Satisfied with our talk with Iris—Henrika and I left her room then went our separate ways. Everything that happened in that room heavily weighed on my mind. I hadn’t expected Iris to have such a complicated backstory and goal. It just went to show that everyone in Serendipity had their situations and reasons for being there.

Wyatt wanted to use his prize money to fund his wife’s heart transplant. Darius wanted to help his aunt and get her out of crippling debt. Salomon just wanted to test his luck. Nicholas hit a slump in his life. And Iris wanted to give her lover a proper funeral.

Although in my opinion some goals were more lackluster than others—but, it was their goal nonetheless. I wanted to save Maynard’s bar—my home. If anyone learned of that fact, I had no idea how they would react.

Well, regardless of their reaction, it didn’t change the fact that I had already made the decision. I put my life on the line for the bar. No matter what, I’d survive and save it. My resolve wouldn’t allow failure.

I went back to my room. Thankfully, Darius wasn’t there to guard it that time. I spent the rest of my time there in gracious solitude until the time came for the sixth game to begin.

As usual, all players gathered in the lobby room. Caius welcomed us with his sadistic smile, but no one paid him any particular attention. By that point, everyone just wanted to get to the part where he made the damn decision. The game moderator activated the randomizer on his tablet.

Images of Iris and Zoey filled the screen. Already used to the routine, Iris and Zoey stepped forward.

“What is wrong with all of you? How come none of you look nervous?” The enthusiasm in Caius’ voice disappeared.

“We’ve been in this facility for more than a week. We're sick and tired of your games.” Iris said.

Caius reeled back and released a terrified yell. Overdramatic as always.

“Are you through playing around?” Zoey called out to the man. “Or do you intend to continue wasting time?”

“None of you are any fun today.” Caius folded his arms and wandered over to the game wheel. His sadistic smile returned when he grabbed the wheel and spun it. When it stopped—the needle pointed to the panel that displayed stick figures with question marks over their heads.

“What kind of game is that supposed to be?” Melanie asked.

“Oh, how wonderful! Players Iris and Zoey will face off in a game of Guess Who!” Caius revealed with glee.

“I remember that game.” Henrika nonchalantly commented.

“For such a boring game to be placed on that wheel—what exactly do you have in mind for Cyclops and Rainbows, Caius?” Melanie questioned him.

“All will be revealed in due time. But first, we must get the players prepped for the game.” Caius announced then gestured for Iris and Zoey to follow him out of the room, which they did.

When all was said and done, both players found themselves in the game room. In the center of the room was a table with a stack of cards. With the instructions of Caius; Iris and Zoey approached the table then grabbed a single card from the pile.

The startled expressions they made when their eyes scanned the cards caught me off guard. Not so much that it was Iris—but the fact that Zoey seemed unnerved as well. So rarely had I ever seen her make different expression than her default cold and stern one. Whatever featured on those cards—acted as a prelude to what was yet to come.

“What is this?” The venom in Zoey’s voiced leaked out. Her eye never left the card.

“What’s the meaning of this?! What’s with this picture?!” Iris exclaimed.

The table before them sank into the floor—only to get replaced with a large wall that featured photographs of nearly four dozen people. I grimaced at the sight of the pictures. All of them displayed people with grim and frightened expressions. Some appeared tied up; others were held up at gun and knifepoint.

“Now this is interesting!” Melanie ecstatically left the sofa then pressed her face against the glass window.

“I don’t like the looks of this.” Henrika grimaced.

“What kind of twisted scenario does Caius have in store this time?” Wyatt shook his head.

“Attention players! The Guess Who Game will commence shortly! Please sit back while I explain the rules!” Caius announced. “The game aims to guess your opponent’s mystery character. As you can all see, there are forty selections to choose from on the wall before you. Both players will take turns asking differential yes or no questions to discover the mystery character. The first person to guess the opponent’s mystery character wins.”

“That sounds easy enough…” Zoey lowered her arm down to her side. “However, explain the meaning of the pictures. How come they all look like they are in trouble?”

“That is because they are, Zoey. You see, there is a special stipulation to this game. For whoever loses the game, the character they picked will suffer a tragic accident.”

“What?! No! You can’t do that! That’s not right!” Iris cried. “Leave them alone! They had nothing to do with this!”

“No can do, Iris. The rules have already been set in stone. There is no going back.” Caius said.

“No…no…this can’t be happening…” Iris slowly dropped down to her knees in despair.

“Now, I will continue explaining the rules. Players are only allowed to ask one question each turn. The question must pertain to a physical characteristic of the characters shown. For example, if Zoey should ask if a character has brown hair and she is correct, then she must eliminate all the characters on her side of the wall that does not have brown hair. However, if she is wrong, then she must remove the characters that do have brown hair on her side of the wall.”

“Just like the regular game,” I mentioned.

“Except the fact that the loser will have their mystery character killed by the end of the game,” Nicholas said.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” ordered Henrika, “we don’t know that the mystery character will be killed. Caius only mentioned that they would go through a tragic accident.”

