BIG FISHES, rizuna ann

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THANK YOU FOR STAYING AT SEASIDE PARADISE TOKYO. . .

AS A TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION,
WE WILL NOW COMMENCE A GAME FOR ALL THE GUESTS IN THE HOTEL. . .

As the voice echoed all over the place, Saki stretched one of the pillow cases on the left side of the bed until she heard it ripping in two. Her hands worked fast, experienced in the making like a verb in constant evolution; using the smallest part, she wrapped the flower petals that rested on the mattress inside the fabric, keeping it as hidden as a treasure she took out of her soul.

If things could get worse than ever, that was the answer she needed to let the comfort of her room behind. There was no doubt anymore that The Beach had become a game arena. Saki noticed it rotting the walls, walking down the hallways.

Just the way a virus would spread, she feared it could be the perfect excuse for letting chaos take control of the unfortunate event.

DIFFICULTY, TEN OF HEARTS. . .

The moment she reached the lobby, someone passed her a phone as she tried to push herself into the crowd assembled to hear the rules being explained. Hundreds of feet danced around the room hurriedly, a madness of bodies that elbowed her side, broke her white cane, and almost made her eat a column if she hadn't pulled up her forearms to avoid collapsing against anything.

"Momoka!" A girl screamed once silence joined them.

GAME, WITCH HUNT. . .

Saki swallowed hardly the knot on her throat. Making the ball of cloth full of flowers smaller inside her fist, she hoped it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded.

THE EVIL WITCH WHO TOOK THE GIRL'S LIFE IS HIDING AMONG YOU. . .
THE WITCH ROLE IS NOT LIMITED TO WOMEN. . .

YOU CLEAR THE GAME IF YOU FIND THE WITCH AND BURN THEM IN THE FIRE OF JUDGEMENT. . .

TIME LIMIT, TWO HOURS. . .

At some point, between the beating heart of all the people reunited, their breathing fastening and their chests raising and falling, she gave in to the thought that she truly deserved a rest. Her shoulders slouched, and the pain on her leg came back to life like a forgotten punishment that didn't really mean to free her from itself. She was ragged, exhausted, but even if her body begged, she stayed just because she heard her talk.

"Find the one who murdered Momoka, then burn them in the Fire of Judgement." She recognized Ann's voice like a summer breeze coming to an end, letting winter creep around the corner.

"A witch hunt? This sounds interesting." Niragi was as confident as she imagined he would be. "All right, let's search for the witch!"

His words got an immediate reaction. People started freaking out, mumbling and pointing to each other, questioning their own friends, and doubting every word coming out of every mouth. She knew what he was doing, and still, she couldn't help letting the warning on the back of her head grow like a flower flooded with blood.

"Is she the witch?" Saki didn't like how close Niragi's voice felt. She tried stepping back, but a wall of chests blocked her escape route, too curious about what was happening at the front of the congregation to care about making space between their bodies.

"It's not me!" A girl screamed.

"We'll know once we throw you in the fire!"

He's gone nuts, Saki thought. Nobody could predict how things would escalate from that, however, it didn't take longer than five seconds for someone to insinuate exactly what Niragi needed everyone to hear to take action.

"You two were always together, but today you happened to not be with her?"

"It's decided!" Niragi shut any other opinion down, "She's the witch! Drag her to the fire!"

The whispers got louder, like bees feeling their honey be stolen and the danger of their hive falling apart buzzing in the distance. She couldn't hear anything besides the unbelieving gasps, and the panicked rustling of arms and legs.

"There should be other suspects." She caught Usagi saying, "Where were you guys and what were you doing? Can you prove it? Just say it!"

"Both of us were having a good time in the same room, right?" Niragi walked up at her, clearly mocking whatever had happened minutes before the announcement. Even from where she was standing, Saki could smell him drunkening on their fear; he was in cloud nine, ecstasy running on his veins like a shot of adrenaline.

"Everyone will take turns reporting what they've been doing in the past hour, then—" Ann got interrupted by a girl from the crowd.

"There's blood on her!"

Just like that, every last piece of control they had been gripping, slipped away.

"Don't get the wrong idea."

"Could she be the witch?" Niragi teased, and Saki almost stepped forward if it hadn't been for the body that got into her way, who tried getting a better view of the situation.

"You're wrong!" Ann stopped him, "This is Hatter's blood, I was checking his body. Hatter was murdered."

Saki made a face at her way of putting on the table such sensitive information. As if she'd handed them a ticking bomb, the tension in the room grew, building sweat like nitroglycerin.

"Why did you keep it from us?" Someone asked.

"The executives believed this would throw everyone into confusion."

"Are you guys hiding more things from us?" She didn't care to answer him.

"This bullet was stuck inside Hatter's body." Saki let her words sink in, "The fire marks align with the firearms we have here."

Deep in thought, considering the worst of the worst about to happen, Saki didn't register the commotion going on in front of her until silence took place once again, this time for Aguni's strong voice to take over them.

"So who's the witch?" He asked, "Come forward." Of course, no one dared to make a move, so that was it. "If nobody does, then I'll throw everyone into the fire."

As simple as it was said, screams emerged from every corner of the hotel, and the same way little fishes did when faced with a monster of the sea, they quivered away as fast as they could. Gunshots bit, and chewed, and swallowed every plea for living and forgiveness without hesitation, without caring nor hearing them.

Eagerly, as if tomorrow was an effervescent kiss that today couldn't bear not tasting anymore, Saki let her breath be taken away in waves by the people that stumbled against her, each one of them more blind than herself, until the path cleared. However, before she could even step aside, she was suddenly stopped.

"Finally! It took you ages to get out of your rabbit hole!" Like a snake, an arm wrapped around her shoulders, twisting above her collarbones to push her closer to Niragi's chest behind her back, "You and I have something unfinished." He whispered in her ear.

She really wished they didn't.