Vivian Shares The Stakes

Vivian Shares The Stakes
Alex shifted under the covers pushing them off. He sat up in the living room rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. It was nearly 11 o’clock. He had expected one of the others to have woken him up but they hadn't. He looked around confused.

“Guys?!” Alex hollered. Where were they? They couldn't have gone far right?

A sense of panic started to rise within him when no one answered. He pulled his boots on, nearly forgetting to lace them. Vivian had to be behind this. There was no way the others would have just left him there on his own. He knew Sam wouldn't have or at least he hoped Sam wouldn't just leave him out in the open where Vivian could strike at any given time.

He'd been about to go off to look for them when Vivian appeared before him. He froze. A little out of shock but mostly in fear. He didn't even want to think of what she'd done. Her smile was borderline psychotic as she reached out to stroke his cheek.

“Where are they?” He jerked back seriously no in the mood for any games. He might have been the youngest there but that didn't make him weak.

“Straight to the point I see,” she pulled her hand back, “I figured we'd play a little game of ‘Find the Friends’. You have until 7 to find them and anyone you don't find will remain here with me until their untimely end,” Vivian skated over the floor, her feet not even touching the ground.

“I'm sorry what?!” Alex couldn't believe it. She was putting their lives in his hands.

“You have eight hours and every hour and a half I will give you a hint to help you find a specific person. You won't get to choose who the hint leads you to. I will. Whoever you find can join you in searching if they choose to. If you fail to find any of them they belong to me it's as simple as that,” Vivian shrugged dismissively.

“What’s the first hint?” Alex was good at riddles, puzzles, and games and he had no intentions of failing at this little game of Vivian's. He intended to leave here with everyone still breathing.

Pov Change

Vivian walked the length of her little trophy room. She thought this was all rather ingenious. She planned to wait until last to give him the hint for Sam's location. There was no way they'd find him no matter how much time they had remaining in the end. She'd noticed how Sam had been a sort of bridge between Alex and the rest of the group. She thought that if she took it away they'd flounder to work together.

Alex was more of a loner at least from what she could tell. That's what her plan was banking on at least. Alex had been closed off the entire time and from what she could tell he'd avoided the others. She would go check to see how he was doing in an hour and a half but for now she could relax and watch him panic as he searched to save his friends from very short-lived lives.