Dark Rooms

Chapter Nine: The First Sight of Darkness

As the door slammed behind them, everyone started to freak out. Aaron was banging on the door with Nick, trying to break through it. Mimi was sobbing, being hugged, of course, by Johnny. Crystal and Tamerra were just sorta huddle up. Lexi and Arianna were the only people who kept it together.

Lexi was looking over Arianna's ankle, Arianna hissing each time Lexi touched it. Arianna continuously tried scooting away but couldn't.

"Can you stand?" Lexi asked, eyebrows frowning.

Arianna pursed her lips and tried getting up. She groaned with pain and fell back down. "Maybe with some help.." she winced.

Lexi offered her her hands, and when Arianna grabbed them, Lexi pulled her onto her feet. "Alright, what now?"

Don't they get that I don't have the answers to everything?! Arianna pondered silently, and quite agitated as well. "We keep moving." she answered simply.

"How?" Aaron snapped, whirling around. "It's pitch black in here other than some light shedding from under the door. Oh, and also, the door is locked! Which means, we're stuck in here."

"There has to be some exit." Arianna replied, looking around. "The game doesn't want us to die while were standing still. It wants us to run, to be scared."

"And I suppose it told you this?" Aaron snorted, crossing his arms.

Arianna narrowed her eyes. "Does it have to?" she spat. "You've seen the things it can do already. Those creatures? It wanted us to run from them. Our fear only feeds the game, making the creatures worse and worse. When you cried, Aaron? That was the largest meal so far."

"Mackie cried too!" Aaron reminded defensively. "And if we didn't come here, Mackie wouldn't be gone! It's all your friggin' fault!" he shouted. "Maybe if we never came to such a stupid idiot's house we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Arianna stomped over to Aaron and punched him right in the face. "If anyone's an idiot here it's you!" she screamed at him. "Watch how you talk to me bud, or the game won't be all you need to worry about!"

Lexi and Crystal pulled Arianna back. "Calm down!" Crystal hissed. "We're turning against each other. If fear feeds those kinds of creatures, what would anger feed?"

Arianna took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. It wants us to turn against each other." She looked down at Aaron, barely able to make out his being in the darkness, but she knew he was slumped up against the door. "I'm sorry."

"Arianna.." Mimi spoke up from behind. "I think I figured out how we can get out."

"How?" Arianna asked anxiously.

Mimi shifted in the darkness. "You said that Duncan knows how to open doors right? Well if you can get him to come here, and we shout 'ball', then he's bound to open the door, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but remember, this room isn't what it used to be. We saw that when we first got in here. They turned off the lights so we couldn't further investigate I'm guessing." Tamerra said. "Anyway, if it isn't the same in here, who says that when we get back out there, it won't be different?"

"We have to see. It's better than being confined in this tiny room of blackness." Arianna stated. She pressed against the door. "Duncan!" she called, dragging out the 'Du'. "Duncan, ball!"

It was quiet for a while, but then she heard the clicking of nails against the hardwood floor and she knew it was Duncan, prancing towards the room.

Yes! Arianna thought triumphantly. "Duncan! Ball!"

The dog immediately hopped up, twisted the doorknob with his mouth, and pushed the door open. Arianna grabbed him and immediately hugged him.

"Duncan! Oh my God! You're okay!" Arianna sounded like she was about to cry. There was a lot of that going around. "Duncan! Thank you! You're such a good boy! Such a good boy!" Duncan raised his head and kicked her face.

The box appeared again. Arianna wanted to stomp it out, burn it, feed the ashes to a fish, and bury that fish at the bottom of the earth, or throw it into a volcano.

"I pick?" Johnny asked. Arianna nodded at him. He took a deep breath and nodded back. He picked a shiny gold card. "You have escaped one of the dark rooms. You may pick a weapon, choose someone who gets to leave the house, get a friend back, or end the game and lose someone."

"What?!" Arianna blinked. She snatched the card. "Guys! We can get Mackie back!"

"Arianna, it's a trick. What if they give us the scary Mackie back?" Tamerra asked.

It was unusual for her to use a word like scary, but it was fitting. "Right..."

"I wanna get out of here!" Aaron suddenly shouted after a long silence. He leaped at Arianna and snatched the card. "I choose le-"

Arianna leaped onto him and snatched the card back. "Aaron! Mackie is your brother! We're your friends! You aren't bailing on us now!"

"Friends?! What kind of friends punch each other in the face?" Aaron growled, reaching for the card.

Arianna pulled the card up and away. "You called me an idiot." she reminded calmly. "Aaron, I apologized. The game is turning us against one another." she whispered.

"Arianna, use the weapon one." Tamerra told her.

Arianna looked around at everyone. They all nodded. She smiled. "Right. We choose weapon!" The other side of the card vibrated as new words formed. Arianna turned the card over. "Choose your weapon carefully.." Arianna looked around at her friends and smirked. "We want an army."