Chapter 1 – Chap 1

“2. Your Employment “Your role will differ from day to day. What we are interested in is a keen eye to detail, leaving no room for mistakes. There is a tier system involved that will work for or against you. It determines your ability to move freely and the risks you may have to take for our stakeholders.

Those that reach top tiers may leave, but many get a taste for the work and stay onboard. To ensure survival follow the rules listed below.

No contact with law enforcement.

Follow all instruction without question.

Speaking is only reserved for hosts and entertainment.

Report unapproved communication.”

“She should be out for another few minutes, get your shit done kid.” Mr Rainbow said as he watched my trembling hands attempt to connect a GoPro to the camera boom. His name might lead you to believe he’s pleasant, but he’s far from it.

‘Mr Rainbow’ was the host of the “Escape the Rainbow”, and like all the hosts he had his own persona built under a mask and tight black suit. His face hid behind an oval mask with a rainbow-coloured toothy smile stretching ear from ear.

Mr Rainbow held the unconscious woman on her feet, his black eyes following my movements as I locked the camera boom and GoPro to the front of her vest. The second camera slipped out of my sweat covered hands as I attempted to attach it to her back, and Mr Rainbow swore under his breath.

“Remember, everything you do reflects on me, so don’t fuck this up, okay?” Mr Rainbow scolded.

After checking the camera still worked, I clicked it in place and backed away while Mr Rainbow rested the woman on her side.

“Carrot Top. Everything good?” he yelled to another stagehand.

We were all required to wear black morphsuits to hide any distinguishing factors such as skin colour, tattoos or scars. ‘Carrot Top’ was given a bright orange wig and christened with his new nickname. After passing my probation, which ultimately meant surviving, I too would be given my own name.

Carrot Top, who was testing all the cameras positioned above the maze shot Mr.Rainbow a thumbs up. Keeping to rule 3 in the employee handbook, which I believe was enforced to keep stagehands from communicating with one another.

“Turn the lights on newbie” Mr Rainbow ordered, pointing his white-gloved hand to the lightswitch. When the lights came on over the maze, I got my first taste of what it actually was, and my heart raced.

The ceiling of the room was only about six foot, but the maze was long. Imagine an empty warehouse but cut the height by three quarters and replace the flooring with cheap wood. Locked behind a door, all three of us watched the cameras as the woman stirred back into consciousness.

Mr.Rainbow pulled a microphone close to his mask as the woman staggered to her feet, dazed and confused.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a fine young lady here getting ready to make her attempt at escaping the rainbow. If you’re new to the show, our contestant must run the maze for her freedom, with four doorways to choose from—each leads to a further two doors with only one of the sixteen doors leading to the exit.

Luck plays a large part in this game folks. You need to choose the first door correctly to ensure you are following the right path. We have all the classics! Stake pits, broken glass, rusted nails and the all-time viewer voted favourite, the bone-crunching, rib breaking HAMMER!

No one has completed this maze, but today, I think we have a real contender. Please put your hands and claws together for Ms Jane Doeeeeeeeee!” Mr Rainbows’ voice embodied every sleazy game show host you have ever heard.

I watched Carrot Top cycle through shots of the traps before pausing on the large sledgehammer fixed above one of the doors. It had been fashioned as a tripwire of sorts, ready to swing down on whoever was unlucky enough to get that door.

Carrot Top cut back to the woman right as she started banging on the door behind her.

“Each person reacts in a different way to finding themselves in the rainbow folks. Many of our veteran viewers will know what happens next. CT roll that audioooooooooo!”

Hitting a button in front of him, Carrot Top gave another thumbs-up as the speakers within the maze crackled and a pre-recorded message spat out.

“Welcome contestant! You have been selected to run the rainbow, congratulations! It’s natural to be nervous or scared, but please make sure to direct your emotion to any camera you might see. With that said, the rules are simple, escape the rainbow, and you are free to leave. But remember, danger lurks behind every door and if you refuse to move we will send in the dogs!”

The woman continued slamming herself into the door before the pre-recorded sound of vicious dogs barking turned her body toward the maze and in front of four coloured doors.

“Blue, green, yellow or red. Which will she choose?” Mr Rainbow continued with a chuckle “Statistically, our contestants seem to avoid the red door opting for blue or green. Little do they know, red leads to salvation, and the other three are… much less fun.”

Picking the green door, the woman pushed it open and swept aside the broken glass with her barefoot to create a path. Satisfied she had cleared the glass, she took a few steps before falling through the floor and into a short pit filled with sharpened wooden stakes.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the building and sent my blood cold.

“Stake care where your standing folks!” Mr Rainbow laughed as the contestant tried freeing her now impaled foot and leg from the pit.

After a few failed attempts, she rested her weight on the ledge of the pit and sobbed.

“Why are you doing this to me”.

“They always ask the same questions…BORING! Am I right? Don’t worry viewers sometimes all the contestant needs is a little motivation!” Mr Rainbow covered the microphone and looked over to Carrot Top. “Roll the dogs again”.

Carrot Top hit a button, and the sound of the dogs returned.

“If you don’t want to end up as dog food! Keep moving!”

The dogs sent the woman into a frantic state as she pulled her limbs from the pit with gut filled screams and crawled across the glass toward the next door. Leaning on the side of the wall, she pushed the door open and attempted to hop in.

I almost screamed “DONT GO IN THERE” but instead turned away as the hammer swung down from above the doorway. The impact was one thing, but the audible crunch of her bones is something I’ll never forget. Looking back, the woman was now face down twitching in a pool of her own blood.

I wanted to cry, vomit and scream all at the same time.

Mr Rainbow rested the microphone next to him and put a hand on my shoulder.