Chapter 2
There was no way I’d heard that right. I must’ve been imagining things. I stood there numb as I watched the broadcast continue, and five more names were called after mine before the list stopped.
Then it started again. The robotic voice repeated the earlier explanation of playing a game as well as its instructions on when and where to meet, before it finally filtered through the list of names again.
Just like before, all of the same names were called, including my own, and each individual’s picture flashed across the side of the ship.
This time, I wasn’t as shocked as before, and I was actually able to process enough to realize that I actually knew a couple of the other people called. Kyle Seymour, a prick I went to high school with, and Sadie Truman… my neighbor.
What the hell was happening?
The broadcast stopped and then repeated the same thing again for a third time, before it finally finished and remained silent.
A million thoughts were racing through my head. What did they mean by game? Also, they said if we didn’t comply we’d receive a penalty… What sort of penalty were we talking about?
And why me? Why were any of us chosen? The whole thing felt so random and chaotic. We weren’t actually expected to go, right? I mean, no sane person would willingly offer themselves up to some random aliens that basically told them they wanted to play with them.
Their ideas for games couldn’t possibly be anything good.
It took a moment to pull myself from my thoughts and focus again, and when I did, the newscaster was already speaking.
“We just got word that this broadcast was a worldwide phenomenon,” she explained.
“Twelve individuals in every major city across the world were chosen to participate in these ‘games,’ and our president has requested that all individuals in the United States please cooperate for the time being. The government is still unsure as to what these cosmic invaders’ intentions are, and they fear heavy retribution should we fail to accommodate them. ”
They’ve got to be kidding me. The government actually expected us all to follow through on the aliens’ request? There was no fucking way.
“Our government pleads with the chosen participants to show up at the chosen time and location tomorrow,” the newscaster went on. “For the sake of the tentative peace we’ve had, don’t do anything to anger them.”
I waited for more to be said, but instead they just replayed the footage again and repeated their request to follow the aliens’ orders. Then they played it again… and again.
And again.
I figured this was the only thing they’d probably show for the rest of the evening, so I shut the TV off and sat in my living room, completely alone with my thoughts.
My initial reaction was to say ‘fuck you’ to the government, for not caring about the ‘chosen’ individuals’ safety, and simply not show up tomorrow.
But I knew I couldn’t do it.
So far, the aliens hadn’t done anything to us, but we couldn’t fight them, and their peaceful demeanor could change in an instant. And that would be the end of the world as we knew it.
Could I really allow myself to selfishly risk billions of lives just to protect my own?
No, I couldn’t.
Suddenly, my cell phone began to ring, and Jesse’s name flashed up on the screen. I immediately knew why he was calling, and I quickly picked up my phone.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Bro, did you see the news?” Jesse sounded bewildered on the other end of the line. “What the fuck is happening? Selected to play games? What games? And why did they choose you?”
“I don’t know, man,” I sighed and rubbed at my brow. “I have no idea what’s going on right now.”
“Well, what the hell did they mean by penalty?” Jesse demanded.
“I don’t know,” I repeated. “All I know is what was shown on the news.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Are you planning to go?”
“What else can I do?” I tried to keep my tone casual and unconcerned, even though I was feeling quite the opposite right now.
“The president himself requested we follow the aliens’ instructions, and I’m already pretty apprehensive about what they could possibly mean by ‘game,’ so I definitely don’t want to learn what their idea of a penalty is. ”
“I guess.” Jesse sounded dejected.
“Do your parents know?” I asked as I thought of my unofficial adoptive parents.
“Yeah, they’re the ones who called me up and told me about it,” Jesse replied. “I’d gone straight to bed and hadn’t watched the news at all, but they called, woke me up, and told me everything. They’re really worried about you, but they didn’t want to be overbearing.”
That was another thing I’d always appreciated about the Seabursts: they cared, but from a distance. They were always there for me when I needed them, but they’d always made sure to give me space to grieve and process in my own way.
Much like right now.
