The Game

The Game

Written by Gwendolyn Cahill

“Didn’t I tell you I would never leave you, Frank, my spirit is alive. Haha! You did not know you would inherit the Game. Murder season will soon arrive. Soon I will transport you to a world unseen by many.”

Frank cries, “No, don’t take my love away from me.”

A male suddenly walks through the mist. “I finally caught you.”

“I am Glen’s son. My name is Glen, Jr. your inheritance includes the Game.”

He laughs. "Grace isn't down with the game. She's the first to die. You cannot continue to own this company if you fail to obey my order. I'm your silent partner, I still own the Game."

“No please don’t take my love away from me.”

Glen, Jr. fans the smell of garlic way and shouts, “They have arrived. Let the Game begin.”

The sound of thunder is heard. The lurid sound of horror rings loudly throughout the valley. The ear-piercing sound of a loud thump and bones cracking sent chills up my spine. Glen, Jr. kicks a pail of dirt into the pit. The mice are awakened, they quickly surrey.

Frank and Grace walk to the place where the Game is played.

Grace is shocked, Frank, why are you taking me to this god-awful place? You know I don’t agree with the hunt for flesh by ungodly bagel hunters. Morals and manners matter. What is it to own the kingdom but be forced to reign in the land of evil! Is greed your driving force in life?”

Frank pulls out a knife. “Get on your knee, Grace. I can assure you that shall feel no pain. You’ll die instantly.”

Frank kisses her on the lips. Grace wipes the kiss from her face. Frank drops his knife and shoves her into the pit.

Frank cries, “They made me do it. The first stage of the Game is over. I shoved Grace into the pit. She died. The only way out is to sell the company to Glen, Jr. That I shall not do.”

Their beautiful Romeo and Juliet love story became a Greek tragedy.

Glen, Jr. cheers, “Tears and men don’t mix. I have another mate for you. She loves the game concept. Her name is Anne. She’s employed at Hack. Tomorrow you will meet her. She likes you, Frank. She picked you.”

Swoop arrives at the Game at the appointed time.

Welcome to my assigned cave, Swoop. I cannot stop Glen, Jr. He made me do it. Grace died, Swoop. You’re the next one on the list. Frank flips open a jackknife and licks fresh blood from the blade. I love the taste of blood.

“I love the taste of blood too. Soon we will join the others. I heard you have mastered the art of The Game, Ben.”

The ghostly apparition of one of Glen Hack’s past victims dressed in a hooded, white gossamer cape, quickly flies into the Game.

Ben suddenly appears. Anne enters the arena.

Ben welcomes her. “I am the master of the Game don't you ever forget that. I earned my battle scar soon you will wear a scar too.”

Swoop watches the Game from afar. Ben peeled the mask from his face. A large burn mark on the left side of his face was seen.

Ben explains that the pit is full of burning coals, Anne. “You like my game scar, I thought you would, Anne. Once you capture your prey the birds can fly to Slayer Court and feast upon the victim.”

Ben’s ghoulish laughter reverberates throughout the room.

Glen, Jr., and Frank have chosen you to join the forces of evil this year. You must follow the rules or face a gruesome death. Now, Anne, pick a card and toss it on the table.

Ben tosses six cards on the table four Aces and two Jokers.

Frank picks up the Ace of spades.

Ben laughs, "Too bad. Joker would have set you free, Frank. Let me see, according to this list, the next person to die is Harry.

Grace suddenly appears. I got the Joker. She hands the card to Ben. Goodbye Frank, I’m divorcing you. You never told me about the Game. It’s a deadly game that’s lead by crème de la cream of the Bagel Hunters. I’m not in that class. Thank God I don’t fit.

Frank is startled, “I thought you died.” He tries to run away but, the guards quickly stop him.

Grace tosses her ring at Frank.

Frank cries, “Goodbye my love. It wasn’t my choice. It came with the inheritance of Hack’s Company.”

Ben walks to the middle of the arena. “Now as I was saying, this Game is not for the faint at heart. You have Harry, Frank.”

Harry, Frank’s face drops when he enters the arena. Harry is the head of the IT department at Hack.

“I never liked you. This should be an easy hunt. I’ll shed no tears when you die.”

Harry replies, “So, you think! I have been at this yearly event for the past five years. I always come out on top.”

Swoop whispers to his assistant, “This guy Harry fumbled the Game who is he kidding. I was standing in the control room. Harry pulled the trigger, the bullet hit an innocent bystander. He did not even make it through the first round of the Game. Because of that incident, only the participants and personnel can come to the Game. Instead, they play a soundtrack that contains the voices of many cheering, crying, and screaming.”

Frank gently rubs the cold silver edge of the knife against the side of Anne’s face. Frank slowly rubs his rough hands along her face.

Anne cringes.

Frank chuckles, “What’s wrong Anne, are you having second thoughts about participating in the Game. Do you have the courage to fulfill the rigorous requirements of the game, soon we will see? I think you’re a fake. The first rule of thumb is never to say the name of your victim. Should you violate that rule you will be immediately extinguished. You’re game?”

Anne winces, “Yes, I’m ready to begin the hunt.”

Frank opens a safe and picks out a weapon. “The birds are hungry, let’s get ready to feed them.”

Anne picks a knife. She suddenly yells, “I changed my mind.” She quickly runs out the door with the instructions in her hand. Tears roll down her face. She fumbled with her cell phone.

