72 Hours: The Fourth Sunset
Warning: There is some graphic content in this involving blood, deceased people, and some mild swearing. As a fic based on Zero Escape: 9 hours 9 persons 9 doors and Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward you should have some idea of what you are getting in to. If not, then I'd probably read a synopsis of either game first.
~Current~
The taste of salt stings my chapped lips. It hurts to even lick them. As I lay, fading in and out of consciousness I can hear the waves lapping against the sandy beach. Back and forth, like constant breathing. I try to match the rhythm, but it's no use, my body won't last much longer. I try to grip some sand in my fist, as if to pull myself up. It's no use, I can't even close my fingers. I can hear a rasp in my voice.
This must be what it's like to die.
At least I'll die looking out at the ocean. What a peaceful, soothing death. Maybe I'll get to see the sunset when I die. I hope my body can hold out until then. I take the largest gulp I can manage. The sun doesn't have much longer before it reaches the ocean. My eyes drift to the right, it's so close to touching the ocean. I can already see red begin to wrap over the sky like a nice warm blanket. I manage a weak smile. One last sunset.
~approximately 71 hours earlier~
"W…what's going on?" The room is cold. I can hear the clanking of metal all around me. I am handcuffed to some sort of metal pole and I try to rattle myself free. However, I can't see; this damn blindfold is tightly wrapped around my head. I have an intense headache from the lack of blood circulation. I feel kind of fuzzy. I can hear a low droning noise.
"Who's that?!" There's a voice. It's female. I've never heard it in my life.
"Who are you?"
"I asked you first."
"I…I'm Terrance."
"You did this to me Terrance, you sicko!"
"Did what?"
"Don't play games with me. I know you chained me to the ground and covered my face."
"I have no idea what you are talking about!" I shout back. It's becoming clear to me that we are in a similar situation. Just as I finish shouting, a revolting scent wafts into my nostrils.
"You don't?" She asks.
"No! I'm handcuffed to a freaking pole and blindfolded."
"Y…you're lying." I can hear panic in this woman's voice. She's just as scared as I am. I'd wager she's just as confused as I am.
"I'm really not…I can't move." I rattle the handcuffs so she can hear it. There's still a low droning noise and some clanking metal, but I make the sound loud enough.
"You aren't lying."
"That's right."
"Terrance…I'm so scared, I thought I was alone."
"What's your name?"
"Michelle."
"Michelle, let's think about this rationally…I'm sure there's gotta be some way we can get free."
"Terrance, aren't you scared?"
Of course I'm petrified. I know better than to say that, though. By her frightened tone, I can tell Michelle needs me to be confident and composed. One useful thing I acquired from my Boy Scout training was learning how to keep my cool in emergencies. Unfortunately, there were no badges for breaking out of handcuffs—perhaps I should have chosen to be a magician? For my own security I chose to be a tax auditor, but even that was not without the occasional outburst. After all, what sane person enjoys being told to prove their purchases or risk jail time?
"What do you do for work?" I try to deflect the conversation to steer it in a way I would a customer.
"I…I work in retail."
"Just breathe Michelle, take a couple breaths for me okay? In through the nose, out through the mouth."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, we both need to be rational. Think of this like an angry customer. Without a couple of breaths, you are going to be defensive. If you calm yourself and think of a solution, you are more likely to have a successful interaction."
"Yeah, okay."
I hear her take a couple of breaths. Soon I can feel the tension in the room get lower. Good.
"Now what?" She asks. Her tone already sounds calmer.
"When you said you were tied down, what do you mean?"
"My wrists are constrained to the ground and there's some sort of cloth bag over my eyes."
"What kind of cloth?"
"I think it's that one you would put coffee beans in…"
"You mean burlap?"
"Yeah, that's it…"
"Okay. You said your wrists are constrained, how about your legs?"
"No, I can move them."
"Great. Are you wearing shoes?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I need you to remove them." If she can move her legs, maybe her feet will be able to feel for some sort of way to either get the sack off, or give me some idea of what the room is like. If I wasn't handcuffed and my feet were bound, I'd join in the search. Right now though, I'm relying on Michelle.
