Jade shook her head. “If we start trying to get out they’ll just switch our bracelets on. They could kill us in seconds.”
“If we all try to escape,” said Patrick, “we will end up dead. At least if we play the game two of us might live. Or maybe even just one, but that’s better than none.”
Damien kept thinking about the notion of escaping. It was a pretty pointless pursuit, but something kept tickling at the edges of his mind, a thought trying to find its way to his brain.
He stood up from the sofa and went over to the kitchen. While he was still trying to grasp the thing that was niggling at him, he looked around at the cupboards and appliance. He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for but his gaze settled on some old egg shells and a carton of milk. An empty bottle of wine lay on its side on one of the counters.
That was when it occurred to him.
The alcohol. They’ve been restocking the pantry. They even left bandages and anti-septic in there for Richard earlier.
As Damien thought about the housemate’s recent movements, he became certain that nobody from the outside had entered the house, which meant that the only way they could restock the pantry was if they did so from outside.
There must be a door at the back of the pantry. There has to be for them to keep filling up the room with alcohol and supplies.
Damien turned his gaze slowly to the pantry door. He wondered if he was being watched right now, recorded by the unseen cameras that must have adorned the many corners of the house.
Slowly, he inched towards the pantry, letting out a soft whistle to try and act like he was just killing time and going through his thoughts. He started to think about his next move. Even if he found a secret doorway, it would likely be locked. Even if it wasn’t, he was still at a massive disadvantage due to the toxic bracelets clamped around his wrists.
Still, like Catherine said, I think I would rather go down fighting. If I can take a few lumps out of my captors then all the better.
Damien positioned himself in front of the pantry door and placed his fingers around the handle. He pushed down and pulled the door open carefully.
“What are you doing?” Danni called over to him.
Damien flinched and spun around. He realised that his heart was beating fast. He had to talk slowly in order to remain calm. He gave Danni a smile. “Just looking for some snacks,” he said.
“We’ve put them all in the cupboards. What do you fancy?”
“I erm…was just looking if there was anything else. They might have restocked us.”
“I checked a little while ago,” said Jade. “But you can grab us another bottle of wine if you’d like.”
Damien nodded. “Will do.” He turned back to the pantry. The door had closed when he span around, so he opened it again and looked inside. Other than a few crates of beer and several bottles of wine and some liquor, there was nothing inside except for empty space. He examined the cramped area, searching for a doorway or hatch. All he found was smooth walls on all sides.
His head dropped. He let out a sigh.
How the hell are they getting into the pantry if not through a door or hatchway?
As Damien’s gaze fell to the floor, he spotted something. The bottom of the pantry was carpeted. The raggedy beige pile went from the doorway up to the back of the closet-like space. On the left and right of the floor the carpet curled up against the skirting board, but at the back of the closet it did not – it was flat. The reason it remained flat was because it went right under the wall and continued to a space beyond. The wall at the back of the pantry was not a solid structure. It had been placed down on top of the carpet.
It’s a partition. Maybe they just slide it away or pull it back from the other side.
Carefully, hoping that the cameras were not picking up the inside of the small room, Damien rapped his knuckles against the partition wall. It rattled and vibrated. It was not secure.
Without thinking about the consequences, Damien rocked back and kicked out as hard as he could. The partition skidded backwards along the carpet and then fell flat with a whomph of air escaping from underneath.
Damien wandered into the secret room and had no time to react as the man in black overalls struck him in the face. He tumbled into the wall and tripped over the tangle of his own legs. He slid down to the floor, looking up to see that he was in some kind of storage room. There was a heavy, steel door at the far end.
The man in black overalls hopped forward and booted Damien in the chin. “The game isn’t over yet, son! So you’re going to get your ass back in that house and play along.”
Damien spat blood and scowled up at the man. “I’m done being your bitch. You want to kill me, do it now. Tell whoever arranged this to go suck off a tramp because that’s all they’re good for!”
