━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
┏━━━━━━━━━┓
3 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬
┗━━━━━━━━━┛
"The time limit for this room is two minutes." The machanical voice said and timer for two minutes started in the phone as soon as the door to the elevator ding opened.
Everyone hesitely made their way out of the elevator looking around the square room where there was two doors, one showing picture of a skeleton that clearly indicates death god with text 'die' and other one showing picture of some anime girl that refers to angel obviously with text 'live'.
You were standing behind the boys along with two girls, looking closely to the door for some kind of clues but nothing.
"Alive or dead." The women besides you said, and you heard a small giggle follow afterwards from one of the boy.
He opened the phone camera and started recording. "I think it's getting exciting here."
'He still didn't get the seriousness of this game. They still feel that this is just a minor win and lose game.'
You don't think you can judge them cuz they like any normal human being who would definitely thought something like that But at least that wasn't the case for you. You immediately understood the meaning of dead and alive game in your first chit chat with Arakawa.
Is that safe to say that you were smart to understand the situation and his words or stupid to believe his words in just first encounter, when you knew there possibly can't be the things like that, maybe you can call it naive.
Well whatever you're, you just knew that your naive, smart head helped you saved your life.
'They'll realise soon'
"I'm scared, I wanna go home." The school girl on your other side said. You can quite understand after all you were in her place not too long ago. Scared and confused.
"It'll be fine, you're with us." The boy who was recording said in assurance but you highly doubt that this three dorks who didn't even taking this game seriously gonna help her someways. "We'll play the game, get our reward and go home."
'If that'll be that easy.'
"One minute remaining" You heard the mechanical voice and you shakingly breathed out. Going towards the door to inspect it. Cuz if you go like this, you all surely gonna die without even trying.
"Arisu, what do you think, which is the right one?" The boy in blonde hair ask the shaggy hair, which you assume was named Arisu.
"It can't be this one right." Office attice said, pointing his finger towards the door you're inspecting. Making you slightly annoy with his way of thinking.
"If they had to clearly tell you the right path, they wouldn't have kept another door here for you. That's unnecessary." You spat in your soft voice making the boy closer to you flinch and almost drop his phone.
Breathing in, you didn't mean to be harsh but when you're life is at sake it's just commen reaction that anyone could get. You immediately regretted and turn back to the door to inspect a lil more before you could move to the next door, that maybe- just maybe contain some clues.
The room was silent for a moment befor everything gone back after your outburst.
"What if we choose the wrong door?" Arisu asked the women, who was just standing there, doing nothing.
"The answer is alive. Open the door that says alive." She state, twisting her answer and ignoring his question. You slowly turned your head in her direction, eyes nerrowed as if it's saying 'You're kidding'. This woman here clearly is a bad news. She's trying to use this people as her paw just like what Arakawa did to those in the heart game. For meantime you gonna call her Arakawa's sister.
"How do you know?" Asked Arisu, in confused maybe contempted after your statement.
"Obviously, it's written alive." She state,
Before you could say something, you smell something, something like smoke. You looked down and panicked. You covered you nose and mouth by the sleeves of your arms as the chaos begin among others, not surprising for you.
"Thirty seconds remaining."
You were leaning against the wall beside the death door, coughing. It was hard to bear, as you feel it's filling your lungs.
"I-I can't stand it anymore." The school girl said as she rushed off towards the alive door. You raised your hand towards her but was too late when you saw her already opened the door.
You watched the same laser light pass through her head and she dropped on the floor, dead. The door closed behind her, cutting off any view to see her.
"Is... she... dead?" Office attic asked.
"Ten seconds remaining."
It's says and Arakawa's sister dashed off towards the door on your side. Soon you follow after her then rest came along.
"The time limit for this room is one minute fifty seconds."
You breathed as slide down on the wall. You body shook and your hands started trembling furiously. The same thing happening again and you just can't do anything. The same feeling of helplessness crawl back to you attached with a animus feeling that saying that you'll die in this game.
"She really died." The blond hair breathed out.
"What the hell is this?" The office attic asked.
"You're the one who killed her." Arisu said.
"But you guys survived because of me, right?" She replied back, without a hint of guilt or something in her voice, snapping something inside you. You looked up towards her.
"Ahuh? Saved us? You saved yourself!! You won't hesitate to made us scapegoat to save yourself if time comes." You spat, answering her fiercely.
