The Lost

by Natasha Preston

  He stops walking and nods, his blue eyes dancing in amusement. “I’ll be sure to have you home every night by ten.”

  Every night?

  “You look lost for words,” he says, turning his body so we’re face-to-face.

  “That pretty much sums it up.”

  “Why do you think I can’t care about you?”

  “Because you don’t know me. Because I’m too young for you.”

  He tilts his head. “You can’t control a feeling, Piper. All around the world people try to hide who they really are and what they really want. I’ll never understand it. Sure, I’m not going to try anything with you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to.”

  So, he’s honest. It’s refreshing.

  “I agree with that. So many people around here hide how they really feel until all they can do is run away.”

  “Exactly.” He blows out a breath of relief, as if he’s glad he’s finally found someone who agrees with him. “If people were a little more honest with themselves…”

  “You don’t seem to struggle there.”

  “I used to. Then I gave into it and…wow.”

  I bite my lip to stop from asking what he gave into and started doing, but that feels a little intrusive. Also, if it’s gross, I’m going to regret asking. Some things are better left unsaid.

  “Shall we follow the others?” he asks, tugging my hand so I step closer to him.

  Dipping my chin, I reply, “Let’s do it.”

  We walk through the door, and my mouth falls open. It’s huge. It’s one large room with sofas, a massive TV, arcade games, a pool table, and bar.

  “This is amazing. No wonder you don’t hang out at the lake.”

  “I don’t really like large groups of people.”

  Smirking at him, I add, “Or outsiders.”

  “Very funny. Okay, phones on the side table,” he instructs, taking his phone out of his pocket and setting it down, indicating for us to do the same.

  “Why?” Hazel asks.

  Owen puts his on the table, too. “Everyone is glued to social media. In here, we talk to each other. It’s more fun that way. House rules.”

  She shrugs and puts her phone beside theirs. I hesitate; my phone doesn’t often leave my hand or my pocket.

  “This isn’t school, Piper,” Caleb chuckles. “It hasn’t been confiscated. You don’t have to turn it off and leave it here until the end of class. If you get a call, you can come and pick it up.”

  Hazel widens her eyes at me, as if to say, Don’t embarrass me again. “Come on, Pipes, then we can challenge the guys to a game of pool.”

  Neither of us can play pool. But I’m being silly. “Okay.” I slide my phone from my pocket and place it on the table.

  Caleb smiles. “Now, do you want to see the rest before we kick their asses at pool?”

  “The rest?” I ask.

  “You didn’t notice the building is significantly bigger than this room?”

  “Well, I did, but I figured you’d just renovated this part.” Against the back wall are two doors with keypad security locks. “What do you have back there?”

  “Which door do you want to go through?”

  “Where does the one on the right lead?”

  “To more rooms.”

  “Where does the one on the left lead?”

  Squeezing my hand, he replies, “If I told you that, I would have to kill you.”

  I roll my eyes. “Really?”

  “You have to choose one. Kind of like The Matrix. Do you want the red door or the blue door, Piper?”

  “They’re both white.”

  He laughs and takes a dangerous step closer. We’re almost chest to chest, definitely not a position we should be in considering we can only be friends. Besides, I don’t know him well enough to have him invading my personal space.

  His smile dies as he looks into my eyes. Is he going to kiss me? I can’t have my first proper kiss with a virtual stranger.

  He takes a deep breath. “I shouldn’t do this.”

  Hazel shouts, “Come on, Pipes!”

  I take a step back, and he lets my hand drop. Caleb shakes his head slowly. “Which door, Piper?”

  “Well, I have no interest in being dead, so I’m going for the door on the right.”

  With a breathtaking smile, he nods. “Good. Come on.” His posture changes; he’s taller, more animated.

  “You really are proud of this place, aren’t you?” I tease.

  He looks at me over his shoulder. “You have no idea. Owen, you two in?”

  Owen looks up from where he and Hazel are playing pinball. “Sure.” I follow Caleb, intrigued by what else they’ve done here. He punches in a code and opens the door.

  Caleb lets Owen and Hazel go in first and then turns back to me. “Okay?”

  I nod, and he holds out his hand again. We probably shouldn’t, but I take it anyway and let him lead me into…a really long hallway. Huh?

  Gazing up at him, I arch my eyebrow. “What is this?”

  On each side of the hall are more doors, at least three on each side and another one at the far end. It’s dimly lit, the metal light shades casting circular shadows on the floor.

  He laughs and lets go of my hand. “The building used to be offices when my dad ran his business from here. There’s that big room we came in and another one up ahead, then lots of smaller rooms.”

  I turn back to the hallway as Hazel take a few steps down it. “Have you done anything with those rooms yet?” I ask.

  He presses his chest against my back. I freeze as his breath blows against my neck. “Why don’t you find out?”

  Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to be happening.

  “I think I’m ready to go back to the other room now,” I say as his body moves away from mine. “Hazel, come back.”

  I take a step closer to my friend, who is padding toward the first door on the left.

