Chapter 3: Chess
Brad looked at his navy blue rings and then at the kid in the room. His body trembled and his eyes were streams. There was no doubt in Brad's mind about what decision he wanted to make.
"I would like to keep my finger."
"What!? Wow! What a surprise Mr. Smith. I never thought you would actually sacrifice someone else in order to save yourself, well in this case your finger, but still, the concept is the same. It is truly shocking to me, but I am glad you make this unexpected move. It adds to the entertainment that I receive. Much obliged Mr. Smith. Here is my end of the deal."
The legs of the table begin to wobble making the entire table unstable. After a few moments of struggling to keep his balance, the kid misplaces his weight and caused the table to tip. The kid dropped to as far as the rope would reach, and then started to swing. The kid twitch for what seemed like hours. After a while, a lifeless body hung in the room swinging slightly.
"With that, would you please enter into the next room?"
A door opened up in the middle of the two colors between the windows. Blue, red, and hangman will never be the same again. He will have terrible memories every time he sees them.
"This is messed up." Brad murmured.
Before Brad walked into the next room, he stared at the kid for a while. He may not have deserved to die, but Brad was not willing to sacrifice anything for him to live. He did not see what he did as revenge, but as self preservation. Life just sucks that way. Brad entered into the next room to find a chess board that looks as if a game was left unfinished. It laid upon a small table that had no chairs around it. As Brad observed the table and chess board, the door silently shut. The room also had the same design as a chess board. The tiles were perfectly placed to line up even with the floors and walls, but the ceiling was solid black. Except that the there were navy blue tiles instead of black. Looking at the black ceiling gave Brad an eerie feeling.
"Again with that color." mumbled Brad. "It keeps popping up. I hate to admit, but this guy is good at using detail to trip someone out."
"As you can tell Mr. Smith, the next game involves chess. The rules are simple. You need to make one move to win the game. You have one chance, if you get it you win, if you do not you lose. This time around, your father will be on the dying end if you lose."
The black on the roof faded, showing Brad who stood above him. A man the resembled Brad quite well was sitting in a chair. He seemed relatively calm, but Brad knew his dad better than that. He always had little habits that would give away that he was worried or irritated. He always rubbed his mustache when he was worried about something. Brad chuckled at the site.
"Like always, your finger is also at risk. It is white's move. Move to checkmate in one move. You have five minutes. Start."
White's move. Move to checkmate in one.
(follow link) http://www.chesswizards.com/?page_id=15 (Al, your puzzle is on page 1, puzzle one) (Puzzles are numbered starting from the top)
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Shauny though about which reward would work the best in this situation. He could no longer pick the path that did not require a sacrifice of any kind. This guy was making the game extremely difficult by manipulating the rewards.
"It was interesting how he does not tell me what to pick, but still allows himself to entertain himself by telling me what I cannot pick." thought Shauny. "This guy is controlling me without actually pulling any of my strings. Damn this guy is pissing me off."
"I will take the path of food." announced Shauny deciding to cease his hunger. "By your own rules, you have to give…"
"I know what rules I set up." interrupted the voice rather annoyed. "I am not one to forget what I say and even if I did, I certainly do not need to be reminded by you. The preparations are completed; please enter into the next room."
Shauny watched as a door open between the color split. Before he walked into the next room, he watched to make sure his teacher and the other student left safely. The rope fell from the ceiling and both people cautiously got off their table. They both turned their heads to the right side of their room.
"So the bastard is talking to them as well." thought Shauny.
After a few moments, the student quickly jolted out of a door that opened. Shauny looked to the blue room to find that his Tai Chi teacher is staring at him. He slowly nods his head and exits the room. It was a relief knowing that he had the support of his teacher. Once his teacher left the room, Shauny strolled into the next room. There was a table with an incomplete chess game on top. Unlike the last room, no chair was given for comfort. The walls and floor had white and forest green tiles set up like a chess board. The only part of the room that did not have the pattern was the ceiling. It was a solid black. There was a plate with some pork sausage and next it a Diet Coke. He walked over to it and began eating.
"I am sure you are smart enough to conclude that the next game involves chess Mr. Takei. In this room, the person that may die will be above you."
