A Collection of my Writer's Games Entries

Mayhem: Task 6 (Rosella Monty) *Semis Final*

** Task - Time of Your Life ** (A Song Task)

I felt like a flower. Already bloomed and enjoying life, but now my life was slowly draining away after too much time in the darkness, never to the light of the sun again.

The day’s events had caught up on me. I wondered how I ever ended up here. Why did I tell Murphy to come with me to the Mall? I knew I shouldn’t have. And if I didn’t, his life wouldn’t have been endangered as it is now. That’s the only thing I could think of. What if? What if we went to the mall the day before? What if I had visited Mum instead of coming here? What if we made it out? The questions never stopped. What if we didn’t run? Would Alex still be alive? My body was still shocked. The air in this place was cold and my body was shivering. I was huddled in a blanket with Murphy’s arms wrapped around me. Drew sat opposite us, his eyes were glassy and his cheeks were wet from his never-ending tears. He was shaken. I think we all were. No one ever felt safe in this place. It was a prison. A prison that turned you to something you’re not, or a prison that showed your true colours. Which one exactly – I wasn’t sure. But the prison took away the people close to you, and left you to wither. Until you eventually die.

*** Two hours earlier ***

The air vent wouldn’t open. I rattled it and tried to pry it open – I even tried smashing it – but it wouldn’t budge. We were trapped. If we were lucky, we could out run them. I highly doubted they would bother chase us when they had guns. With the idea in my mind, I searched for the hidden door we came through earlier and unbolted it quietly – not that I needed to be with the banging on the door. We would have to go back out the way we came. The banging on the door suddenly stopped.
“They must be gone!” Alex whispered excitedly. He rushed to the main door and unlocked it. It was a trap.
“Alex! Stop!” I shouted. Bang! The shot rang out. It was too late. I screamed as Alex crumpled to the ground. Just one bullet. That was all it took for our life to end. My screaming shot, but there was no silence. Drew’s cries filled my ears. He started for the door, throwing his skateboard at someone outside. In my anger, I ripped out my knife from the pocket of my bag. This was for Alex. I followed Drew out, momentarily forgetting about the guns. I jumped onto Kyros first and stabbed his back. One glance at Drew told me I wouldn’t have to worry about Giorgi.
“Rose! Watch out!” a familiar voice shouted. I was knocked off Kyros’s bloody body and onto the ground. A shot rang out again as Murphy’s strangled screams filled my ears. I rolled out from under him. A clicking echoed. They were out of bullets. I started running but I noticed the blood on Murphy’s foot. He was softly groaning in pain. I glanced towards our enemies, surprised to find them limping away. I didn’t waste any more time on them. I unslung my bag and fumbled around for water and a bandage.
“Shit!” Drew exclaimed. I turned to him but he was looking at Alex’s dead body. He fell to the ground on his knees, “Alex?” he gently shook his shoulders, “Come on, zombie. You got to wake up!” he sniffled.
“Drew?” I said quietly, his green eyes met mine, “He’s gone,”
“He can’t be,” Drew slumped back, tears crept down his face, “He’s my best friend,” I barely heard him. I took in a shuddering breath and turned back to Murphy. I slipped off Murphy’s shoe gently, then his sock. I remember his socks being a colour other than red. I gagged at his foot. The blood seeped out. The bullet had gone straight through his foot. I poured some water over his wound and quickly stemmed the blood flow using a bandage. I found another bandage and wrapped his foot up.
“Rose?” his voice murmured. I wish he could hear me. Just so I could tell him that he’ll be fine, but instead, I found his hand and squeezed it softly. It felt cold – as if the life was draining out of him. But I knew he wouldn’t give up so easily.
“What happened to vampire-warlock?” Drew came up behind me. His voice was croaky, I barely recognized it.
“He got shot,” I replied. I was focusing purely on Murphy, “Are you alright?” I asked to Drew,
“Distract me,” he said, ignoring my question. Murphy’s hand was getting colder.
“How?” I asked. I wanted to help Drew. I wanted to give him a hug, but Murphy was my priority. He was the person I cared about most in this world.
“Never mind,” Drew muttered and sat next to me, crossing his legs. “You care about him a lot, don’t you?” he said quietly,
“Of course!” I replied without a thought. His hand was colder. I couldn’t bear to lose him. Say something Murphy! I needed him. Now, I needed a distraction, like Drew, so I moved up and rested my back against the wall next to Drew,
“You know his parents hated him. We were friends before he went deaf, and after the,” I paused for a moment. Should I be sharing this? A small voice asked me in my mind, but I needed to tell someone how I felt about Murphy. I needed someone to know. I wiped away a stray tear before continuing,
