Malincha watched as the people in front of her chose carefully between a gun or a lie, and when she finally reached the end of the line, stared carefully at the bag of guns besides Nolamento, who smiled at her with bright yellow teeth.
"So? What will you choose?"
"...I choose the lie."
"Good choice." He grinned at her, and then turned to everyone else on the bus, clapping his hands. "The test begins now. Best of luck." He said, before both him and Tye proceeded to leave the bus, leaving the passengers to themselves. Malincha watched as everyone started to shift and get off the bus, making sure it was completely empty. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMTEg1uifc
"That plan of theirs was as half-assed as the construction of this town." She walked over to the bag, reached into it, and pulled out a gun, spinning it between her fingers as if it was lightweight, and then slid it into her pants, leaving the bus.
As she stepped into the town, she could hear that the game had already started. Gunshots and screams could be hard, and she could practically smell the betrayal lying heavy in the air. Yet, it brought her comfort, and in a way, it felt sort of cozy. Betrayal, lies, the art of deceiving, they were her domain.
She held out her hand in front of her, and flexed her fingers three times before her hand started to spin around rapidly as if the joint of her wrist was covered in oil, before popping off. And yet, there was no blood to be seen. She bent down, and patted the hand, before watching as it scampered off like a spider into the shadows.
She then leaped into the air, landing on the roof of a nearby building. Crouching down again she through the dark night sky like black lightning, leaping from each roof with the same exalted elegance and discreetness as a panther.
Sliding down the roof she was on, she slipped into the alleyway between the bank and the bar, dashing deeper into the alleyway. She could practically smell it now, the smell of lies, as thick as the mist coating the small town.
She could see him now. Nolamento walked down the alleyway, his hair tied back into a slick ponytail, and his hands buried into his pockets. She snuck closer, and closer behind him, only for him to spin around, her face being met with the barrel of a gun. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRjPl2n0gI
"Tsk. What are you doing tailing one of the examiners? You know I could disqualify you for that."
She scoffed. "Examiner? Tell me, what did you do with the real ones?"
He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "What the hell are you talking about?" 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmheDqiICeD
"Don't bother keeping up that lie. We both know I know. Hell, I have known. I mean c'mon, I saw that half-assed plan coming from a mile away!" She chuckled. "You might have done well deceiving everyone else, but don't think for a second your amateur fibs could fool me for a second. You dumbass."
Nolamento took a step forward, pushing the gun further into her face and grinning an unhinged smile at her. She stared back at him, completely calm with her arms crossed. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMPKAW8pmK
"You've twisted my arm, Malincha, Participant number five! As an examiner, I will have to take it upon myself to disqualify you for attempting to assassinate an examiner." His finger began to press down on the trigger, and then, he felt something press up against his neck. On his back was Malincha's disconnected right hand, grasping something which felt like a gun. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFymMiAOLe
He slowly raised his hands, smiling at her, and Malincha's right eye twitched as she pulled out her gun from her pants, pointing it at the man. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjuUu7V5xc
"Wait, WHAT? If you have the gun, then what the hell is that hand holding?"
"I don't wanna hear it from someone who killed the original examiners, and this came up with this stupid plan just to increase their chances of winning. Seriously, you couldn't have come up with a better plan?"
The man sighed, trying to glance back at the hand, only to notice Malincha's grip on the trigger tighten, and he stopped moving.
"So, are you gonna tell me what the hand is holding or what?"
"It's a camera."
"..." The man stared at her with an absolutely dumbfounded expression.
"I was trying to record this scene for my upcoming movie. It was supposed to be absolutely amazing. Suspense, action, everything, only for you to ruin it with your horrible acting."
"Huh?"
"When someone is held at gunpoint, they aren't supposed to be all lax about. Next time someone points a gun at you, make it fun. At least gasp or something, DAMN."
"Noted."
"Aren't you going to ask me how I figured your plan out?"
"How'd you figure it out?" He asked in a voice with more monotone than that of middle schoolers reading a book out loud. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcH7JJBDJot
"You're not...doing it...you know what, whatever. First of all, when you handed out those devices, you did so BEFORE asking us if we wanted the gun or the lie."
"That I did."
"But you said that if you chose a gun, you wouldn't be able to lie. And that if you chose the lie, you wouldn't be able to use a gun. And that means you would need two separate devices, one for the ones with guns, and one for the liars. But you relied on the fact that the participants were so focused on the chance of dying if they broke the rules that they couldn't see the holes in your plan." She took a few steps forward till she was face to face with Nolamento, pressing the gun to his chest, and then pushing the hair covering his chest to the side with the gun to expose the device on his chest.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHs3OwaygX
"Also, nice costume. You're wearing that hairball of a wig to cover the fact that you also have the same device on you that you passed out to everyone else. I'm guessing the original examiners gave them to you, and their purpose was for something completely different then you pretended it to be. And the same goes for the man with the ridiculous tie." She now raised the gun so it was right below his chin and aimed it so that if she pressed the trigger, his brains would skyrocket out his skull.
"And you think we killed the real examiners?"
"No other way around it. You did so to deceive everyone else. Not to mention those paper slips you passed out, called 'em hints but they were just to make everyone else suspicious."
"What did yours say?" He looked at her from underneath the bangs of his long, unruly wig.
"Trust no one. Now then." She pressed the gun further up so that it forced Nomalento to tilt his head upwards. "What weren't you lying about?"
"Do you intend to torture it out of me?" The man's voice suddenly changed, and he snapped his head downwards, pushing the gun in her hand downwards. "Your deduction was perfect, flawless even, Malincha, but you're missing one thing." 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCXRGc8Tn4
Her eyes widened slightly as she realized something. How did the man even know her name? She tried to steady the gun and raise it up against his chin, yet, in the blink of an eye, the gun had left her hands, and reappeared in his own. Lunging at him in an attempt to get the gun back, he stepped to the side, letting her stumble forward, and then placed the gun at her temple, scoffing as he watched her freeze up. "You disappoint me."
She turned her head slightly. "Who the hell are you?"
"A part of you that you have tried to forget and reject. If one thing is to be learned from today, it is that you, Malincha, are truly the greatest liar."
"..What the hell are you talking about? You're the only who wrapped everyone up into this scheme you hypocrite!" She watched as he plucked her disconnected hand from his neck and tossed it back at her. She caught it, screwing the arm right back on.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMaKmjljbC
"One day, I will break you from the web of lies that you have tangled yourself in..but that time is not today. You will pass this test and join Banjo on his voyage to the Labyrinth. You must."
She glanced at the man, wondering if he was mad. What the hell was he talking about? What lies?
"You'll find the fibbing statue in the bar, inside of an empty bottle of wine in one of the cabinets. I'm sure you'll be able to find it in no time. You are attuned to things which are deceiving in nature, after all." He lowered the gun from her temple and took a step back. She slowly turned towards him, trying to get a good look at him once again, but he had already faded away into the shadows.
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