“Pawn to e4,” I spoke into my mic, making the first move of the game as the woman representing that pawn moved forward two spaces.

“Pawn to c5,” Evan responded, his corresponding cheerleader stepping forward only one.

The situation was bizarre, even comical in the grand scheme of things. But here I was playing a game of chess where my friends and family were pretending to be pieces. It’d be almost funny if their freedom wasn’t on the line.

“Knight to f3,” I said, watching Sophie slide past a few pawns to get to the corresponding tile.

“Knight to c6,” Evan countered. I felt dread watching Denise. The first of his pieces I knew personally had moved, a reminder that this game and its consequences were real.

“Pawn to d4,” I directed, sending another pawn forward. I watched a smug grin creep across Evan’s face.

“Pawn to d4,” he echoed, sending his own pawn to take mine. As soon as the opposing pawn stepped onto the tile, the woman representing my pawn began twitching in the same way they always do after being stuck with a control device. I watched as the cool blue light turned red and the eliminated pawn looked up at Evan. “Master, I am at your service,” she stated, kneeling before him in submission.

“Very good, now get off the board - you’re eliminated,” he responded callously. The pawn bowed and made her way to the sideline where she stood blankly at attention. “Neat feature, huh?” Evan prodded.

“Knight to d4,” I answered, sending Sophie to avenge my fallen pawn. Just like that, Evan’s cheerleader began twitching as her light shifted from red to blue. Moments later she lifted her head and began examining the room.

“What… What the FUCK is going on?!” she cried out.

“Don’t worry about it, go stand at the sidelines until the match is over,” I ordered. The panic on the cheerleader’s face was replaced by calm as she walked off the board per my orders.

“Awfully cold of you, Nathan. Pawn to g6,” Evan taunted.

“I’m not an idiot, Evan. This is an all or nothing match. I’ll sort her crisis out once she’s actually free. Knight to c3,” Now it was Mikayla’s turn to move, walking to the unoccupied space as ordered.

“Oh really now? Well I’ve had some conversations with your professor that would beg to differ. Bishop to g7.” With that barb, Dr. Mallory made her first move, taking up a more advantageous position.

“Congratulations, you saw my grades. Excellent use of mind control technology. Bishop to e3,” I retorted, moving Sister Desiree near Mikayla and Sophie.

“All I’m saying is it makes sense why you were friends with that airhead. Speaking of which, Knight to f6,” Evan barbed, pointing at Abby. Without registering his insult, the scantily-clad Abby moved to a new position parallel to Denise.

“You don’t know what, or who, you’re talking about. Bishop to c4,” I responded sharply. I knew he was trying to unsettle me, but it was hard not to defend her when she was in no position to defend herself.

“Oh I think I do, Nathan. Your former friends are far more open with me than they ever were with you. Rook, castle,” with that order, Mom moved to the g8 position, sliding past Malia on her way to f8.

“They never would have done anything like that normally and you know it! Bishop to b3!” I spat back as Sister Maria once again moved by my command.

“But they did! You can talk about what could or would have happened, but I care about what did happen. And what happened was your friends bared their souls to me, then sucked my cock together. Knight to g4,” I felt my hands tremble as Abby moved to the new tile, unaware of the argument unfolding about her.

“I don’t see why we’re having this argument when we can just ask her. Queen to g4!” I ordered, sending Tina to Abby’s space. Abby momentarily convulsed, but as the light on the nape of her neck changed to a cool blue she slowly turned to face me, tears welling in her eyes.

“Nate. He… I’m so sorry…” she sobbed. Joy welled up in having my friend back, but I knew I had to hold strong. This wasn’t anywhere near over.

“I know, it’s okay. It’ll all be okay. Just wait on the sidelines.” Abby nodded silently, exiting the makeshift board.

“Wow, how touching,” Evan snickered, though I couldn’t help but notice a subtle difference in his voice. “But let’s remind Nathan here who’s in charge. Knight to d4, and make it sexy.”

