They Called Me FIVE

Samuel Mckinsey

The dog the girl called as 'Monty'??? Is a buffy giant football player with a bat on his hand with his team behind him. They each have similar bats on their hands. Swinging in the air. Sam got the impending urge. Of danger. If he's not careful enough. It won't be balls they'll be batting next time. It will be his head.??

He gulp.??

"There you are sister!" The leader with chubby cheeks, no neck, gruffy build and bushy eyebrows said. His school jersey could not hide the rounded belly bursting out of his shirt.??

"Oh, you found us a prey. Lucky!" Sam recoiled. Especially when the guy flash him a crooked smile.

"Hey lanky, you got a key there don't you?" The guy and his pals smirk. Sam's finger twitch. He's tempted to reach out to his pockets. Just to reassure himself the key is still with him. But it would be foolish to do that.??

It's like telling them where his key is.??

"Do you know where we are?" Sam shift to another topic. The boys look at each other. The leader shrug.??

"Yeah. We're in a game actually."??

Sam's stomach curled. "Game? What game?"

One of the boys in the back snickered. "Come on, surely you know something about video games right? This world we're in? This is a video game. Instead of looking at tv screen and tapping keyboard, our bodies went inside the game to play."

"We're in the first stage buddy. We take each other's keys to climb the floor. Of course, the number of candidates must meet the criteria in order for the elevator to open."??

"Elevator?" Sam felt stupid asking for questions. But he was relieved they are nice enough to explain the things he don't understand. How long this nice charade will last, Sam doesn't know.??

One of the boys pointed the wall behind him. Sam look over his shoulders. They're right. The familiar double door metal elevators loom. But in the center, there is a projection screen. Projecting an announcement.

For the doors to open one must have:

1. Thirty Dio keys??

2. Maximum of ten people.

Sam gulp. He looked back to the boys. Head counted. There are eight lackeys behind the leader. Plus the leader and the girl equals ten. It did not take a moment for him to process what will happen next.??

"Back in the first floor, there are fifty people allowed to enter. Second floor the number reduced to twenty-five. And now???ten." The leader informed. Sam crumpled the sleeves of his white shirt.??

"So you need my key in order to get inside the elevator?"??

"Smart kid." The leader nods.

"How many floors are there in all?"??

"That hmmm???." The leader scratch his head. "Not sure bud. We are already on the first floor and wide awake before the tragedy struck outside. One thing's for sure though." The leader pointed his stubby finger up.??

"Those snowball bombs will get to us eventually. The only safe place is up. That's what the note say. That's where we go. In games like this that put your life at risk, you better follow clues left behind. If you don't want to die."

Sam contemplated his words. They must have received the same note as him. He wondered if Five and the others are in the same boat as him. He squeezed his eyes shut. He can't worry about them now. Those guys are especially strong.??

Especially Seven. The memory of that demon attacking them that night is not yet removed from his memory. He can still feel the wounds it inflict on his skin. The repulsing feeling as it invade his body.??

Compared to that demon??? these guys are nothing. Seven is not here to protect him. Five is not here to revive him. But he can survive. He dealt a lot of bullies and goons in his lifetime.??

"So what's it gonna be? Will you hand over your key or not?" Sam see in his peripheral view that the axe the girl hurl right to his face is still there. Stuck in the wall.

"If I hand over my key that means I'll die. So no thank you." He pluck the axe from the wall and wield it like a sword. The axe is comparatively small. And light. But the blade is sharp. He haven't seen an axe this size???

Its as if its build for a child to yield and kill.??

The leader burst out laughing at his answer. His eight lackeys join in as well. The girl retreated into the background. Afraid of getting caught in the trouble. Sam's eyes linger at the girl.??

He stare at her fingers twisting and scratching at her skin. There was blood tainted on her small fingers. Even the hem of her clothes. The others as well. Sam don't need to take off their jerseys to know the trace of blood spraying on their shirts underneath.??

"Who says you will die?" The leader snickered. "Look, this game is not a matter of life and death okay? It's just a matter of gaining keys or not. You can still climb up if you wait for the others to come up. Ask for their keys. If you get thirty keys then you're already granted passage to go up. Simple." The leader stretch out his hands.

"Look, bud. There's no need to fight over this okay? We don't want to hurt you."??

Sam snickered. "You just said 'in games like this, your life is put at risk'. Funny how contradicting your words are. Besides," Sam hovered the axe at eye level.

"Your sister throw this axe at me. I just come out of my room and she tried to kill me without batting an eye." Sam cock his head. "So stop lying you f*cking piece of sh*ts. No matter how much you sugarcoat your words, your rotten smell still stinks even from here."

Instead of getting angry, the leader laughs.

"Nice. Nice. I like feisty minions. If we are not so in a hurry, I could have taken my time breaking your bones one by one. Boys."

The leader snap his fingers. "Take care of him."??

Sam closed his eyes. He don't want to kill. He cannot afford to kill. Somewhere behind him, he heard the boys roared in glee. Their bats have smudges of fresh blood. They swing it. His ears shut down any sound. Any worries. Any voices in his head.

The first he hit is the guy at the center. Sam smack his wrist with the back of the axe. The guy groan in pain. Sam steal the bat from his hands. The rest was like a play of swinging and hitting watermelon heads while blindfold.??

He notice changes in their movements. Sam wondered why these guys are so slow. Did they really kill the people at the lower floors? It was over in a second. The leader and his younger sister are the only people left.??

Disbelief are evident in their eyes. Sam swing his bat. No blood spill. All eight lackeys whimper in pain. He targeted the legs and the back. He sure left them no intact bones in the legs.

"They can't get up now. That means you can't hide behind their backs. Why don't you fight me head on?" Sam provoked him.??

The leader grit his teeth.??

"Fine." He grumbled.??

The leader run straight to him. Sam bend his knee. Shoot right through and flip the guy with the bat. He scored a fatal hit to the leader's stomach. Did not give him time to recover and proceed to breaking his legs.??

The leader howled in pain. He crumpled into the ground. Clutching his broken knee, as if his life depends on it. Sam shoot a glare to the girl.

"You're next."??

The girl squirms and retreated to the wall. "P-p-lease ??? don't."

"No!" The leader struggles to his feet. He can't stand. He can't even kneel. Sam did not spare him a glance.??

"Please not my sister. I-I will do anything!" Sam stops walking.??

"Anything?"??

"Yes!"??

Sam look over his shoulder. "That's how others look when they plead for their life doesn't it? Did you listen to them?"??

"Yes!"

At the corner of his eyes, Sam watch the girl make a grab for the bat lying in the ground. He yank the girl's hair and force her to kneel in front of her brother.??

She keep on whimpering and pleading for her brother's name. The leader does too. Sam swing his bat. Played with it by letting it rest on the girl's head.

"Please no???" The leader's face is now wet with tears. He looks ugly. Sweat and blood mixed and smudge the once proud face.??

"You know, I really hate girls." He nudge the bat lower and the girl flinch. Sam's hand is on the girl's hair while the other holds the bat. He made sure she knew what's at stake if she tries to do anything funny again. Her legs.

"My father once married a woman. And that woman killed him right before my eyes. She slice his throat right in front of my face. Curse me until I became a crumpled mess. I can never forgive her. Never."??

He pushed the girl in the ground. Her black dress has ribbons and lace.??

"If I was the man before I will never show you any mercy. And I still won't. Even if you're a girl."

He get his bat ready. The leader's horrified eyes make his eyeballs bulge. Their screams of plea fill Sam's ears. He did not let himself get distracted.. He swing his bat.