"..." my eyes were wide. Slowly, we all exited the elevator. Araigu's parts had been spread across the floor. Everyone was silent. What was the point in talking, when nothing you say will fix anything. "... we're stuck here..." I mumbled, not realizing that my eyes were beginning to water up.
Slowly, I looked at the others. Otani stared with a sympathetic, and hopeless expression. Arima was still as distraught as he'd been when he came back down the elevator. Yamazaki, almost didn't seem to care. But his eye seemed to be twitching every couple of seconds. And then Kawata. His face drained of any ambition and hope, becoming an empty husk.
"Welcome back everyone!" Ressa laughed, appearing behind us. He walked over or the fountain, hopping up onto it. A devilish smile came across his face. "Do you like my handiwork? It was a lot of fun tearing Araigu to pieces, as they begged for mercy. Almost cured my bloodlust! Emphasis on the 'almost' part." No one moved. Maybe it was the shock. But we didn't have the courage to say anything.
"... how..." I whispered, as I put my hands over my mouth. I felt the water drip down my cheeks. Araigu had helped us out so much. And now... they were just gone. Ressa cackled to himself, standing up.
"How? Oh Hirano, you really think I didn't know?" Ressa laughed. "I've known about all of this for awhile." Something about that comment seemed... suspicious. "It was fun to see you guys scramble to get out of here. I don't know why you all thought it would be easy to escape!" Ressa chuckled. "I wouldn't let that happen, you know that... right?" Ressa cackled again. "Anyways, I'll let you all rest before I reveal the final building." Ressa said, jumping down from the fountain. "Au revoir!" He laughed, before quickly disappearing. The room was filled with silence.
"... w- what... do we do now?" Arima asked.
"E- everything's gonna be okay. Yeah. Don't give up everyone. This won't stop us from escaping." Otani said, as he trembled, tears in the corners of his eyes.
"... are you okay?" Arima responded. Otani stood still for a moment, unable to respond for a couple of long seconds.
"... yeah! Yeah. I just... I just need to go to my room for a little bit." Otani replied. Slowly, he started moving towards the stairs. Everyone watched as he maneuvered his way up, and out of sight. Without another word, Arima started to follow, his pace a little bit faster than Otani's. I stood silently for a moment, as Kawata walked over to the fountain, looking at all the parts skewed across the floor. Yamazaki stood sort of close to me, just taking everything in and processing.
"... do you think we're going to be able to get out of here?" I asked. Yamazaki glared at me.
"Why are you asking me?" He replied. I stared at him.
"... I don't know..." I responded, before turning away. He took a deep breath in and out. He folded his arms, and turned to me.
"If this thing dictated whether or not we escaped from the very beginning, then we'd already be dead." He explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have stuff to do." Yamazaki walked away, heading down one of the hallways. But... why not up the stairs? I turned around, looking to Kawata. He was so still, I could've mistaken him for a statue. I approached him.
"... hey Kawata." I said. He didn't react, just staring blankly at the scene. I walked over to one of the parts. It was Araigu's head. I knelt down, placing a hand on the top of it.
Tears started to well up in my eyes. I didn't get to know them very well. I didn't get to understand anything about them. But they still tried they're very best to help us escape this place. Even if it was trivial. They still went out of their way to help us. And I couldn't even protect them, like I'd promised.
"... I'm sorry..." I mumbled.
"Jeez, you don't gotta crrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyy about it." Someone said. I quickly turned around, nearly falling backwards as I did. It was Ressa.
"W- where... did Kawata go?" I asked.
"He walked away a couple of seconds ago." Ressa responded. He chuckled again. "But man, I can't believe you're crying over that thing!" He walked over, and kicked the head, which made a large clunking song when he hit it.
"... I..." I started, standing up. I closed my mouth. I couldn't find the words.
"Lemme guess, Araigu was the one triggering the blackouts, riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight?" Ressa laughed. I paused.
"I thought you said there weren't any blackouts." I replied. Ressa stopped, glairng at me.
