The
Challenge
“Sophie! Thanks for coming round today – come away
in…”
“It’s a
pleasure,” Sophie Hobbs said as she walked into the large hallway. The estate agent was wearing a taupe coloured
trouser suit with a white blouse under the jacket, and black soft leather shoes
with a three inch heel on her feet. As
the door closed behind her, she looked at Elaine Birch, and wondered why she
was standing there with her hands behind her back.
While her dark
brown hair was falling over the shoulders of her jacket, Elaine’s long blonde
hair was falling over her bare shoulders.
Her dress had sleeves that flared out from her elbows, the black
material with a white floral print on her, the skirt coming half way down to her
knees. She was also wearing a pair of
black strapped sandals – and now Sophie was looking at her, there was a
different look in her eyes.
“Elaine?”
“I’m really
sorry Sophie,” the blonde said as Sophie looked behind her and saw the man
coming out of the front room. He was
tall, dressed in black – and had a black stocking pulled down over his head,
obscuring his features. “They arrive a
few minutes ago, and I had no way of warning you…”
“What’s going
on?”
“Perhaps you
can make the introductions Elaine?”
“This… This is Sophie Hobbs, the estate agent
handling the sale of this house. Sophie
– well, this is one of the Games Players.”
Sophie’s eyes
opened wide as she whispered “no – seriously?”
“Elaine speaks
the truth,” the masked man said as he came into the hallway and closed the
door. “My partner is making sure Cassie
is playing the game now, and she thinks this is a game – one you will have to
take part in as well, Sophie.”
Elaine nodded
as she turned round, and Sophie saw that her wrists were being held together
behind her back with silver tape. “Now,”
the masked man said “you must also pretend you ae playing a game – call your
office, tell them to cancel all your appointments for the rest of the afternoon
– say you have bent taken ill.”
“I can’t cancel
one of them – there’s a woman with her children coming to view the house today,
and I have no way of contacting them,” Sophie said quietly. The man nodded, and then said “we will invite
them to play as well. For now, make your
call, and then hand me your handbag and phone before you put your own hands
behind your back…”
“Hey Mrs Hobbs
– are you playing the game as well?”
“I am indeed,”
Sophie said as she came into the room and saw ten-year-old Cassie sitting on
the couch, swinging her legs up and down as she smiled. She was wearing the same style of dress as
her mother, but flat brown cork sandals were on er feet – and there were bands
of silver tape round her ankles, her legs and her body, with her hands behind
her back.
“Well, it sounds
fun,” Sophie said as she came into the room, and sat on an armchair. She could feel the tape round her wrists with
her fingers, but she also had a band of tape round her body – two in fact,
holding her arms against her sides at her shoulders and around her stomach.
There was a
woman standing behind Cassie, wearing a black roll neck sweater and with a
stocking pulled down over her head as well.
She looked at the masked man, as he said “it would appear we have other
players coming as well – so I need you to stay down here when I take Mummy to
look round upstairs. Before that though,
Elaine,” he said as he looked at the young girl, “we need to make sure you and
Sophie here cannot warn anyone else who comes of what is happening, so we need
to stop you both talking. IT won’t hurt,
but I need you to purse your lips for me.”
“Okay Mister
Robber,” Cassie said as she put her lips together, smiling as the man pressed
some strips of the silver tape down over her mouth. She then did the same to Sophie, before kneeling
down and starting to tape her ankles together.
She saw Cassie wriggling round, her blonde hair in two pigtails that
went down her back, a her own legs were secured together.
“Now, I am
going to stay as well,” the masked woman said as she turned the television on,
“and if anyone comes, I’ll get them to come in and play the game as well, all
right?”
“Whllwhssshthghffrr,”
Sophie said, Cassie nodding as she watched Bluie come on, and she tried to move
her legs – with no success, as she saw the cuffs of her pants flare out under
the silver band holding her ankles together.
She just prayed Dora and her children would understand…
“Well, it certainly
looks big enough,” Dora Macalister said as she pulled up in her Jeep. The thirty five year old woman had short
chestnut coloured hair, and was wearing a fawn cowl neck sweater and blue
jeans, the legs tucked into over the knee brown felt boots. Turning the engine off, she looked round and
said “all right – everyone out.”
The rear door
of the vehicle opened as eleven year old Robert got out. He was wearing a blue buttoned up denim shirt
and tan pants, with a pair of brown cowboy boots on his feet. Eight-year-old Gail was next, her blue
cardigan over a white lace dress, and brown cowboy boots with a silver stripe
round them. Finally there was six year
old Colin, who was dressed identically to his big brother, except his sleeves
were rolled up to his elbows. All three
children had mousey brown hair.
