"Ugh…"
My head is killing me. Like, genuinely. I keep waiting for something to crack. I try to sit up and my whole skull just screams at me, so I stop. It's pitch black. Completely. I reach out and my hands hit cold rock and that tells me basically nothing useful except that wherever I am, it's not somewhere I'd choose to be.
Then the second wave of pain hits and I stop trying to think altogether.
"AGH! Fuck…"
My voice echoes off the walls.
What is going on? Why does this hurt so much?
I stay down and breathe, waiting for the ringing to ease up. It really feels like someone hit me across the head.
Looks like I'm alone…
That's when I hear it behind me.
- ???: "Ow…"
A voice, soft and pained, calls out a few feet behind me.
I freeze.
Not alone. Okay. Can't tell if that's better or worse.
As the pounding in my head finally begins to fade, my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness. Shapes begin to show up at the edges of nothing. Multiple outlines of people. I can see blurry outlines of people scattered around me.
So I'm not just hallucinating. Good.
- ???: "Yoooo… anyone there?"
A laid-back voice breaks the silence, echoing loudly through the cavern.
"You're loud."
I mutter.
"There's an echo."
- ???: "Huh? My bad. Don't gotta be so rude about it."
"Uh huh… My head is killing me…"
- ???: "You too? Who are you, anyway?"
"Isn't it rude to ask before telling me yours."
- Kai: "Kai."
He says, a little annoyed.
- Kai: "Kai Walker. Happy now?"
I can almost hear him shrugging. He sounds like the kind of person who woke up in a dark cave and decided it probably wasn't that deep.
"Ayden Blackwood."
- Kai: "Cool. Nice to meet you or whatever."
"Yeah, or whatever."
We both go quiet. Neither of us has anything helpful to add, so we don't.
I'm not sure where we are, but judging by how cold it is, we might be in a cave.
Then, the same soft voice from earlier speaks again, though it's a bit closer this time.
- ???: "…Where are we?"
The girl's voice is gentle and scared, like someone trying to remain calm, but failing. There's a sweetness to it, like a peony in a field of thorns. I glance toward the direction of her voice, but all I can make out is a shadow.
Is she alright?
As my thoughts trail off, a calmer, lower-pitched voice speaks out.
- ???: "Does anyone know what's going on?"
It's so monotone that you'd think the person was half asleep on their feet. If I listen closely, I can hear the faint sound of rustling rocks as they approach.
I guess everyone is coming towards me then…
- ???: "I'm not sure either, but I'd like for there to be some light. Does anyone have a lighter or a phone on them?"
Another girl speaks. Her voice is smooth and confident. It adds a certain maturity to her. Her flippant attitude is strangely calming, especially since we're stuck in the pitch dark.
- ???: "Okay it is so cold in here. And also wet?? Why is it wet??? My butt is getting all soaked! Where even are we, what is going on–"
The last girl speaks. Full panic, but the chatty kind where she's hoping if she just keeps talking something will start making sense.
She sounds a little younger. I count five voices other than mine.
"Okay, hold on. Can we just, like, get a head count on how many of us there are? I'm losing track…"
- ???: "Let's just take turns saying our names to each other."
The confident girl says in agreement with me.
- Kai: "OH, I'll go first! I'm Kai–"
"Echo…"
- Kai: "...Right. Sorry."
I continue after him.
"Ayden Blackwood."
- Christy: "Christy Mable. Who's up next?"
I guess that's mature girl.
- Lena: "I'm Lena Hart! Nice to meet y'all!"
The younger voice belongs to Lena. She sounds upbeat and optimistic. Not a bad thing to have in this situation.
- Blair: "Blair Frost."
Found the flat voice one. Aren't we missing someone though?
A long pause passes.
- Christy: "Is that everyone?"
- Isabella: "Um… no, I'm Isabella Rose…"
The shy girl speaks after a pause, hesitating just a bit. Her voice is barely above a whisper.
Six. Six people in a cave, all with the same headache, none of us knowing how we got here. Every time I try to remember – whatever was happening before this, the last thing I saw, anything – I just get pain and static. Like that part of my brain isn't responding.
There's an ominous air looming over us. None of us are saying anything and everyone is probably expecting someone else to talk.
"…"
The silence stretches on, more oppressive now than ever. It's so quiet I can almost hear my heart beating in my ears. And then, suddenly, a booming voice rips through the air.
- ???: "Ahh. You're all awake. Good. Now, we may begin the games."
The voice is loud, and it sends a chill straight down my spine. It feels like it's inside my skull, like it's part of me. I freeze again, and I can feel my heart race.
None of us say anything. The weight of the words settles into the pit of my stomach. This isn't just some accident. It's not just bad luck. This... this feels intentional.