"Why?"
"I think you might be able to reach something, with shoes on there's no way for you to accurately feel around."
"I'm so scared…"
"I know, Michelle." I can feel the fear rising again. "Take a deep breath and trust me. I need you just like you need me."
"Okay…"
She spends the next few minutes getting her shoes and then socks off using her feet. She isn't flexible enough to reach her face, though I would have been thoroughly impressed if she was able to. She tries to feel around and just as we both start to lose hope, she comes across something. She says it feels like a key ring. She manages to grab it. She can't quite reach her hands with her feet, but manages to kick it just far enough that she can grab it. Straining and groaning, she manages to get her hand in a position where she can flick the ring towards me. I use my bound feet to get the key towards my cuffed right hand. Given the fact that both hands are in a different cuff, I manage to use the key to uncuff myself with some patience. I quickly unshackle myself and rip the blind fold off. I gasp as I do.
"Get me out of here!" Michelle cries.
I don't waste any time and untie the bonds on my ankles. I scramble over to Michelle. Even with the dim light in the room, there's just enough to help me see the locks on her wrists. I use another key on the ring to undo her shackles and take the sack off of her face. She is pretty. She has a dark skin tone and curly black hair. She is wearing a pink t-shirt and boot cut jeans. Her eyes shine with a radiant emerald. When we get out of here, I might try to get to know her better.
"Thank you…" Michelle wraps her arms around me. Her whole body is shaking. I console her for a few moments. I haven't gotten a chance to survey the room. As I hug her, I see that there appears to be some gears turning behind some bars. In the dim light, this creates an interesting shadow effect on the opposite wall. There's a table in the middle of the room and a door on the far side.
"Why don't you put your shoes back on, I'm going to have a look around." I break away from the embrace. Michelle nods. She crawls to her socks and shoes, she is still visibly shaking and she seems to be wiping tears from her eyes. She is terrified. So am I.
I stand up and begin to walk over to the table. As I do, the strong stench becomes more pungent. It doesn't take me long to figure out the source.
"Jesus…"
"What?" Michelle looks over. She is in the middle of tying her shoe laces.
"I don't recommend coming over here."
"Why not?"
"There's a body on this table…"
"You mean?" Michelle's eyes widen. Though her skin is dark, it seems to lighten a bit. I'm barely able to contain my insides as I cover my mouth.
The man on the table is wearing a zoot suit. He has shades over his eyes and has several gold rings on his fingers. He looks like a gangster right out of an older movie. His wrists and neck have been slit and dried blood sits on the table where he bled out…at least I think he bled out here. There's no real way to know.
"We're going to die…"
I look over and see Michelle she is rocking back and forth, she appears to be in shock. I walk back over and put my hand on her shoulder. I take my own advice and muster a deep breath. I tell her everything is going to be okay and she nods. She stands up. We walk over to the door and try some of the other keys on the ring, none of them unlock it. We try the knob, but it doesn't turn.
Just as I'm about to give up, Michelle points to the body. From the position near the door, a single beam of light from a hole in the ceiling points down to where his neck wound is. Taking a couple steps closer, I see something shine. From where I was, I couldn't have noticed the beam of light, and I'm sure I didn't want to look at the innards of a persons neck, but it appears that might be the key to getting out of here. Time to suck it up and do what's necessary.
"Wait here." I look to Michelle. She nods back. I don't know why I feel the need to volunteer to dig through some guy's neck, but I wanted to be there for Michelle and make the hard choices. From our conversation, it sounded like she wasn't used to high pressure unusual situations. I probably wouldn't be either without the wilderness survival and emergency preparedness training I've had.
I walk over to the body. I can't bring myself to put my fingers into the flesh. The smell enough is enough to make me want to gag. I take the key ring and use the keys to fish out the object. It's a lot smaller than I'd imagined…in fact…
The item pops out like a zit, some blood squirts and I bring my arm up to block the splatter. I don't get much on my plaid button up shirt, but enough that I'm not going to forget the moment I probed a dead body.
"It's a key." I pick up the object and walk back to the door. I'm a little shaken from the experience, but my drive to get out of this hell hole is stronger than my fear of this grotesque scene. As I put the key into the hole, it doesn't twist. I try to remove it, but it's locked into the knob.
