Kuina POV
I softly laid her on my bed looking at the smeared mascara on her cheeks. It was there before the game I thought to myself. Something must have happened before she got here. I turned away from her taking out the 2 of diamonds card from my pocket and giving it to Chishiya who accepted it.
He looked at it before saying, "5 dead from a 2 of diamonds?"
I shook my head, rolling my eyes before brushing past him to get a chair. As my hand grabbed the frame I said,
"It required more luck than anything..."
I placed the chair against the wall before staring at her.
"When do you think she'll wake up?" I questioned looking up at the man next to me.
"How am I supposed to know?" he answered, "All I know is we need to bring her to hatter when she does."
I hummed before chewing my fake cigarette in wonder.
"What was her name again?"
"(lastname) (name)."
(name) POV
I was guided into my chair by Kuina who gave me a reassuring smile before exiting the room, allowing 3 more people to enter. The first was a tall slender woman with a vibrant red lip and sunglasses. She had a neatly chopped bob and a frown plastered on her face as she strutted across the room to stand on my far right against the window. The next was a man who seemed very serious, sporting some swimming trunks that looked almost comical with the smart shirt he wore across his chest. As he took his place in the centre his glasses caught the sunlight sending a glare into my eye that cause me to wince and squint away allowing my gaze to fall upon the last woman.
Her beauty stunned me and the wide smile that graced her lips would have been creepy displayed on anyone else but on her, the gorgeous features excused the horrific expression. She had her hands crossed over her stomach as she greeted "Good morning!"
The man then started speaking "I apologise for the early disturbance; it is just standard procedure." He formal force reassured me in a way but also reminded me of the way Hitoshi would sometimes talk...
"What is your name?" interrupted the only other person who hadn't spoken. Her sturn tone caused me to shudder as I mumbled out,
"(lastname) (name), miss."
She hummed before the door was slammed open.
In walked a man with long dark hair and sunglasses two men trailing behind him. The first man's chest was showing underneath the hideous multi coloured robe he wore. He too wore swim shorts and I looked at them in confusion.
Why was everybody wearing swim wear?
"(lastname) (name)..." boomed the man walking in front of my chair.
He placed his hands on the corners, leaning down so his face was nearly touching mine as he asked,
"Can I call you (name)?"
Feeling threatened I hastily nodded, hoping he would back up, but he didn't until the stern looking woman cleared her throat.
He continued speaking, "Welcome to the beach!" He flung his arms into the air and gestured around himself, pointing to the people that surrounded the room.
"We have the answers that you are looking for." He chuckled before clicking his fingers.
The two men that were stood behind me moved towards the wall I was facing and began sliding it away to reveal a board with all the cards from a deck plastered across it with huge black X's over the top of them. My eyes widened as I took in the scene before me, many of the cards were crossed out but a few displayed no graffiti over them, noticeably the face cards.
"Allow me to enlighten you... these cards, are the only way to end your nightmare. To clear the game, you must collect all the cards."
I was so confused; did he mean the game my friends died for. I remembered last night when Kuina picked up a card from the golden table as she supported me out of the death place of my friends... thinking about it made me almost burst into tears so I distracted myself by listening to the strange man speak.
"Only one person may return to the normal world. The world we have been taken from. It is not the rest of Tokyo that has disappeared only a select few of us extracted from our previous lives and brought to this country."
"Only one?" I whispered almost to myself. I had only played one game but realised I would do anything it takes to go back to my old life, especially if staying here meant I would have to play more of those games.
"It is impossible to clear all the games individually, playing 52 games alone is effectively suicide. That's why we've united. To allow one person to leave. That is the objective of the Beach. Now... I have been told by Kuina that you have only played one game, correct?" he questioned to which I just nodded my head.
"So, I will explain to you that with every game you play you are given a visa, if you enter a game with a higher number, it will be harder but if you win your visa is extended for longer. For instance, if you clear a 3 of hearts, your visa will only be allowed for 3 days but if you clear a 10 it will extend for 10 days. Once your visa runs out..." he drew his hand over his throat in a chopping motion and a shivered slightly. "You may also not know what each of the categories are, Spades are a test of physical endurance, Diamonds are knowledge, Clubs are teamwork and Hearts are betrayal..."