The man in black overalls took a run up and swung another kick at Damien’s face. Damien managed to tumble aside and avoid the blow. With the other man off balance, he scrambled up to his feet and got himself some space to fight back.
He put his dukes up and spat some more blood onto the carpet. “Come on then, fuckface. Let’s see how hard you really are.”
The man in black overalls glared at Damien and then came right at him.
Damien fought dirty. He faked a wide hook with his right, but jabbed out with his left and struck the man in the throat, who immediately stumbled backwards, choking and spluttering.
Damien lashed out again and kicked the man’s legs from under him, sending him crashing onto his back, now winded as well as choking. Damien stood over him, reading to put the man down for good. “You ain’t shit, son,” he said, raising his foot ready to stamp.
Pain shot through Damien’s wrists. He staggered sideways and then fell to his knees. There was fire in his veins. The bracelets had activated. His body was being flooded with the toxin. He clawed at them, ripping off a layer of skin.
This is it! They’re going to kill me.
Least I got a few digs in.
The man in black overalls hacked and coughed, caught his breath. He climbed back to his feet and grabbed a hold of Damien’s collar. He began dragging him along the floor like a bag of sand.
Upside down, Damien’s head fell back and he saw the other housemates standing in the entryway he’d created when he’d kicked down the partition wall.
“Get back inside the house now!” The man in black overalls shouted at them all. “Or you will all be dead in less than one minute.”
To Damien’s disappointment, the other housemates all complied. They scampered back inside and allowed the man in black overalls to drag him through the pantry and into the kitchen.
“Why are you doing this?” Danni whimpered.
“Shut up. Everybody go and sit on the sofa.”
Damien moaned as he was harshly dumped on the tiled floor of the kitchen. The man in black overalls stared down at him and shook his head. “You just made a big fucking mistake.”
The man in black overalls left.
Damien lay on his side and moaned. Danni leapt up from the sofa and came running over to him. She knelt down beside him. “Are you okay? Did they poison you?”
“Y…yeah, but I think I’m okay. The pain is going away. They must have activated the collar.”
Jules had come over, too, and was staring at Damien with worried eyes. “What did you do? What just happened?”
He sat up and caught his breath. “I found a secret compartment. I didn’t think about it, just tried to get through.”
“But didn’t you think that they would just use the bracelets to control you?”
“Of course I did, but I didn’t care. I wanted to do something to fight back.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t do the same,” said Catherine. “Perhaps that was our only chance.”
“What could we have done?” Patrick asked. “Nothing, that’s what.”
“Would have been worth trying.”
“No point talking about it now,” said Richar
d. “It’s done.”
Feeling a little better, Damien managed to climb up onto his feet. He stumbled forwards but caught himself on the kitchen counter. He held himself there as he addressed the rest of the group.
“These people deserve to pay,” he told them. “Whatever any of us has done in the past, nobody has the right to judge us outside of the law. Whoever is running this show is obviously getting rich by hosting some sort of revenge-a-thon. While you might not admit it, I’m sure some of you can probably work out who has placed you here?”
Everyone averted their eyes and shifted nervously on the spot.
Damien nodded. “Right, well, whether we admit to it or not, there is still a murderer, a predator, a peddler, a crusader, a whore, a traitor, an abuser, and a cheat here. We have all been bought and paid for. Do you really think they’re going to let the winner go? What about the person that paid to see their death? Do they get a refund?”
“Who cares?” Richard said, bashing his hand down on the counter and wincing as he realised it was his burnt one. “We can’t do anything. We try to take a shit without their approval and they can kill us dead. These bleedin’ bracelets…”
Damien nodded. “I know. We are in a bad situation. All I am asking you to do is to seize an opportunity if one presents itself. If you get a chance to fight back, take it. That’s what I did. At least now I can die knowing that I kicked that pussy’s ass. Even more satisfying is that he knows I kicked his ass, too. Even if only for a few minutes, I took back the power they had over me.”