  Behind me, I feel the atmosphere change. It chills me, causing my skin to pebble. Hazel looks past me and her face pales.

  My back is still to the door, but I hear a loud clang and know the boys have gone.

  “This isn’t funny!” Hazel shouts as she spins around.

  Seeing her panic, I turn and sprint the few steps to the door. There’s a handle on this side, but the door’s lock is attached to the keypad, and I didn’t look when he punched in the code.

  “Caleb!” I shout. “Let us out!”

  Hazel slams into the door and hammers on it with tightly clenched fists. “Open the door now!”

  “Caleb!” I shout louder. “You’ve had your fun, now open up.”

  Pressing my ear to the door, I wait. They must be right out there, so why do I feel like I’m shouting to an empty room?

  I stumble back a step and grab Hazel’s wrist. “What’s going on?” I mutter.

  “What’s going on is that they’re dead as soon as I get out of this corridor.”

  Oh God, this is not good.

  “Caleb, please!” I shout.

  Hazel and I jump as bright overhead lights blink on.

  Caleb’s voice rips through a speaker: “Piper, Hazel, welcome to the game.”

  5

  Welcome to the game.

  “Caleb!” I scream, panic searing through my veins.

  “Go through the door at the end of the hall,” he instructs, his voice cold and tinny through the speakers at the very top of the wall.

  I shake my head vehemently. “Not happening. Open this door now!”

  “Orientation is in the room at the end of the hall,” he says. His voice sounds like a recording. But if it is, where is he?

  “Caleb, you’ve had your fun, now let us out!”

  “How do they find this fun?” Hazel snaps.


  My head is dizzy. I slam my hands into the wall to steady myself. I don’t like this; I need to leave.

  “Orientation is in the room at the end of the hall.”

  “Shut up!” I scream. “Just shut up and open the door!”

  Hazel slaps her hand over her mouth and sobs. “What’s going on, Piper?”

  “They’ll let us out in a minute,” I reply. My voice sounds monotone even to my own ears. They have to let us out. They can’t hold us indefinitely. How long could they keep us? What would they want to keep us here for?

  The speaker crackles with static. “Orientation is in the room at the end of the hall.”

  My heart races, pounding in my chest as if it’s trying to escape.

  “Hazel, maybe we just have to play their stupid game.”

  “What? I’m not going through there.”

  “Well, they’re not coming in here, and that might be a way out,” I say, pointing toward the door at the end of the hall.

  She shakes her head. “I want to go home right now.”

  I grip her hand, my fingertips tingling. “So, let’s do that. I don’t care if we have to walk home when we get out of here.”

  “Orientation is in the room at the end of the hall.”

  If I hear that one more time…

  “Let’s get this over with,” she says through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing at the speaker on the wall.

  If I could reach it, I would rip it down.

  “Okay,” I reply, very unsure if this is the right thing to do.

  I don’t know why they are doing this or what they’re getting out of it. But if they think they can laugh it off when we get out of here, they’re mistaken.

  Hazel and I hold hands as we slowly shuffle toward the door. Her breathing is heavy…or mine is. At this point I don’t know. I’m just glad I’m still breathing. The tie of her friendship bracelet brushes against my skin.

  Neither of us speak as we approach the door.

  There is no lock on this door.

  Hazel shakes her head. “I can’t open it.”

  Her eyes are wet with unshed tears.

  “It’s okay, Haze. I will,” I whisper.

  Reaching out, my hand shakes so hard I almost miss as I grip the handle and push down.

  “I changed my mind,” Hazel says, gripping hold of my wrist to stop me from opening it.

  “What other option do we have?”

  “Orientation is in the room at the end of the hall.”

  We both jump as the recording of Caleb’s voice plays again.

  “I’m scared, Piper.”

  “I am, too, but we’re in this together, and when we get home, we’re never going out again.”

  Nodding, she presses her lips together like she’s trying to prevent herself from falling apart.

  “Okay, I’ll go first, and we’ll be out of here soon.”

  Her grip on my wrist loosens, and I push open the door. We take a step back, afraid that one of them might jump out at us.

  They don’t.

  The room is dark, the lighting from the corridor offering a glimpse of what’s inside. The only thing we can see is the herringbone wood floor.

  “Caleb?” I tentatively call out. How could I be so wrong about him?

  “Orientation is in the room at the end of the hall.”

  “Oh my God, okay, we’re going in!” I shout. Fire ignites in my stomach. We need to get out of here right now.

  I walk ahead, my desire to get this over with outweighing my fear. Hazel, still holding my hand in a death grip, stumbles inside behind me.

  “Close the door, Piper,” Caleb says through the speaker. This time his voice is soft and human.

  Turning on my heel, I grab the edge of the door and slam it shut.

  Almost instantly, the door makes a clang.

  My body overheats. It’s locked, and we’re cloaked in darkness.

  I take a step closer to Hazel, pressing my side against hers. She’s trembling, her body causing mine to shake. The loss of my sight makes my other senses run wild. I can smell paint so strong it almost chokes me; I can taste it. Hazel’s heavy breathing rattles in my ears.

