by A. Anders
“I’m with you, Ford,” Brad said, drawing my attention. “I didn’t come here looking for love. I don’t even know what that is. Do you all wanna know how I made my living before these game shows? I was an entertainer. And when you’re sexually liberal, you can always find work.
“Not having a chip in my head was a problem, of course.” Brad looked back at Rose. “She knows what I mean. The viewers want to be able to switch perspectives. What is she seeing? Now, what is he seeing?” he paused. “Eh, I got by.
“I was proud of not having a chip, though. It allowed me to believe that I wasn’t like her,” he said with a nod. “Giving people access to every moment of your life can fuck you up. No offense.” He looked at Rose and held up his hand apologetically. She waved him off with a head nod.
“But I was sitting at home, probably high, and my assistant tells me that a game show was looking for contestants. Since there was no chip required, I was excited. If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was hold a viewer’s attention. I could barely wait.
“This show felt like all of the others when I came in for the interview. All the usual questions. All the same paperwork. And headed here, I was already planning the fun I would have. Viking funerals don’t just happen, you know,” he said with a smile.
“Meeting Rose, though, that was a problem. I recognized her from her vid feed. I mean, who wouldn’t recognize Rose? She was famous. She was everything I wanted. And here she was looking for love. She was genuinely looking for love. How could I resist that?
“If there was anyone I would consider my perfect partner in crime, it was Rose Kaitlyn. I could understand her, and she could understand someone like me. I was sure of it. And then hanging out in her cabin every night, holding her in my arms, there was nothing I couldn’t tell her.
“Yet, here we are.” Brad looked back at Thorin. “The guy who’s gonna save her life…” He turned to me. “The hero… and me. How do you like them apples?”
The cave echoed with the sound of rain pounding on the limestone outside. The storm was picking up again.
“I’m not a hero,” I contested.
“Not a hero?” Brad balked. “You couldn’t be more heroic if you were wearing a cape and spandex. It’s no surprise that she chose you. Hell, I would have chosen you if I could.
But then, somewhere in there I got confused. I began to believe that I could be you. If I was, maybe Rose would look at me half the way she looked at you.” Brad huffed and looked into the reddening sky.
Firmly gripping his gun, he turned facing Rose. “Be honest with me. Am I next?”
She didn’t reply.
“I saved his life for you, goddammit! I earned the right for it not to be a surprise. I deserve to know!”
Rose hung her head in anguish.
“Leave her alone, Brad,” I said, half-heartedly.
“Yeah. You’re the hero. We get it. But the rest of us aren’t nothing. I mean, we might not be as good as you. But we aren’t trash.”
“You’re next,” Rose said immediately. She didn’t say it with contempt or anger, but with sadness and compassion. His plea had gotten to her.
“I’m sorry,” she concluded, lowering her head into her hands. “I’m so sorry!”
Brad had asked, but he hadn’t been prepared for the answer. His shaking, stilted breath broke my heart as I considered what I could do. As the storm clouds opened and the torrential rains began, I was sure that there was nothing.
Brad took a strained, deep breath and looked out at the reddening light glowing through the howling downpour. His time was short. Staring out, his head bobbed as if making a decision. Turning back, he lifted his gun as he shifted to his feet.
“Brad, what are you doing?” I asked preparing to take him down.
He ignored me and stood over Rose. She looked up, offering no resistance. I was about to launch myself at him when he crouched, and the reddish glow illuminated his face. His cocky smile was back.
Bracing her chin between his thumb and index finger, he oozed charm. This version of him was the one that no one could resist, and Rose listened intently.
“When you think of me, and I know you will, remember me as a hero.”
Rose opened her mouth to speak and got a kiss instead. She squeaked but only for a second. After that, she seemed to be enjoying it. I knew that the last thing that I should be feeling right now was jealousy, but hey! He was kissing my girl!
It was the shock of it that had kept me from responding. By the time the shock wore off, he was done. He stepped away, and Rose’s head wobbled from his kiss.
The way she swayed, the way she touched her lips and looked at him. It was obvious. She was aroused. What the hell was it about him that could turn her on, even now? Incredible!
Hunched over, Brad approached the cave’s opening. He checked the display on the side of his gun.
“What are you doing?” I asked confused.
“I might not be able to scare them all off, but I can take a few of them with me.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, not believing what I was seeing.
“Hey, you aren’t the only one who knows how to be the hero.”
It was dark, but I was pretty sure that he winked at me. After that, he left the cave and entered the storm. He trotted towards the few beasts who took shelter under nearby shrubs, and he did it with full of bravado. In other words, he was Brad.
His shrieking whistle pierced the rainy night. “You all waiting for something? I’m right here,” Brad proclaimed.
One at a time, they woke up. When the others didn’t move, he shot them. When some blocked his way, he shot them, too. With the path clear, he took off into the trees dragging the entire cackle behind him.
We heard three more quick shots and then nothing. Perhaps that was all he had time to get off. I didn’t want to think about the scene that may have followed. What could be worse than being eaten alive? Perhaps Brad considered that and had directed his final shot at himself.
