by KC Kean
“So, place all guns in the boxes please, then walk straight through the metal detectors.” He points in the direction of the table just before the entry, where we silently lock our guns away in the metal boxes. Squeezing Luna’s hand as I pass her, I step up to the armed security guards first, both of which are wearing the classic black hoodies with the bright red F.A. embroidered on the front.
The guard on the left nods for me to continue through the metal detector and the light stays green. Sadly, it doesn’t stop the second guard from stepping up to pat me down. I stand still, my legs shoulder-width apart, as he makes quick work of patting up my arms, down my abdomen and legs. He yanks the bottom of my combat pants up as he pats my ankle, finding my blade neatly tucked in my ankle holster.
“Harris, you need to be more fucking specific. Guns and knives in the box,” he grunts, pulling my blade out and putting it in another box. I keep my facial expression neutral, as I glance over my shoulders at the others.
Harris scurries around collecting the blades from Luna, Roman, Parker, Oscar, and even Rafe, before rushing them through the security.
“Let them through, I’ve got it all here. They’ll be late,” Harris mutters, and the security guys wave them through. “Go to your right, then take a left at the end.” We don’t hang around.
“Rafe Gibbs, you absolute mastermind,” Oscar whispers, a wide grin on his face as he lightly taps under his right arm. Indicating where they each have hidden the undetectable guns West had given us before The Games. Rafe mentioned the new security measure before we left, so they all carried them except me, and Featherstone’s security fell straight into our trap.
Roman brushes his arm against mine when we step around the corner, out of sight, handing mine over. I quickly hide the gun in my holster too, under my arm, discreetly hidden by my hoodie.
“Thanks,” I murmur, as I slow my pace to walk with my Sakura before everything gets crazy in here. As if anticipating my move, her arm wraps around my waist from behind, her lips planting a light kiss to my cheek without missing a step.
My arm goes around her shoulders, as I return the touch, kissing the crown of her head. Approaching the doors at the end of the hallway, noise seeps through from the other side. The level of chatter and music instantly has me on high alert compared to the eerily quiet setting of The Tunnel.
We glance at each other, silently communicating our love and appreciation, before Rafe pushes open the door. My eyes scan the room, trying to take everything in at once, but there is too much happening. Blinking, I take a deep breath, categorizing what is going on.
Even though we entered the warehouse on the ground floor, it’s all open. From the ground to the ceiling is possibly four stories high, but the floor opens below, a further five stories deep, reminding me of a Roman Colosseum. The center looks like where The Game will actually take place, on the other side of a metal fence.
There are Featherstone associates everywhere, people pushing and shoving to get a good view. When I glance back up, there are people looking down from all levels, watching what will happen below. If they don’t have a clear view, there are large television screens that display a countdown on them, with the words ‘The Slums’ flashing across the screen too.
“This way please!” some guy yells in front of me, and I follow his lead, dropping my hand from Luna’s shoulder to take her hand, squeezing tight. I feel eyes observing us, as we pass through the crowd, and down the metal staircase to our right.
As soon as we hit the ground level, the members of The Ring and the other students watch as we enter the space.
“How nice of you to join us,” John Dietrichson complains, but no one pays him any attention, although I see Luna rolling her green eyes in annoyance.
“Welcome to The Slums!” Harris Franks calls out from behind us, breathing heavily as he tries to catch his breath, worn out from running down the stairs. I walk us over to stand with the other participants, as Rafe stays with the other family members.
Luna waits beside Taylor Doherty, who is giving Parker some flirty eyes. I don’t want to point this out to Luna right now, she’ll likely have Taylor’s head before we even get inside. The girl is lucky Luna doesn’t catch her.
“Who is ready for The Slums? Room upon room, all different in sizes, jam-packed with different dangers that await you. The aim is to survive for the next hour, as The Slums take your blood, sweat, and tears.” He points his hand behind him to large steel doors that have six different types of locks, ensuring they stay shut when all of us have entered.
