Chapter 7
The air show of the dead tributes was the longest yet. Rebecca and Jake watched through a window while Joseph and Adam watched through the monitors. Eleven players died in one night, a record. Six shot to death at the interviews, a male player killed by a statue, a male player knocked off the grand staircase by a sledge hammer, three others mutilated by the infamous mutts, a girl player impaled by a spear, another girl player kicked off the staircase by Joseph, a girl player kicked out of a window by Rebecca, two male players exploded by a rocket launcher from Jake and finally the swimmer who was simply shot by Adam. With seven players left roaming the huge mansion, they are now in a deadly game of hide-and-seek.
DAY 2
Joseph opened his eyes in alarm to something shaking him. Looking up, Adams impassive gaze fell upon him.
"I figured it out." He mildly spoke and turned to the monitors.
Slowly Joseph rose and stood beside him.
"Figured what out?"
"The elevators, first grade simplicity." He pointed at a particular monitor that displayed a dark-haired woman approaching an elevator. Then his finger slid up to another monitor that displayed an empty corridor."
"What am I looking for?"
"Just watch." Adam demanded with his finger still on the screen. Moments later the same lady emerged from an open elevator of the hallway he pointed at. Joseph's eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
"This mansion is five stories high and contains ten rooms on each story, fifty rooms. The elevator in the foyer is the main elevator. From there it takes you to the first floor, from the first floor to the second, from the second floor to the third and so on. It will never take you inside a room. Only the elevators in the rooms will do that. It's a similar manner. Say your in the third room on the first floor, the elevator in that room takes you to the third room on the second floor. The elevator in the sixth room on the fourth floor
"Will take you to the sixth room on the fifth floor," Joseph finished.
"Exactly, now can you guess why I'm telling you this?"
"So I can know if anyone is heading to our floor."
"Partially correct, I'm telling you this because it's time for you to gather food for us."
Josephs swung his eyes to Adam in alert but he remained engaged in the monitors as if he said nothing.
"What are you waiting for?" Adam asked without turning to Joseph.
Joseph hesitated for a moment.
"Why can't you do this?"
Finally Adam turned to Joseph. An unfamiliar smile cracked his face.
"Cant you see the advantage? I could've easily killed you, yet I let my secret be our secret. I even armed you. Should I continue?"
Joseph felt a pang of selfishness within him. Adam is absolutely right. Ostracizing cynic thoughts, he has definitely done more than enough. Even before the games begin Adam made situations easier on him. Without a word Joseph turned to the door and stopped after his hand grabbed the crystal handle.
"If I don't make it back" he hesitated. "Thank you." He twisted the knob and exited the room of safety.
Lucky for Joseph the kitchen lied on the next floor, the fifth floor. The metal doors parted exposing the entryway of the kitchen. Joseph held no interest of the remaining rooms in the hallway. Slowly he crept into the kitchen. Adam was correct, the ice box, pantries and cabinets were full of goods. Yet Joseph was only able to carry a minimal. A non-sliced loaf of bread, pound of salami and gallon of water nestled in his arms as he scurried back to the elevator. Lifting a leg, he wiggled about in such a way that a bystander would have shouted "timber" to mock him. Finally he nudged the elevator button with the tip of his boot and regained his proper standing formation. Either the main elevator was in use or his paranoia elongated this moment but it seemed to take longer than usual. Then in a blink the goods released from his hands as his feet slipped from the ground. The elevator doors seemed to be stretching further and further away from his reach in nanoseconds until he realized the rooms of the hallway swooshing past him like trees if would if one were to be flooring their automobile in reverse. But it wasn't the hallway that was moving. Joseph flew through midair as if an invisible bullet train mercilessly slammed into him. His back then crashed into a wooden door and his flight continued upward like a rag doll thrown into the air with might. Finally the ceiling ended his horror. With harsh breathing Joseph found his self in a peculiar room drowned out with a deafening hum. Looking down the floor actually wasn't far away. He twisted his neck upward the best he could and noticed his body wasn't exactly glued to the ceiling, it was his gun which was secured in a strap around his waist. Suddenly the hum ceased and Joseph's insides rose to the top of his body as he fell and smacked onto the wooden floor. Good thing the strange room had a ceiling that could be touched with a jump, otherwise Joseph would have been hideously toothless. After pushing his self off the ground he examined the room, a very small room indeed. Perhaps suitable for a toddler, the size anyway. All that remained was the wooden floors; four beige walls and the dilapidated doorway were Joseph made his grand entrance. Yet the most peculiar thing about the room was the ceiling. It appeared to be all metal. Joseph remembered how he hanged from his weapon and released his handgun from the strap eyeing it as if to assimilate some kind of explanation. Then without warning the hum began and the handgun slipped from his hand and slammed onto the ceiling. Joseph's eyes had followed the gun and left him standing with his face upward as if he had contracted a nose bleed. The Game Makers leaked with creativity, Joseph thought as he realized the ceiling was a magnet, a powerful one at that. Moments later the hum ended and Joseph caught the hand gun as it fell. With all this excitement he had forgotten his duty and moved. Before exiting the doorway the end of a shot stabbed into his forehead forcing him to slowly back up into the room. The player who had almost shot Joseph earlier entered.
"There you are" he began. "This time there's nothing between you and my bullet." His finger went to squeeze the trigger when the hum sounded and snatched the shotgun and Joseph's handgun away from them and stuck to the ceiling.
Without weapons Joseph quickly realized he had to fight to the death, this time for real.