"Don't get cute with me." Ressa barked. "And even if there was a blackout, it wouldn't be my fault because I'm very competent, and don't need anyone else to help me run a killing game." I frowned, looking back at the head of the body.
"... I guess you win..." I said.
"Huh?" He blurted out. "Ooohhhhhhhhhhh!" He started to laugh. "Why thank you! I really appreciate you giving up!" He chuckled. "But you knoooooooooow, you can still get out of here alive!" Ressa laughed. "All you gotta do is kill somebody!"
"I..." I started to speak, before quickly stopping. I had to play out this conversation well. I might be able to get some information out of him.
"I'm actually really angry with you. You had the perfect opportunity to kill Yamazaki, and you just decided to RUN AWAY!!!" He yelled.
"... yeah... I did." I said.
"You should be more like me Hirano! I have the bloodlust of a, a..." Ressa paused. "... something!" He laughed.
"... I have a question." I replied. He chuckled.
"Don't know if I'll answer it, but you can hit me with the question." Ressa laughed. I took a deep breath.
"Is it really bloodlust?" I asked. Ressa stared blankly.
"What?" He blurted out.
"Araigu isn't really... a living being. So... it can't really be bloodlust?" I replied.
"Are you saying that we aren't alive!?" Ressa asked.
"Well uh... I guess I am?" I responded. He stamped one of his feet on the ground.
"How. Dare. You!" He snapped. He took a deep breath, jumping over onto the fountain. "I'll have you know, I'm a VERY sophisticated AI system. I feel very REAL emotions. I'm in control!"
"... oh really?" I asked. He glared at me.
"Yes." He replied.
"Do you even remember anything? Or gather information." I responded.
"Yes, I remember everything." He said. "There's a small chip in my head that gathers all the information and then stores it in the cloud, along with aaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllllllllllll of my programs. I don't know how they get it INTO the cloud, but that probably doesn't even MATTER!!!" He smiled. "So, I remember every little thing that happens. If I get destroyed, I remember everything that happened." He laughed.
"I'm a bit curious about something." I replied. He paused, turning to me.
"What do you want?" He groaned.
"Did you really know about the morgue for so long?" I asked.
"Well, whatever makes you the most melancholic." He said. "Actually, do you really wanna know the truth?" He made a mischievous smile, as if he'd just got the perfect chance to get back at someone. "I knew something was going on in the morgue. I was going to check eventually." He snickered. "But one of your friends told me about it. That's how I knew where Araigu was." My eyes went wide.
"So... the traitor is still alive?" I said. Araigu laughed.
"Of course they are!" He chuckled. "Actually, maybe I'll go talk to them right now!" He laughed. "I'll see you later..." and then, he disappeared.
Quickly, I raced over to Araigu's head. I picked it up, flipping it over to the other side. My eyes quickly scanned over the difference circuits, before spotting something in the very center, which seemed to connect to all the other devices. I took a deep breath, reaching for it and swiftly pulling out a small, thin metal box.
I got back up, racing over to my room. I opened the door, and stepped inside, before slamming it behind me. I opened the drawer, and placed it nicely on top of one of the notebooks inside, before closing it. I sighed, sitting back down in my chair.
There's no certainty that I grabbed the right piece. Or if I even managed to do this well. But it was important. My eyes widened, putting my hands around my mouth. Ressa would know I took Araigu's chip. I'm the only one who asked about it. I took a deep breath. Okay, how do I fix this?
I need to give it to someone I trust. Like Kawata. I paused for a moment, before I shook my head. Kawata was too obvious. It's impossible to give it to anyone who I don't trust. If I did, there was a chance they'd use it against me. Yamazaki was out of the question then. The scary thing, is that the traitor is still here with us. And the mastermind might also be here as well. So giving someone this would be very risky. And no one had been cleared of suspicion. My eyes went wide. Wait. No, there was one. I smiled. Yeah, I'd give it to them! They'd take great care of it. But... I'd have to wait a little while before I gave it to them.
