Free The Island by Michael Bray

acne in ugly blotches, and his eyes were still filled with fear as he flicked them to his rivals in turn.
    There’s a man who knows he’s made a mistake . Chase found some comfort in that feeling. On the heels of it was another. In Alex, there was at least one person he thought he could definitely take out if he had to. The rest of the group could smell blood too and as such had already started to distance themselves from him. Based on his initial impressions, Chase suspected he could take all of them out if he needed to with the exception of Ryder and Moses, who he considered his most realistic threat.
    The lush greens of The Island greeted them as they pulled up at the dock. They could see the sprawling house halfway up the hillside, a spectacular property with walkways and vast open spaces. They each got their bags and disembarked, waiting on the bright, hot dock and waiting to be told what to do next. As they watched, a figure approached from the house. Clad in brown loafers, crème flannel trousers and loose, white shirt, Damien Lomar jogged down the dock towards them, grin beaming behind tanned skin.
    “You made it I see, welcome to my home.”
    All six of them gawped at the house, unable to believe that anyone could afford to live in such luxury. Lomar let them gawp for a while, and then clapped his hands together. “Well, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you around.”
    Lomar led them back the way he had come. Chase fell in behind Ryder, getting a close up look at the chiselled back and the muscles which continued to make him feel inadequate.
    “For the next three days, you will stay here and go through your final preparations before you ship out to The Island. Think of this as your last taste of civilisation.” Lomar grinned over his shoulder as he said it. Nobody else seemed to find it funny. He led them up the deck steps through a tidy garden filled with palm trees and flowers. “As you all know, the basis of the game is simple. Enter the northern gate as a group. Reach the opposite side of The Island and exit via the south gate. Only one of you can exit, and will only be allowed to do so when all of your rivals have been eliminated.”
    The wording wasn’t lost on Chase. Eliminated sounded much better than killed or murdered. Lomar led them into the house, the cool blast of the air conditioning a welcome relief from the intense heat of the day. Lomar led them through a white marble reception room, past the pool table (the Brazilian model was long absent) and down another hallway. Stuffed animal heads watched over them as they passed, then moved into a large, spacious dining room of sorts. “Fan of hunting, Mr. Lomar?” Moses asked. Lomar nodded. “Occasionally. There is nothing more primal than man hunting beast one on one, don’t you think?”
    “I wouldn’t know much about hunting,” Moses replied. Chase knew that wasn’t strictly true. The dining room had glass doors down one full length of the room leading out onto a sun drenched patio and swimming pool. A chef in pristine whites stood behind a barbecue, cooking burgers and sausages. Lomar turned to face his audience. Still grinning. “Before I let you enjoy the next few days, there are a few other things I wanted to talk to you about. This will be covered in greater detail tomorrow when you speak to our head of production. What I want you to remember is that this is a television show. Treat it as such.”
    “What does that mean?” Ryder asked.
    “I mean keep in mind the entertainment aspect. You may go into The Island together but you don’t have to remain that way. Go in groups or on your own, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that people keep watching.”
    “Isn’t that out of our hands?” Perrie asked. Despite looking half cut earlier, she was calm and in control.
    Lomar’s grin widened. “Quite the opposite. It is all in your hands. The best television shows are filled with drama, twists and turns. Granted, there will