Fear Games

10. Tear the World Down: Part One

Josh

Damien stood before me, bloody knife gleaming in his hand. Terror swept through me at the sudden realization of everything that was going on. Damien, my best friend in the entire world, was a cold-blooded killer. He even killed his own teammate.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Damien said, walking over to Layla. "I'll be sure to answer them before sunrise, but first, let's kick the Games off with a little blood, shall we?"

It was only then that I realized Layla had walked off, and in her hands, completely tied up, was a bloodied Matt. She threw him on the ground in front of her, kicking him in the stomach. I cringed at the sight, trying my best not to look. I wanted so desperately to do something, but there was nothing I could do. Nothing at all but watch as these killers were ready to feed their own hungry desire.

"Please don't hurt him," I cried, tears pouring down my face. My chest heaved in sobs. "Oh god, please don't hurt him. Please."

"Oh, enough of the dramatics," Damien said. "Don't you know how this works? Hell, it's not even just how the Games work. It's how life works. You love and it gets taken away from you. This isn't news. We all die at some point."

"That's your logic behind this?" I screamed. Staring at the guy I once loved, I couldn't even recognize him. There was nothing good left in him. He was a horrible person and my heart hurt at the fact I ever gave him so much as a single thought. 

"No, we're not here to talk about me," Damien said, walking over to Matt. "We're talking about this guy right here. This guy that was apparently enough to sweep you off your feet while my sister had me locked away in an old run-down hospital and was torturing me basically all the time." He said it so casually, as if it meant nothing, but it obviously did. "You didn't even come looking for me, Daisy said. Not until she started texting you, threatening you."

"What was I supposed to do?" I yelled. "Drop my entire life to come looking for you? I wouldn't even know where to begin!"

My gaze fell upon Matt, who was staring at me in a way I never noticed before. A way that was hitting my heart just a little too hard, and I didn't want to cry anymore. I closed my eyes, trying to pretend this wasn't happening.

"Josh," Matt said. "Josh, listen to me."

"I can't," I cried. "Don't say it. I know what you're going to say. Do not say it, Matt."

"Yeah," Damien said. "Don't say it, Matt."

"Josh," Matt said. "I love you."

I opened my mouth and heard a scream, but it wasn't my own. When I opened my eyes, I saw Damien plunging his knife directly into Matt's heart. I screamed, jumping off the ground, running over to Damien, but Layla was holding me back. 

Matt's eyes widened as he looked at me one last time. They didn't close again.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I screamed at Damien. "How could you do this to me?" I only hoped that he could understand what I was saying, because even though the words were coming from my mouth, I could barely understand them through my cries.

"There's a lot wrong with me," Damien said, placing the bloody knife inside of his pocket. "Now Josh, if you think this is at all over, think again. There are a few more surprises before sunrise."

"You sick bastard!" I shouted.

Damien shrugged. "I suppose so. But now that those theatrics are over with, let's get back to the rules of the Final Game, shall we? Originally your only rule was to survive, but you have a new rule now."