Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

Chapter 1: The Players

October 19, 2018
3:42 PM
Greenwood University radiates colors and excitement. The first four days of the Annual Sportsfest were a blast. Today is the fifth, and at the moment, many students are rushing to occupy the few available seats and aisles around the huge basketball court to witness the Championship Match. Juniors vs. Seniors.  
Several blocks from the campus, a men’s dormitory is ghost silent. Apparently, everybody loves basketball, leaving the place deserted and empty. Except that two persons are still inside one of the rooms….  
YOU WANT SUPERPOWERS? 
Watch this video twice. 
But say goodbye to your Mama.

“Vince, look at this,” Joshua says as he stares at his laptop screen while sitting in front of his study table. 
“What’s that?” Vincent asks as he ties his white rubber shoes. He then walks closer behind Joshua. “Seriously? You’re wasting your time on that? Dude, stop it. It’s almost four. You don’t wanna miss my game and my three point shots. And tell me I look hot in this… red jersey. Oh, the girls will surely go crazy again."
"I'm more handsome than you are."
"Really? Accept it. You're skinny. No muscles." Vincent squeezes one of Joshua's biceps. "Effect of eating books. And Calculus."
"So?"
"I'm better. Hey! You're actually watching it?"
“I-I’m just, you know… curious.”
“Really? Superpowers? YouTube is full of nonsense. Last night I typed NBA and ended up watching bloody clowns pulling some stupid pranks.”
“Same story. I typed OPTICAL ILLUSION and now I’m here.”
“Dude, we don’t have time for this. Gotta go.” Vincent taps Joshua’s shoulder. “Make sure to catch up.” 
“Wait. Take a look. It’s just a minute. Maybe there’s really something in this.”
“I can’t believe we’re doing this. Okay. A beggar walking on the street. Caught by a CCTV camera—”
“It’s not a beggar. Just an old man. Maybe he’ll get hit by a car or something.” 
“I don’t care. Let me finish that later. I really have to—”
“Whoa! Did you see that? He vanished!”
“You think it’s real? Are you born yesterday? Video editing, dude!”
“Of course. It’s edited. But… it really looked real, don’t you think? One more. I-I know. I knoooow. I know what you’re thinking. Just let me prove it’s fake. It’s not like I believe this kind of stuff, you know.”
“Then say goodbye to your Mama.”
“Psssh! Very scary…. Hey. That place. It looks familiar.”
“Eh?”
“I think I’ve been there before…. There you go. Nice vanishing! A ghost? That was cool.”
“That was pathetic. And now I’m not sure whether you’re the genius they say you are.”
“Ouch.”
“Satisfied? I’m going. I’m sure Coach will yell at me again like a girl.”
Suddenly, words appear on the screen:
CONGRATULATIONS!!! 
YOU TWO ARE CHOSEN TO PLAY THE GAME OF EXITS!
“Now this is weird,” Joshua says, looking at Vincent.
“Enough! Okay?! In case you forgot, we’re already in college! We’re both 21 for God’s sake!” Vincent says. 
“Okay, okay! There’s no need to overreact. Here. I’ll shut it down. I’m sorry. I was just bored. Anyway, why are the lights off? Power interruption?”
“Maybe. Wait…. Is it evening already?” Vincent walks toward the glass window near Joshua’s table. 
“Why?”
“It’s dark outside.”
“No way. Eclipse?” Joshua looks through the window. 
“This is too much for an eclipse. Open your laptop. Or call someone. We need to know what’s happening.”
“You’re scaring me.” Joshua sits back and opens his laptop. Then, a message appears on the screen:
YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID GOODBYE TO YOUR MAMA

“Vince? I-I don’t feel good. Vince? W-Where are you?” Joshua asks. He twists his face, presses his stomach, lets out a groan, twists his face even more, leans against the edge of the table and collapses onto the floor.
_________________
“Hey, Josh. Dude, wake up. Hey.”
Joshua opens his eyes as he lies on a cold marble floor. “W-what’s happening? Where are my glasses?”
“Here. There’s a tiny crack on it, but it’s still fine, I guess. Get up. I think we’re in trouble,” Vincent replies.
Slowly, Joshua stands up, a hand on his forehead. “What do you mean?”
“Can’t you see? We’re not in our room! And I’m sure I didn’t sleepwalk.”
“Who are they?” Joshua scans the room littered with strangers, men and women moving restlessly like birds in a new cage. 
“Okay, listen. I don’t know. I woke up a while ago and watched them try breaking that blue door right there. The way I see this, we were kidnapped.” 
“No way. No.”
“Since you’re the one with the brains, what should we do?”
“I-I-I don’t know. Wait. Are you sure this is happening? Maybe this is a prank or something.”
“Look at them. Look at this place. We’re locked in this empty room. And thank God there are no wolves or giant spiders in here. But we need help, okay?”
“We watched the video, right? Maybe it has something to do—”
“For God’s sake! Seriously? That video again? Oh, please, man.”
“What about that red door over there?”
“And that’s why I said something about wolves. Let’s get closer.”
Joshua and Vincent walk toward the small red steel door. It is located exactly opposite the wide blue wooden door that a number of persons are trying to bust open. The walls and the floor of the square room are all made of marble. Above, two fluorescent bulbs illuminate the whole place. 
DO NOT OPEN: WOLVES INSIDE

