The Game (13 page)

Chapter 27

C
andice dug her fingernails into her scalp and scratched too hard. She knew no blood was drawn, but it still hurt more than she intended. Seeing Vince, or Lukas, or whatever his name was, somehow dematerialize through the door was too much to take. It was as if the entire balance of the universe had blown into pieces.

Ghosts weren’t real and she was never one to believe in angels or aliens. Those were things that belonged in books and movies, not in real life. This whole experience had been one ridiculous thing after another, but it wasn’t paranormal in any sense, until now. This cherry sat atop the insanity-cake she didn’t order and didn’t want to eat. But someone had already smashed it into her face and dared her to lick her lips.

She got up from the bed to stretch. The hum of the camera motor made her blood boil. She knew that psycho was watching her and it wasn’t like there was a place to hide. The fact she had to pee didn’t escape her, but there was no way she was giving freak-boy a show. She would just have to hold it.

Candice glanced up at the camera, gave her most searing look, and didn’t look away. She wanted to strangle that bastard. Ruining her life to play a reality television game — it was ludicrous. But not as ludicrous as the fact a dead guy just walked through a steel door.

Finally directing her vision away from the camera, she turned and nearly jumped out of her shorts when Vince was standing there…or was he?

“Hey, sorry,” he said.

“My God, stop doing that! He’s watching me right now,” Candice whispered and rolled her eyes towards the camera at her back.

“I know. He can’t see me right now. And those cameras don’t have audio, so just keep your back turned. The game is starting today. I went around the whole place. He’s got five girls locked up in this hallway. You’re friend Zyanna is locked up on the far side of the facility. I’ll try and help, but I don’t know how long I’ll last in this state. I’m starting to get the feeling this will be a short trip.”

“What do I do?”

“Just play along. I’ll be here as long as I can. But if I should go, know that I’ll be working my way back here. I don’t know where I’ll end up.”

“Vince —I mean, what do I call you?”

“Lukas, you can call me Lukas.”

“Lukas.”

He laughed to himself, shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” Candice asked.

“It’s just that, no one has said that name to me, ever. In a way, I didn’t really know it was truly my name until right this second. I’ve never told anyone as much as I’ve told you.”

“Well, you did say I’m special.” She rolled her eyes.

“And you are. I’ve never known anyone like you.” His eyes closed. “Oh no…”

She watched in wonder as he started to shake and then he pixilated into nothing. It caught her breath. She sat on the bed.

Chapter 28

L
ukas opened his eyes and knew, or more accurately, he didn’t know. His in-between state had ended. He was whole again, a solid body of full flesh and blood with no special powers to walk through walls or manipulate time and space. Who he was, however, was unknown.

The room was unrecognizable. For a brief second he wondered if killing himself would send him into the netherworld again, but he somehow knew inside that wouldn’t work. Suicide was a sin, and if his condition were a process of divine intervention, his next trip would be to Hell. He was neither man enough, nor reckless enough, to take that risk.

Glancing around the small, light green room, there was still no recognition. One wall had a poster from the film
Humble Walker
. The opposite wall had a mirror and a framed New York Yankees jersey with an unrecognizable autograph scrawled across the chest. A thick black spider crawled along the top edge of the ceiling near the molding. He looked back at the bed he just woke up in and saw the gun. It was ominous but not shocking. It likely had to do with the reversed demise of whoever he was. He quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans.

The mirror across the room revealed what he expected. He looked the same as he always had. Same dark blue eyes, same prominent cheek bones, same black scruffy hair that needed cutting, same muscular build.

Sometimes he wished he’d look different. Sometimes he wished people wouldn’t recognize him as the person he just became. Maybe that was part of why he had such a hard time assuming new identities or fitting into someone else’s life, because he always looked like himself.

He felt around his pockets for some identification and found a wallet. He opened it up. The New York driver’s license of Craig Easton stared back at him, but of course, it was his face under the lamination. “I am Craig Easton, I am Craig Easton, I am Craig Easton.” He always took hold of the new identity as best he could. As far as he was concerned, Vince was dead, and he was. His real name, Lukas, didn’t exist, except in his mind. He still wasn’t totally certain it was real until Candice said it.

