Sheriff Frank came in with an old man wearing glasses and carrying a notebook. They came right up to my cell but didn't talk to me. They didn't say anything at all. The old man began to write something down and Frank would occasionally look over his shoulder while he kept an eye on me. Did he think I was going to jump out of the cell and tackle them? After a long while, they started talking. Not to me, they mumbled to each other so I couldn't hear them. There was a lot of nodding, a bit more scribbling on paper and more mumbling.

I was reaching my boiling point, "What are you two doing?" Both of them stopped mumbling and looked at me, then went back to their irritating work. I huffed and leaned on the bars again.

A new person walked into the room. It was Larry, followed by his wife, Meg. Larry sprang towards me as soon as he saw me and started shouting again. "That's the guy! Keep'em locked up fer good! Where's your fancy sword now, punk!" Meg was silent but stared at me with the same wide, nervous eyes as she had done at the house.

Soon, another visitor arrived to mock me, it was Anne. I had met Anne in my previous cycle, she had been my first kill. I had tried to sort out my feelings and I thought I had been successful. I was no longer crippled with the knowledge that I had committed a murder, but seeing Anne walk in like that haunted me. There was a hole in her stomach, I could see right through her. And there was a stab wound in her heart, the mark I had left on her. I jolted away from the cold, metal bars, trying to get as far away from the dead girl as I could.

"He killed me," she calmly stated to the sheriff, but her eyes were locked on me. She almost looked to be in a daze, unblinking, not breathing and as pale as snow.

More notes were scribbled on the old man's clipboard while the officer checked his writing. The two men silently observed me and my reactions. Larry continued to shout and his wife's eyes nearly bugged out of their head, unblinking, staring at me. But the loudest voice was also the calmest. Anne kept repeating her claim, calling me her murderer. The sounds made my head spin and I began to shout. I didn't want to hear this anymore. It wasn't my fault that I was here and I hadn't wanted to kill Anne! I want out! Let me out!

My own shouting woke me up. I had been curled up on a hard bench, sweating in the same cell I had dreamt about. I had a headache and felt stiff from the uncomfortable sleep. I was also really thirsty. I had been given food and water during my stay but that had been hours before I had fallen asleep.

"Hello! Excuse me! Can I get some water?" I shouted but no one responded. I was also cold. Goosebumps covered my arms and I rubbed at them furiously. "And maybe a blanket, if that's not asking too much." Still nothing. Was anyone here? What time was it?

I saw a shadow walk by and my blood froze. Everything came into perspective. They had become shades. I didn't think it would happen so quickly, but last time I had been in isolation with Saris when it happened. I stared at the shade. What if it was Frank? Would he think I escaped, or did he forget about me as he had in the car? I confirmed that I was still locked in by shaking the door to my cell. The chills I had were making me regret not resisting arrest earlier. Someone was nearby and if I didn't escape, they would find me. I summoned my sword and shield and started attacking the cell, trying to break it. I should have known better because all I did was make a lot of noise.

I reflected on the poor choices I had made so far during this cycle. I had broken into a house without checking it out and gotten myself arrested, I had told the policeman a crazy story that no one would believe, and now I was making a lot of noise when I knew an enemy was nearby. Was I stupid? I really needed to start making smarter choices. As expected, the entry door opened and someone walked in. When I saw her, I wasn't sure if I should tense more, or relax.

Curious brown eyes looked at me while she twirled her blonde hair with an index finger. I'm sure most guys would've had a hard time not staring at her, but I kept glancing at her stomach, expecting to see a chunk of it missing. I had only seen her for a short time, but she had been impaled on a metal pole through the stomach and I couldn't get the image out of my head. She smiled, which only confused me more. I was nervous because I had been the one to kill her in the last cycle and I didn't know how she would treat me. Technically, I was her enemy. But that didn't mean we had to be hostile to each other right now.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" she asked.

I took a deep breath, "It's a long, stupid story."

"Oh? I love those. Let me find the key." She stopped just before leaving and added teasingly, "Don't go anywhere."

She seemed friendly and I relaxed so much that I could feel the stress leave my body. Yesterday had been a rough day and today had seemed like it could have gone either way. I was relieved to see my luck start to change. Still, it was hard accepting that she was here. I had killed her. I knew that those who died in the game were brought back for the next cycle, but I had never seen it happen until now. I kept having to remind myself that I wasn't dreaming.

It didn't take long for Anne to find the keys and come back into the room. "Okay. Negotiation time. What can you offer me?"

"I...umm.. What?"

"What can you offer me?" She repeated. "Forming a group of allies is usually stressful because everyone is afraid that they'll be stabbed in the back. So, if we have a deal, then we can work more efficiently without that fear."

"I don't know if I fully agree with that."

"Well, it makes me feel better about things, so deal with it." She sighed, "Look. I know very little about you. You seem like an okay guy but I don't like taking chances. I can release you from this cell and I can heal you when you're injured, just don't die. I can't heal dead people."

