Josh
The moment I followed Damien into the school building, all the way to the auditorium, I knew the end was near. From the moment the Final Game started, I knew deep in my heart it was going to come down to the two of us--one on one--and that I'd have to make a choice harder than anything I ever imagined.
This was the end.
Eden
The moment that I followed my friend and my mom down into the dark room beneath the Fear Games property, I knew the end was near. From the moment, the Final Game started, and the moment I knew that Peter was missing, I should have guessed that it would come down to me making a choice harder than anything I ever imagined.
This was the end.
Rachel
The moment that the Fear Games started again, I knew that I had a destiny. That maybe the reason I was affected by Fear Games the first time was so that I could truly stop something like this from ever happening again. From the moment that the Fear Games started again, I knew I was going to have to make a choice--let the darkness overtake me and become like my enemies, or work as hard as I could to let the light in.
This was the end.
It had all come down to this.
***
Josh
I followed Damien into the auditorium, heart pounding so hard I was sure that children in Africa could hear it. He walked up to the stage and I stayed close behind. No one else was here--just the two of us, although I knew faculty would likely be arriving soon. Many were probably already waking up, not knowing what they'd find when they came to the school today.
"This is it," Damien said, his voice echoing through the room. "It's just you and me."
I nodded. "Yes, it sure is. So tell me, why did you join the Games? What was even the point of all this?"
Damien sighed, no longer looking demented as he had most of the night. He looked...sad. Reaching into his pocket, he handed me an envelope. "Read this," he said. "I'm sure it'll explain why."
I opened the envelope, pulling out a sheet of paper. The handwriting was obviously Daisy's, dated just a few days before she died.
Hey little bro,
I know what you're thinking--if you somehow survived this and made your way home, you're probably wondering why I wasted my time writing you this letter. There are a lot of things you learned during your time in captivity, one of the biggest things that Josh is in love with you. That's the reason you're still alive right now. Josh's love for you is bigger than anything you've ever experienced, anything you've ever known.
And that is why I need you.
You see, deep down you always knew that you loved Josh, too. While I saw the way Josh looked at you, I saw the way you looked back at him, even if he was too blind to notice. The way you love each other is stronger than anything else I've ever seen, but with that comes a price. With that comes a life of heartbreak, a life of pain, of life of trying to figure out what's next. In this world, no matter what anyone says, the darkness always overtakes the light, and will until the very end of time. It's easy to try and fight our nature, which is to succumb to the madness that is life.
What you feel for Josh is going to overtake you. I know it will. You've spent years searching for truth, your truth, hiding behind the glass pane of Haven or some other girls you found. In the meantime, you were not only hurting Josh, but yourself. The guys you did find, you found online, and all of them ripped your heart out of your chest, causing you to slowly hate the world around you.
You also may be wondering how I know all this. You can call it sisterly intuition--okay, just kidding, I like to snoop and found suicide notes ready under your bed and your conversations with the guys you met online. Instead of killing yourself, I have a proposition.
Take over when I'm gone. When I kill myself--and if you're reading this, it means that I already have--I want you to have Fear Games. I used it for my purposes, to feed the darkness inside of me. I'll admit, I had my moments of wanting to change. Wanting to get help. Are people born evil? If they are, that's probably me. I'm actually laughing at how ridiculously heartfelt this letter is considering how much I've always just hated the world around me. And come to think of it...maybe I'm not evil. Or maybe I am. Only God, if there even is one, can make that judgment for me.
You're also probably really confused. I am, too. I'm confused with myself. But take the Games, Damien. Take Fear Games and use it to your benefit. You know what you have to do. You know what you want. Desensitizing yourself is the only way to not feel pain anymore. Desensitizing yourself, becoming a killer, will make you feel better. Stronger. Powerful. While I never truly experienced love, you were (and trust me, I want to throw up just saying this) the closest I had to that. The hell I put you through wasn't for nothing.
It was to make you stronger.
The Games are in your hand, little brother. Tear the world down before it does it to you. It'll all be worth it.
Sincerely,
Daisy
***
Eden
I gasped in horror as we stepped down into the basement, revealing Peter to be hooked up to a cross machine, just like Damien and Luke were, nearly unconscious. Beside him, there was an empty one, and without any word, I already knew what this meant.
"No," I cried, running over to Peter. "Oh my God, no!"
There was a note attached to his chest, and I ripped it off, reading the instructions.
Dear Eden,
It's very clear to me that this kid means a lot to you. A lot more than he probably should, considering you've only known him a short while. But there's an interesting fact that you might not know.
Peter, I'm afraid, is in love with you. Or rather, has a very big crush on you. Has for a while now. Anyone with eyes could see it. And I'm afraid it's come down to you making a choice.
There's an empty cross next to him, completely ready to go. One size fits all.
Peter's eyes fluttered open immediately as I finished reading the note. He caught a glimpse of me reading, and in a whispered voice, he said, "Don't read that."
"Peter," I said, my eyes filling with tears. "Peter, is this true?"
He wouldn't look me in the eyes. I knew it was true. Peter had feelings for me, and while I didn't feel for him the same way...it changed everything. He wasn't just a friend, he was much closer than that, and I had to save him.
