I have no service. The others didn’t text me telling me to hurry or asking where I was… they didn’t have service either. Calling the police or texting someone for help while we’re inside the building won’t work.

  Do I play nice and make an excuse to leave before having my drink?

  Do I make a run for it, right now? Leave everyone behind? Call the police once I’m safe?

  No - everyone’s going to ask how I knew something was off

  No - that doesn’t matter. We’re in real danger. I need to protect them, even if it changes how they see me.

  If I run, they might knock us out by force. I could try fighting my way out of it… but what about the others? Even ignoring the others… all those cameras… they weren’t there to protect us. They were there to track us.

  The layout - they’re kidnapping other groups. If we were the only ones, we’d be the only room on this side of the building. If I make a run for it now, and scream as loud as I can, surely someone from one of the groups could escape and call the police?

  No. You can’t leave this to others. What if they don’t hear me over the sound of their songs? What if the rooms are sound proofed enough to hide my screams? What if they hear me and ignore me because they think I’m crazy?

  There were too many possibilities. This employee looked me kindly in the eyes as she was trying to drug us. There wasn’t enough time to think.

  “Akira, are you ok?” Yori grabbed my shoulder and I turned to face him. I glanced at the rest of the group. There’s too much at stake to fail.

  I need to treat this like I’d treat any other problem. I need more time to think. Do whatever it takes to buy yourself that time.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking.” I turned to face the employee. “The reason I chose water is that I already spent some money on ice cream earlier, so I wanted a cheaper option.” I paused, collecting my thoughts. “If I can have any drink for free, I’d need to look at the menu real quick.”

  Every second counts.

  “Of course! There should be a menu on the table.” Her words were filled with warmth - how many times had she done this? Yori passed me the menu, and I had a look.

  “All right, let’s go with this one.” I pointed to the drink I wanted.

  “Sure, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She politely excused herself. I knew she’d take the rest of the drinks with her. If she wanted to drug us, she’d want us all to drink at the same time. If I saw my friends pass out, I might freak out and make a run for it. I’d successfully bought myself some time.

  I watched her as she walked away to the right. That wasn’t the way I came from. I was told that the drinks bar and this room were in opposite directions. Was she walking to a different drinks bar? One that specifically dealt with the spiked drinks?

  I could tell everyone what I figured out, but they wouldn’t believe me. Yori and Mei already think that I over analyse everything. The others don’t know how perceptive I am so they wouldn’t believe me either.

  I could try to escape by myself and then call the police, but how would that work out? If I tell the group I went to the restroom, that woman could come back and drug them while the other employees use the cameras to track me down.

  I knew one thing for certain. I couldn’t just sit here and let this happen.

  I have two choices.

  1 - Trust that my friends will believe me

  2 - Try a solo escape and get help once I’m out.

  I turned around. I looked at them all innocently smiling and laughing, unaware of the danger we were in. That’s when I thought of a third option.

  If they know I haven’t taken my drink, they’ll know they have to deal with me. For now, I’ll act like everything’s normal. Then, I’ll pretend to have my drink so the employee backs off. After a few minutes, I’ll make my move and try to escape. I’ll run once they’ve lowered their guard. Not only does it hide this side of myself from my friends, but it’ll greatly improve my chances.

  While the others started getting the next song ready, I started thinking through my escape. There’s probably a hidden camera somewhere in this room. They’d want to see what’s going on. When I opened the door, I didn’t notice any locks. That means the drug they’re using is probably fast acting. If it took a long time, there’d be more variance in how long it took to affect us all, and they’d have to deal with people trying to escape. That means I wouldn’t have much time to wait. I’d start running as soon as the coast was clear.

  I recalled the building’s layout. I remembered the path I took to get here, so finding my way back would be easy. Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid the cameras. There was at least one per corridor. They’d always see me. I thought about ways of disabling the cameras, but I don’t have the technical knowledge or the resources to do so. There’s no point wasting time on that.

