JINX

EPISODE 16

|Tuesday, 12th of February

I've seen worst. Worst things that I never would have imagined it to be.

I see these strangers whom I now consider friends, also hurting deep inside but like me, they just don't want to show the pain.

And up until now, they still haven't accepted the fact that they have been defeated. We all are. I know my personality in here shows the total opposite of who I was yesterday. Because today, I am finally accepting my defeat.

Today marks the day where we will all get to play this Jinx game that as we call it, "unpredictable." In a way that we aren't ready to face the game, as much as we are not ready to face death... Maybe it was just me, right? But despite all that shits, I think I just have to accept my fate. And this is the thought that has been bugging me last night... And I've finally made my decision last night before I get to see the worst with my friends.

It hurts, it really hurts to admit it but yeah, I am going to die... Maybe I'll even never make it today. Maybe I'll die even before the game starts, who knows?

But just when I'm thinking of finally hugging my defeat, this child came talking to me last night. As much as I want to believe that she's nonexistent, she is. And she gave me hope.

Hope that I never thought I would ever feel again.

And now, I'm stuck between letting go of the hope of escaping and holding tight because this kid told me to. She may have not told me exactly, but her eyes were talking to me. And lucky for me, I was able to read eyes... Or maybe It was the opposite, right? Maybe it is. But, all I can see in her is the undying spirit of an eagle, ready to fly anytime soon. And I envy her.

I wish I had this spirit that I managed to lose it a very long time ago. Maybe I had lost hope before and I was just thinking I haven't? I am still running in a maze that I have created- myself.

I am stuck in my puzzle and I can't seem to find a way to fix it... Unless I am just too lazy to think of the bigger picture?

Yeah, I have definitely lost faith. But, is it the right time to give up now? Help me, please.

Sincerely,

Miguel.

•••

Carlo goes out of the house to pick the newspaper being thrown into the front door of their place. Like the past few days, this day is not what he expected it. He thought that this day might be worst than the past few days, but it wasn't. Today is a silent yet intense day for the couples.

Living under one roof with the love of your life should be happy, right? Well, not for this couple. After their argument the other day, Carlo couldn't seem to find his words to talk with his fiancee, so is Lerissa who is also feeling awkward.

Not that they don't love each other already, in fact, their love for each other is growing day by day, but today is not about their affection for each other... It was about Miguel who they haven't heard from him after the night someone attacked them.

Carlo inhales a great amount of oxygen, releasing it in an exhale three seconds after. He stares at the dull neighborhood. Leaves being scattered into the ground, cars parked, two kids passing by with a bike, an old man with his dog, a woman busy on her phone with a bag of croissants in her hand, and he just woke up and now, picking the newspaper. Picking it up, he taps it on his palm as his eyes roam around for a couple of seconds before deciding to get inside to read the recent news in the newspaper. Yes, they do have a television but he had found something into reading in newspapers. For him, newspapers are more fun than just staring at a blank television.

But before he could even turn around, his attention landed on the mailbox. Something inside him tells him to go and see what is inside, but a part of him asks why. But the curiosity had gotten big, making him groan faintly, finally approaching the mailbox. When he's in front of it, he stares at it for a second, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

'What's with me?' He asks himself, feeling weirded out of his feelings. But to not prolong the agony of curiosity, he opens the box. He sighs in relief when he only sees envelopes.

"Thank goodness!' I thought there's something there." He mumbles to himself, never letting go of the newspaper. He slides the flat newspaper between his armpit, gathering all the papers inside the mailbox. Before going back inside, he starts to read at the back of every envelope, still not knowing the reason why. He just had this feeling of looking at them.

