Author's Note: No, this is not my return to the world of fanfiction. This is simply a favor I'm doing for a friend. She hosts a FanFicFriday on her Katawa Shoujo-themed page and I offered my help, that's it. I just decided to post this here as well for you guys to enjoy, and to have them neatly organized for anyone who'd want to go through the whole thing after it's completed without bothering with looking up posts and pages. New chapters will be updated every Friday. Enjoy!
When I was diagnosed with arrhythmia a few months ago, I thought my life was over. That first nearly fatal heart attack put an end to what I had thus far considered to be a perfect existence. I was popular, I had good grades and I was physically active. Life couldn't possibly get any better for a teenager like me. I had it so good, I always considered my life to be a bit boring. I never even realized that the only thing I could possibly do was fall from my throne. And fell, I did. The numerous surgeries following my heart attack left my body scarred and weak. My prolonged hospitalization cost me all of my friends. And finally, I had to give up the education I wanted and start studying at a school for disabled kids, Yamaku Academy, as the arrhythmia had made my heart fragile. For me, life was over. I tried to see this as a new beginning, but the more I thought about it, the more it depressed me. The king was now reduced to a lonely invalid in a school for cripples. I thought it couldn't possibly get any worse. What I didn't realize was that the only thing I could do was rise again. And rise, I did.
For the most part, Yamaku was no different than any other school. It looked and felt practically the same. It had its popular girls, jocks and nerds. It had a student council, various festivals, it organized field trips for the students... At first, the disabilities of the other students really bothered me. I mean, you can't just see an armless person for the first time and lead a normal conversation with them, at least not without feeling awkward and uncomfortable! However, in time, I did manage to get used to it. And once you look past their disabilities, the kids from Yamaku were just that – kids, with hopes, dreams and aspirations. Once my initial shock was over, it wasn't hard to find many good friends. And who knows, maybe soon I'll even find someone I can call more than a friend.
It's been eight months since that first, faithful heart attack. Every day brings me even closer to graduation, or the moment when I'll be forced to leave my entire life behind once more. To be honest, I don't quite know how I feel about that. On one hand, I guess I'll finally become a productive member of society. I'll go to a normal university, or get a normal job, and, as long as I take my medication and don't overexert myself, I won't even have to think about my disability again. But on the other, I have found a lot of good friends here. They're all people that I would love to have around me for the rest of my life, but I know that this isn't a realistic possibility no matter how I look at it, which is why I appreciate this field trip even more.
Honestly, none of us are really excited about the trip itself. We're just going to some small village on an island a few miles away from shore. We all know there won't be anything of interest once we actually get there – maybe a souvenir shop, or an inn, or something like that. That's why most of the students decided not to waste their time and money on this trip, and the ones that went did so because of the journey, not the destination. I mean, aside from the graduation ceremony, this will be the last big event we'll all attend, our last chance to have some fun together before the end. Luckily, most of my friends thought the same way.
I turn around and nod to the boy next to me. He adjusts his large, oval glasses and continues shouting at me. I don't pay attention to what he's saying, since it probably doesn't make any sense at all. This is Kenji, my flatmate and I suppose also my best friend. I can't say that I particularly like Kenji, at least not in the same way I like my other friends. However, his sheer insanity has a certain... charm to it. Ever since I arrived at Yamaku 8 months ago, there hasn't been a single day in which I didn't have to listen about the global feminist conspiracy, the drugs in the water and the ancient aliens. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he reveals to me the truth about the ancient feminist alien who put drugs in the water as part of a conspiracy. This isn't exactly the topic of discussion I'd pick, but I guess I'm stuck with him for now. All the others have already paired up amongst themselves.
