by KC Kean
He raises his arm to the open door before leading the way. Everyone starts to filter out behind him while we keep to the back. Wrapping my fingers around Luna’s, I expected a little more information before we left, but true to Featherstone standards, they keep all the details under lock and key.
Luna must be able to sense something, as her other hand comes up to squeeze my shoulder.
“Baby, we’ve got this. We just need to stay focused, okay?”
I nod my head in agreement, unwilling to meet her eyes when I feel like this. I don’t want her to see weakness in my eyes, at the fear of something happening to one, if not, all of us.
Bringing her hand to my lips, I brush a kiss against her knuckles. Pulling strength from her as I force confidence and positivity into each step I take.
Whatever they try to throw at us, I have to concentrate on our skill and ability to overcome this. We won’t be broken by Featherstone and the minions it creates.
Bring it on.
CHAPTER TEN
(Oscar)
The anticipation in the back of the SUV is almost suffocating. The Tunnel, that’s all he said. I’m sure we'd have more to discuss if we knew what it actually meant. I’m trying to remember if we came across that specific game when we were digging through all the files from West, but my mind doesn’t want to work.
Pulling my gaze from the trees lining the road outside of the SUV, I glance to Luna who is sitting across from me in between Kai and Roman. She’s slightly leaning into Roman, clearly picking up on the dark vibes I’m also getting from him. Although, being close to Luna, has relaxed his tense shoulders and the tightness around his eyes.
Kai twiddles his thumbs, obviously itching to have his laptop in hand so he can research more into this damn thing, instead of us going in blind.
“I really don’t remember reading about The Tunnel, does anyone else?” Parker asks, breaking the silence, but we all shake our head.
“No. It’s fucking typical that the first game is something we don’t have more information on,” Luna murmurs, speaking the truth we’re all thinking.
A huge white building comes into view, and I instinctively point it out, getting everyone’s attention. It looks like a super modern two-story business building. All white exterior walls with floor-length windows to the ground floor, but nothing above.
“Any guesses where the dark shit happens?” Kai grumbles, and I hum in agreement. Top floor with no natural light to filter in. Perfect.
As the SUV comes to a stop, I don’t wait around for someone to open the door. Stepping out, I hold my hand out for Luna, who rolls her eyes at my chivalry but takes it all the same. As she stands beside me, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and place a kiss to her head. I just need a moment to soak in her calming energy before we walk into the building.
Before we joined Featherstone Academy, none of us were worried about coming here and taking part in The Games. But that was before we had something to live for, someone to live for. Now, everything is different, and I think that’s what has been playing on Roman’s mind too.
A hand squeezes my shoulder, and I glance to see who is offering me support. Parker comes to stand on the other side of Luna, as Roman comes to stand in front of me. Instinctively, we all nudge in a little creating a private circle, blocking ourselves off from the rest of the world.
Luna’s hand comes to rest on my back, and I close my eyes for a moment. No matter what, I feel like things will change when we step in there, and I just want to feel the normalcy of this moment. Letting them see the real me, the one behind the mask. I want the concern in my eyes, and the inability to lighten the mood right now, to show what I am incapable of saying.
“I feel like we need a pep talk, and to slap each other’s asses like it’s a football game or something.” Luna jokes, and I can’t help but smile as I peer down at her. She’s already staring in my direction, and offers me a wink when I meet her gaze.
How does she always know what we want and need? Knowing I couldn’t lighten the mood like I usually would, she took that weight off my shoulders. Using her positivity, I smirk as I lean down and turn quickly. Before she even knows what’s happening, I have her over my shoulder in a fireman’s lift. Raising my hand, I spank her ass good, making her squeal.
“Alright boys, who else wants a turn?” I say with a grin, and as cheesy as they may think I am, they all slap Luna’s ass.
“You fucking, Aceholes. Stop it. Put me down!” I can’t tell whether she means it or not, but she’s chuckling along. Bringing her down, so her legs wrap around my waist, she brings her arms around my neck and leans her forehead to mine.