I paused, looking over to the floor in front of the door. On the ground was a file. My eyes widened, as I quickly got back up and walked over to the door. I knelt down, and picked it up. Ressa had given this to me when I was stuck in the sacrifice dome.
He'd said something about solving a mystery in the killing game? I stared at it for a couple of seconds. I'd have to go through it. There might be some important information in it that I could use to get us out of here. But I had a couple of things I wanted to do before that.
I placed the file down on my desk, before walking out of the door. I closed it behind me, heading directly to one of the rooms. I took a deep breath, raising my arm and knocking on the wooden door. I waited a couple of seconds, before knocking again. Still, no one answered. I sighed. I guess Sugai didn't want to talk right now.
Well, I could always try again later. I walked away from his door. There was still one other person I wanted to check on. I walked out of the hotel, and wandered over to the hospital. I reached for the door handle, and pulled. It shook slightly, but didn't open. The... entrance was locked? I looked over to the top of the door. There was a sign that I could barely read through the door. "No visitors until further notice". My eyes widened. But... wasn't Imamura still inside? What was going on in there to stop visitors? And was she okay!?
I took a deep breath. Well, there wasn't really anything I could do about it. And maybe I'd be able to come check in on her later? I sighed, walking away from the Hospital. I wanted to go back in, but there was nothing I could do. At least at the moment. I'd be back later.
I walked back over to my room, and closed the door behind me. I sat back down at the desk, and looked down at the file. I picked it up, and turned it around in my hands. So... apparently this is supposed to reveal some important information. I took a deep breath. Well, there was no time like the present.
I flipped it open, and then frowned. "Ha ha! You thought! - Ressa" the note read. I groaned, tossing the file over onto my bed. I don't know what I was expecting from Ressa. He definitely wouldn't help me.
Though... what he said earlier was interesting. Something about... how he wanted me to solve stuff about the killing game? Was it just a joke? Did he really just want to laugh in my face? I got back up, walking over to my bed and picking up the file again. I flipped it back open, and took the small note from inside. I turned it over. I stared at it for a couple of seconds.
"Game room 1?" I said aloud. I blinked, rubbing my eyes. It was hard to make out on the paper, but that's what it seemed to say.
Immediately, I headed to the door, leaving the room. I looked down both directions of the hallway, before exiting the area. I headed straight for the game room, only stopping when I reached the door. I paused. This is where Morita killed Shishido. What if... I found something inside that wasn't good? What if I found something that would leave me scarred? I took a deep breath. I'm okay. I opened the door. I felt my heart stop in its tracks. I started taking heavier breaths. What... what was this?
Inside the room... was a crime scene. Slowly, I stepped into the game room, unable to contain my fear. There was blood covering the walls. The music player was laying sideways on the floor, completely broken and covered in red liquid. There were books riddled around the area, some open and some closed. And next to one of the desks... was a crash test dummy. The head was covered in blood. And... in the center of its face... was a photo of me. One from my student profile. I stared in horror.
I took deep breaths. None of this was real. This was all fake. But it was still very uneasy. What... did this all mean?
"So... this is it huh?" Someone said. I jumped back, looking to door. It was Yamazaki.
"O- oh... it's you." I replied.
"What does that mean?" Yamazaki snapped.
"Nothing..." I responded. Yamazaki rolled his eyes, walking into the room.
"What... is this?" I asked.
"It's a motive." Yamazaki said. "It's supposed to make us scared enough to kill."
"Wait... so... you also-" I began.
"Got a file Ressa claimed would 'help solve mysteries of the killing game'? Yeah. I did." Yamazaki replied. "I'm pretty sure we all did."
"... oh... so... it wasn't real?" I responded.
"I mean, you can decide that for yourself. Do you think he was telling the truth?" He said. I stared at Yamazaki for a moment.
"Hey, I thought we weren't ally's anymore. Why are you telling me all of this?" I replied. He rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders.
"Are we not allowed to talk? I didn't know that was a rule." Yamazaki commented. I shook my head.
