Let's Play a Game
How far would you go to save a stranger?
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Chapter Six — Let The Bodies Hit The Floor – Emmett James McCarty's POV
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Never in my life have I met such strange people. And I've been friends with Mike Newton for a while now. Mike Newton.
But it's true. These people are strange.
Let's see. There's Edward, the arrogant doctor. Bella, the whiny little girl. Alice, the psychotic psychic. Jasper, the moody druggie. And Rosalie, the stuck up rich girl. They're a group of people that I would have steered clear from in my everyday life. They're the kind of people that I'd laugh at in school.
I could picture it now – us all at the same school. I'd see myself in all the sports, playing at tournaments and winning trophies. I would be hanging out by trees with all my friends on the team, fooling around and getting ready for the big game against the rival school. I wouldn't have a girlfriend; I don't even have time for that.
I'd see Edward with his arms hooked around two girls at a time – then I'd see him with different ones later that day. He'd be the kind of guy that got everything he wanted – no ifs ands or buts. Since he is studying to be a doctor, I could see him taking all medical classes.
Bella would be the girl who would be running across the campus with a backpack filled with every book possible for a class. She wouldn't have many friends, her grades would be too important for that. I could imagine her sprinting across campus decked out in baggy clothes with thick rimmed glasses. She'd trip and fall and all I'd do would be to laugh at her.
Alice would be the girl that is bubbly and has lots of friends that she adores. She seems like the kind of girl that would be popular, but in a good way. Since she is psychic, I would think that she wouldn't give out her secret to her friends, they're too special to her.
Jasper could be the outcast – if he even could get his way to college. He'd hang out with the stoners and pot heads. He wouldn't give one fuck about anything in front of him. He wouldn't care about his appearance; his hair would be untidy and his face would be all droopy and tired looking.
Rosalie would be the stuck up bitch of the campus. She would be followed relentlessly by people who think they're her friend just to get places and do things. She would feed off of their compliments and would be the center of attention, but not like the good way like Alice. She seems like the kind of girl that would completely breakdown if one day someone came up to her and told her she isn't special and no one loves her.
But who am I to think that? I barely know these people.
Only, now that I'm stuck with these five people, I had to get past all of my prejudices. They may be strange, but aren't we all? Everyone is in their own way. Everyone does something differently. Everyone other than that person thinks they're weird. It happens to me, it happens to fucking LeBron James. It could happen to anyone. I just had the luck to find five people that are the total opposite.
It's weird though. I'm starting to find myself liking these people.
I could tell that these people think I'm some dumbass, asshole jock that doesn't give a fuck about anyone else but me. I know they're thinking that, and I know I'm acting that way.
But what else am I supposed to do? Just sit by and let them try to find a way out alone?
No. I have to stand up and do something to help us. And my way of coping with that is to keep my fears away and put something else out there. Something that will distract me from who I really am. Determination.
So now, here I was, walking down a dark hallway on the second floor of a house with Rosalie and Alice. And we have no idea what we're going to come across.
I walked ahead of them – I had to make myself seem tough and protect the ladies. Alice was practically chewing her nails off, glancing at everything twice that stood out more that the norm. Rosalie was...being Rosalie. She was huffing with her arms crossed, stomping her way behind me.
"We're not going to find anything up here," Rosalie grumbled unkindly. "We should have just stayed together. It's not smart to split up. Haven't you ever seen the movies? If a group of friends split up, they end up dying faster. I should know, my dad fucking makes them. So we should just walk back—"
"Rosalie, shut the hell up," Alice moaned. "It's Hollywood, not real life."
She was silent as I kept my head straight trying to keep myself from laughing. But a small snort did escape.
"I'm just saying..." she mumbled under her breath.
As much as I'm annoyed by Rosalie, I'm far more intrigued and attracted to her. There is no doubt that she's the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. She has the perfect body; statuesque and gorgeous. Her long blonde hair fell down to her mid-back. Her bright blue eyes held so much emotion just begging to get out. Her bone structure was one of a model. She could be in the next swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated and I'd buy it. Hell, if she was on the cover of Forbes Magazine I'd buy it.
It's just her personality that throws me off.
Who knows, she could be the same as me. She could be putting on this show to cover up her fears. She doesn't want to show her weaknesses. We may actually have a lot in common.
"What's that?" Alice's voice pulled me back to the present.
