Author's Game Entries

Task 1: Dead on Arrival

Look alive, sunshine... One o' nine in the sky but the pigs won't quit.

You're here with me, Dr. Death Defying.

I'll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter.

Pumpin' up the slaughtermatic' sounds to keep you live.

System failure for the masses, anti-matter for the masterplan!

Louder than God's revolver and twice as shiny.

This is for all you rock'n'rollers; all you crash queens and motor babies.

Listen up! The future is bulletproof!

The aftermath is secondary. It's time to do it now and do it loud; Killjoys, make some noise!

Nah, mate.

I don't know why, but I have had the MCR song stuck in my head the whole day and it's really starting to piss me off. It's going around and around in my head, not even the real song, just the intro, and I can't even fathom how it got there.

Breathing out an ill-tempered sigh, I rest my head against the cool bus window, somewhat surprised to feel how chilled the Nevada nights were. I was on yet another bus, driving towards where I'm told we are to stay the night before entering Area 51. By we, I mean the fourteen other people on the bus with me, bouncing along in the hard seats as we drive down the dusty Nevada road.

Eleven ladies and three men, four including me, these are the fourteen people chosen along with me to explore this potential dangerous area, and I don't know how I feel about it. A few of them looked like they weren't even old enough to drink, while the rest of them looked years older than me.

The one of them who really caught my attention was someone who I surprisingly recognized. She was from a new popular band I think, what was it called... Pandora's Box? I don't listen to their music often, though I do like one of their first albums somewhat, the one named Greed. But I can't remember the lady's name though, Calliope? Calypso? The name printed on her jumpsuit read Arcanum, so she must be Calypso.

Honestly, I have to admit she's much prettier in person, even in the uncomfortable grey jumpsuit all of us had been forced to wear. I shouldn't be as shocked as I am that she's here, as it's not like celebrities weren't allowed to sign up. She didn't really look happy to be here though...

Suddenly, as if she'd felt me staring, her gaze snaps over to me and I quickly dart my eyes back out the window. I can feel my cheeks tinting a light shade of red and I scowl, what the hell am I? Twelve? Grow up, Dylan, she's not any prettier than any of the other slanks on this bus.

I can feel her eyes still boring into the back of my skull, but I don't look back, instead adjust the collar of my own uncomfortable jumpsuit, the itchy material really starting to put me in a horrid mood. It was just slightly too large for me and it was just causing everything to itch; my shoulders, my legs, my- ... Eh, point made.

Letting out a surly sigh, I focus my attention on the desert-like terrain quickly speeding past outside and it was not long after I had just started to wonder how much longer we were going to drive for when the bus started to slow. A low murmuring bubbled up from the other selected as we pull up and park in seemingly the middle of nowhere. I look up as the bus driver stands up and directs the person sitting in the first row seat, a lady with the last name of Wright, to get up and exit the bus. The other people follow shortly, me included, and soon we were all standing out in the chilly night again, holding our bags like precious cargo.

The bus driver smiles at us and directs our attention to a gleaming silver cross hatched gate, one that looked like it should have been coursing with electricity, and it was similar enough to one that would be used to engage a tiger at a zoo that it was instantly what I was reminded of. "Welcome to the area before the Area." The driver chuckles, though no one else laughs. "You all will be staying the night in here before starting your exploration," He continues, unfazed by our lack of response to his pathetic attempt at a joke. He was starting to walk towards the gate, and we follow like the little sheep we are, being lead into our pen for the night.

Upon closer inspection I find that the gate was blocking the entrance to a simple, almost unremarkable cave. I mutter a irritated profanity and scuff my shoes in the dirt, looking around at the other people to see if they were as disappointed as I was. But most of them didn't seem like they were, in contrast they all seemed apprehensive, some of them even looking a little scared.

When I look back up to the bus driver, now our escort, I find he had unlocked a lock that I hadn't even seen was there, and was now swinging one of the gate doors open, waving us inside eagerly. Raising an eyebrow, I follow the other people inside, though I'm slightly unnerved by the man's smile as we pass by him into the cave.

It was just as it appeared from the outside, a sandy cave with cracked walls that looked as if they were going to drip slimy water down on us at any moment, though it doesn't. The area we were standing in now was about the size of a large living room, with the silver gate on one side and a thick concrete door that looked apocalypse proof on the other side. The door most definitely leading to where I think it would; where else? Area 51.

People were already starting to spread out and find a place to sleep and by the time I look back at our escort, he was already silently shutting the moonlight reflectant gate. My shoulders go rigid as I see him lock it again and the older man seems to notice this. "Oh, don't worry, I'll be back in the morning. It's just one night, y'all will be fine!" He gives me a comforting smile that did not do its job well, and as I watch him walk back to the bus through the gates I am suddenly struck by how much I wanted to trust him. But, I didn't.

I grumble another curse and crouch down next to the gate before sitting myself down and leaning against the cool but ragged cave wall, trying to get comfortable. I really wish I'd brought my watch now, but I didn't so I could not tell what time it was. Letting out yet another sigh, I let my gaze wander over the fourteen figures sprawled out in various positions around in the sand of the cave, and I can tell that they were all very much awake.They were all quiet though, in such a way that the silence was awkward, but none of us spoke up.

I look them over in an assessing way one more time before letting my eyes slowly droop shut. I was somewhat tired from all the excitement, but as soon as my eyes were closed my brain started to warder as usual. Frowning, I try to push the thoughts from my mind, though one sticks out and calls my attention to it. I realize then that if I let myself fall asleep in this cave now I'll probably end up getting stung by a scorpion or something and die before I even get into the Area. Which would be great. Just... Great.

The future is bulletproof! The aftermath is secondary...