Until his eyes landed on one envelope. The envelope has only one word at the back: JINX. He could feel his heart start to beat faster and faster, starting to feel nervous by the second. He flips it to see in front, seeing that the envelope was sealed with the most popular color of sealing wax-red, marked with a visible clock in it. He could already feel that something important is inside the letter and that he doesn't have the patience to bring it inside the house. With a light shaking hands, he opens it rapidly, only to see a dirty brown piece of paper. What made his curiosity grow is that the paper is a torn sheet from a notebook. He knows because of the way it was torn. Still heart palpitating, he opens the letter nervously. And just by reading the first four words, he already knows who it belonged to.

|Sunday, 10th of February

•••

Miguel and Ash woke up from the rattling noise. It was from a distant, the sound still is like a whisper, but it was clear enough for them both to have their nerves all flick out to wake their whole system up. Ash and Miguel give each other a questioning look.

"Do you know where it came from?" Ash asks but that wasn't enough for her to stop.

"Wake up! You'll have thirty minutes to eat your breakfast!" Just hearing a faint shout coming from the outside made them exactly realize what is happening from the other side. Miguel quickly approaches Ash who is already standing at the edge of the room. They both stand there, waiting to be called upon.

"Are you nervous?" Ash asks, making him turn to his left shoulder. Ash was already looking up at her, showing no sign of fright.

"Of... Of course, I'm not scared." He stutters, feeling cold sweat slowly dripping at the back of neck.

"Well, your face says the opposite. I know you're scared. But the real question is, what is Miguel's real fear?"

Right before he could even respond, they start to hear the clanging metal pipes being struck on the doors. Ash, noticing how Miguel tensed up, makes her reach for his hand, holding it tight. Miguel turns to her again, with a small smile formed on his lips.

"We will get out of here, Mister Miguel. Just don't show them you're intimidated by them."

•••

They're already out of their cells, walking in two lines as they approach the room where everything started. Miguel silently hid his fright, gulping his saliva every step he takes. Beside him was Ash, who is looking fiercely. Miguel couldn't see any sense of nervousness, nor lack of confidence. All he could see is a mirror in front of him, starting at the opposite of his identity. He acts tough but breaks down, he wanted to think he is confident but flaws and judgment are still eating him up. And that is something he got jealous about just by starting at Ash. Then, all he could think of is the conversation they had last night. And that is something he had to hold on to, to survive. At least, he had someone to trust aside from Kyle and Melissa.

Just by starting at the door already send chills down his spine, and as they enter the room, it already sends bad vibes around. The reeking smell of rotten unidentified materials mixed with the smell of blood and metal. Miguel wrinkles his nose, not wanting the effect in his nostrils. The lights were already on by that time, making him sigh in relief for not bothering to activate his sixth sense in the dark, and even worse, getting to kick someone in the dark.

As they stood in a horizontal line facing the white wall in a distance, they were surprised that persons wearing white outfits came to place a neckband on their necks, like they're some kind of dog meat to be taken care of. Although they have got no time to react to the situation, putting on a leash in them never became hard for the persons in white.

"What the f*ck!? Don't you touch me, you son of a b*tch!" One of the guys starts freaking out, pushing the person in white instantly. The persons wearing in white soon back off, making Miguel think that something is wrong with them. He turns to face Ash who is uncomfortable with the thing wrapped around her neck like she's already choking without moving a muscle.

"Ash, are you okay?" Miguel asks as he tries to help Ash to loosen up the belt a bit.

"That stupid guy locked it pretty perfectly, almost choking me. Did they want to kill me that bad?" She manages to joke out but Miguel shows no sign of joking out. Ash frowns, placing her hand on top of his. "I'm okay, Mister. I am not some kind of vulnerable item that can be broke anytime. I'm stronger than you think." She assures, making him nod. Not that he doesn't only want to admit his sympathy, but he doesn't want to argue with her anymore.

"Okay... If you say so. But just remember that I don't want you to die right now. We had a plan, remember?"

Before Ash could reply, Mister Clock, Valentine, and two men stood beside him. Mister Clock then starts to greet everyone, as nothing bad would happen after. He acted as if the next scenes would be rainbows and candies well, in fact, it would be bloodshed and tears.

"You see, I have developed a very interesting machine and since it is new, you'll be the first batch to ever try this device." He explains as Valentine hands him a black, flat, six inched item. Some would say it is a phone, but it can look like a phone. Mister Clock shows them the item, but far enough to distinguish what it is.