Before I have time to react, the tv crackles.
"Hey there Teary and Shelly!" The pair of us jump. We look around for the voice but there's nothing there.
"Who said that?" Michelle asks.
"I did silly gooses!"
"I think it's coming from the…television." I motion for Michelle to follow me as I go back around the corner to the tv near the ceiling. I look up and on the screen…
"Well howdy folks! Welcome, welcome."
It's a cartoon panda with an odd hat. It's not a japanese character, but some odd design sits on top of a red and yellow cap of sorts.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"What a beauuuutiful question!" The panda smiles. It waves at us, almost like it's taunting us. "The name is Zero XVII, but that's too many numbers…so Zero will do for now."
"What's going on Zero?" Michelle grabs my arm. She cowers behind me.
"No need to be afraid, I shall explain allllllllllllllll! To begin, I welcome each and every ONE of you toooooooo... the NONARY GAME: 72-hour Tropical Island Tour!" As he says this, the screen fills with the cartoony scenery of a beach, strewn with sun rays and palm trees.
"Nonary games?" I ask, as I do I scratch my head, something bumps against my scalp as I do. I look at my wrist to see a bracelet. In the heat of the moment, I failed to notice it…it sorta looks like a watch and since I wear one, maybe I just hadn't noticed it before. However, there's nothing on the screen, it's just a black, broken wristwatch.
"Yes, or games involving nine so to speak."
"How do these games work?" Michelle asks. This whole situation was bizarre.
"So impatient you are…fine let's discuss what your objective is."
Zero goes on to explain how we must go through a series of numbered doors and solve puzzles to find a boat. Apparently we are in some sort of warehouse on a deserted, uncharted island in the middle of an Ocean. The boat has enough gas and a navigation system to get us from the island to the nearest populated land. In addition we have approximately 72 hours. Without water or food, if we don't succumb to hunger or thirst first seeing as we've now gone a day or so without either substance, the entire island is set to explode. If we can't find the final door with the final clue and solve it to get to the boat, we will all die on this island. He also explains how to open the doors using a system involving adding up numbers until you get a single digit that matches. This is known as computing the "digital root." For example, if you want to go through door 5, you must use a combination of 3-5 people who's numbers will equal five. 4 + 2 + 8 would work seeing as it adds to 14. If you then add 1 + 4 (from 14) then you get a digital root of 5. This would cause the door to open. Simple in theory, it sounded like we would be meeting up with some others and making some choices though.
"…and that's about it. I better not stand in your way any longer, once your watch shows a number, you can start. One thing about your watches, you can press the button to switch between your time limit, and the number of your bracelet."
"What if we just…take off these stupid things and build a raft and leave?" Michelle folds her arms. She has since let go of me and seems to be more relaxed.
"Well, for one thing there's not enough material on this island for you to create a sturdy enough raft to get you and the other players very far. In addition, you can't remove the bracelet, any attempt will cause the bracelet to explode and kill you upon impact. In addition, if you break any rule or try to escape the island other than using the boat or exit the perimeter, they will explode. The only way to survive is to play my game and follow my rules."
"Explode?" Michelle's composure seems shaken once again.
"What kind of sick game is this?" I look at him.
"You could always just choose to lay back and wait to dieeeeeeee. That way the bracelet won't and will come off after you die. The others might find it bearrrrry helpful if you did."
This was too much. Even if he was going for a joke, I was starting to seriously want to punch this Zero character. His smug panda grin, his carefree childlike cartoon voice, and his casual mention of dead people…something was seriously messed up.
"In any case, I've talked to much. Your bracelets should activate soon, so I recommend getting started. At some point I'll check in to see how you are doing, so…talk to you later! It's time to go into hibernation."
The television turns off as my watch begins to beep. I check it…Michelle checks hers too. A red six shows on my watch.
"I have a one." Michelle shows me her watch. I show her mine. Before either of us can say another word, there's a loud clicking sound. We look over and the key has turned in the doorway. There's a quick glance to each other before we run over to the door. Michelle gets there first and turns the knob. As she pries open, a blinding light pours into the room. In contrast to our former dark surroundings, it's as if the gates of heaven have opened.
