The game

The game. The thing that would single handedly tear my life to smithereens, it was on September 10th, that I found out what this so called, “game” was and how I was the new chosen player of this game.

I woke up on September 10th thinking it would be just another day. I had almost forgot about the texts with K the night before and truth be told I wish I hadn't woken up, for the day to come would be the start of a downward spiral into darkness being consumed by an ever growing game of pain and sorrow.

The day started out just as any other day would, rolling out of bed and procrastinating on the phone, finally getting up after many minutes of a sleepy daze. But, that day something was about to change. While I was in the sleepy morning daze I got a voice message from K and suddenly all of the night before flashed back into my hazed mind and woke me with a start.

The message said, “Good morning player are you ready for the game? Today will be a very fun day you will see”

I panicked, since all I had ever been in my life was an introverted otaku (anime nerd) and someone other than the people who were also introverted otakus had never given me the time of day, none the less stalked me. So I texted back in a terror ridden haze of emotion, “WHO IS THIS AND WHY ME, WHY CHOSE ME FOR YOUR GAME,” I would find that this would come to be one of the many stupid mistakes that I would chose to make during this game of death and mystery.

“Oh dear, you have been chosen for this wondrous game only because you are the best candidate we could possibly find, and I know what you are doing because I am K and will always know what you do when you do it my dear”

At this point I was totally shocked and filled with screeching terror and confusion. I was unfathomably scared and was frozen in fear, unable to move nonetheless text back or call for help when I received one last voice message from K.

“Oh and dear I would recommend getting up now, getting ready, going to school, and keeping your mouth shut until I inform you about the game…..Or you may have to forfeit from the game, and you don’t want that”

That shook me out of my haze of fear and I instantly jumped up and got dressed and left for school, forgetting about breakfast.

When I got to school Flynn was there waiting, and I completely forgot about the fear I had felt that morning and hugged him as we went to our first period class, math.

It was the first class of the day of which I would come to dread. For this is the chosen class of K.

As I walked to math with Flynn I noticed something different in his glowing brown eyes. He looked distraught almost as if he were in another world just waiting for something. He seemed so on edge, jumpy, moving at the slightest sound.

I was worried so eventually, I asked, “Hey babe, you are acting weird what's up?”

He barely even noticed I had said anything and distantly replied, “Oh, nothing really.” He reached back and lightly patted my head, and walked into class constantly looking ahead as if something were calling to him. I decided to just forget about it and sat down. I felt a slight buzz in my left back pocket, it was my phone.

I got a message that said, “Answer 350x600= and that will be the answer to problem one on the board -K”

I looked up slowly to look at problem one on the board, The answer was 210,000. I instantly fumbled for my phone. I looked at the message sender, It was K. I texted back, “how did you know what the answer to problem one was gonna be?”

“Oh dear don’t you remember when I said I am K. Therefore I know what you are doing always and forever”

I remembered that when I asked how it knew when I got up that morning he said that same thing. But how could he possibly know. Maybe he was in this very class, but that couldn't be no one in this class had picked up their phone. Except Flynn. I broke out in laughter, I had known it was just some prank.

But, as I would soon find out it was no prank and Flynn was not a prankster in the least.

I thought to myself how stupid I was to think anything of Flynn being a weirdo. But the instant I started thinking that it was just a prank I felt my phone go off again.

It was from K, “Oh I can assure you my dear I am no prank, look to the corner of the room. Do you see the girl with the phone and a black hoodie, good she is going to die at 10:01 on the dot just watch.”

I knew that girl her name was Dellik Teconi, she was depressed ever since her mom died of a freak accident. I looked at the clock on the wall over the white board. It read 9:59 and the instant it hit 10:00 Dellik's eyes opened wide and she started seizing. I couldn't believe my eyes, he had predicted her death and it was all my fault.

I finally jerked out of my trance of fear and shock and ran to help her. But there was nothing I could do by the time I had gotten there she was already dead cold. I had been seconds away from her when she died and I never got to tell her goodbye.

I looked to the clock again it was 10:01 just as predicted. I was more shocked and scared than I ever thought possible. I couldn't stop the shocked tears from rolling down my frozen face as the paramedics rolled her away in a body bag.

I looked to Flynn and he had the same shocked expression on his face, as if he knew what I knew. He didn’t know Dellik like I did I was one of her closest friends and it was my fault she died, but I could see that same shadow of guilt in his eyes. So I went over to him, tears in my eyes, and hugged him not able to keep the sobs from pouring out of me.

Flynn’s face stayed so shocked, yet not a tear ran down his face. He just sat there stone faced, not looking sad.

He was worrying me so I asked him, “ Flynn what’s wrong with you? You have been so distraught all day, and now Dellik just died in front of us and you haven't shed one tear, are you alright?”

He looked down at me and a single tear streamed down his face like a stream through the mountains, and he replied, “ I am nowhere close to ok, I am scared for my life but I can’t tell you. I knew she was going to die yet I did nothing.” and finally let his feelings show through his mask of fear.

I cried once again and said, “I feel the same way I knew she was going to die and it's my fault, I am more scared now than ever and I don’t know what to do” He held me and we cried until the teachers forced us to go to our next class.

When I got home from school I got a message from K that would change everything and it said, “ Welcome to the game player You passed the admission test, now I shall inform you of the game and it’s rules”

I was too hurt from the earlier events that I just let him text me the rest of the messages.

“ Well first of all let me tell you what this game is and how it is played. The god of death is resigning from his throne and needs a successor. Now before you jump the gun let me tell you how this game is played. There are 13 players who made it through the test, the other 7 had to ….. forfeit the game. You are player number 1 you have already found one player but you must find all the other players and well…..disqualify them. But keep in mind you are being hunted also and you must stay alive, good luck player”

I looked at those texts several times over. I wanted to think that it was all just a prank but after what happened that day I couldn’t just blow it off. Suddenly I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I fainted and when I came to, I was surrounded by 13 floating platforms. They were grey and about 6 feet wide and 6 feet long On them were transparent shadows that looked almost human, except for one I knew who it was and it was Flynn who wasn't a shadow. Flynn was on the 13th platform. I reached for my phone and K had sent me one last message, “Look around these are the other 12 players. look which one you have already found.”

I almost cried. Flynn was a player of this death game.I looked to him and he screamed when he realized who I was. He fell to his knees and disappeared and everything faded away until all was black, once again.