“Well Mrs Hobbs
should be just inside,” Dora said as she walked to the front door, seeing it open
as they approached. Walking in, Dora
said “Mrs Hobbs? It’s Dora Macalister –
I hope you don’t mind, but I brought the children to have a look round and see
if they like the house.”
She heard the door
close, and then turned round to see her three children staring at the masked
woman who was standing there. “Well
now,” she said with a smile under the stocking mask, “I see we have four more
people who want to play this game of hostages.”
“Game? Hostages?”
“Oh I am
sorry,” the woman aid “didn’t Mrs Hobbs tell you? She and Mrs Birch arranged for your children
to play at being hostages with Cassie, so that they can get the feeling of what
it can be like to live in a fine house like this. And as they are playing, you will be playing
as well – Mrs Hobbs already is. Would
you like to see?”
“Yes please,”
Gail said, the two boys nodding as well.
“All right then
– come into the front room,” she said as she walked with them, Dora following
and then stopping as she saw Sophie and Cassie.
“Hmmshsshrreee,”
Sophie mumbled through her tape gagged lips as she looked at her and Sophie,
the three children staring and going “wow – are we going to be like that?”
“In a way – but
before I get you ready, I think your mother needs to get started as well. What do you say, Mrs Macalister -ready to
play a game with everyone else?”
Dora stared at
her, and then at Sophie as the real estate agent slowly nodded. “Of course I am,” she said with a smile, “what
do you need to do first?”
“Use this,” the
woman said as she held up a roll of silver tape, “to secure your wrists together
behind your back. While we do that, I
want you three to sit on the floor, hands on your heads, and I’ll come to you in
a few minutes.”
“Can we play
Mum?”
Dora looked at
Sophie who nodded, and then said “all right – sit down like the lady says, and
we can all play together.” She watched
them sit down as the masked woman came over and took her hands behind her back,
before she heard the ripping sound and felt the tape sticking to her wrists as
they were held together.
She then looked
at Robert, Gail and Colin as the tape was wound round her upper arms to hold
them against her body. “Have a seat,”
the woman said as Cassie giggled, and Sophie twisted round.
“Where is Mrs
Birch?”
“Upstairs –
she’ll be down later,” the woman said as she taped Dora’s ankles together, and
then her legs below her knees, the silver tape contrasting the brown suede.
“And now for my
three young hostages,” the woman said as she mailed at the three younger
children. “I want you to link arms with
your sister, and then put your hands together in prayer.”
“Like this,”
Robert said as he put his arm round Gail’s, Colin doing the same as all three
then put their hands together, palm to palm.
“Exactly like
that,” the woman said as she went down the line, taping their wrists tightly
together and then taking the tape over their hands as well. She then wound the tape round the upper arms of
each of them ,so that a silver band held them in place.
“Now, I’m going
to take your boots off” she said to Robert, “and tape your ankles together, and
then I want you to bend your legs and rest your hands on your upper legs.” He nodded and watched as she removed his
cowboy boots and put them to one side, wriggling his sock covered toes as the
woman wound the tape tightly round his ankles.
“That feels
funny,” he said as he looked at her.
“Good – now
bend your legs please.” She watched as
Robert bent his legs, his feet flat on the floor as he rested his wrists on his
thighs – and then she wound the tape round them and his legs to hold them
together.
“Me next,” Gail
said as the woman removed her boots, taped her ankles and then wound the tape
round her arms and upper legs, trapping her skirt underneath as she dd so.
“Are you going
to cover our mouths as well,” Colin said as she taped his legs.
“I am – want to
go first…”
“Oh my god…”
The three
children looked to the door as Elaine came back in, with a man wearing a
stocking mask as well. Her arms were
held against her sides with two silver bands, as she looked at Sophie and the
new arrivals.
“Mrs
Birch? Say thank you for letting you all
take part in this game, children.”
“Thank you, Mrs
Birch,” the three children said before their mouths were covered with silver
tape as well, Elaine nodding as she sat down and watched the masked male
intruder tape her ankles and legs together.
“Well, once we
have your mother quiet,” the woman said to Cassie, “you have to wait for the
whole of the film I’m going to put on – and then you can try and get free. Understand?”
“Whdhdh,” All
four children said as Elaine was tape gagged, and then the woman started a
Scooby Doo DVD. As they left, Dora
looked over and said “Ghmphllhrrsss?”
“Hyhhhss –
hmmsshhrhhhr…”
“Dhntbh, thastnhtuhfht.”
She then looked
at the four children as she tried to move - with little success, while the kids
watched the television…
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