~Mark

As soon as I woke up, I got a letter from Ken. "Goody goody morning! All good? All fine?" At the bottom in fine print it read "I don't care." "Uh..." I put the letter aside and read the next one. "I am not your friend, I never was your friend. Doctor Money was blackmailing me with my wife." The frown on my face instantly deepened as I read on. "He told me she was safe. He told me they would be okay as long as I kept you happy. He lied to me." "He has a tendency to do that." I grumbled as I continued. "My wife is dead." I sat back in shock. Doctor Money blackmailed someone to make me happy? Why? What makes me so special? I quickly read on. "She died from the virus two days ago. I never even got to say goodbye..." I swallowed hard before going on. "But to you I will." "You cannot lose hope as I have. I have another game for you." "What?" I queried. "I don't have the money for such expenses, but there's a huge market for organs now." "No," I gasped in surprise. I knew what he was going to do. "I have already sold one of my lungs yesterday. I will now finish what I have started." "No!" I groaned. Everyone around me was losing hope fast, and there's nothing I can do about it. "I signed for them to take all of my organs. Money up front." "Why?!?" I yelled at the letter. It gave no reply as I threw it aside and read the next one. "I will not survive the procedures of course, but that's not important." "What is?" I asked. "You are one of the last few people left that are healthy. Please don't lose hope." I took a shaky breath before carrying on. "I hope you enjoy the game." "I don't care about the game!" I snapped, wanting to tear the letter apart, but instead settled with tossing it away from me and grabbing the next one. "I doubt it because it isn't fun. Like seriously, at all." I gave a weak laugh as I read the next letter. "I hope you keep going anyway, always keep going. Don't give up like me. You never know how much more time you have." "But-" I started, but stopped when the last letter arrived. "Goodbye." It read. "Thank you." I smiled sadly as I placed the last few letters on the stack on the table. "What now?!?" I snapped as a letter from Doctor Bob hit my foot. "It has come to our attention that your happy buddy has stopped contacting you. We would like to remind you that you are loved and that you must remain happy." "Screw happy and screw you!" I yelled at the letter, then grabbed the next one. "You are worth every penny." "Am I really?!?" I growled angrily as I read the next one. I was glad to see that it was from Felix. "This town is dead. There is no life left in it. I am walking through the streets all alone. I am on my way." I breathed out in relief. Felix would be here soon and solve everything. "I think I am close to your prison. I am really looking forward to seeing you again. You being on that cell this whole time, you must be alive....right?" "Of course!" I exclaimed. "I'm okay, just come here!" "I might be writing to a dead man...the thought is kinda scary. I won't give up though. A little virus won't kill you now will it?" "No, but I need to see Jack!" I replied frantically. Then I got a letter from Doctor Bob. "Alright douchebag." I ripped open the envelope and read the contents. "Listen, we noticed that you are being contacted by someone with a measurably free spirit. We would like you to ignore all of his letters from now on." "No!" I ignored his request as I read the next letter from him. "You are being taken care of. You are being protected from the virus and the horrors of the outside world. Do not forget, you are a prisoner." I didn't think about it, but I had almost forgotten that I really was a prisoner, and not just another hostage for some poor person out there, wanting desperately to keep me safe by sending letters filled with fake words of encouragement. "I think I can see your prison from here. Maybe one or two hours now...I can't wait. Once I'm there I will release you from your prison." "Please do!" I grinned, feeling smug that I was disobeying Doctor Bob. My grin instantly faded once I got another letter from Doctor Bob. "This friend of yours...Felix. He cannot be here. I do not appreciate the way he talks. I do not appreciate at he is talking about freedom to you." I felt my face pale and my worry for Felix increase. What are they going to do to him? "This is no joke. Cease all contact with Felix." "Hell no!" I gave the letter the middle finger, then read Felix's letter. "Friend, I have arrived. Where is your cell? Where are these letters being sent to? I can't enter the building, all of the doors are locked." "That won't stop him." I predicted as I read his next letter. "I broke in, but the elevator won't come and there are no stairs. There seems to be no way to get to you." I could almost picture Felix's mischievous grin in my mind. "There must be a way." "It is getting late, friend. Maybe I don't have to get up there. Maybe you have to come down here." "How?" I asked as I paced around. There was no way to leave. "The building you're in was never supposed to be a prison. There are no cells on the bottom floor. Looking at the plans, there are no cells anywhere..." "Where am I then?!?" I banged on the door hopelessly, feeling more confused then ever. "Doctor