The Twenty-Five

Chapter One

Acting. I do it everyday. I'm not a celebrity, at least not at the moment but I am planning on becoming one. Everyone knows it is my goal to become an actor too. At the beginning of my senior year in high school, I dropped out because I was playing the lead role in a new show called, "What are Those?". When you're seventeen and you get a deal that could kick start your career as an actor, it seemed like a good choice at the time. The show ended up getting canceled a year later because there were not enough views, and all the reviews were bad. 

I couldn't go back to my hometown and face everyone after the show got canceled. I bragged about it to everyone, I told all of my classmates that they were all losers because while they were studying and doing homework, I was making money doing something I love. I couldn't help but brag, that's just the kind of person I am. I also lied a lot to my family about that show, but I also couldn't help it. Lying comes natural to me, it's just like acting. 

My name is Caleb Thompson, I'm going to restart my career and become big. Maybe I will become a better person on this road to restarting my career. I will make a change in this world, I'm sure of it. The first step in doing that, is auditioning for a new show called, "Will Ya Make it?".

As I stood in front of the building in front of me, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I didn't want to make the same mistake I've made in the past. There was a feeling in my gut that was telling me to leave this building, and just audition for another show. Usually my gut feeling was always wrong, I chose to ignore it and walked in the big building with a smile on my face. 

As I walked inside the room, there was a man sitting at a table with one lady on his left and a man on his right. They were reading down lists, and with every person that walked up to them they looked at each other and nodded before checking that person's name down.

"Name, please?" The man in the middle asked. 

"Caleb Thompson"

He looked down the list and highlighted my name, smirked at the paper and looked back up to me. 

"Number Twenty-Five, go have a seat please." The man said.

"Thank you, sir." I said.

I walked away from the table and sat down next to all the other people who were holding up numbers. The man who gave me my number suddenly told everyone to be quiet, and the rest who wanted to audition couldn't anymore. He told everyone else to get out, but kept us twenty-five. 

"Congratulations, The people selected will be coming back tomorrow for more information on this show. The twenty-five of you will be showing up back to this studio at five o'clock pm sharp. No later than that. If someone wants to back out now, please tell me because I'm sure someone else would love to take your place." The man from the desk said.

Everyone looked at each other to see if anyone would back out, but they all just stayed silent. They had big grins on their faces, and they were all glowing. Everyone happy, including me. And that is not a lie. But I still had a bad feeling in my stomach. It's probably just nerves.

As the next day rolled by it was already five pm, and I was at the studio. Once everyone settled down, the doors were locked and two men walked in with big smiles on their faces. 

"Uh, excuse me? It's already five thirty, are we going to do anything?" A girl sitting next to me asked.

"Ah, yes now what is your name?" One of the men asked.

"I'm Julia Richards-" She said, but she was cut off by the man.

"Well, Julia. On your resume it says your patient, but I guess that was a lie huh? I'm guessing this is your first time on a real show considering you don't know how to wait for everyone to settle down and get things organized." The man said, still smiling.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I swear! I was just wondering! Don't kick me off the show, please!" Julia pleaded. 

"You'll be the first one gone anyway" The other man mumbled.

"Pardon?" Julia asked, worry in her eyes. 

"Julia, stop complaining. Everyone, I need you to sign a contract before we start shooting. When I call your name, I want you to sign it in front of me so I can put them in your files." The blonde haired man said.

"Also, My name is Lucifer, and this man right next to me is Jasper." Lucifer said, holding a bunch of papers in his hands.

"Hello, Everybody. I am Jasper your uh.. director!" Jasper said, letting out a small chuckle.

Lucifer was calling every individual up, and making them sign the contract right in front of him. Once he called my name and I signed the contract, his smile grew wider. 

"Is that everybody?" Jasper asked.

"That is everybody." Lucifer said.

I sat back down next to the girl who got yelled at earlier- Julia. She smiled to me, and asked me for my name. 

"I'm Caleb, nice to meet you." I said.

"Nice to meet you too, what a rough start today huh?" Julia said, her cheeks getting red.

"I mean, you were just asking a question. They didn't need to call you out like that." I said, trying to make her feel better.

"I know, I'm totally embarrassed now!" Julia exclaimed, fiddling with her thumbs. 

I gave her a warm smile to show her that I wasn't judging her, and she gave a warm smile back. Maybe I made a new friend today. 