Denise moved to face Sophie, wrapping her arms around her hips leaning in to kiss her as she convulsed. As soon as she pulled back, Sophie knelt and swore loyalty to Evan. 

"I live to serve, sir," she said before leaving the board, the title she had once reserved for me now given to my nemesis.

“Queen to h4,” I ordered curtly, sending Tina to the new position. I needed to focus more on the game than Evan’s stupid stunts.

“Queen to a5,” Evan said, grinning from ear to ear. Sandy seemed eager to finally enter the fray, quickly repositioning to please her master. The sight sent a shudder down my spine. The reality that she could be condemned to a lifetime of this reemerged in the forefront of my mind. Seeing the pieces as living beings I cared for made every play more difficult than the last. Evan had been playing a psychological game from the start of this whole mess and in the moment it counted most it was starting to cloud my judgement. If I didn’t get my nerves under control it would only take one bad play for Evan to undo my entire strategy.

“Rook, castle,” I ordered, sending Kody to f1 and an equally nervous Talia to g1.

“Bishop to f6,” Evan ordered, confident as ever. He knew he was playing a good game. Dr. Mallory followed his command dutifully, as she had many times over the past week, threatening my queen.

“Now Nathan, I think we both know where this is going. So tell you what - you’ve been a good sport. You played by my rules and helped test my technology. Even I have a point where I have to offer some pity, so I’ll make you an offer. We draw.”

I blinked. “What?”

“We draw. I’ll accept a draw, and we both keep the pieces we have right now.”

I blinked again. What?! This was completely out of left field. Could he be trying to throw me off my game somehow?

“This whole thing started because you couldn’t accept a loss, why would you choose now to accept a draw?” I asked pointedly, fishing for information.

Evan shrugged. “Who’s to say? Maybe I felt bad for the crying bimbo, maybe I’m happy just getting to keep your lovely sister. Or maybe, just maybe, I already know I’m going to win and I’m finally bored. Regardless, it’s your decision.”

The offer completely derailed my thoughts. Time after time Evan had been positioned as the superior player, even by my own assessment my victory was a fluke. He’d done so much to throw me off my game, I couldn’t help but feel tempted by an offer that at least let me save Abby and Talia (plus that one cheerleader).

But something felt wrong. Evan had been so obsessed with victory this whole time, why choose now to accept anything other than complete domination? He wasn’t at a disadvantage, in fact he had the upper hand with my queen in danger. Maybe this was a legitimate act of mercy, but it still meant giving up on Mom, Sandy, Denise, Dr. Mallory, and so many other people who had nothing to do with this. 

I remembered my last match against Evan, one where I was free to try bold strategies with the confidence that it wouldn’t be a wasted risk. At the time, it was only a game. I had spent so much of the past week on the defensive, just biding my time until Evan came around to torment me again. Now, though? Now I was finally in a position to attack. I was finally able to offer what the situation needed. To be bold.

“Nah, I’m good. Queen to f6.” Evan raised his eyebrows in surprise as Tina moved to remove Dr. Mallory from the board.

“Oh my god, Nate…” she began.

“Don’t worry, Dr. Mallory. Just wait at the sidelines and soon this will all be a distant memory,” I reassured the freed professor confidently.

“Well Nathan, color me surprised. Not many people would be stupid enough to sacrifice their queen in a game like this. Kudos. Knight to e2,” Evan leaned forward, focusing more intensely on me.

“Yeah well, not many people would be stupid enough to make a game like this to begin with. Knight to e2,” I ordered, sending Mikayla to finally free Denise. Once the color on her device shifted Denise looked ready to lunge at Evan and murder him on the spot.

“Nate… Let me kill him,” she uttered through a trembling voice.

“Soon. It’s good to have you back Denise,” I reassured, trying to contain my relief. Still shaken, Denise joined Abby on the sidelines.

“Stupid? Out of all the insults to direct towards me you pick stupid? You just lost your queen, dipshit. Pawn to f6,” Evan’s agitation was clear in his voice as the cheerleader turned Tina over to Evan’s control and removed her from the board.