I glanced over at the big wall of cards once again noticing that the 2 of Diamonds spot had not yet been crossed out. My memory flashed back to the previous night, and I recalled that I played a 2 of diamonds.
"Last night..." I stumbled out "I cleared a—"
"Two of diamonds, I know." He cut me off "See I knew you would be happy to join the effort of the Beach. So now I will go over the rules with you, but first Mira..." he turned to face the pretty woman and asked her to explain the Beach.
"Together, all of us built this small organization. The electricity is produced from a fuel powered generator. We use rainwater as our water supply." She giggled at the end covering her mouth with a dainty hand.
"Which brings me back to the rules of this, paradise. We only have 3. Rule one, always wear swimwear wherever you go. That way no one can conceal any weapons. Rule two all cards are the Beach's property."
He walked over to a table and picked up a card that lay atop it. He flipped it round displaying the 2 of diamonds I won yesterday.
"Anyone who has contributed cards will be promoted in numerical order, because after our collective efforts send out the first person, it won't be long before we can gather enough duplicate cards to send out more people. The lower your number, the faster you will get to leave. So, work hard and get rewarded... This brings us to the final rule of the Beach which I hope doesn't apply to you... Death to all traitors."
A chill went up my spine as he said that, and I shook on the spot wondering how I got into this position.
"You my dear have helped greatly after only one game... the two of diamonds! One of us is closer to leaving this country. I thank you and will consider promoting you. And now enjoy the Beach and whatever you desire. Feel free to drown yourself in alcohol, get high on drugs and have sex as much as you want. Enjoy life while you still can!"
I followed Kuina down the hallway, towards a storage room that she told me would have all the swimwear I could want. As she opened the door, and I peered in I noticed half was a display of all the swimsuits and half was what looked like filing cabinets. First Kuina opened a draw on the bottom level of the filing cabinets and pulled out a pink tag with the number 298 on it.
She gestured that I should hold my wrist out and so I complied, allowing her to tie it round my left wrist. I fiddled with it, trying to adjust it so it felt alright against my skin as she ruffled through the swimming costumes. She stopped when she pulled out a two-piece green bikini with blue flowers scattered over it. It had an adjustable ribbon around the top so I could hide more cleavage if necessary. She pulled out the bikini bottoms to go with it but I coughed before saying.
"I'm fine walking round in the top but do you think I could wear something else to cover the bottom?"
She looked at me for a moment before smiling and turning to a drawer and pulling it open. Inside were a range of skirts and she revealed a white ruffled skirt with decorative pearl and gold chains hanging down from the waist band.
I smiled as she handed me the cute outfit and walked out of the room as she closes it behind me.
"I will get you a room on the same floor as me..."
I thought about her generosity and kindness, since I had met her only last night, she had carried me all the way to this accommodation that has everything you could need and supplied me with the necessities, plus her company is a very nice addition. I thanked her and continued to walk up the stairs. We stopped at a room with the door slightly ajar and she said, "I'm pretty positive this one is completely empty."
I pushed open the door and peered around. There was a double bed, bathroom and desk in the room, and I smiled with content, happy I had found this place so quickly. I turned back around to face the girl only to see her calling down the corridor to someone.
"Chishiya! Chishiya!"
I walked towards the door frame peering around and was met with a figure stood a few doors down with his hand on the doorknob ready to enter a room. His other hand was placed lazily inside his pocket and his expression wore a bored look. I could only see part of his hair due to his hood being in the way, but I could see two frazzled strands of bleach blonde hair poking out.
"Hi..." that was all I got before he retreated into his room.
Kuina sighed before facing me with an apologetic sigh, "He is always like that, try not to take it personally. His name is Chishiya if you were wondering..."
I hummed before looking down at the bikini in my hands and coughed to get Kunia's attention.