"Sorry... you're right. I appreciate you coming to talk with me." I said. Yamazaki scoffed, turning his head away.
"It's whatever..." he replied. After a moment, he turned back to me. "So, you're still trying to find a way out of here." I nodded.
"Just because Ressa did that to Araigu, doesn't mean that there isn't any hope for getting out of this place." I responded. He shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah. I can agree with that." He said. I stared at him curiously for a moment. His eyebrows furrowed. "What!?" He snapped.
"Oh, uh. Sorry. You just... seem calmer than usual." I responded, laughing nervously, putting my pointer finger slightly on my cheek. His pupils slightly moved back and forth, as if he were trying to process the information right in front of him. He scoffed, turning his head away.
"Whatever you say." he replied. I sighed.
"You don't have to agree with me on that if you don't want to." I said. He rolled his eyes, turning back to me.
"Did I say I didn't want to agree with you?" He responded. I raised an eyebrow.
"So you are agreeing with me?" I replied.
"NO!" He barked. Everything went silent. And suddenly, I burst into laughter, tears falling down my cheeks. Yamazaki stared at me in utter shock. "... what?"
"You just got so mad!" I chuckled. Yamazaki started made a disgusted, and confused face. "PFFT- BAHAHAHAHA!!!" He scowled.
"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" He snapped, staring to ball up his fists. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry," I said, fanning myself with my hands. "You always make that face and I can't take it seriously anymore." Yamazaki stared at me with a confused expression, unable to decided what face he should be making.
"Then what face am I supposed to make where I want you to leave me the fuck alone!?" He asked. Everything went silent. He scowled. "And how the fuck are you able to laugh in this room!?" Yamazaki asked, baffled. I paused, looking around the room. I frowned.
"I- I don't know..." I replied. "I guess you just made me forget where I was." Yamazaki stared at me for a couple of seconds.
"That's not really a good thing Hirano." Yamazaki said.
"Well... I think it's a good thing." I responded, smiling at him. Yamazaki folded his arms and rolled his eyes.
"Can you just shut up?" He replied. I grinned.
"Now now Yamazaki, that isn't the way you talk to a friend." I said. Yamazaki's eyes became intense. I tensed up. It was the same eyes he'd used down at the trial grounds.
"What did you say?" He asked. Sweat ran down my forehead, as I dipped my head down, putting my hands together nervously.
"O- oh... I- I..." I paused, taking a deep breath. "Are we... not allowed to be friends?"
"What said that we ever were 'friends'?" He snapped. I took my glasses off of my face, and wiped them with a cloth. Silently staring at the blurry figure in front of me, before placing them back on my face.
"I- I mean..." I started. "I don't know... we were just having fun. So, I kind of thought... that maybe we were friends?" I said. Yamazaki scoffed angrily. I sighed. "I mean... we don't have to be ally's to be friends." I smiled. "Unless... you really think it's so wrong." A conflicted look came across his face. After a moment, he groaned.
"I'll think about it..." he replied. My face lit up.
"Really!?" I responded, grinning.
"JUST GET OUT!!!" He demanded. I smiled and nodded, walking over to the door. "Hirano." I turned back around.
"Yeah?" I questioned. Yamazaki placed a hand on his face, groaning into it as he did.
"Ugh I cannot believe I'm doing this..." Yamazaki mumbled. He dropped his arms to his sides, looking really upset. "Hirano... I'm..." he paused angrily. "... sorry." It was like he was disgusted saying the word.
"... for what?" I asked. He groaned again, not wanting to repeat it.
"For snapping at you in the trial grounds..." he said, more reluctant than willingly. I smiled.
"Thanks. Um, I'm sorry for saying some mean things down there. I didn't mean it." I replied. He stared at me for a couple of seconds.
"Just get out of here..." he repeated.
"O- oh, right!" I headed for the door, stopping as I reached it. "Have a good day Yamazaki!" I said, leaving the room.