Shauny looked up to find that the ceiling was no longer black. Above him was his fiend Jack. He was a complete jock in every way except his personality. He was on the wrestling team at the University that Shauny goes too and plays every other sport with his friends all the time, but he was never conceded like most jocks. He showed kindness and respect to everyone, even if he did not enjoy their company. Shauny did not know how the window was holding his weight. The ironic thing about this was that Jack is the one that likes to play chess. The remains of a burger, fires, and a milkshake sit near the right side of the wall. Shauny finishes his meal and walks over to the chess puzzle.
"The rules are very simple for this game. It is white's move. Black needs to be in checkmate after one move. If you cannot complete it, the consequences are the same as always. You have five minutes to complete this puzzle. Start."
(follow link) http://www.chesswizards.com/?page_id=15 (Shauny, your puzzle is on page 1, puzzle 3) (Puzzles are numbered starting from the top)
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"Wait! You found out who that bastard is!?" Arthur said in shock.
"That is correct. I am not such a bad guy now that I have brought that up, right?"
Arthur thought about what he could do. If he gave up on these two people, he could get closer than he ever had to the guy that killed his family, but could he live with the fact that he let two people die because of it.
"I just have one question. Will it be painless for them?"
"I wonder, I never really know until they die." replied the voice.
"Then I can't go along with it." Arthur said as he leans forward in his chair. "I would like to know who he was so I can kill him myself, but it's not like his name and face guarantee that I'll find him. If the reward included where he lived I might say yes, but I know you won't add that."
"You know I am a man that hates pain. I would never put anyone through anything that I would not want too. Trust me, I am a wimp when it comes to pain." laughed the voice. "This is your last change for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Also, if you do not take this offer, I will personally see to it that you never find this person."
"You bastard." said Arthur with malice. "It's not like you're giving me much of a choice. Looks like I'll have to take the deal, but don't you think your being greedy trading two lives for one?" asked Arthur.
"I am not trading anything. I am only giving you options and manipulating them. You are making the choice, or as you put it 'trading.' I personally hate revenge and think it is completely and utterly useless. It destroys all of what humanity is. This is the last time I will ask. After this, there is no turning back. Which outcome do you wish to see played out Mr. Douglas?" countered the voice.
Arthur bites down on his lower lip as he realizes that what the voice said was true. He has the choice to get revenge, but he does not have to. The voice knows what to use in order to control him. The voice never really pulls the strings, but he sure is making Arthur dance. This person is a master of manipulation.
"I need to find the man that killed my family." announced Arthur.
"I understand Mr. Douglas." said the voice.
Arthur watched as both tables fell apart and the two people were left swinging. The old lady did not move much. Most of it was the expected twitching and usual struggle. The man on the other hand thrashed. He was not going out without a fight. In the end, it was all in vain. Both hung motionless in their rooms before the voice spoke again.
"You will receive your reward once you finish this game. I do not want it to affect your mind during the game."
"I would expect nothing less from you. What do I do now?" asked Arthur.
"Well move on to the next room of course." answered the voice.
A door opened in between the two windows and Arthur entered. Square white and lime green tiles lined the walls and floor in alternating pattern. In the middle of the floor laid a chess board with is pieces already placed. Above him was another room. In it was his brother-in-law John Mason. He was a high school teacher and an honest man. It was typical that a good guy like him got dragged into this screwed up game.
"He has a baby on the way. That kid doesn't deserve to live without a father."
"Then I suggest that you do not lose this game. The future of that kid is in your hands."
"You are a twisted man." Arthur said. "You are ruining these people's lives."
"The way I see it, I am giving you a chance be the hero." replied the voice. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to show the world and your loved ones that you still care for them and willing to do anything to save them. Anyway, the rules for this game are simple. You are white have to move so that black is in checkmate. All the consequences are the same. The only difference is that you will not know who is at stake this time. I will give you five minutes to complete this puzzle. Start."
(follow link) http://www.chesswizards.com/?page_id=15 (DoD, your puzzle is on page 1, puzzle 5) (Puzzles are numbered starting from the top)