The Games We Play

The Finale

Without thinking, Ellie sprinted down the stairs. "No!" Brian shouted. She ran as fast as she could. At the top of the main stairs, she pointed the gun towards the sky. Ducking down, she shot at the ceiling to get the police's attention. She dropped the gun and flew down the steps. She heard a big knock on the door. She ran over to the door and jiggled the doorknob. "Help me!" She screamed as she turned around to hear footsteps on the stairs. "Get back!" A man yelled from the other side of the door. Ellie glanced at Brian running down the stairs. She rushed backwards when hearing a bone chilling crack come from the door. All of sudden Brian grabbed her chest, pulling her back. He put the knife up to her throat. "If I don't deserve you, nobody does." He growled. Ellie gasped for air.

Warm tears came flowing out of her soft brown eyes. Suddenly the door broke loose and fell to the ground. A hoard of police men stood braced for action. Most of them stared wide eyed at Ellie. All of the men put up their guns in unison. "Stop it." Brian muttered. Ellie could feel him trembling from behind her. "Put the weapon down!" The front police man yelled. Brian looked nervously at all of them. "Out of all of the times why did you come now?!" Brian yelled. The police team looked at him, confused. "Why didn't you show up when they all died!" He yelled with fear in his eyes. "I repeat! Put the knife down!" The officer yelled. He cocked his gun. Brian's breathing began to quicken. "Don't shoot!" Ellie choked. The officers looked at each other. One man in the back put his gun down.

Brian released his grip from her chest. Ellie took a deep breath in. "Brian?" She turned her head slightly around. "Don't worry about me. That's not your job." She forced a smile. He looked deeply into her eyes. "And whatever happens after this, I promise that I will find you again... But it's time to tell the truth." Brian's eyes became swept with understanding. "Hope is stronger than fear." He repeated. Ellie nodded. But the moment was broken by a cop who had pushed his way over to them and aimed at Brian's head. Once he fully let go of Ellie, two other police men grabbed ahold of her arms and dragged her back. "You're safe now..." The man with light brown hair and troubled eyes tried to calm her down. The police surrounded Brian and pushed him to the ground.

The sweet taste of copper filled his mouth. He coughed up blood on of the officer's shoe. The man scoffed and pointed the gun at his head while the other men put him in handcuffs. With one swift motion of the leader's hand, the men raided the house, rushing upstairs and down the halls. Ellie struggled against the officers, trying to catch the action. "Don't struggle, sweetie." The brown haired man loosened his grip on her forearm. As much as Ellie wanted to talk, she couldn't get words out of her mouth. "Two 10-67's!" One cop yelled from the basement. "Yeah, and there will be another one if you don't hurry up and let go of me!" Brian screamed in the face of the officer holding him to the floor. "Another one in here!" A officer yelled from Christopher's room.

"Affirmative." The leader looked at Ellie suspiciously. "Poor girl." The officer holding her said. The other man next to him with narrowed eyes. "Jesus Christ, Joshua. Shut the fuck up." He turned his head back towards the stairs. "It's not my fault I'm surprised...." Joshua tried to explain. "We only came down here to interrogate houses about the body in the river." Ellie tried looking back at him, but heard a loud muffled scream come from the top of the stairs. Clark was held by two officers forcing him down the stairs. "Be careful with him!" Brian shouted. "Silence!" The leader interrupted him. Clark moaned and tripped over his own feet. The police were so harsh with him. "He can't walk!" Ellie managed to get out. Joshua looked around frantically. "You heard her!" He yelled nervously. "Take it easy men!" The man holding Ellie's left arm looked at him with disgust. "It's not our job to make him comfortable." He spat out. All of a sudden they heard a gunshot from the upstairs.

Joshua and the other man pulled Ellie out of the front door and to the police car. "Let me go!" Ellie screamed. But they didn't let go... They tightened their grip. She darted her eyes around the front windows. Splattered all over the second floor window was thick blood. It was the punishing room. "No!" Ellie shouted. She struggled harder to flee from their grasp. "Everyone here is a 10-73." The man next to Joshua shook his head. "Suicide, African American Male." They heard static from the man's radio on his chest. "Timothy!" Ellie managed to scream. "She's not safe." Joshua stated. Forcefully and quickly, they shoved her into the police car. She screamed out of frustration. None of them understood.

The police men walked out with Brian in their grasp. Blood stained his lips and teeth as his mouth curled into a wicked smile. Ellen pursed her lips tightly together. Followed behind him was Clark, who was struggling and thrashing about. Out of confusion and terror, he fought back. The police just kept a tighter grip on him and forcefully lead him to another police car. Ellie's tears stained her cheeks. She heard screaming come from inside the house. Out of a total of 8 residents, only 4 walked out alive. All of them in shackles like they were the criminals. "Come on!" She heard a police officer yell. Jeremy walked fearfully out of the house with a gun pointed to his head. He collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. Ellie pressed her hand against the window. One of the officers harshly picked him up and pressed the gun into his hair. She focused her glance towards Clark, who refused to get into the car. He began to hit himself, but the police didn't do a thing about it. Ellie turned her head towards Brian in the police vehicle next to her.

In reality, Brian would most likely die by the time he was placed back in the hospital. Jeremy would continue to live a life in fear. As far as Ellie knew, Clark would pass away as well. Ellie might as well be dead too, given that she had survived. Timothy couldn't bare being separated from Josie any longer. He took the easy way out by shooting himself in the head with the gun that Ellie had dropped on the floor. Christopher died from ALS, his body locked up. Natalie was murdered because she wouldn't be quiet. Aunt Sarah was murdered because of her sins.

Joshua got in the back seat of the car and sat next to Ellie. He stared straight forward. "Why did the woman die?" He fidgeted with his thumbs. Ellie looked up at him.

"Greed."