The murder card

Dear diary, a week has passed since the start of my imprisonment. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t as bad as Ian’s was, not even close. Still am I getting more and more nervous that something bad is about to happen. I need to get out of this place, was all I was able to think about. I worry that time is coming when shell get sick of me but she hasn’t shown any signs of that. She keeps getting more and more inpatient because I won’t tell her anything. She tries luring me on her side, but without success. She tried everything, including showing me the second fountain of hers, only reserved for the elite of the elite. Her fountain of blood. Its smell turned my stomach around, even more so when she offered me some. Only she and selected few were ware of its existence and were allowed to drink from it. It lays below the lowest floor of the building in a dark, cold chamber, made especially for it. The cellar has minimal lighting, imitating dance of candle. It smelled of terror in there, a smell I will never forget. From an elegant, diamond glass, she filled up, Lola took a small sip. She then drank the entire glass, without a drop of remorse or guilt. In the shimmering light, in the cold chamber, in the smell of blood, Lola was the image of terror, just how she wanted to appear. And just for a short moment, I felt, she could never be defeated. She enjoyed her fountain of blood, but I couldn’t take my mind of the people who died for it and the ones they left behind. I just want to get out! I scream internally in desperation. But she won’t let me. I can’t take it anymore, this has to change. We walk out, not a second to early, up to her floor, I think, maybe I can run. If I’m fast enough, maybe. So I try, out of desperation I start running. I jump in the elevator. I fear it may stop or I will plummet to my death. My heart races and races. Suddenly, the elevator dings and opens its door to the lobby. The front door was just few measly meters away. Maybe I can make it, no one is here to stop me.

I run and I reach the door. It was locked, made out of glass I cannot break. I nervously look around to see if there is another way but all I see is Lola, walking towards me. “Just let me go already.” I beg. With cold tone she merely answers, “no”. My attempt has made the situation worse. I quietly go with her, to her awful floor, where she has kept me all this time. Neither of us say a word. We get there and I step in first. She closes the door and starts walking towards me. She hits me in my face. “Do you think this is a game?!” She screams and hits me again, knocking me on the floor. “When will you see, you cannot win?!” She angrily yells. “When will you see that you will lose?!” I yell back at her. She opens her phone, to make a call, while towering over me. I hear a man answer, with a familiar voice, “I have one of you still. Barely alive. Tell me where you are or I kill her.” Lola says, completely serious. “I want to hear her. So I know you’re not lying.” I hear Rei say. She cuts of the call for a moment, to speak to me. “You are going to say you are dying and beg him to get you. Got it?” She strictly says to me. I get up and agree with her. “Here she is.” Lola says in the phone. For a moment a hesitate. “Rei, I’m completely fine. You needn’t worry about me.” Before I could say anything else, Lola quickly disconnects and I can see I made her very mad. She punches me hard. My nose starts to bleed. I don’t hold back anymore and I hit her back. She grabs me by my shoulders and pushes me on the ground. I hit my head on her desk. I get furious and charge towards her. I knock her down and bang her head on the floor. I hold her down as long as I can, but that wasn’t long as she is stronger than me. “What do you want from me?! Why are you keeping me here? Just let me go!” I yell. “You still don’t get it! All of you are going to die! Your people don’t stand a chance! Every last one of you will die like a rat. But I wanted to spare you. I saw you had potential. Not like that other boy we had here, he was a pathetic excuse for a man.” She yells back at me. “Potential? To do what? To be like you? To be like one of your people?” I ask with anger. “Yes”, she answers while breathing heavily. “I will never be like you or be on your side. So might just let me go. So I can die, with people you call rats.” I don’t get an answer right away and I was sure she would just let me go. I start to think on how I could get out, without coming up with a solution. “Fine. Tomorrow you can go.” She gives a surprising answer. I felt relieved but at the same time, I find it hard to believe her. I ask why tomorrow, why not now. “Because, I say so.” She answers bluntly. I didn’t care why, so I didn’t argue with her. I would want to change her mind. I go, sit down by the window, to watch the city rush by. She goes to the bathroom.