  “Where are they?” she whispers.

  “Shh.”

  Even though I can’t see, I close my eyes and listen. The space around us is dead, like there has never been any sign of life in here, like we’re the only ones.

  Before I can take a full breath, light floods the room. My eyes blink open, and I whip my head around. Hazel whimpers as I spin us so our backs are to the wall. We can see more from this angle, and no one can sneak up behind us.

  My gaze tries to take in everything at once. A relatively small room with two armchairs and a TV screen. In the corner is a water cooler. There is another door opposite the one we came in.

  Caleb’s voice rings through the room: “Piper, turn the TV on and press play on the remote.”

  “Don’t,” Hazel warns.

  “They’re not here; we have to.”

  “Get comfortable, Hazel. You’re going to want to be sitting for this next part,” Caleb says. Laughter feeds through the speakers.

  My breath catches. “Did you hear that?”

  “Them laughing at us? Yeah, I heard.”

  I nod because I know they can hear us. But I definitely heard three voices laughing. Who is the third person?

  “Just do what they say, Hazel.”

  She sits, and I turn on the TV and press play. Retreating back, I forgo the spare seat meant for me and huddle next to my friend.

  The screen flashes to life. Caleb, Owen, and another guy I’ve never seen before are grinning at the camera. They’re sitting behind a long table with their hands placed palms down on the wood.

  “Welcome, player…or players,” Caleb says. His eyes darken the way they did after he locked the car doors. He almost looks like a different person.

  “What the hell?” Hazel whispers.

  “We know you must be wondering what you’re doing here,” Owen says and chuckles. He sits forward, his fingers spread wide like he’s excited. “You’re here to play.”

  The third guy runs his hands over his face and says, “We don’t want to give too much away, the games will become crystal clear in due course, but I just want to take the opportunity to wish you luck.”

  Owen’s head tilts. “Luck? How odd.”

  Caleb nudges him with his elbow. “Through the door in the far corner, you will find another room. Grab one bag each from the hooks, choose the bag marked with your clothing size. Then go through the next door. You’ll know the one.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I mutter.

  Caleb sits back in his chair. On either side of him, Owen and the guy with no name stare into the camera and smile.

  The video ends and cuts to black.

  Hazel and I look at each other. “What do we do?” she asks.

  Shaking my head, I shrug. I don’t know what to do or where to go. I have no idea how to get us out of this or even what Caleb really wants. The idea is to scare us, right? Well, he’s already done that. How much further will he take it?

  And what’s on the other side of this door?

  Hazel sobs. “We can’t stay in here. You said this is a test, right?”

  “Yeah, I think that.”

  “Do you think they’re going to let us go back the way we’ve been if we refuse?”

  “Why are you asking me? Do you think I’m the one with all the answers?” I snap, surging to my feet.

  Hazel flinches and drops her chin.

  “Damn it. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to shout at you, but I don’t know what to do, either.”

  “Please proceed through the door on the far wall,” Caleb’s robotic voice booms through the speakers.
>
  I take a breath, close my eyes, and open them again, more composed than before. Clenching my trembling hands, I look at Hazel. Her eyes are wide, confused and fearful. Out of the two of us, I’m probably the stronger one, the one who will jump right in and take action, but just barely. Here, though, she’s leaving it all up to me.

  This is my fault. If I hadn’t started talking to Caleb, we would be at my house right now.

  Oh God, what are my parents going to do when they find out I’m missing? And Hazel’s parents?

  “Please proceed through the door on the far wall.”

  The speaker is above the door we’re supposed to walk through. I glare at it, knowing Caleb and his friends are watching. They’re probably loving this. Our fear is what they want.

  If I had any control, I wouldn’t show them fear.

  “We have to go,” Hazel says, standing. She holds onto the arm of the chair to steady herself. “Like you said, let’s get this over with so we can go home.”

  “Right,” I reply. I nod, but underneath I’m petrified.

  Hazel walks ahead and wraps her hand around the handle. Her knuckles turn white the harder she grips. With a deep breath that whistles past her teeth, she shoves the door open.

  This next room is small, more of a hallway. It’s painted mint green and brightly lit. Along one side is a row of hooks holding cloth bags with S, M, L, and XL embroidered on the front.

  At the opposite end of the room from us is the door.

  Instead of white like all of the others, it’s red. But there is a white lily lying on the floor.

  6

  A white lily. The flower that symbolizes death. My grandmother is super traditional and only wanted white lilies at my grandpa’s funeral.

  They are just trying to freak me out.

  I gasp, my heart beating so wildly I have to press my chest to relieve some of the pressure. Is this another test? Part of the game they’re playing? How is this even a game?

  “Grab a damn bag, Hazel. Let’s go.”

  I reach out and swipe a bag marked S off the peg.

  “Piper, no.”

  “Take a bag and come on! I want to get this over with.”

  Without any thought, because I’d probably only get a headache if I think too much about what is going on, I stomp to the red door.