The Games That Led Me To You

a͚f͚t͚e͚r͚s͚h͚o͚c͚k͚

ᵈᵉᵛᵒⁿ'ˢ ᵖᵒᵛ

My feet were following the guard leading me to what I assume is the room filled with beds where I woke up in. My head was clouded with anxious and horrified thoughts. My heart beat had yet to slow down and my breathing still irregular. I had just witnessed countless murders and luckily survived. It didn't make sense why kill people for losing a game? Why did we need to die? Why couldn't we just leave and go back to our lives?

All I wanted was to go home and I usually didn't know what I wanted nowadays. Coming here was the biggest mistake ever. I enter the room that is quickly filling back up but still noticably lacking a large number of players. I make my way to the center of the room not knowing where to go and not feeling safe anywhere. My body was slightly trembling from fear and I begin to wrap my arms around myself in a pity attempt to bring myself comfort.

People are still spilling into the room and I'm silently watching. Maybe it's hope or just plain foolishness but I just wish I would see a familiar face walk through the door and take me home. The huge room continues to be filled by quaking bodies of players, all wearing a solemn expression on their faces, one I'm most likely mirroring right now.

Suddenly my breath gets caught in my throat and my body stops trembling, it stops moving all together. I am like a stoned statue out in the open, unmoving. My own eyes connected with the same pair that I had stolen, well inherited from the woman who gave birth to me. She immediately makes her way towards me as I do the same, we collide and hold onto each other, eyes not believing the sight we are seeing.

"What are you doing here?" We ask in unison. "Mom I'm so sorry. I should have never came here." I say to her. "No I shouldn't have come here either baby. I'm so sorry you had to see that." She says to me. "I'm sorry I lied." I say again. "Me too honey." She agreed. We pull apart and I finally notice the group of people behind her. I see Lexy and Junior and instantly hug them the same I did my mom. "What the fuck?" We all ask each other.

"How the hell are you guys also here?" I ask. "I honestly don't know the answer to that." Lexy says and Junior nods in agreement. I then catch sight of the boy who is standing off to the side, watching everything go down before our eyes meet and I gasp in disbelief.

Tears swell up in my eyes as I continue staring at the curly haired boy of my dreams. "Are you for real? Am I dreaming again?" I ask him in a soft tone of nostalgia and denial. He doesn't respond to me, only engulfs me into his arms and I melt into his embrace the same way I did 2 years ago, like no time has passed at all.

𝒥𝒶𝓀ℯ'𝓈 𝒫ℴ𝓋

He was here. Just like me, just like Junior and Lexy and his mom. He was in my arms, against my chest, arms wrapped around me. I could see him, I could feel him, and I couldn't believe it. I see Lexy guiding Kim and Junior away from us to give us a moment. I loosen my hold on Devon, indicating that I was about to let go of him and his hold on me tightens in response, his hands clutching onto my tracksuit. "Don't leave yet...not again. Just let me have this before you go." He whispers to me like a secret, still not believing that I'm actually here with him.

"Dev...I'm actually here and I'm not leaving you again." I say to him. He lifts his head up to look at me, tears still filled his eyes and a few stained his face. "This is real?" He asks. I nod to him before he smiles at me and clutches my body again in glee and relief.

I rest my head on his and tighten my hold on him like before. It takes a while for us to pull apart, but when we do I ask him a question of my own. "Why are you here? This isn't safe." "Yeah I didn't know that at first and I'm here for money...same as everyone else." He retorts.