iii. "I never caught your name."
season one, episode two
𝐕𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 cans sat around the table as the group of six ate their food. Akari was silent, shy from all the new people Sakura let in.
"I feel alive again!" Chota beamed.
"Nice and hot!" said Karube.
"What were the five of you doing? When everyone disappeared, I mean." asked Shibuki.
"Walking my dog, it's how I got this. He tugged me forward and I ran into a pole." said Sakura, pointing to the red scar on her forehead.
"And you?" Shibuki asked the young girl sitting next to Sakura.
"I was-I was eating with my parents." Akari said.
Turning her gaze to the friend group, Shibuki awaited an answer.
"We were in a restroom." Arisu answered.
"All in the same stall." Chota added on.
"Why in the same one?" Sakura asked, curious as to why three men were in the same cubicle. Yet she never got an answer.
"What about you?" Karube asked, staring at Shibuki.
"I was at work. I was in the conference room doing some paperwork. And then, everyone in the office disappeared."
"Did you happen to see or hear anything at all?" asked Arisu.
"Not really. I came to this place three days ago and I was forced to play this game, just like all of you were."
"We got here a week ago." Sakura said.
"Everybody died, except for me." Shibuki finished.
"You mean, you used them as bait, right?" Karube retorted, his anger still directed towards the woman.
"Think whatever you want. All I wanted...was to survive."
An awkward silence filled the air, reminding Sakura of her first nights with Akari. "What kind of game was it?" broke the silence.
"It was at the subway. They used poisonous gas in the game. Everyone was vomiting blood. Blood was coming out of their eyes." explained Shibuki.
"Weird, huh? The day everyone disappeared. It was yesterday for the three of us. But it was three days ago for her and a week for them. Why the time difference?"
"That's right."
"And those vegetables that were rotten. They take longer than a few days to go bad. What's going on?"
"Maybe the speed of time is different from the normal world?"
"Huh?"
"I don't really know, but...Take the six of us here. The timeline of when people disappeared is different, like you said."
"Did we time travel while we were in a subway bathroom stall?" Chota queried.
"There's no way." Karube spoke, still not fully understanding what was going on.
"There's also no way people just disappeared."
"Time travel isn't real."
"Then explain the game and people disappearing."
"I don't know, alright?"
"Anyways, one thing we know for sure about this game..A game master's running it." said Arisu, showing the group the cards Sakura had collected.
"Game master?" Akari echoed.
"Someone came up with the game. That's for sure."
"So while we're in a bathroom stall, they get rid of everyone in Tokyo and set up this game?" Karube theorized.
"They keep track of our movements and fire lasers through our head when we make the wrong move."
"What kind of person would do that?"
"I don't know, but it's definitely possible if they inserted a highly accurate GPS microchip into our bodies." Chota shrugged, acting as if the idea was totally normal.
"Huh?" Sakura hummed, her eyes wide in fear as she glanced around.
"Spoke like a real IT geek." Karube chuckled.
"But who the hell could be behind this thing?" asked Arisu.
"Could it be some government-run experiment or something?"
"There were some rumors going around at my work. An IT Company from Europe wanted to conduct an experiment. They'd establish a VR space, then create an alternate world identical to the real one."
"But we should be able to tell VR from the real world." Sakura spoke, not believing anything Shibuki said.
"Man, this hurts." Chota groaned, the pain intensifying every minute.
"I don't think VR can cause burns like that." Arisu eyed Chota.
"Maybe it's God. This has to be the work of God. Otherwise, how else do you explain it?"
"You're talking crazy now."
"No, man. I think...God really does exist."
The pain grew far more worse, making Chota cry out in pain while everyone helplessly watched.
"Hey, is it getting worse?" asked Shibuki.
"It's alright. Oh, it's gonna be fine."
★★★
Given no choice, Sakura was out with Akari as they made their way to a new game. They had chosen the closest game as they didn't want to walk far. Like always a table sat in the dead center with phones, the girls each grabbing one.