Right behind me, we have the dynamic duo, Emi and Rin discussing stuff that's only slightly less strange than what Kenji's talking about. When they first started studying at Yamaku, someone from accommodation decided they'd be perfect for each other and placed them in adjacent rooms. Why? The answer becomes obvious the moment you look at them. Rin was born without arms, and Emi lost her legs in an accident a few years ago. However, what the guy in charge of their rooms couldn't have possibly predicted was that the two of them would complement each other in more than one way. Honestly, I've always found Emi to be a bit of an airhead. I don't mean that in a bad way, as it makes her even cuter. Indeed, her appearance and behavior often resemble those of someone half her age, which makes her one of the most popular students at school due to that inexplicable charm that only little kids seem to possess. This quality of hers makes her the perfect conversational partner for Rin, whose insanity rivals even Kenji's. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm positive that she is crazier than my best friend. At least his theories actually made sense, and I would have believed him if I didn't already know they weren't true. The stuff that comes out of Rin's mouth is rarely coherent. After spending some time with her, I've learned to understand her randomness... Or rather, I've understood the fact that she is random, but I can see how someone she meets for the first time would be completely stupefied. I know I was. Then again, maybe that's how all artists are.
Right behind them is sitting the student council, in its entirety. As in, all two of its members. They're by far the loudest in the entire bus, which is truly an achievement considering Shizune, the student council president, is deaf and mute. On the other hand, her interpreter Misha is loud for two, and a bit more. The fact that she's so loud while "speaking" in sign language should blow my mind, but its novelty wore off soon after I transferred here. Pardon the inappropriate noun, but Shizune has never been the talkative type. Even after I learned sign language to try and make our communications easier, she still liked to keep to herself. I suppose that's for the best, since she's not exactly easy to get along with, anyway. There's a reason she's the student council president – she's the most controlling and strict person I've ever met in my life! Shizune likes to see everything, including running the school, as a game, and it doesn't really help that she's competitive to the point of obsessiveness.
To say the least, our row was pretty loud. The one next to us, though, was practically silent, and a quick glance at the people sitting there reveals why. The girl sitting right across me and Kenji is silently napping on her best friend's shoulder. Knowing her, it's probably better that she didn't experience all this noise, though one has to wonder how she's managing to sleep through it. Her name is Hanako, and she's got to be the shyest person in the school. When she was a child, a fire took the lives of both her parents and left her face and body scarred. Ever since then, she's been avoiding people like the plague. She doesn't speak much about her past, but I have my suspicions that the kids in middle school didn't respond well to her scarring and further traumatized her. Now, the only people she's willing to socialize with are me and Lilly, the girl sitting next to her. Ah, yes, Lilly, every English gentleman's wet dream. She's quiet, always polite (even when she's angry) and enjoys a quiet tea break more than anything else in the world. I suppose a part of it comes from the fact that she's completely blind, and another from her heritage, as she comes from a rich Scottish family. I suppose that's as close as I'd get to being friends with a princess. Being around someone who can't see her scars probably got Hanako to relax around her when they first met, and they quickly became inseparable. The more I look at them, sitting side by side in the bus, the more I'm smiling. It's rare to find friendship as beautiful and pure as theirs.
