x
Weeks later...
“You talked to Kyuji? Why?” Raibaru cried.
"I wanted to ask him about Osana,” I reply leaning on the glass of the phone booth.
"I told you everything you needed to know!" she yelled angrily.
“You didn't tell me about the rumors leading to her death or the fact you got expelled for bullying Mr. Konagawa or the fact you were lying to me this whole time!" I say.
This silenced her for a while, "What do you mean? I...I wasn't lying!"
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I knew you never liked him Ms. Fumestu but don't you think that you went a little too far with the harassment?”
She gave me another round of silence and I hear sniffing in the background. “Yeah. You are right. I hate him. I hate him for stealing Osana from Taro!”
"Are you sure about that?" I ask.
"Yes...yes, I am!" she yelled. "He wasn't even a decent boyfriend to her! He exposed her secrete to everyone in the school! Taro would never do that!"
"Then why didn't you say this vital piece of information?" I ask. "You've had me running around in circles this whole time!"
She didn't say a word.
"You didn't want me to know about it right?"
"What? No! That's not it!"
This pissed me off. "Then what is Ms. Fumestsu because you are high on my list of suspects!"
She went silent. Other theories about their relationship juggled through my mind but I wasn't sure about them.
'But it isn't a crime to ask.' I thought. "Ms. Fumestsu?"
"Yes?"
“Did you love Osana?”
It took a few minutes for the question to sink in and she cried loudly. I roll my eyes because this was getting old.
Really old.
I place the phone back on the hook and call a taxi to take me to the Southside of Town.
'I feel like I'm running around in circles with this.' I think passing my hand over my face. 'The only person left to talk to is Mrs. Yamada but I doubt if she would grant me an audience after marrying the victim's crush.'
The city lights and the buildings seem to disappear started disappearing making me unsure about my destination for I had never been to the Southside of Town before.
‘Come to think of it if Mr. Bernard; the owner of the Amusement park was arrested for hiding the corpses in there, then who was the Uncle to the unfortunate family?’
I wait for my inner voice to say something but it was silent. Sighing, I look out the window and see what looked like a Ferris wheel in a distance.
'It looks like I would find out the truth when I get there.' I tap the driver on the shoulder. "Stop here."
Confused, the driver did as he was told and I pay him immediately when I step out of the car. Standing by the roadside, I stare at the forest in front of me and gulp.
‘Maybe this is a bad idea?’ Suddenly, my phone beeped with a message. Terrified, I look around before picking it up praying it wasn't whom I thought it was.
And my prayers were answered.
“AWW. ARE YOU SCARED?”
I do not reply.
“DO NOT BE AFRAID. THE REAL TERROR WILL COME WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK INSIDE MY PLAYPEN.” Then a map mini map appeared on the screen. “USE THIS MAP AND YOU WILL MEET THE REST OF YOUR FRIENDS WAITING TO PLAY MY GAME. DO HURRY UP. YOU ARE THE LAST CONTESTANT.”
‘Last contestant?’ I straighten up my bow and took a deep breath. ‘It looks like I am not the only one here.’
My choice of clothing was terrible as I venture into the forest for the weather was cold and leaves and twigs brushed against my bare skin as I walked. A white long-sleeved shirt complemented with a pair of black shorts revealing a leg harness strapped around my left leg. The leg harness held a hunting knife and strapped to my back was a bow, a quiver holding a set of arrows, and a katana. My bag held a notebook, Adrien's journal, the Imperial Blade, pepper spray, Hunter's knife, a flashlight, and a small first aid kit.
'I may look over-kitted but you have to be prepared for what you are getting yourself into.' Suddenly, I hear a rustling behind me and turn just in time to see the kitsune emerging from the bushes.
“Couldn’t you have worn something warmer? We are in the middle of Autumn after all.” it scolded walking passed me. “Come on. We are wasting a lot of time.”
It lead the way to a clearing and when I stepped through the bushes, a beam of light flashed on my face.