Please wait until the game commences. There are currently 12 participants. One minute until registration closes.
Sakura led Akari over to an empty wall that was in between two women and a man. They claimed their spot, Akari nervously fiddling while Sakura eyed everyone in the room. There were quite a lot of people playing the same game as them, giving her an uneasy feeling.
Towards the entrance was a man with a hat, a woman with a pink shirt, and a man with what looks like a top hat. On her right was a man who was anxiously awaiting for someone's arrival. To the left were two women who stuck close to each other. In front of her were two men, obviously in some sort of business. Next to them was another woman who seemed older than most of the people. Finally, in front of her was a man who silently listened to music while his hair fell in front of his face.
A man walked in, pushing past the man with a hat and the woman in a pink shirt. He snatched a phone, taking a spot next to the man who was waiting for someone. Guess it was him.
"There's a lot of people here. Maybe one's a doctor." A familiar voice spoke, approaching the game.
Arisu took a glance around the room, his eyes lighting up when he saw Akari and Sakura. Akari happily smiled at him while he returned yet Sakura did the opposite, pretending she didn't notice him.
Registration has closed. There are a total of 13 participants. The game will now commence.
The man with a hat began to question Arisu and Karube about the game but Karube shut him down.
Difficulty, Five of Spades.
"Please tell me you're athletic." Sakura muttered, keeping her voice low.
"Um, sort of." Akari spoke, moving her hand side to side.
Game is "Tag." Rule. Avoid whoever is "it".
"What?"
Murmuring began to fill the room, people talking to whoever they were with. Questions filled Sakura's head to the brim yet she didn't bother to ask them, knowing no one had any answer.
Clear condition. Discover and touch the symbol hidden in one of the building's rooms within the time limit. You clear the game when this objective is fulfilled. Time limit, 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the time bomb hidden in the building will explode.
Behind the two women, a door opened and allowed everyone to walk into the apartment building. Sakura and Akari separated from the large group, going their own way as they began to search. As they walked up the stairs, the man who had headphones slipped past them.
Sakura watched as the man journeyed to the top of the building. Akari grabbed onto Sakura whenever she heard the smallest noise, terrified out of her mind. Sakura didn't have any clue of where she was leading them.
The game will commence in two minutes.
Stopping, the duo had ended up on the top floor of the apartments. Sakura immediately spotted the man from before, watching everyone from the balcony.
"A bit creepy, don't you think?" Sakura called out, tilting her head.
"No. It gives me an advantage, being able to see everyone." The man smirked, looking over at the girls. "A bit young for a mother, don't you think?"
"She's not my daughter. She's a friend."
Leaning against the railing next to the man while Akari sat against the wall. The man paid no attention to her as he kept his gaze on the panicked people. She looked him up and down, her eyes landing on a bracelet he wore. It was a locker key with some numbers on them.
"Cool bracelet."
"Thanks."
Silence filled the air again, Sakura deciding to watch everyone just like the man was.
"I say the businessman there dies first." Sakura spoke, pointing at the lone man. "Only one on the floor, which isn't a good plan."
"Hmm, I say those two girls."
"Too late to switch my guess?"
The man looked at her with a smile before he turned back. Sakura noticed how his eyes seemed to be taunting her, not knowing if it was purposely.
The game will now commence. The time limit is 20 minutes. Commence now. The tagger is on the move.
"Guess we'll see who's right." said The man.
Sakura hummed as a response, busy watching a woman jump down a floor right before the tagger came out. The tagger wasn't as intimidating as the one her and Akari had experienced at the graveyard.
This tagger wore all black like the other one but instead of a ski mask they wore a horse mask. They held a large gun and walked as if they were Micheal Myers.
Three minutes have passed.
Proving Sakura right, the tagger had caught up to the lone man and shot him dead without hesitation. She smugly turned to the man while he ignored her look.