“When the horn sounds, the game is over. Weapons can be found inside, since we took your weapons upon arrival. Any questions?” He looks at each student, but no one offers a response. Some are bloodthirsty, while others look nervous. “Okay then, if you’d like to walk around the perimeter, each group has a separate entry. The televisions above the door will count down to notify you when you can enter.” Clapping his hands, he’s done.
Luna pulls me to follow her, and the guys step up beside us.
“We read about The Slums,” I murmur, trying to remember what we learned.
“I remember,” Parker says, and we all slow our pace as we try to prepare ourselves. “From what the experiences said, it’s literally a maze leading from room to room. I think someone said there are a lot of Featherstone members in there ready to attack, and it’s one of the bloodiest games there is in The Games.”
No one says anymore, as we see the television above the next set of doors with STEELE flashing across the screen.
This is it. Game two of three, all we have to do is survive this, by any means necessary. Kissing Luna’s knuckles, I release my hold on her as I bounce on the balls of my feet, preparing to enter together.
That’s what matters the most, being together. Strength in numbers, in family.
Red numbers suddenly pop up on the screen, and I glance at my brothers and my Sakura. We’re all focused and ready to go. Determination is clear on everyone's faces.
Three … Two … One …
CHAPTER NINETEEN
(Roman)
The screen flickers green as it reads ‘GO,’ turning into a live feed of what’s happening in The Slums. I can’t see exactly what is showing on there, since we’re being forced inside. Kai stays in front of Luna, while Oscar and Parker stand at her side, and I take up the back. We know she can handle herself, but it’s still instinctive to protect what’s ours, and she is everything we have.
The doors slam shut behind us, and I hear the locks activate. It’s dark in here, not pitch black like The Tunnel was, but the lighting is sparse. The room we’ve stepped into is tiny, it’s barely able to fit us all in, with five blades and five blunt objects lined up on the wall for us to choose from. The hard cement floor makes the room feel colder almost, as the smell of oil and smoke fills my lungs. It’s eerily quiet in here, but the door straight ahead will lead to chaos, I can feel it.
Luna steps up to the wall first, eyeing the end of each silvery blade before choosing the slim Japanese dagger style option, just like she had in The Pyramid when she killed Tyler. She moves over to the opposite wall, leaving us to decide on our blades. I catch sight of a hunting knife, similar to what I had to hand over upon entry. Its brown leather handle feels good in my hand, as the steel blade almost shimmers in the darkness. Adding it to my knife sheath, I move out of the way.
In silence, we prepare ourselves for what may come, all stocked up with our weapons of choice. Each of us with a different type of blade, along with our blunt objects. Oscar has a baseball bat, Kai holds the wooden martial art tonfa, Luna has her kali sticks, while Parker is gripping the end of a baton, and I have my hammer.
Static sounds from behind us, gaining our attention. A television also hangs on this side of the door, and we watch as Harris Franks comes into focus.
“I hope you are all ready, because your time starts,” he looks down at his watch, dragging out the whole thing before grinning at the camera. “N
ow.” As the words pass his lips, the door at the other side of the room swings open, revealing flickering lights in a room painted with red walls.
Luna goes to step through the door first, but Parker is quick to move in front of her. I can’t see her reaction, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure she’s rolling her eyes at him.
As I follow them into the new room the heat surprises me. The decor reminds me of a scene pulled straight out of a sixties horror movie. An old-fashioned bedroom with dark wooden dressers and an armoire pushed against the wall. I also notice black and white pictures taped to every surface. Literally everything, the walls, the dresser, only the floor is clear. A bed is set up in the corner of the room, old floral bed sheets covering it, and straightened to perfection. As I continue to assess the room, I spot the next door across from us. We appear to be alone, but it’s something in the photos that catches my eye.
Stepping in front of the dark oak dresser, my stomach drops at what each picture shows. That sick motherfucker, I’ll kill him when we get out of here. My pulse thunders in my ears as rage engulfs me. I feel Luna step beside me, and a slight gasp passes her lips, and I hate that there is nothing I can do to stop it.
