Stopping in her tracks, April finally noticed that the front door was open and that a stranger was standing outside. With a little squeak, she turned and fled back upstairs, flashing her behind like a rabbit bolting at the sound of a gunshot.
The movement seemed to leave Terry hypnotized for a moment, but he quickly pulled himself together and said, “If it’s all the same with you, I’ll present you with the details right here. I am under strict instructions not to enter your home or waste any time with small talk.”
While his decision seemed odd, Kayleigh nodded her consent. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”
Clearing his throat, Terry launched into what sounded like a well-rehearsed sales pitch. “You will receive seven clues over the next seven days. You will have twenty-four hours to solve each clue. If you are unable to answer any clue within the set timeframe, you shall forfeit the game. In that regard, since this is a test run, the clues will be somewhat easier to solve than they will be once the full experience goes live. That should in no way be considered a slight to you personally. Any questions so far?”
“No. It all seems rather...”
“You are allowed to use any means necessary to help you figure out the answers to the puzzles and riddles, but you may not post any part of the game, including the clues, on your social media pages. This is a test run, and once you complete the week, Diablo Games will provide you with promotional materials that you can use to promote. You will, of course, receive compensation for your efforts, the details of which you will learn at the end of the game. Do you understand?”
“Yes, but I have a question about the contract.”
“I am not at liberty to discuss the details of the contract. Since you already signed it and agreed to the terms, you are bound to it. That much, I do know.”
“So, what now?”
“You take the envelope and the first twenty-four hour period begins,” Terry said, holding the manila envelope out in front of him.
Feeling bile rising in her throat, Kayleigh swallowed hard and reached for the envelope, only for Terry to pull it away. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“One more thing.” Reaching into his jacket, Terry pulled out his phone and held it up, while once again holding out the envelope. This time, he allowed Kayleigh to take it, snapping a picture as she did so. “Your time starts now. Good luck,” Terry said before turning and quickly running down the front steps and tearing up the street and out of sight.
Kayleigh closed the door and yelled upstairs to April, letting her know that the coast was clear. She sat back down at the island, turning the envelope over in her hands and giving it a shake.
“You know, if you just open it, you’ll find out what’s inside,” Sean said.
April came down the stairs, this time fully dressed, and sidled up to the island. “Who was at the door?” she asked.
“That Terry guy I was telling you about. The game has begun,” Kayleigh replied, waving the envelope.
“O-M-G. Open it,” April screeched,
The envelope was the type that was closed using a length of red string. Kayleigh undid the bindings and emptied the contents onto the counter. A single slip of paper fell out. Reaching inside, Kayleigh felt around to make sure that nothing else was in there. Once the paper was flipped over, and the writing was visible, they all leaned in to read.
Welcome, Miss Barnes. Do you have what it takes to save the Hollow-Eyed Girl
from the clutches of the Falyn, the evilest of all demons? He is the taker of eyes and
the stealer of souls, and he has a captive.
To begin, open any browser and type in the following address:
DO IT NOW!!
Without any prompting, Sean cleared the video feeds from his open screen and launched the Brave browser. After typing in the URL, a black page popped up, a white cursor blinking in the middle.
“What’s with the numbers?” Kayleigh asked. “I’ve never seen that before.”
“It’s an IP address, most likely run through a VPN so that we have no idea where the site is hosted.”
“You’ve lost me already.”
“I don’t have the patience to explain it. I can try to track down where this site is originating from, but it could be anywhere from next door to Norway, and the location will change every time we check. Let’s move on. What else does it say?”
Kayleigh slid the paper across the island so that he could read it.
To enter the lair of Falyn, please type in the answer to the following question:
Tell me the meaning of life, the universe, and everything +1.
Enter it incorrectly, and the game is over, and the girl will die.
Good Luck!
“Fucking hell,” Kayleigh sputtered, “That asshole told me the questions would be easy. What the fuck does all that mean?”
“That one is easy,” Sean said, a little too smugly. “Have you never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?”
“I think we’ve already ascertained that you and April are the readers in this house. If it’s not delivered in moving picture form, I’m not interested.”
“Well, in the book, they have a supercomputer try to answer the question about the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. The answer that it gives is forty-two. Add one to that, and you have forty-three,” Sean said, reaching out to type in the answer.
“WAIT!!” Kayleigh and April screamed in unison.
“Babe, you are the smartest person I know, but are you absolutely sure of this answer?” April asked.
“One hundred percent,” Sean replied, typing in the answer and hitting enter.
The cursor disappeared, and the screen remained blank. The smile on Sean’s face began to evaporate, but he let out a sigh of relief when the screen blinked before loading a video on the screen. “What the actual fuck?” Sean gasped.
The feed played in black and white and showed what appeared to be the basement of a home. The room was unfinished, exposed brick showing on all the visible walls. In the corner, a woman sat shackled to an old electric chair. Her head was down, straggly hair covering her face entirely. Beside the chair sat a table filled with gleaming tools that looked a lot like medical devices of old. “FALYN” was sprayed on the wall directly facing the camera, paint running down from the letters as though they were melting. On the floor, a pentagram surrounded by a host of alien-looking symbols took up most of the space.
“That all looks a little too real,” April whispered.
“It’s cool, though,” Kayleigh said. “I am legit freaked out, and that never happens with horror stuff. What do you think, Sean? Is that a live feed?”
“That’s what I’m looking at. I’m waiting to see a jump in the image that would indicate it was on a loop, but nothing yet.”
They continued to watch, waiting for something to happen, and they all jumped back when a tall man walked into frame. He wore robes, cinched around the waist, much like a monk’s attire. He walked slowly to the center of the screen, then stopped and turned, stepping ever so gently into the center of the pentagram. His head was covered by a sack, with holes cut out for the mouth and eyes.
Looking straight at them, he spoke, his voice distorted in the manner that news shows use to hide the identity of a witness. “Congratulations on answering the first question correctly. My lord, the all-powerful Falyn, is most displeased at your success. He will try to deceive you in the days to come, so that he may claim victory and suck the eyes from our guest,” he said, pointing back to the girl in the chair. You may come and watch her anytime you wish now that the feed is open. Be aware, though, that it will close as soon as you receive your next envelope. Your next riddle will arrive soon, so be prepared.”