The sixth game came to an undesirable conclusion. The victor of the match was Zoey, who soundly defeated her opponent, Iris. As a punishment for her loss, the poor girl’s mother was brutally murdered by a hit and run. It had come out of nowhere. One moment, the streets were clear of vehicles. And then the next, one plowed through the unsuspecting woman.

Getting hit by a car—I couldn’t imagine the pain. But, from what I saw, the way that woman’s body snapped forward upon impact, only to be crushed between the car and a brick wall a moment afterward—it was just too much. Expressions of horror washed over nearly every player in the lobby room. No one uttered a single word.

Just when I thought the situation couldn’t have gotten any worse—the universe decided to prove me wrong again. When Iris witnessed the sight of her mother’s brutal execution—her mind broke. I saw it in her eyes, her expression. It was one that I’d seen far too many times.

But, it didn’t end there. When Iris screamed at the top of her lungs in uncontrollable anguish, I covered my ears. Her shrill voice resonated in my head, as did many others.

Soon enough—everything stopped. Iris collapsed to the floor, and Zoey rushed to her side. Immediately afterward, people in black suits entered the room and carried the unconscious girl away.

“Damn it! Damn it!” Wyatt slammed his fist against the nearest wall. “Why?! Why the fuck did that have to happen?!”

“Wyatt, please calm down.” Nicholas pleaded.

“Calm down? Calm down?!” The doctor whipped around and glared at the man. “How do you expect me to do that after everything I just saw?! The bastards killed Iris’ mother, Nicholas! Her mother! That woman had nothing to do with these games! Nothing!”

“I know that, but…”

“But, nothing! They killed her! Like it was nothing! If they have the influence just to execute someone like that…what if they decide to go after our loved ones next?!”

“Then I guess that means I’m in the clear.” Melanie boasted. “Any of you other suckers better make sure not to lose when it comes your turn to play. Or else the same thing may happen to you.”

“This is just too much.” Henrika lamented.

“That poor girl. She’s already lost so much.” Salomon added.

“When Caius shows his face, I am going to…” Wyatt stopped the moment Caius and Zoey entered the room.

“Going to what, Wyatt?” Caius inquired, feigning ignorance to his actions.

How could he stand there like that? As if he hadn’t done anything wrong? Because of him, Iris’ mother was murdered in cold blood. And yet, it didn’t faze him at all. That wicked smile never left his face for a moment.

“You! How could you do such a thing, Caius?!” Wyatt exclaimed as he approached the Game Moderator. Zoey stepped out between the two, but the doctor didn’t pay her any mind. “I understand you have a sick and twisted mindset! But, these games should not extend to people that have no part in them! Iris’ mother did not have to die!”

“I agree with you, Wyatt. Poor Hannah did not have to die. Zoey here could have let Iris win. But, she did not.” Caius attempted to shift the blame to Zoey.

“Don’t try and put that all on her! If she had, then her character would’ve been killed!” I pointed out. “No matter who lost, someone was going to die because you dictated it so!”

“That is correct. No matter what, death would occur. It makes for excellent entertainment, no?” Caius tilted his head to the side. “Well, this marks the end of the sixth game. Please feel free to do whatever you wish until the next game tomorrow.”

“Hang on! Where do you think you are going?! We are not done here!” Wyatt yelled.

“Let him go, Wyatt. There is no point in shouting at him.” Zoey stated.

She was right. No matter how loud we shouted, or how many names we called him—Caius wouldn’t be affected in the slightest. Not a shred of humanity could be found in that husk.

But, even then, I couldn’t help but feel infuriated about the situation. Since Caius was the game moderator, whatever he said went. None of us could challenge his authority while in Serendipity. We were helpless—kept at his mercy at the heel of his shoes.

“Wyatt, how about we go and check on Iris?” Nicholas placed his hand on the doctor’s shoulder.

“Fine. But, this is not over. Not by a long shot.” Wyatt eventually left the room with Nicholas following behind.

“That was horrible. Absolutely horrible…” Henrika said, “Zoey, how are you feeling?”

“I am fine. Do not worry about me.” The detective turned her back to us then prepared to leave. But, Henrika quickly reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm.

“Don’t try and play it off as if it was nothing. I’m fine won’t cut it with me.” Henrika exclaimed. “Someone died because of you. That’s what you’re thinking, right?”

