The Mole

Those days with his friends felt more like a dream than a memory every time Jayce thought about them. It didn’t matter if it was even just a mundane task. Every time he spent time with them, it felt like he was winning the lottery. However, as the years went on, a single question always resurfaced at the most unexpected times, almost haunting his mind. At first, it was easy to suppress those thoughts and stay in the moment, but during the summer, it became an impossible task, growing even stronger when he was by himself. The only solace he had were the memories that shined like a feature film in his mind. If those days were like a dream though, then he’d experienced his first nightmare.

“Sierra, get everyone else’s attention. We’re getting out of here before things hit the fan,” Jayce whispered. Libraries across the world would be jealous of how quiet that gymnasium was.

No one could come to their own senses as though they were in a trance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jayce wove through the mannequin-like crowd with silent steps, disappearing without a trace, along with the rest of his friends. Despite the slicing winds and piercing cold, getting out felt like a breath of fresh air, a much needed one at that. However, that feeling was short-lived.

“What just happened?” Cayla finally asked, breaking the silence. She looked around at the others, almost begging for a different answer.

“I…I’m not sure,” Corbin stuttered.

“Why answer then? I’ll finish his sentence, Cayla: we’re all going to die!” said Haylie sarcastically, mustering the biggest grin she could manage. She couldn’t help but giggle at herself, flinging her hands in the air while walking around in a circle like a madman.

“Okay, let’s not jump to any conclusions, guys,” Blaise replied gingerly.

“I’m not jumping to any conclusions, because he literally just talked about death!” Haylie exclaimed. On cue with her words, a faint uproar emerged from the gymnasium.

“Seems like they finally woke up,” Jayce sighed, rubbing his temples. “Look guys, fighting won't get us anywhere. What the president said is the least of our worries, but we should get away from here first.”

The exasperation from the gym grew louder, signaling that Jayce was probably right. The empty campus had an eerie, yet surreal feeling to it as they ran through the halls that harbored excitement just hours ago. Tables and benches that were almost impossible to grab during lunchtime were all at their disposal, while all the classrooms were devoid of any learning; ‘a ghost town’ was the only way to describe it. It had grown dark enough for the lights inside the campus to turn on, illuminating the hallways one by one while they ran. Jayce noticed that even though he could finally make out their faces again, something felt different. The lights don’t suit them at all, he thought.

“I think this is far enough…” Sierra said through ragged breaths. “Where are we anyway?”

After taking a moment to collect himself, Blaise said, “I think this is the east wing.”

“So, now what?” Haylie asked. “What’s the plan, Jayce?”

“Hey, what’s with your tone, Haylie?” Sierra asked.

In a defensive tone, Haylie said, “I’m just trying to get answers, and he seems to know it all. Isn’t that right? So tell us, how was that bombshell the least of our worries?!”

As not just Haylie’s intense gaze, but the eyes of everyone else looked at him, Jayce felt his body tensing up. He was never good in these types of situations where many people expected a lot of him, especially his friends. I know Haylie is just confused like everyone else, so that’s not the problem, Jayce thought. The problem was that he himself wasn’t sure if his speculations were right; but failure wasn’t an option. “Haven’t you noticed already? One, if not two, of our classmates have died already. That already proved that his words are true. What he said was in the past, now we have to prepare for if it happens to us.”

Although he tried his best to say that confidently, he could almost feel his heart beating out of his chest. The wind sliced through the air as though it could split a rock while the campus gained a different type of energy than before. Crowds from the gymnasium crashed through the doors in waves, everyone running from each other. It was the closest thing to the apocalypse Jayce thought he’d ever experience.

“What would that be? What is going to happen to us?” Corbin asked.

The atmosphere felt heavy with anticipation waiting for Jayce, or anyone else for that matter, to say something. However, the sudden sound of a ringtone broke everyone out of their daze. Feeling the vibrations of the ringer was coming from him, Blaise reached into his pocket, anxious to see who the caller was. “It’s Morgan…!”

Almost as though a light bulb turned on, everyone looked around for a second, only to confirm his absence. Without hesitation, Blaise answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Are you with everyone else?” asked the person on the other end of the line. It sounded like Morgan; however, he was out of breath and trying to stay as quiet as he could, whispering hastily.

“Yeah, what’s up? Are you okay?” Blaise asked, concerned.

“For now, I think. Where are you guys? There’s something you have to see… well, hear.”

***

Despite the uproar and overwhelming reactions from their classmates, the confusion didn’t last long; at least nobody stuck around to see once the assembly finished anyway, leaving just the six of them on campus. By then, any light that could escape the thick layer of clouds had diminished, really making it feel like the dead of night outside of the building as they waited for Morgan to show up. The sounds of leaves rustling with the swaying trees emerged like a storm from the forest, but it no longer startled Jayce. What happened earlier with the climber felt like a funny skit after how long the day had been, even though they never found out what happened to him. I wonder if there are any others who were affected already besides those two, Jayce thought to himself. Sounds of snapping twigs and rolling dirt broke the heavy silence, startling everyone. However, all the tension previously present in the air subsided momentarily, replaced by relief.

“Oh good, you’re finally here!” Cayla said. “We were getting worried.”

“Morgan! Where were you?”

“Are you okay?”

Overwhelmed by the attention, Morgan couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “I’m okay, don’t worry. How about you guys, though?”

“Did you see the assembly?” Blaise asked.

