Author Games: Murder & Margaritas

Task Three: Name Your Poison

With the lights out and cold darkness seeping into the house, the hosts meet in the hallway off the kitchen. Their eyes flicker between each other, avoiding looking at the glow of fast draining phone batteries. Gen wore a cool expression, the blackout doing nothing to phase her as she swirled her drink in her hand. Douglas fared the same. It was Addy that had taken the biggest blow. His brow had broken out in sweat and his fingers kept trailing to his lip - as if he expected something to be there to calm his nerves.

"This wasn't planned," Adelard enunciated. "We need to go and do something." His body shifted as he used Genevieve to lean on and drew an absent hand to stroke through her hair.

"Absolutely," she smiled sweetly and quirked an eyebrow in Douglas's direction. "Isn't there a breaker we could find?"

"The basement." The younger brother replied too quick. He shrugged when both eyes fell on him at once as if it was obvious he should have known where it was. A foot took up tapping where there was no rhythm to match. "I checked on it easier, it's in the basement." Addy flashed a grin. "I'll fix it and we can get back to the fun."

Douglas shifted. "Something's not right. I'll—" his gaze fell. There was no signal on his phone and he silently tucked it away with a quick swallow of the lump in his throat. "I'll see about going to go get someone, in case something's really wrong."

Gen frowned, revealing the way the left side of her lipstick had smeared at the corner. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're both leaving me to hold up the party alone?"

The two brothers exchanged a guilty look.

"Fine, boys," she agreed, tilting up her glass of alcohol to swallow the rest in one gulp. "But it's going to get spooky."

~

THE TASK

Ireland Graymonte has gone missing. Maybe there's blood on the floor, or perhaps he vanished without a trace of his existence. Either way, Ireland Graymonte is the missing party guest, and with the power now out permanently, it won't be long until everyone starts to panic. To prevent the party-goers from running around like headless chickens, our lovely party hosts have decided to split everyone into groups to divide and conquer.

Down below you will see three tasks. Comment the task you would like to write, as this will be first-come-first-serve. Thank you.

Option A - Douglas has decided to take a small group up to the radio tower to try and contact the mainland. Unfortunately for most of you, the radio tower is located on the other side of the island and takes a good hike through the island's forest to get to. The darkness might be a bit difficult to navigate through, but there's nothing a good ol' flashlight can't fix. The task here is relatively simple. Your job is to write the disappearance of a tribute while on the hike. How they disappeared and what happens, as a result, is entirely up to you.

Participants (maximum of four): Carmen De La Cruz, Santiago Diaz, Esperanza Hernandez. Sha're Hallows

Option B - In an attempt to get the power going again, Addy has taken a small group to the basement to check the circuit breaker. We'd hate to alarm you, but there are spiders down there. But that aside, the basement is rather large and most definitely creepy. There are cobwebs everywhere, and if you didn't know any better, you'd think no one has been down there in the last twenty years. Your job is to write the feeling of being watched by someone other than the people in your group. Perhaps your tribute sees a blur of motion or the outline of a figure through the dark. Whatever happens is up to you.

Participants (maximum of two): Matias Diaz, Vincent Jorgensen

Option C - While the boys are out on their quests, Genevieve has chosen to stay behind and entertain the remaining party guests. Her method of entertainment tonight is none other than a classic Ouija board. Tonight you will summon undead spirits from the luxury of a living room, and what questions get asked will be entirely up to you. The only requirement is your tribute must participate in this game.

Participants (maximum of six): Kristen Shelbanks, Irene Serpentine, Miles Weaver, Peggy Young, Val-Marie Valentine, Mia Sayers

BAR: Tom Collins is ready to fail at making lemonade.

KILLS: One. But do note that you do not have to kill anyone in your entry, it's merely optional. In addition, the bottom four tributes will go up for votes with two of them leaving the island for good.

BALLOTS: Two. The tributes most suspected of murder will stand trial before a jury. However, a tribute cannot stand trial more than once.

Note: Over half of you did not submit ballots last task, so please don't forget to this time around. It makes it easier on us if we don't have to settle complications with voting as a result of not having enough ballots being submitted to us. Thank you :)

WORD LIMIT: 2,000

DEADLINE: Friday, November 3rd, 7 pm PDT/ Saturday, November 4th, 10 am SGT. **Note the time change.**

JURY'S VERDICT: The verdict is in, and Santiago Diaz has been found guilty of foul play. However, he is not the murderer and instead must face a lovely ballot challenge given to him by the Gamemakers. That being said, Santiago Diaz, we hope you're ready to get a bit tipsy. For this task, you must be wasted from beginning to end. This includes seeing double, slurring your words, suffering from extreme nausea, or doing things you wouldn't usually. In addition, you must witness the murder of one of your peers. (It's a shame you won't remember it later.)