I took a long sip from my mug as I stared outside the third story window of my bedroom. The coffee was almost too hot. I hoped it would be strong enough to keep me awake for the rest of the night.

The sun had just passed over the horizon, but its pinkish orange light still glowed over everything I could see. A busy intersection right at the corner of a train stop and several other buildings-mostly apartments, but some coffee shops and restaurants too.

Further in the distance and to my right, I could see the dense bundle of downtown’s skyscrapers. I could just barely make out one of the buildings in the financial district-which would soon be my home for the next 8 hours for the 7pm to 4am shift.

A cacophony of motor vehicle sounds filled the air traveling both to and from every location I could see through my window.

I settled into my seat and took another sip out of my cup. Enjoying the brief reprieve between my day of working assembly at a local factory and my night of trying my best not to doze off at the front desk of the 90-story investment bank downtown.

I didn't even get 15 minutes to myself before I heard several knocks coming from my front door.

“Mmaintenance” called a mellow, soporific voice.

‘A day late’ I thought to myself as I made my way to the door and let the man in. I was a little put off by his appearance.

His lanky frame was dressed in a brown pair of khakis and a tucked in flannel. A tool belt was wrapped around his waist containing an assortment of ordinary looking tools. His skin was a pasty white shade and his eyes were covered by a black pair of sunglasses, disguising his facial expressions almost entirely.

I'm not a very tall guy but he absolutely towered over me. Maybe 6 foot 7.

I wasn’t sure exactly what it was specifically that had me on edge about his appearance, but I couldn't shake the small shiver that passed through me.

“Your water heater is in need of repair, correct?” The man continued. His voice had a formal cadence. Like he was addressing a royal audience.

“Umm… yeah that’s right. I can show you where it is” I felt an uneasy feeling as he walked into my apartment.

“Would you like me to take my boots off?” He asked as he took his first step in.

“No, that’s fine”

“Ah yes, that isn’t customary in the United States”

He followed my lead over to the mini boiler room in my living room. He had extremely light footsteps considering his stature and his heavy-duty work boots. Though he was just a few steps behind me, I could barely hear a sound coming from him.

“Oh shit.” I said remembering my upcoming shift.

“Hey, I have to head out for work in an hour. Maybe you can come and fix the water heater tomorrow or later this week?”

I looked to see he still hadn’t taken his sunglasses off.

“That is no problem. I should be done well before that”

‘You don’t even know what the hell is wrong with the water heater’ I thought to myself. ‘Whatever, I guess the maintenance guy knows better than me.’

After dropping him off at the boiler room, I returned to my room to finish my coffee and stare out my window some more.

I found the practice relaxing. Just zoning out, watching the lights, cars, people, buildings. It was the only time I could just relax and not think about my 14-hour workdays.

My eyes moved from the sights outside my window to the picture on my desk. My parents and I in front of the family home. A reminder of what I work so hard for.

I checked my watch to see almost 45 minutes had passed. I begin to turn around to get an estimate on how long it would take the maintenance man to finish his repair….

I saw him in my room. Sitting on my small couch. Looking right at me through his sunglasses.

My stomach dropped as I yelped and jumped out of my chair.

“What the fuck are you doing here” I gasped, my heart still thumping in my chest.

“Please, have a seat” He said in a calm, but commanding voice, completely unbothered by my reaction.

He looked ridiculous with his limbs practically spilling out of the small loveseat.

I cautiously looked around the room as I lowered my body into my plastic chair.

“You need to get out of my room, how long have you been in here dude?”

He ignored my question and proceeded to unbutton a pouch in his tool belt and pulled out a pristine stack of hundred dollar bills. A paper sleeve wrapped around the cash read ‘$10,000’

I just stared at him in confusion as he continued to pull out another identical stack. “What’s going on here?”

He held the wads of cash up for me to see with his pale, hairless arm. “What would you do with this money?” His voice remained polite and calm…monotonous. Almost like he was reading off of a script.

My mind immediately flashed to what that kind of money could mean. A good portion of my parents’ debt could be wiped out on the spot. I suppressed the instinct to stop asking any questions and just snatch the cash from the pale man.

I stayed quiet, confusion and fear keeping me from speaking much.

He continued, “you have an opportunity to win five of these” He waved the twenty thousand dollars in his hand with a small robotic motion.

