Head blazing, but numb to the rest of my body. I woke up in a bright room, cameras in front of me with big lights hovering over them.
The chair I sat in was black and connected to the ground. My hands were tied to the chair, ankles also secured to the chair.
The walls were white, floor and ceiling matched with the same color.
On the top left hand corner of the room was a speaker, big and black with a small red dot on the top.
I hesitated to speak, too many questions flooded my mind at once.
The big black speaker spoke to me before words came out my mouth. A woman's voice spoke. "You're finally awake, how are you feeling?"
I replied. "Where am I?"
"This may sound seem like too much to gather all at once, hopefully you're one of the strong ones." The woman cleared her throat, spoke softly. "You're on an island that's away from the rest of civilization, you were captured and brought here."
"My brother and sister, my parents." I paused, tears filling my eyes. I questioned. "Where are they?"
"They're here." The voice replied. "They're just in separate room right now, they're fine. We like to speak with everyone individually first, makes things easier on us."
"I don't understand."
"It's hard to understand, because it's really senseless." She continued. "But you're family has been choosing at random to participate in annual betting competition."
"Betting competition?"
"Yes." She explained. "A lot of rich guys are in charge of Lost Island, billions of dollars are invested and betted here every single year for this competition. We choose twenty families of five family members, to make one hundred people. In ten days, we'll throw all twenty families into the battleground until there's one family left alive."
My eyes widened. "What the fuck? What kind of sick ass shit is this? My sister is fuckin' fourteen!"
"I know, and I'm sorry you've been chosen for this." The woman continued. "Thirteen is our age deadline, we've seen some children come out victorious."
"I don't give a shit what you've seen." I replied. "You're all sick as fuck, and I wanna leave. Now!"
"We like this fire, but there's no getting out of this island. Even if you win, you'll never leave the island. You'll live here for the rest of your life like the rest of our winning families."
I sighed deeply. "Where the fuck is my family? I wanna see them."
"Your younger brother finished with his opening." The woman continued. "Your mother and father aren't cooperating quickly as him, and your younger sister is slowly coming along. When all of you finish your openings, you'll be brought together."
"Then get on with it."
"Well, I have some questions for you. Simple questions, we know the answers already so don't lie."
"Then why fuckin' ask?"
"Maybe you wanna change some things that we'd allow." She continued. "Now, what's your name?"
"Kalon."
"Last name?"
"Hope."
"Kalon Hope." The woman continued. "Your family will be given headbands with your last name written on the them soon, Hope is a nice last name."
I rolled my eyes. "It's my mother's last name, my dad changed his last name when they married because they felt like it was suppose to stay around for generations."
"Has it?"
"It has." I answered. "You really kidnap families of five at random?"
"For the most part yes, in some cases we've taken people from the family before."
"Like my family." I hesitated, wasn't sure if I could remember the full story my mother told me. "My mom's brother, his two children, and a couple other of my cousins all went missing the same year. About eight years ago."
"Yes, like you're family." The woman confessed. "I didn't think you'd piece that together, your mother hasn't."
"She's probably too busy thinking about the fact that you've chosen her three children to go die." I asked. "You took her brother, why'd you have to take her."
"Well as I said, most times its at random. Other times we choose a family because we've chosen them before." She said. "If we go back to a family, it's only because that family did really good last time. They either won, or came close."
"My uncle?"
"Your uncle saved his children." The woman said. "Your uncle and his teenage sons survived, but you're other two family members didn't make it."
"This is stupid." I mumbled. "You're all fuckin' idiots, and you're burning in hell for this shit."
"We know." She continued. "How old are you Kalon?"
"I'm nineteen."
"Will you be turning twenty in the next month?"
"No."
"Answer honestly, do you believe your family can be the last alive?"
"None of us are killers." I answered. "So I don't know."
"Yes or no."
"Yes, you want me to not have faith?"
"No, we want you to have confidence. Even if it's false hope."
"Kalon before the kidnapping, what were you doing for a living?"
"School."
"Where?"
"California."
"Thank you." She paused for a second before her next question. "As I understand, you were in a relationship with a woman from your school?"
"Don't fuck with me." I replied. "She has nothing to do with this so why are we discussing her?"
"We saw potential in her family." She continued. "They were chosen as well."
Lost of words, I yelled out. "Why the fuck would you do that? Out of all the fuckin' families in the world!"
"We watched you for awhile, and learned that your girlfriend would be interesting here on the island." She continued. "What's her name? Day?"
Tears in my eyes, I nodded. "Daysha."
"Day has three brothers who are strong and possibly interesting as her." The woman finished. "We couldn't leave them out this year, too much potential."
I shook my head. "Can we conclude this shit already?"
"Ten days before you're on the battleground Kalon, I wish you the best of luck. Spend the rest of the time with your family wisely."