"Arisu!" Karube shouted, his voice echoing around the building.
The sound of the yells made Akari stand up, looking over the balcony to try and spot the friends. Sakura and Akari watched them run down two flights of stairs before a man pushed them out of the way. The man booked it down more stairs while Arisu pulled Karube into a small crevice in the wall.
"We should help them." Akari quickly suggested, fearing the worst for the duo.
"No."
"Sakura—"
"We're no good to them if we die in the process. Besides, Arisu is smart, he'll find a way to live."
"Are you—"
"Yes. Now go sit back down. I'll tell you when we will move."
Akari huffed out a breath, annoyed that Sakura didn't seem to care about them. They did meet them yesterday but they're good people and who knows how many of those people are still out there.
Akari had been silently sitting behind Sakura and the man while they conversed about Arisu. He had noticed the way Arisu's eyes lit up in recognition in the lobby when he saw them.
"So you do know them." The man concluded.
"Yeah, I met them in a game a couple days ago."
"Then why play again if you have days on your visa?"
"Because Akari's runs out today. I wanted to go out and see how the games and people were like."
Gunshots fired once again, shooting the man who was previously with Arisu and Karube. A man who had witnessed the whole thing attempted to run out but was shot through the head with a laser.
"Chicken."
Slowly the participants began to drop like flies, two more people dying. Sakura could see Arisu and Karube hiding on the floor above the tagger. Akari had been really quiet considering the fact that gunshots went off every two minutes. Turning back to look at her, Sakura's heart dropped at the sight of Akari missing.
"Akari?"
Gasps left Sakura's mouth as she looked around for the young girl, the man watching. She glanced over the balcony, trying to spot her and when she did her breath got stuck in her throat. Akari was wandering around the same level the tagger was on. Sakura didn't waste any longer, sprinting down the stairs while the man shook his head.
"Such a shame."
Her heavy footsteps alerted both Akari and the tagger of her approach. Whipping around, the tagger took notice of the young girl behind them and opened fire. Akari shouted out in fear, awaiting for the bullet impacts yet before they came she was yanked into the stairwell.
"Let's go!" shouted Sakura, tugging her up the steps as fast as she could.
Akari panted as she tried to keep up to the pace. Sakura stopped on the floor Arisu was on, shoving Akari towards the stairs.
"Go to the top and hide. You don't come out until I tell you. No matter what, okay?"
Akari nodded, tears falling down her cheeks before she took off. Meeting Arisu halfway, the trio hid behind a wall while Sakura tried to control her breathing.
"Tell me you have a plan." Sakura prayed.
"Follow my lead."
Was all Arisu said before shouting at the top of his lungs, jeopardizing them and himself.
"Everyone! He's up here! Over here, he's on the second level!
"You're gonna get us killed!"
"He can't see properly because of his mask! Tell us where he is if you see him and let's all look for the symbol!"
"Arisu! Shut up!"
"He's in the fourth-level hallway in the central building! Anyone there should get out!"
"He's above us." Karube noted.
Sakura stuck her head out, looking up at the top floor. She spotted Akari just in time to see her crawl into a ball and hide behind the man.
The game is over in eight minutes. There are currently nine survivors.
"I'm going to check on Akari."
Sakura didn't wait for a response as she ran off towards the stairs but just as she made it gunshots were fired. The tagger shot at a man who was on the same level as her. Strange they never shot that far before but who cares maybe it was the first person he saw.
The steps seemed to have gotten longer than Sakura remembered, making her legs ache in pain. Her body isn't used to this much physical activity. Her legs began to feel like jelly, jiggling at every step which resulted in her slowing down. She passed by the two dead women and right before she was about to go up she stopped in her place.
The women were shot in close range. The business man was shot in close range. Along with the other man as well. So why wasn't the man with a baseball cap? What made him so special that the tagger shot from a level above? Unless it wasn't the man that was special but instead the door he was about to open.