She quickly dials a number. "Help, Frank has lost his mind." She runs down the road to a dark road that is seldom traveled on.

Frank laughs, “Just what I thought, she is a fakealoo artist. She never participated in any of these games. She was a receptionist but today will be the last day as an employee of Hack.”

Anne hails a cab that she sees driving down the deserted and barren road. The cab driver stops at the curb. She hands him a paper with the address. He quickly speeds down the long roadway in a cab to the main street on this wintry night in February. She reaches into her bag and pulls the small pistol out. She clicks the trigger. "Drive faster, please. I see headlights behind us."

The cab quickly arrives at the address. Two men dressed wearing a black trench coat exit the abandoned warehouse. Ann walks in the middle of the men. Ann gasps at the sight of the dead body lying just beyond the entranceway of the warehouse. One of the men points an object on her back.

The warehouse worker chuckles. “Don’t fret he won’t hurt you he is dead. Just step over the body. You thought your escape would be that easy.”

Ann attempts to scream but her scream is muted by a hand placed over her mouth. She was led down the long corridor to a well-manicured room that contains Victorian-style furniture. A man sitting in the dark quickly twirls his chair around.

The sound of footsteps walking in the warehouse alerts everyone. The shadow hidden in the dark is slowly revealed. He suddenly stops his walk. He stares at Ann and Ben.

Ben is excited, “Swoop has arrived. Welcome, Ann, feel free to sit down Ann, I’m the General.”

Anne whispers, “I dropped out of the Game.”

Swoop replies, “You can’t escape the Game. We transferred you to another division of the Game. If you don’t compete you will be fired. You thought you could escape that easily. You should not have lied Anne. I'm here to test your courage. Do you have the courage to stand on principle or will you acquiesce to the rants of the crowd? Do you stand alone, let me see your weapon of choice!”

Ann opens her designer handbag. She points the gun at the General and lightly squeezes the trigger.

“I’m The General, you thought it would be that easy, those are blanks. You're an amateur.”

Ann is swiftly dragged from the room, she stands near the weed-filled pit. The birds fly in a circle around their next feed. A blackbird quickly lands on her leg. A dog is quickly released. He charges towards Ann.

Swoop yells, “Halt!”

His ghoulish laughter awakens a flock of blackbirds. “This game is not for the faint at heart.”

The blackbirds quickly retreated to the hills. A night of haunted voices unnerved her. The sound of footsteps is heard.

I stand alone. My convictions are strong, but I look upon the snare and laugh. The birds no longer sing a pleasant song of love. My allies have departed. Frank stands at the edge of the pit.

Anne yells, “It's you, Frank.”

Frank tosses papers into the pit, "Here are your walking papers. Go fetch them." Frank snaps his fingers two times.

A man suddenly shoves Ann into the pit. Ann crawls on the walls of the pit and finally finds an invisible strong hold pulling her up from the cobblestone-covered pit. She picks up a stone from the ground and cradles it in her hand. During her travel up the pit. she found a loose stone and sticks it in her bag.

Swoop observes her behavior in the pit from the surveillance station. “I saw that. Drop the stone or I will drop you down into the pit again.”

The ghostly spirit of death furiously flies around the pit. Ann quickly tosses the stone. The window of hope opens. An invisible hand of life slowly pulls her up to the top of the pit. Her bloody face was covered with dry clay. The chains that once surrounded her ankles are suddenly unlocked.

Anne tosses the stone at the statue that was hidden in the pit. Now the statue is a mountain. I’m free.

The thunderous voice of God is heard. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth causing your chains to open.

Swoop issues an order to release Anne. “Ann you are free. No one makes it out of that pit. You held onto the stone. Some miraculous force pulled you up. Your convictions and heart saved you. You passed the test, you don't fit in, you’re too weak. The angels have spoken. Now run before Harrod’s army awakens.”

Anne runs into the forest in her heels and a mini dress. Harrods army hides in the bushes. Anne narrowly escaped the army.

Ben enters the arena. “Frank what have you decided to do, sell or stay.”

“I decided not to sell the company to Glen, Jr. You took my love away from me forced me to kill I shall not surrender. My first battle scar can be seen on my shoulder.”

The yearly hunt continued.

The next year Ben was eager to greet Frank.

Glad to see, Frank. Carmine has arrived. I see our list of attendees has grown.

A female, whispers, "It's me, Frank, I have returned. I hope you like my mask."

Frank recognizes the sound of the voice. He turns around. The lady dances across the stage. He walks towards her. He attempts to take the mask off her face. The female reaches behind her back.

She states, “You’ll never make it past the first round. A loud sound is heard. Frank falls onto the ground.”

"It's me, Frank. Once a bagel hunter always a bagel hunter. Grace yells, Romeo and Juliet have finally ended. Grace dangles the keys to the company."

Swoop enters, Grace runs, a gunshot is heard in the distance.

Swoop picks up the key, then drags Frank’s body off the stage.

Swoop yells, “The Bagel Hunters stunk! How dare they say I’m dirty, now I own the company. I’m as dirty as they get, but they love me. A man got to do what he’s got to do to preserve justice!”

     The God of Thunder suddenly appears in the shape of a cloud. He raises his fist in anger. Then tosses a lightning bolt across the sky to burst the rain-filled clouds. Within seconds Grace and Swoop are blinded in a terrestrial downfall when mother nature's pearly white teardrops flood Slayer Court. Their shivering bodies cuddle together in the wrath of blinding rain.