LJ Idol Week 15: Busman's Holiday
Amy sighed as she scrolled through the job postings on Craigslist. She had lost her job six months ago and last month, when she didn’t have enough money left to pay rent, she chose to spend it on food and toilet paper instead. This coming month, though, she didn’t have enough money for those things either. With the exception of a couple interviews, her applications had gone unanswered.
As she hovered over the X to close the window, she noticed something she’d overlooked before: a casting call for Do You Have What it Takes?, a new game show. She’d never heard of it before, but the listing stated that they were still casting for the first season and a winning contestant could win up to $100,000.
“Might as well,” she muttered as she filled in the application. “It’s not like I’m doing anything else.”
A couple days later, Amy glanced at her phone as it rang: unknown number. Probably a bill collector, she thought, and ignored it. The voicemail that she listened to later was from an extremely cheery woman congratulating Amy on being offered a spot on Do You Have What it Takes? She immediately called the number the woman had left and, by the end of the conversation, she was booked on a flight and two nights in a hotel.
Upon her arrival at the hotel, she was escorted to her room. She marveled at the suite: it was far fancier than anything she’d ever been able to afford with a living area in addition to the sleeping quarters. She didn’t have to report to the show until the next morning, so she drew herself a bath and drank some wine from the minibar.
The next morning, she was up early and wanted to explore the hotel, but she discovered that she was locked in the room. As panic began to set in, the bellhop from the night before came to retrieve her from her room.
"Follow me, Miss," he said.
"Why was my door locked from the outside?" she demanded, but the bellhop kept walking ahead silently and she was forced to follow him if she wanted any answers.
She was brought outside to an elegant garden bordered by what looked like dense woods. Near an opening in the trees, a white haired man in a suit stood next to a woman who was dressed more casually in jeans and a T-shirt, much like herself, and was picking at her nails. She looked quizzically at both of them and began to ask her question to the white haired man, but he put up a hand to stop her.
"Welcome, ladies," he said. "One of you will leave with $100,000."
“What do we have to do? We haven’t been given any instructions or task,” Amy argued.
“It’s simple, really,” he replied nonchalantly. “We have taken precautions to prevent you from being able to leave the grounds. When only one of you remains, the other will be provided with the money and sent home.”
“You’re saying we have to kill each other?” Amy gaped. This is not what she thought she was signing up for; the details had been vague, but she thought that had only been to keep specifics of the game a secret until it aired.
“That is precisely what I mean. Now don’t get any funny ideas,” he pointed to a camera mounted to the corner of the building. “We can see everything. That’s also how we can guarantee the winning party stays silent about what happens here.”
“You’ve done this before?” she asked, but he had already turned and was halfway back to the entrance of the building and didn't reply.
“We don’t have to do this,” Ellen urged. “Together we can fight back. Maybe we can both get out of this, but even if we can’t, we can stop him from doing this to anyone else if we don't take his filthy bribe money."
“I need the money,” Amy said quietly.
“Me, too, but how could I look my children in the eyes if this was how I’d gotten the money to provide for them? I have to be the person I want them to become and I don’t want them to do this,” replied Ellen.
“I don’t have kids,” dismissed Amy.
“But you might.”
“I can’t live for a future that may or may not happen; I need money for rent and food now.”
"But my children" Ellen insisted, "need their mother."
“I’m sorry,” Amy said as she charged toward Ellen, who quickly turned to run into the cover of the trees.
As she hovered over the X to close the window, she noticed something she’d overlooked before: a casting call for Do You Have What it Takes?, a new game show. She’d never heard of it before, but the listing stated that they were still casting for the first season and a winning contestant could win up to $100,000.
“Might as well,” she muttered as she filled in the application. “It’s not like I’m doing anything else.”
A couple days later, Amy glanced at her phone as it rang: unknown number. Probably a bill collector, she thought, and ignored it. The voicemail that she listened to later was from an extremely cheery woman congratulating Amy on being offered a spot on Do You Have What it Takes? She immediately called the number the woman had left and, by the end of the conversation, she was booked on a flight and two nights in a hotel.
Upon her arrival at the hotel, she was escorted to her room. She marveled at the suite: it was far fancier than anything she’d ever been able to afford with a living area in addition to the sleeping quarters. She didn’t have to report to the show until the next morning, so she drew herself a bath and drank some wine from the minibar.
The next morning, she was up early and wanted to explore the hotel, but she discovered that she was locked in the room. As panic began to set in, the bellhop from the night before came to retrieve her from her room.
"Follow me, Miss," he said.
"Why was my door locked from the outside?" she demanded, but the bellhop kept walking ahead silently and she was forced to follow him if she wanted any answers.
She was brought outside to an elegant garden bordered by what looked like dense woods. Near an opening in the trees, a white haired man in a suit stood next to a woman who was dressed more casually in jeans and a T-shirt, much like herself, and was picking at her nails. She looked quizzically at both of them and began to ask her question to the white haired man, but he put up a hand to stop her.
"Welcome, ladies," he said. "One of you will leave with $100,000."
“What do we have to do? We haven’t been given any instructions or task,” Amy argued.
“It’s simple, really,” he replied nonchalantly. “We have taken precautions to prevent you from being able to leave the grounds. When only one of you remains, the other will be provided with the money and sent home.”
“You’re saying we have to kill each other?” Amy gaped. This is not what she thought she was signing up for; the details had been vague, but she thought that had only been to keep specifics of the game a secret until it aired.
“That is precisely what I mean. Now don’t get any funny ideas,” he pointed to a camera mounted to the corner of the building. “We can see everything. That’s also how we can guarantee the winning party stays silent about what happens here.”
“You’ve done this before?” she asked, but he had already turned and was halfway back to the entrance of the building and didn't reply.
“We don’t have to do this,” Ellen urged. “Together we can fight back. Maybe we can both get out of this, but even if we can’t, we can stop him from doing this to anyone else if we don't take his filthy bribe money."
“I need the money,” Amy said quietly.
“Me, too, but how could I look my children in the eyes if this was how I’d gotten the money to provide for them? I have to be the person I want them to become and I don’t want them to do this,” replied Ellen.
“I don’t have kids,” dismissed Amy.
“But you might.”
“I can’t live for a future that may or may not happen; I need money for rent and food now.”
"But my children" Ellen insisted, "need their mother."
“I’m sorry,” Amy said as she charged toward Ellen, who quickly turned to run into the cover of the trees.