Right behind her are the duo of Saki and Akio, the only people from my class to require a cane for walking. I'm not very close to them, but they appear to be very good friends, and, if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say they were together from even before high school. I haven't really noticed any romantic sparks flying between them, but who knows? In any case, it's none of my business. I'm just happy they have each other, since both of them need someone for support. Akio has osteoporosis, which means his bones are really fragile and weak. While he can't participate in any physical activities, he's utilizing his other talents to the fullest. For example, he has an unnatural knack for technology. When he gets his hand on a piece of hardware, his first instinct is to disassemble it and see how everything inside works. The other students have taken notice of this, and Akio's become the "go-to" person when a piece of equipment malfunctions. Most of the time, he manages to fix them, or at least pour a little more life into them, even without all the necessary parts he'd normally need for such a repair. Overall, he's not too concerned about his condition. "I don't need my legs to fix stuff", he rightfully told me when we were chatting casually once. Saki, on the other hand, can't afford to be so carefree. Spinocerebellar ataxia. It's a condition that slowly causes you to lose control over your body. First goes the ability to walk. Then you become paralyzed completely, unable to feed or speak. Finally, your body forgets how to breathe. Saki has been sick ever since she was born. You could argue that my arrhythmia is just as potentially fatal, but it's not – with medicine and exercise, I'll probably die of old age before I get that fatal heart attack. Saki's not so lucky. She knows her story won't have a happy ending. From what I've heard, no one can tell exactly how much time she has, but every doctor agrees it's not long. And yet Saki isn't despaired by this. She's not angsty, or mean, or depressed. She's cheerful, outgoing, fashionable and quirky, just like most healthy people her age. She's one of the prettiest girls in Yamaku, partly because I rarely see her without a genuine smile on her face. Whether she's truly enjoying every day she has, or this is simply a coping mechanism for sorrow hidden deep inside her heart, I'll never know. One thing's for sure, though – Saki is probably the student I admire the most in the entire school.
Right behind them, a dark-skinned girl with just a bandage where her left hand should be is explaining something to her sleepy-looking friend. They are Miki and Suzu, two of my classmates. Miki has always been close to me. She's probably the only girl amongst my group of friends that I wouldn't really consider dating if she asked me out. Not because she's not beautiful or anything like that, since she is, but rather, it's because I can't help but see her as a "bro". If she asked me out on a date, I'd probably react the same way I would if Kenji did. Her attitude, her mannerisms, her interests, our conversation topics, the advice she gives me... One has to wonder if she wasn't a guy who underwent some sort of surgery or something. Well, I'm pretty sure that's not the case... I hope. I'm not too close to Suzu. Frankly, I don't think she's really close to anybody, which is understandable, considering her condition. Narcolepsy is often made fun of in manga, but it's no laughing matter. It's dangerous and humiliating. Even I know that, and Suzu's had to live through it every single day. I guess that's why she doesn't really let people close to her – she's afraid she'll be a burden to them. Seeing her speak with Miki is nice, but I wouldn't bet on the two of them becoming friends. It's not really anyone's fault, that's just how Suzu is.
And of course, in the very back of the bus, we have our loners. I don't really know either of them, since all three aren't too sociable. Takashi, the boy with the bandage over his ear, is from my class. All I know is that he's an artist. That's it. He doesn't speak much with anyone. Hell, even Rin (who is a member of the art club and probably the most renowned artist in the school) doesn't really know much about him, and she's one of those that REALLY put their nose into other people's business, consciously or not. Takashi has crossed his legs and is scribbling something inside his scratchpad. I guess it would be interesting to see what exactly he's drawing, but then again, I don't care all that much. Right next to him is Rika. She has a heart condition very similar to my own, so I thought we would have a lot of stuff in common. I was wrong. Even though I hear she's quite popular around school, no matter how much I tried to be friendly, I was quite thoroughly ignored. When I asked my friends about this, the most common answer I got was "She's just like that". Eventually, I gave up and simply left her alone, just like most of the people I'm close with have.
And right beside them, a boy with short, blond hair and light-green eyes is sitting calmly and reading a book, with a faint smile on his lips. His name is Leo Harway, and he just transferred to Yamaku a few weeks ago. I've never really had the chance to talk to him, but I don't really need to do that to learn what he's like. After all, it only took him a few days to become one of the most popular discussion subjects among the students, and it's not hard to see why. First of all – even though I'm a guy, I can definitely admit that he looks good. He's not one of these "alpha males" that seem to be popular in the West. If anything, his features make him appear slightly feminine, but they suit him. His eyes have this mysterious appeal behind them that just draws you in and makes you want to learn more about him. It's actually really fascinating to see how little emotion they betray. Even though his lips are always curved in this faint, polite smile, you can never tell if he's happy, sad, neutral, angry or depressed. I guess that's just how people from the West are. After all, Lilly is half-Scottish, and she's not exactly the most expressive person I know, even if her level of expression is ages above Leo's. I guess I forgot to mention another thing that makes him so popular – he's British. He doesn't have a drop of Eastern blood in his veins, yet his Japanese is still impeccable. Not only that, he can apparently speak at least a dozen more languages just as fluently. There is a rumor that he's actually the heir of the western Harway Corporation (one of the most powerful and influential organizations in the world) who escaped to Japan because he couldn't handle the responsibility, but honestly, he doesn't seem the type to run from stuff like that. Besides, having another heir to an influential western corporation in my school would just be too much, even if the Harways are miles ahead of the Satous in that regard.
