Free The Game by Shane Scollins Page A
Authors: Shane Scollins
the moronic masses desired, well, they would get it like they’d never seen it before. He was going to stuff reality right up America’s ass.
His show would be the best piece of reality television anyone had ever seen. It would be disgusting and raunchy and it would freak people out. But they wouldn’t be able to stop talking about it. They wouldn’t be able to turn off the show.
They’d been running shows for two years now, trying to perfect the game. Now after all the trial and error, Angus was certain he had the formula people would love. Of course, he’d been personally messing with people a lot longer than that. Once he got out of that horrible place that they’d stuck him in for over a decade, he’d been having fun terrorizing people. Once he hooked up with Caleb, things really got interesting.
The game was a good way to slap society in the face for what they did to him, sticking him in that hole and taking the best years of his life. They had the nerve to call him sick and crazy. They had the nerve to suggest he was dangerous. No one would ever be able to question his talent again. This would be his best machination yet.
Chapter 16
T hey got back to the record store and headed up the stairs to the apartment above. Vince knew there was more to come in this adventure. As usual, he had to play it by ear to see where the fates sent him.
“Vince?” Alexis said as they reached the top of the stairs. “This isn’t a real gun.”
“Huh?”
“That guy’s gun, these aren’t real bullets.” Alexis opened the door and they went inside.
Vince held his hand out. “Let me see that.”
She handed him the pistol. He jacked one bullet from the magazine and inspected it. “Son of a bitch.” He walked in and leaned on the kitchen island. “These are some kind of dart.” He used his nail to peel away a soft wax coating, which exposed a tiny needle about half an inch long.
Candice offered. “He wasn’t aiming at you, he was aiming at me.”
Vince nodded, slid the magazine back into the gun and stashed it into the drawer next to the sink. He pulled his jacket off and threw it on the freestanding wooden rack near the door. A slight pang of guilt touched him for killing the guy, but he hadn’t suspected the gun was fake. It looked real enough. But still, he didn’t like to kill people. It wasn’t his preferred way to deal with people even when they looked threatening. But as is always the case, you have to kill if you’re about to be killed, or to save another life. In this case, he really thought the man was shooting to kill.
The place was dingy but it was his. He wasn’t much for cleaning or putting things away. None of that mattered because he knew he wouldn’t be here for much longer.
They all stopped moving when Candice’s phone rang. “It’s them.” She raised her brows. “What do I do?”
“Answer it. Put them on speaker.”
She switched the phone on speaker and placed it on the counter.
“Candice, where are you?” the man asked.
Vince made a wheeling motion with his hand, urging her to play along.
“I’m waiting for you to release Zee, like your messenger said you would if I went with him.”
“Where is my messenger?”
Candice shrugged, held out her hands. Vince urged her again to go with it.
“He stepped out, said he’d be right back.”
“You’re lying to me, Candice.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then where are you?”
“Somewhere in New Jersey.”
The man on the phone let out a long sigh. There was then an almost imperceptible soft beep, and a little girl’s voice came on. “Candy? Why would you lie to me? I know you’re back in the city. It hurts me that you’d lie to me like that. I thought we were friends. Don’t you like me anymore?”
Candice looked at Vince and narrowed her eyes. Vince could only shake his head back.
“Candy, you’ve made me very upset. You’re not playing along, and now I think something bad is going to happen to
His show would be the best piece of reality television anyone had ever seen. It would be disgusting and raunchy and it would freak people out. But they wouldn’t be able to stop talking about it. They wouldn’t be able to turn off the show.
They’d been running shows for two years now, trying to perfect the game. Now after all the trial and error, Angus was certain he had the formula people would love. Of course, he’d been personally messing with people a lot longer than that. Once he got out of that horrible place that they’d stuck him in for over a decade, he’d been having fun terrorizing people. Once he hooked up with Caleb, things really got interesting.
The game was a good way to slap society in the face for what they did to him, sticking him in that hole and taking the best years of his life. They had the nerve to call him sick and crazy. They had the nerve to suggest he was dangerous. No one would ever be able to question his talent again. This would be his best machination yet.
Chapter 16
T hey got back to the record store and headed up the stairs to the apartment above. Vince knew there was more to come in this adventure. As usual, he had to play it by ear to see where the fates sent him.
“Vince?” Alexis said as they reached the top of the stairs. “This isn’t a real gun.”
“Huh?”
“That guy’s gun, these aren’t real bullets.” Alexis opened the door and they went inside.
Vince held his hand out. “Let me see that.”
She handed him the pistol. He jacked one bullet from the magazine and inspected it. “Son of a bitch.” He walked in and leaned on the kitchen island. “These are some kind of dart.” He used his nail to peel away a soft wax coating, which exposed a tiny needle about half an inch long.
Candice offered. “He wasn’t aiming at you, he was aiming at me.”
Vince nodded, slid the magazine back into the gun and stashed it into the drawer next to the sink. He pulled his jacket off and threw it on the freestanding wooden rack near the door. A slight pang of guilt touched him for killing the guy, but he hadn’t suspected the gun was fake. It looked real enough. But still, he didn’t like to kill people. It wasn’t his preferred way to deal with people even when they looked threatening. But as is always the case, you have to kill if you’re about to be killed, or to save another life. In this case, he really thought the man was shooting to kill.
The place was dingy but it was his. He wasn’t much for cleaning or putting things away. None of that mattered because he knew he wouldn’t be here for much longer.
They all stopped moving when Candice’s phone rang. “It’s them.” She raised her brows. “What do I do?”
“Answer it. Put them on speaker.”
She switched the phone on speaker and placed it on the counter.
“Candice, where are you?” the man asked.
Vince made a wheeling motion with his hand, urging her to play along.
“I’m waiting for you to release Zee, like your messenger said you would if I went with him.”
“Where is my messenger?”
Candice shrugged, held out her hands. Vince urged her again to go with it.
“He stepped out, said he’d be right back.”
“You’re lying to me, Candice.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then where are you?”
“Somewhere in New Jersey.”
The man on the phone let out a long sigh. There was then an almost imperceptible soft beep, and a little girl’s voice came on. “Candy? Why would you lie to me? I know you’re back in the city. It hurts me that you’d lie to me like that. I thought we were friends. Don’t you like me anymore?”
Candice looked at Vince and narrowed her eyes. Vince could only shake his head back.
“Candy, you’ve made me very upset. You’re not playing along, and now I think something bad is going to happen to