Once breakfast was over the girls’ emotions began to increase to an unbearable level of anxiety. Aaden was doing the best she could to seem strong for her friends but was almost failing. Tara didn’t know what to think or believe anymore and Carlie couldn’t shake the thought of dying like this out of her mind. The women were all being led to the elevators in another room. There was a elevator for each woman there. Park quickly rushed over towards Aaden while Kaleb went to Tara.
“Please…Don’t put me in there.”
Tara begged in a low whisper. Kaleb merely shook his head in desperation.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have a choice. But here,”
He held out his open hand and Tara glanced down to see a photo of herself, her creative design team, her parents and Natali (her sister). She gasped and took the picture.
“I havent seen this photo in a long time.”
She felt tears coming to her eyes but refused to let the warm liquid flow down her face.
“I found it online. Listen to me. I will do all I can to help you three but my options are limited. You have to survive. If not for yourself, survive for them. I mailed that letter they should have it tomorrow.”
He was now close to her face to keep anyone from hearing and stepped back after his explanation. Tara gave the best smile she could to him.
“Thank you.”
She mouthed. Kaleb nodded and stood back by Park in the center of the circle of elevators.
“Alright ladies. Today is the day you enter the Survival Games. Do all you can to keep yourself alive in fair play. Rules? Nope. Remember! Only ONE person can leave the survival games alive.”
Park spoke in a spooky voice that would remind a person of the horror movie 'Saw'. He looked around at each of the terrified individuals and sighed.
“Get these ladies in there. I want to get this rolling we’re behind. Gamblers! Please place your opening bets.”
The clear, glass elevator doors slid open and they were all being pushed into them reluctantly. Kaleb seemed to be the only one who actually realized the terrableness of what was going on before him. But Aaden often wondered why he ever began “working” there. Or why he was still there for that matter.
As they were raised into the arena by the elevators they took note of the surroundings. It was mildly chilly outside- or were they inside? Aaden’s thoughts interrupted. There were trees everywhere and a little tent about fifty yards in front of them. Tara looked over at Aaden then at the tent and saw the table with tools, and what looked like flat bags.
“Tara.”
Aaden whispered making Tara snap her head back around to look at her friend.
“Yeah?”
She whispered back.
“Do you see that odd tree over there? It’s branches almost look like a weeping willow.”
Tara looked over her shoulder in the area Aaden was pointing at and saw the tall tree with branches curling down. She turned back to Aaden once more and nodded.
“I want you and Carlie to run and hide behind that tree while I get some things from that tent okay?”
Tara seemed hesitant and scared but knew she was in no position to question her friend and nodded again in agreement. She turned to Carlie and whispered the instructions into her ear as well. The whispers amongst the three girls obtained glares from the women around them and they hushed when a loud bang occurred resulting in women racing for the tent including Aaden. Tara and Carlie raced for the tree without slowing their pace even by a little until they were safely behind it. Breathing heavily, Tara glanced at Carlie whose breath could be seen in the chilly air.
“I’m scared Carles.”
She sighed and peeked out from behind the tree. Aaden was quickly running for them but was quickly tackled from behind by a short girl about Tara’s size.
“AADEN!”
Tara shouted and lunged forward to run towards Aaden but Tara was held back by Carlie.
“No! No Tara stop! You cant go out there!”
She whispered and held Tara while they watched what happened. Blonde hair and blue-green eyes was all Aaden had time to make out from the girl before she took a swing for Aaden’s face with her fist. Aaden squealed and managed to peel the girl off of her by throwing her backwards making her hit her head on the hard, cracked dirt. Aaden pulled herself from the ground and stared at the unconscious woman. She looked like she was in her mid twenties or early thirties.
“I am so sorry about that.”
She whispered with tears coming to her eyes as she picked up her bag and ran the rest of the way towards the tree.
“Oh my God Aaden!”
Tara shouted and hugged her girlfriend tightly.
