Draven found himself heading to his neighbor’s door. It was embarrassing, but dying of hunger after surviving the game would be a disgrace. He squeezed his eyes shut and knocked on the door. He didn’t want to think about the game or anything else except food. The cold in his room tonight would be paramount because there were no
Draven woke up slowly, glancing briefly at the clock in his bedroom. His room had gotten warmer over the next few days that followed. It all started with another neighbor knocking on his door, asking him if he needed anything. Draven was freezing. His teeth chattered against each other as he murmured the word:“Curtains.”“Oh dear,” the older woman said. “I think I have a few spares in me. It is horrendously hard to find good quality on the market nowadays, isn’t it?”Draven had no answer to that. He didn’t expect her to take him seriously, and if she did, he expected that she would bring her worn out, old curtains. That was not the case. She brought him a brand new set of curtains the next hour, complaining about how old she had gotten and how she couldn’t locate them fast enough.When he took it from her hand, he stared at it for long, long moments. Drave never expected in his wildest dreams that he would be in a neighborhood where everyone was trying to impress one another.“I can’
He realized soon enough that Gems was a beautiful woman, in the all-American way. When she closed the door and the light fell on her face, he saw her blonde hair. With the light behind her and the dark street, he had not been able to see what color it was earlier. Now that they were inside, he saw that it was an incredible color and it suited her face perfectly. He didn’t remember Elizabeth having such a vibrant color.“It’s bleached,” Gems said, breaking the spell. “The hair is bleached. I see the way you’re looking at it, like a lost puppy.”His eyes moved to hers and he saw that her eyes were laughing, almost mocking him. He smiled tentatively, not sure how to reply to her. He imagined that she would have gotten lots of compliments on her hair alone, and that she would have spent a lot of money on it.“Don’t tell people that your hair is fake!” Elizabeth yelled.From the direction of the sound, Draven guessed that it was their dining. It should be, considering that this was dinner
The girl stared at him and he stared right back at her. Draven was serious about the jobless part, and she believed him. He
Draven found himself in a bar the next morning. He was in pajamas and was receiving judgy glances from others as he walked past. He didn’t blame them. He was in a reputable community and was walking to a bar in his pajamas. Also, he honestly didn’t care. He felt like this was the last day he would truly be happy, so he just wanted a shot of alcohol. Draven had no idea how he was going to pay for it, but he needed it desperately. He was going through a lot and that drink was just what he needed. A pajama was not the appropriate attire and it would send the wrong message, but he honestly had no more clothes and he just wanted a shot! Besides, people who are willing to drink in the morning should not judge him.As he walked into a bar, there was thankfully no signal that anyone saw him. It was the first bar he saw on the streets, and it was even farther from his house. He imagined his neighbors were too high and classy to go to such places and drink; which was why Gems was being unnecess
Draven heaved a huge sigh. The bartender pushed the shots to them and he downed his immediately, like he was depressed. He wasn’t disappointed in Leo, not exactly at least. He was even surprised to see him out of the game but that didn’t mean Leo wouldn't want to go back. He, on the other hand, didn't know what he wanted. Did he want to go back into the game and fight heavily for his life and money? This was his first death and he was already depressed about his other deaths. Having two lives was just… it was just depressing. It made you think anxiously about the two remaining lives. It made it more real, more precious. Draven had been taking this game on like an adventure—which it was, for sure. But that was the thing with people who had three lives. They were reckless, happy, eager to get to the top while eluding danger. Draven was not any different from them. He thought that with his big, monstrous sword, he would be able to successfully get out of danger. For the second time eve
They found themselves in the middle of a lonely street. Leo was near hysterical with laughter. He fell down to his knees, his both hands on the ground as he laughed himself to near death. Draven leaned on a wall as he tried to calm himself down too. “Jesus,” he said when he regained his breath. “We just fucking robbed a bar!” “It’s not robbery, it’s just not paying them,” Leo said. He took a deep breath and straightened his face. “God, I’m going to die of laughter!” “I’ll be sure to laugh at your funeral,” Draven said. “Jeez man, don’t go that far.” They started laughing again. Draven now fell to the floor, sick to his stomach with laughter. He wasn’t sure if it was alcohol that had this influence on him, but everything just seemed too funny. They lay there for a long time, until their laughter died down and they got themselves a bit. The sun was high and harsh, reminding them that they were in the street and on three dirty floors. Draven stood up first before helping Leo up. Leo
Draven looked around the place. He didn’t know what he was looking at. It felt like the world between the street and the windy field was merged together and were apart at the same time. Leo was grinning, spreading out his arms, marveling at the beauty of it. “What are we doing here?” Draven asked again, just to stretch the moment. Leo smiled slowly; the smile of one who is drunk. “We’re going back into the game, Draven. Are you afraid?” “How will this lead us back into the game?” He asked. Leo sighed like he was talking to a one-year-old, yet his voice was still calm and yielding. “We’ll walk to the middle of the field and get sucked into the game,” Leo said. “We’ll get sucked in?” “Yeah, it’s like gravity, you know?” “No, I don’t know. I don't know anything about this.” “Oh that’s fine. This is your first time after all. You’ll get the hang of it soon.” “I won’t be getting the hang of anything because I’m not failing ever again.” “Jeez, relax Draven. I’m not accusing you
Draven walked a great distance before he got back into the street. It seemed like going back into the street was harder than coming in. What was Leo saying, anyway? You just have to think about it. That’s right, all he had to do was think about going back into the game and somehow he would step on that road. There had been so very little time between him and Leo; they hadn’t even discussed their interests and other things unrelated to the game. Leo gave him the feeling of having someone in the world who thought of him and wanted to involve him in every single thing. He even supported murdering people without knowing who it was. Smiling, Draven endured the rest of the long walk until he reached the street. It was magic. He was in a sandy field and the next he was in the street they’d just been in. The street was still empty, thankfully. He didn’t want to be bursting out of thin air while people were walking past. Draven squared his shoulder and began his journey. It wasn’t much, ac