I felt dizzy from his words, it was as if he knew just how badly I needed the money.

I tried to calm down and then asked the question, “What do I need to do?”

He smiled. I really wished he didn’t. It was so unnatural, with no sign of humanity in it. As if he had never smiled or even seen someone smile in his life. The forced motion stretched his pale, expressionless face far too much.

“It depends, do you want twenty thousand dollars or one hundred thousand dollars?”

My desperation for the money outweighed my apprehension if just barely.

“What do I need to do for the hundred thousand dollars?” I asked slowly.

“All we need you to do is find something and bring it to us.”

I think my confusion and anxiety boiled over into an agitated outburst.

“What the fuck does that mean? What do I need to find? Where do I need to bring it?”

He had no reaction to my anger. His expression was stoic and his body perfectly still. His long, lanky limbs protruding from the couch like a brown recluse. He reached into his pocket and produced a small silver piece of fabric, decorated with hundreds or even thousands of small symbols radiating from a central point in a fractal arrangement. It was about the size of a small scarf.

“There is another one of these. We want you to bring it to a specific location for us. The address will be provided”

His strange offer was stated with another smile, making my skin crawl.

“Um… where is the scarf located?”

“All of that information will be provided to you shortly”

“And… what if I don’t want to participate?”

“That is your choice, Ivan” My stomach dropped at his mention of my name.

“Even if you don’t complete the task, you should receive twenty thousand US dollars. You will, however, be missing out on a chance to earn a lot more money.”

I thought for several seconds, this seemed too good to be true. twenty thousand dollars to do nothing?

I was lost in thought for several seconds more, growing more and more unsettled by the stranger sneaking up on me and the massive sums of money he seemed to be so ready to part with.

I sided with my gut instinct.

“If you’re not going to fix my water heater, then get the fuck out of my apartment. I’m not playing your game. If I see you again, I’m calling the police.” I tried to hide my fear of this strange man behind my words.

He nodded and slowly stood up, almost grazing my ceiling with his black hair in the process.

“You are free to do whatever you choose, Ivan. I will leave this here in case you change your mind” He opened another pouch and placed a small envelope on the couch, along with the silver scarf.

“Here, let me walk you to the door” I sneered, ignoring his words.

He complied with no resistance and made his way out of my apartment- I followed closely behind.

Just before I closed the door in his face, I hesitated. A hundred k would be life-changing for us. It would do so much to ease our burden. The stress of working like a dog for so many years and watching both my mom and dad do the same was weighing on me like a ton of bricks. Though still very suspicious, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity; the lucky break we so desperately needed.

“Hey man, actually, wait up.”

He quickly turned to look at me with a blank expression. Almost as if he knew I was going to have second thoughts and was just waiting for me to voice them.

“I’m reconsidering your offer, could you tell me how to start playing this game?”

My stomach dropped as I heard his next words

“I think you misunderstood, Ivan. You are already playing…please keep your flag close. It is your ticket to twenty thousand dollars.”

“Wait…what…do you mean?” I stammered

He didn't reply, just offered a small smile and polite nod before turning around.

“Wait up, man!” I shouted but he was already gone.

I closed my door and stared forward, absent-mindedly, the implication of the strange man’s words radiating through me…

There is someone else playing this game… and they win the hundred grand if they take my silver piece of fabric… either we both win 20 thousand… or one of us wins the 100 thousand, leaving the other with nothing.

I locked my door, quickly ran back to my room… and stared at the envelope he had left me. It was white, sealed with a small insignia that I couldn’t recognize. In fact, I wasn’t even able to see it very well. Every time my eyes attempted to focus; a blurry image would be all I could see.

‘Shit’

I noticed the sun had just set and completely forgot about the odd encounter. I hurried to grab my things and head over to the office. Just as I was going to head out the door, I stopped. I decided I might as well take the scarf and envelope with me to work. Just in case.

My job was just as boring as usual. I sat at the front desk of the large building staring at a small grid of security cameras that were pointed at several entrances throughout the building. Occasionally, I would have to let in some overworked analyst who forgot their key.

Once per hour, I would have to do my rounds. Walking the square perimeter of the building to look for any signs of trouble. Besides that, I had plenty of time to think. Tonight, there was only one thing on my mind.

