The Life Game

Prologue: The Life Game:

Welcome to the Life games. Your final review. Playing with the soul is dangerous. Playing with your life is equal. You have now entered the Life games. Please choose from the list below. You are now responsible for the choice of life and death. Choose from the most deserving. Do not let yourself be tricked or deluded. Only one can be given the gift of life. Only you can give them it. Only time will play out its fate. Watch and learn. Taken from this world unfairly. The Life games have started, this is the story of their death.

Matt:

I look down at the street below my feet. Then upwards. The sky is a dense grey. I'm swallowed up by the buildings. A single speck on the surface of the earth. I walk up to my mattress. Its leant up against the wall. Home sweet home. I sit down. I sit still for a few moments. Then I collapse. I curl into a ball on the bed. Tears pour down my cheeks. I hug my knees slowly. Pull the syringe from my pocket. Its my life. The only part of my life which is stable and un-moving. It saved me. It still saves me. From ending. I could curl up and die without a second thought. I push it into middle of my arm. I squint at the pain which flushes around my veins. But then it all fades. I'm back in my bubble. Where the rain now pouring down the back ally doesn't reach me. My hair's wet, but not really, not now. I hug my knees tightly. My brown hair flops in front of my eyes. My tears help stick it to my cheeks. I sit perfectly still. Don't move, no one will notice you. My own little bubble. My one friend. Now. My head aches. Hot flushes race through my body. But I'm safe. Here. With the syringe. Perfectly safe. Even though the world is shaking. My hands are white. Its raining. I'm safe.  I look up slowly. People walk past on the main road. Some turn their heads. Others just look. Stare. They all think the same. 'I'm glad that’s not me, it never will be' un-yet it happened to me. I pull my legs up tighter. The sun starts to set. The light shining down between the buildings starts to disappear. I lay down slowly. My safe bubble. People walk past me to get to late night clubs. They're only shapes. I don't see them. I just feel them. Someone throws something at me. I open my eyes slowly. Rub my side. But I'm still here. Even though every night I dream of my house. 16. Living here. My bed. My life. My bubble.

Cara:

I slam my bedroom door. What the hell is wrong with them. I sit down on my bed with my hands shaking. Why are they all such freaks. I start to pace around my room. This party is the year. Whoever doesn't attend is shoved down the list of friends till you reach the very bottom. I scream loudly. I do what I'm meant to around the house. Homework… well I've done some this year. I deserve this. But no. I yank open my window. Hang one leg over the ledge. Breathe deeply. What the hell? I climb down the drain pipe. I jump the last meter. I land on my back. I sigh and stand up quickly. That will show them. Idiots. I run to the front of my garden. Swing my legs over the fence. Crap I forgot my money. I shrug and run to my friends waiting car. Jamie grins at me. I lean over and kiss him. Alex, my best friend (who is a girl, yes) grins at me. Nicely done, may I say so myself. We drive down the road. My head starts to pound, but why should I care. We slip through the empty roads. I put my hands up and start to yell. Alex looks over her shoulder and starts to laugh. She then copies me. The boys in the car look at us with raised eyebrows. I poke Jamie and flick up my middle finger when he laughs harder. He then pulls me into a harder hug. He ruffles my hair and I look up at him with the most indignant look I could muster. We finally pull up next to a small back ally. I hear the music pounding further away. Jamie leads us down the ally. I look up and see this boy practically dead on this mattress. He's pale and sweating, and totally out of it. Alex pokes me and throws a beer can at him. We break down into laughter and continue down the street. I feel his eyes resting on my back. I start to get hot. It's not like I did it.

Lucy:

I stand by the bar. The glaring lights burn into my eyes. I cover them slightly. The catcalls of drunk men shatter my train of thought. I turn slowly and look at them with an empty smile. They grin at me and I look away. I start to make their drinks. I shiver. This is the true low of my life. As I pour out the vodka I stare up at the lamp above. I glare at it. I will it to explode. Then I would get the night off. More people shout me over. I sigh and drag my eyes away from the lamp and towards the 'obviously underage' teenagers. The tallest boy asks this girl Cara what she wants. She orders some vodka. I'm about to open my big mouth and tell them about the age limit. But then, who can be bothered. I need this money, I'm hardly going to scare away any customers. I nod and start to reach for some glasses. Then another girl pushes through. I think I heard her name was Alex. She starts to shout at me. I sigh. I continue pouring out the drinks. Keep your head down and they'll get bored. She keeps shouting. I ignore her. What a load of crap. I shiver. Lights flash. I serve them their drinks. The music pounds in my ear drums. People jump up and down in the strobe lighting. I cover my eyes again. The music literally blows me back. The heavy bass shaking the floor. I start to feel odd. I cover my mouth. I feel sick. I grab my colleague and signal the bar. He nods and I run out of the back entrance. I throw up on the pavement. I feel all the pain and hate coming with it. I grab my packet of cigarettes. I light one quickly. Time to relax. I breathe in the rich smoke. The music vibrates through the walls. Some kids hang around the back. I see them smoking and I sigh. In five years they'll be exactly where I am now. They really shouldn't want to be. I close my eyes and take one last puff on my cigarette before re-entering the club.