I stopped in the hallway, nearly puking. My heart was still racing a million miles an hour. Was... was that how I was going to die? Was that what Ressa was saying? N- no... he's just trying to scare me. I'm okay. I'm okay. I took deep breaths. Was... I okay. I shook my head. I just have to get out of here.
I wandered back over to my room, and closed the door behind me. I sighed, sitting back down on my bed, before laying across it. That lead nowhere. Well... I guess that's kind of a lie. I did get to talk with Yamazaki. I guess we're on good terms?
I sat up in my bed, stopping to think. I couldn't rely on Ressa anyway. It was a horrible idea to begin with. If I want to get out here, or figure out what's going on, I have to do it myself. I have to take responsibility for it. I paused, getting up and heading straight over to my desk. I opened one of the drawers, and pulled out a couple pieces of paper. They were the copies I'd made in the hospital a long time ago.
I scanned through them quickly. Most of them just had basic information about the students successes and stuff like that. Things I'd already read. I paused for a moment, beginning to read through one of them.
Taguchi Masahiko
Taguchi Masahiko, a recently convicted criminal. His parents, Masaru Masahiko and Yuriko Masahiko, turned him into police for stealing valuable items from others in a public setting. Their son fought back against the arrests being made. The parents turned in many of the items into the police, some of the things that had been stolen dating back to when he was only six years old. It must've been an early habit. Suspicion has risen against the parents of Taguchi Masahiko, do to the fact that they have been arrested for train hopping and have been suspected of stealing valuables during live magic performances. They were never found guilty of this though.
The parents have gone on record to say "We only ran those shows so we could try and make back a little money. Our son must've figured this out, and thought it would be a good idea to steal. We thought it was strange that our son would bring valuables back as tips, but we thought it was because they found him 'cute'." And have also said "We want to reform our son of these heinous actions. When we found out he'd been stealing, we were absolutely crushed. He has to pay for his crimes. Even if he's our son."
At a court date, the son went on record saying "What are you talking about!? My parents made me do all that stuff! It's all their fault that I stole all that shit! They told me that if we wanted to survive, I HAD TO steal! Why aren't they being convicted!? I didn't want anything to do with this shit! And they involved me anyway!" The court found his arguments to be false, and Taguchi was found guilty of mass theft, mass pickpocketing, resisting arrest, and lying in a court of law.
Since our school was able to reform a serial killer, we have been approached by several police officers and government officials asking if we could do the same for Taguchi Masahiko. This may be a good opportunity for us to continue the rehabilitation program.
I frowned. These notes were sort of disturbing. Was Taguchi really that guilty? I sighed, placing the piece of paper back down. I paused. What did this rehabilitation program do anyways? And did it really work for Hano Yoshiko? She was a serial killer after all. There's no way that it could work so easily... right? Though... I could see it if she had been faking.
Hasn't Kawata said he's met Hano Yoshiko? I know he was the one who caught her, but he said he'd had a chat with her afterwards? And he'd said that I seemed a lot like her. How did that work? Like, personality wise? Or looks wise? I shook my head. How would either of those things work? I've never seen a photo of her, but last I'd heard she didn't have glasses. And if she had a similar personality, did that mean that I was a psychopath? I shrugged my shoulders.
Hano Yoshiko didn't have anything to do with this. I paused. Wait... what if she did? Only a psychopath would do something this horrible. So... was she... the mastermind? I shook my head. That's stupid. We've already established that things aren't always the first thought that pops into your head. And plus, wasn't she already "rehabilitated"? Wait, no. She could be faking it.
I sighed. I shouldn't be thinking about that. I should be going through these files. I went through a couple more of the pages. Again, they weren't too interesting. Kind of cliche for each person. I paused. This one... was to cliche?
Yamazaki Kazuki
Yamazaki Kazuki is a mostly ordinary student. Until one of his photo's, a photo of a caterpillar won a photography competition. After this, he began working as a photographer, winning several awards and even starting his own photography studio. He's also gained a large following on social media, and just media in general.
Yamazaki has a medical condition, but does not want to share what it was. He's gone on record saying that he wants to inspire others who may be dealing with similar situations. And to teach them to never give up.