“Knowing him, it will result in the unfortunate person’s death.” Wyatt sternly claimed.

“Hope we get to watch it all happen. I’m putting my points on Cyclops. There’s no way that Rainbows will have the guts to win this game.” Melanie said.

“Another thing I would like to add—the players have a thirty-second-time frame to ask their opponent a question. If they are unable to do so, then they will be disqualified. Lying is also a no go. Anyone caught lying will be disqualified.” Caius announced.

“This is impossible. I don’t want to play a cruel game like this…” Iris lamented.

“Too late to go back now,” Zoey stated.

“Zoey, we have to find a way out of this. There must be some way we can end this without anyone dying. I don’t want my…”

“Stop,” ordered Zoey. “Do not say any more. You almost gave me a clue as to who you picked as your mystery character.”

Having realized the mistake she nearly made, Iris clasped her hand over her mouth.

“The rules of the game have been explained! Let the Guess Who Game begin!” Caius declared.

“Since you are younger, I will let you go first, Iris,” Zoey said.

“Zoey…are you sure you want to go through with this?” Iris hesitated. “Isn’t the person you picked important to you as well?”

“Indeed, they are. Which is why I will fight to ensure that they survive. You should do the same as well.”

“But…”

“No matter how this game ends, I will harbor no ill feelings towards you. So, I hope that you will feel the same.”

“Zoey…”

“Hurry. You are running low on time.” Zoey pointed to the timer displayed on the wall.

Iris regained her composure then stood to her feet. With newfound confidence, she asked, “Does your character have tan skin?”

“No, they do not,” answered Zoey.

From Iris’ side of the wall, the eight pictures of the characters with tanned skin turned over. On the other side of the pictures featured large, red X’s. Iris placed her hand on her chest then sighed in relief.

“My turn. Does your character have a mole?” Zoey asked.

“No, they don’t.” Iris shook her head. On Zoey’s side of the wall, five pictures turned over. “Does your character have a hat?”

“No.”

Six pictures on Iris’ side turned over.

“Does your character have blonde hair?”

“No.”

Five more pictures turned over on Zoey’s side of the wall.

“Is your character a female?” Iris asked.

“No,” Zoey answered.

With that, half of the pictures on Iris’ side turned over. She was left with only thirteen people; while Zoey had thirty. The odds certainly weren’t in favor of the former detective. But, despite that, she showed no frustration, no fear.

She remained as stoic as usual. Nothing about the game fazed her.

“Geez, at this rate Rainbows is gonna get the win over Cyclops.” Melanie stepped away from the window and shrugged her shoulders. “That’d be quite the upset for sure.”

“Do not count Zoey out of the game just yet. I am sure she is planning something.” Wyatt assured.

“I figured that to be the case as well. So far, Iris has asked broad questions. While Zoey, on the other hand, has been asking specific questions.” Henrika revealed.

“Asking specific questions in a game like this isn’t very good,” I added. “If she keeps going like this, her mystery character is going to get killed. In just a few more turns, Iris could win.”

“What if that is what she wants?” Nicholas suddenly inquired.

“What do you mean?” Wyatt asked.

“Zoey is a smart woman. Her attention to detail is top notch. I believe that she is losing on purpose.”

“Why would she do such a thing? Does she not care for the life of her mystery character?” Henrika pondered.

“That could be the case. It would explain her weird strategy.” Salomon accepted the idea.

“Is your character female?” Zoey inquired.

“…Yes…” Iris hesitated to answer. She strained expression alone told everyone how dearly she wanted to lie. She knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it.

Zoey was getting close. While Iris still had fewer choices than her—that alone wouldn’t stop the former detective. She was sharp. She had a keen eye.

From that one question alone, over half of the pictures on Zoey’s side flipped over. At that point, the two of them were neck and neck. Anyone of them could claim victory at any moment.

But, could they do it?

If any of them won—the loser’s mystery character would get killed. Iris expressed obvious distress about the situation. However, Zoey remained as hardened as ever. She stood firm and confident that she wouldn’t lose the game.

Even then as the game drew closer toward the end, the expression on her face never changed. She knew the choice that she was going to make. She was prepared for the consequences.

Iris, on the other hand, I wasn’t too sure. That girl already suffered enough from Elena’s death. And certainly, the suicide of her lover weighed heavily on her mind. If she failed to protect another person close to her—I feared for the worst.

“Next turn, I am ending this.” Zoey declared.

“Huh?! But, don’t you still have several pictures left on your side?” Iris stammered.

“I do. But, I have managed to narrow things down a bit. I have a pretty good assumption as to who your mystery character is.”

“But…don’t you want to wait until you narrow it down to a single character? If you get it wrong, your mystery character will get killed.”

“Do not worry about me, Iris. Worry about yourself. Your mystery character will be killed if I get it right.”