One night, is the only thing parting me from freedom. I didn’t want to fall asleep, I wanted to keep an eye on her, so she would do anything to me. I couldn’t help but to wonder if she was telling me the truth and she will in fact let me go. Before I knew it, the morning sun awoke me. I feel asleep and I was fine when I woke up. I see Lola, still asleep in her bed. Impatiently I wait for her to wake up. She did her morning routine as if I wasn’t here. “Well, you promised.” I say, starting to get nervous. “Patience, darling”, she condescendingly says, making me angry. I didn’t want to show it to her. She gets dressed and leaves the room, without saying anything more. I didn’t know what to think or what to do. I get angry and start to think she wasn’t telling me the truth. That would not out of character for her. If she doesn’t let me go, there is no way out. This would be all for me. Trapped inside my head, suddenly, after hours, I hear doors finally open. She comes back and coldly stares at me. I stare back, nervous of what she’s hiding. “You can go now.” She calmly says, without any emotions. All the while, doors stayed opened. “Seriously? Just like that?” I ask. “I do keep my promises Addilyn. All of them. Remember that.” She says. I walk towards the door, silently, keeping an eye on her. I pass her. I think she might grab me, but she doesn’t. Without a problem, I was out, still fearing that this might be just another trick. “This is it?” I ask when I’m out. “What did you expect? A party in your honor?” She says and closes the door. For a moment, I don’t know what to do, I was afraid to feel happy, because this was too good to be true. I quickly gather myself and intend to leave the building as quick as I can. I get on the elevator, while still panicking inside. I pressed button for the lobby and I wait and hope I arrive safely. Elevator stops and opens its door to the second floor. I press the button over but it doesn’t budge. It stuck on the second floor so I step out. Find the stairs, I say to myself. It was dead silence there, almost to quiet. I get the feeling something isn’t right. I hear footsteps behind me, getting closer and closer. Unarmed, I frighten. How will I defend myself? I hear the person is right around the corner. I had no on what I would do. I see a shadow approaching me. Soon I’ll see who or what I’m up against. I see his face, I realize, my worries were in vain and I feel happy and relieved. “Ian, I’m so glad to see you.” I say and tightly hug him. “I’m so glad you are all right.” He tells me. “Same” I answer back with joy. “What’s going on? Why are you here?” I ask him. “We are ending this today. Everyone will be here. All of the presidents, vice presidents, well all of her people I mean. She’s having some sort of secret meeting and it’s just the perfect opportunity to be done with all of this.” That’s when it dawned on me why Lola let me go today. I felt sick to my stomach. “It’s a trap.” I quietly say. “What? I didn’t hear you.” Ian says. “It’s a trap. She gathered everyone because she knew you would attack then. She expected it. That’s why she willing let me out today. It’s a setup. She’s ending this too. She’s going to kill us, while the rest watch.”

Presenter:

Good evening, recent events involving the mega company EasyWay have shocked the entire globe. Is all we have known a lie? Has the world been tricked? Is our global structure with many faults and if so what can we do about it now? The world has questions and we have the answers you are looking for. Tonight, we are broadcasting live first and exclusive interview with people who were involved with exposing the truth. Joining us here today are Ian Fallon and doctor Quin Blackwell.

Reporter:

Thank you. Good evening Mr. Fallon and dr. Blackwell. First let me just say, what an honour it is that you have chosen to share your story with the world, here on our station. I’m sure everyone is eager to hear what really went on and how you managed to reveal the truth.

Ian:

Thank you. After many false reports we just felt that the world should learn the truth from someone who was there, when it all went down.

Reporter:

How did you first suspect that anything was wrong? Most of the was fooled, but not you. What was different in your case?

Ian:

Well my parents were the ones who first started this. When the Murder cards first came to life, they were strongly against them. They remained so until their deaths. I was raised to believe that murder is wrong, something that should not be taken lightly. Sadly, they never got to prove or do anything is wrong, so that task was up to me. They started gathering people who shared their believe and their friends. Soon it became a nice little group that over time developed into something more. In a way, their organization was my legacy and I took it upon myself, to finish what they started. So I dedicated my life to the cause. I’m just glad it was all worth it in the end.

