"I am not hungry," I replied.
Actually I was hungry. A lot hungry. My stomach has started to hurt because of the hunger.
Since I was used to eating three full meals a day, it was hard for me to keep going like this indefinitely, but I wasn't in a position to sit down and eat.
I have seen more blood in the last hour than I have seen in movies.
I lost my father, my friend, and I had killed someone out of pure anger.
I don't think I could eat.
"But you have to. If you are not going to choose, here is the menu for 2 people we will serve you:
Starter:
Bone Broth Miso Soup
Main Course:
Seared Liver
Grilled Salmon
Sautéed Spinach
Roasted Red Peppers
Side Dishes:
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with soft-boiled eggs, onions, and tahini
Warm Quinoa Salad with dates, figs, pistachios, and arugula
Drink
Beet-Coconut Recovery Juice
Dessert:
Spiced Fig & Date Pudding (with yogurt and pomegranate molasses)"
I didn't know any of the food he mentioned. But I was not going to argue.
I slightly nodded my head, meaning I was agreeing.
Seeing this, the man nodded back and left the room.
I wanted to think about what was going on and why he was offering me food. But I didn't.
I started to agree with what Luke had said. In any way, I am done. Even if I find who he is, I won't be able to escape. But…
But I can't let others get hurt. Even if there is a slight chance that they will live, I agree to play any game they ask me to. They brought others into this, but I can't…
As I was thinking, the door opened and a known face entered.
It was Jack.
"Daniel, wh-" he stopped talking after seeing all the blood around me.
His eyes widened, and he checked his surroundings, the text on the wall, and everything else.
With slow steps, he came closer to me.
"Du-dude, what happened here? What happened to you? Your arm, leg, and your ear. Are you okay?" he said while slightly bending to get a closer look at me.
"You look terrible. Did someone do this? Where are they?" he continued to talk.
"Ear?" I said confusedly.
"What happened to my ea-" I stopped myself mid-sentence.
I remembered what happened to my ear. I was shot. But it wasn't hurting. Even the man tore a piece from it, but it doesn't hurt. Not in the slightest.
"Sit down, I will explain to you everything," I said as I sat on the ground, the part that was clean from the blood. He came over to me and sat on a clean part of the floor, listening to me.
To my surprise, he didn't interrupt me. The Jack I know would ask questions every 2 sentences. He even did that when he entered the room.
As I was talking, the door opened and a few men entered the room. They were bringing a large table and new chairs.
They were followed by other men carrying plates.
Since we were sitting, I couldn't see clearly, but I knew that they had food on them.
While they were bringing food, I finished explaining everything that had happened.
"I am sorry for your loss, dude, really I am. But we gotta do something about this. We need to find a way to find this person if escape with normal means is impossible."
His words reminded me of Luke's reaction. I hope it doesn't end the same way…
"I actually don't remember how I ended up here either. The last thing I remember is seeing you in the neighborhood and going home. I don't even remember entering the building.
"Same thing, huh?" I muttered.
"Wait, did you not get my message then?" I asked as I remembered that before I took a nap, I had sent a message to Jack.
"What message- wait, where is my phone?" he started to look for his phone by checking his pockets.
"Don't even bother. You can't find it." I said as I started to think about the events of the past.
"So even before nap, nothing was real, huh?" I whispered to myself as one of the men called us.
"Food is ready. You are free to eat as much as you wish. If you are still not full after everything, more food to your liking will be provided."
"What if we don't eat?" I asked before standing up.
"You are likely to die in the next game unless you fill your stomach. We advise you to eat."
Knowing there is no way out, I stood up and came closer to the table.
As they have mentioned, there were 2 people menu here, but 4 people could easily eat this.
It was too much!
All the men had left except the one who called us. He was standing as if he were waiting for something.
Suddenly, another man entered the room, carrying a steel cloche.
"Again?" I asked as fear started to crawl up my body.
"We advise you not to open the lid until both of you completely finish your food."
"Is this-" Jack wanted to ask something, but couldn't finish his sentence.
He didn't need to. I already understood what he wanted to ask.
"I don't know, Jack, I don't know."