Vince’s body would, no doubt, be discovered somewhere near its original death site in the Hudson River. Time will have moved forward, but history wouldn’t change. Vince Markoe’s life had been extended only for a short time. The once great New York cop would be buried and honored as God intended. His fall from grace would be but a tagline in the story of his life.

He didn’t understand the reason the Universe had for bestowing this reality on him. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with these lives, or if he was supposed to do anything at all. He was but a helpless passenger to an unknown force that caused him to chase the same demon over and over.

The house had a familiar smell but he couldn’t place it. It was musky, damp. Then the smell became obvious when a large German Shepard turned the corner and looked at him. It tilted its head curiously from side to side.

“Good dog.” The new Craig backed away a single step. The dog advanced the same. The worst part about assuming someone’s identity was that it came with no memories or information relating to that person. He was just a body. He had no choice but to learn on the fly. It had made him an extremely quick thinker. Rapid adaptation by necessity had become his operating manual.

He took a deep breath and tried to be confident. The dog had to trust him. “Hey, pooch.” He took a step towards the dog. “You know me, right?” He reached out and petted the dog confidently, and the dog responded in kind, driving its head into his hand.

Lukas-temporarily-Craig turned away and started looking around the room. Then he saw the note on the floor. It was a suicide note. He had inherited a suicide victim, as he suspected. It wasn’t the first.

The note went on to mention Cassie. Apparently, the old Craig Easton couldn’t live life without her. He also asked that someone care for his dog, Orion.

The phone in his pocket streamed out a song he didn’t know. He looked at the call. It said Mom. He didn’t want to answer at first, but he did.

“Hello?”

“Craig?”

“Umm…yeah?”

“Oh my, we were so worried. No one has heard from you since yesterday, and Cassie called here worried about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Honey, you haven’t been fine. I know it hurts. I know you love her, but this isn’t the end of the world. I’m old enough to know these things pass and you’ll get through this. I know it’s a cliché, but there really are other fish in the sea.”

“I know, Mom. I’m fine, really. I just needed a few days to get over it…trust me, I’m over it.”

There was a long silence on the other end. The urge was there to break it, but he didn’t. He’d learned it was better to say less and listen more. Finally, the woman on the other end spoke.

“Well, okay, if you say so. But don’t be surprised if Cassie is at your door any minute now. She was on her way over there last I talked to her.”

“It’s fine. I can handle it.”

“Well, I have to drive your father to the dealership. The truck had to go in for a recall, something about the temperature sensor or something-or-other. I’ll talk to you later. Call if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He learned to distance himself from saying the words
I love you
. They meant almost nothing to him anyway, since it was always faked for their sake. He’d never said those words to anyone and meant it, as far as he remembered. Perhaps in the original life he couldn’t recall.

“Well, Orion, guess it’s just you and me.” Then there was a knock on the door.

He made his way out of the bedroom and down the hall of the modest ranch home. Through the glass of the door, he saw an attractive woman with long brown hair and expressive large brown eyes looking at him, feigning a smile. He opened the door.

She looked tentatively at him. “Craig, are you — I mean, you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” He assumed this was Cassie.

“Did your Mother tell you I was stopping by?” She confirmed it.

“She mentioned it.”

“Can I come in, can we talk?”

“Sure.” He stepped aside, and she entered.

She turned to face him, brushed her fine hair behind her ear on one side. “Craig, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

He shrugged.

“I just…” She started to tear up, pressed her knuckle to her upper lip.

“Cassie.” He waited a second just in case this wasn’t Cassie by some stretch. “I’m fine. You had to do what you had to do. It is what it is.” He couldn’t think of any other clichés at the moment.

She looked at him, cocked her head, and grimaced. He knew that look, it was the look of him not sounding like people expected. Of him saying things the person he was supposed to be would not say. By some miracle, they accepted how he looked. Though he looked the same to him, the world saw him as the identity he’d become. But how he acted and spoke wasn’t automatically adjusted.

“Craig, are you okay?”

“I feel fine.”