"I'm doing it," I said, walking over to the cross.
"Eden, wait!" Rachel screamed. "You can't!"
"What else am I supposed to do?" I said. "Let him die? I can't do that. He needs my help. I have to save him. You know how that feels."
"No," my mother said. "Eden, don't do this."
"I have to!"
Mom shook her head, walking over to me. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked directly into my eyes. "Let me do it."
"Are you kidding me?" I said. "You can't!"
"I can," Mom said softly. "Honey, listen to me. I know you don't understand, but I've spent my whole life trying to find worth. Trying to find something to hold on to. But the truth is, what if I was made for this? What if I was meant to save this young boy's life?"
"Mom," I sobbed, "please, you're just saying that because you want to die!"
She just shrugged. "But if it's to save a life, is it really all that bad?"
"But I just got you back!" I screamed. "I was going to get to know you! All I've been hoping for was for this to be over so we could go back and be happy! Please, Mom, please don't do this to me! I love you so much. I know I barely know you, but I love you and I need you and you can't go on me now!"
"I love you, too," Mom said, smiling down on me. "You know I'm the one who named you Eden, right? Because you're my Garden of Eden, sweetie. You're my reason for living. You're all the goodness in this world, whether you believe it or not."
She started walking toward the machine, and I screamed at her, begging her to stop. Rachel came up behind me, holding me back as I watched in horror as my mother climbed into the machine. When she fully locked herself in, she smiled at me sadly, and the machine started to turn on.
I expected her to scream. I expected there to be much more, but instead, a bullet shot out of a gun that Rachel pulled. It went directly through my mother's head, and I cried out at the sight.
"No!" I screamed. "No, no, no, no, no!"
"It's okay," Rachel said, pulling me close. "Shhhh, it's okay now."
Her reasoning behind shooting my mother was completely understandable--it would cause less pain than anticipated, and she wouldn't have to die through torture. As Peter's machine popped open, he ran over into my arms, and we held each other for a little while longer.
"Eden..." Rachel started.
"Don't," I sobbed. I knew why she did what she did, but I felt nauseated. My mother had just died. She died for Peter, although part of me couldn't help but wonder if she did it for herself. At least she'd gone out with a sacrifice.
"Eden," Rachel said again. "Look at this."
It was a note. Rachel handed it over to me, and it had my name written on the front. "Where did you find this?"
"Over by Peter's machine," Rachel said.
I pulled open the letter and began to read.
Dear Eden,
If you're reading this, I can assume that your mother is contemplating taking her own life for Peter. Your mother being alive really was a game changer, and even though my intention was to kill them, if you play this game fairly, Peter has a chance to live.
Miranda's too good to let Peter die. Sure, she may be a bit crazy, but if I know her as well as I think I do, she'll give her life for him. The question is whether you will let her. You've spent your whole life wanting a Mom, and you finally have one. Is letting for die for Peter worth it?
You all have a choice to make--unless, of course, she already made it. If she truly gives her life for Peter, then maybe I'm wrong, and the good in this world outweighs the bad.
Just maybe.
-Damien
***
Josh
"This is insane," I said, throwing the letter to the ground. "You actually...believe this? That's why you're doing it? Because your psychotic big sister tells you to?"
"Her point is extremely valid," Damien said, walking a little closer to me. "A few minutes ago, you said that I wasn't going to kill you, and that was Brandon's plan. It occurred to me when I read this letter that Daisy knew that. Brandon wanted to kill you for being gay. Daisy didn't want that. She wants me to use you."
"What are you talking about?" I asked. "I should just kill you right now for everything you've done!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Damien said, pointing to his wrist. Something I hadn't noticed before finally caught my eye. It appeared to be metal bracelet of some kind, and a little red light was flashing. "You have two options here tonight, Josh. It's going to be hard, but I'm sure you can make do."
"What is that thing?" I asked.
"It's a device that reads my pulse," Damien said. "I didn't invent it. I found it along with the note in my room. It's a device that's actually hooked up to a bomb at St. Mary's. Daisy was crazy, but she was also smart." He pointed to his other wrist. "This one does the exact same thing, but is connected to a bomb at this school. The only difference is this--if I die, the bomb at the school gets disconnected, and the bomb connected to St. Mary's causes that hospital to explode if I die. Seeing a predicament here?"
"...what are you asking me to do...?" I said, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.
"You have two options," Damien said. "You can kill me, and a bomb will go off at St. Mary's, killing about twenty patients and some staff. If you don't kill me and decide to join me, a bomb goes off in this school, potentially killing as many students are here on arrival."
He was asking me to join him. It finally clicked in my head, the revelation shocking me to my core. Everything finally made sense. This wasn't about survival--it was about choices. The choices we make and what they do for our lives. How every choice blurs the lines...
"So you're making me choose," I said. "Between killing some, including you, to save many, or to join you and forget the world I'm living in and let this school blow up. Is that really what you're asking me to do?"