'Hey, Kenji...' I turn to my best friend, suddenly interrupting his speech. 'You think Leo over there is really connected to the Harway Corporation?'
'Hm?' he stops, not paying much attention to my rudeness. Guess he's just ignorant like that. Or he genuinely didn't notice. With Kenji, you can never be sure. 'Why do you ask?'
'I just thought you might have a few conspiracy theories about him, that's all'
'They're not theories if they've been proven, man!' Kenji snaps at me as I look away to avoid the oncoming storm of spittle approaching from his mouth. 'Then they're called "facts"!'
'Well, have any of your... facts actually been proven?'
'It's just a matter of time, dude!' he yawns and leans back into his chair, then closes his eyes. 'Just a matter of time...'
Kenji's yawn is contagious, as I quickly follow in turn. It's been quite a long trip, so it's understandable that we're all a little tired. Besides, he wouldn't stop screaming at me throughout most of the journey, so I can tell why he'd want to rest a little. What I can't tell, though, is why everyone on the bus quickly follows in turn.
I rise up in my seat and look around. As far as I can see, every single one of my friends is relaxed in their seats, in deep sleep. The always energetic Misha is leaning to the right, in a position that can't possibly be comfortable to sleep in. Miki is slowly sliding down from her seat, until the inevitable happens and she stumbles down onto the floor. Even that's not enough to wake her up. To be honest, if it wasn't for Kenji's loud snoring right next to me, I'd have assumed that everyone around me just died all of a sudden. But even though I know that they're all sleeping, it doesn't make the situation any less weird. I know I should really worry, but my own mind is slowly fading away as well.
Suddenly, I notice someone walking beside me. Well, "walking" is a generous term for the way he drags his feet across the floor in a desperate attempt to stay awake, really. I look up, and eventually recognize his features through my quickly closing eyes. Leo is slowly making his way to the nearest window that he can actually access. That's odd... While his faint smile is completely gone, his eyes are as calm as ever. Does nothing faze this guy? Or perhaps there's something more to it that my half-asleep brain can't comprehend?
After what seems like hours, Leo finally reaches the window and tries to pull it open, with no luck. Yes, I do remember that none of the windows could really open when we tried them earlier. Sure, I thought it was a little odd, but aren't a lot of buses made with windows that can't open? I never gave it a second thought until now.
Just as Leo finally gives up on the window and falls on the floor unconscious, the realization hits me. They gassed us. That's gotta be it. There's no other possible explanation for what just happened. Leo must have realized this far sooner than me, which is why he actually tried to do something about it. But... Why would anyone try to put us to sleep? I don't get it...
Are we... being kidnapped?
I suddenly find myself... someplace else. I can't quite understand where I am just yet, but I'm definitely not in the bus. I'm lying on my back in some dark room. After a few seconds, my vision clears, but I'm still not able to see too much due to the darkness. That's odd... In movies and books, people always complain of headaches after regaining consciousness, but I don't really think I sense something like that. If anything, I feel like I've just woken up from a deep, long sleep – a bit disoriented, but otherwise well-rested and calm. Oh yeah, I was just kidnapped, wasn't I? I suppose I should be a bit more concerned, maybe even terrified, but I'm not. I'm just very, very confused.