Reporter:

Dr. Blackwell, I was told you joined the group after you started suspecting the company EasyWay was abusing disabled people, who were presumed to be dead. Many other scientists had no problems with performing such experiments, why did you?

Quin:

I’ve always thought of myself as a forward thinker, someone who likes change and progress. I was never a fan of outdated methods such as the mentioned one. Even though the job I was offered was everything a scientist could hope for, I had to turn it down, otherwise the guilt would eat me away and I could not bear the watch those people suffer every day, right before my eyes. There are so many other options for experiments and testing, ones that are so much less cruel.

Reporter:

Thank you for your answer. I’m sure everyone watching agrees with you and are glad that now, this is stopped. Tell me, was your group the one who leaked the footage of our very own presidents watching people die? Not only watching, but enjoying as well.

Ian:

Yes, that was our doing. Not a successful as we had hoped though. It was quickly forgotten.

Reporter:

When the footage aired, you made an attempt to attack EasyWay am I correct? What was going on, during that attack?

Ian:

At that point, we didn’t know nearly enough about them, so we needed information. While they were busy trying to get the footage of the air, we broke in and got a lot of useful data, just like we have hoped. Unfortunately, not everyone made it out alive and I sadly was captured and held there against my will. I was told I was there for about a week. I lost my sense of time during my capture.

Reporter:

Could you share with us the experience of your capture? If it’s not to hard.

Ian:

That time was by far the hardest one for me. I still wake up at night from nightmares that I’m still captured there. It’s hard for me to talk about it, I admit that, it’s something I would rather forget but I know, I never will. On the other hand, I think people should learn what was going on there, so everyone knows what kind of monsters manipulated us for so many years. The second it started, it was already a living nightmare. I was violently dragged into a dark, giant room, where it all went down. I was a victim of brutal, psychological games and torture of the mind. They abused my perception of reality and physics. I was starting to lose all common sense. I could not trust anything around me, because of their tricks to my brain. I was a prisoner of virtual reality. When I first landed in that horrible room, it was already distorted. I was dark, not pitch dark, like the night, under street lamps. From that moment on I was dragged away from the real world, from everything I knew and put into some digital, hell dimension. The walls, floor and ceiling were covered in geometric patterns, designed in such way that they hurt my eyes when I looked at them. After a while, they began to dance, float, move. It didn’t take long for me to lose my sense of balance and space. I couldn’t tell what was forward, what was backward or how far away from me an object really is. For instance, my depth perception calculated that a wall was far away from me, five metres at least. I took a bold step forward and suddenly I hit the cold, metal wall. Similar things happened a few times, so I was afraid to move. I kneeled down on the floor and with hesitation, I was able to sit down. Then the walls started closing in, they were making loud, metal noise and they were all coming towards me. I thought my body would get smashed. Turns out, it was just another illusion. That was only the beginning. These geometric shapes weren’t enough and that’s when they sent in the creatures. In the back of my mind I knew they weren’t real, but still I wondered, could they be. It was just electricity with a very good avatar, designed to push me to my death. They disappeared just as quickly as they appeared. They very made with excellence. I could sense the foul smell, noises they made, their movement. Everything was perfect down to last detail. They were something I had not seen before and I strongly wish I never do. One particularly stuck in my mind. It was a mix of a wild, rabies infected dog and a tiger. I saw its head first, starting at me from the dark. It was looking right into my eyes, getting ready to attack me. I could see its drool dripping from its foamy mouth down on the dark floor. It growled at me while never breaking eye contact. I knew it was just a matter of time before that things decided to attack me. Right there, in that dark moment, I was convinced it was real, sent in to kill and eat my body. I was scared out of my mind. Even now my heart races just talking about it. If that thing had been real, I would not be here today.