"As you can already tell, there are leashes around your neck or what I prefer to call it, 'the chain to freedom.' Now, If you were able to look around, you might have noticed the blades at your back." He takes the moment to pause as they stare at it with fright. The large, lengthwise blade at rest, blades shining brightly with death. Miguel could have lost his control but tries to still contain himself. He could feel his knees weakening like anytime now, it would turn into jello.

"Now, you must be all wondering what's inside my hand? Well, this is a remote control that can control those babies I have at the back." He waits for his cue to continue after clicking something on the remote, making the sound of machines being activated. The players had no choice but to watch in horror. The blade starts moving at a slow pace. Mister Clock frowns, not wanting the slow movement of the edges.

"That's too slow, right? No fun to be exact?... Hmm, how about we press this?" He was too convincing to resist, making them gasp for fright the moment the blades starts turning faster and faster. The sound of the machines working irritates their ears, not pleasured by the moment. Soon, Mister Clock makes the blades stop, making them wonder why. Without any warning, the persons in white approach them but not doing anything. Seconds later, they kicked right at the back of their knees, forced to kneel. Mister Clock slowly approach them, having that smirk on his lips. He first stood in front of Ash, the youngest of them all.

"Hello, Miss Ash. I believe you're the youngest among them all and yet, the fiercest."

"I don't care what you think, you old son of a b*tch." She cursed, making his eyes grew bigger.

"Like I said, the fiercest. But before we start this game, I have this tradition of asking... And you're the first to answer."

"I am not afraid of you."

"I'm not telling you to be afraid of me, I'm simply giving you a warning that you should be afraid of yourself." That made Ash shut up. Still having that evil grin on his face, he continues to torture her by prolonging the agony of waiting for the question. Miguel could see her taking deep breaths, making him feel bad for a kid like her to be in the game.

"I will ask all of you this question every time we play a game, and I want you to submit into it." He announces before staring at Ash again.

"So Miss Ash... All you have to do is give up, okay? Surrender your real identity to me, and you'll never suffer the consequences."

'What!?' Miguel asks himself, not expecting the question. Everyone in the room had some time to think, leaving a very tense yet silent atmosphere. Ash didn't break the stare, probably studying her next words. It took her a couple of five seconds before her expressions change into something Miguel didn't expect.

"And if I agree to surrender..." Ash pauses, gulping her saliva. "If I surrender my real identity, what's in it for me? Will I leave this place for good? Will I see my grandpa again? Will I hug my grandma again? Will I not be forced to go home with...," Ash losses tracks of her words, making Miguel wonder who could she be about to mention.

"Oh yes, Miss Ash. You won't have to act tough again after this... All you have to do is surrender your identity and be the person everyone wanted to see." Mister Clock's grin grew bigger as if he's feeling a sense of victory. It was already plastered on Ash's face that she's thinking about considering the options. Even if Miguel never thought this is where Ash could be tricked, he didn't manage to mouth a single word.

"You don't have to feel the pain like what they're about to encounter, Lil kid. All you got to do is tell me the words 'I quit' and accept the Jinx... Forever."

'Ash... Don't... Don't fall for it! It's a tarp!' Miguel shouts inside him, still staring at the kid who is about to give up. But just when the worst could he have witnessed, Ash looks down for three seconds before having that smirk on her lips, then looking up again to meet Mister Clock's gaze.

"You really think I'd fall for that trick, Mister Clock? No... You might have probably underestimated me." She responds, chuckling after. "You see here, Mister Clock... I'm not a kid anymore... My age might be too young for you, but I can cope up with anyone I am with... Including you."

Impressed, Mister Clock stands up, taking a step back and fixing his suit. "Then I must say you're quite interesting as well, Miss Ash."

When he turns his back and went back to the same spot he stood earlier, he takes the remote back from Valentine. His eyes then landed on Ash for a second then on Miguel. A grin forms again on his lips, turning to the other players.

"Then, let's play Jinx, shall we?"