Author Games: Ace of Spades

Semifinals: Addilyn Devella

Addilyn's pale hand reached out and pulled the faded blue handset off the hook. She felt her hand tremor at the foreign object and her heart sped up as she felt the cool cheap plastic. It was something that she hadn't felt in a while – it was over thirty years ago when she used a payphone and she had regretted every part of it. But Addilyn abandoned the thought; instead she cherished how something so simple could exist. This was a phone – a connection to anywhere in the world but somehow she felt just as trapped as she had inside the casino. Addilyn shook her head.

The stench in the booth was imperceptible to Addilyn, even with her strong labored breaths inhaling the small amount of fresh dawn air she had trapped inside with her. She focused on the small white clouds that emerged from her lips in sharp gasps as the phone remained clutched in her right hand.

In her left hand she held the remnant piece from her time in the Milena Seble. An old brown leather briefcase that was relatively light to hold but, to Addilyn, it was a dead weight. She was scared to look at the briefcase in further detail. Why? Because if she scrutinized the exterior anymore then her sharp eyes would notice the small splatters of blood that stained the bottom left corner. The briefcase was the cause of any guilt that she felt but her fingers couldn't release the handle – almost like they were glued, or perhaps they still grappled at the chance that Addilyn would find her daughter.

Addilyn gave a slight scream as a small clank sounded on the roof. She looked up with her wild eyes searching the small space for any signs of danger. She glanced out the plexiglass windows and over the spotted mildew that was consuming the bottom of the sill. White dots of hail had begun to fall with the slight sprinkled of rain that doused the city as Addilyn had saw no more than two hours ago.

I'm exactly what that girl said, Addilyn frowned but she looked at the dial pad with more force this time. However, her redemption fell short as the buttons began to blur under her gaze. Addilyn had never felt so useless as she squeezed her eyes tightly closed. She felt the hot tears brim in her eyes and she allowed two to escape from the corner of her eye as her face crumpled. Her shoulders shook as she hunched over, allowing the phone to dangle by its curly white cord.

She was cruel, too cruel, and all Addilyn wanted to do was drink alcohol until she couldn't remember what had just happened. However, opening her eyes didn't kill the image that was so vividly burnt in her memory.

Alcohol. Amidst the fallen bodies, it was just begging Addilyn to taste it. The burning liquid would create the buzz in her veins that she hadn't felt since losing her daughter. She longed for it as she studied the temptations that were scattered on the gaming tables – glasses upon glasses were toppled over from the long night allowing drips of the rich liquid to splash onto the plush navy rugs until it flooded onto the once glossy floorboards. The Aces stood before her silently as they held their final victim in place. If Hell was real then she was standing in front of its guards – the murderers and the captors of twenty innocent lives.

Addilyn finally met the girl's gaze; it was the young girl who she had played in blackjack. Her cascading brown hair morphed into bright red at the tips and was normally accompanied by her triumphant grin. This time, it only held complete and utter defeat. Her rich chocolate coloured eyes were glazed over in a veil of tears that were threatening to fall.

"Who thought a lady would be so cruel?" one of the Aces taunted, cocking the gun to her head. Addilyn refused to answer the arrogant captor but her eyes gave her bluff away. They reflected the girl's terror as the gun loaded.

"Who thought an old lady could be so cruel?" Emerson taunted but Addilyn refused to answer the cocky kidnapper however, for the first time, her eyes gave away her bluff. Emerson grinned as her fear mirrored that of the young girl who was the remaining victim. Her eyes widened and Addilyn held her eyes closed as she heard the gun load for the seventh time.