With some effort, I manage to push myself up and sit down on the floor as my eyes are slowly adjusting to the darkness. The room is pretty big, maybe a little bit bigger than our classroom. Actually, now that I think about it... This does kind of resemble a classroom! There's a black board on the wall right in front of me, and I'm sure I can make out the silhouettes of desks stacked on top of each other at both sides of the room. The floor feels like a classroom floor as well – it's dusty (even by classroom standards) and is made out of wood. Judging by the amount of dust, I'd say this room hasn't been used for anything in weeks.
I rub my eyes once more and look around. Lying on the floor all around me are the rest of my friends. Looks like I was the first one to come to. I get on all fours and crawl towards the person closest to me. The darkness is still concealing most of the details from me, but I'm pretty sure I recognize her.
'Hanako! Hey, Hanako! Wake up!' I whisper. The girl opens her eyes.
'H-Hisao?' she stutters and looks at me, still half-asleep. 'What h-happened?'
'I'm not sure... I think that...'
Suddenly, something on Hanako's neck catches my attention. I can't make out what it is, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there before. It's made out of metal. Could it be a necklace or something like that? I don't remember Hanako ever wearing jewelry... I slowly extend my hand and touch it.
'H-Hisao? What...' Hanako asks in confusion before she finally feels the cold metal around her neck. She immediately grabs it with both hands and tries to pull it off, without much luck. Her eyes start filling up with tears. Something's not right at all.
A bit cautious, I slowly raise my hand towards my own neck. My body goes stiff when I realize the same metal... collar thing was placed around me as well. Shit... Suddenly, the realization that I was kidnapped finally hits home. I grab the collar with both hands and try to yank it off, just like Hanako did. I know it's useless, but I'm powerless to stop it. Panic is quickly filling up every corner of my body. What the hell... What is this thing over my neck? Why is it there? What do they want from me?!
The sudden flash of bright light blinds me and interrupts my thoughts. The brightness burns through my sensitive retinas, as if someone's pressing a torch against my face. I quickly cover my eyes with my palms and moan from the pain, which thankfully subsides quickly. Gradually, the world around me starts to gain shape again, and before long, my vision is back to normal. By now, all of my friends are awake and sitting up. Some have discovered their collars and are desperately trying to get them off, while others are talking amongst each other and asking the same questions that undoubtedly float through everyone's minds right now. I look around and try to see if everyone's okay. Hanako quickly looks through the crowd, then crawls up to Lilly as soon as she spots her. Emi starts trembling like a leaf as soon as she feels up the metal around her neck. Saki is crouched down next to Akio and is talking about something, with concern in her eyes. I guess she's worried his fragile bones might have gotten broken while he was being transported. On the other hand, Rin and Suzu are simply scanning around, looking kind of sleepy. I guess they either haven't realized yet that we've been kidnapped, or they just don't care. For a moment, my eyes cross with those of Leo, who seems to be looking around just like I am. The smile I had thought was permanently embedded to his face was now gone, yet his eyes still remained cold and analytical as ever. If I had to guess, I'd say he was already looking for a way out of this predicament.
A few loud claps make everyone shut up and turn their heads towards the door. Honestly, this is the first time I even noticed there was a door. I guess it was obvious, but considering the stress and the panic inside the room, it's no wonder everyone missed it. Besides, considering the level of precaution of whoever organized this kidnapping, it would've most likely been locked anyway.
Slowly, a man in an official black and red suit starts making his way towards the center of the room, closely followed by two soldiers. At least, I think they're soldiers. Their uniforms and machine guns tell me this much. But they're also wearing gas masks. Is there still gas in the room? Or do they want to hide their identities? Either way, I don't think it really matters much. Not when there are far more important questions floating in the air.
