Chapter Two: Blood

I sit motionless, absolutely consumed by fear. I watch as the red droplets trickle down from the wound on Adrien's chest to the surface of the table. The white table now stained with blood.

Chris stands abruptly, as his face was literally inches from Adrien's. In horror, he stumbles backwards. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy fucking..."

Ximena cries in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest as she sobs onto her legs. James stares at the body, his eyes wide behind his glasses and blood splattered onto his pristine sweater. Jen tries to blink away tears as her body shakes. The booklet nearly falls out of her hands. Rodney runs his hands through his hair, disbelief and fear mixed emotions pouring out of him like sweat.

And then there's Monica. She has the true look of horror plastered on her face. Her mouth is twisted into a half-cry, half-gasp. Tears slip down her cheeks. Anguish seeps in her eyes, like she's begging some higher power for this to be a joke. I can only imagine how sick she feels from the sight of this; as long as I've known her, Monica has hated horror of any kind. Horror movies, gore, etc.

What feels like hours goes by. In truth, it must have been ten minutes. After everyone has calmed down - not entirely, I doubt we will ever calm down - we look to each other for what to do next.

"What now?" Ximena asks meekly.

Jen wipes the tears from her cheeks before opening the booklet. "I-I don't know."

"Wait," Rodney says. "Look. There." He points at the knife in Adrien's chest. "There's something there."

Chris uneasily steps forward. He leans down to inspect it closely. "Oh shit," he mutters. "It's paper. A note."

"Well, grab it!" James hisses.

"Fuck off, Princeton," he sneers back.

"Guys!" Jen steps between them. "Now is not the time to fight." She takes a deep breath. "I'll do it."

Oh, God. "Jen, are you sure?" I find myself asking.

She nods, albeit hesitantly. "I am the leader. It should be me."

Jen hands the booklet to Rodney as she approaches the body. She swallows and closes her eyes tight before she grabs the handle of the blade and pulls it out.

More blood oozes from the wound, spreading onto the table. Ximena jumps back when blood drips onto the floor. Jen gags but forges through. She peels the paper from the handle before dropping the knife onto the table with a loud clank.

Her hands shake as she unrolls it.

"One of you broke the rules. They were penalized. The game has changed. Leader turn to page four in the book."

As she puts the paper down, Jen realizes her hands are now covered in blood. Adrien's blood. She gasps and steps back, staring at her palms.

"Here," Rodney steps forward, taking the edge of his shirt into his hands before tearing it. He hands the ripped piece to Jen.

She thanks him, using the cloth to wipe her hands. It doesn't remove the blood completely but instead leaves a pinkish stain. When she's done, she takes the book back and turns the page.

"If someone breaks the rules, they will be penalized. Penalization results in immediate death."

Several people gasp or cry. Jen takes a second to compose herself.

"If you are instructed to read this passage, that means someone broke the rules and was penalized. Like mentioned previously, the team leader advocates for everyone else. As punishment for allowing a penalization, the leader will choose one person out of the group to play a little game called 'Til Death Do Us Part.' Pick up the electronic timer from the shelf. You have ten seconds to choose or else you will be chosen instead."

Jen looks up from the book, her eyes filled with worry and fear. Rodney hands her the timer as he presses the button. "I... I don't know who to choose!" Her gaze flickers from person to person. I wonder how she's deciding, if she's saving the people she cares about first.

Before the timer could ding, she shouts a name. Silence follows.

Chris. She picked Chris.

"What the fuck!?" He exclaims. "Why me!?"

She shakes her head. "I-I don't know! I just picked!"

Reluctantly, she looks down at the book again. "'Til Death Do Us Part' is a game of fates. The person you chose will choose another person in which their fates will be tied. They have ten seconds to choose or the leader will choose for them."

Rodney presses the timer again, and everyone's eyes fall onto Chris. He glances around the room, probably trying to find someone he figures will save him.

"Rodney."

Rodney stares back at him dumbfounded. "Me?"

Jen reads on. "The both of your fates are linked. You will make decisions with the other person in mind. If one of you dies, the other will as well. But, in the opportunity of betrayal, one of you may have the chance to unlink yourself - which will end the other's life."

Click. The lights go out again. My heart leaps into my throat and I wrench my eyes shut. Oh, God, what if I'm next? I feel a tightness in my throat as I wait. Everyone else is quiet, furthering the horror.

Finally, the lights come back on. I blink, waiting for the spots in my eyes to fade. I hold my breath, looking for another dead body. But there isn't one. There are no dead bodies - as in the one that was previously here is now gone.

The table is bare of Adrien except for the pool of blood she left behind. A smeared trail of blood moves from the table, down onto the floor, and over to the door where it disappears. As if someone dragged her away.