Was this wager real? Could I really get a hundred thousand dollars just to steal a piece of fabric from someone? What is the catch here? I took the envelope out of my backpack and placed it on my desk, along with the piece of fabric.

After staring at it for another minute, I decided it was at least worth it to open the letter and see what was inside.

Inside the envelope was a small page of printer paper folded three times. The header read: “Justin”

Underneath it had some basic information.

Occupation- Auto Mechanic

Age- 25

Height- 6’2”

Weight- 195

Motivation- Medical treatment for daughter

Underneath that description was a picture of another piece of fabric, nearly identical to mine. Except for the fact that it was an emerald green rather than silver.

Please bring this cloth to [Redacted] prior to the end of the game to win the reward of $100,000

Game Ends: Three weeks from today

The full picture of this game finally hit me. Justin is on the other side of this game. My goal is to capture his flag… and he is out there somewhere…. staring at a page with my information on it.

I heard a loud knock on the glass window in front of me and nearly fell out of my seat.

“Hey, let me in” I heard the muted voice of one of the Banking Interns as he flashed his employee ID and pointed at the front door into the building.

My heart still beating in my chest, I pressed the red button on my console to let him in.

I could see the look in his eyes as he gave me a small nod of thanks and began to head over to the elevator.

He was young, maybe in his early twenties, his tired eyes and disheveled hair made him look twice as old. Though he was dressed far nicer than me with a 3-piece suit, I could almost see myself in those eyes. The unspoken bond we shared from the long hours of work through the night, just to wake up early and do it all over again.

It was now time for my next set of rounds. After one last swig of my Red Bull, I put both the note and the ‘flag’ away in my bag and got up to walk through the square perimeter of the building.

Besides the main entrance, there were three others. One at each side of the building in order to provide access from each street on the block.

As I made it to the second entrance, I briefly saw a shadow passing by the window. It seemed like whoever was there moved immediately as they noticed me, almost like they were trying to hide.

A bit alarmed, I grabbed a small flashlight and shined it out the door.

I couldn’t see too well but someone was there, walking quickly away from the door.

A chill ran through me as I imagined that strange guy from earlier staring through the window in the building lobby. Or maybe it was Justin following me around.

‘Shit’ I had left my flag at my desk unattended. Ignoring my patrol, I quickly ran back to my desk and grabbed my bag.

I took a deep sigh of relief when I immediately saw the silver glow of the fabric.

…

“Hey Ian… can I tell you something?”

Ian didn’t look up from his task at the assembly line as he answered.

“Sure, Ivan. What’s up”

“You promise not to laugh at me?”

“Well… I can’t do that unless I know what you’re gonna say”

“Okay” I started, “So there was a guy who came into my apartment last night. Pretending to be with maintenance… and he inducted me into some sort of game”

I proceeded to detail the events of the night, starting with a description of the strange man, before detailing the ‘rules’ of the game and the information about the other ‘player’

By the time I was done, Ian had stopped folding his perforated sheet of cardboard into a box and was staring at me.

I lifted up my shirt to reveal the fabric that wrapped discreetly in my waistband.

He didn’t laugh or even express any disbelief. He simply seemed lost in thought for several moments.

“You’re in a bit of a dilemma I see” he finally said, returning to his work on the assembly line.

“What do you mean?” I didn’t know where his train of thought was after that pause.

“Well, let's assume this is a real game someone is trying to make you and Justin play,”

“Yeah, I mean I could really use the money, man.”

“Your best option is to do nothing for the next three weeks, hold onto your little scarf thing, and walk away scot free with twenty large.”

“Exactly, and that is Justin’s best option too, right?”

“Yup, that’s right…” Ian hesitated; I felt a pit in my stomach start to form as I predicted what he was going to say next.

“We have no idea who the fuck this guy is though” I said before he could, and he nodded in agreement.

“Bingo, the only real thing we know about him is why he might want the money. To pay for his daughter’s medical expenses. And that’s a pretty damn good reason to steal your flag for himself, isn’t it?”

My blood boiled for a second, “Not if I don’t take that bastard’s flag first” It was just as the words left my tongue that I realized my problem and quickly calmed down.