"Oh..." she murmured backing away from the door clearing her throat. "Well, my door is down there." She pointed to a door on the opposite side of the corridor 3 doors down. "And well you know where Chishiya's is... umm call me if you need anything." And with that she winked and flounced to her room.
I closed the door behind her and walked to sit down on my bed but decided to lay down instead. I placed my hands behind my head and thought over the events of the last 24 hours. I started to think of my friends and what they had sacrificed so that I could be here. If only they could be here too...
Tears dripped down my cheeks as I thought about them and choked sobs gargled in my throat. I stayed in my room, pitying myself for the rest of the day.
The next morning, I woke up late, it was afternoon already and as I pulled myself out of bed, I felt sticky and disgusting. I hadn't showered or changed my clothes in 2 days, and I felt gross. I walked into the bathroom, peeling my tank top off my body. My jumper was already hung up in the wardrobe. The skirt I had was crumpled up and so I didn't bother neatly folding it and I just threw it on the floor.
I let the cool water run over my fingers until it became warm and then I hopped in. The feeling of the water falling over my skin felt blissful. I scrubbed at my skin, removing any built-up dirt and detangled my hair.
Once I had finished in the shower, I dried off and pulled the bikini up. It fit nicely and the skirt topped off the outfit. I gave myself a little twirl in the mirror before stopping myself.
I shouldn't be enjoying this. I'm stuck in a country where you are forced to play deadly games that can result in death. My friends died playing these games.
I felt my eyes pricking with tears again, but I rubbed them viciously forcing myself not to cry again. I composed myself and left the bathroom, deciding to go outside to let my hair air dry in the sun.
The upbeat music of the beach was very distracting as I tried to relax and the occasional splash from the pool made me wish I had just stayed inside but seeing as I was here already, I might as well stay. As I lay on the sun lounger a shadow fell over me and I looked up to see Kuina staring over me.
"Tonight, you have to play a game." She spoke.
I flinched when horns started blaring but Kuina grabbed my hand before I could do anything walking back into the Beach. "It's game time..." she murmured under her breath. We walked into the main entrance, pieces of paper in hand and everyone started gathering around us, so we moved to the side to stand against a pillar. People were screaming and shouting seemingly excited at the thought of having to play games. I shuddered at this idea.
Suddenly, they all faced the balcony chanting Hatter's name. The man slowly appeared from the balcony like a King about to give a speech to his subjects. I thought it was a little bit egotistical, but each to their own, I guess. Plus, the people fuelling his ego didn't seem to mind.
He let the cheering go on for a while longer as the executives approached from behind him. But with just one motion of his arms the crowd went silent.
I looked towards the balcony, this time in a sort of awe, amazed that he was able to quite the crowd so easily.
"Brothers and Sisters!" he called out "Tonight, like every other brings us new opportunities. New challenges to overcome, and you will never back down from one. Each of you has the strength to play. To fight for the cards, we need together. Unite as one to return to our old world. And I know it will be because of you that we will get there!"
The crowd erupted again, and I felt myself smiling a little. He sure knew how to give false hope...
Kuina and I were split up and she directed me to a car park on the ground level. As I stepped out into the cold night air, the slight breeze gave me goosebumps, but it wasn't a cold night. I looked down at my number once more before navigating to the parking space with the correlating number.
As I got closer there were two people stood outside different cars, one was a girl who seemed to be around my age and when she spotted me, she sent a smile my way. But the other was a huge man, who seemed to tower over the car itself. He had a buzz cut and his stern face sent a shiver up my spine. He wore green cargos and a black tank top. His attire seemed very military and then gun he held seemed to prove my point further.
I prayed in my head that the girl would share the same number as me, but my non-existent luck sent me towards the man next to the car. As I approached, his gaze still followed me and once, I was next to the car he grumbled "You're the last person, get in..."
I sent a gaze towards the girl outside and she shot a sympathetic look in my direction as I climbed into the vehicle. 3 other people (excluding the scary man) occupied the car.
Next to me was a woman who seemed to be a few years older than me, and her breathing didn't seem stable. It was no surprise when she reached into her purse and pulled out an inhaler.
