Friday.
Day 19.
Issa.
"Good news. We have our next Hunt assigned for you two. Congrats."
I stare at the Boss, feeling everything I just ate coming back up. 'Hunt'? 'Congrats'? What the hell was wrong with this guy?
"Already? She hasn't even went through most basics. She isn't ready." Cam pipes up across the table sounding calm as ever.
"That is why we will be showing her everything ourselves. She can simply watch closely." The Boss-well, Arges, flicks his eyes over to me as he walks more into the room then flashes a hidden smile as he continues;
"We will show you how we do The Hunt. But today we'll just get to know eachother better. How does that sound?" Awful. I would literally rather be doing anything else, as long as it didn't involve this man.
"Fine." But that isn't what my mouth said. It was only said to please Arges. And judging by the glint in his eyes, it did just that.
"Perfect. You two finish eating and Cam will show you around. Then we will all meet in the living room to talk some more." He lightly nods at the two of us then he was gone again, and I could finally breathe.
"Well, I'm finished eating if you are Issa?" I look down at the marvelous meal neither of us had hardly made an indent in. It felt like such a waste but I just didn't have it in me to eat another crumb. I could tell the same went for Cam.
"I'm done."
"Let's go then." Cam stands and I do along with him.
"We can start upstairs. At the infirmary where you woke up. It's where we take-" Instantaneously I was shamelessly pulling at Cams sleeve to get him to stop talking, not wanting to hear him explain the rooms purpose again like Arges had.
"Arges already explained it to me. Please, I don't want to go there again. Let's just skip it." Cam turns to me clearly startled then understanding takes place soon after. He slowly looks down at my hand still gripping his arm and I hastily drop it.
"Are you really going to keep calling him that? It's weird hearing any sort of name for him after so long of nothing." Cam speaks to me but turns and continues our walk to the staircase anyway. It was definitely strange to give my captor, who's identity he preferred to keep a secret, a name. But in a way it felt better at the same time. It made him seem more human, especially after all the very unhuman like things about him.
"Yeah. It makes me feel better. Plus I have a feeling I had no choice." Cam and I finally make it up the long spiral stairs then we find ourselves on the second floor. It was, shockingly, more long creepy hallways like I had already discovered earlier.
"This is where our rooms are. I'm right here, and you're further down the hall. Two bathrooms upstairs and two down." I follow Cams footsteps not wanting to look up at the door to the infirmary as we walked past it down the hall. We finally make it to my room and move inside.
"I picked out most things. So don't worry about whether he did. Arges, I mean. The bed was my choice. That way you don't have to feel as uncomfortable sleeping in it. At least I hope so-" Cam was watching me as I walked inside over to the bed, evidently feeling awkward from our sudden seclusion.
"Thanks-" I didn't bother telling him I'd feel gross sleeping here no matter what anyone did, but I could tell he was already guilt ridden as is, so I left it out.
"-It looks nice." Cam shrugs and states;
"It's pretty plain. But alright." He was right, the room looked like it was picked out by a completely colorblind person. The colors were all light tones and didn't really match all too well. The only thing that managed to look decent was the view from outside my window, which led to a large balcony.
"Anyway, the tour." Cam was now striding back out further down the hallway so I quickly followed behind.
"There's also an attic. You pull this hatch down and a ladder will fall. You shouldn't really need to go up here at all, but if you happen to, be careful. This place is old and I don't know how sturdy the steps are." I simply nod at Cam as he demonstrates how to flip down the ladder. He slides it back up and we are already on our way with the tour.
We strode down the hall but by that point I wasn't entirely paying attention. It pained me more the longer we went on to see the places that I would soon be taking innocent people to. Cam was pointing to places and all I could hear every once and awhile was things like;
"There's a bathroom just down the-" Or even;
"-laundry room-" But what stung the most was hearing;
"-empty bedrooms for storing our Hunts after-" That was the point when I officially stopped zoning back into whatever Cam was telling me. I didn't even want to know anymore. We had just about finished the upstairs portion when Cam came to a stop.