I shook my head out of my thoughts and looked to where she was pointing. It was a door with a huge lock on it. It was closed, and looked nothing like the other doors in this hallway.
"I'm not sure," I responded. I stepped towards the door and I could head the two of them following me closely. I leaned my head against the door, hoping to hear something.
And I did. I couldn't quite make out words, but I could hear people talking in there. There was someone else in this house, and I wasn't about to wait around and see who it is.
I leaned my head back and turned around. The two of them were watching me impatiently. "There are people in there."
Shock registered on both of their faces. "Maybe it's a way out!" Rosalie shouted.
"Maybe it's the police or people who know how to get out!" Alice added to the excitement. Her eyes were wide with hope and she bounced up and down.
"Didn't you see it in a vision?" Rosalie asked with a little venom in her tone.
I sighed. Rosalie was still a little skeptical on the whole psychic thing.
Alice shook her head. "No, but I'll try..." she trailed off and closed her eyes tightly.
Rosalie and I waited in a tense silence. For what felt like forever.
She finally awoke from her 'slumber' as I call it. "No, nothing. It's just a jumble of images. I tried...I really did, but sometimes I can't do it on command."
"It's okay, Shorty," I assured and patted her shoulder. She seemed shocked at the amount of feeling coming from me for the first time. I would be too. I've been such an ass to these people.
I hate to admit it, but I need a personality check in here. This is no time to act more superior than anyone else with me now. We're in this together. We're in it to win it. Or to get out alive. However you want to think about it...
"What we have to do is get in there," Rosalie whispered deep in thought. She was staring at the door intently. It was almost like if she stared at it long enough, it would magically open. I laughed at the thought. I wish there was magic in the world. Like real magic.
Man, I'd kill to have a kickass wooden wand like Harry Potter right now.
"Okay, back away ladies," I advised and took a couple steps back to prepare myself. "I'll get this door open."
Rosalie snorted delicately. Alice had a little smirk on her face. "Can't we just use the door knob?" she marveled and pointed at the door.
I looked down to verify. She was right, there was a doorknob. Why the hell did I think there wasn't going to be one? "Oh," I stammered over what to say. I was for once in my life humiliated. In front of two girls that don't even know my last name!
Rosalie let out a loud laugh and I glowered in her direction. I walked back up towards the door and twisted the handle, making sure it wasn't locked. We were in luck. I twisted it again, this time pushing so I'd open it. But it was jammed.
"It's stuck," I breathed and tried again. It was still immovable. I let out a growl and rammed harder against the door. It opened a crack, but we couldn't get ourselves in the little slot. So I pushed harder.
With one final shove, the door banged open and flew against the wall. There was a snapping sound from above me, and Newton's law of inertia set in with me. I flew into the room from pushing the door so hard. I stumbled a bit, but I held myself up.
Rosalie and Alice ran in after me.
I looked around the room and froze. It was dark, darker than in the hallway. It smelled like rotten eggs in here or something. I couldn't handle it. I plugged my nose with my hand and wafted the stench away from my head.
"Oh thank God!" I heard a man yell.
I snapped my head over to the middle of the room and noticed three figures sitting in a circle. Their backs were to each other, they were all facing the walls. There were two females and a male. From what I could tell, the guy had short dark hair and he wasn't that fit. The one girl had long, dark blonde, crazy frizzy, curly hair. She seemed slender and small. The other girl had long dark brown hair and was taller than the other.
I've never seen these people in my life. But Rosalie has.
"Jess?" she shrieked and ran towards one of the girls. The frizzy head girl looked towards her. I could see tears in her eyes.
"Rosalie!" she sighed, relieved.
Rosalie ran over to her and looked her over. "What's this?" she asked, appalled. I walked over to her and saw that she was touching something that was around Jess's neck. It was dark and metal. And it was beeping.
"We're not sure!" the other one whispered, petrified. "They didn't start beeping until you guys walked in!"
The poor girl was hysterical. It looked like she's been through hell and back.
"What are your names?" I asked guardedly.
"I'm Ben, and that's Angela," Ben answered bleakly and grabbed a hold of Angela's hand. I'm guessing they've known each other and are dating or something. "Did you guys get here the same way? Did you just wake up?"
I nodded gravely. "That's what happened."
"My best friend was abducted before I was, and I don't even know if it was by the same people!" Angela cried desperately. I felt bad for her, but I also felt bad for everyone else in this situation.
"Emm," Alice whispered brokenly from behind me. I looked at her and saw her holding a cassette player. The same one like before. "It was hanging over there."