“Oh another one of us.”
“She looks hot.”
“Who is she?”
Whoever it was continued to shine his light on my face so I use my hand as a shield.
"Put down your light fool."
"Gah! Sorry!"
The light moved away from my face and I took a good look at the people around me. Most of them were teenagers, probably older or younger than me with a few adults. The person holding his flashlight was a teenager wearing a pair of glasses and he looked timid for some reason.
“Is she the last one?”
“I hope so we have been waiting in the cold for three hours already.”
“Technically, it is only for fifteen minutes…”
I look at my phone and see that the mini-map was gone replaced with a message reading, ‘YOU HAVE ARRIVED’.
“Looks like you got the message too.” someone whispered behind me. I turn to see a pale-skinned white-haired boy with green eyes. “Hi, my name is Legos. What is yours?”
I hesitate a bit. “Emma Cross-wood.”
He smiled. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”
“CONTESTANT NUMBER FOURTEEN HAS ARRIVED. NOW WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR CONTESTANT NUMBER THIRTEEN.”
“Aww, come on!” I heard a huge thump and see a huge man punching a tree's trunk. “We have been waiting here for a long time!”
“According to the instructions written on the app, the game won’t start until fourteen of us are here.” said one.
“But she is the fourteenth one!” the person yelled.
“Yes, but we are still incomplete.” The voice said.
The tall muscular man with short hair who was cleanly shaven with short hair gave me an angry look before walking toward me. “You. You are number fourteen aren’t you?”
“Yes. Yes, I am.” I muttered.
Then rustling was heard and a girl emerged from the bushes. “Stupid twigs. They ruined my leggings!”
I recognized that voice from anywhere but choose to keep my mouth shut. ‘What is Valerie doing here?’
“You are late!” the man growled.
“Hey! I come whenever I want!” she snapped back holding on to her huge bag.
“GOOD! ALL THE CONTESTANTS ARE HERE!” a loud voice said. “NOW YOUR FIRST CHALLENGE IS TO FIND THE CARNIVAL WITHOUT THE AID OF YOUR MINI MAPS.”
“What?!” one cried out.
“You just lead us here and expect us to find that place on our own?” another asked.
The voice cackled. “DON'T WORRY. YOU WILL HAVE A FRIEND TO HELP YOU.”
Suddenly, the man a few feet away from us was impaled in the chest with a sharp object. We gasped in horror as the robot appeared from the bushes lifting the man high in the air as coughed and gasped for air for life. Its red soulless artificial eyes glowed as it stared at us but what made this robot peculiar was the way it was dressed.
It was dressed in a school uniform.
“SHE IS GOING TO SHOW YOU THE WAY. AT LEAST SOME OF YOU.”
“S...s...some of us?” one asked.
“WELL YEAH! IT DID INTRODUCE ITSELF DIDN'T IT?"
I start to grasp a sense of what is going on. “You want us to find the place before that thing kills us?”
“CONGRATULATIONS! SOMEONE FIGURED IT OUT! I WOULD HAVE REWARDED YOU BUT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING! ALL OF YOU WILL HAVE TO FIND THE PLACE BEFORE MY MINIONS AND HER FRIENDS FIND YOU BUT SINCE I AM A GENEROUS GUY, I WILL GIVE YOU A HEAD START OF TEN SECONDS.”
“Ten seconds?” someone yelled. “How are we going to find the place within ten seconds?”
“NOW YOU HAVE NINE SECONDS.”
We all sprinted in different directions but I went north because it looked logical and after running for a few minutes, I stop to catch my breath.
“It’s a good thing you stopped here.” the kitsune said.
“Why?” I ask.
Suddenly, someone emerged from the bushes. It was an adult male and he looked like he was out of breath. He took one look at me and sighed in relief. “Thank Heavens. I thought it was one of those…”
Zip! Within a split second, he was dangling upside down in the air screaming for help. The rope got loose and he fell head first into the ground and stopped moving.
Then his torso dropped to the ground.