Still, he doesn't plan on taking a college course on photography. He claimed "I don't want to taint the thing I love by repeating a lesson I already know. I wanna make sure I still enjoy to take photos, because it's my passion."
Last month, Yamazaki Kazuki won another photography competition. He was quoted to have "appreciated every second of it". He's also claimed that he can't wait to show all of his friends, his family, and fans. It may be a good idea to consider Yamazaki Kazuki for a position here at Yuutsumi with his talents.
I paused, putting a hand on my chin. Well, that was uncharacteristic. I frowned, thinking back to what Yamazaki had said.
-flash back-
Suddenly, Yamazaki slammed his fist and forearm onto the wall. I naturally shifted backwards, as Yamazaki hovered over me. I stared into Yamazaki's eyes, which were filled with frustration and lingering despair, with mine supplied with shock and a sudden panic.
"Alright listen up you little bitch." Yamazaki began, staring with an intense gaze, whispering fervently. "Firstly, you don't have any idea what I've had to go through. You barley know me, and you're acting like this is the kind of person I've been my entire life. Second, you're acting as if getting closer to others is a good thing. In my experience, that's only made it easier for people to backstab ME. And it's MUCH easier to let people go if you have no idea who the fuck they are, or had no opinion on. And third, I think you're generalizing way to fucking much. You're acting like a little saint, which I in fact know you are not. So you can shut up about my life, and take a look at your own. Does that answer your question... Hirano?" He asked. I felt my heart pounding a million miles an hour. I hadn't even realized that I was crying. I quickly realized, wiping them away as fast as I could.
"Y- yeah..." I replied. "I- I understand..."
-flash back end-
I shuddered, putting my arms on my shoulders. It was still so frightening. I took a deep breath, continuing to think. What can change a person this much? I frowned. He must've been through so much. But there wasn't much I could really do about that. Except for letting my imagination wander. I shook my head. I need to go back to reading these. How about I read mine? I nodded happily to myself, picking up mine.
Hirano Rei - Document has been edited
Hirano Rei is a pretty normal student. Besides the quick learning and intelligence. She's been able to teach a student calculus in a few days, who may have recently been struggling with the subject beforehand.
Hirano has had her brain studied for science in the past, mostly with suction cups to the forehead and MRI scans to detect brain activity. She also has a very good attitude and is very well behaved in class. As expected, she is a straight A student. It may be a good idea to bring her in to our school to help her talents flourish.
But, despite the good attitude, Hirano Rei has been involved in a prior incident where-
I dropped the paper, my face going pale. My hands shook in the air from where I had dropped the paper. My breaths were frail and barely heard, and when the sound did travel it sounded like painful squeaks. They... knew about that?
I put my hands on my shoulders, holding my self in a small hug. It didn't help though. The memories just kept flooding in and out. I felt like I was going to puke. No, I was going to puke. I got up, racing to the bathroom, and vomiting. My whole body was quivering. I sat down on the ground, hyperventilating. I tried to forget. Tried to push it out of my head. But it came in like a flash.
-
"Hirano!" Someone yelled out, their voice high pitched and bratty. My eyes went wide.
I panicked, grabbing my books from my locker and slamming the door. I started sprinting down the hallway, heading straight down the stairs. Suddenly, something grabbed me by the back of my collar. I held my breath, stopping in my tracks. Slowly, I looked up to someone beside me. A girl with long, curly ginger hair, deep blue eyes, and an evil grin. Behind the girl were her evil goons, giggling to themselves.
"Hey Hirano!" She laughed. I stared in fear, as she shoved me against the wall. "Missed me? I was sick yesterday, so I forgot to give you your drink!" She opened the drink in her other hands, and proceeded to dump it onto my head. It spilt all the way down my arms and legs. "Here, have another one for what I missed yesterday!"
"... A- Ayumi already d- did it y- yesterday..." I mumbled. She glared at me.