"This is where I stow away most of the time while I'm here. To get away." Cam was opening the door to the room but I didn't even bother looking until the words 'home theater' left his mouth.
"What did you just say?" Cam finally opens the door and inside is a ginormous room filled to the brim with chairs and even loveseats with pullup kickstands. He is smiling at me knowingly when we walk inside and I can finally see the whole thing.
"Yeah, he's got a home theater. The guy's crazy, but damn if it isn't a little cool." Up in front, smack dab in the middle was a stereotypical theater screen for playing movies on, making everything else look miniscule. Cam was happily walking around inside the room, but it didn't make me feel the same at all. Happy definitely wasn't the way to describe it.
"Wow. So Arges really does make a shit ton off of us then, doesn't he?" Cam stops smiling at me the second I talk, seeing just how passive I was being.
"Sorry, but I'm just being honest. He only has this because of people like us. I definitely won't be in here lounging around while knowing that." I hated how Cam shrunk at my words, like what I said was too much for him to handle. Like he was clearly trying to avoid the truth for so long. It was only when I turned around to leave that Cam spoke up.
"You know Issa? That was exactly what I thought too when I saw it for the first time. Only I didn't have the luxury of a friend doing the tour like you do, Arges did it for me." Cam isn't holding back his voice rising even one bit as he goes on to explain, taking in a more calming breath this time;
"But guess what? I got over it, I had to. Because I knew I would be here for a long ass time and I'd have to get used to being around him and all he has." Cam didn't sound mad or upset like he truly looked, he just sounded completely monotone and numbed.
"It doesn't feel good any more now than it did the first times. So get over it." I didn't know what to say. I had definitely just been put in my place and bitch slapped into reality by Cam whether I liked it or not. He didn't stop there though because he was quick to finish off with;
"Sorry, but I'm just being honest." He was using my own cruel words against me, and I couldn't do anything but sit there and deserve it. He was so right and I honestly wanted to thank him for it. I did need to get used to it here and I would. But that would only be until I got myself and everyone else at the school the hell out of here.
His words only made me realize that much more.
"Now, can we finish the tour?" Cam looks my way with an apologetic glance before speedwalking down the hall to head back downstairs, not really wanting an answer from me at all. I answer anyway;
"Sure." I knew I wanted to get out of here before, but now I was absolutely determined to, and along the way I would take down the Boss too, whoever he may really be.
And I didn't care what I had to do to accomplish exactly that.
•••
"That was fast. How do you like the place Issabelle?" Cam and I finished up quick out of pure awkwardness from our honesty to one another not short after, then we made our way to the living room to find Arges sitting comfortably reading a book.
I look at Cam still looking anxious about what he had said to me and calmly admit;
"It was very educational." Arges tilts his head at me and shuts his book before patting a smooth hand along the many couch cushions, signaling for us to come join him. We both take our places significantly spaced apart from him.
"And your room?" Arges looks to me for an answer.
"It's nice. Thank you."
"Well I'm glad you like it. I hope Cam was friendly. I know he can be-aggressive, at times. Which is why he got this job long ago." Arges doesn't see it but Cam rolls his eyes at him. I hold back my look of surprise and answer;
"Cam was perfect." Arges nods and I can't help but start to feel impatient as we all sat there as if we were an actual family and immediately blurt back;
"Can we get to the point?" Arges' eyes glow at my outburst and my stomach clenches uncomfortably. When he spoke he only sounded intrigued by me;
"Which is?"
"I'd like to know more about what I'm doing tomorrow."
"I've already told you my dear. You will only watch as Cam and I hunt down our new guest." I shake my head at him and notice Cam is sitting unblinking at me as I back talk Arges.
"Yes, but I need more than that. Details. Like, how do you already know the person will be there at the party, and that you want to-hunt them?" I grimace at my last words and can't help but feel sick again, but quickly get over it, just as Cam suggested.