“DID I FORGET TO MENTION MY MINIONS AND HER FRIENDS SET TRAPS FOR YOU GUYS? OOPSIE!”
Then someone screamed at a distance.
“LOOKS LIKE THEY GOT ANOTHER ONE!”
“Follow me. I will guide you out of here.” and with that, the kitsune leaped into a bush. I follow it and after a lot of jumping, sliding, and turning to avoid the traps, twigs, and bushes, we finally made it to the carnival gates which had a lock on them.
189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlg8EfzcvR
“Psst.” the kitsune lifted its front paw towards the pile of junk in front of the ticket booth. “Search here. You will find something useful.”
So, bending down and being on high alert, I start searching the pile. Apart from soda cans, half-eaten food, old newspapers, and broken toys, I find nothing of value.
“There is nothing here,” I said.
“Keep searching.” It ordered.
I do that and find an old hand mirror frame that looked like the mirrors used in victorian times with a shard of glass attached to it.
‘This looks like an antique. Where did it come from?’
Then I hear someone panting behind me and looking back, I see one of the contestants who was a female.
“How did you get here so fast?” she asked.
I shrug and put the mirror in my bag.
“We are safe now aren’t we?” she asks as I inspect the lock. “I mean, the person did say we will be safe once we found this place.”
“WHAT I MEANT TO SAY IS, YOU WILL BE SAFE ONCE YOU ENTER THE PLACE.”
At this, the girl’s knees began to shake while I tried to unlock the gates but there was a snag. The lock mechanism wasn't something technical or simple, because there was a sliding puzzle on it and the last time I checked, I and these kinds of puzzles were sworn, enemies.
‘Now is not the time to let your hatred get the best of you.’ I thought sliding my fingers over the puzzle pieces.
“Looks like you made it too!”
“Man, that was intense.”
“Was she the first one to get here?”
“What?"
"How did she do that?”
“Do you think she cheated?”
“I do not know.”
“What is she doing?”
“She is trying to unlock the gate.”
“I heard the host say we are only safe once we enter the carnival.”
“Yes, it is true.”
“Dang it!”
I grit my teeth in fury for this was the third time trying to solve the puzzle and I was at the end of my sanity. Suddenly, I was grabbed by the neckline of my shirt and tossed aside.
“Leave it to me.” it was the body-builder guy wielding a huge metal mallet. He took one swing at the lock but it only left a dent. After landing another hit, huge currents of electricity passed through him and he fell to the ground.
“SORRY KIDDIES BUT THEY ARE RULES HERE. DAMAGE ANYTHING AND YOU DIE.”
The man groaned and tried to get up.
“OHH. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A TOUGH ONE. I WILL REMEMBER TO ADD MORE VOLTS TO THE ELECTRIC CURRENT NEXT TIME.”
I resume back to solving the puzzle on the lock but the sound of a huge machine caught my attention. Turning towards the right, two people emerged from the bushes, running towards us.
“What is the matter?”
“They are coming.”
“Who is coming?”
The sound got closer and my hands got sweatier. Something huge was coming our way.
“Wait a minute, I can solve this.” someone said pushing me aside. It was a male contestant and he started fiddling with the lock.
The sound got closer and out of the dark foliage, a huge machine appeared. Now imagine a wheat harvester modified with huge saw blades.
Yep. That's what saw.
“LOOKS LIKE OUR LITTLE GAME IS GOING TO END SOONER THAT EXPECTED.” said the voice. “I GUESS IT IS GOODBYE! THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!”
“Hurry up assh*le.”
“I am trying but someone made a dent on the friend.”
I watched the robot operating the machine changes its gear and charge towards us at top speed then back at the male contestant solving the puzzle.
“Ah ha!”
The minute I hear a 'click', I kick the gate open and rush inside along with the rest of the contestants. Unfortunately, one of us wasn’t fast enough and got locked out.
“Help me!” she screamed.
