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

Rob was standing outside the station, his body shivering as the cold air swirled around him, making him nervous.

This was the first level.

That’s what he had been told.

He didn’t know how many there would be. Just that he had to keep going, or they would tell everyone what he’d done. His family would find out. His wife.

Every time he thought about it, guilt and shame hit him again.

No one would know though. As long as he just played The Game and did what they said, no one would find out.

First level.

It didn’t make sense, what was being asked of him. When he’d tried to question it, all they had repeated was that it was a game. That he had to do what he was told and not ask why. Rob thought it was simple enough.

They wanted to humiliate him enough that he would still be punished, without revealing his greater crime.

He didn’t know how they’d found out. Rob had been careful, he thought. Been online using anonymous names.

It wasn’t like he was really a right-wing sexist bigot. It was just a laugh. Bit of trolling. They were asking for it, most of the time. Moaning snowflakes. That’s what they were.

Okay, some of the death threats and lies were a bit far, but it wasn’t serious.

He’d lose his job if he was exposed.

He didn’t think he would ever reach the end of the levels. And that scared him almost as much as being found out.

The train pulled into the station and came to a stop. Doors swishing open and a few people disembarking onto the platform. Going about their normal evening. Maybe going home after working late. Maybe they’d had dinner in the city centre after work, possibly a date.

He stood at the exit, blocking the way. Some of them had already spotted him standing there, his arms outstretched, blocking the doorway that led to the small concourse. Maybe that was why this station had been chosen for him – they knew he would have been able to block their only way out.

When he spoke, he didn’t sound like himself.

‘No one is getting out,’ he said, his voice, uncertain at first, rose with every word. ‘You all live here now. With me. On this train station. No one is getting past.’

A couple of them laughed quietly, not really understanding the joke. One guy had headphones in and didn’t even flinch.

As they reached him, he didn’t move.

Five against one.

He held on for as long as he could, but once the guy took his headphones out to see what was going on, it didn’t last long.

He fought back.

Ended up on the ground with a bloodied nose for his troubles.

Level One complete.

Twenty