I had nothing to defend myself with, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against the muscular creature. It started to explore its surrounding, the place we were in, all the while keeping a close eye on me. Slowly, it started coming closer and closer until it was right in front of me, smelling me. I could feel his drool dripping on my body and sense the horrible smell coming from its large mouth that could easily fit my head in. With no apparent reason, it walked away but still, it was close. I could hear it, lurking in the darkness. Every once in a while, I could see it, its bright yellow eyes. Just as I thought it was gone, suddenly with rage it charged towards me, ready to devour me. The creature was right above me, just about to jump me. My heart sunk to my stomach, I closed my eyes and I could feel it biting me in my right shoulder. I felt excruciating pain and I screamed in agony. I open my eyes and the thing was gone. I look at my shoulder and it was unharmed. I was relieved but confused. The room changed then. Then there was was a bed, looking extremely inviting and comfortable. I felt exhausted and when I saw it, all I could think was resting my body. I try getting up quickly but I stumbled of course. The floor looked, smooth, straight, with no lumps. But that was far from the truth. I quickly start walking towards that bed but I feel down many times. I kept tripping over something I could not see or the floor was suddenly deep.

With few more bruises and bumps I finally make to the still inviting bed. I could not rest there, it was tilted in such way, I kept falling down. Soon the room was completely dark, I could not see or hear a thing. I just wanted to get out which was fairly obvious and something they took advantage of. I was losing all hope when all of a sudden I see a friend of mine, coming to my rescue. I was relieved and happy. Just as the door was about to open, it all feel apart. My friend vanished in thin air and I was left standing alone, with no doors in sight. I was devastated and lost all hope. I soon excepted I would never get out and I would die here. I only hoped for a quick death. When my rescue finally happened, it did not believe it was actually real, I was convicted it was just another elaborate trick. It wasn’t until days later, when I started coming back to my senses, I realized it was all over, that I was out.

Reporter:

Thank for your honest answer. I realize how hard it was and now we can only hope that somehow you’ll be able to get past it and focus on the positive and that such horrors never happen again. The main reason for tonight’s interview is so for everyone watching, to learn how exactly you took down EasyWay, how it all went down, so no one can report false facts any longer. Let’s start at the beginning.

Ian:

Before the last attack happened, EasyWay was well aware of our existence. Not only that, they knew we were coming, so they prepared well. Confident and strong, we didn’t know we were stepping into their trap. We were forced to rethink the entire plan and make adjustments on the spot. It wasn’t easy and if we were able to stick with the original plan, a lot more lives would have been spared. But we had to do whatever we needed to stop them, once and for all. I still didn’t feel fully recovered from my capture but time was running out fast, especially because one of our own was captured at that time.

Reporter:

The person you speak of being trapped, are you referring to Addilyn Allard?

Ian:

Yes, a vital point in our operation and a dear friend of mine.

Reporter:

I am truly sorry for your loss.

Ian:

Thank you. She will be missed. We couldn’t have done this without her help.

Quin:

To be fair, none of this would be happening if you didn’t pursue it. You started it all. Sure she helped, but so did I and Rei as well. But this was all team work, the only way it could be done. But at first Addilyn wasn’t on our side, it took a lot of convincing to get her to change her mind. I’m glad she did. The more people we had, the stronger we were. She and Rei will both be missed. They sacrificed themselves for the good of the future and I respect them for doing so.

Reporter:

Don’t we all. The world is still in shock about what we have learned and none can deny the truth anymore. No matter how horrible the truth is, we are now grateful that it is now revealed. Did either of you, at any point wanted to give up? Or even suspected that you could be wrong?

Ian:

Sometimes I doubt myself and what I have done. I felt despair. I mean I was wrong, everyone’s lives would have been destroyed because of me and so I did have moments where I doubted everything. For a long time, we had nothing, no lead, no proof, only suspicions. But the voices of my parents convinced me to go on, to keep trying. That push led me to meet Addilyn and lots of others as well.

Quin:

I too must admit of my not so bright moments where I experienced doubt. It wasn’t even that long ago. When we got a call from Lola for the first time, I was convinced it was all over. I saw no hope or solution. I’m so glad Rei convinced me not to give up.

Reporter:

That is completely understandable. Everyone experiences moments of doubts and despair in their lives.

Quin:

When we found out it was a trap at the end, we kind of lost hope then too.

Reporter:

What pushed you to not give up?

Quin:

Hope, I would say. And the fact that we have come so far it would be foolish to give up then. We were so close.

