by Matt Shaw
Stuart nodded along with Paul, “He is right.”
Kate grabbed a piece of meat and shoved it in her mouth before giving them a look as though to say ‘fuck you’. She chewed frantically and swallowed it down. “Well, I am stuffed,” she said. She got up and walked from the dining room table towards the lounge area. The group didn’t try and stop her. Most of them kept their heads down. Only Paul watched her cross the living space to the sofa, shaking his head as he did so.
Unseen by Kate, the wall-mounted camera turned to look at her. It focused in for a split second before the plasma television hanging on the wall flickered into life.
“Something’s on the television!” she called over to the others.
They got up and hurried over to see what was being shown.
“What is it?” Fiona asked, the only one of the housemates to carry her plate of food through to the sofa area.
On screen revealed an immaculate kitchen area. Nothing happening. Before anyone had a chance to question what was happening on screen, a man in white overalls stepped into the shot.
“I know him!” Fiona spoke up.
“Who is he?” Jordy asked.
“Hello, Housemates,” the man said with a thick accent.
“He’s this chef. Used to have his own show. Cooks all these weird and wonderful dishes. Well, I say wonderful… I wouldn’t want to eat them. The ingredients he uses are… Well… Pretty disgusting.”
“I hope you are enjoying your meal that I lovingly prepared for you at The Controller’s request… A big thank you to the housemates who participated in the task to earn everyone the luxury meal this evening! I had a great time making it for you and wish you all the best of luck for the days to come!”
Fiona continued, “Oh God! He made it?!”
“And remember - if you fancy seconds… There is plenty left!” He points to the side. The camera pans around and focuses on the corner of the room; red gore spread up the white walls, and the mangled corpse of Philip - with chunks cut out - resting on the work top.
The screen switched off as some of the group screamed whilst others vomited onto the floor.
“It’s a joke, right?” Jack was the only one to speak. He jumped up and climbed onto the sofa so that he could get his face as close to the camera as possible; his brain telling him that, if he made himself appear bigger, The Controller would take him more seriously and confess to the whole thing being nothing more than a sick joke. “Tell me it’s a fucking joke! I just ate that shit!” he yelled as he looked up to the camera filming them. He jumped down from the sofa and punched the wall. His fist didn’t even make a dent. “You’re fucking animals!” he screamed. “FUCK YOU!”
B E F O R E
C H R I S G L E N N
Chris was standing in a large group of about twenty or so people - all of whom were spaced out in a long line. He was supposed to be watching the young girl, in the black tee shirt and black jeans, standing in front of the line but his eyes were fixed on a much smaller group of individuals who were walking straight through the back doors.
He whispered to the person to his left, one of the only people he’d managed to bond with before getting pulled into the line, “Where do you think they’re going?”
The person to his left was a pretty girl called Andrea. If Chris had to guess, he would have put her age at around seventeen years old. By far, she was one of the younger ones in this particular group. “I wouldn’t worry about it,” she said, “They’re the ones who have been fast-tracked.”
“Fast-tracked?”
“Yep. Was talking to someone who had a golden ticket earlier. Gets them out of doing all this shit.”
“Well how’d they get fast-tracked?”
“I’m presuming it’s on the strength of the video applications they put in. I wish I could see what they had sent, though, because - honestly - I thought I had nailed it,” she said.
“I didn’t do a video application,” Chris said.
“And that would be why you’re standing here ready to make an idiot of yourself in the hope you manage to get the attention of someone who can put you through to round two.”
“What do you think we’ll have to do?” Chris asked. His nerves were starting to get the better of him now. The old familiar feeling of ‘trouble’ starting to bubble away in his stomach just as it always did when nerves set up home.
“Okay,” the girl in the black top was shouting so all could hear, “we want you to go around the hall - don’t be afraid to use the whole area - pretending you’re an animal!” she shouted.
“An animal?” Chris asked Andrea. He felt his face redden at the mere thought of it. He thought he’d come down, have a chat with someone and that would be it. He didn’t think he’d have to prance around a hall pretending to be some kind of animal. “What are you doing?” he asked her.
N O W
D A Y N I N E
“What are you doing?” Chris whispered from his bed.
He was trying to get Jack’s attention. He could see the outline of him in the darkness. He’d watched him leave his bed and dart to the other side of the room where he’d been doing something up against the wall. It was too dark for Chris to see properly since The Controller had once again turned all of the lights out in order to encourage the housemates to sleep.
“Jack, I know that’s you over there. What are you doing?” he asked again.
“Shut up, you fucking idiot!” Jack hissed back.
“What’s going on?” Fiona stirred from her sleep.
“Nothing!” Jack tried to shush her quiet again. The lights flickered on revealing exactly what he was doing to the housemates and - more worryingly - The Controller. He was toying with the fire escape door, trying to get it open.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Paul was the first to jump from his bed. He tried to pull Jack away from the wall but he slipped from his grip and continued trying to open the door.
“All Housemates are to return to their beds immediately!” The Controller’s voice boomed through the house’s intercom system.
