Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 57
Bennett Lowell’s face changed as he hurried to say, “Mia just told us not to harm spiders; how could you...”
“No big deal.” Jack waved it off nonchalantly. “I didn’t hurt it; I was gentle, just threw it out.”
He paused, then grinned. “Plus, I’ve got a Blessing; if something happens, it’ll test things for you all.”
“Still too reckless,” Bennett frowned. “Blessings aren’t invincible; Dreamplay worlds are full of unknowns, and one careless move can get you killed.”
“But would you share a room with a spider?”
Jack spread his hands. “The tip says beware of spiders; who knows if the one in here is safe?”
“And see, nothing happened; stop being paranoid.”
“Anyway, if any of you want help tossing spiders, just ask, but ladies only. Grown men afraid of bugs? Not my problem.”
His offer made the women’s eyes sparkle; none wanted to room with a potentially dangerous spider.
And with someone volunteering to take the risk, they felt tempted.
Just as they were about to speak up, Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and he jumped in first. “Jack, do you have any tattoos on your hand?”
Jack looked baffled. “What kind of question is that? Isn’t it obvious? Your eyesight must be off.”
He held up his hand to show Ethan.
“If you mean tattoos, I’ve got one on my chest, but on my hand...”
His voice cut off abruptly, like a choked chicken, his face darkening.
Only then did he notice a green spider-shaped mark on the back of his right hand, the one he’d used to grab the spider; it looked just like a tattoo at first glance.
While Jack stared in shock, Ethan examined it closely. From the moment he’d entered this Dreamplay world, he’d memorized every detail of everyone’s appearance.
It was second nature; in training with Fox, he’d often been tricked by tiny changes.
That’s when he’d learned to spot the essence of things to avoid missing key clues.
He was certain: before Jack wrapped the spider in tissue, no mark existed, but now it did.
The spider pattern was vivid, like fresh paint, its glaring green reminding Ethan of poison.
“Damn, did I really get hit?”
Jack rushed to the bathroom to wash it off with water.
The sound of running taps left everyone silent, glancing worriedly toward the door.
He scrubbed for a full five minutes before emerging, looking defeated.
“It won’t come off...”
His hand was red from rubbing, but the mark showed no fade.
“I told you not to act rashly.”
Bennett felt a headache coming on; they’d lost someone so soon, and a Blessed one at that.
In Dreamplay worlds, those with Blessings had a huge edge, boosting not just their own survival but chances to save others.
So he figured the more Blessed people alive in the group, the better their odds of completing the task.
But now Jack seemed hopelessly naive, maybe useless; how had he even survived the trial?
“Should be fine,” Jack said uncertainly, a bit sheepish. “Whatever, I’ll leave them alone from now on and see what happens.”
He headed back to his room, and the others dispersed without lingering.
Maya sat alone on her bed, eyeing the torn web at the window with a secret thrill.
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