The Hollow Game.

Chapter Three

Lottie grumbled as she stumbled again. Just yesterday she had been preparing to win the Hollow Game and now here she was, stumbling around blindfolded to who knew where.

Cold air wafted around her and the smell of damp leaves and spices mingled about. She caught herself from tripping once more and silently added to the tokens.

$100,000,000 tokens for winning seemed too little for being blindfolded and led through mud and rocks. “Ah, blindfolds off everyone.”

Dim yellow light bounced off tan bricks and made the large, doorless archways stand out even more. “This is the starting point of the Game,” the man up front said. Lottie thought he might have been the one who spun the metal wheel but it was hard to tell. “Now all you have to do to win is simple: reach the end. The first dozen people to exit move on and the rest don’t.” He gestured towards the archways and stepped back.

“Good luck,” he called cheerfully. Lottie stared at the gaping holes and shivered. Darkness had never looked as sinister as it did right then. All of the contestants shuffled about, no one willing to be the first to enter.

“Cool! which one do you think we should go down?” The bubbly girl that she had talked to earlier bounced forward and leaned into one of the archways before darting over to another.

“This one? How about here? Oh, I know. It’s this one, isn’t it?” Lottie cringed as the man cleared his throat. “They all lead to the same place. Pick one,” he said.

The bubbly girl sighed, “Alright, alright.” She turned in a quick circle and strolled towards the left arch. “Come on, Binks. This is the one, I can feel it!”

Lottie watched as a young man darted after her and the two disappeared into the darkness, only the girl’s laughter remained. “Okay, who’s next?”

“Hey, slow down, would ya?” She shrugged, barely slowing from her brisk jog. “Can’t keep up?” She asked, blinking over her shoulder where she thought the boy was.

“I can keep up just fine, Ace. It’s the fact we’re walking in the dark with no clue what’s around us that concerns me.” She blinked, the excitement of starting the Game not diminishing in the least. There was still a bit of light, not a lot, and it only illuminated a few feet ahead of them. The archways leading back to the others were lit but she couldn’t actually see anyone now that she was looking.

“Ah, you worry too much,” she said, shrugging. “I’m sure we’ll find our way out and then we’ll start the next half. Hey, what do you think it’ll be?”

“Hard.” He grunted, slamming into her back as the little light blinked out of existence. Ace stumbled forward at the sudden weight before grabbing the other’s arm and steading him. The two held their breath as footsteps echoed around them. “Anyone here?”

“Hey? Hello?”

“Who turned off the lights?!” The voices of the other contestants broke through the silence, echoing off each other and making everything louder than it was. “Well, at least we’re not alone,” Binks murmured. Ace chuckled, her grin returning as though it had never left. “Alright, now we can get going! Which way, Binks?” He blinked. “Um, left?”

She nodded and turned to the left, her hands out in front of her as she walked. The two somewhat managed not to bump into both people and large boulders as they searched around. Finally, someone called out that they found a tunnel near a group of boulders that felt like they were in the shape of an arrow. Ace whooped and raced off towards the voice, one hand skimming the rocks and the other firmly clutching onto Binks’ arm. They managed to bump into fewer people and within seconds stood in front of the boulders.

“Maybe we should stick together,” one of the contestants said, her voice wavering slightly. Others voiced their agreement and reached for the closest person’s hands. Ace grabbed Binks’ and another girl’s before declaring loudly that they should get moving and bounding forward. She snickered as the girl grumbled and stumbled, not expecting them to be the first ones to enter the tunnel. Their footsteps echoed oddly and the darkness never let up, keeping their actual surroundings hidden. “Isn’t this awesome?” She asked breathlessly.

“Yeah, a real hoot,” Binks mumbled, jerking his arm back to slow her down a bit. The tunnel twisted and turned, sometimes even doubling back on itself. Ace would occasionally stop to touch the walls, somewhat hoping for another tunnel or two just to spice things up.

“Gee, this thing is long.” The darkness hadn’t let up and after what felt like doubling back again, even she couldn’t muster up the enthusiasm to continue.