“Are you alright Aaden?”
Carlie asked and grabbed Aaden’s chin to move her head and see the already forming purple bruise around her eye. She pulled away and gave a small smile.
“Yeah I’m fine.”
She replied. A knife raced by extremely close to Tara’s face and stuck perfectly in the tree behind her. She and Carlie screamed as Aaden quickly pulled their arms forcing them to turn around.
“Run! That way go!”
She screamed and pointed straight ahead. Aaden glanced back as the three ran the different direction and found the girl who had recently attacked her was following them and was closing in quickly. Carlie was in the front with Tara holding her hand so they wouldn’t get split. The girls were running out of steam and Aaden had to think quickly if she wanted them to survive.
“Carles! Make two sharp left turns and quickly! Loop us around back towards where we started!”
She shouted and Carlie made an immediate left turn. The girl slowed down a little putting the three girls further ahead. Carlie took another immediate left turn with Tara and Aaden following closely behind throwing the blonde girl off and leaving her out of sight.
“Keep going until we get to the opposite side of where we started!”
Aaden shouted. She wanted to put as much distance between them and the girl as possible. Once they reached the opposite side of the starting point and were into the trees they stopped and were gasping for air. Tara fell onto her hands and knees and stared at an ant running around her hands as she pulled in deep breaths of air to fill her lungs.
“Why.”
She whispered. Aaden and Carlie, who were now sitting nearby, looked up at her. Tara sat up shifting her weight back on her knees.
“Why are they doing this to us?”
“They are sick people.”
Carlie responded shaking her head.
“That girl wasn’t a killer.”
“She sure looked like she was willing to kill Aaden.”
Tara snapped. Aaden nodded and sighed.
“That girl knew only one person is allowed to survive these games.”
“So she just wants out. Like all of us.”
Carlie finished understanding what Aaden was thinking.
“When your life is on the line…there’s no telling what you will do to survive. Until it actually happens.”
…
“Guys. A letter just came in the mail.”
Natali walked in with a white envelope addressed to the family.
“I haven’t seen this address before but it is in New York. Says it’s from a Kaleb Mitchell.”
She gave the envelope to her mother as Jo and Ed stood from the couch. Cynthia peeled the back open and pulled out two folded papers. One had Ed’s name written on it and the other said, ’Cynthia, Jo, and Natali”.
“Ed.”
She whispered and handed him the paper. He opened it and began reading aloud.
“Ed, it’s Aaden. I’m with Tara and Carlie. Last night, Tara and I got back to the hotel and were taken by three men when we entered the room. Carlie was there. The men took us down the staircase exit way and into a back alley. They shoved us into a black SUV and drove us somewhere. We don’t know where we are. Please help us. The only information we have right now is that we are being put into some sort of game. These people that took us are sick Ed. They are putting us in some monitored arena and told us only one person can survive. They call it the Survival Games. Ed we are put into the arena tomorrow. We need your help. By the time you read this we wont have much time left. - Aaden.”
He sighed and closed the letter regretting that he read it aloud in front of Tara's family. Ed also knew they needed to now where the girls were.
“Cynthia read the letter.”
Cynthia was crying but nodded and opened to read.
“Cynthia, Jo, and Natali. It’s Aaden and I am writing to you three to tell you that I will do all I can to get us three out of this situation. I’m sure Ed told you about the games by now and I promise you I won't let anything happen to Tara or Carlie. I will do all I can to protect us. Tara loves you and wants you to know you will see her again. Love, Aaden.”
Jo pulled his wife into a tight, loving embrace as she broke down into loud sobs. He and Cynthia sunk down onto the couch. Natali was in too much shock to know how she felt until she felt Ed’s warm hand on her back. She quickly reacted with tension and he pulled her into a hug as well. Natali smelled the cologne and aftershave he was wearing and tried to find comfort unsuccessfully.
“You find my sister.”
She cried into his chest.