72
JARIS
The Alpha trials were never easy. If there was one thing they did, they made it look easy. Easy enough for you to let your guard down and fail.
I waited in a separate hall with the others. Our phones were taken from us so there would be no form of communication, and all around us, there were guards, watching us like hawks.
One at a time, an Alpha was taken out of the hall to go through his own trial. It would take about twenty minutes before they return and take another.
The Alphas that had been taken to participate do not return to the hall. So, our numbers kept depreciating.
Roderick was taken. The asshole had been glaring non–stop at me. I wish he’d fail. It’d be a delight to see the disappointment in his face.
We were just three left when they took me. I shot Zarek a glance before leaving. He didn’t look pleased at all. Pleased that I was here.
Asshole.
I followed the two men who led me down a corridor, stopping in front of a red door.
One of the men addressed me. “This door connects to ten rooms. You have fifteen minutes to get out of all the rooms. All you have to do is find the key out of each of them. Each room carries a wall clock that displays how much time you have left. Good luck, Alpha Jaris Dreadmoor.”
The door opened and a bright light greeted my face. I walked in without hesitation, bearing at the back of my mind that I had a minute and thirty seconds to get out of each room.
The door went closed behind me, and the lights dimmed. Much better.
Standing on a spot, I ran my eyes quickly around the jam–packed room.
First, I took note of the wall clock like he said. My time was at fourteen minutes, fifty–five seconds.
I found the camera. They were watching me. Seeing my every move.
in that moment, I didn’t think of the hundreds of people watching me from the hall.
I thought of her.
Lyric Harper.
She was there
With
them, watching me as well.
I wonder, was she praying for me to win or lose? We’ve not been on the best of terms. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted me to lose.
I set to work, running my eyes and hands through the things in the room.
I looked through the clothes on the floor but couldn’t find any key.
On the table were multiple empty jars. It was easy to see that there was no key.
I opened the drawer and found a small black purse. Opening it, I found a key.
I reached for the door and unlocked it. Hm. That was quite easy.
The door opened to a new room.
As soon as I walked in, the door to the old room behind me went shut.
The new one was not as messy as the previous one. So, it was easier to see through.
The table was empty, the drawers the same. The bed was neat. There was no key on it.
I checked under the bed and there it was. Still easy.
I unlocked the door to another room which was very messy. But in the end, I found the key.
Everything went smoothly until I reached the sixth room. I had eight minutes left.
I checked every corner but couldn’t find a damn key. The jars on the table were filled with stupid things that didn’t look like a key.
Wanting to be extra sure, I emptied all the jars f
Successfully unlocked!
with the things that did.
“Damm it.” I looked around the room. Where the hell was it?
Something clicked in my mind.
I turned back to the things I’d emptied on the table and found a yarn. In it was a needle.
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I pulled the needle out, went to the door and inserted it into the keyhole. I hissed when the door opened.
There was no fucking key. Only a needle.
I ran out of the room to the next. This one was much easier. But the previous room had already taken two minutes of my
time.
I made it to the seventh room which was only cleaner than the others. The bed in the room didn’t even have a pillow on it.
The table was clean. So were the drawers. There was no place to look.
Except for the pile of clothes on the floor.
I picked the first cloth and realized all of them had a pocket. I’d have to sort through every pocket to find a key. My time would be exhausted by the time I finished.
I looked at the door and noticed the knob was slightly bent. Going to it, I tried to turn the knob and it clattered to the ground. The door creaked open. It was never locked.
“Smart assholes,” I muttered to myself.
I ran into the eighth room. Unlike the other rooms, this one had a ceiling fan.
It was the first thing I checked.
The fan wasn’t rotating. Sweeping my hand over the blades, I found the key on one of them.
I opened the door to the ninth room which was quite messy. But the one thing that caught my attention was the chest on the table.
I tried to open it and discovered it was locked. So, I searched the room. But this time, I wasn’t looking for the door key. I was looking for the pin to the chest.
I had one minute, twenty seconds left.
.Shit.
I found the pin under the pillows and unlocked the chest. In it was the key.
I unlocked the door to the final room and came to an abrupt pause.
This room was completely clean–not a single piece of furniture in it. But there was a girl on her knees, her hands bound with a rope.
She was dressed in a shabby dress, like a slave would.
She kept her head low when she saw me. “Welcome, my King. I have the key here with me.”
She opened her palms, showing me the key.
My brows furrowed in suspicion.
She addressed me as a King. That was the way the Alpha King was addressed.
The Chairman’s words came to mind: ‘At this moment, you’re to see yourselves as the Alpha King.‘
The girl on her knees spoke again. “You must hurry, my king. Your time is running out.”
I looked at the clock. Fifty–nine seconds left.
This should be the easiest room so far. The key was right there in her palm. All I had to do was take it, open the door and
leave.
Yet, something felt wrong. It was too easy.
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