I throw my arm in front of my face until my eyes adjust enough. As I put them down, my mouth drops.
~approximately 70 hours ago~
It's the ocean. I'd recognize the strong salty smell that stings my nose, the lapping of waves against the beach, and the sight of red and yellow filling the sky. The sun is almost done setting as purple begins to overtake the vibrant colors.
"This really is an island…" Michelle breaks our silence with some small talk.
"Did you think he was kidding?"
"This is all…a little difficult to swallow."
"Oy! Is someone else there?"
Michelle and I look around. We can't tell where the voice is coming from, but it doesn't sound anything like that creepy panda dude. We scamper out of the building we had just been trapped in onto the sandy terrain. I stumble a bit, the ground not being solid throws my balance off. It doesn't take too long for us to come across the holder of the voice. It belongs to a guy with a white button up shirt. He has those thick framed glasses and nicely combed hair. He looks like a class A techie. However, he's not the only one.
"There's more!" A little girl points. Unlike Michelle, who is only slightly dark skinned, she is completely dark skinned. Her hair is up in a spool-like structure. Her clothing is strange. She has a patterned robe which consists of zig zags.
"Careful Yuluk," a man who is wearing a stereotypical chef outfit puts his hand out. "They could be in league with Zero." He appears to be of oriental descent, though I can't tell which type.
"In league with a virtual panda? Please." Michelle folds her arms. We near the other group but stop. It's as if a wall of distrust has suddenly sprung out of the ground. We have no idea who these others are.
"What's your number?" A female voice asks.
"Beg your pardon?" I try to identify the voice who asked, but in the crowd, I can't find the female in this crowd of men. The girl, Yuluk, doesn't seem to be speaking or old enough to have that kind of voice.
"I said," I hear a tree rustle. Out of the shadows a girl steps out. She has thick black hair which she has fashioned into pigtails. She has on make up that gives her an edgy look. Her clothing appears to be french in design. Not like a maid, but something you might see in one of those creepy gothic stores. Mostly black and white with lots of lace and frills. "What's your number?"
I look to Michelle who looks back. We figure if she's asking she must know already.
"I'm one and he's six." She speaks up for both of us.
"Then we're missing zero, four, and nine."
"Does anyone else know what the hell is going on?" I blurt. The others go silent. The chef, the young girl, the older gothic chick, and another guy who hasn't yet spoken up continue to remain silent.
"None of us do." The gothic chick finally speaks up.
"So we are all here, playing this weird ass game, with these death bracelets on our wrists, and we have no idea why?"
"I'd like not to die, that seems like a good enough reason." She replies.
"Pardon me miss…"
"Amelie."
"Amelie. I know you are all dark and mysterious and what not. But don't you give a shit how we ended up this way?" I grab my hair. My head suddenly hurts out of nowhere. The world spins, and I feel myself slipping.
I blink and it's over. The others are all standing over me.
"Oh look, he's not dead. Guess that means he keeps his bracelet." Amelie shrugs and walks away.
"You okay Terrance?" Michelle asks.
"Yeah." I stand up. "Ugh, what happened?"
"You were yelling about wanting to know how we got this way and you suddenly passed out."
"That's right." While I was out, I had a vision of standing in the middle of a mall, sitting on a bench. I stand up and walk to a nearby store, but before I could get far, someone grabs my wallet. I chase them into a nearby bathroom. Just as I open the door, I'm hit from behind. Before passing out, I see a man with a mask and a bat standing behind me.
"We probably aren't going to get far if we sit here and try to figure out what happened. Odds are we would get nowhere." The chef points out.
"Then maybe we should at least, learn each other's names and wrist numbers?" Michelle suggests.
"Not the worst of ideas. I'm Jin. My watch says seven." The chef raises his hand.
"My name's Yuluk. I got the number eight! It's my favorite." The girl grins.
"Did the name thing already," Amelie rolls her eyes. "But the number is three, do with it what you will."
"I'm Michelle. I've got the number one like I said earlier."
