"I'll go next," Caleb said after he managed to pull his eyes away from Derrick's belly. He could swear it was still expanding, though Derrick seemed to have mostly calmed down, seeming as stable as someone in that condition could be. Of course, full term triplets--especially on a relatively slender frame like Derrick's--would end up being pretty huge. He pushed the popper and rolled a nine. Good--a big number. The faster they could get to the end of the game, the faster this could all end. His piece moved and he waited anxiously for his instructions.
Sightseer
Go to the window to choose your fate
"What does that mean?" asked Jenna, peering at the words.
"I bet anything you see outside, you'll transform into it," Courtney said. "Like, if you see a dog, you'll turn into a dog. If you see a tree, you'll turn into a tree."
"Oh, man! Do it! Maybe you'll see a pregnant woman and we can be twins," Derrick said, patting the side of his stomach.
Caleb shook his head. "Nope. I won't do it. I'm not going to look out the window. How does this game know there even *is* a window? It can't know that. I just won't go. Someone else's turn. Jenna, I think it's you."
Shrugging, Jenna hit the popper, but instead of a new roll, what looked like little bolts of lightning flashed through the inky black. "That . . . can't be good," she said, worried about what might happen to her. New words appeared:
Sightseer
Use it or lose it
"That's still you, Caleb," Jenna said, feeling relieved that it wasn't for her. "Go look out the window or you're gonna lose your turn."
"Great. Lost turn. No problem. Better than--than all of this," Caleb gestured wildly to his friends. "I'm not doing it." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "This stupid game c--guys! GUYS! I can't open my eyes!" All other pairs of eyes instantly turned to Caleb as his hands reached up to claw at his face. Once he'd closed his lids, they'd fused to his skin and his friends watched in absolute horror as his eyelashes and eyebrows shed to the ground and the seam of his eyelids smoothed over, the skin changing to match that of his forehead. Caleb couldn't just not open his eyes: his eyes had completely disappeared.
"Help me! What's wrong! I can't see! I can't--" Caleb's hands groped along his newly smooth upper face. "I can't--" In utter, terrible shock, his voice trailed off.
"They're gone," Courtney said, horrified. "His eyes just . . . it's like he never even had them to begin with. Just totally smooth, no dips or anything."
"Use it or lose it," Jenna said, re-reading the words on the popper. "He wouldn't look, so he lost his eyes." She took a deep breath. "I guess we better follow all the instructions or . . ." She left the rest unsaid, but everyone knew what she meant. This game could possibly be deadly, or at least permanently damaging.
The smoke turned inky black again, Caleb's turn having ended.