"That's all well and good but what do you need from me?"

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose, "You're really bad at this."

"Hey!" It was true. I couldn't even come up with a better argument than 'hey'.

"All I really need is someone who will fight with me and try to protect me."

"Oh, I can do that."

"I'm not done." She looked at her feet. "Okay, look. I'm not really cut out for this." She waved her hands all around. "I die every time. I just don't have the skills to make it to the end. So, I offer my services to keep you alive, but so I can win."

"I don't follow," I admitted.

"I can't win on my own!" she shouted. "We need to help each other to the end and you need to let me win."

I eyed her silently, "Does anyone accept that offer?"

"You do realize that you're stuck in there, right? You're kind of at my mercy." She crossed her arms. "Yes, one did accept that offer; May." My thoughts drifted to the second metal pole I had seen in my last cycle, where I met Anne.

I thought about it but decided that there wasn't much benefit to getting out of this cell if I was going to commit to dying anyway. I shook my head. "Sorry, I can't do it. Is there anything else I can do that would make us allies?"

Anne smiled again, "Yes. But I had to ask. Just help me get to May. I know that we might not find her. All I ask is that we try.

I didn't hesitate, "Deal."

Anne's smile widened. She released me from my cage and I bolted out, nearly running into her. "Okay. Come on....uh...Zelda?"

"Xander," I corrected her. "Zelda's a game series."

"Right."

"Oh. Hold on, I need my stuff."

"What stuff?"

"My wallet, keys and my phone. They took them from me yesterday. They should still be here, right?"

"Let's look around."

We spent a long time looking for my missing items. Shades were walking around or sitting at desks and I felt the need to avoid them if I could, nearly jumping out of my skin when two shades walked right through me when I hadn't been paying attention. I had searched the sheriff's office and several of the desks in the cubicles while Anne looked in other rooms. I suddenly wished that I had watched more cop shows so I would have some idea of where to look. Wasn't there supposed to be an evidence room somewhere? And if there was, is that where my stuff would be? I started to panic when they didn't seem to be anywhere. My phone was the only way for me to communicate with my past life. I wasn't ready to give it up.

"Found them," Anne called. She came in from an open doorway, holding up an open bag and my things. She had my wallet open, "No cash?"

"I just use the card," I explained as I took the items. "Thanks! I might be warming up to your offer earlier."

"Really?" she said excitedly.

"No, sorry. It was supposed to be a joke," as soon as I said it, I reminded myself that she wasn't like my friends back home. She was my ally, but that was only temporary. "Hey, before we go." I checked my phone, it was already on. I had been turning it off after each use to conserve the battery, but maybe the police had to check it; or Anne had turned it on. "I can still contact people. Is there anyone you want to say something to?"

Anne looked shocked, "Umm. Can I call my dad?"

"Sure, what's the number?" Anne gave it to me and I punched it in, turned on speakerphone and listened for the phone to pick up. It never happened. Instead, the rings started to distort and grow faster. Finally, the call simply ended. "That's weird. But I've never tried to call before. Just texted. Do you want to send a message?"

Anne's face sunk but she said yes. We typed a message letting her father know that she was alright but wouldn't be able to get in contact with him regularly. I warned her that he might not take it well. In my last cycle, I helped Demi contact her parents, but they thought it was a sick prank.

"Aren't you worried about your plan expiring if you're not paying for it?" Anne asked.

"It's an automated payment thing. I should be able to keep it going for a while. I just need to make sure I don't lose battery."

"We should look for a charger. There's a bunch of shops nearby, we can check them out."

"Yeah!" I said excitedly. My phone's battery was getting low. Under 15%. "Let me just check my messages before we go."

Before I had finished the last cycle, I sent a sort of farewell message to my friends and my sister. I didn't know if my phone would still work or be available to me after I won or lost but it seemed undamaged. It was strange that the phone call didn't work but I still had faith that texting would. I had group messages from Tommy and Michael, several messages from my sister, Sidra and one more from my mom. I thought it would be best to start with Sidra. My last text to her was strange, from her point of view. I told her the truth about what was happening.

Before I read her texts, the date caught my eye. Not today's date; I had completely lost track of that. Somehow, I seemed to have lost a day. Her first text to me was two days ago. I guess my first win wasn't yesterday. The game had taken somewhere around a full day to transport me here. I had to force myself to not worry about it; it's not like I could do anything to gain that day back anyway. I looked back at Sidra's text. It read:

That sounds ominous, what's happening?

A few minutes later, she wrote:

If this is a joke, I don't like it

Her next text only had four question marks followed by five exclamation points. A few hours later, she wrote:

I talked with Tommy. I'm not sure if I buy all of this. You're not on drugs, are you? We can get you help. You're not alone, just talk to me.