"My name is Terrance…and uh six. But y'all knew that."
"I'm Seasel. My digit is two." The guy with the button up says.
"Kanuki. Five." The large man with the trench coat and the bandana over his head finally speaks for the first time. I look at him. He has a scar on his cheek and piercing black eyes. He looks like some sort of gang member or something. He doesn't seem the chatty type. I figure I'll keep my distance for the time being.
"Are we waiting for others?" I ask after we've all introduced ourselves.
"Based on all the numbers," Seasel pushes his glasses to his forehead. "it would appear we are missing four, nine, and zero…assuming they exist at all."
"Just four, the other two don't exist."
The group turns around. At the top of a nearby sand bar, a figure wearing athletic shorts and a jersey appears.
"Sorry, I'd have introduced myself earlier, but you were having a nice chat and I didn't want to interrupt." He waves with a goofy grin.
"I assume you're four then?" Jin asks.
"Yeah, name's Cord."
"How do you know zero and nine don't exist?" Amelie asks.
"Well technically, zero is the panda…I'm guessing he isn't playing though since I didn't see a bracelet…and also he told me that I had to meet up with the other seven people…"
"And you trust him?" Michelle raises an eyebrow.
"Not sure. It seems that's what everyone else is doing. Why else are we standing in front of numbered doors? Plus if there was a player nine, then one of you wouldn't exist if there are only eight players total."
I hadn't had a lot of time to look at everything nearby, I did notice the doors when I came too though after my blackout, but I was pre-occupied with learning more about these people that I had ignored them altogether. But now that Cord had mentioned it, they are difficult to ignore. The entire crew turns toward them.
"Brr." Yuluk rubs her arms as a gust of wind rips through the island. It sends chills down my spine. By this time night has completely set over the island. A dim light flickers on over the doors.
"We should probably get started then if we are going to play the game." Cord walks to a nearby door. There are two of them. The numbers are written with red paint in a way that looks like something out of a Stephen King novel, "4" and "5."
"Can someone explain it to me?" Yuluk asks. "I don't quite get it."
Jin smiles and crouches down to her. Somehow the two of them seem to have a close friendship forming. It's comforting given how much these strangers generally don't seem to trust one another. Names and numbers are one thing, but when I am cold shouldered and talked down to, I tend not to respond well.
Jin takes a moment to explain how this works. It refreshes my memory as well. Between 3 and 5 can go through a door at once and the sum of our numbers has to eventually add up to make the number on the door. I think through the possibilities. As I do, I come to one conclusion.
"There's a lot of ways we can all get through the first set of doors."
"I had come across a similar conclusion," Seasel agrees.
"Does anyone have any preferences on who they go with?" I ask. I'm not much of a leader type, but part of me knows the clock is ticking and we need to play along and get to the boat so we can get the heck out of here. Waiting around on others isn't going to get us off this heap of rock.
"I want to go with Jin." Yuluk grabs the chef's apron.
"I would prefer to stick with you," Michelle looks at me. No one else speaks up after that. I start trying to narrow the possibilities. Seasel beats me to it.
"If we add 8 and 7 together, the digital root is 6. You need to have a combination that makes it so you get 5 or 4. For example, 22 would be 4, 23 would be 5. I'm going to assume we can't add higher than that since the highest we can go, without using the number 6 because of the other requested combo, is 27. And actually the highest for any combination is 30 using five people which only gives you 3. So 8 and 7 would need to be paired with 3 and 5, 3 and 4, or 2 and 5. If 8 and 7 are paired with 3 and 5, then 1, 6, 4, and 2 would be together. If 8 and 7 are paired with 3 and 4, then 1, 6, 5, and 2 would be together. If 8 and 7 are paired with 2 and 5, then 1, 6, 3, and 4 would be together. I'm pretty sure all three of these combinations work." Seasel says.
"I guess, we just have to decide the rest then." Cord says after the long winded explanation.
"I don't care, let's just go." Amelie sighs.
