All Too Well

Chapter 1

You sat back in your bed, next to player 132 who had done the same. As he sat down, you lightly nodded to him, an unspoken thank you for saving your life. You weren't really sure exactly what to do after what you had just experienced. You heard the other players crying out to the guards, begging for their lives, begging for a way out, but you just sat on the bed, your mind unable to process anything around you.

It wasn't until the man next to you lightly shoved your shoulder that you were brought back to reality. He motioned for you to follow him as you joined the rest of the players in the middle of the room. It was time to begin voting.

Since you hadn't been paying attention, you slowly realized you were voting on whether to stay in the games or not. Your initial reaction was to vote no, but you thought about it more as time went on. Yes, it was terrible what they did here, but... the money was too good to pass up. You knew you had barely even a chance out in the real world.

So you voted to stay.

You stood next to player 132, who had voted the same as you. It came down to the last few players. The majority had voted to leave.

~~~

The next thing you knew, you were being shoved out of a vehicle, the cold ground a shock to your senses. You were blindfolded and tied at the hands and feet, squirming around trying to get a sense of your surroundings. You heard someone next to you struggling as well. Eventually the blindfold slipped off, and you realized you were sitting in the middle of the road, only in your bra and underwear, next to player 132. He was in the same situation as you, still blindfolded, in only his boxers.

"What the fuck?"

He turned towards you. "Hey. Help me."

"I'm tied up too."

He was able to slip the blindfold off from rolling around on the ground. He looked around and realized it was you, quickly looking away when he realized you were both in your underwear only.

You shivered, the cold night air getting to you. "I can't get my hands out."

He struggled for a few moments before undoing the rope on his hands, then quickly untied his legs. He turned to you and started to undo your hands behind your back as you looked away in embarrassment. His warm breath on your back gave you goosebumps.

Once your hands were free, you untied your feet and got dressed, an awkward silence settling between the two of you. Looking around, you realized you were far from your home, and you really didn't want to spend your money on a taxi.

Player 132 turned towards you. "Where do you live?"

You looked around, sighing. "Too far to walk."

He eyed you for a moment. "Let's go," he said before walking away.

You watched him, confused. You barely knew him, and you had no clue where you were going, but you really didn't have anywhere better to be. So you followed him.

After a few minutes you entered a convenience store. The man grabbed a couple bowls of instant ramen, and several bottles of soju, as you followed him around. You grabbed a couple of snacks yourself.

When he approached the counter, he set his items down and grabbed yours from your hands. Before you could decline, he paid for your things as well. You watched him with bewilderment as he grabbed everything and walked out.

You caught up behind him, grabbing his shoulder. "Hey... you didn't have to do that."

He looked at you silently before continuing to walk.

"Where are we going?"

"My place."

"Uh... with me?"