I tried to pry the gates open but something painfully zapped my hands causing me to jump back. The girl's horrifying screams overpowered the buzz of the machines and we watched in horror as the girl was shredded to pieces.
“WELP, LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE ENDED UP BITING THE BULLET.” the voice said.
“You b@stard! Why did you do that?” yelled the contestants.
“HEY, IT'S ONE OF THE RULES OF THE GAME: ONLY THE STRONGEST SURVIVE.”
“But she was my girlfriend!”
“SORRY BUDDY. RULES ARE RULES.”
I watch him crumble to the ground and cry bitterly while calling her name. It made my heart ache. What if I do not make it out of here alive? Would anyone figure out what happened to me?
Why I’m I thinking like this?
“BESIDE, SHE WASN’T WORTH THE TROUBLE.”
That caught his attention. “What?”
“SHE WAS CHEATING ON YOU WITH DOE BOY OVER THERE.”
Soon all eyes turned to the boy behind me who was probably the Doe boy for he had brown eyes. Then we hear the sound of someone having the pillow talk and looking behind us was a huge screen showing something rated 18.
“Eww! Someone should turn this off!” Valarie said in disgust.
“Hmmph! You like watching porn don't you?” the body-builder guy remarked.
I could feel the tensions mounting as the Mourning Boyfriend stood up from his pathetic state and attacked Doe boy while the rest of us managed to pry them apart.
“HEY TAKE IT EASY. PLAYTIME IS JUST BEGINNING.”
Mourning Boyfriend shrugged himself off one of the contestants and stared at the bruised Doe Boy with hatred in his eyes. Without a second thought, he turned towards the gate and tried to open it only to be painfully zapped.
“SORRY BUT ONCE YOU ARE IN HERE, THERE IS NO WAY OUT. NOW, THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE SIMPLE; KILL OR BE KILLED.”
“Wha…what?”
“LOOKS LIKE SOME OF YOU ARE STILL CONFUSED SO I WILL EXPLAIN. ALL OF YOU ARE TO HUNT TO KILL EACH OTHER BEFORE SUNRISE AND THERE HAS TO BE ONLY ONE OF YOU LEFT. THE LAST PERSON STANDING WILL GET THE CASH PRIZE OF TWO MILLION YEN. ISN’T THAT GREAT?”
I didn’t like the idea one bit. “Hey! I am not here for the money.”
“OH. I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE HERE FOR."
We hear a cackle and I narrow my eyes.
“NOW, NOW RELAX. I HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN THE PROMISE I GAVE YOU. YOU WILL GET YOUR ANSWERS BUT YOU HAVE TO PLAY MY GAME FIRST. WIN AND I WILL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW.”
My eyebrows knotted into a frown. ‘I feel like I am taken for a ride.’
“We have been taken for a ride from the very beginning!” yelled my inner voice.
'Oh, you are back.' I sarcastically say.
“OH AND ONE MORE THING, MY MINIONS WILL BE JOINING THE HUNT TOO.”
“What? You meant those things will be chasing us?” one of the contestants yelled.
“WELL, YEAH! HOW ELSE WOULD THIS BE INTERESTING IF I DO NOT ADD SOME EXTRAS INTO THE MIX? NOT ONLY THAT, THE CARNIVAL IS LITTERED WITH TRAPS AND GAMES DESIGNED BY YOURS TRULY. I ASSURE YOU, THAT IF YOU ARE QUICK, SMART, OR STRONG, YOU WILL ESCAPE WITH YOUR LIVES. IF YOU ARE NOT? WELL, YOU KNOW THE DRILL BUT DO NOT WORRY, I WILL MAKE SURE TO MOTIVATE YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR HUNT.”
“How?” one asked.
“OH, YOU WILL KNOW TOUGH GUY. YOU WILL KNOW.” the voice gave an evil laugh.
"You...you can't be serious can you?"
Suddenly, I heard something click and we turned to see Valarie holding a machine gun with a smirk on her face.
“LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”
ns 15.158.61.55da2
