Chapter 4 - Awakening

Irina Karpolski [9]

Chapter 4 - Awakening

(Current time, Leon Darhyrt)

 

“Ugh…”

 

I could have sworn my head was mercilessly pummeled a thousand times over while I slept. The term 'Disorientating' did not do myself justice.

 

“What happened?” I asked myself. I remember being in a- yeah that's right, we were on our free trip and then we arrived at a manor after which we were sealed in and knocked out cold. So then where were we now?

 

“Elle! Martin! Anyone?” I croaked. No answer.

 

My mind jolted as I quickly scanned my surroundings; it was really dark. My eyes immediately zoomed into the only source of light in the distance, probably just a few  meters away at most. It was flickering erratically. Well, beggars can't be choosers, I have to reach out for it and hope it can literally shed some light on my situation.

 

As I started to crawl carefully over to the light, I started to feel really cold. It wasn't an extreme cold like the ones you would find in a freezer, chilly would be a better word. And then I realized it; I had no clothes on!

 

“Who? How?” I thought to myself as my mind dawned upon the only feasible explanation; whoever knocked us out must have stripped us. That would mean we were knocked out good. What else might our captors have done? No matter, lights first, I will figure the rest out somehow.

 

I closed on the light source and examined it. It was a flashlight. I gave it a couple of square knocks to its shaft hoping in vain that the flicker would amend itself. It didn't. As I fiddled with the device I noticed a notepad seated right next to where I picked up the flashlight. I squinted my eyes to read it amidst the flickering beam.

 

“Congratulations on passing the qualifiers and welcome to Jury. Here, you will be challenged in more ways than one, and often in ways you will not expect. We apologize for the botched reception; it was never meant to be. Your first challenge is simple, get out of your cell and into the main hall. There you will receive all you need to beat the game. As an added bonus, the first guy out gets first pick on his clothes! Best of luck!

 

PS: We at the Jury Arbiter Council  uphold personal safety at the highest regard. Should you feel endangered in any way, please make use of the tools provided to each candidate in the Candidate Security Pack. “

 

“Jury?” I muttered to myself. The same game we all played to earn our spot here in this awry version some ‘Grand Finale’. I pointed the flashlight around the note.

 

The note was true to its content; there was a small pouch lying on the floor. Printed clearly across its face-side was ‘Candidate Security Pack’.

 

I unzipped the PVC pouch and peered inside, still aided by the increasingly fickle light. Inside was….a  gun?

 

I was expecting flare sticks. I carefully picked it up and under it, tucked in a small inner compartment, was a single bullet. Just one lonely piece.

 

What is that suppose to mean? How's a gun with a single bullet suppose to protect us?

 

I pointed my dying light source across my surroundings. The note mentioned being in a cell and that frankly made me feel uncomfortable. The notion of a cell was straightforward.

 

Trapped.

 

Caged.

 

 I stood up slowly, ever bracing for possible impact, but none came. From my upright position, I clumsily felt around me; my flashlight now fully depleted.

 

Nothing. I arced out a little bit more.

 

Still nothing. Arced some more.

 

Nothing.

 

And then my heart kept as my palm collided into a solid object. Wood, possibly tempered plastic. It was smooth. I trailed my hand across it until I felt something soft. Like a cushion. Was it a sofa?

 

I mustered more courage as my exploration quickened; my senses now more adjusted to the darkness. It wasn't long before I identified the object; it was a bed. A simple one judging from its thin mattress and build. The bed told me a few things.

 

First off was insurance. If I were to die here, at least it was comfortable. Second and more importantly, it told me where the door was. Well, at least where the door most probably is. I found the headboard of the single sized bed and using my crazy logic-less reasoning it should face the door. Why? Because nobody wants to sleep with their back against the door right? Especially if it was a cell and inmates would be wary of their captors.

 

I inched away from the headboard, tracing the full length of the bed before finally hitting a wall. The room should be around 10 meters long; pretty decently sized for a cell. I counted my steps as I trace the wall to the left.

 

Lucky! It was the door. Or at least I assumed it was. It was metallic and felt really solid. I rammed it slightly with my shoulders but it didn't even budge. I fumbled around for the knob but there wasn't any; just a protruding panel. As I bumped into it, it lit. Pressure sensor it would seem.

 

It looked like some sort of keypad, and the familiar phrase read out from it; key in passcode.

 

Passcode? No way.

