Roman woke up feeling groggy and cold. He sneezed when something tickled his nose. He opened his eyes and saw that he was lying on some old hay. He sat up and realized he was in a barn. He placed a hand on his head.
"What the fuck?" He mumbled. "What happened?"
He thought back to his last memory. They had been in those three beds in that closed room for many hours. They had talked but of course they couldn't make the choice who should live and who should die, not to mention who should be left in that place to be tortured by her. They had refused when she finally came back. She had told them she would make the choice for them. She had once again injected them with something, and that was the last thing Roman remembered until this moment.
"Where the hell am I?" He asked.
He got up and took a look around. The barn was empty except for the old hay he had been lying on. It was dry as fuck, and had probably been there for a very long time. He walked to the door and opened it. The sunshine hit him full force. He was outside. He was alive.
"I got to live?" He asked. "She chose to set me free? Why me?"
He walked towards the farm that the barn belonged to. He looked through the windows but it was empty inside. The front door was unlocked so he opened it and looked inside. He finally took a deep breath and stepped inside. He feared for it being another house full of traps but nothing happened.
He walked further into the house. Every room was empty until he reached the kitchen. There was an old, grey rotary dial phone on the counter. He jumped when it started ringing. It kept ringing until he finally worked up the nerve to answer it.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Hi, Roman," Leatrice said.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"Just another place left to me by my family," she answered.
"Is this another game?" He asked.
"It is but it's the last one," she answered.
"I don't believe you," he said.
"I swear," she said.
He held so tight to the phone that his knuckles were turning white. He looked out through the window, half expecting someone to come there, but everything remained as it was. He was alone. No one was coming for him. His only link to the world was her voice on the phone.
"Are they still alive?" He asked.
"I told you yesterday, enough with the silly questions. You didn't wanna choose so I chose for you," she said.
"At least tell me which one of them is still alive," he pleaded. "Please, Leatrice. I'm so fucking sorry that we broke into your home. I've never regretted anything more in my entire life. Please, tell me who's dead and where I can find his body."
She ignored his plea and continued with the next instructions of the game.
"It's a three days walk back to town. Make it there on your own. I'm watching every step you take. If you stop and ask for help, you fail. I will find you and you will regret it. Follow the private road from the farm and turn left once you hit the main road. From there you'll have to figure it out yourself. Do you understand?" She asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Good," she said. "Lift up the phone."
He lifted the phone and saw some money there. Not a lot.
"Think carefully about what you buy. They'll have to last all three days to feed you on your way back. You'll be tired and hungry once you return but you'll be alive," she said.
"This is insane," he said.
"Do this and you're free of me forever. Unless you decide to come by the mansion again. Then we start all over," she said.
"I won't. I promise," he said.
"Good boy," she said. "Better get started, Roman. Three days. And remember, I'm watching you."
She hung up the phone and left him with a dead line. He picked up the money and put them in his pocket. He understood why he had to do this without getting help. Three days walking with nothing but his own thoughts would be a long time to think about the choices he had made in his life.