“After the accident,” I forced out, “His parents blamed him for his brother’s death. They bashed him and hurt him. Murphy was the ‘weird kid’ at school with the bruises up his arms and his eyes purple around the edge. He was the kid with ‘druggo’ parents. Sometime I wondered why he even bothered going home. I wondered why he bothered staying; he didn’t have to come back. But he did,” I was crying now, “He didn’t deserve it. None of it! His parents were assholes. He would come to my house in the middle of the night and I would talk to him and write him stories, I would comfort him. I hated to see him so hurt, so I would help him. We would sit and laugh in the dark and, something you don’t know about him was that he loved to dance. We would jump around my room crazily and dance. He couldn’t hear the music, but he still loved it. I remember we would hide when my parents would come up. It was like our own heaven, our utopia. Where we made up our own world and ruled it. I never went a day without thinking about him,” I smiled as I remembered us dancing around my room to a bit of ABBA and then when we tried to do the waltz and Murphy stubbed his toe, “I was his savior, and he was mine. I could never let him go, not after all we’ve been through together.” I wiped away my tears with my shaky spare hand.
“He helped you too?” Drew asked. I looked at his face quickly. His gaze was fixed to Alex’s body, like maybe if he stared at it long enough – he would come back. I decided to continue. But Murphy was the only person who knew about what Dad did to me.
“If it weren’t for Murphy, I wouldn’t be here.” I took a deep breath and returned my eyes back to Murphy, “One night – the same night I happen to be at Murphy’s house – my mum had some sort of attack,” I began. It was still fresh in my mind, “It happened about two years ago.  Dad blamed me for putting Mum in hospital so he wouldn’t let me leave the house. My body was bruised and at some point I thought I was going to die but Murphy snuck up to my house a few days later – he gave me hope. I stood through all the punches and all the kicking’s, I came back to school because of Murphy. Five days later, Mum woke up. Dad returned to normal and tried to win me back, but I still didn’t trust him. Sometimes I’m scared in my own home – I hate sleeping – but I come back to show Dad that I’m not afraid of him. I wanted to be strong like Murphy.
“Does he know what you mean to him?” Drew asked. I turned my head to him. A few tears dripped down his face, he caught them in his hands. His expression was distant; he was in his own world. He looked as if he were remembering something.
“No,” my voice came out squeaky as I shook my head. Then I whispered to myself, “Say something, Murphy. Come back,” I didn’t know if Drew heard or not, but I didn’t care.
“You should tell him,” Drew’s green eyes stared into my turquoise ones, “Don’t make the same mistake as I did,” his eyes were pained and full of regret. He was back in this world now. I returned my gaze to Murphy. His hands were warmer now. All I wanted was for him to wake up, but a thought came across me.
“You love her, didn’t you?” I said, realization hitting me. Drew was in love with Tove. I remember there late night whispering, the way they looked at each other when something was said. He never got the chance to tell her.
“I should have told her. She was weird, yes, but she was gentle and she got me,” Drew stared at his hands again that were filled with tears, “I wish that she knew,”
“I’m sure she does,” I said quietly, almost a whisper, “I’m sure she’ll be watching you. Tove will be making sure that you’re safe.” I said to him. I gave Murphy’s hand a small squeeze. I felt a slight pressure in return. Hope spread through my battered body. He squeezed my hand again.
“Murphy!” I exclaimed, mainly for myself and Drew because he couldn’t hear me. But I was filled with joy. He was awake! I ran my hand through his messy black hair. Murphy would look odd to others, maybe like a vampire – like Drew thinks – but Murphy was my vampire if he was one. His lanky build, his two lip piercings and his pale skin. To me, Murphy was adorable. That was why I fought to live. I didn’t realise that until now. Murphy was the reason I tried to make it through everything our captors threw at us. He was the reason I bounced back and tried my all to find a way out.
“Rose?” Murphy murmured softly, his eyelids fluttered opened. A smile crept across my face and new tears – tears of joy – cascaded down my cheeks. They dripped onto Murphy’s face with a splash. I wiped my tears off him with my thumb and bent down to hug him. I sobbed into his neck. I pulled away after a moment. His eyes matched my own. Turquoise.
“Are you okay?” Murphy signed.
I nodded in reply, “You took a bullet for me,” I signed back. My tears finally stopped as I gazed into his eyes.  I turned to Drew with the happiness and relief radiating off me. He nodded to me. As if to say, ‘it’s now or never’. I turned back to Murphy. My best friend, and also the person who owns my heart.
“Murphy?” I took a deep breath, and his eyes searched mine. Instead of saying those three words, I gave him a soft kiss on his lips. To my surprise – he kissed me back. I pulled away with a smile playing on my lips.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he laughed. It made my stomach twirl. His laugh gave me butterflies. I wrote the three words on his forearm. I love you. He grabbed my arm softly and wrote back,
I love you too
at that moment, I was so glad that I didn’t lose him. He come back to me and fought for me. I would be lost without him; I wouldn’t know what to do. I smiled at him. He moved his leg slightly and winced. I hurried to grab some painkillers and water. He gulped it down eagerly.
“Okay, I know Murphy just came back from the dead – again – but this lovey dovey stuff is making me sick,” Drew interrupted. I laughed and slowly helped Murphy into a sitting position.
“Any plans?” I asked Drew as we both helped Murphy up.
“Bookstore. That’s the safest place for now,” Drew said. We took an arm each and we led the way to the bookstore. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Murphy came back.