“You just seem…” She looked him up and down. “Different.”

“I’m fine, all good.”

“You were devastated the other day. Don told me you were crying in your beer, literally. I was worried you were going to do something stupid. Now you seem…” She looked him up and down again.

“I know, I’m a changed man, what can I say. I had a revelation. I can’t dwell on the past, I’m moving on.” He touched her arm and eased it towards the door. “Well, it was good seeing you again. I have a few things to do, so if you don’t mind—”

She pulled up, looked at him oddly. “Craig, what are you doing?”

“Cassie, I swear I’m fine. Don’t sweat it.”

“You’re not fine. You’re acting strange.”

He sighed. “How should I be acting?” He didn’t have time for this. Usually he would patiently learn what he could, but today, his primary concern was getting back to Morristown and somehow getting Candice out of that game. His own game was less important for the first time in his life.

Cassie looked at him long and hard, then nodded. “I think you should make an appointment with Doctor Chernik. I know you think that makes you weak, but trust me, he can help. This about-face, is scaring me more than the massive depression I left you in two days ago.”

“I know. It was hard, but I feel okay. Just give me a few more days to think things through. I’m in a better place right now.”

“Why are you rushing me out the door?” She looked around the house suspiciously. “What’s going on here? Where’s Orion?”

The dog came click-clacking into the room, his nails noisy on the wooden floor. Orion walked up to Cassie and rubbed his head into her leg. “Hey, fur-ball, I miss you, too.”

“Cassie, everything’s fine.”

“I just don’t want you to think I did this on a whim, Craig. I didn’t take throwing away five years lightly.” She started to cry. “This was really hard for me, and I tried to forgive you. I tried to wipe away the image of you and her, but I couldn’t. I tried to let it go and…but it hurt me. I don’t think I could ever trust you again. Trust is everything to me, you know that.”

He felt horrible for her. Whatever Craig had done, he was an idiot. This was a fine woman here. “Cassie, I’m sorry. But I understand you had to do what you did. We all make mistakes, I made mine, and I don’t want you to second guess your decisions.”

She nodded and petted the dog. Finally, she turned towards the door. “Okay. But please call me in a couple days. I don’t want you doing anything stupid. I know how you can let things weigh on you. I didn’t want to hurt you, you know that.”

“I know. And I don’t hate you. I wish you the best.”

She nodded and walked out. She took one glance back, but kept walking.

He had no time to get used to being Craig Easton, he had to get back to Iron Stone and find a way into the facility. He couldn’t leave Candice in this mess alone.

Candice was his first priority. He was more worried about her than anyone he’d ever known. At no time before had he ever left a life, and wanted to get back to it for someone else. He’d never cared about anyone like this before. Not entirely sure what love was, he didn’t dare say he was falling in love with her. But he was feeling something for her he’d never felt before.

Lukas stood there. He was breaking new ground. This was normally the time he would dig into the new person’s life and learn all he could about them, to become them as much as possible, knowing he would need to dissect them in order to learn the next clue to his past. But right now he didn’t care about Craig Easton or his past. The only thing he cared about was Candice.

Chapter 29

C
andice felt refreshed after some sleep. Right after Lukas dematerialized before her eyes, she felt so drained sleep came in a matter of minutes. She didn’t expect to be able to get so much rest, but as she considered it, she wasn’t entirely sure how much she’d gotten. She didn’t wear a watch because, in general, she kept a cell phone in her pocket. Or a computer was in front of her. There wasn’t much need for a watch in this modern gadget life. Right now, she wished for one.

Owning a watch was not the issue, she had about five of them. Her Grandmother Laguna had given her several over the years, nice ones, but for some reason Candice didn’t want to wear them anymore. She wore no bracelets or rings. The only jewelry she wore was a necklace her mother had given her when she graduated high school. It was a silver cross on a silver chain. It was nothing fancy, but it suited her taste.

The door to her cell buzzed and popped open. Candice stood with anticipation. A voice cracked over the loudspeaker.

“Attention, contestants. Please proceed from your cells to the common room down the hall to your right.”

The game was starting.

