Page 83 of Wicked Games

“I guess.”

“It’s true. Now let me help you the way you’ve helped me.”

I sniffed back a fresh set of tears. “I don’t know if I can ever get over this,” I said, voice scarcely above a whisper.

“You don’t have to get over it. You just have to get through it.” Maverick’s jaw clenched, and his eyes turned steely. “And youwill. I promised you before. I’m going to keep you safe. You’ll make it out of here.”

Part of me wanted to believe him, but another morbid part of me was slowly beginning to realize the dark truth. I desperately wanted to make it out of this hellish place, along with all the others, but it seemed increasingly likely that April’s fearful prediction from yesterday was correct.

We were all going to die here.

Carey

The next day arrived with a chill in the air, anticipation and sorrow hanging like a shroud over our group. I couldn’t bring myself to eat or speak to anyone at breakfast. I just stared at April’s chair, wishing she would walk in and sit down.

“Y’know, if one more of us dies, we’re officially down to half our original number,” Hudson said through a mouthful of buttered toast, addressing no one in particular. He swallowed and went on. “Crazy, huh?”

“What’s really crazy is you thinking it’s a good idea to bring that up over breakfast, asshole,” Jasmine said, narrowing her puffy red eyes. “Honestly, I hopeyou’rethe next one to go. None of us will have to mourn then.”

As much as I couldn’t stand Jasmine’s bitchiness most of the time, I had to admit, I got a twisted little thrill from her burning Hudson like that.

He sneered. “You know, you should be careful what you say. You never know when you might need my help.”

“Oh, like the way you helped Rhys?” Maverick cut in, cocking his head. “I think we’ll all pass on that offer.”

Hudson turned his stony face to Maverick. “Y’know, I’m just about done with your bullshit, man. You think you run this fucking joint. Always ordering us around and speaking for everyone. But look how this shit’s turned out under your so-called leadership. Five of us are dead in the space of four days, and we’re still no closer to figuring out who this fucking Game Master is. So maybe it’s time we go in another direction. Without you. By force, if necessary.”

“Ah. More threats. Love it.” Maverick’s lips curled in a mirthless smile. “I guess we’ll just have to see how things play out, won’t we?”

“Yeah,” Hudson said, nodding slowly. “I guess we will.”

Their clash was interrupted by a text from the Game Master.

Morning, everyone! Today’s game was my favorite to design, so I’m really looking forward to watching you participate. Please make your way to Gaming Room 7 in ten minutes. The entrance is on the far side of Gaming Room 6.

My throat ached with despair as the seven of us headed down the hall to the room where we were forced to watch April die eighteen hours ago. Her body had been removed and most of the blood had been mopped up, but there were still a few dark red smears on the chessboard that the Game Master’s cleaner had missed. My stomach lurched at the sight, and I abruptly turned my head away, unable to bear it.

“Shit, I didn’t even notice this yesterday,” Zach said from the far end of the chessboard. He was peering into a dark, cavernous entryway beyond a wooden door that was swinging ever-so-slightly on its hinges, as if the Game Master had entered mere seconds ago.

“Me neither,” Jasmine replied, hugging her arms around herself. “I guess we were all too focused on the game. Plus there’s hardly any light in here.”

“How about you stop yapping and get the fuck in there?” Hudson snapped. “The Game Master said it starts in ten minutes, and that was ages ago.”

I hated Hudson, but he was right. We had to enter the next gaming room before it was too late.

The dark passage beyond the door led into a small, dim room, with only a few black and red candles casting feeble pools of light across the space from a low wooden table. Another door stood on the left side of the room, slightly ajar. More darkness lay beyond it.

Seven black and silver collars were laid out in a row beside the flickering candles. They looked like the collars from the Tag game, minus the string. Each one also had a small red button on the front.

The Game Master’s ominous voice rang out over the nearest speaker. “Welcome to Seven Minutes in Hell, players! Please take the next few minutes to equip your collars.”

Dread coiled in my stomach as I unhinged one of the collars, placed it around my neck, and closed it at the back. I helped Courteney with hers, because her hands were shaking so much, and then I turned my attention to Maverick. He was watching me from the other side of the room. When his intense gaze met mine, he dipped his chin in a tiny nod, instantly conveying his unspoken words.You’ll get through this. I’ll make sure of it.

The Game Master piped up again. “This game might seem easy at first, because it doesn’t require any strategy or logic. In fact, it doesn’t even require the slightest bit of intelligence. I suppose it’s more of an experience than a game, really, and it requires one thing only: resilience. You’ll enter the playing space via the door on the left when the timer starts, and then you’ll make your way through to the end. As there are seven of you, I’m giving you forty-nine minutes to do this. You’ll be faced with horrors at every turn, along with your worst fears. All you haveto do is keep going until you reach the end. If things get too scary for you to handle, you can tap out by pressing the red button. Have fun, and good luck!”

The message ended with a loud beep, presumably to announce the beginning of the countdown timer. Maverick headed over to the door and pushed it open, revealing the yawning darkness ahead. “Let’s go,” he said. “This game should be fine as long as we all keep our heads.”

A familiar twisting sensation appeared in my stomach as we slowly stepped into a narrow passage. The walls were rough stone, damp with condensation. Dim torches flickered sporadically along the corridor, casting long shadows that danced ominously across the uneven floor.