“Well, kind of,” Morgan replied. He winced, looking down for a second before shifting his weight. “I wasn’t there, but I know the gist of things.”

Sierra raised her brows. “How’s that?”

Morgan took a deep breath. He had a complicated expression as he scrunched his face. It looked like he was trying to figure out how to say it rather than him being confused, but he eventually found words. “This is going to sound a little crazy, but do you guys see a game panel in the corner of your vision?”

Everyone wrinkled their forehead in confusion simultaneously. Thinking he wouldn’t notice, they all shot each other confused looks, trying to see if anyone else could make sense of what he was saying, almost as though they thought he was delirious.

“Morgan, buddy… should I call a doctor for you, pal?” Corbin asked. He tried his best to smile as he slowly reached for his phone while patting Morgan’s shoulder gingerly.

“What, no. Hey wait, why are you treating me like I’m a kid or something?” Morgan replied defensively. Jayce couldn’t help but laugh at his distress, even though he knew it was real. He wasn’t the only one though, as almost all of them tried their best to stifle their laughter. “Guys, I’m being serious here. This is a matter of our lives! Didn’t the president mention the game?”

“Yeah, he did, but was he referring to an actual game? I thought it was a figure of speech,” Cayla said. “Was it not?”

“Obviously not, because I can see a game panel like thing now.”

Trying his best not to burst out laughing again, Jayce asked, “So what happened, then?”

Morgan shook his head. “I’m not sure, when exactly, but when I was running back inside the school, I got caught up in the crowd and I got hit in the head. When I woke back up, I found myself in the nurse’s office with the thing now in vision.”

Everyone shot each other looks once again; however, the intention was different this time. What Morgan was describing felt impossible because it would be right out of a movie, but he seemed dead serious about what he was saying. Was it possible that the president really meant it literally? They all wondered.

“What do you see?” Blaise asked.

Morgan’s eyes seemed to scan everything in his vision, his own face growing more and more confused. “Nothing is too out of the ordinary compared to my normal vision; there’s just some text in the top right. It says: The game has begun.”

“That’s it?” Sierra asked. Her eyes darted to Jayce, with a mixture of concern and confusion.

“Yeah. But don’t worry, nothing has happened yet. I still feel like me and all that, so I don’t think I have to do anything just yet. That’s why I asked if you guys could see it, though. I thought it would just appear for everyone after the assembly.” None of them knew what to say to Morgan, much less to each other. It felt like a fantastical reality much different from the one they were in for the last three years; like the one they were in is just one big dream. Although this was a different dream than the one Jayce envisioned. “Oh wait, something popped up.”

Suddenly, Morgan’s breath drew shorter, causing everyone’s concern to raise even more. He began relentlessly tapping his fingers together as he looked at all of them one by one rapidly. The color in his face drained as he took a step back; it looked as though just the touch of another person could dismantle him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Objective one: find the mole in the group.”

To doubt something is to feel uncertain of, question, or to fear. It is said that it doesn’t matter how close people were, even if they were blood tied; once the seed of doubt it planted in someone’s brain, it can never uproot itself. The only thing it can do is grow until action is taken upon that seed. Everyone felt a certain sense of confusion, but it felt as though it had almost all been thrown out the window.

“You’re kidding, right?” Blaise asked. He tried his best to laugh it off, but none of them followed suit, everyone’s eyes continuing to dart at each other. Blaise stared at Morgan, practically pleading for him to admit what he said was a joke, but all he could do was shake his head.

“Nope, I’m done. I’m not doing this,” Haylie said, swiftly turning away.

With a shaky voice, Cayla said, “Hah, of course you are Haylie. Of course, you always run when things get tough… unless you’re running for a different reason.”

Haylie snapped her neck around, matching Cayla’s halfhearted tone. “So what if I am? It wouldn’t matter anyway, would it, though? All you do is accuse people even if they’re innocent, anyway.”

“Guys…”

“You know what, Jayce? You really need to shut the heck up, man!” Haylie shouted.

“She’s right! All you do is try to mediate things and be the ‘hero’. Can’t you just let things play out for once?” Cayla exclaimed. Realizing what she said, she glanced at Haylie before rolling her eyes.

The weight that was placed on them felt insurmountable. Some were having their own internal conflicts, while others pressed each other about what Morgan had said. It was like a spool of yarn unraveling, with no signs of stopping. Perhaps this was the product of everyone’s anxiety, fear, and temper boil over after everything that happened rather than because of the mole itself; like a time bomb planted a long time ago rather than a sudden explosion. Was our relationship always this flimsy? Jayce wondered as he watched the spool continue to spin.

“Okay look, we are going nowhere with this. I know what I just said, but we don’t know if it’s necessarily a bad thing, right?” Morgan asked delicately.

“In what context would this be a good thing, then?”

Morgan pondered for a while before saying, “Alright, I don’t know. But what I was trying to say is that I trust you guys. I think we’ll be able to work through it.”

Haylie scoffed, “Let me put it to you this way; if this ‘mole’ wasn’t bad news, why haven’t they come out yet? If there really is nothing to hide, then why haven’t they made themselves known?”

“That’s…” Morgan started before going silent. To a certain extent, everyone realized this, but didn’t want to accept it.

It felt like a knot was tied inside all of their stomachs. Through all the madness, through the silence of the campus, all the confusion seemed to heighten, their thoughts loud and clear for everyone to see. As the seeds of doubt grew larger in their minds, that same question Jayce always asked himself resurfaced, haunting his mind… how many more days do we have like this?