Every single photo shows Luna, Oscar, and Parker fucking. Pictures upon pictures of the moment they shared, knowing Rico might have been watching. We’ll never know if he watched them live or not, but from the photo’s before us, he captured every intimate moment. From the second they stepped into the room, to the still frame of me aiming my gun at the camera.
“Holy shit,” Oscar whispers, and Luna giggles, fucking giggles.
“Hot, right?” She responds, and it takes me a moment to catch up.
“Wait… You're not upset?” I ask wearily, looking at the others for confirmation, as Luna moves both of her sticks to one hand so she can squeeze my shoulder.
“Baby, we stepped into that room knowing he would likely see us, and I don’t regret it. Look at them,” she says, stroking a hand over a picture of Oscar and Parker standing beside the bed, Luna between them, as they both thrust inside of her. Luna’s head is thrown back in ecstasy, with pleasure evident on each of their faces.
She’s right. It’s hot as hell, intimate, perfect. I look down at her to see she’s already smiling up at me. Oscar and Parker look completely unfazed too. I take an extra moment to study Parker’s face, making sure he’s not internally breaking down, but he offers a grin, showing he’s okay.
“They placed these here to catch us off-guard, send us into a fit of rage and make us sloppy,” Kai mutters, and I nod in agreement.
“We’re not going to let them get to us like that,” Luna insists. “And if we had time right now, we’d fuck against these pictures just to show them we don’t care, but we have weapons for a reason.” A smile ghosts across her lips.
“And I’d rather Granny Steele and Rafe didn’t castrate me when we get out of here,” Parker adds, and I shake my head.
A boom sounds from the other side of the next door, breaking our conversation and sending us all on high alert, weapons raised and ready for action. Hardcore, heavy bass music suddenly surrounds us, thumping in our ears, stopping us from being able to hear anyone approach. Something hits the other side of the wall, which ricochets in front of us.
Kai walks up to the door, gripping the handle. Luna is right behind him, as Parker and Oscar stand further in the room with me. He looks to us for confirmation before swinging the door open. Luna jumps back as a body flops to the floor at her feet.
“Is that …?”
“Yeah,” I murmur in response to Luna, as we all look at Neil Portman, with his hands chopped off, and eyeballs gouged out. Blood pours from his body like a river, as we stand there and stare in shock. We’ve barely been in here for fifteen minutes. How the hell does he look like this already?
Suddenly, an axe comes flying through the open door, skimming past Kai’s head as it lodges into the dresser behind us.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Without missing a beat, we all rush to help Kai, but with his usual calm demeanor he pulls the blade from the holster at his waist, and with a casual flick of his wrist, the knife leaves his hand. Racing to the door to support him, I watch as a guy dressed in a white lab coat covered in blood, drops to his knees on the opposite end of the room.
Kai’s blade sticks out of the assailant's chest, right where his heart is, looking down at the wound in shock. Watching the color drain from his face, red seeps into his lab coat, and I sigh in relief. Standing before Kai, I check him over, making sure he wasn’t cut. With a shake of his head, I know he’s fine. Patting him on the shoulder, I step further into the room, alone.
Blood splatter is on every surface, with what looks like intestines and other organs cluttering the countertops. A hospital bed lays in the center of the larger room, Neil’s hands, eyeballs, and tongue thrown casually on top. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else in here, as I scan every inch of the hospital like room. I notice bloodied tools haphazardly placed across a silver tray on the countertop, which were likely used on Neil.
Fuck, this scene is even making me queasy.
A television flickers on, hanging from a wall mount in the corner of the room, with Rico’s face filling the screen. Darkness surrounds him, giving nothing else away.
“I’ll put fifty thousand dollars on the table for whoever kills Parker fucking Manetti, and another fifty thousand dollars to whoever hands over that sweet piece of ass, Luna Steele,” he sneers. “Totem may want you for the movement, little moon, but I want to hear you scream when I fuck you raw.” His words make me cringe as the screen goes black again, leaving us to stand in shock.
