely look less like a prisoner.

After adding a little mascara, I abandon the vanity to hunt for a pair of shoes. I choose a pair of hiking boots just in case I need to make a run for it.

Outside of the closet, I get a whiff of something cooking. My stomach grumbles hungrily. I creep out of the bedroom andfollow my nose through the living room and into a dining area. Beyond the dining table is a door that leads to a kitchen. I peek my head inside, not exactly wanting to come face-to-face with Caius again but curious nonetheless.

Two people in chef’s attire are working in an industrial kitchen, oblivious to my entry. I wonder if I should tell them I’m being held here against my will. Not sure that’ll achieve anything, though. One of the men glances briefly at me but then goes back to chopping vegetables. He didn’t seem surprised to see me.

I leave the kitchen to explore other parts of the home. It’s two stories high, but I’ve yet to find a staircase.

Something moving outside through the window catches my eye. A vehicle. This one, too, has the strange wheels. Someone is coming to visit. Will they play along in this charade too?

Prowling over to a window, I watch as the vehicle gets closer. I squint in an attempt to see who’s behind the wheel. Soon, I discover it’s someone I know.

Theo.

Unlike his brother, he’s actually wearing a coat and a beanie to protect from the cold. I wonder if he’s coming to retaliate for earlier when he tried to stop me from going down the chute and I bit the hell out of his arm.

A smile tugs at my lips.

I’m glad I hurt him.

Not wanting to converse with him, I tiptoe down another hallway where I finally locate the stairs. My boots thud on the hardwood as I hurry up the steps. At the top, it opens into a lounge area with another fireplace, bookshelves, and more cozy-looking sofas. I dip into the first room to the right.

A game room.

There are several game tables in the room. Some have neat stacks of chips and decks of cards. The other tables have variousgames on them, some of which I have no idea what they are, and some that are more familiar like chess and dominoes. Behind the tables along one wall are stacks of board games and puzzles.

Caius doesn’t seem the type to enjoy anything other than scowling and keeping college-aged girls captive.

I peruse the games on the shelves and pluck one of the five-hundred-piece puzzle boxes off the shelf. It’s a picture of a lone wolf in a thick forest. Not a difficult one, unfortunately. I take the puzzle with me into the lounge area outside of the game room and sit down on one of the sofas in front of a coffee table.

A door opens downstairs and then a few minutes later, I hear men talking. Their voices are muffled, so I can’t make out what they’re saying. I open the box and dump out the puzzle pieces.

Puzzles are not only something that reminds me of my brother but something I’m quite good at. Since I have a knack for pattern recognition, I find them enjoyable, especially the more challenging they are.

You’re living inside a puzzle box now—all your pieces broken apart and mixed together.

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