The 2025 Sigma Chi Survival Games

“Hey, there’s actually a better, more intimate party going on upstairs if you’re interested,” Blake says.

“Oh, really?” I ask, arching a brow at the senior I’ve only spoken to a handful of times in class.

“Come on Nelly, it’ll be fun.”

I sigh and roll my eyes. He did invite me to one of the most exclusive parties of the semester.

“Fine,” I say.  

He smiles with his perfectly white teeth and adorable dimples. I’m slightly awestruck for a second.

“We’ll take a quick look and if you like it, you can ask Serena to join?”

A little alarm bell goes off in the back of my mind at the thought of leaving my roommate before she gets back with our refills, but it would be nice to see more of the house where my dad once lived.  

“Alright, fine.”

His face lights up and he laces one hand in mine, tugging me toward the stairs up to the second floor. To the left of the landing is a set of double doors with large Sigma Chi letters etched into the wood and a pledge in a tuxedo stands sentry.

“Let the games begin,” Blake says as he leads us over there and the freshman opens the door.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I plan to ask what the hell that was about as soon as we’re inside.

“May your status be secured,” the freshman says.

He steps aside so we can enter a massive room that probably spans two or three of the four floors of the fraternity house. There’s a small stage on the opposing wall with a podium. House music plays and red strobe lights flicker all around.

It’s much less crowded than downstairs and no one is here alone or mingling with more than one other student. There’s a guy making out with another guy on a couch and a girl gives a discrete hand job on a recliner in the corner. The rest of the space is fairly empty, save a few tables. I swallow, pausing. Blake looks down at me and squeezes my hand.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting to hook up,” he says.

My shoulders relax a fraction and he smiles again.

“Let’s grab a drink before it starts,” he says.

I frown.

“Before what starts?”

Ignoring the question, he pulls me over to a keg and pours fresh drinks. I watch carefully, but I don’t notice any funny business so I take a large sip of beer and allow him to lead me over to a tall and small round table with a surprisingly nice tablecloth.

“Here we go,” he says when we reach it. He leans on the table and gives me his complete attention. “So I noticed you got a hundred on Professor Dunham’s quiz last week. Are you majoring in math?”

“Close, engineering.”

“That’s cool. I was pissed we didn’t get a curve, but mad respect,” he says, chuckling.

I blush, not used to such open compliments. The weird tension in my body drains out of me.  

“So you have any brothers or sisters?” he asks, when he’s exhausted some of the basic school questions. I swallow, trying not to drown in the inevitable discomfort this kind of question brings.

“No, it’s just me and my mom,” I say.

“Oh. Is your dad as big of an asshole as mine?”

My palms get clammy and I feel a little buzz in my ear, but despite his attempt to commiserate it doesn’t make it any easier to say the words out loud like my therapist told me to.

“My dad passed away in a car accident when I was twelve.”

Blake’s brows fly up into his forehead.

“Oh shit, no way. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ve sort of gotten used to it. He used to be in this frat, actually. It’s why I chose Winslow U.”

“No way, what year?”

“’04 I think?”

“Damn, maybe we can find him in one of the old yearbooks.”

“That would be really cool,” I say, genuinely thankful.

Blake nods before changing the subject so smoothly I’d think he was a politician in a former life. He grills me about where I’m from and if I’ve ever played any sports. I laugh, pointing at the black band shirt and matching ripped jeans with an emphatic “no.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” he says, amused. “Oh, hey, our president’s waving me down. Let me go talk to him real quick.”

Without waiting for my response, Blake strides over to another tall, but stocky guy. I pull my phone out to text Serena, but she’s beaten me to it.

Don’t you dare leave that hottie hanging. I found a friend. See you tomorrow!  

I respond with a heart emoji before shoving my phone back into my jean pocket. Looking around for Blake, I furrow my brows, realizing that there are way less people in the room than there were before. The fancy guy from outside is now blocking the door from inside with two more Sigma Chi guys.

What the hell?

The red strobe lights stop and the music cuts. A single yellow light flickers on before illuminating the stage. A shorter, dark-haired senior that Serena pointed out to me earlier in the night gets on it.

“Welcome,” he shouts. “If you’re here, you’ve been selected to participate in the 2025 Sigma Chi Survival Games.” He pauses. “The objective is to make it out of the house before your Champion hunts you down. If you do so, you win VIP status here at Sigma Chi for the rest of the year while your Champion spends a year in exile. If you fail to get out in time, well who knows what’ll happen?”

He gives a sinister grin before raising his arms like some kind of Mega Church pastor awaiting praise. A few girls near the stage are grinning like lunatics, clapping, like they were waiting for this, but most attendees look bewildered, uncertain what’s happening, much like me.

“The countdown clock, please.”

An old school movie timer is projected on the wall above the emcee, starting at thirty seconds.

“Don’t forget. You can eliminate each other, but whatever you do, you only receive immunity if you make it out before you’re caught. Good luck, Chosen.”

“What the fuck?” I ask, out loud.

A nearby, well-dressed blonde me gives me a wide-eyed look before she suddenly sprints across the room toward the exit. It’s now open and people are running and shouting all over the room.

I’m about to dismiss these ‘games’ as a stupid prank and go find Serena when a muscled blonde guy whips out a bat and slams it down on the guy next to him. Without waiting to see what happens next, I gasp and run like the others.

The hall isn’t much safer. There are tons of so-called Chosen out here. My heart pounds while the proclaimed Champions descend from the room behind as the countdown gets to zero. They call out names of their Chosen along with twisted taunts.

I run down the other side of the hall, bypassing the crowded stairs, and go deeper into the house. Surely there’s a way to get out of here from the back. I pass by several doors, panicking as Blake’s voice calling my name emerges amongst all the other yelling.

