The man went to the table where Luke was killed and put the cloche on it before leaving the room.
"Call us if you need more food," said the last man, leaving the room and closing the door.
Jack and I looked at each other briefly and sat around the table.
"So, do we eat?" Jack asked.
"I don't know. He said there is not gonna be any poison."
"Maybe there is something else?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, something that is not poisonous but dangerous. Maybe, glass shards in food?" Jack replied.
What he said made sense, but the glass would have to be ground small enough to go unnoticed. If they are that small, it shouldn't be a problem.
"I don't think that is. It is something else. But we have to eat. That's all I know." I said.
"Why? He said that you might die in the next games if you don't eat. It doesn't mean you will actually die. It is just a chance."
"I don't think I would die because of the game. But I could die of hunger."
I wasn't being sarcastic. I was really getting hungry. And seeing all this food just made it even worse.
"Just let me try first," Jack said.
"You are not in a good state, and I can actually tell how hungry you are. Your emotions are all over the place, but your body can't stop thinking about the food now."
"Let me try a piece and wait for a minute. If nothing happens to me, we carefully eat and fill our stomachs," he added.
"No, let me try. I don't want to see others get hurt anymore."
"Dude, it's gonna be fine. Don't worry," Jack said as he took a spoonful of soup and sipped it.
Jack has always been a brave one among my friends. Not just in his words but also in his actions.
I remember him once being stabbed while he was protecting his friend. I don't know how he handled the situation, but they say the guy who stabbed him was in a worse situation than him.
After being stabbed, he was back in school. They couldn't hold him in the hospital since he kept saying that he was okay.
He also looked kind of intimidating if you didn't know his fun personality. He was a wide-built guy who would always go to the gym and train.
"Could use some salt," Jack said after he tasted the soup.
"You think that is our problem? And if you need salt, it's on the table. Just use it."
…
It had been a few minutes now. I was still checking the food and waiting for an answer from Jack.
He looked totally normal and didn't mention any problem other than the salt.
"I guess we can eat," said Jack suddenly.
"Okay," I said, taking a deep breath.
I took a spoonful of soup and sipped it. It was tasty, but different. Something I have never tried before.
Following me, Jack also started to eat.
While we ate, we would stir the soup and look for any weird things they could put in it. I didn't know what we were supposed to look for, but in a room painted with blood, you have to be cautious.
"You know, everything here is healthy," said Jack.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I haven't tried most things here, but since I have searched about nutrition, I know how good these are. Specially for you. Looks like this was prepared to heal you as fast as possible."
"Hmm," I wondered as I took a look at the table.
Almost every meal contained meat and vegetables, and all of them appeared home-cooked.
…
It had been 15 minutes since we started eating.
After finishing the soup, we didn't finish every plate, but we tried them. At least I did.
As expected from Jack, he was eating until there was only a plate and a spoon.
After a few minutes had passed, I stopped eating since I just wanted to suppress my hunger.
As I put down the spoon, I accidentally found an answer to the question I had always wondered. What happens to the characters in stories after they are traumatised? Can they eat? Can they sleep?
Looks like you can. The body forces you to do things even if your mind can't. Emotions are strong, but since the brain is wired to survival, even the most horrific scenes will be overtaken by hunger.
As I was thinking these, Jack suddenly stopped eating and made a sour face.
Then he held his stomach and started to take deep breaths.
"Jack, are you okay?" I asked.
Even before he could answer, I heard a noise. A writing noise.
A new text has appeared on the wall.
"Game #4: Surgical Operation"