The man in the suit doesn't really bother with a mask. All he has is a black piece of cloth that goes around his head and covers his left eye. He claps a few more times, just to hammer down his presence in the room a bit more. Just now, I notice how unnatural this clapping sounds. This can't be a sound produced by human hands. It sounds more like he's wearing some sort of medieval armor on his wrists, even though they seem perfectly normal to me. All he's covered them with are ordinary leather gloves.
'Happy Hunger Games!' the man finally speaks. His voice has a weird accent. I can't quite pinpoint where he's from, but I'm absolutely positive he's not Japanese. Have we been smuggled overboard to be sold as slaves or something?! And what was that about the Hunger Games? Like in that movie? I look around a bit. Everyone's giving the others weird looks, but we're still way too scared to say anything.
'Come on, that's what you kids say, right?' the man keeps talking. 'Let's have a little pop quiz! Who here has read "The Hunger Games"? Come on, don't be shy, just lift your hands up!'
For a few seconds, no one even moves a muscle. Saki is the first one to break the mold as she slowly raises her hand up. A few of the girls quickly follow her example, despite not really understanding what was going on.
'Okay, good, you can lower your hands. Now, who has read "Battle Royale"?'
"Battle Royale"? The name rings a bell. I don't think I've read it myself, but I'm absolutely positive I've seen it somewhere. Now, where was that... Could it be in the hospital's library? No, that's not it... Oh yeah, Hanako owned it, didn't she? I remember seeing her read it once or twice. I quickly turn to her, trying to be subtle and not expose her, in case she doesn't want to lift her hand up.
When I see her, Hanako is already curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out as Lilly's desperately trying to comfort her without words. I don't really get it. She was scared before, of course, but she wasn't borderline hysterical until after the mysterious man started to ask those weird questions.
'You see what I mean?' he speaks up again. 'Even though "Battle Royale" is a much better book in every single aspect, everyone your age won't shut up about how great "The Hunger Games" is! You guys have no taste, seriously! And don't tell me it's because of the romance, because "Battle Royale" had more and better romance than "The Hunger Games" can even dream of!'
'Why the hell are we here?!' I suddenly hear a familiar voice as Kenji stands up. 'Who are you, people? Just what are you trying to pull off?'
The man in the suit smiles.
'Patience, Setou-kun. Sit back down. I'll explain everything'
Reluctantly, Kenji obliges.
'You see, we're gonna do a small experiment here. A little "Shock and Awe" to see how far we can push the limits of the human mind before it completely snaps. So I started to think - "Shock and Awe", huh? Well, what's more shocking than a lightning? With lightning comes thunder. My thunder. You see, I am lightning, and thunder. So you can call me... Raiden' he grinned.
What the hell... Is this guy for real? This doesn't even make any sense! The students start whispering among themselves. I don't get it... "Raiden"? "Shock and Awe"? And what's this experiment he keeps mentioning?
'Please, please, hold your speculation until after I've explained everything' Raiden taps on the blackboard a few times. 'Now, the experiment will take place over 48 hours. If you complete it, you can go home and brag to your family about how awesome you are'
'And if we don't?' Kenji yells out again.
Damn it, Kenji, keep your damn mouth shut! This guy's a psycho, and he's got two armed soldiers with him! Just be quiet and let him talk!
'I'm getting there, Setou-kun' Raiden glared at him. 'I don't want to hear your voice again until we're done here. Ahem. The village we're in has been evacuated a week ago due to an accident. Of course, there was no such thing. It was all part of the plan. Throughout the week, my men cleared it out, making sure to remove all... questionable items, like cars, hidden guns, stuff like that. This village will be your playground. After the experiment starts, you'll be able to go wherever you want and do whatever you want. Only condition is to not leave the village. There will be armed guards on every exit who won't hesitate to shoot if you attempt to flee. Of course, they're there just for show. Don't get me wrong, they WILL shoot you if you approach them, you have my word as a gentleman, but I know none of you are going to approach them'
I'm so confused. What is he talking about? The island is our... playground? Is this some sort of game? And what's up with the death threats here?! He can't REALLY shoot any of us, can he? Then again, he managed to kidnap us... Out here, no one will really hear if we're shot... Shit, this can't be true! Raiden clears his throat again and keeps talking.
