Page 40 of Poisoned Pawns (The Gamemakers Trilogy #1)

Pulling up to the abandoned house, I get out of the car.

The sun has officially set as nothing but darkness and the sound of crickets greets my ears.

Placing my hoodie over my head, I shiver, feeling like someone is watching me.

I really should’ve never come here alone, but I’m an idiot and I’ll do anything to save my friends.

Stepping away from my car, I walk around the front and walk up a few steps onto the porch. There’s a note taped to the door and I rip it off to read it.

Welcome, Ivy, to your game. Please enter.

Crumpling it up in my fist, I toss it behind me and swing the front door open.

Nothing but darkness and loud, heavy metal music greets me.

The smell of blood, piss, mold and gas hit my nostrils and I don’t know what to do first. Cover my ears from the loud music or pinch my nose from the horrid smell.

The music cuts and static blares through the speakers, causing me to wince and cover my ears.

“It’s okay, Ivy. This is your game. Welcome. It’s time for your ultimate sacrifice,” the robotic voice says.

“Where are my friends?” I shout, and the voice laughs.

“Your little friend, The Gamemaker, thought he would throw a wrench in my game, but jokes on him. He just made it so much easier for me,” he says, and I gasp.

“Checkmate? You mother fucker! Give me my friends back!” I scream as he continues to laugh.

“Well, if you step further into the room, we can begin the game,” he states, but I don’t move, too afraid to do much of anything.

“Walk or they die. It’s your choice!” he growls, and I walk further into the room like he asked and trip over something, falling into someone.

Feeling around, there’s devices sticking out of this person's body, and I scream. Backing up, almost falling again, the lights turn on, blinding me. Music blares again as my eyes adjust to the bright light. I gasp, covering my mouth as tears form in my eyes at the horrid scene in front of me. Silas tied to a chair with needles protruding from his arms, hands, neck, and toes. His skin is pale white, covered in dirt. His eyes look sunken in. He’s damn near unrecognizable.

“I see you stumbled upon your Junkie Stepbrother. But if you look to your right, there's more,” he goads, and I turn my head, seeing Desmond chained to the wall with a VR headset covering his eyes. His body is riddled with marks, as if he’s been lashed for hours, and that’s when I see it.

A pole in the middle of the room winding slowly.

I watch the leather wrap around the metal tightly like a rubberband waiting to snap.

He screams through the gag in his mouth as the machine comes to life, unravelling the taut leather and whipping him.

I just barely step back as the razor sharp end sails across my chest, nearly slicing me open.

“Oh my god. You’re a monster! Why are you doing this?” I yell, and the voice laughs.

“Keep walking, Ivy,” he orders, and I step further into what looks like a living room and see Pierce, naked, bruised, and restrained to a metal table with a wet towel covering his face.

A low sound buzzes as I follow the rope attached to a pulley that rotates, and at the top, a bucket spills right onto his face, causing him to choke.

My hand flies over my mouth. He’s never going to want to swim again.

Not after this . A sound of running water through the pipe coming out of the wall from behind him refills the bucket.

“Just stop this, okay? I’m the one you want. Take me, but let them go, you coward!” I yell, stomping around the room. Not knowing who to help first.

“I’m the coward? You all hold secrets. You all have done something to hurt someone else to benefit yourselves.

If anyone is a coward, it’s you, Ivy Bloodworth.

Now, walk across the hall to the other room.

More awaits you,” he growls. I quickly cross the hall and step into a sitting room and fall to my knees.

Millie is naked on all fours, hog-tied, as a mechanical dildo filled with metal spikes sits at the entrance of her core.

Then I see Everly nailed to a wooden chair with some type of contraption over her head, with nails coming out of her lips, keeping them shut.

What in the actual fuck. What am I supposed to do with all this?

“Now that you’ve seen what I'm made of, let’s play a little game of Truth or Torture.” He laughs.

“No, I don’t want to play your stupid games. If you want me so bad, come get me, you bitch! Let them go, and I’ll do what you want!” I scream, but he continues to laugh.

“Tsk, tsk. If you don’t play, they all will die, and you know whose fault that will be? Yours, Ivy. Make the choice!” he spits.

“Fuck you, Checky! Come face me! Stop hiding like a little bitch!” I growl, and he laughs again.

