CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: MENACE

The chapel fell into complete silence, to the point that Adam could hear the old wooden bench breathing underneath him as he slightly lifted his butt from it. Every pair of eyes locked onto him, with an intensity enough to make his skin crawl.

The elderly couple that was sitting beside him started to reach out their hand, their fingers trembling toward his arm like he was some sort of idol... perhaps for them, he truly was.

Adam flinched, jerking away from their touch. The heavy bench scraped loudly against the floor as he forgot his strength—and this accidental show of strength made the eyes of everyone in the congregation follow him even more intensely.

They flinched, gasped, and moved away. But ultimately, their hands once again reached out to and for him.

The look in their eyes made his stomach... turn. This look, this very same look, was how the people from the Hospital looked at him.

Special. Different.

"Young... young man," the old woman whispered, "Please, please hold my hand. Just a touch from one who has seen the Game."

"I’m not—"

Adam didn’t finish his words, turning around for the exit. But as he reached the aisle, the pastor’s loud voice reverberated throughout the entire holy building.

"This young man showed us the true meaning of strength yesterday," the pastor announced, his voice swelling with pride. "At the diner, when others would have turned away, he stood against evil. He protected our dear Marianne when no one else would."

"It-it’s true!"

Adam turned back to the altar, only to see Marianne standing there beside the pastor, her hands clasped at her chest.

"He saved me from Eric and the other unruly boys. They were going to hurt me, but he stopped them! He didn’t have to! But he did!"

Oh, Marianne.

Adam looked at her eyes, which were filled with gratitude. But there was something else there too—the same worshipful gleam he saw in everyone else.

But that wasn’t why I saved you. I don’t want any of this.

What did you think was going to happen, Adam? Even before the Game, you’ve always been special—stay. Stay here and let them worship you.

Without another word, Adam ran, pushing through the heavy wooden doors. The morning air hit his face as he sprinted back toward the motel, desperate to escape the stares, the reaching hands, the... misplaced adoration.

Even the person tending the motel was now looking at him differently. The only thing he could do was rush back to his room... but even that he couldn’t do.

After all, his door was now slightly open; the cheap lock, broken through. Adam was about to run away—it could be Dr. Aniston and the Hospital.

But then, as he was about to take a step back, he heard a familiar voice cursing from inside.

He pushed the door open slowly, but the old door creaked loudly and caused the people inside the look at him and freeze right in the middle of the room.

It was Eric and the goons, one of them holding Adam’s duffel bag while most of his possessions were scattered across the floor.

When he reached his room, he skidded to a halt. The door stood slightly ajar, the cheap lock clearly jimmied. Adam’s first instinct was to run—it could be the Hospital, Dr. Aniston’s people coming to drag him back.

But then he heard a familiar voice cursing from inside.

"Shit!" Eric’s eyes widened in panic, shoving one of his friends. "You said he was attending the fucking mass and wouldn’t be back for an hour! Wh—"

"Just leave."

Adam didn’t let the young man finish. Instead of having to engage with them any further, he took a step to the side and pointed at the door.

"Leave," he repeated.

Eric’s friends exchanged nervous glances, all of them gulping in unison before dropping all the things they’ve taken—even the ones already in their pockets. And one by one, they left the room.

Eric, who was the last to leave, even hit his back on the side of the door as he was afraid to take his eyes away from Adam in fear that he might do something to him.

Adam waited until he heard their footsteps recede down the hallway before he allowed himself to breathe deeply.

You should’ve killed them, Adam. What difference does it make that you take a life here and in the Game? You read it—in the future, everyone would eventually be part of the Game. Killing them here now would be mercy.

Adam slowly tilted his head to the side, collecting his thoughts to try and calm himself down. And once he was sure he had collected them all, he also began to collect his scattered belongings and put them back into his bag.

His eyes then drifted toward the vent. He moved to it and unscrewed it carefully, retrieving a box inside where he kept all of his cash. He checked the contents quickly before closing it and putting it inside his duffel bag with the rest of his things.

He quickly rushed toward the door, only to be startled upon seeing old Marianne standing just outside. Her face, a mix of guilt and desperation.

"I’m so sorry," she blurted out. "If... If I had known you didn’t want all of this attention. Kent—the pastor... the pastor told me that no one will bother you here, and that announcing your presence was a mistake on his part. It was... it was my fault, I thought you would want to be acknowledged and—"

"Ma’am, there’s no need for that," Adam said, not letting her finish. "I need to go."

He moved to her side, but she reached out and even grabbed his arm.

"Please..." she whispered. "...I didn’t mean to offend you, please!"

Adam quickly moved away from her touch. He couldn’t help but hold his breath from how desperate the tone of her voice was.

Just... how exactly did she become like this? Why would anyone even worship those who have been in the Game? There was absolutely nothing to be worshipped there.

Adam looked at her face for a moment and then shook his head.

"I don’t deserve the way you look at me, Ma’am," he whispered. "I’m just a normal person. So, please..."

"No... no." Marianne relented, once again blocking Adam’s path. "Please don’t leave! I... I need to make penance for having disgraced you! Please!"

Look at her, Adam. She isn’t even the same person you met last night. She is sheep, along with the rest of them. Let them grovel at your feet—these people would die for you, maybe even protect you from the Hospital.

"Please! I can’t let you leave here thinking badly of us! The congregation will—"

"A bike," Adam said to finally shut her up. "I only need a bicycle, Ma’am."

Marianne blinked in surprise but then nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course! We have an old one in the shed behind the diner. I’ll get it for you."

"It’s... fine. We can go together."

"Of course, of course!"

No matter what, Adam was going to leave here today.

***

Meanwhile, as Adam was following Marianne back to the diner, Eric and his friends were catching their breath at the local petrol station.

"We... we could have taken him!"

"Don’t be fucking stupid. He’s a Hero. Fuck!"

"Then why did we even try to rob him?! Fuck! It’s all Erik’s fault!"

"You guys went along with it!"

Eric shoved his friends, his hands still trembling even though Adam did absolutely nothing to them. He was about to grab a smoke from his pocket, but his eyes landed on a large truck parked on the side—the very truck that hit Adam on the way to this little town.

He looked at his friends, and all of them seemed to have the same idea. And when they realized that no one was there, they all carefully rushed to the back of the trailer.

The large lock didn’t even deter them, no. One of them pulled out a large set of pliers from their back—the very same pliers they used to open Adam’s room.

"What do you think’s inside?"

"I bet there’s gold."

They all laughed and giggled, with Eric hitting them to quiet them down.

"Just hurry up! We don’t know when the losers are coming back!"

"Shut up! I’m doing it!"

It only took a few seconds before the sound of the lock dropping on the ground clanged in their ears. They all looked at each other in excitement, and then quickly opened the hatch.

...Only for them to see several humanoid snakes huddled together. Verdlecks. Yes.

The very same verdlecks that Adam had encountered inside the Leak.