Background Shadows

Chapter 2

I woke up in a strange dark place, the temperature felt below zero, and was covered in spiderwebs. An eerie feeling passed through me, and I looked around. However, I saw no one, not a single soul. The only indicator of life was the mice and spiders crawling and squeaking inside the walls.

I groaned as I tried to sit up. The strange mysterious feeling still lingered in my body as butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Although those did not feel like butterflies, but moths eating me up. My anxiety was at its peak, my eyes searching desperately for any small tiny movement.

Suddenly I heard a sound, a sound that is well-known to me. A sound of a text message. The sound of a phone. "Strange," I thought, I wasn't carrying a phone, nor did I seem to be near one. However, the sound still remained, echoing through the space. A screen lit up, and light filled the room. I skimmed the room once again, finally finding the source of light, and there it was, small and black, yet easily recognized by me.

"A phone. What is it doing here?" I whispered under my nose. I tried to stand up, but instead, I shrieked. I looked down and discovered that I had a tremendous scar from my knee to my thigh. I tried to move the upper part of my body but failed miserably, as I was greeted with an immense amount of pain. With my leg throbbing, my body sore, and my head pounding, I tried to crawl my way to the unknown phone.

Every small movement was as painful as walking on spikes, but I could only go on, I could not give up. I had to get to that phone and figure out where I was. I tore a piece of cloth from my T-shirt, which had turned from black to dark red from blood, and tied it to my leg to stop the immense bleeding. With all of the might and strength I had within me, I started dragging myself toward the phone.

After fifteen minutes of torture and pain, I finally got to the phone, which was located on the other side of the room. After looking around and getting a better glance at the room, I could assume that I was in an underground basement of some sort. "Still, I can't be sure," I stated and took a deep breath.

The phone began beeping uncontrollably, "It sounds like an alarm or something," I clicked the power button and swiped up. Unlocking it was easier than I thought. There was no code, pattern,or lock. "Strange," I thought once again, as an error message appeared on the screen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ERROR

You have been chosen to participate in the game Background Shadows. Follow the instructions correctly, survive, and you will leave this place with $800 million. If somebody dies during the process, the income will increase, but if you murder somebody, you will be severely punished. Work together, but trust no one. The only way to "win" is if you scan all the QR codes using the gadget you are reading this message on. If you do that, everyone will be spared, but you only leave with the prize money. There is also an alternative if you are the only one alive you will also be given the prize money. Players are allowed to steal phones...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I shook my head, "Game?!" I exclaimed, "Do they think it is funny to toy with people? They are not gods to decide the fate of people's lives." I groaned. "Our generation really is something!" I said as I rubbed my temples with my fingers.