Max was weakened by the voice encounter, he seemed frozen. Then he thought of Alice. She must be held by this man. He couldn’t let this maniac do anything to her.

I must act, but isn’t this what he wants? It doesn’t matter. I’ll play his little game.

He opened the door of the room and crept out, cautious of any sudden movements or strange sounds. Max walked towards the elevator. As he approached the lights up above flickered rapidly. He crouched a little out of alarm. Then the elevator doors dinged open.

Suddenly, he heard maniacal laughter, as Max flinched away.

“You think your little prize was going to be in there?” The voice roared.

Max didn’t want to look again, but he had no choice, he must take the elevator because there were no stairs in sight. He braved the horrible scene.

The guard whom he had killed was in that elevator, but not as Max had left him. His intestines and guts were spilled along the floor and more terrible things had been done, but these need not be described. For they are too terrible to tell.

“A little secret between you and I. No one will ever know what you did. It’s between you and me. Although, I couldn’t let you have all the fun! So, I did a little of my work. Isn’t it magnanimous? What joy! What artistry! Whadya think, Maxy?”

Max said nothing. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of man could do such a thing. His whole world was shaking. All he did was step inside the sticky elevator. His shoes squeaked as he turned around so as not to see the corpse stuck in the corner.

The elevator doors shut and as soon as they did the monitor to the right of Max flashed on. A shadowy figure stood there, motionless. He couldn’t make out what kind of shape it was. But it spoke to him through a speaker underneath the screen.

“Where do you think she is?”

“I don’t know,” Max said.

“Take a guess. I love guesses. They’re always… wrong.”

“I’m not playing your sick game.”

“OK, that’s fine by me.”

Max was confused. “You don’t care if I play?”

No response. Then after a short while. “I don’t. It’s all up to you.”

“What kind of mastermind are you?” Max laughed mocking him.

The voice seemed to chuckle, but it was robotic, almost non-human.

“Do you think you have a choice?” the voice asked curiously.

“No, I don’t.”

“See that’s where you’re wrong!” The shadow accused. “Everyone thinks they don’t have a choice, but they’re wrong. Everyone has a choice, even if you feel like you don’t. Even if you’re forced to shoot somebody, no one pulls the trigger for you, You do! Not them, but you!

“I’m gonna tell you something, Maxy and you better listen. We’re gonna play a little game and if you win, you get her back. But! If you lose, you both die. Understand?”

“See, I don’t have a choice.”

“You don’t have to play. You can walk right out the door.” The elevator doors opened at this. Max stepped out and saw a vast warehouse. There were crates and boxes all along the floor. Concrete pillars upheld the massive level. At the other end of the room, a great metal door stood. Then Max saw the EXIT sign to his left.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“See? Don’t you see? You don’t have to play.”

“But if I don’t, I won’t get her back, right,” Max asked annoyed.

“Now, you’re learning. But it’s still a choice.”

Max hated this man. He moved forward.

The shadow laughed at him, now, over the loudspeakers placed all throughout this massive place. It was dark and foggy.

“Now, I know what kind of person you are,” the shadow began mockingly. “You’re a person who cares, a person who loves. That makes you weak,” he accused again. “What compels people? I don’t know. What are you to gain? You could’ve had your freedom, but no! You had to care. What idiots! What fools! You are a worthless child. All children do the same thing. They care and then they get spat on, and then they care again. And the same cycle repeats. You are pathetic. Going after, what? A sweetheart?”

“A friend!” Max called out. He walked along cautiously as the shadow spoke further and louder. “What do I call you?”

“Oh, me?” The shadow blushed. “Call me, Chance.”

Chance loved the sound of his own voice, “Do you want to know something? I grew up just like you. An innocent little child, not a care in the world, except the care of people! People, people, who do their nasty little tricks, who plot destruction, who deceive and conquer.”

The man went on and on and talked about the cruelties he had done. He explained that he seemed forced to do these things, he was prodded, but eventually, as time went on, he realized this was not true. He had a choice, but he chose to do wrong for wrong’s sake. Evil for evil because that’s what he wanted because there was no other choice, in his mind. Every evil deed was exposed by this man. Chance spoke with great eloquence and determination to try and make his point. And Max kept right on trudging along through the different alleyways of darkness.

Max came to a corner and out jumped a man-like figure. The man had on a tightly fitted white mask. There were two black rings where the eyes should be and a crooked black smile painted on the lips. He wore all white with a black belt and boots. He was in a fighter’s position. Max thought this was Chance, but still heard the voice as vibrant as ever echoing through the darkened corridors.

It couldn’t be him.

The white-masked man swung at Max. He dodged it and leaped back with his hands now raised. He threw himself at the masked man. His hands dug deep into his scalp. The mask screamed with fury. He pulled the hands off of his head and pushed him back. He swun repeatedly and maniacally and each time Max avoided the blow. The mask man then pulled out a gun pointing it wickedly in Max’s direction.

“Ah, we now come to our predicament,” Chance called out as it echoed through the seemingly empty place. “A choice of what to do next is quite difficult, at times like these.”

The white-masked man had drawn his weapon, nothing more. He held it at his side intentionally. Max thought this man must be part of the show. Another actor in the great horror scene.

Max sprang upon the man fast enough to grab the man’s hand. They struggled to see who would get the handgun first. The Masked man elbowed Max in the face. He fired in Max’s direction but missed because he fled around the corner before he could get off the first shot. Mask man came running after him, but lost sight of him just as quickly.

Crates were all around the wide alleyway. He fired the gun, but nothing moved. Moving towards a box, a door swung open and hit him in the face.

Max punched him in the face and gut. He grabbed his head and brought it to his knee stumbling back. The gun dropped and Max reached for it. Mask man clumsily crawled on the floor in futile motions to retrieve his gun, but Max stood over the man and shot him square in the face.

A roar of laughter came on the loudspeaker.

“Well, whaddya know? We got ourselves a natural-born killer, ladies and gentlemen.” Max thought it disgusting as Chance referred to this event as an actual show.

“We’re gonna have to be right back to see what happens next. Tune in after this short message, on…,” at this, a crowd roared together with Chance.

“Life or Death!” the crowd roared, applauding and cheering.

Max furious called out, “What is this? A television show?” He demanded to know.

Chance chuckled, “Why, yes, little dumpling. We all need some entertainment in our lives once in a while.”

“So, is this some sick joke?”

“No, no, this is all very real for you, Maxy. But for them, it’s pure fantasy. A reality TV show. I pull contestants off the street and they ‘volunteer’ their time to make life-or-death choices! Whaddya think? Pretty neat, huh?”

“Those people,” Max asked horrified. “Do they know it’s real?”

“Of course not, you idiot! But what you don’t know doesn’t hurt ya? Does it? Ignorance is bliss.”

Max couldn’t continue being watched and preyed upon by such a twisted individual. Especially when he was being used for sport.

“Whaddya say, Maxy? Wanna continue,” Chance asked as sinister as his actions.

Max felt as if he had no choice. He could leave Alice, but that wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be ‘good’ as Mr. R had told him. Max knew what was good, but he didn’t always like it.

He had come too far and decided to expose Chance and his filthy lies.