She immediately turned back around and walked back down the stairs yet stopped once more at the sound of a voice.
"You're smarter than I thought."
Behind her came the voice of the man, a teasing smile on his lips while he continued walking.
"Thanks, I guess." Sakura sighed, her breathing growing heavy.
Reaching the floor the two made their way to the door, spotting Arisu approaching the door too.
"Figured it out too, huh?" said The man.
"Yeah, the symbol's in here." Arisu concluded, knowing the other two agreed.
Arisu grabbed a hold of the doorknob yet just like yesterday his hand lingered there, not sure if he should really open it.
"Gonna open it?" The man asked.
"Why was he chasing us? He could've just waited." Arisu said, still not understanding the tagger's strategy.
"Guess there's something we don't know." Sakura replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Except, not much time left." The man added, showing Arisu the remaining time.
Three minutes remaining in the game.
Turning the knob, Arisu pulled the door open as it creaked. He opened the door halfway while the man reached over and pulled it open so Sakura could step in. Following Arisu, Sakura looked around the room but couldn't see anything due to the lack of light.
The trio had all turned on their phones, using it as a light source. Before they had the chance to open the second door, Arisu turned around and came face to face with another tagger.
"Look out!"
Arisu shoved them out of the way while he dived the other direction. Sakura stumbled on her own feet but caught herself right as the man shocked the tagger with a taser. Standing above the tagger, they all looked down on them as the man showed his taser.
"It never hurts to be prepared—"
Before he could even finish gunshots landed in the wall behind them as the tagger shot at them. Like before, Arisu ran one way while they ran a different way. The man grabbed into her arm, wrenching her out of the room before slamming the door shut.
"Thanks." said Sakura, still catching her breath.
The man didn't respond, nodding his head as an answer. Her eyes drifted down and she noticed his taser was gone, probably in the room.
"I never caught your name."
"But I caught yours." The man teasingly fired back.
"Someone get over here! The symbol's up here! Room 406! I can't clear the game alone! We need two people to do it!" shouted Arisu.
"Seriously?" The man groaned.
"Fantastic."
"Arisu!" Karube hollered from wherever he was.
One minute remaining in the game.
"Screw this." Sakura muttered, pulling the door open.
Hot on her tail was the man, both peering inside the room and lo and behold Arisu was battling the tagger. Shots fired in their direction making the hide behind the wall.
"Someone! Help me!" Arisu cried out.
Peering from behind the wall, Sakura saw the tagger had Arisu in a headlock and was about to shoot him. She reached into the man's pocket and pulled out the taser. He had picked it back up when they entered again. Right as she was about to help she was forced back into hiding by gunshots.
20 seconds remaining.
"You called?" A woman spoke, slipping into the room through a window.
The tagger attempted to shoot her but she rolled out of the way, dodging them all. Sakura took this as an opportunity and held out the taser.
"Here!"
Tossing the weapon, the woman gracefully caught it and electrocuted the tagger in the leg. Stunned, they fell to the floor while Arisu and the woman launched towards the buttons.
The countdown reached one, Sakura waited for the building to explode and break into flames yet it never happened. They had done it.
Game cleared. Congratulations.
The sight below her made Sakura gasp. The tagger's mask had been removed during the fall and revealed that it was just a woman. The woman began to cry as the collar around her neck rapidly beeps.
Sakura could only guess what it meant but she knew her guess was accurate. The beep increased and the collar around the woman's neck exploded, killing her in an instant. Grabbing a hold of the man, Sakura cowered behind him as all the blood landed on him. The man silently groaned, glaring at her while she grinned at him.
"Sakura!"
The smile on her face faltered, the woman not wasting a second to run out of the room. The man observes her until she's out of sight.
"Akari!"
The teenager laughed at the sight of Sakura, relieved she was alive without a scratch. With no hesitation, the two wrapped their arms around each other, engulfed into a hug.