"Blame me all you want but if you guys keep zoning out, You too will be dead." Now she's really reassemble you to Arakawa. If time comes you too won't hesitate to send her to death door, just like what happened to Arakawa.
Blondy only tsked as he pace back and forth in fury. "Do we choose die here too?"
"It's 'die' last time, so maybe this one should be 'live'." - Arisu.
"Maybe that's what they want us to think." - Blondy.
'Atleast someone is thinking rationally.'
"Of course, I'm sure it's a game for us to choose a sacrifice. The doors probably don't make sense. The important thing is who will open it. They're telling us to choose one person to sacrifice within the time limit." She ridiculously pointed out, making you scoff.
"you sacrifice that girl just now why don't you go ahead this time?" - Arisu.
"Because I believed if I survive, it'll be beneficial for all mankind." - Arakawa's sister.
"You seriously think so? You know what, in my opinion it'll be beneficial for all mankind if you just die here so that you won't make anymore victim next time." You voiced out venomously as her eyes flared at you, telling how much she is not appreciating your presence here. And if it goes her way then surely you'll be the next pushover.
Suddenly the boy on the floor not so far away from you vomited and a reminder voiced out.
"One minute remaining."
You crawl towards him and patted his back for some comfort. Looking at him worried. "Hey, You good there?" To which he just nodded and you both stood up. The chaos occurred once again among the three and smoke started coming out.
It always happens, everytime when you're nearing the time limit, everyone loose their control on themselves.
"I'm gonna open it." You heard someone said, you were coughing but you did make out that it's Arisu's voice. he goes to live door and looked at death door for a second before moving towards it. you can clearly say that he was hesitating but still clutched the door knob while his friend telling him not to and how Arakawa's sister trying to provoke him.
"Thirty seconds remaining."
Soon his grip flatten and he sat down. His body was shaking and you were feeling kinda bad for the person. it's not easy to volunteer something when you know what might going to happen.
"See, it's not easy, is it? even you would've done the same I did." - Arakawa's sister.
"Shut the fvck up!!" - Blondy.
"Twenty seconds remaining."
The blondy whose name you came to know was karube, sounds frustrated and he stomp towards the live door while talking about taking turns to open the door, which you found fair. If he can be manly than you are not less than anyone here.
When opened the door without getting harm, you quickly followed after him along with the rest. Just making in time before the hot flames will be burnt you to a crisp.
"The time limit for this room is one minute and forty seconds."
"Time limit is getting shorter and shorter." You mumble out as Arisu looked at you, about to say the same thing. You huffed and patted your knees removing any invisible dust. You looked at Karube.
"I'll take this turn now." You said, despite how terrified you're and how your body trembling miserably. Ignoring the increasing beating of your heart you moved forward just to be stopped by an arm.
"You might die." Arisu said, clutching your wrist.
"Then I'll die. It's not like we know eachother, it won't matter."
"I could've said the same when you saved me, you know." You were speechless at the statement that you know is right.
"Right, you aren't taking this turn, she'll be the one going this time. I'll choose the door." Karube pointed at Arakawa's sister, making her eyes widen. He grabbed her by her wrist and slammed her on the live door nearby.
"No." She said looking at him with pleading eyes, too scared to move her lips.
Karube huffed in anger and turn towards us, mainly looking at the boy beside me. "Arisu, you got any idea?"
"Idea?"
"You said that there's always a way out there in games." He persued.
"But it's not a game, it depends on our luck."
"No, it's not." You faced him, looking at his eyes, trying to explain your point. "Luck plays only a few percentage in a game. It's a game of team battle, either focusing on cooperating work"
"You can do this Arisu."
"I-I can't-"
And this is how the argument goes on, tension filling not just both of them but in the whole room, till Karube punched Arisu on face and he landed on the one side of the room. You don't know what was that but it did something to Arisu's mind as he composed himself.
'Has he finally lost his mind?'
"Thirty seconds remaining."
"BMW 523d" He said, making you think that you also saw it just outside the building. "The answer is die." He said, looking at the door. The confidence his voice holding almost made your feet moved.
"How can you say that?"- Arakawa's sister.
"If you have problem then find it on you own." You replied now more calmly, but enough to irritate her.
"You-"
"Ten seconds remaining."