“Oscar Steele-O’Shay, you’re making a scene,” she mutters, but I just shrug.
“Baby girl, let ‘em watch.”
She hugs me tight, before patting my shoulder to put her down. I comply begrudgingly, but I know we need to walk in there strong, and me carrying her in will only make her appear weak. Luna is the motherfucking strongest one here.
Stepping up to Kai, she reaches for his hand and begins walking to the entryway. I watch as her ponytail swishes back and forth for a moment, while Roman and Parker follow beside them. As if sensing I’m not there, she glances over her shoulder, and the sparkle in her eyes encourages me to join them.
Finding my game face, I’m ready to take on whatever they try to throw at us. No one is hurting my family. No one.
*****
“Each of you will pull a card. You will either be a traveler or an interceptor, quite literally,” Harris Franks says, gesturing to the large display on the wall.
There is so much information scattered across it, I don’t know where to look first. Glancing to my left, I see Kai’s observant eyes, and Roman’s calculating mind digesting the pictures and notices as quickly as possible.
“The Tunnel is simply that. A tunnel for which a traveler is to go from one end to the other while surviving what lays in wait.” He lifts his arm, indicating behind us. What looks like an ordinary wall, is actually the divider between us, and The Tunnel apparently.
“If you happen to pull an interceptor card, you’ll be an obstacle in there.” Glancing around us all, his smile only widens. “Now, I know some of you are here in groups, but this is a solo game. Which means you will enter alone, but you won’t be put against a member of your own group if you chose opposite cards. Understood?” He asks, but he still hasn’t really explained what it is we’re actually doing.
“What do we even have to do in there?” Wren whines, and as much as I just had the same thought, her voice still fucking grinds on me. Even more so now she sounds nasally from Luna’s punch. I’d rather not know the answer if it means I don’t have to listen to her.
Harris rolls his eyes, as he sighs, clearly not giving a shit that it’s Barbette’s daughter who is asking a question. “Travelers will enter from the left, and have to make it out of the door straight ahead, which will bring them out to the right.”
He points specifically at the sides of the space he’s talking about. It’s not that long, maybe fifty yards or so, but knowing Featherstone, a lot can happen in that space.
“If you chose the interceptor card, you’ll be escorted around to the other side where there are doors. It’s your job, if you choose, to stop the travelers by any means necessary.”
“That’s barbaric,” Luna whispers beside me, and Parker squeezes her shoulder. She’s not wrong, but the only way out of here is literally the light at the end of the tunnel. So fucking cliché.
“Let’s get a fucking move on,” Rico grunts, gaining everyone’s attention. All the members of the Ring are sitting on high-back black velvet chairs like they’re royalty, while family members are seated at the entry into The Tunnel on shitty plastic blue chairs.
“Okay, there are fourteen cards placed face down on the table here. If you would all like to come and choose one, we can proceed with The Games,” he says, clearing his throat.
Everyone tentatively s
teps forward, the choice playing a role in our fate. My fingers brush against the closest one, the guys doing the same, while Luna leans across the table, grabbing one from further back.
Holding our cards close to our chest, every single one of us steps away from the table, peering down like it’ll stay a secret forever.
Traveler.
Great. Looking to the others, we stand in a makeshift circle again. Wanting to just share with each other first, before the rest of the room. Without any prompt, we all turn our cards around, reading each others instantly.
Luna and Kai both have interceptor cards, while Roman and Parker have matching traveler cards to mine. My heart begins to thumb heavier in my chest, as the situation starts to set in. Blowing out a breath, I muster whatever smile I can, and they all do the same. At least I’m not the only one nervous, I just don’t know which role is worse.
“Okay, if we could have travelers to my far left please, and interceptors to my right, we can begin.”
Grabbing Luna’s chin, I crush my lips to hers, only for a moment, but enough to feel her. Bringing my lips to her ear, I whisper, “I love you, baby girl.”
