Heart of a survivor × Chishiya Shuntaro

Chapter Thirty Six

Now that the pair had set off down the first path, the clock had started ticking. They had to get out of this labyrinth before anyone else.

They both walked at a fast pace alongside each other. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, too focused on moving forward. After they came to a split in the path, Takara broke the silence.

"Do you think this is it? Do you think it's just a maze we have to get through?" She asked, turning to Chishiya.

"I'd assume not. But we'll find out soon enough" he replied.

"Let's take the left route" he pointed, Takara nodded and followed him.

They both continued down the path, staying on high alert while they walked with speed. Takara looked up ahead at the hedges, quickly spotting an opening in the foliage not too far from them.

"Try that way" Takara motioned to Chishiya, earning a hum of agreement from him.

The two cautiously walked through the opening, analysing their surroundings. They found themselves in a green clearing, with three more paths at the other side of the area. To the right of them, a wooden games stall stood, which Takara made out to be a throwing game.

At the front of the stall there was an inbuilt trough which would've held the balls, and at the back of the stall she could see duck targets arranged on a watery backdrop. The paint on the ducks and backdrop waves had started to chip away, making the whole stand look like it had seen better days.

The pair walked closer to the stall to get a better look at it, curiosity getting the better of both of them.

"An odd place for a fairground game" Chishiya mused, swiping his hand along the wooden rim of the games stand.

Out of nowhere, the stall instantly lit up, loud carnival music emanating out of the speaker on the top of the stand. The suddenness of the music made Takara jump, not expecting the game to come alive.

The duck targets slowly started to bob up and down inside the stand, sounding rickety. Shortly after, some balls were dispensed down from a tube into the shallow trough in front of Chishiya and Takara.

The music quietened slightly, with an announcement replacing it.

Each of you must take a turn in knocking down the ducks with the balls provided. You must knock down 8 ducks in order to win a prize.

Takara took a glance over at Chishiya, both of them giving eachother a confused look. She shrugged her shoulders at him, picking up a ball and readying herself to throw it.

Chishiya grabbed Takara's wrist that was chained to his own hand, making her halt her movements.

"Do you think it's wise to play?" he asked her, clearly doubting her decision.

"The prize might help us survive. It could even be the key to get these off." She said while bringing both their chained hands up and giving them a shake in his face.

Takara turned back to the game, holding a ball up and squinting one eye shut in an attempt to get a better aim. Aiming for the duck that was moving the least, she brought her arm back and threw the ball with some force behind it.

The clanging of the ball hitting the metal duck filled their ears, the duck falling backwards behind the backdrop. Takara's face lit up with triumph, picking up another ball and aiming for a different target.

Chishiya watched intently as Takara hit one duck after another, only missing a handful of times.

Now with seven ducks down and two balls left, Takara put in a little more thought into her final throws. She brought the ball up behind her head and threw with all her might, aiming for the duck in the very center. The ball hit the edge of the duck, but had enough force behind it to knock it down.