  The last obstacle would be the reception desk at the exit. Based on the layout, I think this is a genuine karaoke bar on the right side of the building, with kidnappings occurring on the left. That leaves the reception. Do they know about the kidnappings? Would the exit door be locked? I decided that if the exit door was locked, I’d run through the right side of the building and scream as loud as I could to get peoples’ attention.

  There was one last thing I had to plan. How was I going to fake having my drink? I looked around but I couldn’t see the cameras, and I couldn’t make a scene of looking for one. The cameras wouldn’t need to see the entire room from every angle, so I figured I’d take some of my drink on camera, and then turn around and spit it out. Just as I was thinking all of this over, the employee came back with all of our drinks.

  “Sorry for the wait! Here are your drinks everyone!” Choko went to collect hers first, then Hibiki, followed by Nobu. “So, is there any occasion for coming to karaoke today?” I don’t know why she was bothering asking.

  “Not really, we’re just hanging out.” Yori replied with a smile as he and Mei grabbed their drinks. They were followed by Yaeko, then Osamu. And lastly, me.

  “Well then, a toast to friends hanging out!” This definitely wasn’t good. She was suggesting a toast to make sure we all drank. I brought my glass to my lips, and that’s when I realised she was staring at me. She wasn’t just making eye contact. She was watching my throat. She must’ve realised I might have figured things out and she was making sure I’d swallowed. I had to improvise. I quickly lifted my tongue up to block off most of the juice before I swallowed. I couldn’t avoid swallowing a tiny bit, I just had to hope the drug wouldn’t be potent enough to work at such a low dose.

  She was still watching.

  She must have been waiting to see me open my mouth, making sure I truly did swallow all of it. I only had half a second to think and I had to take a risk. I brought the glass to my lips again and took another fake swallow, drinking even more juice. I sat back down and smiled, trying to act natural. After watching this, she backed off.

  “Have a fun time, everyone!” When she left, everyone continued getting ready for the next song. I watched to make sure she’d turned right. Luckily, she did. There wouldn’t be anyone blocking my path. There weren’t any signs of something sinister, but I knew we were being drugged. Everything lined up way too clearly. Yori asked if I wanted to sing, but I didn’t reply. I couldn’t reply. The juice was still in my mouth. I’d waited 30 seconds, that should be enough time for the employee to have walked through the corridor. I clenched my stomach, as if I needed to use the restroom, and I opened the door, spitting out my mouthful.

  What?

  I looked around, and the employee was at the end of the corridor on my left.

  Why?

  Was this a safety measure?

  I didn’t have time to think. She was speaking into an earpiece, I assumed to call for backup. I instantly sprinted at her.

  I had to get past her.

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  As I was closing the distance, she spoke up.

  “Stop right there.” She’d pulled out a knife. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  My heart was racing. I know how to fight. It’s just applying my observational skills and quick thinking. I was ready to go down swinging.

  But a knife?

  I’ve only been in a few fights. They all ended after a few punches.

  This was crazy.

  I gave up. I can’t risk it.

  If you pass out, you and the others can end up in a situation 1000 times worse than death.

  I know, but we might just be ransomed and then let free.

  You aren’t powerless. Your fighting style revolves around observation, quick thinking and decision making. A knife doesn’t change that.

  I know, but it elevates the stakes if I make a mistake.

  When did you start planning for failure?

  You can’t give up on protecting them.

  My hands shook. I tried, I really did. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Imagine them, passed out in that room. Powerless. You have to do everything it takes to protect them.

  I clenched my fists, but my legs froze.

  You’re not a kid anymore. You can save them.

  I continued running. I had full faith in my abilities. I’m willing to die here.

  This felt surreal. I wasn’t nervous anymore. I was genuinely ok with dying here. My body and my mind moved as one, without fear slowing me down. I had to have faith in my abilities. Fear and nerves would only get in my way.