She frowned, plopping onto the floor, dragging the other two with her. “Hey, this is my good dress!” The girl exclaimed, tugging her hand away. “Oh yeah, my bad.”

The girl grumbled before turning to talk to one of the other contestants.

Ace frowned, absently patting the ground. Why were they told to dress their best if they’re going through a tunnel? Crack!

She shot to her feet, staring into the darkness as another booming crack sounded. The ground shook and dirt rained down on them as three rapid cracks echoed around them. Ace blinked as she was pushed and shoved towards the wall, hands grasping frantically for others as contestants fled from the noises.

Suddenly she was jerked forward, running to keep up with the panting girl leading her.

“Hurry, we’ve got to leave,” she whispered. “I don’t want to do this anymore! Where’s the exit?” The ground shook again as though ready to split into pieces, sending everything in its path plummeting downward. Ace patted the babbling girl even as a small grin stretched across her face. “Hey Binks, know what this means?” He snorted, “Something entertaining is finally happening?” Her grin widened. “The Game’s finally begun!”

“Great, just great. First the overrated food and now I’m alone.” Jackson continued grumbling as he patted the wall. The cracking had startled everyone into running for cover, which was both a good idea and a bad one since that meant everyone had managed to get separated. His two ‘partners’ had let go of his hands in order to escape quicker, leaving him to wander around until he had found another tunnel.

No one else had went down it, he was sure. The air was stale and the whip like noises were gone, leaving only the occasional shaking as the ground buckled against gravity.

He wasn’t sure what exactly was causing the quaking but assumed either it was a divide and conquer sort of thing or the ceiling hitting the ground hard enough to cause it. He didn’t honestly care either way, really. When another quake happened, he clutched onto the wall for support and waited until it was over to continue. One hand on the wall and the other in front of him, he hoped this way he would either bump into someone or find another tunnel. “It’s all well and good until someone spits on someone important,” he mumbled.

The silence was slightly nerve wracking and the farther he walked the tenser he became.

He wanted to go home, back to his small apartment where the door was stuck most of the time and water rings dotted almost every surface. Back to work where he went in early and stayed well past closing until his feet were sore and his eyes gritty and bloodshot from staying awake for so long. What would his co-workers say if he didn’t come back? Most of them were idiots but they had all worked together since the restaurant opened. And Carl. What would he say?

Jackson shivered, shoulders hunching forward as he thought of his father in all but blood and paperwork. The two had been together for years and if he didn’t survive the Game he would crush the old man’s heart.

“Just got to survive it,” he muttered. “Don’t have to win, just survive.”

He repeated it several more times before he felt confident enough that nothing was going to jump out at him. Then something slammed into him. Two screams echoed around as he clawed at the weight on top of him. The only thing running through his head was an apology for not surviving to see his family as his head smacked onto the ground.

“Ahh!” The weight under him struggled and thrashed before suddenly going limp. He peered down, poking and prodding at the weight before sighing.

Just a person, he thought. “Hey, yo, you okay?” No answer.

“Dude, are you okay?” Still no answer. Probably ran into him too hard. He looked around, winced at the lack of light and drug the limp body over to another tunnel.

He ignored the floor shaking and reached around to prod the back of the guy’s head. His fingers weren’t wet or tacky and a quick sniff confirmed there was no blood.

“Alright, I can wait.” He shifted around, feet braces against one wall and his back against the other, his hands casually under his head.

Minutes later he poked and prodded the guy until a muffled groan escaped. “Finally, I thought you would never wake up!”

More shuffling noises were heard as the guy rightened himself. “What happened?” He asked harshly. “Who are you?”

“Easy, I ran into you and you fell, hit your head on the way down. And I’m Milo, dude.”

“Jackson,” the reply was muffled but still loud enough to make out. Milo grinned, “Pleasure to meet you.” The silence stretched between the two as they gathered themselves up and began trekking down the side tunnel. “So, do you come here often?”

Jackson groaned, wondering what he had done to deserve this.