With one swift motion, Zoey broke free from Henrika’s grasp. “Do not presume to understand what I am feeling. I know that this is not my fault. As I told Iris, the fault lies with Caius.”

That woman was as calm as ever. Her voice never shook. She never broke eye contact when she spoke. It was as if the game never fazed her in the first place.

She stood firm in her belief that she wasn’t at fault. I believed her. The blood of Iris’ mother was on Caius’ hands—not Zoey’s. Everyone understood that.

However, indirectly causing the death of someone wasn’t something one could just walk away from unscathed. There was no telling how much damage it did to the mind.

“It’s true. Caius was the one that pulled the trigger on the execution.” Salomon had come to Zoey’s defense.

“But, he wouldn’t have pulled the trigger if Cyclops had just let Rainbows win,” rebutted Melanie as she approached Zoey. She stopped in front of the woman then continued with a euphoric expression, “How did it feel by the way? Ignoring the cries and pleas of someone down on their knees? Did it make you feel powerful?”

“That’s enough, Melanie!” Henrika demanded.

“Tell me, Cyclops. Who were you protecting by killing off Rainbows mom? Must have been someone important. Husband? Sibling?” Melanie ignored Henrika. She kept badgering Zoey until the woman finally responded.

“It is none of your concern.” With those final words, Zoey ignored the calls from the others and left the room.

Getting a read on that woman was difficult. No matter what happened, she refused to get overwhelmed by the adversity that we faced. I admired that—her tenacity and determination.

She wouldn’t falter. She had a goal in her mind, and she wouldn’t allow anything to get in her way. Consequences be damned.

It only strengthened my resolve to survive and win the games.

After some time, all the players left and went their own ways around the facility. Along the way to my room, I walked past the infirmary. Perhaps subconsciously I wanted to check on the condition of Iris.

Nicholas remained posted on the door. When our eyes made contact, he softly smiled.

“Hello, Ambrose.” He greeted me.

“What are you doing, Nicholas?” I asked.

“Making sure no one interrupts Wyatt and the other doctors as they treat Iris. Poor girl suffered a mental breakdown.”

“I’ll bet. She did watch her mother get murdered.” I mentioned.

“No one should ever have to witness something as gruesome as that. I never imagined Caius would do such a thing…” Nicholas removed his shades then rubbed his temples. The bags under his eyes were horrendous. The stress he must’ve accumulated over the past week certainly took their toll on him.

Out of all the players, Nicholas rivaled Zoey in having a calm and collected demeanor. Not once I had seen either of them lose their composure.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

How could they do that?

Zoey, I understood. As a former detective, the cases she must’ve participated in must not have been for the faint of heart.

However, Nicholas, on the other hand, I couldn’t understand how he could always remain so calm. He was a therapist. His line of work didn’t require dealing with death directly.

“Are you surprised? Caius has proven time and time again how heartless he is.” I stated. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t even human at all.”

“Now, now, try not to veer too far away from reality, Ambrose.” Nicholas returned his shades to his face. “We have enough problems on our hands. We do not need to add you losing your mind to the pile.”

“I assure you that I’m far from losing my mind,” I averted my eyes from him. “I’ve seen worse than a hit and run. What about you though? How do you manage to keep it all together?”

Nicholas leaned against the wall then folded his arms. He tilted his head down, keeping his gaze on the floor. “I am a therapist, Ambrose. It is my job to keep a cool head at all times and listen to the worries and problems of others. If I had such a weak constitution, I would not have accepted to play in these games.”

“That’s fair, I guess…”

“Are you not satisfied with my answer?” He raised his head.

“Whether I’m satisfied or not isn’t the issue. I’m only asking out of curiosity in the first place,” I answered. “Speaking of which, who do you talk to about your problems?”

“There was a friend to whom I spoke with frequently. However, since our stay in Serendipity, I mainly talk to Wyatt.”

Before our conversation could go any further, the door to the infirmary opened. Out came Wyatt—his expression was grim. No good news could ever come from a look like that.

“I have finished treating Iris. You can come see her if you want.” He solemnly said before he walked back into the room. Nicholas and I followed.

All three of us stood by Iris’ bedside. The poor girl only lied there—motionless. It pained me to see the hyperactive girl, whom would often burst with limitless light and energy, lie there completely unresponsive. It just went to show how much the games had changed her.