Candice cautiously stepped out into the hallway. To the left was a large steel door, to the right, a long corridor that stretched at least three hundred feet. One by one, other girls appeared in the hall. She saw one familiar face, but it wasn’t the one she had hoped for.

“Alexis.” The girl adjusted her black-framed glasses, Candice walked up to her. “Are you okay?”

Alexis shrugged. “For now.” She looked past Candice. “Where’s Vince?”

Candice wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that question. Vince was dead, but maybe he wasn’t. It was all very confusing. “I’m not sure,” she lied.

“Did he come in here with you?”

“We got separated.”

Alexis frowned. Pronounced sadness took hold of her face. “That’s not good.”

Candice just shook her head.

They proceeded as instructed down the hallway until they came to a large white room that smelled of fresh paint. A massive television monitor dominated the far wall of the pristine room. The lighting was sparse but the room was cleaner and brighter than the drab gray that dominated the rest of the facility.

The loudspeaker barked again. “Please direct your attention to the television screen.”

An animated character appeared on the screen, a digital man with yellow hair and large blue eyes. He was in an industrial setting that slowly morphed into a natural setting, but then reverted to smokestacks and spinning gears. “Greetings and welcome to the first day of our game. We’re glad everyone out there on the Internet could join us. We’re streaming live from somewhere on Earth. This is the ultimate reality television game show. Welcome to the revolution. Welcome to
Ultimate Reality
.”

Candice felt an uneasy swell fill her body. She didn’t know what to expect but something told her it was going to be even worse than her imagination might dream up.

The animated character continued. “First, let’s introduce our contestants. Put your hands together for Missy, the leggy, green-eyed brunette. She’s a second grade school teacher who likes puppies and drawing.” A picture of one of the girls standing with Candice twirled in the screen. A nonexistent crowd cheered and whistled through the speaker system after each introduction.

“And let’s hear it for Julia, a classic petite beauty reminiscent of a young Audrey Hepburn. She’s a hostess at a local restaurant who enjoys bike riding and ice skating.” The applause included some oohs-and-ahs.

“Then there are the gorgeous platinum blonde twins, Sienna, a spunky co-ed with dangerous curves and a penchant for clay sculpture.” Catcalls went up from the simulated crowd. “And her sister, Sophia. She can’t get enough of social media and sharing her sexy picture with the world.” More cheers erupted, this time they were backed by some loud whistles.

“And give it up for the sassy, punk-rock-fireplug Alexis, a raven-haired minx with blonde and purple streaks.” A burst of some generic punk rock music played.

“And now folks, last but certainly not least, show some love for the smart and sexy beauty, the creative and athletic, Candice.”

Candice felt something between excitement and fear.

The computer animation continued. “As you can see, they are all beautiful, and over the next few days, they will all find out how strong they really are. They will be exploited in ways reality television has never exploited anyone before. People want sex and violence. This show will give them both. There will be drama, there will be tragedy, and there will be a winner.”

An animated spinning wheel appeared on the screen. “I will now let fate decide which one of our contestants will be playing for her life tonight.”

The girls all looked around at each other. Candice took a breath, then looked back to the screen. All their names spun on the wheel-of-death and when it stopped, Missy was the first one up.

A tall girl with medium brown hair clutched her stomach, bent over and moaned. Candice immediately went to her side. “It’s okay. We’re going to figure this all out.”

“Oh God, what’s he going to do to me?” Missy cried.

Alexis came over and stood next to her. “It’s okay, hon, don’t worry. If we stick together we can get out of this.”

The animated character returned to the screen. “Hello, Missy, You’ve been chosen to be our first contestant. Caleb will be hunting you.” A picture of leather-masked Caleb, even more menacing than usual, appeared on the screen. “You have one hour to evade him. You must make your way from this room back to your safety cell. Only catch is you can’t go back the way you came. If you make it to the safety of your cell, you will move on to the second stage, one-step closer to freedom. The others may help at their own risk. You, too, will make your way back to the holding cells, where a dinner of chicken and potatoes awaits you. Now viewers, you can save Missy if you wish, just text SAVEHER to 5553242 and Caleb will leave her be and choose another random victim. But if you want to see what happens to her, text GETHER to 5553242. The game officially starts…right now!”