“You realise you’re going to get us all killed, yeah?” Paul shouted.
“We stay here, we’re dead anyway!” Jack argued. “I’ll take my chances.”
“All Housemates are to return to their beds immediately!”
“FUCK YOU!” Jack screamed up at the camera.
“He’s right!” Chris jumped from his bed and started kicking the doorway.
“They will kill us all. Think about it!” Paul turned to the others to try and rally up some support in getting Jack and Chris to stop what they were doing but Georgia, Karen and Kate all looked keen for the pair of them to break through the doorway too. Only Jordy, Fiona and Stuart were in agreement with Paul.
“All Housemates are to return to their beds immediately.”
“Stop kicking!” Jack screamed. He had managed to get his fingers between door and frame. “Help me!” Chris pushed his fingers through the gap too and got a grip on the doorway. “Pull!” Jack yelled.
“All Housemates are to return to their beds immediately or else face severe consequences!”
“FUCK YOU!” Jack screamed again as he tugged on the door, matching the rhythm used by Chris. The wooden door started to splinter. Georgia leapt from her bed and gave help too. Something cracked from behind the door. “One more tug!” Jack yelled.
“Think about it! Think about what you’re doing!” Paul shouted.
“All Housemates are to return to their beds immediately or else face severe consequences!”
Jack, Georgia and Chris gave another hard tug and the door cracked open.
“What the hell?!”
Behind the door was nothing but a solid wall of bricks.
“What the hell is this?!” Jack shouted.
“All Housemates are to return to their beds immediately or else face severe consequences!”
“You’re a fucking idiot,” Paul said to Jack. “You really thought it was going t
o be that easy? Do yourself a favour - do us all a favour - and get back into your bed.”
“Back to bed? Are you mental? Why would I get back into bed?”
“Because they’re telling you to. You’ve pissed them off. They’re giving you a way out. I suggest you take it for all of our sakes.”
Georgia took a few steps back and slumped down on one of the beds, “Maybe he’s right. We’re not going out that way.”
“You think they’ll punish us?” Karen asked Paul.
“What are you asking him for? He doesn’t know anything. He just likes to think he does. He’s in as much of the dark as us.” Jack spat back as he walked over to his bed.
“All Housemates are to go to the garden immediately!”
“Well I don’t know about you guys but I, for one, won’t be ignoring them.” Paul walked over to the bedroom door. The red light changed to green as the door unlocked. He yanked on the handle and walked out followed by Jordy, Stuart and Fiona. Karen hesitated a second but soon gave chase to the others, along with Chris.
Kate, Georgia and Jack were left in the bedroom.
“What are you thinking?” Georgia asked - her eyes fixed on Jack.
He suddenly ran towards the garden, “The garden!”
Georgia and Kate followed. The bedroom door slammed shut behind them and immediately locked; signified by the red light. Neither girl cared as they followed Jack through to the garden. He stopped in the centre of it - away from the other housemates who were congregating at the seating area. The two girls stopped by Jack. He was staring at the walls surrounding the complex. Not only were they too tall to climb but - even if he were able to scale them - the top was covered with razor-sharp barbed wire. Jack didn’t need to say anything - his disappointment was clearly written on his face. He turned around and noticed Paul was watching him like a hawk.
“You got a problem?” Jack barked.
“Just leave him,” Georgia tried to pull Jack away, towards the other side of the garden.
Paul called out, “You realise we’re all likely to be punished for that stunt of yours?”
“At least we tried something! What did you do? Just stood there acting all high and mighty!” Chris shouted. He turned his back on him and stepped between him and Jack to stop it from escalating further. “I don’t want to panic you or anything but - he killed a man he thought was going to hurt the rest of the group. He didn’t really give it much thought, either. If he thinks you’re a danger to him, or the rest of the group… He wouldn’t need much of an excuse to eliminate you this coming Friday. You know what I’m saying?”
Jack didn’t say anything but knew exactly what Chris was saying; he’d put himself directly in the firing line.
“We don't really know anything in here - as you quite rightly pointed out. The last thing any of us should do is put our necks on the block, you know?”
Jack nodded and changed the subject, “What do you think they’ll do? About the door I mean.”
“Honestly, I have no idea. All I know is - I wouldn’t put anything past them.” Chris walked over to the side of the garden and slumped down with his back to the wall. By doing so he allowed Paul right back into Jack’s line of sight. Paul was staring at Jack.
B E F O R E
D A Y T W O
P A U L K E L L Y
Paul was sitting in The Control Room. A content look upon his face.
“Hello, Paul.” The Controller sounded informal.
“What can I do for you?” Paul asked.
The Controller had put an announcement through the house - asking Paul to come to The Control Room. Paul was in the dark as to the reason.
“The Controller just fancied a conversation to see how you were fitting into the house,” the voice echoed around the room.
Paul visibly breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m good.”
“And how are you getting on with the Housemates?”
“They seem nice. I think I’m probably closest to Jack. He seems cool. Friendly.”
“The Controller reminds you not to get too close to your fellow Housemates,” the voice said, “some tough choices are due to be made.”