Wide-eyed, I turn back to see Luna step through the door with Parker and Oscar right behind her. The music seems louder, making it harder to think, never mind trying to have a conversation, forcing us to shout to each other.
“I’ll kill him with my bare hands,” Oscar growls loudly, and I’m onboard with one of us forcing him to take his last breath, especially after he just put a hit out on Parker.
“Are you okay?” Luna asks, running a hand up his chest to cup his face.
Nodding in response, I’m surprised to see Parker so calm and collected, as he smiles down at her.
“Honestly, angel, I’m okay. Fuck him and his threat.”
Searching around the room, we need a plan. It doesn’t help that we don’t know what is beyond the next door, or how many people are actually in The Slums, with the exception of the Featherstone Academy teams.
“Everyone have your weapons ready. If people weren’t coming for us already, they are now,” I shout over the music, and everyone focuses. Gripping my hammer in my right hand, I pull my blade into my left hand, ready for whatever happens next.
We were fucking made for this, trained for this, no one gets to stop us now. Staying here isn’t an option, because we’re still too close to our entrance. If anyone is familiar with the layout of The Slums, they’ll know where to find us.
Walking to the door, I look back at everyone, standing as though they’re in a cage, ready to fight. I take that as my cue to move forward. Kicking the door, it flies open, bouncing off the wall. A revving sound groans out over the pumping music, and I try to place the noise.
“Is that a chainsaw?” Kai asks, and my jaw drops a little at the fact he’s right. I shouldn’t be surprised by the lengths Featherstone will go to, but a chainsaw, really?
Stepping cautiously through the door, I’m surprised to find a hallway instead of another room. Nothing but flickering lights to my left, I turn to check to the right. The space is too dark to see clearly, the walls painted black, absorbing all the light from the space.
Looking further to the right, I notice a guy with a damn chainsaw running, arms raised high in the air. He’s coming from the dark abyss, the chain reflecting off the minimal lighting we have. The whole scene is straight out of a Halloween movie.
Noticing my movement, he starts to head in our direct
ion, picking up speed as he approaches.
“Watch out!” I shout, ducking as he reaches us. I feel a forceful breeze brush the side of my face, as the guide bar cuts through the air. Not wanting to trip him into the others, I manage to back myself against the wall, lowering even more as he swings the chainsaw down towards me. As it comes down, the nose lodges into the wall above me, stopping his movement.
Not missing my opportunity, I thrust my blade straight into his stomach, the rev of the chainsaw cuts off as he releases the throttle, screaming in pain. Pulling the blade back, I stab him again, readying my hammer.
I don’t look to see where the others are, I just need to end this threat right now. With adrenaline kicking in even higher, I bring myself to my feet in one swift motion, swinging the hammer around with me. The crunch as it connects with his skull is swallowed up by the music pumping around us. I watch as his body slumps down the wall, blood splattering in his path.
My breathing is heavy as I try to focus on everything else around me. Parker is crouched on the other side of the dead guy, while Kai is at the opposite end of the hall, holding Freddie Richards back, as they swing their weapons at each other.
I catch sight of Luna sweeping her hair out of her face as the door to her left opens. Taylor races out, covered in blood and screaming. In slow motion, I watch Luna step to the side as a guy dressed all in black with a ski mask on, runs out of the room from behind her, a butcher knife in hand while he lunges for Taylor.
Luna doesn’t question what to do next, she jumps, wrapping her arms around the murderous guy's neck, dropping her wooden kali sticks in the process, to pull her blade from her hip. As he pins Taylor to the wall, ready to bring the knife down on her, Luna drags her blade straight across his throat.
Blood bursts from the wound, instantly covering Taylor in her attacker’s gore, who stares in shock at the scene in front of her. Stumbling back, his hands grip his neck, while Luna falls to her knees beside him. This is turning into a serious bloodbath, and all I can hear is Taylor’s screams echoing in my ears.