After our breakfast with Abe, Scott and Elsie bring us to the building where our bedroom is located.
It's a decent sized room - the walls are covered with floral wallpaper that's peeling in several places, exposing wood beneath it. The floor is carpet and feels very musty, almost wet, on my bare feet.
There are eight beds set up against the farthest wall. They're all set up in a row, very close in proximity. There's a single pillow and purple sheets on each bed, as well as a brown quilt folded by the metal footboards.
Attached to the bedroom is a small bathroom with a toilet, a bathtub and a sink with a mirror above it. Surprisingly, the room appears to be well kept. On the sink are toothbrushes and toothpaste, a stack of towels and a pack of Ivory soap bars.
There's one window in the room, but it doesn't open at all. Scott informs us that the glass is ballistic, so don't even try anything, because it won't break.
"Every night you will be chained up to your headboards from sun-down to sun-up while you sleep. This will only be for your first few years here, as you cannot be trusted yet," Scott tells us.
I nearly drop to the floor when he says that. I don't plan on being here for another few days, let alone years.
"Your door will be locked from the outside whenever you are in here, and somebody will be stationed outside of the door at all times," Scott tells us, with the same, award-winning grin he's been bearing since we first met him.
I sigh and sit down on the bed farthest away from the door. I put my head in my hands and thread my fingers through my knotted, crusty hair, trying not to burst into tears.
Scott inches closer to the bedroom door, along with Elsie who's still holding the pistol in her grip, but for once it's not pointed at us.
"We're going to let you guys acclimate in here for the day," Elsie says. I look up at her and I'm surprised to see she has a soft, warm look to her face. "We know this is a scary situation. We want to keep this as comfortable as possible for you. Get some rest, clean up a little. We'll be back at nightfall."
The two of them turn to exit the room. We're all silent, so we're able to hear them lock the door behind themselves. Then, their footsteps and light talking grow distant until we can't hear it anymore.
Zoe sits down on the bed next to mine.
Nobody says a word. Nobody even cries. Surprisingly, I feel like I couldn't even if I tried right now. I can barely even process what's happening, I'm waiting for myself to wake up in my dorm room any second.
I look over at Alice, watching as she sits tentatively on one of the beds. She then lays on her back, folding her hands on her abdomen. She lets out a long sigh, then touches her palm to her forehead.
Declan and Kiran stand by the wall, talking quietly, and as much as I strain to hear them, I can't.
"What do you think they're talking about?" I whisper to Zoe, nodding towards the two of them. If they're plotting a way to get out, I hope they're planning to include me in it.
Zoe shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. What do nerds usually talk about? Star Wars?"
I continue to look at them, watching as Declan explains something to Kiran and gestures towards the window.
"Do you think we're going to be here for a while?" I ask her, deeply focused on the boys.
She shifts to lay down on her back. "I don't know, Lou-Lou."
We grow quiet again. I imagine myself growing old here, my skin sagging after being forced to have fifteen babies, reminiscing about when I once had a bright future and a hot boyfriend. I feel sick to my stomach. I rub my face again, which has a thick layer of sweat and dirt over it. I don't have the energy to clean myself up - none of us do.
"Maybe it's not so bad," Zoe starts, her tone light, "at least now I get to live out my dream of being a stay-at-home mother."
"Zo, that isn't funny at all," I snap. When she looks at me with her eyes wide and her eyebrows furrowed, I immediately add, "Sorry - I'm sorry. I'm just scared."
"Well, don't be a bitch and take it out on me," she says harshly. "I didn't do anything. I'm just trying to to make light of the situation."
I shake my head and exhale. "Yeah, I know, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
We're quiet again.
Then, she says, "I'm about to sleep forever." She looks back over at me with a certain glint in her eyes and laughs a little to herself. Then, she says, "Can I say something crazy?"
"I bet I already know what it is."
"What? That Abe's sexy?" she giggles.
I roll my eyes again and laugh lightly with her, realizing that she's just trying to make me feel better. "You're out of your damn mind."
She nestles her head into the pillow and grins.
I laugh again, laying down on my side, facing Zoe. My toes hang off the edge of the bed. I throw the quilt over myself, it reeks of dust. I'm so tired, and it feels good to lay down on an actual bed instead of the floor, even if the bed does feel like one large brick.
"I really love you, Zo," I tell Zoe as I stare at her. I reach over and grab onto her hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
She smiles, her eyes closing weakly. "Love you too, Lou-Lou." She links her pinkie finger around mine.
My eyes slowly close as well. I listen to Kiran and Declan mumbling to each other. I try to hear what they're saying at first, but my effort fades and before I know it, I'm drifting to sleep.
I wake up to the door flinging open abrasively. The room is pitch black until Scott flicks a buzzing lightbulb on above our heads. I feel incredibly thirsty as I sit up, confused, looking around the bedroom. It must be night time already.
"Get up, everybody up, now, let's go," Scott demands, and I see Elsie standing behind him again, holding her pistol.
We all stand up groggily. I feel dizzy as I grab onto Zoe's hand again. I can't decipher her facial expression in the dark but I can only imagine she's just as jarred and scared as I am.
"Follow us," Scott says, and I'm unsettled by the giddiness in his tone. He waves us to follow him out the bedroom door.
He and Elsie lead the way as they walk us outside of the building. The air is so cold I can see my breath. The sky is dark and starless, and in the near-distance I see a bunch of lit tiki-torches surrounding what I remember as the stage.
We all trudge towards the stage, and I notice that there are many people crowding around the front of it. Maybe a hundred or so people, all seemingly adults. They stop talking and stare at us as we follow Scott to an empty spot right in front of the stage.