  I was ten steps away. I analysed her height, build, clothes.

  Nine steps - she was wearing a formal uniform. Sacrificing movement to make sure their victims didn’t catch on.

  Eight steps - she might have a knife, but I had the mobility advantage. I estimated her movement options and how hard she’d punch and kick.

  Seven steps - breathing heavy. Analysing her stance. Right leg forward, slight bend backwards. Weight on her back foot. Right arm forward and bent, holding the knife. About chest height.

  Six steps - left leg back, slight bend forwards. Left arm guarding her face. Left hand in a fist. Opening on her right head area, hard to get past the knife though.

  Five steps - both feet fully on the ground. Parallel at a slight angle to her left. Why is she the one with a defensive stance?

  Four steps - analysing surroundings. About ten steps between her and wall backwards, 3 steps on either side. Corridors are wide. I have space to sidestep and roll as necessary.

  Three steps - why is it this wide? Even in those clothes, is she still agile enough to capitalise on those movement options?

  Two steps - slowing down. Need to be under control. Watching to see her first move. Taking a deep breath.

  One step - don’t need to beat her. Just get past her and run.

  Zero steps - in stance. Right arm and leg forward. Weight on front foot. Ready to create distance. In range. Watch the knife. Left arm down. Waist height. More distance between arm and knife that way. She’s watching for me to make the first move.

  I threw my right hand ever so forward. A feint. She has a defensive stance although she’s the one with the knife. She’s scared. She doesn’t let it show, but I know it. She reacted by bouncing back, staying in stance.

  Perfect. The vulnerability I needed.

  The space let me take another step forward. I planted my right foot as I stepped forward with my left. Towards the knife. I kept my left hand low to create distance from her knife. It was to protect myself. But it was also to set up for this moment.

  As I stepped forwards with my left foot, twisting my hips, I suddenly brought my left arm forward and up, keeping my arm bent. Hinging at the shoulder. I had to make each movement as efficient as possible.

  I noticed that her grip on the knife and her positioning allowed for little shoulder movement, a lot of elbow movement, but virtually no wrist movement. I had to isolate her wrist.

  As I pushed my left arm forwards and upwards, I grabbed her wrist, pushing it upwards as well. Putting her off balance. Creating an opening for me to get close without the knife cutting me.

  Because I managed my stance so carefully, instead of a little cross with my right hand, I could take a step forward and twist my hips, using my entire body to generate as much force as possible. I wasn’t aiming for her face. My arm would be too close to her knife. It also might not be enough to end the fight. She might be able to absorb the punch.

  I needed to end this fight now.

  I unclenched my right fist and put my middle three fingers together as I straightened them. I struck at her throat as hard as I could. She tumbled to the floor, letting go of her knife and clutching at her throat.

  I stared at her for a second. She was writhing in pain. But that pain wouldn’t last forever. What if she gets up and flanks me while I’m fighting someone else?

  It’s my life or hers. I could kill her right now. I grabbed the knife and pointed it at her as she rolled on the ground in pain.

  I can’t… kill someone…

  You also can’t leave her alone.

  I know that.

  Hurry up. You don’t have time to waste. She was calling backup, wasn’t she?

  I couldn’t waste any more time. I brought the knife down, ready to hear her scream as it pierced her flesh. Instead, she kept rolling around without screaming. I’d aimed for her achilles. I couldn’t bring myself to kill her, but I wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be a threat. I stared in shock as I looked at her foot. The blade had backed up towards the hilt. It was a fake knife?

  This changed everything. I turned around and started running towards the exit, leaving the knife there. The fight was caught by the security cameras, so they’d learnt about my combat style. My mind was racing as my feet hit the floor, breathing heavily on every other step. I was starting to feel drowsy. The others had probably passed out already. I had to push forward.

  The fake knife was a good and a bad thing. The good news is that I can fight without my life being at risk, even if I’m feeling exhausted by the drug.