Iris hung her head and sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. But still…I don’t want either of our characters to die.”

“There is no way out of this. One of our characters will die. Prepare yourself for that.”

“I…I just can’t! It’s not right! It’s just not right!” Iris exclaimed.

“You have ten seconds left, Iris.” Zoey pointed out.

“Does your character have dark hair?” Iris asked.

“Yes.” Zoey nodded. Five more pictures flipped over on Iris’ side. Only eight characters remained. However, Iris showed no joy—only despair. It was all because of Zoey’s declaration.

Her words only weighed heavily on everyone. Hell, even I couldn’t help but feel anxious as to how it would all end. Someone was going to die. That fact was certain.

“Zoey…please…don’t win the match…” Iris desperately begged as she lowered her gaze to the picture held tightly in her hands—it got soaked by her flowing tears. “I know I don’t have any right to request this of you. But…I can’t lose. I can’t lose again. Not another one.”

“Iris…”

“Please! I know it’s wrong to ask of you to throw the life of your character away! But, you’re so much stronger than I am! I’m sure you can endure anything the world throws at you! I can’t!” Iris wept uncontrollably. “I’ve already lost so much! I don’t want to lose any more!”

“You are wrong, Iris. I am not as strong as you think I am. I have my breaking point just like everyone else.” Zoey revealed. “Unfortunately, I cannot concede with your plea. I will not throw away the life of my character to save yours. I have steeled myself for the decision that I am going to make.”

“No! No! Please, don’t do it! I’m begging you! I’ll do anything!”

“Is your character, Hannah?” Zoey ignored Iris’ cries and made her guess. The whole room went silent. No one dared to make a single sound as we waited for Iris’ reply.

The picture in the girl’s hand slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. The picture featured a woman that looked almost identical to Iris. Written below the photo was the name ‘Hannah.’

Iris couldn’t mutter a single word. The only response she could give was a nod of her head.

Triumphant music blared around the room from the speakers, signifying the end of the game.

“The Guess Who Game has come to an end! The winner is Zoey Galen! Congratulations!” Caius happily declared.

“How…how did you know?” Iris managed to utter.

“Process of elimination. Simple as that. There were forty people on the wall; I knew twenty of them. So, I simply assumed the other twenty were people that you knew. Judging from your reaction before the game started, you must have drawn someone incredibly close to you.”

“My reaction, huh…” Iris slowly repeated those words—defeated.

“When the game drew closer to the end, your reactions told me everything that I needed to know.”

“There was no point for me to even try in the first place, was there? You had this game in the bag from the very beginning.” Iris picked up the picture from off the floor.

“Do not think like that. You should be proud that you fought to protect the one you cared about to the very end.”

“But what does it matter?!” Iris shouted—her eyes intense with frustration and rage. “Even though I fought—they’re still gonna die! It’s my fault! I wasn’t good enough! Smart enough!”

“Do not blame yourself. The one you should blame is Caius. He is the one pulling strings here.”

“That is incorrect, Zoey. The ones you should be blaming is yourselves,” Caius interjected. “You all agreed to risk your lives in these games for money.”

“That is right. Our lives. Not the lives of people that have nothing to do with this.” Zoey countered.

“She’s right! So, let them go!” demanded Iris. She ran over to the closest corner of the room then shouted at the security camera. “None of them deserve to get killed because of our decisions!”

“How noble of you both. It brings a tear to my eye to see how desperately you wish to save the lives of your loved ones. If it were up to me, I would grant your wish.” Caius said. “The rules have been set in stone. Even I cannot change them once they have been decided.”

“No way…” Iris hung her head.

“Now, if you would all so kindly turn towards the screen.” Caius requested.

One of the walls in the game room divided, revealing a large television screen. Video footage played of pedestrians walking across a street. It zoomed in on a particular person of interest. It was Iris’ mystery character—Hannah.

“Mom!” Iris shouted as she rushed over to the screen.

“No point in shouting, Iris. She cannot hear you where she is. Or rather, where she is going to be.” Caius menacingly said.

“Stop this, Caius! Please don’t kill my mom!” She begged.

“I am not going to kill her.” He revealed. “However, one should always look both ways before crossing the street.”

Then, out of nowhere, a car zoomed across the screen and took Iris’ mom with it. The camera panned over then focused on the scene of the wreck. The car was utterly totaled as it crashed into the side of a building.

The fate of Iris’ mom was—grotesque. The poor woman was unfortunately pinned between the wrecked car and the brick wall. Her body snapped in half. Blood everywhere.

The driver of the vehicle stepped out of the car. It was a man dressed in a black suit. He shrugged off the incident and walked away as if nothing happened. The moment he walked out of frame—the video ended.

Iris only stood there—immobilized. Too stunned to move. What she had witnessed—no one could begin to imagine what went through her mind. As if everything finally registered in her mind, she bellowed in uncontrollable anguish.

Afterward, she completely shut down. All strength left her body, and she collapsed.