Fuck, I need to get out of here. Even if this is a joke, I am so not down. Suddenly a door opens up toward the end of the hall on the left.

“Shit,” I whisper out loud, throwing my body against a wall, but no one comes out of the room.

I peek in there, my heartrate flying. It’s an empty hallway. Taking a chance, I enter it. The door shuts behind me and I whirl around, the blood pumping in my ears.

“Who’s there?” I call out, but there’s no answer.

The hall is completely deserted. It’s silent too. I can’t hear the music from downstairs anymore. I take a few steps and the wood creaks. Too loud.  I slow down. Daring to pull my phone out, I light up the space and see class photos from the 80s line the wall as well as several intramural sport trophies. The other end is pitch black even as my vision adjusts with the limited lighting.

Walking down the hall, looking around for a way out, there are no other doors here until the end. Blake’s voice, muffled, but loud, yells my name again and I can tell he’s almost at the entryway. I pick up the pace, practically jogging toward the other door. Before I reach it, though, it flies open and the wind picks up.

Wait, why is there wind?

The gust pushes me out of the hall and into a large room, with the door slamming behind me with a thud. Falling onto my hands and knees into what looks like a living room, I take in the details of the place. The walls are a midnight blue with the bottom half covered in dark mahogany wood. Long-dead dear and moose are mounted on the walls and Greek or Latin sayings decorate the space above. Real wax candles are interspersed throughout the room and no overhead light or lamps can be found. I beeline for the door across the room, careful to pick my way between the leather couches and wooden tables that litter the place.

“Nelly! Where are you?” Blake sings. I hear a slapping sound like he’s tapping a weapon against his palm.  

Oh fuck.

He’s entered the hallway. I sprint toward the door on the other side of the man cave but I know I’m not going to make it. It’s too far away. A candle flickers to my right and then goes out. I stop, uncertain why it’s happening, but another candle goes out and I realize that section of the room is now dark and that I can hide behind what looks like a bar. Running toward it, I hop over and hide behind it. I’m barely hidden on the floor when the door opens. I click off the flashlight on my phone just in time, noticing that my service is out.

“Nelly?” Blake asks. “Nelly?” Another louder call.

“Where the hell is she?” a quiet murmur to himself.

I cover my mouth, desperately trying to stay quiet.

“Nelly? Shit, I am not doing a year in exile.” He says the latter part in a lower voice while another man joins him. A candle flickers, illuminating two shadows in the room.

“You find her?”

“No, I don’t think she’s here. I must’ve missed her,” Blake says.

“Go find the friend. Women never leave without the other,” the other says.

“Right. I forgot about her,” Blake says, snapping his fingers.

They start walking away from where I’m hiding and the door shuts behind them as they go back through the same hall. I wait about thirty seconds before I let a huge sob out. I try to cover it up with my shirt, but it’s almost impossible.

How could I have misjudged Blake so badly?

Five minutes later, I decide to stop throwing myself a pity party and get it together. Taking quiet breaths and thinking through my options, I slowly creep up to look over the bar top. The room really is empty. I debate going back through the other door since I know where the path leads, but before I can finish the thought all the candles go out except those illuminating the new door.

“That’s so creepy,” I say.

The candles flicker again and all of them relight.

“Holy shit.”

Language. A weird whisper in my mind says. I freeze. Yes, you heard me. Now, hurry up and get out of here.

Darting my eyes around, searching for Blake or his friend, wondering if they’re fucking with me, I feel sweat start to break out across my neck.

Nell Bell, you need to move. I’ve only bought you a few moments.

“Dad?” I cry out as I force myself to move toward the door.

The light next to the exit flickers three times. I take that to mean a ‘yes’.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, slowly opening the door. There’s no response, but the door creaks open, leading to another empty hallway shrouded in darkness. I pull my phone back out, checking to see if my service is still cut, which of course it is, and walk quickly down the way toward the other end.

Wait.

I still.

“Hey, Matt, grab that extra twelve pack. We’re running low downstairs,” a voice says from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, no problem, brother.”

My choppy breathing fills the hall and it feels like I’m screaming ‘come get me’ into a megaphone.

Now. Quickly. Another strange whisper sounds in my brain.

“This is so weird. How are you here?”

No time. Keep moving.

Opening the door slowly, there’s another large space, this time a kitchen and a storage area, which opens up to a more modern game room.

Second door on the right. Outside.  

I’m about six seconds from the door when I hear a quick hide.

Flying toward the stacks and stacks of beer cases, I throw my body behind them and curl up, hoping desperately that no one can see me.

“Hey, have you guys seen a goth chick with short, dark hair with purple streaks and a nirvana t-shirt on? She’s probably around 5’5?” Blake says to the two guys who just left the room. They’re right outside the kitchen.

“You lose your girlfriend, Hanover?” a guy asks.

Blake snorts.

“Not quite. Have you seen her or not?” he asks, urgency in his tone.

“Nah, sorry man.”

They leave the area and I can’t hear the rest.

Go. Now.

I sprint the last few steps to the door and fling it open to run down a set of stairs. I’m about to open the backdoor when I hear my dad again.

This is where I leave you, kid.

“What? Why?”

I pause.

This is all I was able to bargain for.

“I don’t want to lose you again.”  

You have to go. Now. The whisper is slightly stronger and forceful.

I hesitate for another second but the outside door ahead of me is thrown wide open and the path lights in the yard flicker. I only hesitate for another moment before I sprint outside to the front of the house.

“I love you,” I call over my shoulder, not sure what the proper etiquette is for saying bye to your dead father.

I hear a small, familiar chuckle in my mind that fades away the further I run, but a wave of confidence and a burning need to transfer schools are all I feel as I enter the makeshift ‘Winner’s Circle’ in second place.