Hope Always Dies Last | Chishiya [English]

Reading and comprehension for beginners

A life for a life.

How many times had I justified my actions like that? Since when was it so easy for me to kill someone else just so I could get away?

It's a moral issue. How did a person tick, what moved them? Was it the power of emotions? The power of egoism, of personal initiative? These are all questions that should be dealt with when you have time.

Well, I didn't have time right now because I was running from a fucking panther who thought I was his next meal. I didn't care as long as I didn't feel those damn teeth.

Where were my stupid teammates now? Were they hiding, had I already run past them?

40 minutes remain!

No... There, I could hear the conversations... it seemed to be the two friends. I was able to shake off the beast at the cost of two lives.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled before turning the corner. The girls screamed, I swerved, and the panther jumped at the smaller one. A disgusting crack was heard, and I made sure I left the scene immediately. The panther just had his lunchtime snack, who knows if he was still hungry for dessert. I didn't want to find out.

The screeching subsided and I found my way again. I carefully peered into every mirror in fear of meeting another animal.

But to my relief, I did not discover any uninvited guests for the time being and was able to continue walking without any problems.

Again, and again my senses played tricks on me, and my hand unintentionally slid to my belt every time. I had to pull myself together not to pull out the knife because then I would be breaking the rules.

Speaking of rules, maybe I should take a closer look. What was I allowed and what wasn't I allowed to do?

Fighting with guns was forbidden, which didn't mean I couldn't attack anyone. As long as there was no object in play, I could do anything, even if someone got hurt.

We also had to exit the maze before time ran out...

A clang made me jump before I jerked around and stared behind me. "Hi Shiraishi!" Sakamaki rounded the corner, "Sorry, I just accidentally dropped my glass bottle." She showed me the neck of her bottle, which now had no bottom. "It's okay, I was just scared," I replied, waiting for her to be by my side. She smiled at me before we walked down the aisles together. Like me, she seemed to know exactly where we needed to go.

20 minutes remain!

"Have you seen the beast yet? I haven't..." she said, and I nodded slightly. "Yes, it already had its first snack. I wouldn't be surprised if it's back soon," I replied, "It's a panther, by the way." Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "The game makers are crazy," she then murmured, "It really doesn't get any more brutal than that..."

I paused to collect myself, then turned left. She followed me a short distance and then hopped back to my side.

"May I ask how old you are?" I looked at her and she grinned slightly. "I'm seventeen," she said, "but people say I look older." I smiled lightly. "I agree with the people," I replied, "I would have guessed you at nineteen. It's great that you haven't lost hope yet."

She hummed lightly. "It wasn't easy. I was repeatedly threatened, exploited, and oppressed," she said before turning right. I followed her, albeit with a hesitation. "But I learned from it," she added, "I learned how to play with other people's hearts to achieve my goal. Heart has been my favorite attribute ever since."

15 minutes remain!

I looked down and smiled briefly. "My boyfriend is also good at hearts," I said, "He's so damn good at it that I'm amazed every time." She giggled and we turned right. "But my favorite attribute is spades... and clubs. I like the physical exertion, I can work better then," I threw afterwards. "You look like a good spades player, yes," Sakamaki gave a thumbs-up, "Your belly shows it through that white shirt." I burst out laughing and had to cover my mouth with my hand. She grinned too.

Something green stabbed my field of vision the next moment and I recognized an ivy wall. The color reminded me a lot of the eyes of the Panthers, somehow, they looked identical. "Wow... The color is really nice... It's not often you see such a beautiful green", Sakamaki turned to me, "The panther's eyes look similar, don't they?"

Wait...

"How do you know that?" I asked her the next moment and her eyes widened briefly before she smiled at me reassuringly. But I didn't buy it... suddenly it seemed wrong.

"Sakamaki... You said you hadn't seen the beast," I replied, "Then how do you know the eyes were green?"

Her smile collapsed; I took a step back. Suddenly I knew why I had hesitated at the right-hand bend. It had been the wrong way.

10 minutes remain!

"You're the king of hearts, aren't you?"

I was so naïve! The rules specifically said that the face card wasn't tied to a specific gender. Sakamaki caught my eye from the start because she behaved differently. Already at the entrance she had been far too calm... And she had known that the game only needed 12 players! But there hadn't been an indication of the number of players required! If I had understood what I read, I would probably already be at the exit!

I should have known from the start, but I fell into the trap anyway as her looks made me hesitate. She was young, nobody trusted a young person to reach a certain level. But it was possible... And through her inexperience, she had allowed herself to make mistakes that weakened her camouflage.

"You saw through me," she brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, "then I don't have to be nice anymore."

A bestial grin crept onto her lips, and I shuddered. Behind the pious girl there seemed to be a fury who loved to play with other people. It was a perfect match for the King of Hearts.

A hand flashed in my direction, and I just managed to dodge it. The girl kept hitting me, but I was able to block her fists with my arms. However, I wouldn't be able to go on like this forever because time was on my neck again. I had to exit the maze... it was tactics. If I fought, I could not reach the goal. What a smart move...

What now?

"You can't escape me," she laughed, "I'll kill you! Look at me! Look at me, look into my eyes! I'm the king of hearts!" She was crazy... It was like she lost her mind!

"I'm the best, I'll play with you 'til you're all down. No matter the cost," she leaned in my direction, her fist slammed into my rib. I yelped.

5 minutes remain!

"You'll never forget me," Sakamaki hit out again, but this time I was prepared.

"Oh, yes?", I blew, "But you forgot something!" My fist landed in her face. "You may be able to play with other people's feelings, you may be able to trick others... But a person isn't just made up of emotions. There are so many other things you can never control," I flared out, "You can influence me, but in the end I always decide for myself!"

Bang.

I felt her face dent under the force of my blow, she fell to the ground. Blood flowed, I looked away. Damn, too much power. Her nose was gone.

Then I turned and ran. It wasn't long before I ran into a small group of five people who were terrified. To pay my debt, I waved to them.

"Follow me!" I exclaimed and they rushed after me as the corridors narrowed. A horrible roar sounded; the panther was close to us again.

But the exit wasn't far either. We cut the curve and slid towards an open door at full speed, which we then passed.

It beeped six times, then was silent.

Congratulations!

I breathed a sigh of relief when the woman's voice could be heard.

Damn it, that was too close for me! But at least it was now one airship less, because at the same moment there was a crash.

The ship went down with a loud roar, which Sakamaki didn't notice anymore. She was long dead, her blood was still on my fist.

But it didn't bother me: on the contrary, it made me a little proud, even if I didn't know why.