Play the Game

Play the Game: Live or Die

Her eyes fluttered open to reveal the room around her. Tall marble pillars lined the corridor, holding up a ceiling that was too far to see. Floor to ceiling glass windows was placed in between each and every pillar. No light shone through the windows and lit up the hall, not even the stars or moon or clouds in the sky were visible. There was only black. Providing the hall with an ominous aura.

The girl shakily got up to her feet and placed a hand to her temple, thinking long and hard on where she might be. But no memory came. Only a hint of who she is... or was. A name. Her name.

"Asa," she whispered softly into the silence. The word felt familiar, but foreign at the same time. Asa pressed into her memories harder, trying and digging her way to find something, anything, that might give even a hint of where she might be. But nothing came. Just the name of a lost girl.

"So you've finally remembered your name, have you?" A voice whispered through the hall. It sounded sweet and calming, but at the same time hinted at something deeper. Darker. Something that Asa felt she should steer clear of. And as though the voice could read Asa's thoughts, the sweet tone came again, "Come here, my dear. And let your questions be answered. I know you're simply dying to find out."

Asa couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. Suppressing her previous fears of the mysterious voice, she walked down the corridor in the direction it sounded like it was coming from.

As she walked down the corridor towards the mysterious voice, a breeze filled the room, sending chills down her spine and the hairs to prickle on her neck. But still, Asa continued towards the voice. It's sweet tone lingering on her mind.

"You know, Asa, if you wanted to find me, you could've just said so," the voice said and a sudden gust of wind engulfed Asa, forcing her to close her eyes from the strong forces hitting her face. When she opened them once more, she was no longer in the corridor. Now, she stood in a large room that appeared to resemble a throne room from a castle in Europe.

Torches lined the walls, casting a dim glow onto the walls and marble tiles. A candelabra hung high from the ceiling, creating a dark demeanour in the room. Like the corridor, the room had floor to ceiling windows that revealed nothing of the outside world beyond the walls. And in the very centre of the room sat a tall throne.

The throne itself caused a shiver to run down Asa's spine as her eyes caught it. It appeared to thrive and flicker with life, but it was as black as the darkest of souls.

"Hello, Asa." Asa whipped her head around to come face to face with coal black eyes. Another shiver went down her spine as she took a small step back. "I won't do you any harm, Asa. You're safe here." It was the same sweet voice as before.

"Who are you?" Asa forced the words out of her mouth.

"I, as many of the humans like to call me, am Death." Asa froze. Death. She was in the presence of the Death. The being who all fears and despises. The one who takes precious life from the innocent, and passes by the ones who deserve their end. A sudden anger surged through Asa. She clenched her fist by her side and glared at the being in front of her. A being who, she didn't realise before, didn't have a form. The only thing of Death that Asa could see was the being's coal black eyes and a sort of hazy smoke surrounding them. "Asa, it is not wise to hold anger against the one who could easily end you with a simple snap of the fingers."

"Where am I?" Asa asked through gritted teeth. Trying her best to suppress her obvious anger towards Death.

Death gave an exasperated sigh and the smoke faded, revealing more of the being with the eyes of impending doom. A woman appeared. Her long flowing black hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Her pale skin contrasted against her black clothes. An ebony robe was draped and tied around her shoulders. She was tall, towering over Asa as though she were nothing but a shrimp.