Ian continued, "How can you trust a stranger to look out for your best interest? He has a strong motive and financial incentive, it seems, to screw you over?”

I began to realize the situation I was in… it was a stalemate. Should I strike first or wait for Justin to track me down and take my flag for himself? Would he be desperate enough to do it?

My head began spinning at the possibilities as I tried to plan each move I should make, while at the same time, trying to predict how Justin might act himself.

“Dammit Ian, what should I do!?”

He thought for another minute before suggesting, “Well, you have a bit of information on him already, right? First name, his job? Maybe you could try to get some more information on him? Try to find out if he’s the type to double-cross you?”

I took his advice. That night, I called in sick to my shift at the bank and spent the time looking for any information I could find about Justin the auto mechanic.

Assuming he was located at least somewhat close to me, I set a 5-mile radius on google maps and began searching for every single auto body shop I could find.

I ended up with a list of about 15 stores. One of which happened to be just a few blocks away. Slightly alarmed, I peered out my window.

It was right there within my sight. The bright neon sign read ‘UFO Auto Body’ with a cartoon drawing of an alien, complete with bright green skin and black eyes, sloped downwards.

At this point, it struck me that if someone in that building had the right angle, they could see me perfectly through my window.

I shuddered, feeling many eyes following my every move through the window and quickly closed my blinds.

Continuing my search, I moved to social media. Searching for combination after combination of ‘Justin’ and ‘auto repair’. No luck. Without the last name, I got far too many results and none of them were obviously the guy I was looking for.

By the time 1 AM rolled around, I was ready to give up and get a head start on my night of sleep.

Before I could however, I had a breakthrough by way of a website review on the Tires Plus website

It read: ‘Very Bad experience here. The mechanic seemed inattentive when I explained the issue with my battery. Two days after I was serviced, my battery died again! If I ever come back to Tires Plus, I sure won’t let Justin anywhere near my car.’

My eyes widened and I nearly jumped out of my chair. I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed Ian.

He was understandably angry to be woken up so late but still remained patient as I told him about the angry review I found.

We made a plan for Ian to go into the store and try to find Justin to see if he matched the description. After that, the plan was to try to get a last name so we could get a more detailed picture of who this guy is. A criminal record, education, anything that could clue me in on who Justin is as a person and how he might act with so much money on the line.

I agreed to pay him for a missed day of work while he went to ‘get his car serviced’.

I cringed to myself as I transferred him 100 dollars, further pushing myself into a financial hole.

Two hours after I get home from work, I finally get the call from Ian.

“Cook!” He said in a hushed yell.

“Is that our guy? How did you find out?”

I immediately jumped to my laptop and started searching for ‘Justin Cook Tires Plus’.

“I saw a plaque on the wall with his name. Don’t worry though I stayed pretty low key. I even got my oil change to make sure I was as inconspicuous as possible.”

I kept searching until I finally found a facebook profile. His page was private but I could still see the small circular profile picture.

“What did he look like?” I asked while attempting to zoom into the screen on my image.

“Pretty average looking dude, I can’t say anything really stood out about him. White guy, dark, hair, maybe part Asian. I think he had brown eyes too.”

I stared at the old, blurry picture as I heard the description.

“I think we got our guy.”

The internet didn’t have much more information about him, even with a last name and workplace.

I found an old college directory from Stanford. I found he was previously employed by one or two other auto body shops.

I finally decided to search for the one thing I was dreading the most: ‘Justin Cook criminal record’

“Fuck” my heart caught in my chest. He had been previously charged with armed burglary. From some related news articles, it turned out he walked away with just a misdemeanor since he was only 17 when the incident occurred.

My mind whirred as I tried to piece together how Justin would behave in our game.

Okay, he’s 25. He at least went to Stanford for a while so he has to be smart or hard-working enough to get in. He has a daughter. Maybe that was what forced him to drop out of school? That could also have made him desperate enough to commit a crime?

Despite trying to understand how Justin would think and behave, my mind kept circling back to one thing. He has a fucking gun. Or at least he had one. And he’s broken into a house before…

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I imagined him silently crouched in my closet or hiding under my bed. I quietly got out of my chair, scanning my bedroom. I walked into my hallway, looking for anywhere someone might be hiding. I opened the door to my boiler room… nothing.