The character blinked out and the screen showed a schematic of the building.

“What do we do?” Alexis looked at Candice.

Candice stepped back. “Okay, okay…we can do this.”

A teary-eyed blonde walked up to Candice. “I’m Sienna.”

“I’m Candice.”

Missy was gasping for breath. Alexis hugged her, standing on her toes to get close to Missy’s height but falling far short. “C’mon, we need to be strong.”

Missy pushed her away. “Easy for you to say, your name didn’t come up on the wheel-of-death. Oh God!”

Candice shook her head. “We don’t have time to argue.”

Julia, the Audrey Hepburn-ish girl, started moving towards the only open door. “We have to go this way.”

Sienna said, “Where the heck is she going? I’m not following her.”

Candice looked around at the group. “Look, we’re all in the same boat here. We have to stick together.”

A bell rang and a fake crowed once again cheered. They looked around at each other. Candice looked at the ring of cameras around the room. It was very unnerving to know that whatever was about to happen, was going to be well-documented.

Alexis said, “I’m with Candice. We need to stick together.”

The lights started to dim, and dark music started to drone though the speaker system. “Let the game begin — please proceed into the maze.”

The large door at the far side of the room rolled up with a churning rumble.

Candice wasn’t afraid, she was mad. This lunatic was
not
going to have his way. “C’mon, let’s do this.”

Candice led the way into the corridor. Everything looked the same. A sudden spray of water burst down from the ceiling, soaking them. The girls let out a collective scream.

“Of course.” Candice pulled her tee shirt off her boobs. “Wet tee shirts.” All the girls had tee shirts and cut jeans or shorts.

“He’s going to exploit us best he can.” Sierra pushed her hair out of her face. “This Angus is a sticky pervert.” Sophia mirrored her twin.

“Angus isn’t the one we have to worry about,” Candice said.

Missy let out an uncomfortable moan. “Caleb, he’s a sick bastard. He’ll gut you like a pig.”

Candice stopped. “How long have you been here?”

Sienna looked around at the others. “A few months, give or take.”

They tentatively pushed on, deeper into the hall. The lights flickered; the music grew louder. Demonic laughter crackled over the music. Julia started to cry.

Candice urged them to be alert. “Don’t listen to any of this, he’s screwing with us. We just need to stay together.” A sudden smell tickled her nose.

The floor became soft. “Sand,” Candice said as she shuffled ahead.

They came to a large open room, fifty feet square and white, with a red circle painted in the center of the floor.

“What is that?” Sienna asked.

Candice shook her head. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

The monitor on the wall blinked to life, and the animated man was onscreen again. “Welcome to the Circle of Pain Bonus Round. Please choose a contestant.”

They looked around at each other. Candice stepped forward. She put her chin in the air and strode confidently into the red circle. She raised her arms in the air, and yelled, “C’mon, asshole. Bring it.” Something inside her just snapped. Her slight anger had turned to complete rage. Her adrenaline was churning like a blender, whirling in her gut with the power to crush ice. If he wanted her to be the leader, so be it.

She met the eyes of the other girls. Their faces were wide with fear. Candice left her fear somewhere back in the hallway. She was itching for a fight now. They’d pushed her one step too far.

The television monitor showed a clock next to the animated man’s head. He said, “You must stay in the circle for one minute, or someone dies. If you leave the circle for any reason, one random girl dies immediately. If you make it, you are immune from death for today and no one dies. They will only be abducted and tortured before they rejoin the game tomorrow. It’s up to you, Candice, to save a life tonight.”

Candice took a deep breath. Now she was afraid. It was up to her to save a life, this wasn’t what she expected. Now if she was unable to stand up to whatever this psycho was about to dish out, she would be racked with guilt. This had become a crushing weight of responsibility.

A timer started counting down. “The game will begin in five-four-three-two” a beep emitted.

An explosion of flames erupted in a circle around her, coming up from the floor and reaching into the air about two feet off the ground. The heat was intense. She tried to stay in the center as close to the middle of the twelve-foot ring as possible, away from the burning fire.