“Yeah, you’re stupid. World class stupid in fact. Sure you’re decent at chess, but what else have you done with your life? Hell, this isn’t even your tech, you just stole it from your dad! Knight to c3,” I studied Evan’s reaction as Mikayla moved, noticing his fist clenching and his breath intensifying.

“I am NOT my father. Rook to e8,” Evan spat, moving Malia from her position.

There it was. The nerve.

“You’re right, your father’s a genius inventor and entrepreneur. A comic book supervillain. You’re just his leftovers, the most unremarkable legacy he’ll leave behind. I bet-”

“SHUT UP!!!” Evan screamed, red in the face. I responded with a cool stare.

“Knight to d5,” I uttered. With that move, he had been forced onto the defensive. I now had every position protected. The reaction was clear on his face. Evan had gotten distracted and missed my strategy. Now he had no means of pushing the offensive.

“Rook to e6,” he ordered stoically, repositioning Malia again.

“Bishop to d4,” I ordered in response, sending Sister Desiree to the tile.

“King to g7,” Evan commanded, moving my mother into the den of pawns. There was no sadistic joy on his face when he commanded her this time, he had made that move with pure tactics in mind.

“You alright there, Evan? You don’t look like you’re having fun. Rook to d1,” as Julia moved per my directions, Evan’s eyes remained fixed on the board.

“Just play the game. Pawn to d6.”

“Oh, we’re well past that point. You’ve been trying to throw me off my game all week, and you took it WAY further than I have. Don’t tell me you can’t handle a little trash talk. Rook to d3,” Julia moved as ordered, while Evan’s focus seemed to falter.

“I’m FINE. I just want to play the game. Bishop to d7.” For the first time in the game, Ms. Holbrook moved across her diagonal line, giant tits bouncing with every step. Being reminded of her with a clear, confident head, I finally made a long-overdue realization.

“You know, let’s talk about your bishop there. Why is it that you’ve treated Ms. Holbrook with such particular cruelty? Rook to f3,”

“Because sometimes I like to play rough with my toys. Bishop to b5,” Evan smirked, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“No, it’s more than that. You hate her for personal reasons. It took me a while but I think I finally know why. Bishop to c3,” Sister Desiree moved parallel to her counterpart.

“Ridiculous. I didn’t know that bitch or any of the other whores in this backwater town until last week. Queen to d8,” he ordered, moving Sandy to a defensive position.

“No, but you knew her profession. She’s a psychologist. A counselor. Someone who identifies and diagnoses problems. Knight to f6,” Mikayla moved into the cluster of opposing pieces, freeing another tearful pawn from Evan’s control.

“She’s a stupid whore who does what I tell her to. Bishop to e2.”

Time stopped. Every muscle in my body felt electric. He was too caught up in his own vitriol to realize he had just blundered at a critical moment. All I needed to do was capitalize on his mistake and he’d have no recourse. If I played my cards right, this could be victory.

“No, she’s a consummate professional trained to recognize psychological issues and deficiencies. In other words, she would be the first person to see everything wrong with you - your psychopathic disdain for others, your blatant self-esteem issues, and most of all - just how glaringly, painfully lonely you are. Knight to h7.”

With that play, Evan was in check. I had a clear shot on his queen with Sister Desiree. He was on the backfoot, in more ways than one.

“You… YOU… King to g8!” Evan stammered, any semblance of composure out the window. Mom moved a space back, but it was already too late.

“Yes, me. Why are you so obsessed with me? For the longest time I thought it was just a tactic to throw me off my game, but now I see a deeper motivation in kidnapping my friends and family. You’re jealous of me. Rook to h3,” I ordered Julia.

“You are a fucking PEASANT. Rook to e5!” he ordered Malia, marching the exhausted girl around even further.

“A peasant with friends and family. Tell me, has anyone ever celebrated with you when you won a game? Christ, did you even have any friends? Ever? Pawn to f4.”