I pray for her if we get a spades game.
On the far right of the car was a boy around my age and as I looked at him, he looked back at me and smiled. He seemed sweet.
In the front were the scary man and another person who looked around the same age as the woman and he had a stupid haircut that seemed to flop all over the place whenever he moved his head. I sighed before looking out of the window and wished for the games to be over already.
The car pulled up outside a sports centre and as I lifted myself out of the car a shot a guilty look at the woman who was swaying as if she was going to faint at any moment. The two elder men had already ascended the steps and the woman was not far behind them.
The younger boy came and stood next to me beginning to talk.
"Yasu, my name is Yasu,"
I sparred him a glance and just told him my first name as well.
"Who is the scary looking man?" I questioned as we too ascended the steps.
"I assume you mean Aguni... he is the head of the martial sector at the beach. That's why he carries a gun. If you want to enjoy your time at the beach, don't cross him."
I hummed before opening the door to the centre and stepping inside. 12 other people were in the room, wearing vests of which 2 more lay in a display case I assumed was originally for trophies. Yasu and I approached the case and as we slipped on the vests, the automated female voice rung out.
*Registration is now closed. The game will commence shortly.
Game: Skipping rope, 9 of spades*
I almost gagged and looked around to see the horrified faces of everybody else in the room. The woman from the beach was clutching onto the wall wheezing and panting trying to regain her breath and I sighed before listening into the rules.
*Rules complete the 4 rounds of skipping rope without being knocked off the platform. Each round will become increasingly difficult. Please line up outside the door*
LED lights illuminated a door on our left and everyone lined up single file. I was one away from the end of the line Yasu taking that spot. Infront of me was Aguni. How I wished he was far away. I am convinced this man is going to try and get me killed in this game.
Before I could start theorising how he is going to kill me the door swung open, and we slowly entered the hall.
A metal platform about 1m and ½ wide that stretched the length of the hall was raised in the middle and we had to climb a flight of steps to get to the top. Once we made it and all stood equally spaced out along the platform a creaking sound filled the air. We all looked around for the source until a random lady screamed and pointed at the ground.
What used to be a sports hall floor had opened to reveal spikes impaled into the ground spaced all along the length of the hall. My legs started to feel weak, and I wished for an easier game. A game that if I lost would result in a less painful death of a laser rather than being impaled by many spikes and being left to bleed to death.
Then the roof opened and down came the rope. It was thick and fixed all along the length of rope were weapons. Glass cut randomly, knives and jagged metal decorated the surface of the rope. I felt like crying, and it seemed as if this game was too much for the asthmatic woman too. He body crippled underneath her, and she fainted falling onto the floor of the platform. Luckily her body didn't fall onto the spikes below but as soon as the rope started swinging, she might have run out of luck.
*Round one commencing, slow pace*
My eyes connected with Yasu who gave me a determined nod and we both faced forward prepared to jump.
The rope came swinging and everybody jumped missing the rope. My eyes quickly landed on the fainted woman who seemed unaffected by the rope. It seemed other people had realised that too and began to wonder whether the ground was a safe place to take refuge. My mind went there too but I concluded once the rounds became more difficult a flaw in the game like this couldn't possibly exist for long.
I kept jumping avoiding the rope and as it came to a stop and the voice called out.
*Round one complete*
I looked around to see if everyone was still alive and to my relief, they were. I noticed some people going to lie on the ground 4 people to be exact and as they lay against the cold surface, I noticed Yasu next to me going to do the same thing.
"Don't!" I called out to him in a whisper "If we were able to clear the game this easily, it wouldn't be a 9 of spades..."
He hesitantly nodded and instead got his stance ready to continue playing.
I didn't notice Aguni listening in to what I was saying and taking mental note of my good perception surrounding the situation we were in.
*Round two commencing, quick pace*
The rope began to swing faster this time and my jumping paced became quicker, I was focused on myself I didn't take notice of anybody else. But the lack of screams made me positive that no one else had perished. After 14 more swings the rope finally stopped, and I clutched my knees panting.