The lights were shut off.
I asked. "So what's next?"
"You sleep." She answered. "And when you wake, you'll be with your family."
From the corners of the room, a dark red smoke started to appear.
I asked. "What the hell is that?"
"It's gonna put you to sleep."
Struggling to escape from the chair, I yelled out. I called the lady all sorts of names, things she's probably use to hearing since her job is so terrible.
She must make many enemies.
A dark red smoke appeared from both sides of the room.
I didn't bother asking what it was. Whatever it is, it's something that's gonna knock me out into a deep sleep within seconds of inhaling.
"You must enjoy this, making men and children kill each other. It's deeper than just some wager, it's deeper than the money." I took a deep breath, sighed deeply. "Lady, whats the real purpose?"
She answered. "It's really just about the money kid. Don't overthink it, it's really not that deep. You've been chosen in a rich man's experiment. I'm sorry Kalon, try to win."
The smoke stretched quickly, down at my uncles and hovering over my head.
The smoke affected quickly, my eyes sunk low and stamina vanished. I worked up my last scans of momentum to speak. "I'm gonna kill all of you."
"Good luck with that Kalon."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daysha
"Everyday for the last ten days I've noticed the same three duos of people taking turns." I expressed my frustration, waving my hand as I spoke. "Daddy they up to something, I say we kill them before they kill us."
My dad laughed at me. "Daysha why haven't you just called the police?"
"Because it's three different groups of two dad." I rolled my eyes. "Police can't get all six of them.
"Why not Day?"
"No way that's unrealistic, some of them are gonna get away and make their move."
"But why would someone be following you baby girl?"
"I don't know..." Random thoughts went through my head. "Maybe because I'm pretty, they wanna get me for human trafficking. Maybe they see how I run shit an want me to be a power slave."
He laughed. "Daysha, a power slave?"
"I don't know, I don't care either." I said. "This has had me paranoid, I've gotta keep a weapon on me at all times because of this shit. It's taking me out of my norm dad."
"Daysha.." He wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. "How do you wanna handle this sweetie? We'll do whatever you think."
"I want them to know it's war if they want it." I continued. "I just gotta know who."
My dad kissed my forehead. "Everything's gonna be alright, you're letting everything in your life stress you and it doesn't have to be that way baby."
"No, this is suppose to be stressful. I'm being stalked." I sighed, stepped away from my father and took a seat. "Can I just have a minute to think about this and we can finish talk about it?"
"Of course Day."
My dad left the room.
For days I've been followed, they switch shifts every few hours or so to try and lower suspicion. But I detect everything.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, sent my boyfriend a text.
A few seconds after my message sent, I received a phone call from him.
He spoke before me. "So what did your dad say?"
"He wants to help me, but I don't know if he's serious." I sighed. "Where are you Kalon, are you sure they haven't been following you too?"
"I've been cautious, nobody's ever following me. I promise." Kalon spoke calmly, keeping me at ease. "You should come over, just spend tonight with me. We can talk about everything and take your mind of the situation."
I took that comment sexual, rather he wanted me to or not.
I replied. "Okay daddy."
"Call me when you're here."
"I love you."
"I love you too baby."
I hung up the phone, big smile on my face.
I grabbed my gun off the counter, put it at my waist. It's usual resting spot.
I called out to my father, thanking him for the conversation with me. I told him I was leaving for the night, but didn't mention going to Kalon's.
My father still treated me like his little girl, didn't like the idea of me staying the night over my boyfriend's house.
My hand touched the front door's knob before shattering of glass from the living room stopped me.
I rushed to see what happened, my father rushed down just as urgent.
Red smoke fogged the living room rapidly, coming from a small black baseball shaped object.
My father cursed, ran back upstairs and screamed for my brother and sister to wake.
Another black baseball shaped object came flying through a window, more smoke covered the living and made its way upstairs.
I rushed for the front door, opened the door coming face to face with a few men all wearing gas mask and all brown clothing.
I pulled my weapon, but all men attacked simultaneously.
Aiming quickly, I pulled the trigger. Shooting one of the men.
My dad raised me to only take kill shots.
Parts of his head blown away, he fell to the ground deceased.
One man disarmed me as the other tackled me to the ground.
I cursed and yelled as both men forced me on my stomach.
My daddy should've came down long ago, I called out for him. Screaming, kicking, cursing, and wishing my father hurried from upstairs.
One of the men killed all hopes of my father coming for the rescue, he spoke to me with a merciless hard voice. "Your father isn't coming back stupid. That red gas knocks you out from one little sniff, he's sleeping like a baby right about now."
The gas affect kicked in as the gas came pushing its way out the front door, I yawned cursed at them one last time.
"Fuck you."
I closed my eyes. Kalon crossed my mind, they weren't stalking him at least.
I'll never have the opportunity to spend any time with him again.