After scouring my apartment, I made sure my door was locked and then pushed my bike in front of it.

Regret weighing in my stomach for involving Ian in this mess, I picked up my phone and gave him yet another call.

“Hey, Ian…. I’m going to need to borrow a gun.”

“Dude, are you serious? I’m not going to help you kill someone.”

I tried to explain the situation to him. “Look man, Justin has a criminal record for armed burglary. I’m sure he still has a weapon of his own. I swear I won’t go looking for him. It's just for self-defense.”

“Look Ivan, this is just too risky for me to let you borrow my guns. If anything happens, I’m screwed too, not just you.”

“What if I gave you some of the money? Maybe a few grand?”

“No… sorry I can’t. Good luck Ivan”

After some deliberation I decided to take the next best option. A non-Lethal weapon. I had seen an ad or two for these little self-defense weapons that shot projectiles filled with pepper spray. After some searching online, I landed on one I liked and several rounds of the ammo for it. The total cost, around a thousand dollars.

I silently cursed myself for adding to the already enormous pile of debt when I pressed the buy now button. By this point, I was further piling on debt with no promise of ever seeing a dime from this stupid game.

I stuffed the pistol into my waistband, right next to my silver flag, before calling an uber to work. When the car arrived, I took a look in the backseat as well as at the driver before quickly shuffling in.

Hundreds of shapes stared through the glass surrounding me, just to disappear when I would turn to face them.

I had never been so focused on my job. My eyes were trained on my grid of screens as if my life depended on it. I made sure to track anyone who even passed into their lines of sight.

My patrol of the building was accompanied by my pistol and my silver piece of fabric. Both of which I kept as close to me as possible at all times.

I heard a polite rapping at the door, causing me to flinch and shoot my eyes upward…

It looks like Justin did find me.

He held up his hands through the glass as if to indicate there was no malicious intent.

I cautiously pressed the red button before declaring loudly from my seat:

“Take off your outer layer and sit on the couch over here. Keep your arms where I can see them at all times, or I will shoot. Do not fuck with me Justin.”

He nodded quickly and followed my instructions, leaving his flannel shirt on the speckled granite floor. He walked over to the couch, about six feet away from me, his hands face down on each thigh.

“Okay, what do you want Justin? How did you know I was here and why did you show up?”

He looked nervous but determined when he spoke.

“I’ll be completely honest here. I did some research on you. I’m sure you did the same for me. I just want to have an open and honest conversation. If we can find an agreement here, we can both walk away as partners, each with an extra 20 grand.”

I cautiously studied his face, looking for any sign that he wasn’t telling the truth. I couldn’t find any.

“What’s stopping me from kidnapping you right now and forcing you to tell me where your flag is?”

“Well, I came to your work for a reason. I’m not just going to let you take my flag. There’s cameras everywhere in case you try to take it by force. I know you can’t afford to lose your job or even face criminal charges for shooting your weapon in a gun-free zone”

I growled and gripped the base of my weapon, “You don’t know what I’m capable of Justin.”

He continued to plead, “Can we just talk? I’m not here to steal your flag.”

I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves.

“You committed armed burglary, right? What’s your side of the story?”

He flashed a sad look at the ground. “It was a few years ago. I was barely 17 years old when it happened. I know I fucked up but you don’t have to guess what my intentions were…it was in your letter. I did it for Kristy, my daughter.”

My heart dropped as I saw him begin to tear up.

“She was born with some pretty serious health complications. I was broke. I made a shitty decision and almost got a felony from it. But I’m sure you know what I’m doing now. I work at a car shop. I’ve changed since then man, I haven’t stolen anything from anyone since then.”

I felt sincerity coming from his shaky voice. An earnest plea that made his eyes water more with every word. I hated to say it, but I believed him.

“I believe you Justin… But I’m struggling too. My parents have been in debt for a long time. The burden is almost too much to bear. If I won this money, my parents could finally live in peace. They're almost in their 70’s man.”

He looked at me with a solemn expression. “Look Ivan, I understand that. You don’t know me and I know you need the money. Lord knows you’re in a tough spot here too. But the thing is, I’m not asking for your flag. I’m not asking you for anything. All I want is to know you won’t come after me. If we both agree to forget about this game and just go about our business for the next few weeks, we’ll both walk away with a shit ton of money!”