Many others did the same. This game was already taking the energy out of me, and we had only completed half. Looking to my right I saw Aguni still stood upright breathing normally and this frightened me even more. He must be some kind of machine. Before I could worry even more about Aguni the female voice rang out again.
*Round three commencing, fast pace*
The rope started swinging again and my body jumped and moved over the top of the rope and that's when I heard the screams. The floor had opened underneath us while the rope was at ground level. The people who lay on the floor fell to their deaths and as I was falling back down from my jump, I couldn't help but glace at the open floor which displayed 5 impaled bodies. At minimum 3 spikes shot through the bodies of the victims and I noticed that many still moved taking rapid breaths or drowning in the blood that pooled in their throats, some spilling out and dripping to the floor. The spikes ripped them apart and some started to slip further down as they tried to escape the inevitable death.
As my feet neared the ground the floor snapped back up and I landed on solid ground once more. My breath hitched in my throat as my foot slipped and my body stumbled to the right, the rope was swinging back already. I hastily contorted my body to the left trying to even out my balance and a felt my foot flatten out again in just enough time to jump over the rope.
I felt eyes on me as I landed again and looked to see Yasu concernedly looking at me. I nodded at him, assuring I was fine before facing the rope with determination. I was going to clear this game.
The rope had swung towards us 12 more times and I prepared for the last one. As my body jumped a scream echoed out through the silence. A man hadn't jumped high enough, and his midriff connected with the rope. The objects embedded inside pierced into him and when the rope swung round for the last time his body departed and flung across the hall. He connected with the wall and the loud sound rippled through the room.
We had all finished jumping now and the rope had stopped as we watched him fall onto the spikes. I shuddered as he cried out one last time and faced away from him.
*Round 4 fast pace...*
I sighed in relief as she announced the round would be the same as last time (I couldn't handle a pace any faster) but my bliss was cut short as she continued to speak.
*And another rope swinging the other way will be added*
I felt the colour drain out of my face. How the fuck am I going to survive?
I tried to think of ways as the rope descended from behind me and I turned to face Yasu. If I turned to the side that means I can see when both swing meaning neither should catch me by surprise.
Yasu had the same idea but facing him meant I couldn't check if the other survivors were thinking the same as the woman spoke saying the game was commencing.
The first rope swung, and I jumped just as I had every round before but this time as soon as my feet hit the ground the other rope swung too. My reflexes kicked in just in time and I narrowly avoided the rope. Others hadn't been so lucky this time round, and 2 screams rung out. There were less than half of the people left in this game, and I was one of them. That wasn't going to change.
I jumped and made it over the ropes and no one else died. Both swung 3 more times before the next scream rang out. It was very feminine, and I knew it was the only other female in this game. Now I was the only one left standing.
The rope swung many more times and I had lost count and just willed it to stop. One more person died as I lazily jumped over the ropes. I was becoming sloppy with my jumps and Yasu noticed it calling out "Focus!" But it was too late. The last jump I had done was a little too low, a knife that stuck out from the rope pierced the skin on my ankle. The red blood oozed out of the wound and sunk to the floor as I fell down with it. One more echoing scream from another player sounded out as I lay on the floor.
I expected the rope to swing down throw me to the ground, but I felt a pair of arms lift me up and I meagrely jumped over the rope one final time. My ankle stung as the voice rang out.
*Game over, congratulations. *
I looked behind me to see Aguni staring down at me. He had saved me. I couldn't believe it. Before I could thank him, Yasu came running over.
"Holy shit (name), are you alright..."
But I couldn't speak. The words were stuck in my throat as I just stared at the boy in front of me. I felt his arms wrap around me as he lifted me up and we hobbled down the stairs. I could still walk but it was just painful and so most of my weight was applied on the boy.
Once we made it into the reception area, I noticed nobody around us.
Everybody else had died. 11 people. No wonder it was a 9 card.
I leant against the wall, shuffling around to remove the vest as Aguni walked to the table to pick up a card.
