The Great Game

Carter didn’t even make it through the doorway, the poor bitch. Mayes and I leapt for cover as soon as the firing started, but she had nowhere to go. Her vitals winked out before I even hit the deck. I landed behind a ratty old armchair, already unholstering my pistol as I pulled my legs in and pulled myself up into a crouch. There was a nasty, wet thump behind me as the corpse collapsed on the doorstep.

I closed my eyes for a moment, mind spinning, and tried to gather myself. The house was supposed to be empty. A few feet away, I could hear Mayes swearing bitterly. Control would have been alerted by Carter’s death, but it would have been stupid to assume help was near. The room stank of blood, death and cooked meat.

“Hey, Taylor.”

I opened my eyes, and looked across at Mayes. He was tucked in behind the end of a sofa. He nodded his head in towards the shooter, and made a ‘cover me’ gesture. I nodded reluctantly, and he turned to start crawling along behind the sofa. I swung round to the far edge of the chair, eased my gun over the arm, and fired a couple of shots. A burst of fire immediately ripped into the chair. I could smell the burnt covers, a nasty chemical stench added to the already-foul air. No pain, though. Nothing got through. I sighed with relief, and popped a couple more shots off towards the doorway ahead.

“That’s impo…” Mayes was cut off in a loud crackle of blaster fire. He winked out a moment later.

Shit. Now I was on my own with the vicious bastard. I listened frantically, but there was nothing to hear. No movement, no shots, nothing.

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Today’s photo is In The Courtyard by lehcar1477.

Welcome to the second incarnation of the Great Game. If you haven’t played before, there are a few basic things to know. The idea is that I write a chunk of the story, you tell me what the hero’s next choice is, and I’ll then continue the story. It’s a bit like one of those old pick-your-own-adventure games, except you can’t use your finger as a bookmark to take a decision back with. The hero is neither invulnerable nor immortal, although it will take several bad decisions in a row to kill him. (Yes, in this incarnation, the hero is male).

I will try to lean the hero’s general actions in the direction of the choices you generally pick. If you consistently pick psycho choices, for example, the hero will become more of a psycho. All of your selections will influence the story to some degree.

I don’t have a set idea of where things are going. I know what’s going on, but you’re free to take the story in any direction you like. If I haven’t given you an option you want, or you want to introduce other elements, tell me in the comments.

To start with, I’m going to update the story twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays. This is down from 3 times, but the next month or two are going to be quite hectic. Voting will remain open until at least lunchtime of the next update day; I’ll try to get the next round up by early evening.

This story is going to be sci-fi, with possible nods in the direction of urban fantasy. Pictures are not intended as accurate scene depictions, although I do my best to find something at least slightly relevant. I’m sure this will be a challenge for sci-fi!

Last of all, if you like the Great Game, please spread the word. The more participants we have, the more fun and unpredictable it is for all of us!