“I don’t have friends, I have subordinates. Bishop to f1, and make it entertaining,” Evan demanded, clawing for any semblance of control. Ms. Holbrook approached the occupied space, pulling Kody’s head into her tits while she convulsed. As soon as Kody was free from Ms. Holbrook’s cleavage she fell to her knees in a show of loyalty.

“And I am proudly one of those subordinates, Lord Evan!” she declared, marching off to the sidelines. Evan smiled at the show of fealty, but it was shaky. Manic. He was desperate.

“Sorry if this is a little awkward Tal, King to f1,” I declared, prompting Talia to gingerly step onto the space occupied by Ms. Holbrook.

After days of abuse and humiliation, Ms. Holbrook needed a moment to recollect herself and stuff her tits back into her outfit. To her credit, in spite of everything she had been through, she was still able to face Evan as she left the board.

“You are far too broken for anyone in my profession to help,” she stated coldly. Evan said… nothing. He simply stared at her, face now devoid of visible emotion.

“Rook to c8,” Evan stated bluntly, his tone empty. Luna moved in accordance with his command, but there was nothing he could do to change the course of the game at this point.

“You know you’ve lost, then? Why not resign? Stop prolonging this pointless tantrum. Bishop to d4.”

“No. Pawn to b5.”

“Why not? Knight to g5.”

“Cause I can still win. Rook to c7.”

“You can’t, and you know that. Bishop to f7,” as Sister Maria freed another pawn, the distant despair on Evan’s face grew.

“I have to win. Rook to f7,” with that, Luna embraced Sister Maria as she turned, swearing allegiance to Evan. It meant nothing to me, she would be free again soon enough.

“For what, your ego? Just take the loss and give me my fucking life back. Rook to h8.”

Once again, Evan was in check. But the match continued.

“I don’t lose at chess. I don’t. King to h8.” My mom, naked save for accessories, moved in front of Julia and locked her into an intimate kiss. The only comfort to me was that this would be one of the last times I saw a scene like this. Julia swore her allegiance and left the board.

“I lose at chess, all the time. In fact, I’ve lost to everyone in my chess club many times. Because failure is a normal human experience that doesn’t turn most people into a dollar-store Joker. “Knight to f7.” With that, Mikayla moved to take Luna, Evan’s rook, once again putting him in check.

“What the…” the freed Luna began before I ordered her off the board.

“Maybe you can, but I can’t. I don’t. It’s my claim to fame, my glory. King to h7,” Evan was obviously just spiraling, but he still had a queen and rook in play. I wasn’t about to drop my guard.

“That’s never been true. You never had any glory. Even before all this, it was obvious this game was boring you to tears. But you were so afraid to make anything out of your life that you put your entire self-worth into it. You have nobody to blame for your misery but yourself. Knight to D8.”

I watched as Mikayla took Evan’s queen. Sandy, my sister. I watched as her body convulsed and the red light on her neck turned blue. I watched as she fell to the ground, crying uncontrollably. Once she had collected herself, she turned to me. “Nate, please save mom…”

I shot her a soft smile.  “In a moment. Just try to collect yourself, okay?” Sandy nodded, sauntering off to the sidelines where Abby and Denise rushed to comfort her.

Evan watched her leave the board, cracks of distress visible through his facade. “Rook to e4,” Malia took one of my pawns, but the game was over.

“You didn’t seriously think she liked you, did you? You forced every action she took. She wants nothing to do with you. Knight to c6.”

“Rook to f4.” She took another pawn. It still didn’t matter.

“King to e2,” I commanded, moving Talia to the position. Evan looked well and truly broken. “Resign, Evan. You’ve lost.”

Evan stared at the board, but no commands came. He was out of moves. The game was truly over. No more stalling, not more commands, nothing. Finally, after a prolonged silence, Evan pulled the mic up to his mouth.

“I…” We locked eyes. For a fleeting moment, I swore I could see a moment of acknowledgement in his eyes. In spite of everything, he’d been outplayed and he knew it. For just that one split second, he looked at me like an equal. It was an uncanny sight.

One that only lasted for a moment.

“Activate Emergency Override Protocol 2691, return all units to user control!”

