Watchers

Chapter 31: Join the Club

Alan spends quite a while whimpering near the base of the stairs, and eventually Francie convinces him to come into the living room and whimper from the comfort of the couch.

The day drags on and people aren't in as high spirits as they usually are - with each new contestant in the house, they are reminded of the long odds of making it an entire year in this place.

Francie does her best to acclimate Alan to the house. She's good at it and she seems to enjoy the diversion, but he remains skittish all week long. He spends a lot of time in his room, and sometimes he paces outside like he's hoping that the screens will open up and allow him to run down the virtual street beyond the set.

* * *

It's around five p.m. the following Friday when the television switches on. The Elimination Game Challenge appears in big block letters with a swinging guillotine in the background and Alan lets out a yelp at the sight of it.

He's not prepared, no matter how much Francie tried to help him all week, and Daniel actually starts to think that he and Sasha were lucky that they didn't have to spend six whole days dreading the Elimination Challenge before they were thrown into their first one.

When everyone is seated on the couch, the screen switches over to Rob and Meredith sitting in their empty television studio.

"Welcome to week twenty-two in the Elimination Game household," Meredith says in her animatronic voice. "Alan, we, along with the viewing audience, would like to extend our deepest gratitude to you for so graciously agreeing to join us on America's number one, top-viewed reality show!"

"Agreeing?" Alan asks, his voice rising into hysteria. "What's she talking about? I'm a prisoner here!"

"Shh," Francie says. "That won't help you in there."

"Where?!"

As if to answer, Meredith says demurely, "In just a few minutes, the Elimination Challenge will begin. Thirteen must become twelve and it's time for us all to bring balance back to the house."

Rob runs through the rules, which Daniel and Sasha are now familiar with and which Alan listens to as if he's being read a death sentence. He's not too far off.

While Rob talks, Daniel leans in and whispers in Sasha's ear, "This is it - our best opportunity to find the door out of here."

"We can't," Sasha pleads with him. "Not in the middle of an Elimination Challenge - they'll never let us get away with it."

"Or they will because they'll have no choice," Daniel answers. "We'll be on live television - they can't do anything to us with the whole country watching."

"I think you're underestimating them," Erica whispers on the other side of Sasha, and Daniel's cheeks color because he thought that he was being quiet enough to avoid being overheard.

"It's time to find out who America's in love with this week, and who has overstayed their welcome," Meredith says. "Contestants, please go to the Elimination Room now."

The door beside the television pops open easily, as if Daniel hadn't tried everything short of a pry bar to get it open every time he thought he was alone in the living room this week. They all get up and file obediently into the room, and it looks like Francie is practically pushing Alan into the room, murmuring soothing platitudes to him as they go.

The room looks just the same as last week, the supply of envelopes on top of the cabinets at the back of the room restocked and a treasure trove of horror no doubt waiting for them in the bins below. Sasha goes to her assigned seat along with almost everyone else, Erica resumes pacing like she did last week, and Daniel goes to the nearest wall and starts tapping on it.

"What are you doing?" Taylor hisses at him.

"You know what," Daniel snaps back without looking away from the wall. He's knocking on it, listening for hollowness and feeling for seams.

"Please stop," Sasha begs him. She glances at the front wall, where her name is displayed along with every other contestant, and sees that Daniel is swiftly gaining votes already. "You're going to get eliminated. Please sit down."

"I don't care," Daniel says. "This is the only way."

He gives the wall a hearty kick, then moves on to inspecting the cabinetry for hidden levers that might reveal passageways.

"Everyone, please be seated so we can begin our first contest," Meredith says, and it isn't her usual flat drone - there's something slightly agitated in her voice, and Sasha has a good idea that it has to do with Daniel's present activity.

He glances at the speaker in the ceiling, then goes right back to pushing and pulling on various parts of the cabinetry. None of it budges and he's just about to make the turn to the blank wall across from the door when Sasha glances again at the front wall and lets out a gasp.

Daniel's number has held steady in the low hundred thousands, but her own is climbing alarmingly fast. The last time she looked she had a few thousand votes, and in a blink, she's up to 542,947.

"What?" Daniel asks, finally turning around to face her, and she nods at the wall.

"Damn," Taylor says from his spot in the middle of the table. "I've never seen that before. They're voting for you out of vengeance for Daniel."

584,248.

"Please sit down," Sasha pleads, catching Daniel's wrist. Her heart is pounding in her chest and she's not sure how many more of these Elimination Challenges she can endure. She thinks this must be what Taylor meant when he said the show controls the outcome - Daniel wouldn't have stopped looking for doors for anything short of endangering Sasha, so that's what they delivered.

Thankfully, Daniel takes pity on her and slides into the chair next to hers. A split second later, Rob bellows over the speaker, "Let's get this party started!"

Meredith follows up by asking Erica to fetch the props for the first contest. She says it with a note of derision, making no mistake about her opinion of Erica's decision to sit out every Elimination Challenge. Erica goes obediently over to the wall of cabinets and pulls the first bin out, but instead of coming around to the front of the table and passing out whatever horrible thing is waiting for them, she pauses and looks up at the speaker.

Rob fills in the blanks for her, saying, "This is an extra-special challenge just for our break-out star, Daniel."

With this information, Erica brings the bin to Daniel and pulls out a clear acrylic box, setting it down in front of him. Then she walks away and Sasha loops her arm around Daniel's. The box is about the size of a dinner plate, divided down the middle with a lid on each half. Inside, there are two needles resting on a white cotton batting. One is full of a clear, light yellowish fluid, and the other is a much darker amber brown.

Daniel sits back in his seat and his skin is pallid and damp at the mere sight of his challenge.

"Is that what I think it is?" Sasha asks quietly beside him, and his numbers begin to rise again on the screen.

"It would appear our new friend here has a bit of a thing for needles," Rob says giddily, and everyone at the table is looking at Daniel. "Now he'll have to choose - which one does he want more?"