"Alright!" Jasper yelled out.

"Lock all the doors, Lucifer. Tonight will be a long night." He laughed.

Everybody looked at each other in a confusing way, something about the way he told Lucifer to lock all the doors gave everybody an uneasiness feeling. You can tell just by looking at their faces.

"Uh, excuse me?" A man from the front row of seats called out.

"Yes?" Jasper asked.

"I'm confused as to why the doors are locked? We haven't even got our scripts to start shooting the first episode! Are we actually going to get any work done?" The man asked.

Jasper rolled his eyes, rubbed his forehead and let out a frustrated groan. 

"They just won't stop asking questions." Jasper mumbled to Lucifer.

"Let me just make this clear, you all signed a contract today. Which means that you all will do whatever I say, or there will be consequences." Jasper said, with a grin forming on his face.

The uneasy feeling in my gut that I had the day before, and this morning before coming to the studio was back. Nobody understood what he meant by consequences.

"Consequences?" The same man asked.

The whole studio was silent, everyone was just staring at each other trying to understand what Jasper meant. The studio filled with laughter, by Lucifer as he finished locking all the doors and coming back to where everyone was sitting.

"What my friend here is trying to say is, we will all die eventually. Natural causes, murder, suicide, anything that has to do with death. The point is, death is upon all of us. Jasper and I are just making it easier for all of you." Lucifer said, a smirk on his face.

"You see, for years Lucifer and I have been traveling the world. There is something about murder and death that just intrigue us. Every plan that we have tried, never worked out. So we're trying out this new plan. And who better than to try it on young, hungry wannabe actors and actresses?" Jasper said.

"Don't try to scream, no one can hear you. All of your cellphones, smart watches, everything electronic you had coming inside this building is already safe with us. If any of you want to try something, it's your grave you dug up." Jasper said.

Nobody could move. We were all frozen. All the bad things I've done, all the lies, the sins, it's all catching up to me now. This is my karma. 

"I- I don't want to die, I'm too young." A girl said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Alright, if any of you want to leave just get up and go. Jasper and I will close our eyes." Lucifer said.

I felt an arm shifting from the person right next to me. He was going to get up and try to go.

"Don't do it." I whispered.

"No, man. I can't die. I need to get out of here." The man said.

"Don't! It's a trap!" I whispered, holding on to his arm.

While I was trying to tell the man to stay in his seat and not move, someone from the front started running towards the exit. Once he tried to push open the obviously locked door, a gunshot went off and the man's body fell to the ground.

Everybody gasped.

"My baby! My baby, this can't be happening!" A women shrieked, running to the body.

"This was just an example." Jasper said, putting his gun back to where it was.

"You killed my husband!" The women cried out, holding his body in her arms.

She kept shaking her husband, and putting her hand to his chest to stop the bleeding. Her cries filled the room, everybody stayed silent. We were all afraid to move.

"I don't know why you're over reacting, clearly he tried to run out the building WITHOUT you. Meaning, he was going to leave you here alone." Lucifer said, letting out a chuckle.

The women stayed silent, tears running down her face as she had her husband's body next to her. She was mumbling words nobody could make out, but they were just words she was telling her dead husband.

"Somebody take her away." Lucifer snapped, looking at one of the guards.

A tall guard with black hair walked up to the women on the floor and stuck his hand out. There was no emotion on his face.

"Let's go." He said.

The women got up and the guard took her by the arm, taking her away from everybody in the room. As he walked away with her, and away from Jasper and Lucifer you can see a little emotion on his face. The girl beside me, Julia looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"Everything will be okay." I said, trying to believe my own words.

This time though, I don't think everything will be okay. This is the end for me. I'm going to be leaving this earth as a failure. A liar, manipulative failure.

"We need to stick together, please. I can't be alone." Julia said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

There was a feeling inside me that wanted her to keep giving me comfort because I couldn't give myself any. But, it wasn't the right time to think about all of this. I don't think there ever will be time to think about Julia and I.

I let go of Julia's hand and I could feel her giving me a confusing stare. I chose to ignore her. All I need is myself right now.

"Lucifer, identify that man and scratch his name out." Jasper said.

Lucifer went up to the body and matched the dead man's face to a picture he has of him.

"One down, twenty-four more to go." Lucifer said, scratching out the name from his clipboard.