I stayed silent for a while lost in thought. Could I trust this guy? He told a great sob story and even the criminal record seemed explicable given his circumstances…but how would I know my trust wouldn’t come back to bite me?

I let out an exasperated sigh.

“Fuck, fine, Justin. I’m going to go about my business and so will you. You promise to never look for me or my flag ever again?”

“I promise, do you?”

“...ye-yeah I do”

He seemed visibly relieved. “Thank you for understanding Ivan, good luck with everything and I hope you put your money to good use.”

I nodded, “get out of here Justin.”

He stood up and began his exit. I noticed his tall athletic frame and thought about how easily he could take me out if he wanted to. He was the bad guy here. He was the one who committed a serious crime, not me. A combination of fear and opportunistic glee hit me like a freight train. I knew he was unarmed. He had my ticket to a hundred grand.

It was at that moment when I made the decision that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

I watched as Justin shuffled out of the glass double doors of my building. I waited even longer for his shadow to finally escape past the view of the building’s outdoor cameras.

I felt sick. And jittery. Any final doubts left me as my body seemed to move by its own will. I quickly got up and walked to the door. Slowly opening it and locking it behind me.

I could see Justin had just passed the corner and was turning around the block. I quietly slipped off my boots and sprinted towards him.

It worked, Justin didn’t see me coming in the dark until I was close enough to point and aim my gun directly at his head.

My heart was thumping so fast that I didn’t (at the time) feel the aching guilt, screaming at me to put the gun down and just walk away.

“Hands up” I whispered as I slowly closed the distance.

He didn’t offer any resistance. Just repeating, “Please don’t do this Ivan” as I checked his body for any sign of the flag. I found his phone and wallet, pocketing them both for the time being.

“Where are you hiding it?” I tapped the barrel of my gun to his forehead as I spoke, silently praying he didn’t realize it wasn’t real.

“Please… Ivan don't do th-” He let out a choked scream as I slammed the barrel of the pistol into his head.

“If I have to ask again, I’m shooting.” I began to feel my humanity draining from me. A deep chill that sank into my bones. A visceral reminder of who I was becoming.

“I left it at home. My daughter lives with me, please stay away from her.”

“I just want one thing, Justin. You drive here?”

He nodded as a few more small tears fell from his face.

Justin lived a few miles away from the city, I sat behind the driver’s seat as he tried his best to calmly focus on the road.

Despite his facade, I could see the slight tremble in his hands and deep breaths he was taking.

My heart broke, but I had to keep moving forward.

Around 15 minutes of silent driving later, we slowed to a stop in a small Cul-de-Sac.

“Is anyone home besides your daughter? I whispered” I had tucked my gun away, but he knew the threat was ever present.

He quickly shook his head.

“Then let’s go”

I watched him fumble with his keys for a minute. I waited for any sign of a double move.

None came as he swung the door open.

“It’s in a safe in my room. Just please let me go up there and get it down, man. My daughter is sleeping right there in the next room.”

“No” I snarled in such a cold, merciless tone that even I couldn’t believe those words had come out of my mouth.

We slowly walked up the small staircase. I could feel him tense up as we walked past his daughter’s room. It was his protective instinct firing up. He was ready to assault me at the first inclination that I would be heading towards her.

Having no interest in activating Justin’s parental instinct and potentially starting a fight, I didn’t even look towards his daughter’s room.

We made it to his room. I had my weapon pointed at him as he slowly opened his bedroom drawer.

“Remember, if you try anything funny. It’s over.”

He nodded and I heard the soft tap and electronic click as he opened the small safe box.

And slowly reached in for a green piece of fabric. Even in the dark room, I could tell what it was. It glowed slightly, illuminating the same fractal pattern I had on mine. A high-pitched hum seemed to emanate from it.

I reached my right hand to grab the green fabric. It had the same soft touch as mine. I quickly pocketed it.

“Are you happy?” He let out an exasperated whisper.

“Not yet. This never happened, okay? Do not come looking for me.” I already knew he had no plans to ever seek me out again.

“I am going to leave your phone at the end of your street inside the mailbox. Wait five minutes before you leave to go get it.”

He nodded before crumpling to the floor.

The final words Justin said to me as I walked out his room are forever burned into my memory.