Bob must have repurposed the building for locking you up. But why would he do that? It seems so arbitrary." "What makes me so special?!?" I voiced my thoughts loudly. "But no matter. What matters is that the lock on your cell is powered by electricity, which means..." "He can reboot the generator or something." I concluded. "You're a genius!" I told him, although I knew he couldn't hear. "If I manage to destroy the prison generator, you will be free friend." Then a letter from Jack arrived. "Are you coming?" "Yes, I'll be there soon." I promised him eagerly. "Please tell me that you'll be there soon." "Absolutely, just please, trust me." I pleaded desperately. "I'm so lonely...." "I know, I know, but I'll be there soon." I assured him hastily. "I'm sorry friend." "No no no no no!" I screamed as I pounded at the door, the chocolate scented envelope being crushed in my hands. "I'm sorry." I dropped the letter as soon as I finished reading it. The green spirals and sloppy font was peppered with blood. "Jack!" I screamed even louder, tears streaming down my face like a river, dripping onto the crumpled letter in my hand. The wait for the next letter was antagonizing. As soon as it arrived I tore it open. It was from Felix. "I have found the generator friend. I only need to destroy it, then you'll be free." "Too late." I gasped in between sobs. I had never even met Jack and yet I felt like I had just lost my best friend. "Come find me at the entrance friend. I am looking forward to bro fisting you once more." Suddenly, the lights flickered then died completely. "Felix!" I called out into the darkness. No reply. A few seconds later, red emergency lights flashed on. The door was slightly ajar. I walked towards the door, then froze. I went back to the table, stuffed the last of the cake from Jack in my mouth, then pushed on the door. It didn't budge. I couldn't squeeze through. "Let me go!" I demanded as I rammed my shoulder against the door. A letter slid under the door a few moments later. "That didn't work out too well for him. He got electrocuted. "No..." I gasped in shock, then slid to the floor in defeat, my head in my hands. "He is dead. They are all dead. The door may be open, but what do you think leaving will accomplish? This town is dead. You and I are the last ones here. The backup generator only power for those red lights, so the door is unlocked. Just stay in your cell." "No!" I rammed my whole body against the door, still making no progress. "You can do whatever you want, just don't open the door." "Screw you I'm leaving!" I breathed heavily, sweat pouring down my face as I gave one last attempt by running shoulder first into the door again. The door opened with ease. The hallway was bathed in an eerie crimson red light. To the right I found a panel lying on the floor. Unsure of where else to go, I took it back to my room and luckily found a place for it under the stupid poster I got from Doctor Bob. My room was the elevator. The elevator flew down so fast that I thought I was going to be flattened on the floor. When I stepped out, I saw two white double doors. The exit. I charged through the doors and out into the world. I focused on nothing around me except for Jack's music shop. I raced towards it, then froze at the door. There was blood splattered everywhere inside. The sign overhead read "Jack's Life Shop" in neon green letters. Sitting on the window display was one drum set, but it was missing a drumstick. The glass door had a black sign that said closed in neon green letters with a guitar, but I pushed it open anyway. Sitting on the black counter was a familiar looking envelope, along with more blood. "To my only friend, when you're reading this I'll be very much dead. Sorry if the shop looks kinda messy. I went to the garage so you didn't have to see my dead body. I'm sorry I wasn't more patient in waiting for you. I guess it doesn't matter now. What does matter is that you made it here against all odds. You escaped the prison. This is probably a shit ending for you, but you're here. You're here and I made one last song for you, one little piece of music that you can hang on to, along with more cake. Not sure how fresh it is, but I hope you like it anyway. The best of luck to you, Jack." I read in a trembling voice, more tears trailing down my cheeks. Sitting by the second drumstick was a gramophone and another slice of cake. I tried opening the black door behind the counter, but it was locked. I didn't have the heart to try and bust it down. Instead I grabbed the gramophone and cake, then walked back outside. I paused outside the door, took one last backwards glance so I could remember his shop that was so close to me, then went back inside the dull gray brick building I had came from and went back to my room. It seemed a little brighter than I remembered, but everything else was as I left it. I hesitated outside the door for a moment, then stepped inside and closed the door behind me with a clang. I turned back around just in time to see Tim race out through the letter slot. "At least one friend survived." I smiled wryly, then laid down on my bed while drumming the drumstick Jack gave me on the table, listening to Jack's last song he played and looking at Felix's poster.