Danni blew air into her cheeks and then let out a chuckle. “Alright, Damien. If I have a chance to scratch their eyes out, I promise I’ll take it.”
“Me too,” said Tracey.
“And me,” said Jules in a quiet whimper.
“Don’t have to tell me,” said Jade. “I would have done that anyway. These wankers have it coming to them.”
Catherine and Patrick didn’t speak, they both just nodded.
Richard stared at Damien for a long time. It started to become uncomfortable but then he finally decided to speak. “For once I agree with you. I got a lot of respect for what you just did. Pity you didn’t kill the bastard.”
Damien huffed. “Believe me, I was only seconds away.”
“HOUSEMATE DAMIEN, YOU HAVE COMMITED A GROSS VIOLATION OF THE COMPETITION RULES. YOU TRIED TO ESCAPE. THIS CONSTITUTES A FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE.”
Damien leant back against the kitchen counter and ran a hand through his short hair. “Then kill me then. I’m done with this.”
“ALL HOUSEMATES WILL BE PUNISHED. YOU HAVE EXACTLY THREE MINUTES UNTIL YOUR BRACELETS RELEASE A LETHAL DOSE OF TOXIN. YOU WILL ALL DIE.”
“Goddamnit!” Richard yanked at his left bracelet, but of course it was useless. He glared at Damien. “Good job fixing it, hero. Now we’re all going to die.”
“Why would they do this?” asked Danni. “Their whole plan is ruined if they kill us all.”
“This can’t be happening,” said Damien. The burden of putting his peers in jeopardy was already crushing him. “It doesn’t make sense. I broke the rules, not any of you.”
“Maybe your escape attempt screwed everything up,” said Jade. “Maybe they can’t continue with the game now that you found a way out.”
Everybody fumbled with their bracelets, the conversation now over as desperation set in and doom approached. They all knew trying to get the shackles off would be futile, but the alternative was to stand there and accept death.
“HOUSEMATES, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES UNTIL YOU DIE. IF YOU WISH TO LIVE, YOU MUST CHOOSE A SINGLE HOUSEMATE TO SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE THE REST OF YOU. EITHER ONE OF YOU DIES VOLUNTARILY WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MINUTES, OR YOU WILL ALL DIE.”
Jules shook her head. “What? They want us to kill someone?”
Damien sighed. His empty stomach grumbled. “This is my true punishment for breaking the rules. Best way to break someone’s will is to make them watch while their actions hurt those close to him. Well, I don’t expect any of you to pay for my decisions. I should be the one to die.”
“No way,” said Danni. “You said we were going to stand up to them.”
Damien headed over to the kitchen’s cutlery drawer. He looked each of them in the eye. “And I hope that you do stand up to them. I already have. I can die with my self-respect intact.”
“HOUSEMATES, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE.”
“What do we do?” Tracey asked.
“Nothing,” said Damien. “Let me handle this.” He rooted around in the drawer and pulled out a serrated bread knife. It wasn’t very sharp but he thought it would do the job if he sawed hard enough on his wrist.
“You can’t do this,” said Danni. “We need you.”
“There’s nothing I can do for you. I’m obviously here for a reason; because I hurt somebody. Perhaps I deserve to die.”
“HOUSEMATES, THIRTY SECONDS.”
“Don’t do it, Damien,” Danni said.
“Screw that,” said Jade. “If he doesn’t do it then we all die.”
“I can’t watch,” said Jules, turning herself away.
Damien held the knife against his wrist, just below the steel bracelet. He sucked in a mouthful of air and tried to steel himself. It was going to hurt, he knew that, but so would the toxin if it was released. He couldn’t let other people die because of him.
I’m sorry I let you down, Harry.
“TEN SECONDS, HOUSEMATES.”
Damien held the knife tightly and clamped down on his lower lip with his teeth.