I took a deep breath and took it out of her hands. I pressed the play button slowly.
"Hello, I want to play a game," the same voice stated like the first tape we got. Both Jess and Angela let out squeaks of terror and Ben shouted "WHAT?!". Alice sighed and Rosalie let out a big breath and fell to the floor.
"I don't know which one of the six of you is hearing this tape now, but I assure you that you are only listening to it because you found a way to a different room. A room is different than the rest. Why you ask? You're stupidity and lack of survival may cost the lives of three of your friends."
"What?" Jess screeched. "No, no!"
"The second after you opened that door, a timer started counting down the minutes left of these three individual's lives. What is around their necks is something I made. This device will detonate in three minutes if you do not get the key and an antidote from inside the jar. But be careful, inside that jar is something you don't want to mess around with. Sulfuric acid.
"When the timer runs out, the device around their necks will explode, taking their lives with it. Let the games begin."
"No way in hell is that fucker telling the truth!" Jess screamed loudly. Alice covered her ears to stop the noise coming from frizzy head over there. "This is a fucking joke. Get us the fuck out of here!"
"Jessica, shut up!" Rosalie yelled. "We're going to get you out."
Angela's cries were getting louder and louder by the minute. She was sobbing so hard that she was losing her breath and she began to choke. Ben rubbed her back soothingly. "It's going to be okay, Ang."
She only shook her head violently back and forth. She obviously didn't believe that.
I made my way over to the jar that was filled to the brim with what we now know as sulfuric acid. The key and antidote were inside, I could see it, and there were bubbles fizzling around it. There is no way in hell I can stick my hand in there.
"We have two minutes!" Alice advised sadly. "We have to do something. We can't see them die."
I took a deep breath and turned to look at them. Alice was hovering over Jessica, trying to calm her ass down. Ben was still reassuring Angela, but it seemed she wasn't having it. She was scared to death. Rosalie caught me staring at them and walked over to me.
"You're doing it?" she wondered.
I gulped and looked back at the acidic water. "Y-yeah."
She was silent for a moment. "No you're not."
I snapped my head over to look at her and stared incredulously. "Yes, I am?" I retorted more like a question.
She shook her head and stared me dead in the eye. There was a determined look in her eyes. I didn't like it one bit. "It's my turn to be the hero."
"Wha—" I started but was cut off by her jamming her knee into my groin.
A sharp pain went through my whole body and I fell to the ground, holding my family jewels. I let out a loud groan and sprawled onto my side on the ground. The pain wouldn't stop; it felt like it would go on forever. That girl has a mad kick to her.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to regain my composer. I let the air that I was holding in when the pain started to ease after a moment. Then a shrill scream shot through the air.
I whipped my head up and saw Rosalie crouched over herself with her hand cradled in her chest. She fucking did it. She stuck her hand in there.
I bolted up off the ground and pulled her back to my chest. She kicked and screamed at me to let her go, but I didn't. I pulled at her hand to see the damage. Part of her skin was dissolved off. It was sickening.
"Rosalie," Alice gasped and ran over to us. "Did you get it?!"
Rosalie coughed back her tears and nodded her head sadly. She held up the key and the antidote. "It was too much, way too much. So painful."
I squeezed her reassuringly and inspected her hand more thoroughly. It looked really bad. We'd have to have Edward look at it.
Alice held her hand out for the key. "Here, I'll go deactivate the devices."
Before I could even open my mouth to agree, a loud beep filled the air. "Guys," Ben stuttered fearfully.
Rosalie, Alice and I all looked towards them slowly. We stared at them for what seemed like an eternity before something filled that silence.
Three separate explosions went off at the exact same time. The noise shook the room. Something wet splashed onto me. All three of us fell to the floor. I could hear the ringing in my ears. The only noise right now.
I looked down at myself. I didn't know what was suddenly soaking my clothes, but it was a lot, whatever it was. It was red, and it was sticky. And it was splattered all over my clothes and my body. I assessed the girls. There was blood all over them as well. In they're hair, on their clothes. On their faces and arms.
It was quiet for point two seconds. Then Alice's terrified scream penetrated the air in a way that I never want to hear again.
So, I figured that since I'm taking tests all week and I won't be able to update, I'll award you guys with another chapter. You guys owe one! You're amazing! & now you know why they're covered in blood. I'm sorry it's so short though. Review (;
