Deduction, Deception, Death

4.

THE TEMPERATURE suddenly seemed to drop by twenty degrees, and something told Mira it wasn't the cold. The tension in the air was prominent. A deafening silence followed, and she could swear she could hear everyone's heart beats quicken.

What Benjy had just said was his most famous line, one he said every game. Watching at home, Mira couldn't make out the reason for the sudden change in the participants. How they grew so tense in a heart beat; the thing that was happening now. After all, practically all of them had heard it before. So was the reaction staged? Did the cameramen instruct the participants to act that way? But when she heard those six words, Mira realized she couldn't have been more wrong.

These six words were everything the game was about. These six words were what would truly open her eyes and make her grasp the gravity of the situation.

For all the players, these past few days, with the announcement of having been chosen for the game, and being told you had to kill fourteen other people to live . . . it had all been a blur. But surprisingly or not, this blur was not a bad thing. In fact, it was bliss in its purest form. A state of senselessness proves to be a state of calm. But this state, however comforting, is bad. Not for you. Oh no, no, no. Since when have they started thinking of you?

It is bad for them. The sickly lunatics sitting at home with their eyes glued to a screen displaying treachery, despair, gore and bloodshed.

The players' comfort in unconsciousness is bad for business. So something must be done to snap them back to cruel reality. And these six cutting words were perfect for the job.

"Well, would you look at that!" Mira jumped a little at the sound of Benjy's voice. Shaking her head, she forced herself to concentrate. "Let's start introductions, everyone," Benjy said. "Why don't we start with you, miss. Tell us something about yourself." He pointed to the surly-looking girl with blonde hair and dark pink streaks.

The girl stood up slowly with an annoyed look on her face. "I'm Nirbhaya," she said. Everyone waited, but Nirbhaya didn't say anything else. Benjy cleared his throat. "Mm, I think everyone would like to hear a little more. How do you feel about being here?" he suggested.

Nirbhaya scowled at him. "I feel, Benjy, like strangling a certain someone whose name starts with 'ben' and ends with 'jee'," she replied coldly, inviting a weak smile from Benjy.

The introductions went on and soon, everyone had talked about themselves. Their host announced it was time to leave to their cabins and retire for tonight.

Even though Mira knew they would get to know their roles, she was glad for the night. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep, but perhaps she could clear her head . . . or at least try to. Maybe she might even be able to make a plan or think of who she wanted as allies. Nirbhaya could make a good one. She seemed like Mira's type of person. Mira had a feeling they had much in common. Also, Nicolas would have to be her ally. Mira didn't care if he would become the Murderer or Godfather. She didn't know exactly why, but she just couldn't leave him. A couple of other people also stood out to her — such as Ashlee and Akihito. They seemed like good people who could be potential partners.

'Maybe I should try and talk to some people,' she thought. It was best to make use of her time left on this Earth instead of wallowing in sadness all day. Though that seemed like an inviting option.

Mira checked the map she had been given of Camp Happy Days. The cabin closest to hers, Cabin #14, was to be occupied by an Elliot. Mira was good with names, so she easily spotted her hopefully friendly neighbour. "Hey!" she said, trying to sound upbeat. "Oh, hi!" Elliot replied. "Didn't see you there. The name's Elliot." Mira introduced herself. "And just so you know, I'm a guy," Elliot continued. "Use the pronouns he/him for me, please. Though I sure hope you don't have to use pronouns to talk about me anytime soon. I'd appreciate it if you didn't plot my murder with other people."

Mira chuckled. "Alrighty, I won't, as long as you don't either," she said.

"It's a deal," Elliot assured with a smile. But Mira wondered if Elliot would truly keep his promise. Would she keep her promise? Would she not kill Elliot, or anyone for that matter, if they stood in her way? It was a game of murder after all. A game of deception and death.

But was she capable of killing someone? Stopping their heart and taking their life? Mira's first answer was no. But the more she thought of it, she realized she couldn't answer that question. She didn't know her own capabilities. This game brought out the best and worst in people. What would it bring out in her? Mira shuddered at the thought. She hoped she got a non-killing role. She wasn't going to win anyway, so she figured it was better to die without any blood on her hands.

"Hey, wanna spend some time at my place?" Mira asked Elliot. She didn't know where that came from. Maybe it was because she suddenly felt pretty spooked, and having someone around for a while seemed like a good idea. Besides, she had a feeling she and Elliot could be good friends. "Sure, I'd love to! I'll stay till we get our roles," Elliot said. "Because . . . you know."

"Yeah, I know," Mira replied. 'Because no matter how much anyone pretends to be anyone's friend, no one can truly trust anybody,' she thought.

Mira's cabin was very plain and simple — exactly like the cabins in the previous MMS games. There was a bed made of cold metal, like you would find in prisons. A wooden table with drawers sat beside it. The drawers contained everything you would need for your role, but they were locked right now. They were designed to only be opened by the owner (a fingerprint sensor had been put in place) after they got their role. A small, empty cabinet was fixed on the wall. Mira didn't know what she would keep in there.

She shut the door behind them as Elliot entered. Mira went to bolt the door, but it didn't have any locks. Of course. How else would one break into others' houses and use their role and/or kill people?

Mira and Elliot sat on the carpet and talked for a while. Elliot was a really kind person, and it seemed the two had a lot in common. They both played the violin, and loved moth — sorry, möth — memes.

Ping.

A notification. From their TPs.

Mira and Elliot stared at each other for what felt like forever. They had received their roles. "I-I should go now," Elliot said, voice trembling. Mira was impressed he even got the words out. She felt like her tongue was tied.

Elliot left the cabin. As soon as he did, Mira ran to her bed and shut her eyes tightly. She took deep breaths in an attempt to stabilize her breathing. 'You can do this,' she told herself. 'It's okay. It's okay.'

Finally, Mira mustered up the courage to pick up her phone. A red symbol with '1' appeared on the Messages app. This symbol could determine whether she would survive or not. Mira clicked on the text message. Her heart skipped a beat. There was a single word.

Murderer.