'The reason why I know you won't try to escape is because of those little gifts I've left each one of you' he points at his throat. Instinctively, I touch the metal collar around mine. 'Trust me – those collars can not be removed. Not by you. They can't be yanked away or cut off with a knife. If you attempt to fiddle with them and try to be smart, well... I've got some bad news for you. Every collar has a small amount of explosive inside it'
The moment he mentions the word "explosive" the entire classroom gasps. Some start trying to pull their collars off again, others just begin trembling at the thought of being caught in an explosion. The only thing I can do is slide my fingertips against the metal once more. I don't like having an explosive against my neck, but I don't think there's much I can do about it at this point.
'Calm down, calm down!' Raiden raises his voice. 'The explosive won't cause your body to combust or anything like that. The explosion will be small, just enough to completely destroy your throat. Death should be instantaneous... I think. I haven't actually tested one of these'
This causes an even bigger uproar, and with good reason. Is this guy for real?! Telling us we'll die anyway won't make us calmer at all! I still don't fully comprehend what's going on. From the looks of my friends' faces, neither do they. The only one who is calmly listening to Raiden is, of course, Leo. His faint smile is back. I get the feeling he has figured the situation out. Damn it, does he know something I don't?!
'All collars are set to detonate in exactly 48 hours. Now, any game designer can tell you that's a terrible and unfair mechanic. So, to make the game more interesting, I have a way to remove the collar right here' the man in the suit speaks once more, then reaches inside his pocket and takes out a small, silver key. It doesn't look like a door key, more like, one of those tiny ones you use to wind up toys and music boxes. 'This is your key out of here. Your prize for winning the game. It will remove your collar, and as an added bonus I'll give you a ride home, just because I'm a nice guy like that. Problem is, it only works once. You see where I'm going with this?'
Only works once? Wait... No, he can't be serious! I feel my chest tightening when the realization hits me. Of course, how didn't I figure it out earlier? Judging by the faces of my friends, I'm not the only one who understood what was going on.
'Exactly. Only one of you will leave the island alive' Raiden drops the atom bomb and leans back against the blackboard to enjoy our reactions. I bet he expected screams, panic and tears, but he's not getting any of those. We're all way too shocked for that.
'Hm' he squints his eye. 'Well, then. Each one of you will be given a bag containing a random weapon, plus some food, water and a map That's everything you're gonna get, since, as I mentioned, there are no weapons, or food, left in the houses. However, there are no rules against stealing the opponent's bag. Actually, there is only one rule: Do not die. If you die, the game is over for you. Kill or be killed. Law of the jungle, you know what I mean? When there's only one of you left standing, they'll get my key and a round of applause from all my soldiers!'
No one said anything.
'The collars you're all wearing detect your vital signs. It'll tell us who is dead and who's alive. There is no way to fool it, so don't try it. Every six hours, I will personally announce the recently departed. Gotta keep the game fair, right? I'll also tell you guys about the forbidden zones'
'Hm? Forbidden zones?' Saki speaks up. Raiden smiles at her.
'Glad you asked! The village has been divided into 15 equal zones. You can see them on the map you'll be given. Every time one of you dies, a random zone will turn into a forbidden one. If you step inside, your collar will start beeping, which is your cue to get the hell out of there. If you don't step back into a safe zone within 5 seconds, BOOM! Naturally, I don't need to mention that everything outside the borders of the village is always a forbidden zone. Which is why I mentioned the posted soldiers are more for show than for anything else. Now, before I let you guys out there-'
'THIS IS BULLSHIT!' Kenji stands up and starts yelling. 'You expect us to go out there and start killing our friends?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! None of us would ever do that! Some of us CAN'T do that even if we want to play your fucked up game! It was never fair to begin with!'