*** Current time ***

 

What remained of our group was the three of us. Drew: the obnoxious guy with a batman shirt who – somehow - never ceased to amaze me in his strength and determination. Murphy: My love and the person who made me keep coming back every single day of my life. And me: the girl who messed up big time and almost lost her love, without saying a word. That was us.

I didn’t know how many of us remained. It started with 26 people. We were told that only one would make it out. They were making life a game. They were forcing us to kill people as our humanity was slowly peeled away until we were nothing but tortured souls in a shell that we call our body. This is what Maxine felt like. I wondered if she ever thought of giving up, or did she fight? Murphy didn’t give up – he fought. Drew pulled through after losing the two people who were dear to him. I should be stronger, I shouldn’t be considering giving up – I should be fighting. A loud bang startled me.
“They should be around here, the little brats!” Kyros slurred. He sounded drunk.
“I’ll rip off their heads when I find em’!” Giorgi – who I imagined to maybe be a little more civil – said, and finished with a loud crash. A bookshelf fell to the ground. I jumped and looked up to Drew. Revenge was set in his eyes.
“Wait! I want to kill them!” Kyros growled,
“Well I slept with your wife!” Giorgi retorted for no particular reason. Kyros cursed loudly and I heard a thump and a struggling sound. I peeked around the corner to see Kyros and Giorgi locked in a serious punch up. A spirit bottle smashed on the ground and I ducked back behind as the glass scattered on the ground. I was surprised Murphy wasn’t awake, I gently slid out of his warm arms and crawled over Drew.
“We need to leave,” I whispered as I watched Kyros land his fist in Giorgi’s stomach,
“Why? We could kill them now. Don’t you want revenge for everything they’ve put us threw?” Drew replied, “Revenge for killing Tove and Alex. Revenge for trapping us here. Revenge for Murphy even. This is our chance to get rid of them, Rose. Please?” his eyes pleaded me. Part of me was boiling with anger – with the need for revenge. What if Murphy had died? It would have been their fault. Giorgi kicked Kyros in the crutch but Kyros whacked another vodka bottle straight over his head. Giorgi crumpled to the ground as his eyes rolled back. His chest stopped moving and blood foamed out his nose and mouth. I turned my head away. These people were animals. Surely it would be okay to kill Kyros in order to save countless lives, maybe avenge some lives.
“For Alex, Tove and everyone who has died in here,” I whispered. I slipped my knife from the pocket of my bag. Drew simply grabbed his skateboard and stood up. Murphy had now woke up. He looked to Kyros and then back to Drew and I. His eyes begged me not to.
“He’s not worth it Rose,” he signed quickly. He was right. But revenge was want I wanted. My mind was set on it.
“Please, just wait.” I signed as Murphy winced. He tried to move but his foot was sore.
“Did I come to the ‘teen army’?” Kyros rumbled. I turned back to him as I stood next to Drew. “Where’s your boyfriend girl? Did Giorgi hit him good?” he teased drunkly. No one talked about Murphy that way.
“You’re going to hell!” I spat. I broke into a run, but Drew was ahead of me. He threw his skateboard at Kyros’s head and hit him with a satisfying ‘thunk’. I jumped up, my vision a little red. I landed on Kyros and we fell to the ground since Kyros was tipsy. I stabbed around and screamed as Kyros rolled and put his full weight on me. He was suddenly knocked off me, I saw the flash of a batman symbol – Drew. Kyros threw Drew off him like he was a rag doll. Drew smashed into a shelf and fell as the books landed on top of him. I shouted obscenities as Kyros rolled around like a turtle on its back. I shut my eyes and stabbed. Kyros shouted in pain. I sat on my knees and used two hands on my knife. One stab for Tove. One stab for Alex. Several more for everything you put me through.
“Bitch!” Kyros snarled. He reeked of blood and alcohol.
“Rot in hell,” I replied bluntly. He deserved it. I stabbed on final time straight into his chest and pulled the knife back out. Blood gurgled out his mouth and all his wounds. His body was painted in red. My body was splattered in his blood and my body was aching even more than before. I stood up shakily. I’m a murderer. I killed a man.
“Good riddance,” Drew said as the lump of books scattered on the floor. He stood up, “You know what: you’re pretty feisty,”
I smiled half-heartedly, “Revenge for everything,”

We both returned to Murphy in our aisle. Leaving the evidence of our fight out the front of the store. I was surprised to feel no remorse about the kill. I guess what goes around comes around. But I was leaving the bodies there as a warning to the man on the microphone. He was the leader of all this. So let this be a warning to you: I’m resilient, I’ll keep coming back. So you can hurt me, but I’ll hurt you. If you hurt my friends – I’ll kill you, and I don’t care if I die trying.

The song is Dean Ray: ‘Coming Back’