Surviving a Real Life Horror Story

Chapter Ten

I didn’t know when Andi had decided to follow me outside, but the sight of her when I turned around nearly gave me a heart attack. The heavy makeup under her eyes made her look almost deathly in the twilight.

“Are you okay, Rexi?” she asked with a frown on her face.

I was still panting from my fit of rage. I scoffed once as I looked at the deep wounds I had inflicted in the tree trunk. My knife had a chunk wedged into the blade and the rest was covered in the sticky sap it had leaked, almost like blood.

Finally, I forced myself to look away from it and at my friend. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem so sure,” she said, folding her arms over her chest.

“It’s just…I hate feeling helpless…it’s the worst feeling in the world. I know where I’m going, know what I’m going to have to face. I also know there’s nothing I can do to change my fate. If they decide to kill me in that arena, then I’m gonna die in that arena…I’m not gonna be any good to anyone,” I said.

I didn’t know why I was outpouring every emotion my heart had kept pent up since I first heard of the competition, but I was. I guessed it was because I could tell Andi was in a rare mood- a listening mood.

“If you worry about it, it’s only gonna stress you out and make you feel worse when the time comes. If you relax a bit, you might find that you can cope with it easier than you think,” she replied.

I stared at her for a long moment. There were times, like today, when Andi actually showed some of the wisdom that she kept hidden away on the average day. It was for moments like these that we were friends.

“I know that, but I can’t help it. I know that Krista is depending on me,” I said. “Without that money, she is going to die. There’s no getting around that anymore. The way I see my situation is it’s either her life or mine…both of us can’t walk away from this.”

“But you will…you have to. In order to get that money for her surgery, you’re gonna have to walk out of that arena, alive,” she pointed out.

I sighed as I looked at her for a long moment. “I know you’re right.”

She offered me a gentle smile. “I know that fashion isn’t your thing, but you should let me dress you up for your interview…it’ll take your mind off of things, if only for a little while.”

I blinked, considering as I looked at her. I was happy the few times that she used the brain that she seemed hesitant to remember she had.

“Okay.”

She clapped her hands together excitedly. “Great, I’ll see you at seven in the morning then. Get some sleep,” she said as she turned to head back inside the house.

I watched her go inside before I glanced down at the sticky sap that covered the knife in my hands. Maybe I just underestimated her…maybe she had more plans for the arena than I would’ve guessed.

The sound of Andi’s alarm in the morning was enough to make my heart plummet to my stomach. When I opened my eyes, I knew I would have to face the first day of what could be the last week of my life. I knew what today held; I would have to meet the people that were responsible for creating the competition built on blood sport.

I had to meet the people that thought murder was entertainment…and I had to do it with a smile. I breathed in deep through my nose and sat up to see Andi sitting on the edge of her bed. She was rubbing at her eyes as she yawned sleepily. Her blonde hair was a mess about her head. I smiled to myself as I looked at her. It was strange to see her messy and unkempt- it was good to be reminded that she was just as human as I was.

“Good morning, Rexi,” she said as she looked at me.

I nodded. “I wouldn’t know if it’s exactly “good”,” I reminded her.

She frowned at my attitude. “Did you want your makeover first?” she asked.

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Okay, let’s go then,” she said.

I looked at her surprised. I never would’ve guessed that she’d let herself look less than perfect for even a moment.

I didn’t say a word as I followed her into the bathroom. She drug a chair from the kitchen to set in front of the mirror and gestured for me to sit in it. I reluctantly agreed and waited as she went to work brushing through my hair. I frowned to myself wondering why I was truly letting her do this…was it for me, or for her?

“Done,” she said finally, and I had never been happier to hear the word.

I got up instantly and observed my reflection in the mirror. My long, dark hair was cascading down my back in curly locks, my face had a light bit of makeup, but it was done so carefully it appeared natural. She had set a red t-shirt and skinny jeans on the bathroom sink for me to change into.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked.

“It’s great,” I replied.

She smiled. “I know you said you wanted to feel comfortable so I found some clothes I thought you might like.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” I replied, scooping them up.

She nodded. “Don’t mention it, I know you’re going through a lot. Now, it’s my turn to get prettied up.”

I knew that was her dismissal. I took it without a word as I headed into her room to change. I pulled off the outfit I had been wearing the previous night and put the clothes that she had given me in their place. I was glad for her understanding, though part of me wondered how long it would last.

It didn’t take Andi long to sweep her hair into its usual style and adorn her face with a noticeable bit of makeup. In no time at all, she was back to her usual presentable self. She was twirling around in the dress she had tried on yesterday; I could tell she was excited about it.

As I watched her dance about the living room, I really began to think of her mind. I knew she was a lot smarter than she pretended to be. Why did she hide it? Was it easier to cope with difficult things by burying her wisdom in superficial things?

I shook my head; she was too complicated.

Finally, she stopped twirling and stepped up to me carefully. “Ready to go?”

I nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

She offered me a small smile but said no comforting words as she began to lead the way to her Cabrio. I knew that she said nothing because there was nothing comforting she could say. That thought weighed on my mind the entire drive. This time, the trip didn’t seem anywhere near as terrifying as the first time. I couldn’t tell if it was because Andi’s driving had calmed or if my mind was racing faster than the car.

