Prologue
“On your marks...Get set...Go!”
Claudia watched as the svelte figure in the black spandex cat-suit to her left began to slither awkwardly across the polished wooden floor towards the first of the obstructions blocking her path. To the right, three other women, all dressed in similarly skin-tight costumes, were involved in the same ungainly sliding activity, and Claudia knew that - if she was to limit her own further participation in this whole strange ritual that she’d somehow become embroiled in - she had to follow their lead.
Not only that, but she had to catch them up and ensure that she reached her designated goal before they did. And so, with this in mind, Claudia began, with difficulty, to slide forward on her stomach, using her shoulders and hips to propel herself towards the netting which lay a few feet ahead of her. A rather unorthodox method of travel under normal circumstances, but when you’re bound hand and foot with tight ropes which refuse to allow you to move freely, what alternative do you have? The only comfort Claudia could take from the circumstances she found herself in, was that her four fellow participants were equally trussed and hampered; although the fact that she was the only first-time player of this strange sport might, she surmised with a feeling of unease, leave her at a disadvantage when it came to technique and know-how as to the best way to overcome the challenges ahead.
As she set out on what seemed a daunting, if not almost insurmountable quest, Claudia cast her mind back only a few minutes. And the realisation came to her that what had started as just a bit of light-hearted fun - a bit of childish ‘letting off steam on a Friday evening’ thing - had, in such a short space of time, become an ultra-competitive, deadly serious game which - if she’d read the signs correctly - bore rather sinister undertones; at least for the person finishing last in this weird contest that she’d allowed herself to become caught up in.
Why had she agreed to this venture? Why hadn’t she pulled out before the ropes had been fastened to her limbs and a ball-gag inserted into her mouth? Was it because the other members of her group of work colleagues had all shown no objection to being bound and gagged; in fact, had seemed to relish the prospect? And that she, as the new girl - who wanted so desperately to be accepted as their friend - didn’t want to be seen as the spoil-sport or the party-pooper of the group?
As she forced her way awkwardly forwards, these questions - and many, many more - kept rushing through Claudia’s head. No firm answers seemed to present themselves, however. But one thing she did know was that now she had ‘signed up’ to this peculiar brand of entertainment, there was no going back. She simply had to keep going and hope that one of the other girls completed the allotted tasks in a worse time than she did.