  The bad news is that our kidnappers wanted us unharmed. That could mean we’re just being ransomed… but it could also mean something far worse… I pushed those thoughts aside as I ran, turning corners as quickly as possible.

  Every turn I made, I was hoping no one would block my path.

  Only three more turns - my legs started feeling heavy. I’ve never ran this fast for this long before, but I couldn’t stop. I knew the adrenaline would kick in.

  Two turns left - please, I can’t fight like this. My brain’s feeling slow and my body’s exhausted. I’d be fighting without my analytical and mobility advantage. A guaranteed loss.

  Only one more turn - ignore the dizziness. Hit the ground as hard as you can, and push off even harder.

  Zero turns left - I saw the woman at the reception earlier. She was still there, and smiled at me. I was ready to raise my stance, but she didn’t make any threatening movements. She stayed behind her desk.

  Does she not know about the kidnappings?

  I turned to the door, practically stumbling over myself. I pulled and pushed as hard as I could, but it was a waste. It wouldn’t budge. I quickly turned, running for the right side of the building. Hopefully someone would be able to help.

  This felt weird. Something was off. I didn’t trust my intuition enough earlier, but it was screaming now. This had been too easy. I’d expected that the back up would cut off my escape, but they never did. Were they simply chasing after me?

  I threw those thoughts aside, realising I needed to move even faster. I ran through the door leading to the building’s right side and started running up and down the corridors as I screamed as loud as I could. The layout here was much simpler, a few straight lines. I was right. This was a normal karaoke bar. Someone would help. Someone needed to help.

  I collapsed as I reached the end of the corridor. My throat was dry. It hurt. My head hurts. My fingers felt numb. The drug was getting to me.

  Why isn’t anyone helping me? Don’t tell me they couldn’t hear me…

  Why isn’t anyone chasing me either?

  I crawled until I reached the wall, turning as I sat against it. A few seconds passed, and nothing happened. But then, I lost all hope. I knew I’d lost.

  It was the receptionist. My vision was blurry, but I could make out that she was wearing an earpiece in her left ear, just like the woman from earlier. Because it was in her left ear, I couldn’t see it when I ran to the door. She wasn’t wearing it when I first saw her.

  She was the back up.

  The backup was never about sending people to fight or chase me. It was something far more simple, and guaranteed to be effective.

  The back up was locking the exit. I understood in an instant. She’d only let me run through here if there wasn’t anyone else here. They must close the normal karaoke bar while the kidnappings take place.

  She started walking towards me with a smile on her face.

  “You did very well. You figured us out, you rushed someone with a knife and beat them. You even had this back up plan when you realised the door was locked.” She paused before continuing. “That fake swallow trick was something. Doing it twice was quite the risk. Look at you now.” She chuckled, taking another step forward.

  Was she enjoying my torment?

  “You’re an interesting one. They’re going to love you for sure.”

  I closed my eyes. I couldn’t resist any more. I’d lost.

  You should have killed her. You know it was the most logical choice. You know an injured person beats an unconscious one. If you’d killed her, all you’d have to do is kill this receptionist before you fell unconscious and you’d have a chance. Now it’s all over. You failed to protect them.

  “Just so you know, if you'd tried running before you got drugged, it would've ended up the same.” I could hear her voice getting closer. “Just because we didn't need to use our backup doesn't mean we don't have it.”

  Thank you for reading the prologue for 'A Game Among Friends'! This is a story I've been working on for almost a year, and I look forward to working on it for years to come! I'm also incredibly excited to share it with everyone!

  I would absolutely love to hear any thoughts, criticism, or feedback, so please feel free to vote in my end of chapter polls or to leave a comment!

  Moving forward, I'll be uploading two chapters a week on Monday and Thursday! I hope that you guys will love the story as much as I loved creating it! See you soon!

  Do you think Akira should have killed the first employee?