Perhaps she would’ve been better off never learning about the games in the first place. Serendipity was no place for her.

“What’s the diagnosis?” I asked.

“Iris has gone catatonic. She was overwhelmed by the shock of losing her mother. That combined with the death of Elena caused her to shut down.” Wyatt answered.

“How terrible.” Nicholas grimaced. “Perhaps there is some way we can wake her up?”

“Well, I will not say that it is impossible. However, I am not confident that we would be able to accomplish such a feat.”

“We have to try, do we not? We cannot leave her like this.”

“Why not?” I asked. Both their heads turned towards me as I continued, “What’s the worst that could happen to leave her like this? She won’t have to worry about playing any more games. Anything else that happens from here on, she won’t have to deal with any of it. If you ask me, she’s perfectly secure in the position she’s in now.”

“Ambrose?! How could you say such a thing?!” Wyatt scolded me.

“What? Would you prefer for her to suffer more throughout our time here? With Elena gone, Iris is now the weakest one out of the players. As you can clearly see the state she’s in.” I said as I pointed to her to make my point. Nothing I said was out of spite, but rather compassion. That girl had suffered more than enough pain and strife.

In my opinion, perhaps it was best if she didn’t wake up anytime soon.

“That’s true, but still…” Wyatt stopped once Nicholas placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Let us try not to argue here.” He pleaded. “For now, let us leave Iris be and give her time to rest. If nothing changes in the next few days, then we will try to search for some methods to wake her up.”

Wyatt’s expression became strained. He looked back and forth between Iris and Nicholas—weighing his options. Eventually, he released a sigh, showing his resentment of his choice.

“Fine. We will leave her be for now.” He nodded his head. “But, we must hurry and get out of this place. Every game played has resulted in someone gaining an injury. I fear for what may happen in the next one.”

“You are right. Hopefully, that last game will frighten the traitors to vote on leaving tomorrow.” Nicholas said.

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” I said. “If Frederick's death didn't deter the traitors on day one. Then, I’m sure the death of Elena, and Iris’ mother won’t have any effect either.”

“Damn it! What is taking Zoey so long to find them?” Wyatt balled his hand into a fist.

“To be fair, a lot of things have been happening lately. You cannot expect her to find the traitors so easily.” Nicholas had come to the woman’s defense.

Wyatt glanced at Nicholas then responded, “She found Elena’s murderer in two days. How long could it take to find the traitors among us?”

Since the conversation veered from its original purpose, I tried to leave the room. But, Wyatt aggressively called out to me. I stopped mere inches away from the door.

“What do you want?” I demanded. I didn’t bother to turn around and face him.

“Where do you think you are going?” He questioned me.

“Back to my room. I only came here to check on Iris. Now that I’ve done that, I’m going to bed.” I answered.

“You chose a rather interesting time to leave the conversation. Was there something about it that troubled you?”

That bastard. He didn’t even try to hide the malice in his words. There was no doubt about it.

He suspected me.

That one small action of mine caused him to doubt me. I mentally cursed at myself for not having read the mood and situation. But, I wasn’t worried. I believed I could talk my way out of it one way or another.

“No, nothing.” I dismissively answered.

“Really? How odd. I figured that you would get upset if you learned others were keeping you here against your will.”

His gaze. I could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.

“Wyatt, perhaps this is not the time to talk about this.” Nicholas had come to my defense.

“I think it is a perfect time. To be honest, Ambrose. I have suspected that you have been one of the traitors for the longest time now.” Wyatt shamelessly revealed.

Silence filled the room. Tension weighed down on my entire body. Why wouldn’t it?

He was right on the money.

I was one of the traitors. However, I wasn’t anymore. Not at that moment.

But, Wyatt didn’t know that.

I had no intention of telling him. I wouldn’t entertain the idea of letting him know that I was one of them. His reaction to that information was clear as day to me.

“Oh yeah?” I slowly turned around to face the doctor. “Tell me, Wyatt. What made you come to that conclusion? You best have compelling evidence.”

“That reaction alone is more than enough.” Wyatt crossed the room then stopped right in front of me.

There it was. His signature scowl. He looked at me with such disgust and contempt. I recognized looks like that. To him, I was nothing more than garbage.

Maybe he was right. However, it didn’t change the fact that it pissed me the hell off.