I pulled myself closer to the cave’s opening. No one deserved to die alone, least of all Brad. So, keeping guard, I watched the night sky. No matter what, his suffering was sure to end soon.
It took an unbelievably long time for the sky to approach bright red. I looked back and found Rose shaking. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and she was fighting the chip with everything she had.
I wondered if, this time, she was making a mistake. If he was still alive out there, he probably wasn’t in one piece. I considered telling Rose that, but I didn’t want to break her heart. So instead, I waited for her to let go.
She held on for a while longer. Finally, a crack of lightening flashed through the sky and landed nearby with an explosion. Rose flinched, losing her concentration. It was then that the sky blazed blood red. If he wasn’t before, he was dead now. If nothing else, at least he was at peace.
I looked back at Rose when the sound of her crying filled the cave. I turned to Thorin, who hadn’t made a move towards her. His callousness made me mad.
“Take watch,” I ordered as I worked my way to Rose.
Thorin did as he was told, taking a seat in the opening. He withdrew a gun from his waistband, and I took note of it, wondering how many shots he had left. But then with Thorin’s attention focused outside, I moved beside Rose.
As she sat hugging her legs, I put my arm around her. She fell into my chest. Wrapping her arms around me, she sobbed uncontrollably.
I wasn’t sure how much more of this sorrow she could take. Luckily, it was almost over. Only two of us were left, and even in my weakened state, the compound was less than a day away.
I was planning on making them pay for what they had done to us. I didn’t know how I would do it, but no one responsible was going to leave that compound alive. They were going to die even if I had to die there with them. So, one way or another, this show was going to end tomorrow.
Chapter 13
W hen I woke up the next morning,
the rain had stopped, and most of my pain was gone. I was sure that I could walk on my own if I had to, but I was also feeling lightheaded and weak. Considering that Rose and Thorin felt the same, I contributed it to hunger.
Thorin helped me out of the cave and onto his shoulders. Looking around, everything was lusher and more colorful than before. The calf-high grass stretched with new growth, and the moist soil looked richer. It was a new day, and if I had anything to say about it, it would be our last on the island.
“Let’s go,” I ordered.
Thorin pointed at one of the wet hyena corpses that littered the field in front of the cave.
“Should we eat one of them? We could probably use the protein. You especially,” Thorin suggested.
I remembered my butcher’s knife. I no longer had it. I tried to remember what had happened to it, but my mind struggled to work.
“We don’t have time,” I said. “We can look for mushrooms on the way. We have to make it to the compound before…” I stopped myself. Everyone knew what we were racing.
Although I was sure that I could walk on my own, both Rose and Thorin insisted that I accept their help. I appreciated it. Climbing the hills became much easier with someone to lean on.
After an hour of walking, we found the mushrooms that Brad had once described to me. We collected a few and took a break to eat them. It wasn’t much, but it did clear our heads. I felt much stronger after that. I was beginning to feel ready for what lay ahead.
When the compound was finally in front of us, I felt a surge of both relief and anger. We had lost so much to get here. All I could think about now was revenge.
From the edge of the jungle two hundred feet away, we came up with a plan. The compound was bigger than it had appeared from the foot of the tower. It was also surrounded by another eight-foot chain link fence topped with curling razor wire.
“A place like this one would need a security team of between six and twelve. Let’s assume the worst. And we should expect them to be armed.”
“What are we going to do about that?” Thorin asked. “We have one gun between us.”
“Give me the gun,” I told him. “I’ll find a way to even the odds.”
Thorin looked at me uncomfortably.
“Do you think we even have a chance here?” Thorin asked. “If you’re saying that there are twelve of them and three of us and you’re injured, then don’t you think that we should, maybe, figure something else out?”
Thorin didn’t exactly seem nervous, but it was obvious that he was going to need some convincing.
“Look, one of two things is gonna happen. Either, they’ve been watching and listening to everything through the chips, and they’re inside waiting for us. Or, they were using the pawns as cameras, and they’ve lost track of us for the past three days. If we’re lucky, it’s the latter. ‘Cause otherwise, things are gonna turn bad for you real fast.”
“How do we get in?” Rose asked, quickly changing the topic.
“There’s a gate,” I said, pointing at a truck entrance. “I suggest starting there.”
“There’s gotta be cameras watching the place, right? Or maybe bots like the ones guarding my cabin?” Rose asked.
“We’ve been here for ten minutes, and there’s been no movement. And as for cameras, there’s nothing on the corner fence poles, and nothing projecting from the roof.”
“Okay,” Rose conceded. “Let’s say we get past the fence and the guards, and we get in. What do we do then?”
“Thorin?” I asked, turning to the man who stared pensively at the compound.
Thorin turned to us, struggling to catch up with the conversation. “We, umm… Well, if this is some sort of monitoring headquarters, I’m guessing it’ll have a chipping room.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s where someone like me puts in and takes out the chips. You’ll know it when you see it. It will have a chair with a large arm coming from it. It will kind of look like a dentist office.”
