Hope Always Dies Last | Chishiya [English]

Among Us

Our journey was silent, no one dared to even begin to open their mouths. Was it because of Kurako? I had no idea, and I didn't have the nerve to deal with it now.

I preferred to look out the window and try to figure out where fate was taking us. Every now and then I recognized familiar features, but most of the time I lost my bearings. Hell, I kept forgetting how big Tokyo actually was.

I was even more surprised when Kurako parked the car in an insignificant parking lot and motioned for us to get out of the vehicle. We followed the instructions, and I wrinkled my nose as a gentle breeze hit us.

It stinks.

I looked around, curious as well as disgusted, trying to figure out the source of the strange smell. But all I could spot was a lit section in front of a factory floor. Everything else was dark, just that one lamp casting a sad light on the floor.

"A gully", Inuoe wrinkled his nose, "See? The lid is next to it." I took a closer look and sure enough: there was a drain cover that was inconspicuously lying on the street. The gully next to it was open and a ladder was sticking out. A shiver ran over my skin, and I had to suppress a gag reflex.

They wouldn't...

"A game in the sewers?" Nanami looked around questioningly, then eyed the small, lit piece. I shook myself, Kurako seemed amused at our situation. After all, he was also the first to approach the location and then finally disappear over the ladder inside the gully. Inuoe was second, Nanami were left alone for a brief moment.

I could already feel her eyes when Inuoe turned his back on us. But she only spoke when our former colleague was out of earshot.

"You still haven't answered me, Nei," there was an urgency in her voice that gave me goosebumps again.

That's right, there was that. I had almost forgotten that Nanami still expected an answer from me. She was worried.

"What do you want to hear from me?" I said while watching the entrance of the location and she snorted briefly. "That you don't do anything stupid?" She raised her voice a bit, "Damn, I'm just scared that something will happen to you, Neiru. I wouldn't be able to stand it if I found out something had been done to you."

She was right, I admitted it: I couldn't bear it if something happened to her either. But I just couldn't tell her. If I did, she would get involved too. The fewer who knew, the better.

"Don't worry, Nami," I put my hand on her shoulders, "I'm just hanging out with Kuina a lot. That's all."

Her gaze softened a bit and I felt bad that I had to lie to her. Yes, someday I would tell her, but now wasn't the right time.

To avoid further questions, I pushed myself off the vehicle I was leaning against and walked towards the gully.

Beep

I had entered the location, now there was no turning back. I had to play again. I slowly put my hand on the ladder, then began to carefully move down. It got dark and cramped for a moment, then I was in a large hall. It smelled even worse here than before.

However, there was light here, the obligatory table was also in the middle and there were exactly two cell phones. As I approached it, I counted the participants. With me it were nine players, if Nanami came along there were ten of us.

A limited number of players, was that a good or bad sign? Last time everyone had died except for two people.

My eyes swept more closely over the crowd. Inuoe and Kurako stood together, talking quietly. Three teenagers were standing a few meters away from them. They appeared to be still in high school as all three wore the same school uniform. I could tell from their attitude that they already knew the procedure. No beginners... Another reason to ponder.