"Wait," Jen says as she looks around the room with wide eyes. "Where's Rodney?"

The second she says it, I look everywhere. But Rodney is nowhere to be seen.

James leaps up from the floor and runs straight to the door. He pulls and pushes at the handle, desperately trying to get it open.

"It's no use!" Chris yells at him. "If it didn't open before, why would it now?"

"Because, dumbass," James pants as he continues his attempt. "Someone opened it just now. So there is a way to do it."

After James yanks at the door for the umpteenth time, something falls out from the lock and it flutters to the floor. He stops and watches it until it touches the ground. Then, he bends over to pick it up.

"It's another note," he says as he opens it. He proceeds to read it out loud. "The players have been identified. Now in separate rooms, they will make decisions either as teammates or selfishly. Team leader, read page 5 on further rules to 'Til Death Do Us Part.'"

Jen fumbles with the book until she opens the page. "'Til Death Do Us Part': In this game, the fate of two chosen players will be joined. Their faith in one another will be tested as they make decisions separately. But be cautious; one death equals two. Unless their link is broken, the game will end with the deaths of both players or the lives of both. If the link is broken, one death will occur."

"How do I break the link?" Chris steps towards Jen menacingly.

Monica stands up for the first time. "She literally just read that there is a way for the both of you to leave alive, and you want to betray Rodney? What is wrong with you?"

"Shut the fuck up, Monica, nobody asked for your opinion."

She cringes at his remark. She stares at him for a moment, unsure what to say. Ultimately, she closes her mouth and sits down.

"To begin the game," Jen continues. "Pick up the blue bowl from the shelf and player 1 will pull a piece of paper. Whatever the topic, it will be the same as player 2's."

Ximena's eyes rake the walls. "Are we being watched?"

I shudder at the thought of someone watching our reactions and every moves.

Jen takes the bowl from the shelf and puts it on the bloody table. She gestures to Chris. "Go for it."

He slowly takes a paper from the bowl. He unfolds it and reads. His mouth twists into a shocked scowl and he throws the paper down. "The fuck!"

Jen takes it into her hand and reads it herself. "Choose: A finger from player 1's hand, or a toe from player 2's foot."

Ximena and Monica cry. James shakes his head in disbelief. "This can't be real," I hear him whisper to himself.

Jen pages through the book. "It says you have to choose. If the both of you agree, no problem. If you disagree though, you both lose. So for this instance, one of you can lose or you both can lose."

Chris drags his hands through his hair. "But how the fuck will I know what Rodney chooses?"

Seconds after he asks that, a slip of paper is pushed under the door. Again, James runs over and starts banging on the door. "Hey! Who's out there!?" When no one responds, he picks up the paper and reads it.

"The other player's response will be given after the voting is over."

"Fuck," Chris hisses. "I can't lose a finger! Not with my scholarship!" He looks to James for validation. "You get it, right?"

James shakes his head. "Leave me out of it."

"Fuck," he hisses again. "I vote Rodney lose a toe."

"Chris!" Jen and I exclaim at the same time.

He shrugs. "I gotta defend myself."

Minutes go by before we get word. Another note is slipped under the door. James is ready for it. He picks it up right away.

"Player 2 voted for a toe from player 2's foot. Players agreed."

Chris sighs visibly but quite a few of us showed our displeasure.

"I hope you're happy," Monica says to him. "Rodney sacrificed himself rather than being selfish. Unlike you."

He glares at her. "It's a toe. He'll get over it."

"I think you have to pick again," Jen whispers. "It says you keep playing."

He uneasily takes another slip. "Oh shit," he murmurs as he reads. "Betrayal: This is a chance to unlink your fate. Both players have the opportunity to betray. If one player betrays and the other allies, their fates are unlinked but at the cost of one death. If both players ally, their fates remain and they will continue playing. If both players betray, their fates remain but they both will die."

Monica shakes her head. "Don't you dare..."

"There's no need. I already choose. I choose betray."

Jen gasps and drops the book. She storms over to Chris and slaps him. He goes stiff from the hit and stares blankly at her.

"You just killed him!" She screams. "I just hope he chooses betray too and gets your ass killed!"

"He won't," Monica mutters. "I fucking hate you..."

Click. The room goes dark. Monica lets out a scream. Instead of the sound of my heartbeat, I hear everything. A groan, a thud, something being dragged. Then there's silence.

When the lights flip back on, I see it instantly.

Chris is on the table this time, laying on his back with his shirt torn. A single slice on his neck causing blood to go everywhere. But a different injury is more eye catching.

A word. A single word carved onto his chest.

'WHORE.'