Ian:

First thing on our list was to rescue Addilyn but it turned out, the task was already done for us. Lola wilfully let her go. Only to die with us. As soon as she saw me and when I told her why I was there, she knew why Lola released her. During her capture she was treated better than I was. It is all explained in her diary she kept of these events, which is now available for public to see. Free of charge. Lola arranged the meeting with all her people, openly. She made sure we knew of this, just as she was sure we would attack then. Before we could do anything, we were trapped. Minutes later after I ran into Addilyn, security guards came and grabbed us. We were then thrown in some sort of underground burial. We were deep below the building in a dark cave. We soon saw it was full of human remains. While we were there, we couldn’t do anything else but wait to be rescued.

Reporter:

How did her diary get released?

Ian:

Moments before she died, she told me about it. We both agreed it would be good if the diary was released so the public could learn everything. She then sent it to my chip and I did the rest.

Reporter:

Well, we are all glad she did keep a journal. A lot of people couldn’t handle the truth and did everything in their power to convince themselves it was fake.

Quin:

Some still hope it’s not real, but trust me, every word in there is nothing but the truth. I hope people understand that. Just think, if more people used their brains, all this could have been prevented.

Ian:

I disagree with that Quin. Intelligent people were sucked in as well and liked the Murder cards. The manipulation was just that good, and just because of that, almost everyone got fooled. But I to think it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Reporter:

Exactly. Now the best we can do, is to learn from our mistakes and do better this time around. So tell us, what happened next?

Ian:

We weren’t trapped for long. Rei was able to quickly get us out. He disabled electricity supplying the building. All the computer systems were down, all the locks were now manual. Even air supply relied on electrical power.

Quin:

If you don’t mind, I think I can explain this better. The grid that controlled the electrical supply was entirely controlled by a computer. There was a tie between each individual power generator. Each having its own task. As Rei expected, the security was very high and complex, so as always, his task was not an easy one. But he was up for the challenge. He managed to get pass the security system and then all he had to do it turn off all the switches but in the correct order. One wrong move and it couldn’t be done. After he was done, everything lost power. After he was done with that task, he needed to disable the backup generators. The easiest way was to just blow them up.

Ian:

That was the blast Addilyn and I heard near us.

Quin:

Exactly. When that was done, no one could leave the building easily. That was both advantage and disadvantage. We had them trapped, but they had us trapped as well. So our worst and last case of scenario was about to happen. Since everyone was trapped a deadly game begin. Kill or be killed, our worst case scenario. Their plan was to kill us all but that was also our plan. So the game of cats and mice began, where everyone was hiding, trying not to get killed, but at the same time, trying to finish the enemy. As I mentioned before, everything was power by electricity, even the ventilation system which was then off, so there was no air flow. Rei calculated we had four hours before we ran out of oxygen. So, we needed to live, as many of us as possible, kill the enemy and them escape. Not an easy task, one we weren’t sure how well even finish. But luck was our side when we got unexpected help.

Ian:

So addilyn and I were rescued by Rei. We were thrown in there by a chute, which were then our escape. He let down a rope and we were able to climb up. None of us was sure where to go next. We could hear through our ear pieces people were getting shot and dying. We didn’t want to be one of them, so for a moment, we froze. We feared to move, because we might run into trouble. Everyone was armed, Addilyn to, as we brought her everything she would need. Before we figured out or plan, one of the guards came, just one, so we didn’t shoot. It’s a good thing we didn’t, because he offered us help, one that helped us win. It turned out, we convinced him of our cause and he agreed with us. He told us about a secret room, with a deadly button, one that destroys the entire building. Find the room, press that button and the whole building collapses, killing everyone inside. So then, that was the new plan. Get as many of our people out as possible and find that button, fast. But the question was, how to get our people out. Sure fire escape stairs were an option, but they were heavily guarded, so we would be sending them to a bloody fight. “Is there any other way out?” I asked and Rei was able to provide a solution, the sewers. By that time, many of our died and only a handful remained so Rei told everyone to retreat, to hide and wait for further instructions. He asked the guard if he can get us the map of the building, he did. Soon Rei constructed a safe way to reach the sewers, running through the building and under the streets of Rome. He told, whoever was still alive where to go but we had a decision to make. Someone needed to stay behind to push the button. I volunteered but Rei quickly shot me down. “It’s not as simple as just pushing a button. It is most likely connected to a complex computer system. And I am the only one here who would know how to unlock it.” He said to me. We all stood there in silence, knowing very well he was right. It was decided for him, that he is the one that must stay. The guard, would go with him, as protection and so was I.