Sod it! Let’s get this over with.
There was a loud cracking noise.
Damien looked up just as Catherine slumped to the floor like a ragdoll. Her head was twisted around at an unhealthy angle and her body was totally limp.
Damien’s mouth dropped open. “Wha…?”
Richard stared down at the dead old lady at his feet and snorted through his nose like a bull.
“What did you do?” Damien demanded.
“What had to be done. I’d rather have a young guy with some balls on my side than an old dear with rust on her pussy. It was nothing personal. Someone had to die and I chose the weak link. You’re welcome.”
“You broke her neck,” said Jules, looking like she might faint. “How did you even know how to do that?”
Richard smirked like a lizard. “Two places you can learn to do that, sweetheart – prison and the army – and I’ve spent time in both.”
“HOUSEMATES, THE COMPETITION WILL CONTINUE. THERE WILL BE NO TASKS TOMORROW.”
Damien placed the knife carefully down on the counter. “You shouldn’t have done that, Richard. I was willing to die.”
“Tough luck. Guess I thought that if anybody is going to risk their neck getting us out of here, it’s you. Can’t do that if you’re dead.”
“Still, you had no right.”
Richard obviously didn’t want to discuss it any longer because he walked away. Damien glanced down at Catherine’s body and felt genuine sadness for the old lady. His reckless actions had gotten her killed and she had seemed like such a nice old lady.
Five minutes later, Damien’s opinion of Catherine changed.
5
The video on the viewing screen was from a hidden camera inside an old person’s bedroom. The elderly gentleman was frail and wispy beneath the rumpled sheets of his bed.
A nurse entered the room. The woman was obviously a slightly younger Catherine. She was wheeling a service tray in front of her and picked up a bowl from its surface.
Then she went over to the old man and held the bowl beneath his wrinkled chin. With a spoon she scooped out some of the contents and held it to his lips.
The old man turned his head. He did not want any.
Catherine’s body stiffened and she took another scoop from the bowl. Then she rammed it into the old man’s mouth, almost choking him. He thrashed and struggled on the bed, but was too frail to resist as Catherine forced several more sc
oops into his mouth.
Once she was satisfied, Catherine tipped the bowl into the old man’s lap and walked away. The video had no sound, but it was obvious that the man was crying out in agony as the scolding hot broth saturated his bed sheets.
Catherine left the room with her trolley. She seemed to be smiling.
The video ended. The word ABUSER appeared beneath Catherine’s picture.
Day 5
Even though everybody was safe for at least a day, the tension had not gone away. The group was now down to just six – exactly half of the group they started with. The missing housemate’s absence weighed heavily on those remaining. Jules had taken to crying frequently while Richard had started pacing the perimeter of the courtyard over and over.
Damien had dragged Catherine’s body into the bedroom across the courtyard. He placed her on top of one of the scummy mattresses and left her alone, just like she had left the old man in the video. Her death may have been partly Damien’s fault, but he didn’t care. Catherine had been an evil person.
And so was everybody else that’s died in here.
Does that mean that the remaining housemates are evil, too?
Am I evil?
Murderer, whore, peddler, crusader, predator, and cheat.
Which one am I? And which ones are they?
I don’t know if I can trust any of them.
Damien headed back into the living area and joined the other housemates. They had all worked together on making a stew and it was now ready. The smell of boiling beef and vegetables was mouth-watering. With all that had happened, Damien had not eaten half as much as he usually would have.
“Grub’s up,” said Richard, offering him a bowl.
Damien took it and went and ladled himself a portion. It was bland and rubbery. It needed salt and better meat. Still, it filled the void in his stomach and instantly made him feel stronger. He could almost feel the nutrients floating through his bloodstream.
“How you holding up?” Danni asked him.
“Better now that I’ve eaten.”
“And at least we have the day off.”
Damien frowned. “I wouldn’t call it that. A reprieve maybe, but not a ‘day off’.”
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