From above her head, a huge hanging rack started to spin. A cannon dropped down on a telescoping arm. A high-pitched whine grew in volume and pitch, until a fiery projectile erupted from the barrel and flew at her.

Candice thought this was it, the death-blow. The tiny ball of fire missed her, but the second one didn’t.

The burning projectile slammed into her shoulder with a hot sting. She screamed in pain, stumbling backwards, but the flames behind her drove her back to the center of the ring. She was able to slap the sticky ball of fire off her collarbone. It left a mark, but didn’t burn through her tee shirt or melt her skin.

Another shot whizzed by her face. She watched the spinning rack, trying to guess when the tiny cannon would be coming around again. The shot came and she was able to dodge it, but she stepped too far to the side and burned her leg in the flames on the edge of the circle. She had to fight the urge to dodge them with sharp movements. If she left the circle, someone was going to die. There was no need to be reminded of that, but her mind couldn’t stop.

She was dripping with sweat, burning hot. It must have been well over one-hundred-twenty degrees in the circle. Now that water soaking they got earlier was welcome.

The fireballs came again. She was able to bat it away with an open palm before it hit her face.

Glancing up at the clock, she saw there were still forty seconds left. This was the longest minute of her life. Another fireball flew at her. She dodged it, but then another one followed it and slammed into her left thigh. She reached down quickly and pushed the sticky ball off her leg.

A barrage of shots started coming, there was no way to dodge them. She just covered her face with her open hands and reacted to the impacts when they hit her, brushing them off with a yelp of pain for each one. She took one in the chest, one off her exposed stomach, and another off her knee. One hit her upper right arm and yet another hit her crotch. She’d lost count how many landed.

The pain was intense but she remained strong and didn’t give in to the urge to run.

Finally, the flames on the edge of the ring extinguished and no more fireballs flew from the rack above.

Candice staggered from the ring, looking at her red welts. Sweat poured down her face, but she wasn’t seriously wounded that she could tell. She finally collapsed onto her hands and knees, gasping for cooler air to quench the heat in her lungs.

Alexis crouched down beside her. “Oh, my God, are you okay?”

Candice nodded. “I think so.”

The animated man on the screen appeared again. “Congratulations, Candice. You’ve survived the Ring of Fire. The next round will be harder. The fireballs will be larger and stickier, with more wax base.” He laughed. “Caleb is in the maze, and thanks to the fans, a new target has been chosen. You will have twenty minutes to navigate back to your cells before the abduction.”

Candice got to her feet. “C’mon, we need to get moving. We’re dead ducks sitting here.”

They ventured back into the hallway, following the only path available until they came to an intersection.

“Which way?” Alexis asked.

“Left,” Candice replied.

“No, right!” Sienna offered.

Candice shook her head. “No, he said we had to make our way back to the cells.”

“Yeah, and right is the shortest route.” Sienna insisted.

“Do you really think he’d want us to go the shortest route?” Candice was certain she was right. But Sienna looked defiant and her twin was backing her.

“You go whatever the hell the way you want.” Sophia waved a hand.

Candice knew she had to be the leader. “We have to stick together here. If we separate, we become vulnerable.”

Alexis said, “We’re vulnerable, anyway.”

“Yeah,” agreed Missy.

Candice sighed. “I know, but we need to be smart here. We need to stick together at all costs. And I think we’d be better off going to the left, because these halls intersect that way. If we go right, we run into the exterior wall and it will be easier to box us in.”

Alexis nodded. “She’s right, we need options. I say we go with Candice.”

Sienna rolled her eyes, but agreed.

They moved towards the cells, they’d made it almost to the final hallway. Then the lights went out. The lights came back on, then flicked back off. They continued to flash. It was disorienting, but Candice tried to lead them into the last hallway.

They scurried down the long corridor. The floor became so slick they could hardly even stand. They clutched at anything they could grasp, trying to stay upright. The lights went out and stayed out.

Candice felt the impact to her head as she went down hard. A few screams erupted from the group. She tried to get her feet under her but slid forward and fell.