Battle of the Killers

123 | Tunnels & Aliens

SHIT. A part of me really hated my life right now. I was currently jamming my body through a tiny hole, scratching my sides on the cement walls in a hooker outfit. I had a huge wedgie that I couldn't dig out, and I didn't know what I was crawling into because all I saw was darkness ahead.

Whoever was using this hole was smaller than me. I fit in it, but the chipped walls dug into my skin with every movement, grating into my flesh like a glass exfoliant.

At one point, my body got stuck, and I couldn't move forward anymore. Damn. I stretched my arms in front of me, my fingers bumping into wooden flooring. Sweat dewed my forehead, falling down my face, as my nails dug deep into the wood floorboards, droplets of blood seeping into my cuticles from the effort.

Straining and pulling with all my might, the walls around me cracked and gave way, and I found myself spilling into the blackness headfirst, rolling forward like a basketball on tile. I crashed into a hard surface, body sprawling out in an awkward angle.

Groaning and closing my eyes, I tried to reposition myself, but the space around me was too narrow and snug. It was like I was boxed in and the only way I could fit comfortably was if I turned sideways, stomach against the front wall, and my butt against the back.

My body throbbed like a heartbeat, as I clawed up the wooden walls in front of me, trying to stand. I blinked, trying to clear my vision to see in the darkness, but I didn't have too. Little speckles of light littered the area above me from the various holes in the walls, reminding me of non-moving techno lights.

At that moment, I only had two choices — go left or right. I began to shimmy to the right, scraping my naked tummy and boobs on rough wood. How the hell did someone live here? Everything was so narrow and small.

I continued right, feeling the space get a bit more spacious, but not by much. My boots kept stomping on trash in the process — food containers, wrappers...etc. Khan was right. Someone was definitely living in these walls, and I think I was going to meet them. Soon.

That thought got my blood pumping, my adrenaline slowly spiking. Coming to the end of the space, my body plopped out of the narrow area into what looked like an underground mine — dirt floors, giant oval-shaped tunnels — without the rocky walls. Instead, the walls were made of wood.

What was this place? It was like a whole other world down here.

A thick waft of musty wind stroked my bare skin, a shiver jetting down my arms. The odor of dampness and wet trash tickled my face, as I wrapped my arms around myself from the cold, peering at the three large tunnels in front of me.

Did I got left, right, or straight?

Doing eenie meenie minie moe, I went straight, walking in the middle of the tunnel. Small holes tainted the thick walls, soft light splashing the floor.

Boots crunching on the dirt ground, I stepped on more trash, barely missing an open strawberry milk box. Whoever was living here wasn't the cleanest person in the world. But who could live like this? Was it Bae? She didn't seem like the type, but I could be wrong. Was it a current contestant? But there was no reason for them to live in the walls if they already had a room. So, it had to be the thirteenth contestant. They did exist. And they also killed Layla.

That realization made me pause, eyeing my surroundings more carefully. I was here.

Alone.

A loud humming made me jerk, and I jumped back. It came from one of the holes toward my left. Following the noise and bending down, I peeked into the small hole.

Hair slicked back, Aries stood in the middle of his dimly lit room, wearing a lime green cape, eyes closed. In front of him on his floor was a nonagram, a nine-sided symbol, written in a milky white substance, green candles sitting at every point.

Wait. Whoever was living in the walls was spying on us too. We, the on-camera contestants, couldn't see into each other's rooms, but the thirteenth contestant could see into everyone's room. That's why all these tunnels and walls had holes — they were for spying. And since the tunnels were dark, with no real light, and the holes were small, that's probably why we didn't notice them in the house.

Aries trembled and swayed back and forth in front of the nonagram, cape catching the air. I ignored him, looking around his room. I couldn't see much, but I saw an image of his ex-girlfriend on the right wall. But what really caught my eye was what was on the adjacent wall — another girl.

She seemed almost familiar like she favored someone I knew, but I couldn't put my finger on it. She was a mousy girl with big glasses and a pretty smile. In the photo, she clutched onto Aries' for dear life, happiness and admiration shining on her face. Under the photo was the word, "#stan4life."

What did that mean? I thought we figured out Aries' secret, but what if we didn't? I don't remember Khan or I ever getting credit for it or Jookie acknowledging it. There must be more to his secret then like Chi.

"I offer myself up to you, Lord Tyaco," Aries said, bringing my attention back to him. He stretched his hands above him, using his fingers to touch the air like he was trying to touch the stars. "I am nothing compared to your scaly-ribbed form. You created everything in the universe, even these ungrateful humans who should all die for their ignorance and mockery. Just being near these unintelligent, closed-minded mouth breathers just makes me want to vomit. They destroy the earth and the land that you created from your tentacle fingers, spitting in your green face. I pray for the day you eliminate all of them with your winter beam, mutilating every non-believer until there's nothing but ash. I pray that this happens very soon, and that you began with the people in this house, starting with Yaz. I hope you make her suffer for her vile words against you." He then dropped his pants and pulled out a jar of red goop. "I will use your bloody essence to masturbate as my sacrifice for my sins."

The word masturbate was my clue to exit. I really didn't need to witness him coming on candles.

I kept moving down the spacious tunnel, the light spilling through the holes becoming a bit fainter. And I couldn't see the ground as clearly as before, and my boot got caught on something sticky. I misinterpreted my strength and pulled on the boot too hard, dislodging it, but the momentum sent me flying back.

Stumbling on my heels, my back crashed into a tunnel wall. A strong splintering boom went through the air upon impact, sharp wood chips filtering down on me, tangling in my hair. A split second later, the wall gave out, slamming me on my back, making me tumble into a new area.

A squeaky scream flew from my lips as I continued to roll, white light stabbing me in the eyes. Soft carpeting brushed my skin when I came to a loud halt against a bunch of shoes.

"Ouch," I whispered on my back, eyes blurring as everything throbbed.

"Are you guys fucking obsessed with me?" That familiar voice annoyed my soul, instantly making me alert.

I popped up, seeing Gmie lying on her bed across from me. Her frail body rested in an enormous bed, an IV attached to her arm.

I turned toward the right, seeing the destruction I made to her room. A large chunk of her wall was now crumbled on the floor, a gloomy tunnel staring back at both of us.

"Get out," Gmie snapped, fumbling in her nightstand. "Now."

I hurried to my feet, fighting through the soreness as she pulled a black and yellow gun on me.

♟♙♟