Fear Games

12. Tear the World Down: Part Three

Josh 

The moment I followed Damien into the school building, all the way to the auditorium, I knew the end was near. From the moment the Final Game started, I knew deep in my heart it was going to come down to the two of us--one on one--and that I'd have to make a choice harder than anything I ever imagined. 

This was the end.

Eden

The moment that I followed my friend and my mom down into the dark room beneath the Fear Games property, I knew the end was near. From the moment, the Final Game started, and the moment I knew that Peter was missing, I should have guessed that it would come down to me making a choice harder than anything I ever imagined.

This was the end.

Rachel

The moment that the Fear Games started again, I knew that I had a destiny. That maybe the reason I was affected by Fear Games the first time was so that I could truly stop something like this from ever happening again. From the moment that the Fear Games started again, I knew I was going to have to make a choice--let the darkness overtake me and become like my enemies, or work as hard as I could to let the light in.

This was the end.

It had all come down to this.

***

Josh

I followed Damien into the auditorium, heart pounding so hard I was sure that children in Africa could hear it. He walked up to the stage and I stayed close behind. No one else was here--just the two of us, although I knew faculty would likely be arriving soon. Many were probably already waking up, not knowing what they'd find when they came to the school today.

"This is it," Damien said, his voice echoing through the room. "It's just you and me."

I nodded. "Yes, it sure is. So tell me, why did you join the Games? What was even the point of all this?"

Damien sighed, no longer looking demented as he had most of the night. He looked...sad. Reaching into his pocket, he handed me an envelope. "Read this," he said. "I'm sure it'll explain why."

I opened the envelope, pulling out a sheet of paper. The handwriting was obviously Daisy's, dated just a few days before she died.

Hey little bro,

I know what you're thinking--if you somehow survived this and made your way home, you're probably wondering why I wasted my time writing you this letter. There are a lot of things you learned during your time in captivity, one of the biggest things that Josh is in love with you. That's the reason you're still alive right now. Josh's love for you is bigger than anything you've ever experienced, anything you've ever known. 

And that is why I need you. 

You see, deep down you always knew that you loved Josh, too. While I saw the way Josh looked at you, I saw the way you looked back at him, even if he was too blind to notice. The way you love each other is stronger than anything else I've ever seen, but with that comes a price. With that comes a life of heartbreak, a life of pain, of life of trying to figure out what's next. In this world, no matter what anyone says, the darkness always overtakes the light, and will until the very end of time. It's easy to try and fight our nature, which is to succumb to the madness that is life. 

What you feel for Josh is going to overtake you. I know it will. You've spent years searching for truth, your truth, hiding behind the glass pane of Haven or some other girls you found. In the meantime, you were not only hurting Josh, but yourself. The guys you did find, you found online, and all of them ripped your heart out of your chest, causing you to slowly hate the world around you.