“I love the fire in you, Ivy, but in due time. Who's to say you don’t already know me? Remember, no one can be trusted. Now, here’s the rules. I ask you a question. If you tell me the truth, your friends live, but if you lie, well… they die. The choice is yours,” he sings.

“Fucking fine! Get on with it,” I huff, getting really fucking annoyed. I wish I could sink my knife into this mother fucker and make him my bitch. I’d put him through all these torture devices and make him sing like a fucking canary.

“Millie has a few things she would like to tell you,” he chastises. I stand in front of her, and she narrows her eyes at me. What the fuck? “Pull the gag down from her mouth,” he orders, so I reach onto the table and take hold of the red cloth tied around her face and pull it down.

“All of this is because of you, Ivy! I bet you are the one who killed Katie! Since you killed Warren!” she spits, and I gasp, tears fill my eyes, making her face look blurry.

“You don’t understand, Millie,” I say, but she growls and thrashes against her bindings.

“You couldn't allow me an ounce of happiness could you. Just like Katie. God forbid she loved someone else other than you!” she shouts. What the fuck does that mean?

“You’re letting Checkmate get into your head! Don’t listen to him!” I yell, tightening my fist beside me.

“No, Ivy. I saw the footage, you fucking monster. Funny how we’re all going to die here, but you get to continue your pretty perfect life while everyone around you suffers,” she spits, and I take a step closer to her and bend down so she can see how fucking serious I am.

“Says the fucking Virgin Mary! I did you a favor! He tried to rape me while playing this stupid fucking game, and when handed the tool to save myself, I fucking did, and I don’t feel bad about it!

I’m sure you or any other girl would’ve been next.

Then what? More trauma? More secrets and more cover ups!

You should be thanking me instead of listening to a demented freak like Checkmate! ”

“Fuck you, Ivy! I hope you fucking get what’s coming to you!” she growls.

“Do you hear yourself? This is what he wants! This is what he wanted from the beginning. A divide. To separate us!” I yell, throwing my hands in the air.

“Well, I’m bored!” Checkmate says as the device behind her begins to buzz. Millie's eyes widen before a scream leaves her lips. I step back, covering my face as the sound of gushing liquid turns my stomach.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” I scream!

“Walk over to Silas and stand in front of him!” Checkmate orders, and I back away from Millie as the buzzing noise stops, and walk to the middle of the foyer.

Listening to everyone struggle breaks my heart.

I just want to set them all free, but I can't. I don't know how to get them free without hurting them further.

How the fuck am I going to get out of this mess?

Looking at Silas, his eyes slowly crack open and widen.

“Poison,” he rasps, and tears fall from my eyes.

“Yeah, Si. It’s me. I’m going to get you out of here. I promise,” I tell him, and he smiles.

“Enough with the chitchat!” Checky spits.

“Fuck you, asshole!” Silas spits then his eyes collide with mine. Sadness mixed with hope and fear is present, and I frown. “Ivy, baby. Run! Save yourself! Don’t play his games, I’m begging you. Just go! You’re only going to get yourself killed,” he begs as tears pour down my face.

“I can’t leave you, Si, remember what I promised you!” I cry out.

“GO!” he yells, and Checkmate laughs, while Silas growls as the liquid seeps into his veins.

Desmond screams, causing me to jump as the leather whips through the air slicing into him while Pierce chokes on water and his body convulses on the table.

Millie’s blood-curdling screams make me fall to my knees and pull into a ball.

“Make it stop, please make it stop. I can’t fucking look. I can’t,” I cry as I bring my knees to my chest, listening to skin being ripped apart and blood pouring onto the floor. Everyone's screams, groans, and thrashing kill me further. I don’t know what to do.

“I can’t do this! I fucking CAN’T!” I scream.

“Make a fucking choice, Ivy. Play the game or they all die. One by one,” he threatens as the door creaks open behind me. “Oops, looks like one already bit the dust. So sad,” he adds as I stand, spinning towards the door, ignoring his digs, and my eyes widen. What the fuck?

“Oliver?”

“Tick tock, Little Killer. Who's it going to be?” he says as a sinister smile spreads across his face…

To be continued in Broken Pawns, Book 2 of The Gamemaker series.