“Okay. Here we go. Are we ready to do this?” I looked at the two of them for confirmation. Thorin turned to Rose, giving her a knowing look. “Is there a problem, Rose?”
She opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind. “No. Nothing. I’m ready.”
“If you have something to ask, this is the time. You might not get another chance.”
Rose looked down as if searching the ground. “I was just wondering if it was necessary to remove the chip.” I looked at her, surprised. “I mean, yeah, we turn it off. But, can we leave the chips in? At least mine?”
Not knowing what to say, I turned to Thorin. He seemed to be fighting an awkward smile.
“I just put them in and take them out. I don’t know how to turn them off. That was another department.”
“Rose, why would you wanna leave it in?” I asked, confused.
She looked at me and then lowered her eyes again.
“It’s nothing. Never mind. Forget I asked.”
I touched her arm, prompting her to look up at me. “No. Please, tell me.”
Her eyes bounced between Thorin and me and then with a deep breath settled on the ground. “It’s just that once you take your chip out, you can’t put another one in. I’ve had one since I was eighteen years old. That’s my entire adult life. It’s defined me. I don’t know who I am without it.”
I understood. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it, hoping it would give her comfort. “You think that everything you have is because of your chip. And without it, you’ll lose everything. But you won’t. You can’t lose me. I’m never going anywhere.”
She looked like she wanted to smile but couldn’t. Instead, her eyes dipped again. I bounced her hand hoping to reclaim her attention. She looked up at me, exasperated.
“You say that now. But what about when you learn other things about me. It’s not like you know me. I haven’t always made the right decision. What happens when you see the real me, and you decide that you don’t like it?”
Her head tilted in gentle vulnerability, and my heart melted. I squeezed her hand as I spoke.
“And what happens when you see the real me, and you decide that you don’t like it?”
“Then you’ll return to your life. And without a chip, what will I return to? Being a camera is all I am. I’ve never been anything else.” Her voice hitched as she fought back her emotions.
How could I convince her that I would never leave her? How could I show her that I would give up my life for her?
“Rose, I’ve seen you with my life in your hands. I know you.”
She tightened her lips and placed her palm on my chest. Her touch was warm honey. But even as it poured through me, she looked like didn’t understand.
This time, my eyes dipped. I didn’t know what else to say, so I just spoke from my heart.
“I’m a simple man. And I don’t try to be more than that. I was taught that when you say you’re gonna do something, you do it; no matter how hard, and no matter the consequences. And I’m telling you, Rose, if you fall, I will always be there to catch you.
“You said that you don’t know what love is. This is love. I love you. And I will never stop loving you… even if you stop loving me.”
Her face barely changed. Had I gotten through to her? I wasn’t sure.
I turned to Thorin whose eyes had wilted with sadness. In the moment, I had forgotten about him.
I considered everything Rose and I had just said to each other. If he did have feelings for her, what he had just witnessed would have hurt. Hell, if I had just watched Rose say the same thing to someone else, the pain would have driven me insane. There was no telling what I would have done in response.
Nonetheless, I had kept my eye on Thorin since he had come back. He hadn’t said or done anything that indicated that he had real feelings for her.
I knew his type. Thorin was like the techs who worked on the Tods. They were more interested in schematics than women. In fact, I had n
o idea how Thorin had ended up on the island with the rest of us. Boredom, maybe? Didn’t he say something about wanting to have fun on a game show?
In any case, I was sure that what he cared about most was getting home. Once he was surrounded by his little machines and devices, whatever feelings he had for Rose would vanish. I envied his simple life.
“I want you to remove my chip,” Rose told the pale man.
Looking pained, Thorin’s eyes continued to droop. “Are you sure about that? What about your vid feed and all of your fans?”
“I can’t risk anyone else’s life,” Rose said gently.
“But, the people who watch you…” he argued.
Rose put her hand on his forearm, silencing him. “Thorin, I can’t risk your life.”
I watched as whatever hope Thorin had was ripped away. It affected him more than I thought it would, but I knew he would be fine. Perhaps it would even motivate him to help us save his life.
“Okay. I’ll take it out,” Thorin conceded.
“Then we’re set. There’s only one thing left.” I faced Thorin. “I need the gun.”
He was slow to respond. I didn’t know if he was still processing Rose’s news or if he didn’t trust me with the gun. But I held out my hand, making it easier for him. He looked down at my palm dazed.
When he still didn’t move, I considered my options if he became a problem. Rose interrupted my thoughts.
“Thorin,” she began. “Ford was in the military. He was Special Forces. He’s the best person to have the gun.”
Thorin looked at me surprised. “You were in the military?”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“Did you tell anyone that?” Thorin asked strangely.
“No. It’s something that I don’t normally talk about.”
“Don’t you think that might have been important?” Thorin questioned, becoming angry.
“Important to people on a game show? No, I didn’t.”
“You should have told someone,” Thorin concluded, clearly unnerved.