Silence.
That was all that was heard as the two-hundred and fifty contestants filled the dark room. None was able to see the face of the person standing beside them, as they were unknowingly enclosed in their separate glass cages. A few tried to move around but as soon as they noticed the glass borders which caged them like animals, the sound of several bangs filled the room as others who had already noticed the cage, began to hit against it.799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx53j0b6Kpt
"Let us out!" a few of them shouted but to no avail.799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf5kkLW8jC
Chris remained in his cage in silence as he allowed the sounds of the others panicking to surround him. Although deep inside, he could feel his heart beating rapidly, he took deep breaths and attempted to keep himself calm.799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7maD0nK22
Unbeknownst to him, Michelle, his girlfriend, stood in her own separate cage a few feet away, joining in on the people who were trying to get the attention of someone─anyone─who could possibly help them escape.
But no one came. Instead, the darkness was replaced with light and finally, everyone was able to look around at the faces of their companions who were just as terrified as they were. Some, who were lucky, saw people they recognized and felt smiles of relief take over their lips. But those who were unlucky, only felt more alone as they witnessed the smiles of the lucky ones.
Chris rapidly looked around, making sure to stay rooted in his spot, searching for just one familiar face, just one pair of familiar eyes. But to his disappointment, he saw none. He felt his shoulders drop in defeat just as the sound of the heels of shoes hitting against the floor caught everyone's attention. They all turned to where they perceived the sound to be coming from but instead of seeing a physical person, they saw only an image of the person who appeared to be the owner of the loud shoes.
"Everyone having a good time?" the strange man, whose face was undetectable, asked.
There were roars of anger as people, outraged at the fact that he seemed to think they would be having a good time while caged like rats, hit against their glass cages. But this only caused the man to laugh wholeheartedly as if he truly was enjoying their panicked states.
"I guess that's a no," he said.
You think, Michelle thought, remaining still in her cage as she too felt disappointed at the fact that she was not of the lucky ones who had seen a familiar face. Her hands which were balled into fists at the sound of the man's laughter, tightened as she wished with every fiber of her being to be released from the suffocating cage.
Far away from the screen which showed the man, a small boy removed a hammer he had taken from his father's tool box from his pocket, feeling his lips curve up into a smile. He had taken the tool to work on a cart which he was to use at his neighborhood annual homemade cart race. But before he could have reached the cart which he had wheeled to the front lawn, two masked men had attacked him and forcefully shoved him into the back of a truck, just moments before driving away.
But now as he gripped onto the hammer tightly, he was glad that those men had come when they did. He held the hammer behind his head and was about to swing when his cage suddenly turned red, causing him to pause mid-swing.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice of the man which had been far away, suddenly sounded as if it were coming from within his cage.
"Then let me out!" the boy shouted, holding onto a small hope that he would listen to his plea.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" the boy was asked.
"Yes!" he replied immediately. But just as soon as those words had left his lips, he felt regret cloud his heart.
"You asked for it," the man said tauntingly just as the bottom of his cage suddenly disappeared. The boy fell into a pit of darkness as his screams filled the room, causing everyone to look in horror where he had been standing.
"Now let's get down to it shall we?" the mysterious man said, earning everyone's attention once again, walking out from the darkness which shielded his face.
"Welcome to Crooked Numbers!" he announced, lifting his hands in a welcoming gesture as he smiled from behind his mask.799Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35LC9lqHX8
