BooksBarbecue
Back The Game
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. NOW
  4. One
  5. BEFORE
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. NOW
  26. Twenty-One
  27. BEFORE
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. NOW
  46. Thirty-Nine
  47. BEFORE
  48. Forty
  49. Forty-One
  50. Forty-Two
  51. Forty-three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Forty-Nine
  58. Fifty
  59. Fifty-One
  60. NOW
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. Fifty-Three
  63. Fifty-Four
  64. Fifty-Five
  65. AFTER
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Acknowledgements
  68. About the Author

The screen changed, a simple username and password box revealing itself. He logged into the forum, his password an endless, indecipherable series of letters, numbers and punctuation. Something he’d learned from all the time he’d spent lying on his bed, his laptop perched on him, reading and absorbing everything he could. Living a life he could never do outside that room. He tried to breathe normally, but he was beyond normality now. He pressed enter on his keyboard, waiting for the site to load and the posts to begin appearing. His breathing slowed as his safe space appeared. The place where he could find solace and freedom. He clicked on the only thread.

THE GAME

New comments were towards the bottom of the thread, the rules posted at the top. The beginning of the thread a series of questions – to the point, no messing around.

He could see new messages to be read, almost coaxing him to go there first. To read what other people had sent him. To see what stories had been shared, what people were saying.

Instead, he navigated to the last page. The newest comments left on the thread.

Deadbehindtheeyes – Advanced Member – 3 hours ago

Does anyone have any pictures of her yet?

Artasdeath – Forum Junkie – 3 hours ago

Bit early yet. Got to make sure they weren’t caught. Could be she just chucked herself into the river. Wouldn’t surprise me. She was messed up by the sounds of it.

NEED ANSWERS!

WestsideBlackSheep – Noob Member – 2 hours ago

OP – Where are you?

Deadbehindtheeyes – Advanced Member – 2 hours ago

@JaLoNeNoMoReYou need to come back NOW! We need to know!

He rubbed sweaty palms against each other, clicked on the reply box, then hovered his fingers over the keys.

The Game had been a saviour to him. This forum, these people, they had saved his life. Gave him a purpose he didn’t realise he needed. Didn’t realise existed. They were more of a family to him than the strangers he shared a house with.

He didn’t know if the people on here even realised it was real. That people were dying because of them. The power they had.

The Game gave him what he’d been looking for all those long, lonely years spent alone with only his thoughts for company. The dark, hidden secrets he kept inside.

If she had just loved him, things would have been different. If she had just given him the time of day, listened to him, accepted him… maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

She had been a nobody. A girl with no other options than the one he’d given to her. He had offered her salvation and she had rejected him. She could have been someone with him. But if she’d simply given in to him, he wouldn’t have found this place. Wouldn’t have found all those who had the same story as him, all looking for the answer The Game had given them.