Episode 1

Thud
“Ouch what the hell?”Cain yelled. Opening his eyes he realized that he had just tipped the chair over onto the floor. But that was not the part that surprised him, No not in the least.
“Why am I tied to a chair?”
“I really don’t think that is the right question Cain. The right question is why are we all tied to chairs?” RA whined as she started pulling on the ropes that held her tight to the chair.
“Errrr!!!” The TV screamed as fuzzy lines ran across the screen, slowly a face came into view. His face, Chance Cagney face. “I really wouldn’t be playing 20 questions right now.” He held his wrist up to the TV so his wrist watch filled the screen. “Judging the time I say you have about 7 maybe seven and a half minutes before this game ends for you. The Hunters were given your location about twenty minutes ago.”
Moving the watch away from the camera, Chance smiled “Hope to see you all alive next time.” The TV made another horrible noise and shot sparks flying before the screen went black.
“Well if that aint a crock of bull-“ RA started before Eyota interrupted
“You guys act like you have never been tied up before.”
All heads turned to Zaire.
“Awe come on are you telling me you and your siblings never tied each other up playing cops and robbers or cow boy and robber?”
“If we had more time before we died I would so make fun of you.” RA muttered still struggling with the ropes.
“I wouldn’t make fun of the person who could save your life.” Eyota said as Zaire stood up out of his chair.
“See it’s a piece of cake, nothing to it really, you just-“
“Spare us the details man and just get us out of these bloody ropes!” Cian demanded, struggling against the ropes even more.
“Quit squirming like a worm you are just going to make these knots tighter.”
“Oh really how do you figure?”
“Have you ever seen a Chinese finger trap?”
Everyone nodded..
“Well these ropes are tied in a similar manner, the more you fight against them the tighter they get and the harder they are to get undone.” Zain said as he unwound the ropes from around RA. “See it wasn’t that hard at all.”
As Zaire untied them they scurried around the room grabbing their bags and snooping to see if there was anything else they may need that was hidden.
“No Freakin Way!!!!” Cian yelled and as he started shoveling money by the hand fulls into his pack. “I’ve never seen this much money in my life! We are all rich!”
“I bet that is the money we have to use to travel.” Zaire said.
“ugh” Zaire let out a shudder.
“What was that for?” Eyota said as they all turned towards Zaine
If I know one thing, I know money can be tracked almost as easy as credit cards it just takes a little more time.
“You are such a bummer.” Cain said putting the money down that he had in his hands.
“Do you really think they thought of that?”
“I do and I also don’t think we have time to waist debating on it the hunters are going to be here any minute. We HAVE to go!”
“Oh yea good point!” Eyota said as she headed for the door.
Eyota and Zaire met the door at the same time, they simply stopped and staired at each other challenging each other.
“What part of we have to go didn’t you two understand?” Cian said as he pushed himself between Eyota and Zaire, mumbling and muttering nonsense to himself.
Cain was always muttering to himself, or mumbling the last word he said over and over agon till he spoke next.
Astonished and befuddled Eyota managed to pull herself together before Zaire and followed RA out the door.
“You coming Zaire or are you planning on staying and waiting for the hunters by yourself?” Zayda asked putting her hand on his shoulder.
Zaire was down right utterly confusseed. If he had ever wanted something and used his powers to make people believe that her got it. Yet he had been sending out the feeling of dominance and was pretty much slapped in the face.
The five of them wound through the hallways of this hotel, not knowing whether they were ubove ground level or below when they came to the stair well they stopped.
“Ive seen windows, so who agrees that we head down the stairs?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, well everyone except Zaire, he just stood there with a look of disgust on his face.
Together they wind doen the stairs, first one flight then another. At the end of the second flight of stairs they stop at a dead end. A thick rusty metal door blocks the hall way ahead of them, A lime green sign was attached to the door, with what almost looked like a nail, but they didn’t see how that was possible.
Time ticked by, minuets were lost.
This all comes with a price, a cost.
C.C.

“See we should have gone up the stairs.” Zaire said as he turned on his heels and took off up the stairs. “You guys better hurry the Hunters might already be here.”
Eyota was heated as she took off after Zaire. “You never said anything about goind up the stairs.”
“Well I didn’t agree with you that’s for sure.”
“Well how am I going to know what you are thinking if you don’t talk? I can be and talk to animals not read minds!” Eyota yelled as the rounded the third flight of staris, on their way up the fourth.
“Will you two stop it.” RA said trailing behind them. “See this door says fround floor. We found it, yes WE found it. Now there is no need to fight over something that is so easy to fix.”
Mixed grumbles met RA’s words, and she fell back to jog with Zarya and Cian.
“I think these two are going to cause us all trouble.” RA muttered to her other two teammates.
“Agreed, this is going to get really annoying.” Zayra said.
“Uh huh the constant bickering and batteling for leadership.”
Eyota’s voice broke through their mini conversation. “Here is the door see it says ground level.”
“Do you think we should find a back door?” Cian asked
“Why?” Zaire questioned.
“The hunters?”
“Don’t you think they would anticipate us sneaking out?”
“True, front door it is.”
Snaking around the maze of hallways, they found the front door. Looking at the window at the top of the door, it looked dark outside. When they reached the door there was yet another note.
One day you live, one day you die.
But every day you try.
See the glass, that sees you back,
Take the challenge but do not lack.
If you win the game, you’ll get the flame.
C.C.
“Now what the hell is that all about?” Zaire asked.
“See the glass that sees you beck?” Ra chipped in.
“If you win the game, you’ll get the flame?” Zarya added at the end.
“I think this whole game thing is a lot more complicated then we first thought.” Eyota said.
“What gave you that idea?”Zaire said as he snatched the paper off the door. “This may come in handy.”
“Yea, now who is going to open the door. OR do we all plan on standing here and thinking about how we could solve this riddle?”Cian said shifting weight from one foot to the other.
“I guess we have to go out the door, standing here does us no good.” Eyota said as she pulled the heavy door open.
“Of course the door has to make that horribly creepy creaking noise.” RA began to laugh. Her laughter soon ceased when the view from the open door caught her eye.
A carnival waited for them on the hotels door step. Street lights replaced by strobes, lighting one second, gone the next, and when the light reappeared everything seemed to have moved closer, or farther away. It was so hard to concentrate on the simplest thing. Was the ride spinning normally, or out of control. How could they tell? The lights on the arms of the ride were flicking yellow red orange blue, and then green. The base of the ride was covered in black lights, casting an eerie purplr glow on the white chipped paint. The rides cars were flickered with their own strobe, they were in the air one second then within the next they looked as though they were going to crash into the ground before they were up in the air again.
The smell of fair food reached deep into their stomachs. The greasy fresh cut fries. The corndogs warm cornbread. The sweet smell of elephant ears and funnel cakes pulled the drool right off their tongues.
Their hunger rages in the stomachs, like a monster, tearing at the walls. Their senses falling to the will of the beast turned against them, pulling them towards the food stands. Their eyes focused on the food, their taste buds drooling at the smell that snuck its way in their noses and mouths. They could hear the sounds of the boiling oil popping and sizzling. This was all too much they couldn’t handle it anymore. The group began to follow each other towards the food carts, neither sure who was in the lead. Mindlessly the moved closer and closer, the strobes blinking some red, some blue, some green. Bright dark, bright dark, rumble grumble, rumble “There they are.”
Their heads snapped right.
“What was that?” Zayda asked.
“Ummmm guys.” Zaire said pointing at a man dressed in black about 200 feet away. He was easily six and a half feet tall, and stood out like a banana in a bowl of apples.