Video Games

Chapter One

"What the-"

As I feel the hand of someone slap over my mouth, something rings in my brain; next time I go out, I'm gonna need a buddy system, I'm gonna have people with me at all times.

"Shut it, brat," this man growls, a low, intense murmur that matches the hum of the truck engine in the background. "See, kid, you're exactly what we're looking for, y'know, for our game."

For their game? What game? Instantly, I suspect rape, torture, some form of brutal murder. Nothing is a game in this world, not even those things classified as games. You may call me twisted for expecting the worst straight away, but when a man attempts to abduct you on your way back from the toilet, you can't assume that he wants to play with dollies or pony toys.

I struggle, I do. Yet nothing I do seems to budge me from his grab; I squirm like an insect, unable to fight back against the man who holds me back. There must be at least two men with him, because I feel one man grab at my writhing feet. Another pair of hands smooth something - a blindfold of some sort - around my shaking head, taking away one of my senses.

Relying on my ears isn't an easy job. Handcuffs - I'm guessing by the algid metal substance - keep my wrists together, disallowing me to fight back. Some tape seems to stick to my ankles, preventing me from kicking out at the man who formerly held my feet.

I count four pairs of hands on my body - the men carry me as if I'm some kind of corpse. Not gonna lie, I feel a little dead inside. When someone goes out to a public party, then leaves to use the bathroom - without telling anyone that I'm temporarily leaving - you can't help but feel defeated. No one, other than these men, knows that I'm here, held captive.

That humming of the truck, van, whatever, grows closer as the men make no attempt to make me feel comfortable as they saunter along, my deadweight body in their arms. Throwing another human into a truck isn't exactly the most luxurious way of treating your victims, but hey, what do you expect?

The worst part of this whole scenario is not knowing what to expect; I fear the unknown.

"Hey, a new person," someone whispers. "Hey, are you conscious?"

Groggily lifting my head, still blindfolded, I mumble slightly. No words form for a good thirty seconds, but I'm sure the other person knows I'm conscious and as well as the victim of an unexpected abduction can be. "I'm up. Hello?"

The person sounds as if they're crying slightly; deep sobs fill the echoing truck. "Thank god you're okay," he sighs, choking back some form of upsetting emotion. "Who are you? Have they hurt you?"

"My name is Ryota," I say, feeling the hysteria that the truck's atmosphere brings. "I'm sixteen, female. I was kidnapped after returning from the bathroom." Although I can't see the person, I'm sure they're listening.

"My name is Dexio," the person sobs. His voice is muffled slightly, as if he's trying to hide himself behind his clothing or something. "Male, fourteen, kidnapped on the way home from a football game."

My mind races. "Fourteen?" I cry out. "That's ludicrous, you're so young!" All I can do is sob for the younger boy. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

He sighs. "My arm hurts a little bit," he whimpers, obviously trying to suck in his breath to sound braver around me. "But nothing major. Hey, Baiyou, you up?"

No response; silence. "Baiyou?" I ask, confused. "Someone else is in here with us?" What do they want us all for? Around the UK, only one or two major kidnappings happen once a year. Now I can't help but fear that we're going to be involved in an experiment of some kind, something that puts our bodies to the absolute limits.