Quin:

So that was the plan, we didn’t like it, but we also didn’t have any other choice. To move safely, we chose to go through the air vents. For a while, it worked and we were getting so close to each of our destination. Addilyn and I intended to get under the lobby, deep under building, which was built over ancient Roman sewer system. The guard was supposed to led Rei and Ian to the button room, which laid on one of the top floors. It was time to say painful goodbyes. Just them, someone started shooting at us. Addilyn got hit in her leg, I in my arm and the guard was barely standing. We were all standing in the hallway, when we here loud noise, coming towards us. Suddenly we hear a loud thud. I turn around I see horrific monster standing in front of me. “It’s Stan!” Addilyn yelled and I was shocked with what they did to him. He was no longer a dear friend, but something that you only dream about in your worst nightmare. She started shooting at the beast, the rest followed, still in shock. But he didn’t give up. He jumped on me and tore the flesh of my arm. I don’t know how, but the rest managed to kill it. “It still might be alive.” Addilyn tells us. No one argued with her. “Quick let’s just go!” Ian says, just as Lola found us. “You think you can get away?!” She violently screamed at us. “Just you watch.” Addilyn said back with such anger I have not seen in her before. Then the shooting happened. Bullets were flying everywhere; I’m surprised we all didn’t die. Things were a mess. I could see blood, I heard screams. I look around and see Addilyn and Lola violently fighting, with bare hands. They were wild, like wild animals. They were tearing each other apart. Covered in blood, but that didn’t stop them. Eventually Lola stopped moving and we still aren’t sure, but it seems that Addilyn might have finished here right then and there. We didn’t take time to check as her guards were still attacking. Ian was hit in the arm, I was already bleeding and that guard was barely standing. “More are coming.” He said. “Can you walk?!” Ian asks him. Barely breathing, he stands up and says yes. “Follow me.” he says to Rei.

Ian:

We managed to kill those guards and Lola was bleeding out on the floor. We were all hurt badly but we pushed through. Suddenly, before anyone could say or do anything I see a grenade, just about to explode. We all saw it and ran away from it, in any direction possible. That’s how Addilyn ended up with Rei. She was badly burned from the blow. “There it is.” The guard said to Rei, pointing where he should go, before dying before our eyes. Rei wasted no time and Addilyn didn’t either. “You two go, we’ll be fine”, she says before running after Rei. I tried going to but, what would be the point. Before I would climb the hole left by the grenade and find where the guard was pointing at... It would just be a waste of time.

Quin:

Exactly. They were already there when I was still convincing Ian we should go. I kept telling him it’s too late, its already done. “Get out fast”, we heard Rei tell us over our ear pieces. “We are here and any second now, Rei will unlock the code and all this will be gone.” Addilyn added.

Ian:

They were gone, lost. We could only save ourselves, so we could tell the world what happened. By then, we were the only survivors left. We go and go, trying to stick to guard’s directions. “Are you close?” I hear Addylin ask. “Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.” I say back. `Hurry, because Rei is done, we are just waiting for you two to be out and safe.” She says to us. We hurry and in less than ten minutes, we were safe. “Were out now.” I tell her. “Okay good”, she answers. I could hear it her voice that she was scared. “It’s going to be okay Addilyn. Just know that you are saving the world by doing this.” I said, to both of them. She them told me about her diary. “Let’s do this Rei”, were the last words I heard from her. Seconds later, the building started to collapse. I will never forgive myself for letting her die. I feel guilty for living and for them dying.

Reporter:

I have to admit, I’m shaken up over this. I can’t even imagine how hard this must be for you two. Any last thoughts, to leave us with?

Ian:

I can only hope that now, after we have all learned from this situation and will do something about it. Make sure this doesn’t happen again. Not just us, everyone, because now more than ever, we need to stand together, so things don’t get worse. Believe me when I say this, if we don’t stand up now and deal with what happened, things are going to get worse.