Turning, I walk away without a backwards glance. I showed her my vulnerability and my emotion, now it’s showtime. In a room filled mostly with sadistic idiots, I let my rage at the world brush the surface, shutting down everything else.
Roman and Parker come to stand beside me, and I watch as they lock their emotions down too. Focusing solely on doing whatever it takes to come out the other side alive.
“Perfect. If the interceptors would like to follow Barbette, she will lead you around to the other side. Please remember interceptors, you don’t technically have to fight, but it’s dark in there, and there will be trained Featherstone men joining you. So, you could get a little caught up either way,” Harris speaks, and I watch as Rafe nods at Luna, as he stands with the other family members.
It almost feels too tame, but I’m not in there yet, and it’s also round one. I’m sure if we make it to round three, it'll be much more cut-throat from the start. Although, I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me that we’re not all going to make it out of these Games.
I watch as Luna leaves with Kai, and the other interceptors leave, including Brett, Becky, Taylor, Conor, and Eliza. That leaves Wren, Freddie, Zoe, and Neil along with us three as the runners.
“He’s still not giving us enough information, Rome,” I murmur to him, and he nods in agreement.
“We just focus, and slay whoever we need to. When we get in there though, you call out for Luna and Kai. I wouldn’t put it past these fuckers to go against their word and have us kill each other off,” he mutters, and he’s fucking right.
Looking past him to Parker, I’m surprised by the sheer look of determination on his face, his jaw tight as thunder flashes in his eyes.
“Okay, so the members of The Ring will be able to see what happens inside from the monitor above the exit door. You may watch it too, if you make it out of course.” Tapping his fingers on the tablet in his hands, he continues to drone on. “Did any of you bring weapons?” He asks looking over to us.
I don’t move a muscle, and neither does anyone else as we continue to stare him down.
“I sure hope you did, because we won’t be providing you with any,” he says with a smirk, and I just want to beat the shit out of him for enjoying all of this.
I have a blade and a handgun. Although the handgun is going to be useless if it’s dark in there, I’ll keep my blade ready. I can feel it’s weight against my side, in the holster under my leather jacket. I can picture the leather-wrapped handle and it’s razor-sharp tip. My fingers are itching to grab it now, ready for a fight.
“You will run in the order we call your name, no questions or amendments.” Harris smiles as Rico claps his hands, excitement playing in his eyes. I’d love nothing more than to use my blade to slit his throat. “Freddie Richards, you’re up first.”
He nervously steps forward, no weapon currently in hand, as someone prepares to open the door for him. With bated breath, I watch the door shut behind him, the space around us now eerily quiet. To say The Tunnel is mere steps in front of us, we can’t hear anything. So, either nothing is happening, or the space is soundproof.
Glancing across at The Ring, I look at my father, whose eyes are fixated on the screen at the exit. I see his head flinch a little at whatever is happening, but that’s my answer. For Freddie, The Games have already started, and until we can see the screen or them come out of the other door, we will stand here unaware of what lurks inside.
After what feels like an eternity, the door at the opposite end of The Tunnel bursts open, and Freddie falls out, dropping to the floor. There is blood in his hair and dirt on his arms. His eyes frantically look in our direction, fear etched in every molecule of his being before he passes out.
Screams fill the room at the state of his condition, but I know not to pay them any attention. Instead, I keep my eyes trained on The Ring, just as I know Parker and Roman are doing, making sure we show no reaction or care to what is going on around us.
“Oh my god. I can’t go in there. You can’t make me!” Wren cries out. “You may as well kill me now!” She screams, which only makes Rico chuckle.
“That can be arranged, sweet cheeks,” he purrs, and that instantly shuts everyone up, although the death glare old man Dietrichson sends him shows the tension between them.
“Let’s continue,” Harris interrupts, and that’s what happens. One by one, we’re called out.
Neil Portman, from Joker, enters next and eventually makes it out of the other side, with a similar reaction to Freddie. His unconscious form is carried away.
