• .: Chapter Two :.
    .: Games :.


    The soft howls of the wind during the afternoon is mildly soothing. New York City was the city that never sleeps, but once in a blue moon, it sinks into a quiet lullaby. I scanned the area of busy streets and intersections before jogging to the mini-mart. Thankfully, the school seemed to be in the center of everything. The library wasn't far away from here either. Thoughts flowed into my empty train. Stopping by the library to grab a book for my literature project would be the smart thing to do, but I'd rather not. I'm a genius, but a lazy genius at that. Somehow, or sub-consciously, I finish my reports. Maybe I'm just a natural at being intellectual and all-knowing.

    The lights of the mini-mart flickered as I swung open the wooden door of the store. Racks of chips, sodas, and candies lined the aisle with some tissue boxes and other things you'd normally find in a usual mini-mart. The tiles of red and blue were cracked and chipped, but the lucky ones just had some dirt marks and stains. I wouldn't go as far as to saying that this place is a dump, but more of an opportunity of tidying up.

    I walked over to the chips section and grabbed a bag of my favorite kind, original. Call it insane, but I always keep a close eye at the cashier. His thoughts creeped me out and personally, I just ignore them now. The cashier's aura though made me somewhat happy when I saw it. an explosion of blue and yellow, dancing together to form a lush mint green. The sign of extreme joy, maybe even a state of euphoria. This was unusual, especially coming from him. The cashier wore his uniform with only one arm in and with stains covering his name tag. His head almost was bald, except for the few patches of hair growing. Basically, this was your average slacker, with a mediocre job. If he wasn't working in New York, this would be a usual dropout's dream job.

    "May I help you?". His grunt showed irritation, but his voice showed happiness. I smiled, it was small and close to invisible. With a few cautious steps, I got to the counter and dropped the bag of chips down. He glared at me and snatched the bag off the counter and scanned it with the scanner. A red light zoomed pass the back of the bag of chips. One dollar flashed on the cash register. I reached into my chest pocket and pulled out exactly a dollar and placed it on the counter. Touching the cashier's hand might be deadly, just because he was genuinely creepy. The cashier threw the chip bag into a plastic bag and handed it to me. I reached for the bottom of the bag and pulled it into my grasp. With another smile, I moved away from the counter and headed for the door.

    "Taste the blood...". A voice echoed through the mini-mart."Taste the red water, Mikayo". That voice sent me into complete shock, trauma almost. I held my notebook to my chest and the bag fell onto the motionless floor. If I screamed help, I was sure nothing would happen. My chest pumped more blood than usual and chills were going through my whole body.

    "Leave me alone!". My voice broke the silence. Cars outside began to move again and the rain let bits of sunshine beam onto the concrete streets. I sighed heavily and looked back at the cashier. I regretted that moment.

    Crystal-clear and red, it fell onto the floor. The cashier had been hunched over with his eyes open. His hand flailed, clutching onto something. Nothing from the real world could've killed him and I was sure of that. I already accepted the fact that the supernatural exist, but up to this point, I had already believed only good things could happen from the unusual.

    "Just one game...." The same voice beated on my eardrums. The cashier was bleeding perfously before extending his clutched hand towards my direction. Curiosity got me. My steps weren't cautious, it was a trance of some sort. My hand grasped his and opened his hand with force. My school uniform had been splattered with blood with my attempt to get what was in his clutched hand. It was impossible not to step into the pool of red to get to his hand.

    "Paper?" That was exactly it, a piece of paper, drenched in the cashier's blood. Fear, absolute fear. It struck me like bullets that could never heal. I opened the crumpled piece of paper, hoping to find something like a do-it-over button. What I found was shocking, terrifying almost.

    Mikayo
    by opening this note, you have accepted this challenge
    games, per say
    if you do not follow
    your life will be gone
    the game is easy
    kill one human being
    who does not deserve to live
    you play the role as god
    use whatever means possible to achieve this goal
    kill others or kill yourself
    Choose


    I took a step back and tears fell down from my cheeks. The splashes of my tears into the blood was the only sound I could hear. Coldness and fear. I could feel it, taste it, smell it. Would I really have to kill people, wretched people who do not deserve to live? Play the role as god?

    "Run".