"Details, huh? Okay then. Some of the guards you've seen at the Factory scout for targets every once and awhile. Whether it's on purpose or they meet someone by accident, it doesn't matter. As long as they find someone who fits the requirements, we take them."
The Factory? I've heard Arges mention it once before but never payed any mind to it. That must be what he called the school. It was way more gruesome when looked at it like that, and I would definitely be sticking to just the school.
"And what are the requirements?" Arges looks amused by my questions, not at all annoyed by my attitude. He smirks when he says;
"We go by-many characteristics. How strong they are. Closeness to relatives. How their personality is, if they are good or bad. And typically we go by bad. Like if they've committed some kind of crime. Or even simply cheated on someone. Doesn't matter, as long as they won't be as missed by a loved one." I stare away at Arges and Cam equally, hearing him but trying to make sense of it all. Finally I let out;
"Are you saying everyone who is here-has done something bad in some way? Everyone?" I look at Cam for an answer not wanting to hear another disgusting word from Arges. Cam opens his mouth to speak but was immediately quieted by a wavering finger.
"That's exactly what I am saying. Except for you of course. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I am truly regretful of that." He meant Lizzy catching him, I knew that. But it wasn't what mattered to me. He was telling me that everyone here was taken for a specific reason, some terrible reason. I couldn't believe it. Even Lectra? Wes? Cam and George? Even sweet Blake?
"I-I need to use the bathroom." I stand up without any form of permission from Arges and sprint out of the room to a nearby bathroom, and I can only think about how thankful I was for the tour earlier otherwise I would have never found it. The second I do I was down on my knees in front of the toilet and hacking my lungs up.
Not even a minute after I had started I heard a knock at the door. Totally expecting the worst, I was shouting back weakly;
"Go away!"
"It's Cam." The moment I hear Cams voice, my stomach settles and I was relaxing onto the toilet. I don't know why I did it, maybe my head was muddled with the fact that I had just thrown up what was already very little of my dinner and I just couldn't think clearly, but I was leaning over to the door and letting it open for Cam to come in. I knew the sight was not pretty, but it didn't matter.
He strides in slow and unbothered.
"You left your shoes back there y'know?" Confused, I glance down and see he was right. I was barefoot. I must have kicked off my heels at some point when I went running. I laugh lightly, finding some hilarity to the situation.
"And good riddance. I hated those dumb things." Cam laughs along with me until things settle down into silence again.
"I can't believe it." I didn't have to say anything else, Cam already knew what I meant.
"Hey, you asked for it." I chuckle then slap his knee playfully at his comment but knew he was right again for the millionth time today. I go serious again and ask;
"You're right, it's just-everyone, everyone?" He just shrugs.
"Yeah. It's all in their files. Still, nobody deserves this, no matter what they did. Unless they like, ya know, killed someone maybe. But whatever." I roll my eyes at Cam and finally settle down. He is up against the now closed door when he says;
"It's just easier to find bad people. That way Arges can see it as revenge on whatever they did. No matter what they did. Sorta as blackmail I guess." I was finally leaning off the floor to sit on the toilet seat, carefully listening to Cam explain the worst to me;
"We get them drunk, sometimes flirt, then they spill what they regret the most. That's how we decide who to Hunt. But it doesn't make it feel any better." I knew Cam was telling the truth. He hated who he had to become for Arges, but there was nothing else he could do. And soon I would be the same way.
"What did-what did you do that was bad to get here?" Cam shakes his head at me rapidly.
"No, I didn't do anything. Remember, I was the first? He simply liked how much money I made while streaming. It wasn't until after that he came up with the rules." I make direct eye contact and hope in the deepest parts of my heart for a 'yes' when I ask;
"So, same goes for George too, right?" But all I see in Cams face is dispare and I already have my answer. George did in fact do something horrible to get here. I didn't want to know truthfully, but my curiosity got the better of me. Staring into Cams sad eyes I hesitate when I ask;
"Cam. What did George do?" His reply is short coming and disappointing to say the least when he finally answers;
"I don't know."