Parker is called next. He glances at Roman and me before entering The Tunnel. His eyes are devoid of any emotion, as my palms begin to sweat. It’s fucking hard locking your emotions up, when you can’t control what happens in there.
It feels twice as long as the others before he steps out of the other doors, but when I glance at my watch, he wasn’t even in there for ten minutes. I release the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, scanning him from head to toe. Blood and dirt cover most of his body, including his face. Darkness seeps into his eyes, but he remains on his feet.
He shakes the ends of his leather jacket while mouthing ‘off’, and I nod in acknowledgment. His eyes burn into ours as he mouths his next words, ‘call out.’
Holy fuck. Luna and Kai were in there when Parker went through. Roman was right, some slick motherfucker’s trying to break the rules, and it won’t take many guesses to figure out who.
A chair is brought out for Parker to sit on, which he plants right in front of the monitor. He hasn’t looked over at The Ring once, not even subconsciously to check his father’s reaction and I’ve never been prouder of his new-found strength.
“Zoe Borg, you’re up next,” Harris calls, and she slowly makes her way over. Looking up to the ceiling, she takes a breath before stepping inside.
I’m not even sure if a minute has passed before Parker’s eyes instantly fall to us, and he shakes his head. A siren sounds and medics step inside The Tunnel from Parker’s end. Moments later, Zoe’s lifeless form is being carried out, droplets of blood trailing their path.
Holy fuck. That makes this situation a little more real. Catching Parker’s gaze again he mouths, ‘Brett’ and I can’t say I’m surprised. He’d make a perfect understudy for Rico. Sick bastard. He couldn’t just go in there and survive like everyone else.
“Right then, Oscar Steele-O’Shay, you’re up.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
(Oscar)
Shrugging my leather jacket off, like Parker advised, I drop it to the floor beside me, leaving my black t-shirt underneath. There’s no use handing it to Roman when he’s going to have to do the same. I can’t help but glance back one last time at him, before nodding at the guy to open the door.
I’m surprised to see a dimly lit space, with ano
ther door leading into The Tunnel. Stepping into the tiny space, there isn’t even any room to stretch out my arms. The door behind me is slammed shut, and I guess that’s my cue to get on with it.
Pulling my blade from my holster, I open the door in front of me. Darkness overwhelms my senses as I look around the area. My eyes try to adjust to the blackness but with the light flickering above my head, my sight isn’t adjusting.
Moving into the long room, I shut the door behind me. My heart pounds in my chest, ready for a surprise attack. Gripping my blade tighter, I release a breath and relax my tense shoulders.
“Luna,” I call out, and the words barely leave my lips, before I hear her voice. She sounds distant, but she’s definitely to my left. Maybe closer to the exit.
“I’m here, Oscar. Kai too. Just focus straight ahead, we won’t be near you, but there are a lot of guys in here who …”
“Shut her the fuck up, before I gut her myself,” some guy growls to my right. I can hear their footsteps approaching. My heart rate spikes. This motherfucker just threatened my wife.
Trying to keep my emotions at bay, I catch movement from the direction the voice spoke, heading towards me. I don’t know if these people have weapons or not, but I refuse to leave them alone when they endanger my family.
Cracking my neck, I feel him near. He’s close enough to attack but trying to creep up on me. Letting the fireball of anger overcome me, I spin my body to the right, grabbing his shoulder with my left hand, I lift my blade and stab him straight in the neck. Instantly, I feel the blood trickle over my hand.
I wish it were lighter in here so I could see the fear in his eyes as the pain and reality wash over his features. His hand pats my arm frantically, trying to grab onto something, but moving now will do him no good anyway.
“You’ll do well to remember who you’re fucking threatening. You’ll forever wish you’d stayed in the corner, and left my wife alone,” I spit out, as he drops to his knees. “It won’t matter now. Not where you’re going,” I growl, listening to him gurgle on his own blood. “Can you die quietly somewhere else? You’re getting on my fucking nerves.”