With same rush and hesitation Arisu opened the door and you were the first one to follow quickly after him too blinded to not to trust this time.
"Time limit for this room is one minute thirty seconds."
"Do you know the answer this time?" - Karube.
"The BMW 524, it's length is 4 meters and 94 centimetres. There was one parked outside the building. The length of this building is equivalent to four of those cars. This means that the lenght of the building is approximately 20 meters in length. And this room if I measure with my feet then its...."
"Approximately 6 feet." You replied.
"Yes, right, and according to the building map the elevator is at the corner of the building. It's square shaped building and so does the rooms. If the one side of the building is 20 meters, and the lenght of the room is 6 meters."
"Only three room can be on one side, right?" You replied again, trying to confirm your theory that you just got because of the boy beside you.
"One minute remaining."
"You got it, I need something to write on." He said and both the office attice rushed to grab things for him. He kneel down on the ground, and you infront of him, drawing and pointing where the right door could be located he marked each door.
"The answer is die, alive door is a trap." All of us rushed towards the door without any hesitation, soon before the whole room flared up.
"The time limit for this room is one minute twenty seconds."
"You were right this game is not based on luck, we can clear it together." He said, looking at you with glittery eyes, again making you uncomfortable by sudden attention as you just nod with tinted cheeks.
"If its going according to my drawing then the next room will be this one, die." - Arisu.
One room after another, but in the end we ended with a room where there is no door in front of us, both doors facing each other.
"The time limit for this room is one minute."
"It should have to be in front, right?" I mumble to Arisu who just nod his head and looked at his drawing again. Scribbling two more marks on left and right side.
"Since the right door is out of question we should go for the left one." The shorty said, as all of them went towards the left door.
"Don't!!" I shouted making them halt on their steps and looked back at me confused. "Something's missing there."
"Fifty seconds remaining."
"We're in room in back-left corner of the building. the clear condition was to leave the building. We're compelled to choose the die door, which can lead us out. but if I recall there is no gap between this and the neighbouring building."
"There can't possibly any way out here from the left door, so it might be that that there will be some hidden space on the door behind the right side." You stated, looking at him for confirmation as he gave you the look that you might be right, but can't say. All of a sudden his eyes light up and he called for his friend.
"I was right, there is no door in the room that girl entered." I said after watching the video the boy recorded whose name I came to know is chōta.
"Ten seconds remaining."
He draw an extra line on the drawing of the room on the right side as a representation of a small room. you didn't waste no more time to rush towards the door as you were the first one to open it and soon followed by others just barely making it out all of you, but the boy name chōta, his pants catched by flames.
"The time limit for this room is ten seconds."
"Are you nuts is not the right door, it's a trap." You shouted to the women who wear about to open the alive door in the room where you'll are right now, which could have lead her to her death. You followed Arisu to the other door and rest followed after you both.
Finally you made it out of the building and downstairs. You took a long breath in relief and fall on your knees.
"Game cleared, congratulations."
A relief smile spread across your lips and you thanked god.
"It's all thanks to you guys." Said Arakawa's sister, breathing heavily. Making you stop smiling and Karube guy to glare at her.
You also heard Chōta mumbling something about karma followed by a painful groan. His legs looks really bad and painful, like he didn't get burnt by fire but burnt by some chemicals. You took off your gaze away from him and saw a table infront of you. Standing up along with others, you made your way towards it just to see a 3 clubs cards on it.
"To the survivors of the game, we will now supply you with a visa. You got three-day visa."
"Visa?" Arisu looked at you.
"it's like a pass to stay here, 3 days visa means you don't need to play any game for 3 days before you've to renewal your visa by playing game again before it expires."
"What if it's expire?" -Arisu.
But before you could reply to his question, you all heard faint footsteps you looked at the direction to found a man in his forties. His bleeding and dishevelled figure, came out in light.
"I am going to drop out of this game. No matter how much you clear this game there is no way out of here. My visa just ended today now it's the end for me." just as soon as his finished, a laser light stuck through his head and he dropped on the ground, dead.
You flinched but gulp down all your fear, tightly closed your fist for it to stop trembling and sigh. other three boys just stare at the figure in horror and now you don't think you need to elaborate anything to anyone.
____________________________
(More than 2000 words, Biggest chapter this far.) ;)