Chapter 3
When he took the seat at the head of the table, a nameplate appeared above his head. [Louis Blackwood.]
"After breakfast, Silas will hand out your tasks," Louis said, and then he cut into his steak with perfect manners.
Everyone finished breakfast with their own thoughts running through their minds.
"Mia Sinclair." Grace said my whole name like she was still working something out. "What did Louis say to you at breakfast?"
I waved a hand. "He said I was pretty."
Grace stared at me. Apparently, that was a thing the Boss of a horror game could say.
"My apologies, honored guests. Mr. Blackwood has no patience for idle people, so I would ask you all to complete your assigned tasks," Silas said.
[Task 1: feed the pet. Location: garden. Players: 4.]
[Task 2: make lunch. Location: kitchen. Players: 6.]
After they read the board, most people picked the kitchen.
There was nothing dangerous about making lunch.
What surprised me was that the timid college girl did not go straight for the crowded kitchen. She kept sneaking looks at me instead.
I raised my hand. "I'll take Task 1."
"I'm going with Mia," Lily said, hanging onto my arm, her voice barely there.
"Put me on Task 1," Ryan said with a shrug, as none of it mattered.
Ben said he would help feed the pet, too.
Ten minutes later, the two teams split up, and we headed for the garden.
It was daytime, but the sky was overcast and gloomy. The garden had this strange, oppressive vibe that made it hard to breathe. The cold wind howled, and the constant rustling of leaves filled the air.
The place was completely empty, and every inch of it was planted with black moonflowers.
A huge black iron cage stood in the middle of the garden, half swallowed by the flowers, rusted and wrong and thoroughly grim. From somewhere deeper in, something kept growling low.
"What kind of pet needs a cage that size?" Ryan said. His voice went tight, and his feet stopped moving.
Ben crept toward the cage and kept his voice down. "Everybody be careful going near it."
The closer we got, the worse it smelled. Rot and blood came at us together, and the wind put it right in our faces.
Ben was out in front, and his whole body started shaking. He turned around with his face gone white. "There is nothing in the cage."
Every head turned. The iron door stood wide open, and the inside was empty.
Which meant the giant pet was loose and sitting somewhere in this garden.
"So what are we supposed to feed it with?" Lily asked out of nowhere. Her eyes had gone flat and black, and she looked at each of us in a way that crawled up the spine.
We had taken the task and been given nothing. We had walked into the garden with empty hands.
"Oh, hell," Ryan said as it landed on him.
The pet's food was one of the four of us.
"Run! Split up and run!" Ben shouted, and then he bolted for the garden gate.
"Son of a bitch, he's fast," Ryan muttered, and he spat on the ground as he watched Ben tear off down the path we had come in on.
With no idea how much the thing could eat, splitting up gave each of us the best odds.
The three of us traded one look and scattered.
I made a show of jogging a few steps and then stopped by the pond, out of breath.
The running was fake, and the wheezing was not.
My knees were not what they used to be.
Somebody came up behind me and pulled me back against him. Cool lips brushed my ear, and a low, ruined voice went one word at a time. "You sound lovely out of breath, Mrs. Blackwood."