“So everybody fears this door?” Joshua asks as he touches the cold door.
“Not really. They said they’d already kicked it many times.”
“What if it’s true?”
“The wolves? I don’t think so. Maybe this is the real way out.”
“Hmm.... W-why do I have this black watch, by the way? You have one too. A tracker?”
“Could be. It doesn’t show any number, so maybe this is not a watch. I can’t remove it. Very tight.”
“Be careful. Who knows if it’s a bomb?”
“Nice job scaring me, dude.”
“Then stop touching it. By the way, have you talked to them?”
“Yes, but not much. They’re scared, of course. Some can only cry in the corner. Same story. They passed out and woke up here.”
“All of them? Hmm. I need to ask them some questions. This is totally weird.”
“Nothing can be weirder. Okay, you ask them.”
Vincent and Joshua walk toward the crowd. Joshua counts them. Thirteen. Five females, eight males. Most look young, just like them. Two are still taking their chances to break the blue door. 
“Excuse me. Have you all watched the video about—” Joshua asks.
“Dude! What the—” Vincent cuts in, his eyes bulging in disbelief. 
“What video? The disappearing man?” a lady in school uniform answers. This gets the attention of many.
“Y-yes! The disappearing man. You watched it?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“We watched it too. And we’re here. Maybe it has something to do with this.”
“Are you sure this is the time for that?” Vincent whispers.
“I don’t know but—”
“WELCOME, PLAYERS OF THE 24TH GAME OF EXITS! MY NAME IS VICTOR GARCIA. THE VICTORIOUS GAME MASTER OF THIS WORLD!” A voice from a man filled the room. “Don’t try to find me. You can’t see me, but I can see you clearly. I can even see that the one in red jersey has three moles on his neck. Smooth, white neck. Must be a rich spoiled kid. I can’t be wrong about it. I have eyes, everywhere, you know. By the way, thank you for waiting. The game will commence soon enough.”
Everyone looks at the ceiling, believing that there are hidden video cameras there. “Hey, what do you mean ‘Game’?” a short, lean man in white shirt asks. “Where are we?”
“Haven’t you played a game before, young man? Since you are the first fifteen who took the invitation, you are the lucky ones. As promised, you will all have superpowers. Yey! Aren’t you excited?”
“Let us out of here! Please!” a pretty lady in red shirt and shorts pleads. "My Mom is surely worried about me."
“You don’t understand. Even if I let you out of that door, nothing will change. You’re far away from home now. Or should I say, you’re not even on earth anymore. But of course, you won’t believe me on that. Anyway, there’s a way for you to go back. Just win the game." The mystery man clears his throat.  "And here’s the catch: There should be exactly three winners! Not one. Not two. But three. No more, no less. The rest will… hmm…. How should I say this lightly? The rest of you will simply… cease to exist.”
“What do you mean cease to exist?” Joshua asks.
“For a college boy like you, you defy common sense.”
“No. YOU are the one who’s NOT making any sense here. You cannot kidnap us and force us into these crazy things you’re up to.”
“Kidnap? NO! Nobody forced you to watch the video, right? You were the one who dragged your friend into this, in case you forgot.”
“What?! WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THAT VIDEO ANYWAY, HUH? Let us out!”
“Let me clear things up, okay? I didn’t want to drag you into this. I’m just the game master, not the MASTER OF THIS WORLD. My job is to give instructions and guide the players. Believe it or not, I’m also a prisoner here. More than anything else, I want freedom. FREEDOM! And for me to have it, three of you need to win. I have witnessed 23 games already, and not a single batch made it. Oh, the 23rd game was really disappointing. I hope this batch is different. Maybe this batch is the answer. Just maybe.”
“I’m sorry but I don’t understand,” a lady says. The crowd then throws fiery words and curses. 
“Since you don’t understand, let me explain. Here I am again. Explaining. Endless explaining. Blah blah blah…. Simply put, in order to win the game, three persons must be able to find and enter my castle. My castle has three doors for exactly three persons. Fifteen players. Three doors. Do the math.... But don’t worry. To make things less scary, all of you will acquire superpowers. One special ability per person. Sounds like X-men, right? But here is why I’m excited: I don’t know what abilities will be given in every game. I hope this 24th game will be more entertaining.”
Suddenly, paper scrolls fall from the ceiling. Shocked, everyone moved away, as if the scrolls were large viruses. 
“Pick one and read what’s inside. You may tell others about the details in your scroll, but I advise you to just shut up your mouth,” the mystery man instructs. 
Everyone is too puzzled to move. Nobody knows what to say.
“Failure to pick one means catching a bullet.” Upon hearing this, each person grabs a scroll. 
Though still covered with disbelief like everybody else, Joshua reads his scroll:
YOU CAN INCREASE THE LENGTH OF ANY THING YOU TOUCH EXCEPT FIRE, WATER, AND LAND.  