All I knew was that the sight of the parking lot caused that worm of dread to wiggle deep into my heart. I tried to regulate my breathing, otherwise I knew perfectly well that I would have a panic attack. When Andi killed the engine, she turned to look at me; neither of us said a word.

“This is where we meet the other people that’ll be in the arena,” she said. “All of them.”

I nodded. “Let’s just hope they’re friendly. It might benefit us later on to try and make friends today.”

“That’ll be easy,” Andi said as she stepped out of the car.

Once again, I wondered what she was planning as I followed her. We walked carefully over the hill to see the building. Without the swarm of people at the door, the building looked almost as if it had been abandoned. It was a strange sight.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked her.

Andi nodded. “This is the place that the woman on the phone said.”

I fell silent again as I followed her. She was the first one to open the door and waltz inside. I followed behind her.

“Andi and Alexis?” a voice greeted us.

“That’s us!” Andi said, suddenly oddly giggly.

“Just in time,” the voice replied.

I looked for the source and realized it was a small man that had spoken. He had eyes that were a bit too close together with crow’s feet beneath them and a light stubble covering his chin. To say he was creepy looking would be a great understatement.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said as he shook Andi’s hand.

“Who are you?” I asked him as I came to rest beside Andi.

He glanced at me. “I’m Douglas Harrol, founder and director of the Surviving a Real Life Horror Movie Contest,” he replied as he reached out to shake my hand.

I refused to return it as I stared at him. This was the man that was responsible for the sick contest. I had so many insults that I wanted to spit at him that I couldn’t sort through them all. I stared at him with my disgust showing clearly on my face.

He cleared his throat. “Anyways,” he said turning his attention back to Andi. “We’re doing interviews of all of our contestants today to give us and you the chance to get to know the players before all the action starts. Up for interview right now is a Milton Corrs from South County,” he said gesturing to a cubicle that was surrounded by blue curtains.

I stared at it for a moment, the sight reminded me of a hospital ER room. I had to pull my gaze away to look inside. That was when I noticed the sickly boy that had talked to me the day we signed up. I didn’t know why I felt relieved to see him again, but I did.

“Let’s get a bit closer,” I urged Andi.

She didn’t question me as I led the way.

“What do you think you’ll bring to this competition?” the interviewer, a chunky woman with dark hair, was asking him.

“I’m strong and determined. I’m not going to back down without a fight. I think that’s something that this competition has been missing for a while now,” he said, blinking his oddly colored eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. Coors, that was all the questions we had for you,” the woman said to him. “Next is an Andi Briggs!”

He dipped his head politely to her before he got up to leave the cubicle. Andi replaced him instantly as she beamed at the woman with the microphone. The second he stood up, he noticed me watching him.

“Hey,” he said gently as he approached.

“Hi,” I replied.

“I see you got picked,” he said. “I would say “congratulations,” but I don’t think that’s fitting here.”

“No, it’s not,” I replied as I watched Andi getting settled on the stool.

Milton turned to watch my gaze. “Your friend looks a bit dressed up,” he said.

I nodded as I turned to look at him. “She gets carried away.”

“I see that,” he said.

There was a heavy silence that hung between us momentarily as we watched Andi’s interview.

“I wanted to apologize if I said anything offensive the last time we talked,” I said to him suddenly.

He shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault, you had a valid point.”

“That’s a very beautiful dress,” the interviewer said to Andi.

I sighed as I watched my friend blush. I knew that the interview would only show a ditzy teenager…nothing that even vaguely resembled the true Andi.

“You know if you die in the arena, this footage is the last anyone has of you alive?” Milton asked as if he could read my mind.

“It’s terrible to think that they don’t even capture us for who we are,” I replied.

“What do you think you bring to this competition?” the interviewer asked Andi.

Andi smiled real wide. “Beauty, of course. What’s life without it?”

Death, I thought to myself darkly.

“All right, thank you, Miss Briggs,” she said, dismissing Andi. “Alexis Harrison!”

My heart dropped to my stomach at the sound of her voice.

“Good luck,” I heard Milton say.

I ignored him as I watched Andi approach. My feet seemed rooted to the ground.

“It’s okay, Rexi, just stay calm,” she said as she passed me.

I took in a deep breath and nodded as I caught her gaze. “Right.”

She smiled at me as I finally regained the feeling in my legs. I passed her to head towards the tiny blue cubicle. I situated myself carefully on the wooden stool. On this side of the camera, the lights seemed brighter than I would’ve thought possible. The blue curtains seemed to be closing in on me as I could feel eyes from all over the room burning holes in me as they judged me.

“Hello, Miss Harrison,” the interviewer said to me.

I dipped my head. “Hi.”

“You don’t seem as dressed up as your friend, or as much as any of the other girls that were picked,” she said.

I shook my head. “I’m not.”

“Care to tell me why?”

“I don’t see a point in it,” I replied honestly. “I don’t dress that way normally, why pretend now?”

“You’re more of a tomboy then, aren’t you?”

I titled my head to the side. “I guess you could say that.”

“What would you say that you bring to this competition?” she asked.

I didn’t hesitate to answer her. “Reality,” I said calmly.