 

I ran a generic sequence, ‘0123’. The panel remained motionless for a moment before it read out another phrase. “Re-enter passcode.”

 

Guess my luck wasn't all that good. I sighed as I scratched my head. If what I am thinking is right this was going to be a puzzle. Goddamn Benji Coulthard. I would be damned if it wasn't.

 

Okay. Game on. Think as though I am in jury. Think like Benji.

 

I will be honest. I am not great at the game. I was good, but far from great. To be even more honest, I lucked out in a lot of the puzzles back when I played the video game version of Jury. Some of the puzzles I received in my particular play-through were frankly too easy and I probably could finish it faster if I didn't overthink. If I just didn’t applied what I thought I knew onto the problem.

 

And then…my eyes widened as it hit me.

 

I didn't get the code wrong. I returned my attention to the panel and entered ‘0123’ once again. The door clicked and obediently slid open!

 

The panel was asking me to set a passcode, not guess one!

 

I smirked victoriously, basking in the simplicity of my solution.

 

“Done feeling good about yourself?” A female voice called out, snapping me back from my grandeur. I didn't realize the lighted room I am now facing. “Here use this.” The girl added as she tossed me some clothes.

 

I flushed as it dawned upon me how ridiculous I must have looked standing upright, butt naked and smirking like a creep.

 

“Thanks.” I flustered as I retreated back into the room and put on the rags tossed to me. It fitted poorly.

 

“Are we the only ones?” I asked the girl as I took my first steps outside ‘my’ room.

 

“Doubt it.” She replied curtly as she pointed to the signage above my room. It was like an emergency exit signage, only instead of ‘EXIT’ it read ‘Leon Darhyrt’. Me.

 

I looked around. There were names above the 10 doors along the hallway. Two already opened; mine and the room belonging to one Irina Karpolski.

 

“Yup, that's me.” The girl jumped in, reading my mind.

 

“Nice to meet you. I uh-“ I muttered. This Irina did not concern me, I was looking at each name plate for one girl. Elle Stonewell. And there it was just opposite of mine but at the other direction from which I left; Elle’s room.

 

No, right now it's a cage. I ran to the door and knocked it hard.

 

“Elle! Elle! Don't overthink it!” I yelled as I thumped the metallic sliding door.

 

“Don't bother. It's completely sound proof. I have been trying it with Claire here.” Irina remarked coldly. “All we can do is wait. Kind of glad someone finally got out. Was beginning to think that no one would.”

 

“It cannot be completely soundproof.” I retorted.

 

“Well, did you hear anything while you were In the room?” Irina asked sharply. Hearing my silence she continued. “Yeah, well I knocked on it. Twice. I did it for everyone.”

 

My heart sank a little. I knew Elle well enough. She was a cryptographer. A logical square when it comes to puzzles. Right now, she will be scouring the room, looking for clues; Fruitlessly looking for them in the dark.

 

“Your Plus One?” Irina asked, her tone drastically warmer as compared to her usual icy demeanor.

 

“No. Winner.” I replied slowly without looking.

 

“Oh? I see. Must be why you ‘cracked’ the first challenge so easily.” Her cold tone returned effortlessly, now tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” I replied, glaring at her.

 

“No offense to us both, but we had to be pretty simple minded to get that door open this soon. Everyone else probably kicked their minds to overdrive.” She replied in a matter of fact tone.

 

“You a Winner?”

 

“Ninth Seed.”

 

The ninth placed player in the world. Definitely Russian from her features. Probably Ukrainian. Meh, who cares? Elle shouldn't have taken long. Heck, no one should. I mean what would have happened if you typed two different sequences? Surely, they would have guessed from the changing messages itself?

 

“Stop fidgeting. You're making me nervous. Why don't you go take your pick of clothes over there? I mean, I gave you the first one I saw. Doesn't seem to fit too well.” She giggled, her warm tone returns only to disappear as quickly as it appeared towards the end of her sentence. Her head arched towards the end of the hallway which had a short rack of clothing and apparels.

 

There was nothing much to choose from. Aside from the one he had, the rest were like Irina’s; an orange jumpsuit very much like what inmates would be seen wearing.

 

My mind drifted to the note dropped to us in the room. It mentioned choice of clothes. Was it another phycological tactic? Unpredictability. A core component in uncertainty; of which is the basis for fear in humans.

 

Irina eyed me as I chose a good fit and glanced away as I changed. Just then, a door slid open. And another. And another. And Elle’s.