"Excuse me?" She said. She laughed, an annoyed smile crawling across her face. "What did you say?"
"... A- Ayumi already-" I started. She slammed her hand into the wall.
"DO YOU THINK I GIVE A FUCK!?" She snapped. "I STILL GET TO DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT, AYUMI DOESN'T CHANGE A FUCKING THING!!!"
"I- I'm sorry Masako! I- I didn't m- mean t- to-" I started.
"SHUT UP!!! IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO KILL YOU SO YOU CAN YOU GO MEET YOUR FUCKING MOM IN HELL!!! YOUR STUTTERING IS SO FUCKING ANNOYING!!!" She yelled. I started to hyperventilate, trying to control my breaths. Right now... that seemed like the best option. She smiled again. "Thanks Hirano! You're so nice!" She giggled.
"Hey Hirano, did you get our homework from yesterday?" Ayumi asked. Slowly, I reached for a couple papers from under my arm, my hand shaking. I held it out, Ayumi snatching them from my hand. She scanned through them.
"Thanks so much Hirano!" Masako said. The final girl, Hanako snatched my glasses from my face, Masako following it up by splashing me in the face with the other drink. A slap crossed my face, knocking me to the floor, where I was quickly kicked in the gut. My glasses were slammed down onto the ground, landing right in front of me, a small crack in the glass.
Laughing surrounded me. The laughing. It was evil. Maniacal. And horrifying. Tears streamed down my face, as they started to walk away. I wiped the tears from my eyes, picking up my glasses and putting them back onto my face. I could see people surrounding me. They had just watched. They didn't care that anything was going on. All that mattered was that it wasn't them.
Blood dripped onto the floor from my nose. I sobbed, as I wiped it from my face. I started picking up my books, slowly rising to my feet. I could still hear their giggling.
"She should've just died when I told her to!" Masako laughed. I stopped. I wasn't sad anymore. My emotions had disappeared. And as quickly as they'd gone... they returned. But I wasn't sad. I was angry. I was enraged. I wanted her dead. I gripped onto the books in my hands. No one was going to stop this but me. This had been my normal from day one of middle school. It was not going to follow me to high school. I dropped the books onto the floor.
"MASAKO!!!" I screamed. She started to turn around. But she couldn't react quick enough. I'd already dashed for her, shoving her against the window.
Time froze for a moment. It was almost... calm. Glass flying everywhere. It... seemed to float. The shock filled expression had only now started to spread across my face. It was like the moment had frozen in time. Her friends stood in place, unable to move. The bystanders just watched, almost in awe, or maybe out of curiosity. This moment almost felt... peaceful. But that's just the calm before the storm. And then... time sped back up, everything becoming quicker than I thought everything would be.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Masako yelled, making a high pitched, bloodcurdling scream. She fell from the window. And then... the screams stopped. A gasp filled the staircase. My eyes went wide, as I slowly approached the window.
...
...
...
What?
What was happening?
This wasn't real.
This couldn't be happening.
It just couldn't.
And yet...
It did.
It existed.
And it was my fault.
I stared down at Masako's lifeless body, her head split open, blood pooling around her. I screamed out, the realization hitting me. I'd just... killed someone. I'd seen a dead body once before. It was my mothers. Hers, was scary... and depressing.
This one?
...
Was petrifying...
-
I held myself against the wall, my body violently shaking. My hands raised up, grasping the top of my head as I hyperventilated. I can't breathe. I can't breathe! I CAN'T BREATHE!!! I kept gasping for air, but none of it is staying in my lungs. It just kept disappearing.
Slowly, I started to sob. My skin was so white, I could've mistaken myself for a ghost. Suddenly, I crumpled to the floor, my arms lazily falling to the ground. A horribly painful scream exited my mouth. It was so loud... someone could hear it from a mile away. But... no one could hear. Because... the walls were soundproof.
I wish someone could hear me. If someone could hear me... they could help me. I'd be okay if someone heard me. But no one did. No one could. Even if I hoped and prayed, no one would come for me.
...
...
...
... I was alone.
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