“More than enough?” I asked, trying my best to conceal my irritation.

“An innocent person would have immediately denied such an accusation. But, you, however, did not attempt to do so. That in itself is all the proof that I need.” His gaze grew fiercer.

If not for the no physical violence rule, I was certain that he would have tried to kill me.

“If I had tried to deny it. Would you have believed me?” I countered. “You said it yourself that you suspected me for a long time now. Would your suspicions of me have been cleared so quickly if I had denied it?”

“Perhaps. But, I guess we will never know now. It is evident to those in this room that you are one of them.”

“You know, Wyatt. You keep going on and on about how I’m a traitor. But, you haven’t shown any evidence to back up that accusation. I’m getting tired of hearing all your barking. Put up or shut up.” I demanded.

Wyatt’s brows furrowed. Beads of sweat trickled down his cheek.

It was far too late to back down. The ring had been set. We’d verbally throw down until one of us reigned victoriously. I’d do whatever was necessary to come out on the winning side.

Wyatt struck the first blow and presented a piece of his argument, “On the first day we arrived in Serendipity, you chose to keep the reason you are here a secret. What do you have to hide, Ambrose?”

“Nothing that is any concern of yours. What does that have to do with me possibly being a traitor?”

“If you are hiding the very reason as to why you are here, then who is to say that you are not hiding the fact that you are a traitor?” He pointed an accusing finger at me.

“How baseless. Did you spend all night thinking of that?” I mocked him. “If you’re going off that assumption, then you must believe that Henrika, Klara, and Zoey are traitors as well.”

“Please stop with this argument. There is no point to this.” Nicholas cut in. But, his voice didn’t reach us.

“I’ll start pointing the fingers now. In your current situation, you’re tied with other players, and your position in the rankings doesn’t give you enough money for a heart transplant.” I pointed out. “Heart transplants are very challenging and risky. I’d wager you’d need at least close to one million dollars to afford the surgery.”

Wyatt gritted his teeth and took a step back. My words hit their mark. “That’s…” The doctor paused. His eyes averted away from me.

I didn’t hesitate to continue my verbal counterattack.

“You revealed your reason for being here quite easily. Now, let me show you why that was a huge mistake on your part.” I returned Wyatt’s gesture and got in his face. I saw my scowling face in the reflection of his wide eyes. “You want to save your wife, yes? You came all this way just to do that. I refuse to believe that you would come here, risk your life, only to go back to her with nothing to show for it. What kind of man would you be if you did that?”

“Do not mention my wife…” He demanded.

“I wouldn’t have known about her if you hadn’t brought her up on day one. The very reason you’re here is suspicious enough to accuse you of being a traitor. You don’t have enough money for the heart transplant, do you?”

Wyatt smacked his lips then shook his head. “No, I do not.”

“That very fact alone should be more than enough evidence to prove that you’re one of the traitors. Your very actions and motivation are what points to you.”

Before I could say any more, Wyatt grabbed my collar then shouted, “I am not a traitor! You son of a bitch!” He pulled his fist back then swung.

His fist fueled by rage had come exceedingly close to connecting with my face. I did not attempt to block or dodge it after all. If he wanted to strike me, that was all on him.

But, it suddenly stopped. It was there—merely inches away from my face. It was if some external force prevented him from following through.

A single punch would’ve ended his life. For a single moment, a feeling of disappointment crossed my body.

That was dangerous. Far too dangerous.

Was I expecting him to hit me? Did I want him to die? I knew that he pissed me off, but he was justified. And yet, I wasn’t satisfied with the turn of events.

I almost got the man killed.

“Look, we can go back and forth pointing fingers at each other. But, it won’t solve anything. None of us have concrete evidence that we’re traitors or not. For now, let’s just keep moving forward and hope for a better tomorrow.” I said.

“You think that is possible? In the situation we are in now?” Wyatt questioned me. His entire body trembled as he lowered his arm down to his side.

“I don’t know. As I said, all I can do is hope. I’m sorry for what I said. I hope that you survive and save your wife.” I turned my back to the doctor then left the room.

Although my apology seemed hollow—I sincerely meant it. It was never my intention to bring the doctor such strife at that moment. I had lost it—my temper. If I hadn’t left—I feared for what would’ve occurred further down the line.

I didn’t want to lead someone to death.

Not again.