convoluted gameshows, wild cards, and getting weirdly seduced

Date: 1/22/2022

setting: cafeteria in a massively large college. I had just gotten back from break, I was gone for about a month and had spent break with my parents, I was talking with Lauren about how I missed my college dorm room bed and just wanted to face plant into it. I asked her the time and she said 8:50am, I panicked bc thats close to when class starts, but then I realized it was dark out and she had meant 8:50pm. As we were walking down the spiral staricase of this humongous cafeteria area (think mall food court but three stories tall) she was talking about staying for this "event" going down. This caused me to stay with her even though I really just wanted to see my bed. Then, before I could leave, the lights got dim and a procession of people started coming near us. At its head, a petite short woman with a bob of thick curly blonde hair. she wore a red dress and resembled marilyn monroe but with todays sort of beauty standards. She had a cute little white dog with her. Behind her was a crowd of people walking in a line, weaving in and out of the lunch tables. (These tables and chairs looked fancy, like something out of an outdoorsy italian restauraunt, small metal tables and slim wooden chairs). Suddenly they came near us, I was still standing but lauren was trying to settle me into the seat next to her and I just barely sat down in time to avoid unwanted stares. I was swept into all the hustle and bustle so fast that my chair nearly tipped over but I got it settled eventually. Once I looked up a small circle had formed of ppl sitting in the empty chairs that were near me. the girl with the dog across from me, Brennan to my right (though there were some other people between me and him), and other people had filled the chairs. Lauren -who was previously sitting next to me- was nowhere to be found. This event had seemingly swept me into its clutches, the spotlight, though not harsh, was upon us. The little white dog was looking at me from the middle of the circle and kept trying to get me to play with it, so I did for a second before it returned to the woman's arms. There was someone recognizable my age sitting to Brennan's right who got the mic shoved into their face to begin talking. There was some host (annoying gameshow style) but I can't recall their name or face. Brennan spoke as well, then the people next to me went but my head was a mess and I didn't know what we were supposed to do, or what even this was. I look around and right before it gets to my turn, Brennan looks me dead in the eye, expression serious and there was a strange energy coming from him (dagenrous sort of flirty in the way that people who know whats going on and who knows how much power they hold). Despite the weird vibes, he tells me what to say. We were to say our name, age, and what sort of coward we would be. Immediately I knew my answer. I said my name is [redacted), I am 20 years old (yes 20, even thought that not my actual age), and I am the cowards way out. The way I said it I suddenly realized, was very cryptic and could mean a whole slew of things, but I stuck fast to my answer as the mic moved its way around the circle. Then, a ☆scene cut☆. Everything is the same but there are just more people, more recognizable players to be exact. To my left there is Slash(?), the rockstar. He has curly greasy hair, a hat, and long long legs that are stretched out and crossed at the ankle in from of him. Apparantly everyone had said their piece. When Slash suddenly spoke up, he had a gun, he was trying to rob us, but it was somehow part of the event. Brennan made some comment about him being a last minute add in, while subtly glancing at me. I was still a little confused as to what was going on so I didnt notice him, but my dream was sort of out of my point of view and more like the POV of a tv show camera. Slash said something about changing his mind last second and coming back in to the event, he was supposedly a new "Big Competitor". But he ended up bluffing too hard, so when Brennan called his bluff with a stone cold face, he crumbled with a smile. Slash was supposed to be this new "Main Character" character, in this event. But something changed, and his bluff of not actually shooting anyone was called. He was exed from the circle, and he simply stood up with a rueful smile and left. This caused people all around to sigh in relief, they did not want this new "Big Main Character" player in this event. I thought that with Slash leaving that the event was on pause for a bit, and it seemed like others thought that as well. At this point in time I simply assumed that I was supposed to be a part of this event in the first place. But then, a huge poster is pulled out and passed along to all the people in the circle, some had stood up and started milling about. The poster came to me, and next to me this 20 y old blonde girl who may have gone to my school was sitting there. She and I were looking over this poster with giddy smiles on our faces. Like many posters some people were smaller or further back than others. At the front, and the largest characters on there, were Brennan, a hastily edited in Slash, and the girl with the red dress and dog. The girl next to me was like "Aw where am I? I cant see myself." So I pointed her out, she was in the back, with a beaming smile and wearing a sort of skintight purple body armoursuit. She seemed happy at least. However, I couldn't find myself on the poster. This caused me to realize that I was NOT supposed to be in this event. But weirdly enough, no one had kicked me out like they had kicked out Lauren, who had been sitting right next to me. I gave myself a character purpose right then and there. I was to be the wild card. The phrase "the cowards way out" still rung in my head, my own words filtering in and out of my ears. Then suddenly, gun shots, the sound of screaming, and bodies hitting the floor. People all over were throwing themselves to the ground, arms and legs akimbo. I followed suit, not sticking out or anything, making sure I blended in. I lost soght of the girl who was next to me, but with the side of my face planted into the floor, I was able to recognize that the shoes near to my face belonged to two guys who were on the basketball team and felt safer. I was on the edge of the circle a bit, not in the throng of people, but not sticking out, I was right where I wanted to be. A thought occurred to me that the gun wasn't real, idk where that thought came from, and I wasn't sure if I was to believe it, but it was very important that I had that thought anyways. Brennan, of course, was the one holding the gun. He had been randomly shooting into the crowd at the beginning, but now with people on the floor all around him, he was talking. He was monologuing a bit so I tuned him out, but he and I locked eyes on accident. He looked like he was trying to figure out my very existance, but in the most manic way possible. It seemed that Slash was not meant to leave the game so early, which caused all this chaos. At this point I think Brennan "killed" the girl in the red dress, but I cant be sure. Also, thought I may have had the fake gun thought, all the other contestants truly believed it to be real in some way. Anyways, he began walking through the throng of (alive) bodies on the floor. Towards my direction but not necessarily towards me. I felt his footstep on the ground about 3 feet from my face, and then the kept walking. That was when the two basketball guys suddenly got up, and sneaked away while Brennans back was turned. My heart stopped. I was panicked because they were sort of my "blend in" cover. It also sorta separated me from the circle, and singled me out. Idk where Brennan was, and I didnt care, all I cared about was getting back to the circle of bodies and making myself blend in. I began to army crawl towards the circle, and the girl next to me whimpered to stay put or hed hear/see me. I didnt care, I began my slow crawl towards the circle. I had barely moved an inch when I felt his presence behind me, and the tip of the muzzle of a gun touching my foot. he spoke to me. I didnt look back at him, and kept my gaze straight forward. Though I cant remember what he said, I'll say these things that I DO remember. He said something along the lines of, "You want to be a a part of THAT group? You're a wild card you know..." I made a circle in the sand w my toe, indicating yes, I do want to be in that group. Then, he said distainfully, "Would you rather have Flynn (bball boy) be in the lead here?" I attempted to make an x in the sand indicating no, but it kept getting messed up, I think he got the gist though. The tip of the gun stayed pressed into my foot for a LONG time, with me still frozen in my army crawl position, separated from the main group. I wasn't able to look at Brennan, but his presence was still suffocating. While he spoke to me, a few others made their attempts to sneak away, to free themselves from this dangerous situation, and they did it easily as Brennans attention was all on me. The term wild card fumbled around in my head. He seemed to be trying to figure out if I was a good sort of wildcard or a bad one. It seemed with every passing minute in this event that I had somehow foiled his plans with my very existance. The gun tip was still pressing into my foot when I woke up.