my name is William [redacted], I'm the survivor of the most sick and twisted game...they call it the hunt, as in they I mean the people who organise these things. I was desperate and in urgent need for money since I was in so much dept and the loan sharks were all on my ass. I was scared for my life, one day while looking for jobs online I saw that there is this game in which by wining you get 3 million US dollars...I thought it was way too good to be true...but since I didn't have any income I decided to try it and I entered the link, it was filled with colourful picture of people having fun and doing some interesting games, I signed in with my email account that was full of rejection notices from the companies that I tried to get a position in. the site said I will have to wait 3 days for the email to be sent and I will know then If I was accepted or not. I waited and waited with so much anxiety...with my luck I might as well be rejected even from a stupid game. but finally I was told that I was accepted and was also sent an address that I have to go to so I can start the game, I thought it was weird that it told me to go in the middle of the night...though I still went, even if it was a scam and I was about to be jumped, I still had nothing else to lose.
the address was strangely remote...I had a bad feeling but...I waited until a black van showed up, the side door opened and a man inside told me to get in.
stranger: good evening William [redacted] I hope you weren't waiting for too long
William: no I just thought that you would never even show up and this was all just a big waste of time but...now I clearly see that it isn't
stranger: oh Mr. William, I'm sorry you have been thinking that but I'm also glad you changed your mind (he says putting on a gas mask)
William: why the mask though? is it a part of the show?
stranger: of course just relax and don't fight it
says the man as gasses start emanating from the vans vents I started panicking but before I could even think about trying to get out of the van I started feeling dizzy and light headed...when I woke up I was in a weird alley place and I didn't have any of my things when I searched my pockets, but when I looked down I saw a kitchen knife just sitting there...I grabbed it because I was scared and in case anyone tried to attack me and I started to look around for way out, but It was like walking though a maze, endless allies, buildings that I wouldn't even dare to enter even with the knife on me, and weird sounds all over the place...until I heard a man scream...my instinct was telling me to run to help...but something in the back of my head was screaming at me to ignore it, to turn the other way and not listen, that it was a trap...but I still went to check it out, when I got to where the sound came from I saw a man laying on the floor in a pool of blood and his stomach opened up...chunks of his liver sprayed on the floor and on the wall there was a message...I don't know if it was for me or anyone who saw it...it read "kill or be slaughtered" in the mans blood...
from behind me I heard another person screaming and a chainsaw being stared...this time the person screaming was a woman, these people don't care what gender or age you are, they will butcher you like a pig in the slaughter house, I quickly hid in a chest that was placed behind an open door, the chainsaw sounds were getting closer and the sounds of a woman screaming and panting were also getting closer and closer until she reached the room I was in and feel on the floor, I peaked from inside the chest and I saw a woman around my age lying face down on the floor with a man stepping on her back, he was the one wielding the chainsaw...he was tall and has a big belly, his body was full of scars some were looking old but some were fresh, I decided to help the woman...I don't know what came over me, I was always such a coward I couldn't hurt a fly even if it tried, but seeing that woman about to be brutally murdered by this brute...it did something to me...I waited for the right moment and I jumped out of the chest and jammed the knife into the mans neck in the region I guessed the jugular would be...but I wasn't satisfied...so I kept stabbing and stabbing...its like I...wasn't me anymore my arm was moving on its own just continued stabbing the man until he dropped dead...the woman looked up at me with terrified eyes
William: woah woah, hey its ok I wont hurt you
woman: but you killed that man...
William: yes but I did it to save you, I wont hurt you I promise
woman: ...I...still don't trust you but... *sigh* I guess 2 is better than 1
William: alright lets... try to get out of here without killing anyone...whats your name by the way?
Linda: my name is linda, but you don't get the rules of the game...if you don't kill the killers...you don't win...
William: ah shit...then... well just kill the ones that try to kill us
as me and Linda walked around the allies and the buildings we made a good team dispatching the killers, staying on the high ground so we could just push them out the windows not directly killing them anymore since im not taking any more chances with fighting, I barely took that chainsaw guy down as it is, he was thrashing and trying to get me off him constantly...but eventually we have managed to win the game...or so we thought, a voice comes over the intercoms we never noticed before "please make your way to the ground floors so you can be collected by the evacuating team" we had no chance but to listen, we didn't know what they were going to do if we didn't listen...so we made our way down in the allies in which we were met with men with guns and equipped with tactical gear...bags were put over our heads and after a while we were sat down at a table, and the bags were removed from our head
stranger: welcome to the last part of the game...called 21 roulette, here you play 21 against each other and each time you lose, you point this revolver at your heads and pull the trigger, only one chamber from the 6 is loaded and the and they are spined after every 3 rounds...good luck
I was screaming in curses in my head, this woman that ive helped and protected is now my opponent in this game to the death...my terror matches hers as we look at each other and then back at the loaded revolver on the table...there was one person sitting behind each of us and the person who spoke before was standing beside the table with a mask over his face...he was dressed like a ringmaster to a kids show or something like that...his costume colourful yet stained with blood, the mask on his face was like...a clown trying to be funny and terrifying at the same time, he was the dealer...two cards for each...once facing up and one facing down...
dealer: rules are simple, you start with 2 cards one facing up and one facing down...the one facing down only you are allowed to see, the K,J and Q are 10 and the ace is 11 or 1, you choose which one, the one closer to 21 wins the round...but the one passing over 21 has to pull the trigger twice
fucking hell...this is even worse that I thought, theres no way out of this thing, so I looked at Linda who looked back at me...and we started playing...I lost a few times but so did Linda but I did a dumb move...I was at 19 and I decided to be greedy...and I decided to draw...the colour slowly drained from my face as I saw the card being placed in front of me...it was a King...I was busted...done for by my calculations the bullet was in the very next chamber...I grab the revolver and look down on it...but what if...I don't point it at me...the dealer didn't say we have to specifically point it at our own head...I quickly pointed the gun at Linda and pulled the trigger...her brains splattering all over the wall behind her
dealer: congratulations William...you have won the game...I must say you are really cold blooded
a bag was put over my head again, and a well applied hit to the back of my head put me to sleep...I woke up in the hospital...but when I was let go the doctors said that the treatment was already paid for in full...out of curiosity I went to the closest atm, since the doctor gave me a bag with all of my belongings I also had my wallet...and a new credit card I didn't recognise...with a note stuck to it "good game William :)"
I still feel guilty to this day...but at least the loan sharks and the bank left me alone...and now I live more comfortably than ever
