“They’re being scored on their willingness to work as a group, how quickly they pick up on a room with their skill, and a list of other things. Anyone who scores low won’t make it,” Sawyer explains, and I go quiet. I hadn’t realised they’d be scored for this. Which was naïve of me.
“That’s why I came up here. Once they make it through, they will be split and sent to do the rest of the tasks set. Once they have finished they’ll be sent to wait for their results. They’ll be ranked just like the men. Since we only have eight recruits, we won’t be cutting the bottom of the pack like we usually do. Today, they just have to score above eighty.”
“That sounds fair.” I nod, turning my attention back to the screens. I take a seat and Sawyer places a hand on my shoulder, leaning down to whisper in my ear.
“I have to go and help Dad. I’ll be back in a bit.” I nod again and he kisses me on the cheek.
The first room is set up as a bar, identical to the one where Kathryn worked. I turn the volume up to listen.
“What do we have to do?” Precious asks the group and they all look around. Kathryn in particular walks around the room.
“I think I know what this is,” Kathryn says, running her hand along the bar. “Have you ever done one of those escape rooms? Where you have to find clues to get out?” A couple of the women nod.
“So you’re saying we find these clues and we’re out of here?” Emmerson asks.
“I doubt it will be that simple. I have known about The Order for a while, and while I don’t know a lot, I do know that it’s never that simple,” Maggie explains, though not unkindly. “There has to be more to it, and we need to figure out what before we just start looking for clues and walking around blindly.”
“I know this room,” Kathryn pipes up. “It’s the bar where I work.”
“But what are we supposed to be looking for?” Belle asks.
“Something out of place?” Elsie suggests. Kathryn starts to hunt around the room. Before she was looking, curious, taking it all in. But now she’s really searching for something.
I watch as they start to find the clues they need, and within minutes they’ve moved on to the next room.
“Pretty genius, if I do say so myself.”
I almost jump out of my skin.
I turn to see Baxter leaning up against the door frame.
“I wouldn’t have asked for your help if I didn’t know you were capable. Maggie’s individual task was a lot. It would have been nice if I’d been given a head’s up, though.”
He comes to sit in the empty chair beside me.
“You know those tasks have to target fear, and Maggie was hard. She isn’t afraid of much. I had to get creative, and I was watching a documentary on a serial killer.”
“Of course you were.” I snort. I know Baxter well enough that I can picture him sitting alone in the dark plotting his next victim whilst watching unsolved murders.
“One had an interview with the mother and she made a comment and it clicked. Maggie loves her kids, losing one would kill her.” It just sucked for me that they used real footage of Onyx. It’s still a trigger for me, and I think it always will be.
I think back to the one task I had; it didn’t target my fears. My rape was a lot. It still haunts me, but Harold tried to sell me to a sex ring. That isn’t exactly the same thing. He could have done so much worse if he wasn’t actually planning to let me be taken, which the sick bastard was.
“I can imagine. It almost killed me when I thought I’d lost Onyx. I never stopped to think how she was feeling.”
“He’s alive and well, so no harm done.”
His attention flicks to the screens. I’ve missed a room that they’ve managed to move through, and they are now in Elsie’s. I watch as Baxter watches her.
“I honestly didn’t think she would pass,” he admits quietly.
“She’s stronger than she looks. What is this place?” I ask, pointing to the screen.
“Her childhood bedroom,” he replies, and I gasp.
“Baxter, you know what they used to do to her in that room, this isn’t fair.”
“It’s not supposed to be fair. Kathryn’s was in the bar where she murdered a man. Each room has some bad memories attached. It’s the entire point of the tasks. We can’t have any weak links, we want the best, and that goes for your little girl gang. If any of them choose to work within The Order they will need to be mentally prepared.”