"Thank you...Aguni." I called out staring straight at the man. He only nodded before saying "There are bandages in the car." And walked out of the building. I watched as he left, a newfound appreciation for the man within me and I no longer felt scared of him. He could have just left me to die. He didn't even know me... yet he still protected me.
Yasu walked over and I stood up limping over to him. He placed his hands on my shoulders and said "thank you for what you did earlier... if you hadn't warned me against lying on the floor, I would be dead right now... I owe my life to you."
"We all owe our lives to somebody..." I mumbled staring out of the window and into the car.
Yasu wrapped me in a hug as I thought of my friends. I owe my life to them as well... I will finish these games for them.
That night when we returned, Yasu helped me to my room. His room was on a different floor and so he was reluctant to leave me. It seemed he had become attached to me which I didn't mind. Having a friend in a place like this is a gift. So, I just reassured him it was just a scratch, and I would be fine. I could walk on my own now and only a dull throbbing pain was left, nothing like the initial pain.
We had discovered that the cut stretched from mid-way up my calf to my ankle. It wasn't deep, but also wasn't just a graze. It would heal quickly without a scar and that was all that mattered. As I lay on my bed I tried not to think about the games and eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, I awoke to Kuina at my door, and she guided me to Chishiya's room claiming he had medical experience. I tried to explain to her that I was fine, but she refused to listen until she got the opinion of Chishiya.
In reality she knew that I was fine and wasn't worried the cut would be a future concern she just wanted Chishiya and I to interact more. She knew he wouldn't voluntarily speak to me unless he though I was useful to their plan. Kuina wanted me to be included in their plan. She didn't want to leave me behind and so getting Chishiya to like me was her current goal.
She lazily knocked on his door calling his name and as he opened it slowly, she barged in dragging me with her. She sat me on the bed, pulling my ankle onto her lap and called Chishiya over to look at it.
He rolled his eyes and trudged closer to me inspecting the wound.
"I don't know what you want me to say umm... you'll live?"
I chuckled at his comment thinking he was trying to be funny but when he looked blank faced at my reaction I shut up.
"No... will it scar?" Kuina asked as if it was obvious her silence presented this question.
"No."
"Will it get infected?"
"No... just change the bandages."
"Ughh." Kuina grumbled annoyed at his blunt answers and dropped my foot.
I quietly propped my hands on the edge of the bed moving to leave the room.
"Thanks for the concern Kuina, but I told you I'm fine... thanks Chishiya..." as I turned to leave once more a voice rang out from behind me.
"Don't get in the pool, too much bacteria."
I nodded at the man's words and slowly departed, walking towards the stairs.
"So, you do like her!" exclaimed Kuina pointing her fake cigarette at her friend.
He hummed before looking at the door she left from. "(name)? She's not bad..."
As I walked down the stairs a familiar man started to walk up them. He was a tall lean male, and his long black hair was in a half up half down bun. He was wearing a black-and-white animal print shirt, and the first few buttons were undone revealing part of his chest. I stopped walking when I noticed the gun he held lazily over his shoulder and as I gasped, he looked up at me. His eyes seemed to widen for a minute before returning to normal and a smirk wiped across his face.
"And who... are you?"
I shudder went up my spine as he said this. It didn't feel like an actual question, more like a taunt. He exhaled loudly when I said nothing and started to move across the staircase towards me when a deep voice pulled his attention away.
"Niragi..."
The mans head whipped up and I followed the sound of the voice to see Aguni at the bottom of the stairs. I sighed a breath of relief at his appearance and shuffled further away from the male I know knew as Niragi.
"Leave the poor girl alone... can't you see she's injured."
All eyes trailed down to my ankle that needed fresh bandages, the blood could be seen underneath the top layer which made the wound seem worse than it was.
Niragi clicked his tongue in annoyance showing me the flicker of a silver piercing inside his mouth before he turned his body fully to face Aguni.
"Whatever you say boss..." the man slunk up the stairs not looking back.
Aguni turned away but stopped looking over his shoulder and saying "Come with me... I can get you fresh bandages."