“Look, dude,” I began as I swallowed past the lump of dread in my throat. “I’m not sure what’s going to go down tomorrow, or how long these supposed ‘games’ are going to last, but…”
“Don’t worry about anything,” Jesse quickly cut me off. “I’ll make sure to cover your jobs and shit, but in return, you have to promise to come back. And I don’t care what sort of shit you go through, I won’t accept any slacking on your part once you’re back. I’ll work your ass double time.”
I laughed. Jesse was always able to pull me out of my sorrows with his humor.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I joked.
“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to contact anyone…” Jesse began, but this time it was my turn to cut him off.
“If I can, I will,” I assured him.
“Alright, well… good luck tomorrow,” he said as he cleared his throat.
Jesse was like a brother to me, but he wasn’t exactly the emotional type. So, for him, those words were his way of saying ‘I love you, brother.’
“Thanks,” I replied. “I’m probably going to need it.”
After that, we hung up, and I took a shower and went to bed, but I didn’t get much sleep.
I tossed and turned for most of the night, and I laid awake wondering what the next day would have in store for me. For all of the chosen contestants. More than once, my mind wandered to Sadie, and I wondered if maybe I should’ve stopped by her apartment and see if she was okay.
But I kept procrastinating until it was far too late to justify any visits, because we’d both need our energy for whatever the aliens had in store for us tomorrow.
I forced each muscle in my body to relax, and then I forced my mind to remain clear of any thoughts. Eventually, I drifted off.
The next morning, I woke to the sound of my morning alarm. Seven in the morning, two hours before I was due to appear at the city plaza.
I was still so tired, and all I wanted to do was roll over and sleep for another hour or so, but I didn’t know what traffic would be like, and I didn’t want to be late and risk that ‘penalty,’ so I forced my body out of bed and moved toward my closet.
I wasn’t sure what the best clothing would be, and it would certainly help to know what sort of ‘game’ we’d be playing, but I eventually settled on a sturdy t-shirt, jeans, and a sweatshirt.
When in doubt, it was always best to wear layers.
Once I was dressed, I went out to my living room and turned the news on again to see if anything new had happened while I’d been sleeping, but so far, it was just footage from the previous night.
I grabbed my cell phone and a spare charger, and I saw a text message from Jesse’s parents wishing me luck, begging me to be careful, and sending their love.
I assured them I would, and I sent my love back before I pocketed my phone. Then I moved to my gun safe to retrieve my Smith and Wesson. I doubted it would do much damage to the aliens if their ships were any indication of durability, but I certainly wasn’t going to just show up empty-handed.
I clipped the gun to my belt and pocketed two spare magazines, and then I strapped a small hunting knife to my ankle.
Being armed gave me a false sense of security, and once I was content with the amount of weaponry I carried, I decided it was finally time to go.
I shut off the TV, made sure my apartment door was locked, and checked the time on my phone. Seven-twenty-four in the morning, I had a little over an hour and a half to get to the plaza.
I paused as I passed by Sadie’s front door.
Her name had been called last night, too. Should I check on her and make sure she’s okay, or maybe see if she’s even planning to go?
I decided a brief check wouldn’t hurt. I still had plenty of time. The plaza was only thirty or so minutes away, even with bad traffic.
I moved to Sadie’s door and gave two quick knocks against the wood. Then I waited.
Nothing.
I knocked again and listened closely, but I couldn’t make out any other sounds on the other side of the door. I wondered if she’d already left, or if perhaps she was hiding out in her apartment.
Either way, I decided it would be best to just move on, and I quickly made my way to my truck.
It turned out to be a very good thing that I left as early as I did, because traffic was worse than I’d ever seen it, especially the closer I got to the plaza.
Apparently, all the pussies who were too scared to leave their homes to go to work weren’t too scared to leave their homes to come watch twelve strangers possibly march to their deaths.
The plaza was blocked off with police tape, and it appeared the police were doing crowd control in order to keep people away.
That was going to be fun to get through.
I had to park several blocks away and walk the rest of the way, and I forced myself through the crowd until I reached the outer ring of the plaza where the police tape was.
The alien ship had moved from the capitol building and was now hovering high above the plaza. Along the side of the spacecraft, I could see a timer counting down from twenty-seven. I checked my phone, and the time read eight-thirty-three.
The timer on the ship was counting down to the time we needed to be here by.