"You understand the Game much better than I thought," Damien said, smiling. It wasn't menacing, and that was the scary part. Damien actually believed he was doing some good, teaching me a lesson. "It can be just us, Josh. No more pain. No more heartbreak. Hell, you could kill me and start your own Fear Games if you want to, for your own reasons. But now you know mine. Daisy wanted me to teach a lesson. She wanted me to use my knowledge and my mind to put every single one of you through a test tonight, leaving you wondering where you stand when it's over."
He stepped a little closer to me, his eyes gleaming.
"So," he said. "Where do you stand?"
***
Rachel
The last time I'd seen Peter, I was helping him get to and from St. Mary's. Actually, I was trying to get him to join the Masquerades, to help Eden. Of course, he refused, for obvious reasons, but I never imagined getting him involved would end up like this.
When Eden, Peter, and I couldn't bear being in that room any longer, we ran out of the underground bunker, trying to get some air. I knew Eden wanted to cry more, but after everything, it was hard to let out a single tear. We were both worn out. We were exhausted.
"We should go back to the school," Eden said. "To go get Josh."
I nodded, running over to the car, speeding down the road as fast as possible. When we pulled into the school, it was easy to notice some sunrise starting to come up behind the mountains. We still had time. We could easily win the Games.
"I've been calling him," Eden said. "He won't pick up!"
"He's got to be okay," I said. "After everything tonight, we can't be the only ones left."
Thankfully, no other faculty had come to the school yet, so we still had time. We burst into the building, calling Josh's name several times but got no response. We checked as many classrooms as we could, and then came to the auditorium.
I threw open the doors and screamed. Eden ran over beside me and gasped at the sight. A body was laying on the stage and my heart dropped. No, it can't be him. It can't be!
We all ran over to the stage, screaming, but when we got there, it was clear that the body didn't belong to Josh.
It was Damien.
"Oh my God," Eden said, falling to her knees. "Oh my God, is it over?"
Blood poured from Damien's head, clearly from a gun wound. Beside him was an envelope, and I reached to see what it was.
To Rachel and Eden
"Hey, look at this," I said, prying open the envelope. "Something's in here."
Unsurprisingly, it was a note. After reading it, I handed it to Eden, stunned. My mind was going crazy trying to wrap itself around what happened these last few weeks. Or even the last year and a half starting all the way back with Ryan.
Destiny is an interesting thing. And along with Eden, I finally found mine.
***
Dear Rachel and Eden,
You're probably wondering where I am. You're probably wondering how I could be so brave and be such a hero that I killed this horrible person that tore our lives apart.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Damien gave me a choice. A hard one, actually, one I'm not sure I'll ever be able to live with. You see, Damien wanted me to choose. I could either kill him and St. Mary's would blow up, killing everyone inside, or I could let him live and this school would blow up. I obviously chose to kill him, because let's face it, with him gone, the Games can be over, right?
The truth is, I don't think Damien expected me to choose that. I think he thought I'd join him, continue doing Fear Games with him, and would "change people's lives." That was not part of my agenda. When I had the opportunity, I killed him, getting rid of any chance of the Fear Games starting again.
He also told me if he did, I could continue the Games myself. I chose not to, because the Fear Games, regardless of what he thought, didn't make me stronger. Succumbing to the darkness would only make me an evil person.
But that brings up an interesting point. Am I evil for choosing to let St. Mary's blow up? Am I really evil for that? Because tonight the lines blurred. Ever since the Final Game began, that's what it was all about. Blurring the once black and white lines of good and evil, leaving them to be a color gray.
Remember that riddle?
"It was there in the beginning
Before Eve took the bite.
It was there after Eden,
It lingers inside."
When we were analyzing it, we thought it meant they were the same thing, and in a sense they were. It was there in the beginning, before Eve took the bite. That was referring to goodness, and the capability of being evil (or rather, potential sin). It was there after Eden, it lingers inside, referring to the darkness in every single one of us, yet the potential for greatness.
When Daisy had Damien up on that cross machine, it meant more. She was giving him the opportunity to resurrect himself. She was giving him the opportunity to be a changed person when he "arose," and as sick and twisted as it is, I finally understand.
The world is full of bad things, but Damien taught me that good people can sometimes be bad, and sometimes bad people can be good. We all have choices. I made mine tonight. He told me all about yours. Over the last couple weeks, we've made choice after choice after choice, leading us here now.
I'm not coming home. I don't know where I'll go or who I'll be, but after tonight, I'm leaving the Fear Games behind. I'm ignoring Damien's gift to be the new Fear Games killer and am instead going to be a good person somewhere else. Hell, maybe I'll be a Masquerade, just like you, Rachel. Or maybe I'll be a good person, lingering in the shadows, helping others, trying to find a way to pay for the sins I made with some goodness.
But now comes my question. Damien passed the Fear Games to me, and I declined, so in typical fashion, I guess I should ask you. From this point on, after all the pain, the heartache, and terror, is being good still good enough? Or will you continue to carry the legacy of the Fear Games?
Because in a world caught between good and evil, the choice is, and always will be, in yours hands.
Love always and take care.
-Josh
The End...
JUST KIDDING! Keep on reading for Season 4 of Fear Games, also known as Fear Games: 20 Years Forward.
Enjoy!