"This spot was reserved for you, our new family members," Scott claps excitedly, nearly leaping out of his skin. "Front row. Hope you enjoy!"
I'm so confused and barely even awake. I almost wonder if I'm in a dream.
I look up at the stage, where Abe is standing and assessing the crowd. There's a single folding chair sitting beside him, and he's holding a megaphone in his hand.
The night is quiet as ever, aside from the sounds of chatter filling the dense air.
I look into the crowd and instantly, I see two familiar faces: Edith and Robert, staring right back at me. Their eyes practically glow from the light of the torches right by them. I look away as if they'll turn me to stone.
"Start the fire," Abe orders into a megaphone.
A few people rush from the crowd to behind the stage. The lit torches surrounding us illuminate the area just fine, I don't know why a fire is necessary.
I notice that there are people stationed on the outer areas of the crowd, about six men, all holding large guns just like in the dining room before. My muscles immediately tense.
Suddenly, a fire ignites from behind the stage. It starts off barely flickering above the stage, and as the people continue feeding it wood, the flames grows taller and taller until they're practically licking the night sky.
The fire silences the crowd as everybody stares in awe. The only sound now in the quiet night is the crackling of fire.
"Good evening everybody," Abe says into the megaphone, his voice loud.
"Good evening, our Abe," the crowd responds robotically.
I look over at Scott, who's gazing up at Abe with admiration twinkling in his eyes.
"We're gathered here tonight because we have some special people here with us, new additions to our family," Abe waves towards us and the crowd erupts with cheer and clapping. I wince at the jarring sound. "Zoe, Louisa, Alice, Kiran, and Declan. Say welcome."
"Welcome," the crowd says in unison.
"We're going to play a special game. Are you all ready?" Abe asks the crowd, absolutely beaming with excitement.
The crowd erupts in a cheer again, clapping and whistling. My heart starts to race as I look at Zoe. She doesn't look back at me, she just continues to stare up at the stage.
"Dorothea, come on up here," Abe says, gesturing for somebody in the crowd to come up. He speaks like a game-show host, and the crowd is going crazy over it.
I look over at Dorothea, who's an older woman with pin-straight grey hair down to her ribs. Her shoulders stiffen as she looks up at Abe. "Me?" she mouths as she looks around to make sure he's really calling her up.
She slowly walks up the stairs on the side to the stage, smiling as she does so. She bows her head and greets him. "Hello, my Abe," she says.
"Sit down, Dorothea," he says with that same, sickening smile plastered on his lips.
Dorothea sits down on the folding chair beside Abe. Her smile is very wide but her eyes are as large and round as saucers. I try to read her expression to know if this is something to be scared or excited about.
She stares into the crowd blankly and I realize that it seems like she's trying to force her excitement - she knows something bad is coming. Her fingers are tapping against her leg. She's scared.
"Declan," Abe says suddenly, looking towards the five of us. "Up here, now."
The crowd instantly stops buzzing. Silence consumes the area.
I look over at Declan, his chest is rising and falling rapidly as he takes a step backwards. He shakes his head quickly. "No, no thanks," he says, holding his hands out. "I don't want to play."
Abe bends down and looks directly into his eyes. "I didn't ask you. Up here. Now."
Declan looks at Kiran, who appears just as terrified, if not more.
"Deck, you're gonna be okay, buddy. All right? It's okay, it'll be okay," Kiran whispers, his voice shaking as he pats Declan's shoulders. It sounds like he's mostly trying to convince himself of that.
I stand, paralyzed with fear and bewilderment, as Declan slowly trudges up the stairs to the stage. Scott watches, nearly jumping out of his skin with joy, his fingers threaded together by his chest.
"Come here, Declan, don't be scared," Abe says with a dark, twisted laugh as he looks back into the crowd. "It's just a silly game. Come on, games are supposed to be fun. Don't ruin it for everyone."
Declan wearily walks up to Abe and Dorothea. He looks at Dorothea, and then at the crowd. The fire blazing behind them drowns the side of his face in a fiery golden light.
Abe bends down and picks an object up off the floor. Everybody is so silent, you could hear a pin drop. The sound of metal sliding against wood rings out into the night, and before we know it, Abe is wielding a long, razor sharp knife.
"This game is called: Let's Make a Choice," Abe announces into the megaphone, his eyes sparkling.
Declan stares at the knife, as does Dorothea.
"Declan here will have to make a choice. He can either take this knife and slit the throat of our lovely Dorothea, resulting in a cruel, painful, and untimely death for her. Or, he can opt to instead keep her alive, but he will be thrown into the fire, where ultimately, he will be burned alive."
Immediately, air leaves my lungs in a gasp. Alice has her hand up to her mouth. Zoe has her mouth open as she stares at the stage. Kiran's chest is heaving as he visibly panics, his eyes huge.
"No, no, no, no," Kiran repeats quietly, as if he's contemplating walking up onto the stage himself. He takes a step forward, but one of the men points their gun at him, stopping him in his tracks. He holds his hands out and steps back into his spot. His fingers thread through his thick, dark hair.
A few of the men with guns walk up the stage, surrounding Abe, Declan, and Dorothea. Declan continues to stare at the knife, his breath so heavy we can all hear it.
Abe looks back into the crowd. "Let's make some noise, guys!"
"Make! A! Choice!" the crowd shouts, all of them laughing and clapping, and I have never seen anything so disturbing in my life.
"Declan," Abe says into the megaphone before he looks down at the watch on his wrist. "Time to make a choice. You've got five minutes on the clock...
...starting...
...now!"