Her most recent text was from last night:

Mom got a call from the police... in Florida. She called me. I didn't know what to tell her, so I told her that I didn't know anything. But I know you. You're afraid to fly on a plane and Tommy was convinced that you hadn't gone anywhere. It takes almost a full day to get to Florida by car, which you don't have - the timeline doesn't add up. How did you get out there? I want to know everything. Tommy's story is a lot to take in and I want to hear it from you. All of it. Besides, we both know that Tommy's imagination can run wild sometimes. Message me ASAP.

I didn't want to keep Sidra in the dark anymore, even if the truth made her worry. And I knew that she wanted to help or at least to sympathize with me, so I told her what had been going on. It was a long text and it wasn't very organized. Trying to summarize everything made it all blend together. But I told her how it started with a dream, then waking up to feel invisible the next morning and being attacked by a madman and saved by Saris, explaining the general premise of kill or be killed with medieval weapons and supernatural abilities. Briefly telling her what weapon and power I chose, I stumbled my way into the subject of Demi and couldn't help but linger on her; whenever I thought of her, it was hard to stop. I had a major crush on her. I told her that I won my first cycle and woke up here. Finally, I tried to reassure her that she didn't need to worry, that I had found a friend and would be alright and that I'd be in touch as much as possible, adding that I'd talk to mom but might not tell her everything.

After I had sent it, I took a deep breath. Mom would need to be next. I didn't want to tell her the truth, but I didn't want to lie to her either. I gathered my courage and looked at what she had said:

Your father and I got a call from a sheriff in Florida. What's going on, dear?

That was it? I expected a lot more. An angry text about how much trouble I was causing and giving a bad name for our family. But I realized that I was being stupid. Mom wasn't like that and she just wanted to know if I was okay. I texted her back:

Everything is okay. It was just a misunderstanding. Sorry to have you worry so much. There's been a lot going on and I've just been really busy but don't worry, I'm doing fine and I'm not in trouble with the police.

I hoped that wasn't a lie. I did sort of escape custody but based on how this game works, I assumed that they'd already forgotten about me. I hoped that a vague explanation would be enough. I wasn't ready to bring my parents up to speed with my situation. They would want to get me out, but I didn't think that was possible to do from the outside. I would have to get out on my own; by winning this game two more times. Lastly, I looked at my group chat with Tommy and Michael. Tommy wrote first:

Thanks man! You can do it! We believe in you!

Michael texted:

Win, Xander! We'll be rooting for you! We know you'll make it back home soon!

Several hours later, Tommy wrote:

Dude, your sister is scary. I had to tell her everything, sorry if that's not okay but she threatened to pull out every hair on my body, one at a time, then make me eat it after she bakes it in a casserole!

Michael replied:

That's oversharing.

Tommy quickly countered:

Nothing is oversharing between friends who are as close as the three of us!

Michael:

I completely disagree. But if you want to talk about weird stuff, I've got an abnormally large boil on my butt.

Tommy:

You win. I overshared.

I smiled at their banter. I could always count on my friends to act the same way they always did. They were worried about me, I knew they were, but they knew that I would need some normalcy and they delivered. It made me feel like I was a little closer to home. My fingers tapped on my phone, replying to their chat:

Thanks guys. I did win! Two more to go. And I let Sidra know what's going on as best I could. I don't want to leave her in the dark anymore. But if my mom calls, don't tell her yet. I will. I just don't know when.

I turned off the phone and looked up at Anne. She was standing in front of a paper that was tacked on the wall. When I got closer, I realized that it was a map of the area. "Hey! This is great!" I turned my phone back on to take a photo.

"Yeah," Anne agreed and pointed near the southeastern part of the map, "We're here." She moved her finger. "And this is where we're gonna go first. We should be able to find a charger somewhere there. I think that's where the stores are. If we don't find May, I say, we start heading here," she pointed towards the northern edge of the map. "Then we'll sort of make a zig-zag till we get over to the beach." The beach was on the west side of the map. It was a lot of ground to cover, but I didn't have a better idea, so I agreed.

When I went into my phone's camera app, everything blurred and began to distort, so I closed the app, comforted that the main screen looked normal. I tsked and mumbled, "Guess taking a picture isn't going to happen."

We had a destination, a goal and we might even be able to charge my phone. Even if I couldn't use my phone to take a picture of the map, I was starting to feel good about this cycle. It had a rough start but things were turning around. I felt relieved that I was able to message my friends and family and I hoped what I said would be enough; at least for now. In the meantime, Anne and I had work to do. I had my first ally in this cycle and I was eager to find more.

"Should we take the map?" I asked.

Anne looked at me, her brows furrowed, "I don't feel right about taking a map from a police station. It just seems wrong, ya know?" I nodded in agreement. "Besides, I've got a decent memory for these kinds of things. We should be alright. You ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Warmth greeted us as we exited the police station and I realized how cold I had been in the air-conditioned building. It felt freeing to be outside too. I had been cooped up in that cell all night and I imagined how prisoners felt once they were released after years behind bars. I didn't get to appreciate the moment for long because an arrow pierced into my leg, just above my right knee.