Raiden glares at Kenji and sighs loudly. He pushes himself away from the black board and starts to slowly approach my best friend.
'You know, Setou-kun, I really, REALLY can't tolerate outbursts like this, especially not when I'm trying to just have fun with all of you here. Besides, this is your third strike today' the man in the suit says, then quickly pulls out a tiny remote control, kind of like the ones used to unlock cars, and points it towards Kenji's head. 'I'm sorry, but you're out'
Suddenly, some sort of loud, electronic beeping echoes throughout the room. Everyone looks around, kind of startled by it. I don't need to search. The beeping is coming from Kenji's collar, no doubt about it. And that can only mean one thing. My friend starts trying to yank the collar away again.
'What'd you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?!' he screams in fear. It took me a while to fully realize what had happened, but... Raiden must have activated his collar. There's no way it can be anything else... But that means...
'Kenji!' I shout involuntarily.
'DUDE! HELP ME!' he looks at me, tears streaming down from his eyes. 'I DON'T WANT TO DIE!'
I start shaking. I don't even see the rest of the class anymore. My mind is purely focused on my best friend. The beeps from his collar last for about a second each, but they feel like eternity. I can't let him die! There's no way! I need to do something, but what?! Another beep sends tingles down my spine.
'WAIT!' I shout. It's not like it's gonna work. As crazy as Raiden is, I don't think he could really be convinced by words. At least not any words. What do I say? "You need him alive to play your game"?
That's way too long, and I only have a few seconds left! What should I say?!
'Kill me instead!' my mouth moves on its own. The man in the suit quickly lifts his remote again and presses the button, stopping the beeping. Kenji sighs and falls on his knees. The odor that fills the room tells me he has pissed himself.
'What did you say?' Raiden asks me.
I think about it. Trading my life for Kenji's... That's not a bad deal. If this fucked-up game is for real, then I probably won't survive very long. My arrhythmia won't let me overexert myself. I'll probably just get a heart attack the moment someone attacks me, and that will be that. Another pointless death. Kenji may be legally blind, but he's not completely blind. In any case, he'd have more of a fighting chance than I ever will. Besides, if this really is a game where you have to kill or be killed... Then it's nice to know that I refused to give in, and died to save someone's life.
'If you're gonna kill somebody, let it be me. I won't last five minutes out there anyway. My participation is pointless'
'HISAO, NO!' Emi stands up, with tears in her eyes. I glare at her. Sit back down, Emi, this is none of your business! You don't need to be involved in this! She understands me and reluctantly sits down.
'Whatever you say, kid' Raiden grins and points the remote at my collar, once again initiating the beeping.
So, I suppose this is it. I'm gonna die, and there's nothing I can do about it. I don't regret anything. I managed to make the most out of my life, no matter what. For a moment, I think about my parents. I actually haven't seen them since I arrived at Yamaku four months ago. I'll never get to say goodbye to them... I wonder how they will learn. Will anyone even discover my body and give it a proper burial? Or will Raiden and his men just dump us all into the ocean after they're done with us? Will more people even die? Maybe there is some way off the island. I trust my friends, I really do. If they work together, I'm sure they'll find some way to escape. Then again... I'm not sure if this is what I truly believe or what I want to believe. The people that brought us here seem to know what they were doing. I'm not sure if they have organized this twisted game in the past, but they appear to have thought of everything. And if there truly is absolutely no way to escape... Then the only thing anyone can do is play. Friends will turn on each other. Everyone I'm close to would die. And if that happens... then I don't want to be around for it.
The explosion is loud. It's tearing my throat apart. It doesn't hurt. Darkness quickly consumes me. So... there was no light at the end of the tunnel after all...
STUDENT #4: HISAO NAKAI – DEAD
14 REMAIN