Paul nodded. “You don’t need to tell me.”
“Do you think there are any housemates who will cause you any problems?”
Paul shook his head, “I’ve been in this game for a long time,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I can handle them.”
“Who do you think has it in them to go all the way?” the voice asked.
Paul hesitated for a moment, “I quite like Jack but I’m not sure if he has it in him to be able to go all the way. Maybe. Maybe Georgia. She has a fire in her. As has Kate. Fiery. In fact - you know what - at this stage I couldn’t possibly call it. There’s a few of them who may have it in them.”
“The Controller would like to thank you for your cooperation and hopes that he can count on you in the future,” the voice said.
“I’ve got your back, just say the word!” Paul gave the camera a knowing wink.
“Thank you, Paul. The door is unlocked.” The red light turned green backing up The Controller’s statement. Paul jumped up and left the room. The door shut behind him and the light switched back to red.
N O W
D A Y T E N
The housemates spent the whole night locked in the garden. By the time morning came, they were all freezing and tired. The main door, to the house, opened giving them the access they craved. Jordy was the first through the door - bursting for the toilet. The others went through to the bedroom and noticed that the fire escape door had been fixed and was - once again - shut.
“Why didn’t they just leave it open?” Georgia asked. “Not like we can leave that way - what with all the bricks.”
“I don’t know - could have used Paul’s thick head to knock through,” Jack whispered to her.
“What was that? Something to say?” Paul barked from next to his bed.
“Guys - can we just have one day where you’re not at each others’ throats? Please!” Fiona begged. “Look, I’ve been thinking, we just need to take one day at a time. Okay? That’s the best way forward and you know it. But we can’t do that all the time you’re going at each other.”
“That’s the first sensible thing I’ve heard since this whole thing turned sour!” Kate chipped in.
“Can all Housemates please gather at the sofas,” The Controller’s voice made them all jump.
“Shit, here we go.” Paul turned to Jack, “This is down to you.”
“We don’t know that,” Fiona said, desperate to try and keep the peace a little while longer than two minutes, “let’s just go and see what they want.”
They solemnly walked through to the sofa area and each took a seat.
“Can Jack please come up to The Control Room,” the Housemates voice boomed.
Jack’s face went pale. He didn’t know what they wanted but he knew it couldn’t have been good. Not after what he had done the previous night; not after the escape attempt.
“Well,” he said quietly, “wish me luck!”
Georgia got up from her seat and gave him a hug. She rubbed his back despite it being of little comfort. The others could barely look at Jack; couldn’t look a dead man in the eyes for fear of being haunted by what they saw in the depths of his soul for the rest of what little time they may or may not have had left. Jack took a breath and walked towards the stairs. He grabbed a hold of the bannister and forced himself to go up towards The Control Room door - which was already illuminated green - giving him the access The Controller demanded.
“What do you think they want with him?” Karen asked.
“They need to set an example,” said Kate, “he tried to break out. If they don’t do anything, what’s to stop him - or any of us - trying again? They need to punish him.” She believed what she was saying but she didn’t look comfortable about it.
“You don’t seem very sad,” said Karen.
Kate looked at her and kept
her voice low, so as to keep her conversation private, “I don’t want him dead but… If all but one needs to be eliminated for someone to get out of here… Well - it’s one less we need to worry about.”
“You think they’ll eliminate him?” Karen looked panicked.
Chris had overheard the conversation and butted in, “Can’t we just say it how it is? Do you think they will kill him just as they killed Richard?”
The room went silent.
“Wait a minute, where’s Jordy?” Paul asked.
Jack nervously stepped into The Control Room and took a seat in front of the camera. On a small table between Jack and the camera was a small saucer with two small blue pills on it. He sat there for a while in silence, unsure of how best to proceed - curious as to what the pills were for. As the silence continued, part of him wanted to apologise for the previous night but the other part of him wanted to stay strong and defiant. He broke a door - yes - but they were instrumental in the death of three people - so far. The way he saw it - they owed him an apology. And a way out.
“The Controller has noticed you like to play the Hero,” the voice echoed through the room once more. Jack nervously shifted in his seat. “How would you like to play the Hero now?” it asked.
“Go on,” Jack urged him.
“Thanks to your antics last night,” the voice continued, “today - we are to have a surprise Elimination.”
The housemates on the sofas downstairs were watching everything as it was being broadcast direct to the plasma screen.
“I fucking knew it,” Paul sighed.
“However,” The Controller’s voice continued, “this is not a definite elimination. You have a chance to save her.”
“Her?” Jack asked. “Who?”
“Jordy,” Stuart pointed out to the rest of the housemates, “it has to be Jordy. She’s the only one not here.”
“What have you done?” Jack hissed. “Who is up for elimination?”
“If you wish to save her, you are permitted to utilise the two blue pills in front of you,” The Controller continued. “Or you may feel you don’t need them. So - Jack - the question remains: Are you a Hero or are you one to stand by and let someone else perish? In five minutes, you will be called back to The Control Room where your answer will be expected.”