Before I could react, Every woman on the board and the sidelines began convulsing, their light jolting to a sudden red. Abby, Denise, Sandy, everyone I had freed was dragged back under Evan’s control. Evan stood up from his seat.

“HAIL ME!” he screamed into the mic. Every woman, even the ones who had still been under my control, jolted upright to a salute as a deafening chorus rang out.

“ALL HAIL MASTER EVAN!!!”

No...

“ALL HAIL MASTER EVAN!!!”

No!

“ALL HAIL MASTER EVAN!!!”

“YOU CHEATING HACK!!! I cried out, rage and panic carrying my voice over the chorus of worshipping drones.

“SEIZE HIM!” Evan ordered into the headset. Everyone rushed for my chair toppling it to the ground and pinning me down in a matter of seconds. I had no chance of escaping the horde. Held to the ground by an assortment of hands and knees, I was barely able to look up, seeing Evan descending from his chair. He knelt down in front of me.

“You made one critical mistake, Nathan. I’m Evan fucking Boltchek. NOBODY wins against me in the end. Soon I’m going to have one of these women drag you out into the wilderness and put a slug in you. Then I’m going to make your mom, sister, and friends forget you ever existed. Then I’m going to put them to work for ME. And they’re going to be fucking pleased about it. But before all that, I want to leave you with one final reminder of who I am. Talia!”

I felt a knee lift off my back. “Yes, Master Evan?”

I wanted to cry out to her, beg her to come to her senses, but I could barely breathe in my current position, let alone speak. I hadn’t noticed her in the crowd, but of course he got her too. The cheating fuck, he was never going to let me walk away. I was doomed from the start.

“Come here, bitch,” Evan commanded. Talia obeyed, stepping over me and facing Evan. He seemed sickly satisfied to see her in his thrall. “You’ve got a real mouth on you, you know that? I’m going to personally break you, right here - right now. Then I’m going to find the most depraved basement dweller I can and make you his slave for life. But first, I want you to show Nathan here what it feels like to be truly, deeply alone. Kiss me, discard that piece of trash.”

I watched as Talia stepped forward, her body and mind at Evan’s mercy, or lack thereof. Evan smirked at me one final time, a grin only a true sociopath could make, before closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss Talia. Talia leaned in as well, her hands on his shoulders.

“Checkmate, bitch,” she said, bashing her forehead into his nose.

Evan had no chance to react, the force of the impact knocking the headset clean off him onto the floor. He recoiled from the strike, hands over his face, while Talia rushed past him and put the headset on. I jolted my head up, shocked as Talia somehow defied Evan.

“All units, sleep!” she commanded into to the mic. Instantly, all the bodies pressing me down fell limp. By now Evan had gotten his bearings, the shock on his face replaced with murderous fury as blood poured from his broken nose. He took a step towards Talia, only to glance to his right at the last possible minute. A part of me will always savor the moment of wide-eyed terror I saw on his face when he realized he had nobody left to protect him. I only saw that fearful expression for a moment, however, as I delivered a violent punch into his cheek that sent him flying back onto the ground.

I didn’t hold back, not that I could after everything he did. All the rage, shame, humiliation he had inflicted upon me and everyone I loved over the last week fueled the flurry of punches and kicks I delivered onto his prone body. I could hear bones cracking, not knowing or caring if it was mine or his. Evan tried weakly to block my blows with his arms at first, but quickly lost the strength to defend himself as I beat the life out of him. No more games, no more tactics, just raw fury. And nobody could save him from it, not that anybody in their right mind would.

I didn’t know exactly how long my onslaught lasted, but by the time I was done Evan had been reduced to a tangled, bloody heap on the ground. As the adrenaline subsided I momentarily worried I may have actually killed him, but the sputtering of slow, agonized breathing reassured me that he was still alive. I’d fantasized about killing him at my weaker moments, but I didn’t want to become a murderer. I did, however, want him to suffer for everything he’d done. If his injuries now were anything to go on, he’d likely never be the same again.

I’d won. Again.