‘Yo-you’re a fucking monster’

The words bounced around my head as I left the house and began running as far away from the scene of the crime as possible.

After making it to a nearby shopping area, I quickly grabbed my phone and called an uber to the pickup destination for the game.

I felt both of the flags in my hand and a surreal, out-of-body sensation as I remembered what I had done.

I felt disgusted beyond belief at my actions…At least part of me did. The other viewed it as survival of the fittest. I needed the money… and I did everything possible to make it mine.

“I have a hundred dollar tip for you if you sit here and wait 5 minutes” I said to my driver as I shuffled out of his Prius. I had no idea what was in store for me and wanted at least one person nearby in case I needed help.

He looked up and nodded. I could tell he had no interest in my situation, just making his money for the night and going home. It was almost a relieving feeling.

I walked into the main door of a large warehouse. My entrance led me to a small office room that was connected to it via a large double door.

Greeting me was my unnamed maintenance man sitting at the receptionist desk. Instead of the outfit I had initially seen him in, he wore a black suit this time. He did still have the same pair of sunglasses…..

He was staring exactly at the door as I walked in as if he was expecting company.

“For you” he said in a monotone as he motioned to the briefcase sitting in front of him at the desk.

He clicked it open to reveal it was filled with crisp dollar bills in several stacks.

“That’s it? How do you even know I have the flags?” I was taken off guard by how nonchalant he was.

“Well, Ivan…” He started in the same voice that made me shiver like an ice cube was dropped in my shirt.

“We made a prediction…and it turned out to be correct.”

I stood there in confusion.

“What was your prediction? You thought I was going to win? How did you know I was going to be here right at this second?”

I continued, further enraged by his lack of response, “tell me what the fuck is going on here? You predicted I was going to rob this fucking dude at gunpoint? What did you predict, you asshole?”

He remained expressionless, the same smile stretching his pale face apart.

I pointed my gun at him with hands that didn’t even feel like my own. I was consumed by rage. Fuelled by a deep sense of self hate and shame.

I couldn’t blame myself… he was the one who made me play this game…he turned me into a monster.

“Did you predict I was going to do this?”

He simply nodded and said, “Go ahead, Ivan. Shoot”

I took the bait and fired two of the pepper spray rounds right at his head. They both missed, hitting the back wall of the room.

My eyes were wide, I backed up to the door.

“You didn’t have much time to practice with that, did you?”

I steadied my aim and fired again, this time, hitting directly on the right lens of his sunglasses. The force was enough to blow them right off of his face.

That was the worst decision of my life….behind those lenses…was just smooth, pale skin. No eyes… no eye sockets…nothing.

The cloud of pepper spray from the shot had no effect either. I quickly began to cough and wheeze as smell entered my nostrils but didn't even hear a peep from him

I shuddered violently, my brain working overtime to find a logical answer as to what this thing was. He had no eyes, but I could still feel him looking at me…studying me as all my senses were assaulted by the pepper spray.

“What the fuck are you?” I screamed.

No response. My voice fell to a barely audible whisper.

“Ho-how much of this did you predict?”

He answered this time.

“All of it”

…

My parents were grateful beyond belief to receive the money. They knew nothing of the game I played and what I had to do to win it. I simply told them that I had won the money in the lottery.

Despite what the gnawing feeling in my stomach told me, there was no catch. The money wasn’t counterfeit. I was never caught by the police and Justin never came looking for me. The only repercussion I faced was losing my job at the bank for abandoning my post, but that hardly mattered to me anymore.

My dad chastised me for a bit about the lottery being ‘an idiot tax’ but was still immensely grateful to receive the money. The relief on his eyes when he saw the money almost made everything worth it.

Almost.

I spent a lot of time pondering what it was that happened to me. What the game was for and who that creature was that was organizing it.

I could only come up with one explanation. One that filled me to my core with a lingering sense of dread.

Whatever that thing was…it was testing me. Every move I made. Every move Justin made. My paranoid descent into a cold-blooded criminal….down to the exact moment I walked into that building to collect my money.

But why would it go through all the effort to organize this game when it already knew every move we would make?

It's the exact same reason why scientist runs an experiment even they're sure they know the results...to confirm a hypothesis.

And that just begs the question...how was it so accurate?