“Can we please stop this? This is quite ridiculous!” Joshua says. 
“Huh? What have you got there? You may want to practice your newfound ability, if you want,” the man says.
“It says I can make things longer. How on earth can I believe this nonsense? Even if I want to make this thing longer it will not—” Joshua falls off his feet. His scroll suddenly becomes longer. Everyone's jaw dropped open. 
“Whoa! Dude!” Vincent says. His eyes bulge like squeezed water balloons.
“Incredible. What on earth is happening?” Joshua asks.
“So much for that intermission number,” the mystery man butts in. “Let me continue. We’re not done yet. It’s time to talk about those black watches. I’ve just activated them. Take a look.”
     All watches light up. Joshua looks at his watch:
5:40
RT: 168H 0M
Rank: 15
Dead: 0

“Let me explain that little technology you have there. The time is 5:40 in the morning, and I hope you had a good night sleep. A “day” starts at 6:00 am and ends after 24 hours. “RT” means “Remaining Time”. As you can see, you all have 168 hours to finish the game. That’s exactly one week. If the remaining time becomes zero and you’re still outside my castle, you’re up for a surprise,” the man continues.
“What do you mean?” Joshua asks.
“SURPRISE! You have lots of questions, so let me finish. If you are rank 1, it means that you’re technically nearest to my castle. Number 15 means you’re the farthest. At this moment, Ryan is rank 1 and Joshua is 15. You know what that means. In case you don’t have the brains to notice, the watches can be used as a collective compass to find my castle. You figure that out. And… since everyone is alive, you can read “Dead: 0”. If you fail, I’ll immediately deactivate your watch. GAME OVER. And don’t forget: If only two of you survive, it won’t mean anything. I need three.... Only three.”
“W-w-wait. Most of us will die in here? You’re kidding, right?” someone asks.
“Not ‘most’. Maybe ‘all’ of you won’t make it. Do I sound like an actor to joke around? Simply put, you’re trapped. That’s it. If you want to go back, study the rules. Some are already explained. But there’s more.  So listen very carefully and don't interrupt me, please. 
Rule 1: If you kill someone, directly or indirectly, 12 hours will be deducted from your remaining time. That’s a lot of time, take note. So be friendly and nice.
Rule 2: After every 24 hours the player who ranks last will freeze. Freeze be with you! Haha! You figure out what I mean by that. Time is gold, you know.
Rule 3: If three persons entered my castle, other remaining players will be up for a surprise. You know, this game is full of surprises. Tadaaa! Are you surprised?
Rule 4: A player can use his special ability anytime, anywhere. BUT he’s not allowed to destroy his watch if it’s possible.  
Rule 5: The official game will start at exactly 6:00am. And… as you can see, it’s almost time. 
Rule 6: All of you can produce unlimited number of apples for food. But one at a time. You can produce another after you eat one. Just use your left hand. And be thankful, because an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Rule 7: The survivors will enjoy their special abilities when they come back to their homes. Very nice, right? Very cool, indeed. 
Any questions before I take my breakfast?”
“Where are we?” Joshua asks. 
“In other dimension. Yes, it sounds like science fiction. Any more questions?”
“Why are we doing this? Just get us home. This is madness! The rules… this place…. Everything is madness!” someone shouts.
“That’s an accurate observation. Any more questions?”
“Listen, man. We don’t care about superpowers. Just free us so we can go home,” Vincent says.
“Free you out? In fact you’ll be out as soon as you think that you can actually escape, now that you have your abilities. The moment you opened your scrolls, I knew the details. Some of you can actually destroy that door now. I think I said enough. And… oh, before I forget, may I remind you that the red door will open at exactly 6:00am. Okay, bye.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Vincent says. 
“I’ll open it,” says someone. He looks like a man in late-twenties. He’s muscular and tall, and he’s wearing black T-shirt and black pants. “Move aside. Let’s see if what he said is true.... By the way.... I’m Aeron.”
Everybody moves away from the door. Aeron stretches his right arm, palm facing the door. Suddenly, a scarlet fireball emerges from his hand and hits the door with a loud explosion. The door flies open as it burns. 
“Wooow. Cooool!” Vincent says. “Awesome!”
Several persons step out of the room as soon as the smoke clears up. Suddenly, the red steel door opens. Everyone inside looks at the other end of the room, breathless for several seconds. Then, four black wolves rush through. 
“Ruuuuuuuuun!” Vincent shouts. Without second thought, everyone inside runs through the door. Those outside immediately get the message and run for their lives. 
________
Hi! Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think about this chapter. Any comment will be appreciated.