Chapter 93: HCA- Play My Game
It got worse. The water that was at our feet just a few minutes ago was now up to our knees and rising. It was moving slowly, but it was steady. We had no access to the internet, no signal, and no coach around. Everyone was splashing around, desperately trying to find a way to break that indestructible door, but the metal didn’t even have a scratch on it.
I noticed Princess had gone quiet. She was standing still, staring at the rising waterline with a look I hadn’t seen on her face before. I dragged my legs through the heavy, cold water to meet her, the resistance making every step a struggle.
"Are you okay?" I asked, reaching for her arm.
"I would be lying if I said yes, Omega. We shouldn’t have come to this hotel in the first place. I should have known something was off," she said. Her voice was low, and for once, she didn’t sound like the boss of everyone.
"Hey, it’s going to be fine. We won’t be trapped here for long. Someone will notice we’re missing," I said, holding her hand. I squeezed it tight, trying to give her some of my own strength. I knew she was panicking inside, even if she was trying her best to stay calm for us all.
"I just hope nothing happens to you. And the pups," she muttered, her eyes dropping to my stomach for a split second.
Just as I was about to respond, to try and reassure her that we were tough, the hallway lights suddenly flickered. They dimmed until it was almost pitch black, and then they snapped back on, bathed in a deep, bloody red. The entire floor was glowing.
Everyone became alert, the talking stopping instantly. Then, a humming sound started ringing inside our heads. It wasn’t coming from the walls, it was right inside our skulls. It was high-pitched and endless. It got sharper and sharper until I felt a warm wetness trickling down the sides of my face. Our ears were actually beginning to bleed.
It was unbearable.
It felt like hot lava was being poured directly into my ears. There was no escape, no way to breathe through it, and no way to stop the vibration. The sound kept rising, getting louder and louder, worse than a hundred car horns blaring non-stop right next to your head. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t even hear my own voice.
This needed to stop. It hurt so much I thought my brain was going to crack open.
Then I felt someone’s hands press firmly over my ears.
Princess.
I looked at her through the red haze. She was in clear pain too, her own ears bleeding, but she was ignoring it. She was trying to protect me, trying to ease the pressure on my head with her own palms. It wasn’t really working against the sound in my head, but the fact that she didn’t care about herself in that moment meant everything. She was protecting me while she was suffering.
Finally, the sound began to fade. Slowly, the ringing died down until it stopped completely.
Our minds calmed and the sharp, stabbing pain vanished, leaving only a dull ache. We all stood there, panting, looking at the water. Our blood had dripped down and stayed on the surface. Strangely, the blood didn’t mix with the water. It just floated there in dark red spots.
"What the fuck is happening? Is this some kind of foul play? Why are we being locked up like animals? And that noise!" Nathaniel shouted, wiping his face.
"Someone is trying to kill us. That’s what’s happening," another teammate added, his voice shaking.
While everyone started arguing and shouting at the walls, Princess ignored them all. She only checked on me. She kept asking about my ears, reaching out to touch the side of my head to see if they still hurt. I tried to ask about hers too, but she brushed me off. She didn’t care about her own injuries.
"Wow. You guys are the worst checkers ever."
A deep, distorted voice echoed through the hallway. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Everyone froze, looking around at the ceiling and the corners for the source.
"I don’t know why, but you all are boring. And not fun at all," the voice continued, sounding almost disappointed.
"Oh fucking hell. What is this now?" Malo muttered, stepping closer to me.
"Who are you, and why are you keeping us here?" Princess demanded. She stepped away from me and stood in the middle of the hallway, looking up at the red lights.
"I am your doom. The one who will end you all."
Oh shit. This felt like some kind of twisted TV series or a horror movie come to life. My heart was thudding so hard against my ribs I thought it would burst. What the hell was happening to us?
"Unless you play my game. Then you might live to see another day," the voice said, sounding a bit more amused now.
"MG, when you booked this hotel, why did you choose this place?" Princess asked, turning her sharp gaze toward Malo.
"This was the only hotel nearby! It had good reviews too! I had no idea this place was haunted or whatever this is!" Malo cried out, waving his arms at the red hallway.
"Haunted? You are not being haunted. You are being tested. Play my game, or die. It’s a very simple choice."
"I swear on the moon goddess, if anything happens to my pups, I will find the owner of this hotel and I will sue and destroy them until there’s nothing left," Princess said. Her face was filled with a mix of worry and pure rage. Then she paused before saying her next words.
"So whatever you are, if we don’t agree to play your game, you just kill us?" she asked the air.
"Yes. You all drown in this hallway, or you get eaten. Your choice."
"And if we play?"
"If you win, everything returns to normal, the doors open, and you go home. Those are the rules. No one breaks them."
"I swear to God, when I get out of here, I will rip you apart with my bare hands," Peamah growled, his eyes glowing that eerie green again.
Everyone looked at each other. The water was still rising, and the red light made everything look like a nightmare. We had no idea what was going on or who was talking to us. But we all shared one thing in that moment, the need for survival.
Princess stepped forward, her jaw set.
"We’ll play."
There was a long, heavy pause. Then.
"Let the game begin, haha...."
