What Game Will You Play

Chapter 27

(Edited)

"Well, if I remember correctly then we are on the complete opposite side of the maze. We are now back over by the two rooms and the main tent, which means that we could try and go back the same way we got over here last time when we were trying to get into the rooms or we could try going a different route" Aiden says.

I remember how the one guard was looking behind the games as Aiden and I were walking behind them, "I think the guards are starting to catch onto our method of moving behind the games. What's the other route?"

"The other route we could take is one I have not gone before, in Tundris we ran away from the tent just like you guys did, and now I am starting to wonder what is over there on the other side of it," Aiden says. "Every time the guards have spotted us it has been by games so maybe we try something different and see if there is a way out over by the main tent where there are no games."

I think about what Aiden is saying. Since we have been seen near the game booths before, the guards are probably going to be checking them more thoroughly and we will most likely get caught. The main tent on the other hand is the place we ran from and is guarded in the front and most likely on the side facing the Ferris wheel as well since that was where another entrance was, so maybe the guards won't think to look for us behind it.

If there is a way out of there from behind the tent then we could get out of here and back to the group sooner since the main tent is closer to where we are than the maze is.

"Okay, and if there is no way out from there then we can go back to the game booths," I tell Aiden. "And if there are a bunch of guards back there then we will continue running around this place like mice getting chased by cats."

"Exactly," Aiden says.

"Great," I say with not much enthusiasm.

Aiden gives me a little smile and then moves to stand up. I stand up as well but I try to brush all the dirt, leaves, and bugs off of myself while I am doing it. I am really not much of a bug person and I would like to get away from them as soon as possible.

We move to the edge of the rock wall and I peer out from the side to get a look at our surroundings. It has definitely gotten darker but I can still make out the "Go Fishing" game next to us and a little outline of the first building I went in off in the distance.

"The main tent should be straight ahead," I tell Aiden.

I check to make sure there are no guards coming before I move out from behind the wall and make my way to the fishing game. Once there I quickly look around at the inside of the game, this is one of the games I won earlier today. We had to use little toy fishing poles with magnets on the ends to catch toy fish in the water, whoever could catch the most fish within a minute won. I remember the game looking pretty since it had a painted background that showed the bright blue ocean, now the ocean looks dark and depressing.

I move behind the game and Aiden joins me a few seconds later. Now we are right back where we were earlier when we were trying to figure out how to get into the first room to find what Vesper saw. There are still guards walking around but fewer than before, they must all be looking for Aiden and me elsewhere.

The lights outside the buildings are still on and every few minutes there are one or two guards going in and out of one of the buildings. I wonder what they are doing in there, the first room does not have as many people moving in and out of it. From what I remember it just looked like some sort of break room they used to sit down and relax in when they got too tired or hungry. The other room is the opposite, that was the room with all the papers in it, there is a lot more activity going on in it now. Luckily building two is on the far side away from us and I think we can make it to the left side of building one without being seen if we move quickly enough.

Aiden and I look over the game booth and watch the guards who go in, out, and around the buildings, if there is some sort of pattern then we should use that to our advantage. From what I can tell a guard walks by the two buildings every minute or so and they tend to come from the right and move towards our direction, but they don't check the game booths over here.

The guards going in and out of the first room are not very frequent and it happens maybe every three or four minutes. The guards in the second room are definitely more active and move around more, there is a guard going in or out of the room every thirty seconds or so.

A guard walks by us and fifteen seconds later another guard comes out of the second room, since a guard walked into the first room only about a minute ago I figure this is our best time to move.

I grab Aiden's hand and quickly start moving to the side of building one. It is brighter over here so I have to squint a little until my eyes adjust. By the time we make it to the side of the building, my eyes have finished adjusting and my heart is racing. I stick to the wall as much as I can since I know the main tent is only a few feet away and it is guarded. I face the chain link fence wall that is covered in a red tarp and I try not to think about getting caught.

I can't let Devin down.

We have been in here for probably about two hours at least. We were just supposed to get to the room, find the list of the towns, and look for my Dad along the way. That should only have taken about thirty minutes, an hour at most, but definitely not two or more hours.

Devin is probably worried about me and I am starting to feel bad for leaving him out there alone. When the sun starts to come up the Jumpers will leave with all the people from Treegrass who they got out but I know that Devin won't leave without me. If I'm not there then he is not leaving which means that I have to make it there.

I slowly move my head so that I can just see over the edge of the building to where the main tent is. There are still four guards standing out front like before but I think we can get to the side of the tent by moving from tree to tree.

Some of the trees here are tall and have branches that start growing from about eight to ten feet high like the maple and varnish trees. Others like the yellow birch and the box elder maple tree have branches that hang lower to the ground, these are the types of trees that would be the most ideal for us to hide behind since their leaves could help cover us.

The first tree is a maple and the trunk is only wide enough for one of us to be behind it at a time without being seen. The first tree is about four or five feet away so I look to see where the guards at the front of the tent are looking. From here it is hard to tell exactly where they are looking but since their heads are facing straight forward I assume their eyes are looking there as well.

When I feel confident enough, I make the short distance to the tree. Once there I move my body to make sure the guards at the tent can't see me. I look over to Aiden and see that he is standing in the same spot I was before. I can't tell what he is thinking but he does not seem scared or worried about what we are doing.

I look to make sure the guards haven't seen me and then I make my way to the second tree that is only a few strides away. Once I make it there I look over to Aiden to see that he is starting to move over to the first tree. When he makes it there he leans his right shoulder against the tree trunk and faces me, he gives me a small nod to let me know that we're good.

I turn my back to him and move to the third tree, since there is not much distance between the trees over here I am less worried about being caught. I then move from behind one tree to the next checking to make sure the guards are still looking straight ahead each time. I don't have to look behind me to know that Aiden is following, I can hear his feet shuffling on the ground, it is quiet enough that no one outside a ten-foot radius could hear it.

I make the last few steps over to the main tent and stay on the side of it so that none of the guards can see me. Aiden joins me a few seconds later and once there neither of us say anything for a minute. 

***Authors note***

End of chapter quote:

"The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." — Lucille Ball

Thanks for reading!

- B Bunny