No one seems to be making a decision. I suddenly feel the burden to make the choice. After going through the combinations, I decide I don't want to go with Kanuki. Something about him seems off to me. That leaves me with Cord and Seasel, or Amelie and Cord. In either scenario I have to go with Cord. In the end I decide it would be too cruel to leave Jin and Yuluk with both Kanuki and Amelie. I don't feel that would be most effective.
"Let's go Cord and Amelie." I wave to them.
"Sure thing dude." Cord grins and walks over.
"Whatever." Amelie keeps her distance, but is with us.
"So how does this work anyway?" Michelle looks at the door. There seems to be a circle pad with a lever next to it. She tries to poke the circle and it beeps. An asterisk appears on the screen.
"Did it just scan you or something?" Seasel walks up to it and inspects it. "How fascinating."
"Maybe if the rest of us scan it and pull the lever?" I suggest. The others nod. It seems to be logical.
"What would stop us from all going through the same door?" Yuluk asks. No one responds.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
We all look around. A voice rings out as if being projected from the stars above. It's Zero.
"This is a highly advanced system. If someone passes through who isn't originally scanned, they will violate a rule and will die. Also, if you don't do the same scan process on the other side of the door within a nine second time frame, you also will violate a rule and will die."
I can see the others beginning to panic. For the first time, the word die has become a reality for us. Amelie is visibly pale, though I can't tell if it's her make up or the fear on her face. In either scenario it doesn't fit her usual stoic personality.
"That's all."
Everything is silent for a few moments. I let the words soak in. Apparently we can't break any rules or else we might suffer the consequences.
"This has to be fake." Cord shakes his head. "It's gotta be right? A bad dream."
"Feel free to break the rule and find out for all of us." Amelie glares at him. She appears to be back to her usual self.
"Uh, no thanks, let's just keep going."
No further words are exchanged. Michelle, myself, Cord, and Amelie put our bracelets on the scanner and pull the lever, the door opens. We quickly wave to the others and rush in, our watches begin to beep. We have nine seconds before death.
"Where the hell is this scanner?!" Michelle cries out running. The others are panicked. I am too. With just seconds left before we all explode…something catches the corner of my eye.
"Over here!" I shout to the others. We all slam our wrists against the scanner and pull the lever. It works and the timer stops. We turn around to see the "5" door has shut behind us.
"That was tense." Cord shudders.
No one else speaks. There seems to be a hallway to our left with a couple doors in it.
"Call me if you find something." Amelie walks off. I start to protest but she just flips me off. Michelle rolls her eyes. Cord shrugs and walks off as well.
"Shall we?" Michelle looks at me. I nod back.
Time to find out what was behind door "5."
~approximately 57 hours ago~
The area behind door "5" was some sort of giant puzzle dealing with meta physics and odd photos that we had to rearrange. A lot of what happened went over our heads. Cord especially. I learned during our time in that lounge type room that he was a college basketball player. Apparently he was getting ready for the NBA draft before he was knocked out by Zero. Amelie didn't really talk much, but for some reason she didn't have any problems with blood or stitches. In the last room, Michelle cut her arm pretty badly on a blade which was later used to help pry a photo off the wall. Amelie had just whipped out a small sewing kit with some bottles of antiseptic and in a matter of moments, had the arm stitched as if it were nothing. I gathered she was either some really prepared seamstress or a medical professional.
After the puzzle was solved, we unlocked the back door which led us to this hallway with two doors. They were marked "7" and "8."
"Where are the others?" Amelie asks. She folds her arms and leans agains the wall. This did seem to be the question of the hour. We spent awhile with the puzzles in the room, but even so, it was apparently taking the others longer. We'd been done for over an hour, but they still haven't emerged.
No one speaks for another hour until…
"Should we look for them?" Michelle asks.
"How?" I look at her. "I mean we tried the door already, it didn't budge…"
"What if they came through and I don't know…already went through one of the doors?"
"That's impossible." Amelia rolls her eyes. "You have to have at least three people go through a door. Their numbers equal five. Therefore, at least one person would have to be left behind."
"I guess you're right…"
"Should some of us go through one of the doors and then someone stay back in case they come?" Cord suggested. "I mean it's not like all eight of us are going to be able to go through…I don't think."
Before I have time to start thinking of combinations, the door at the end of the hallway opens.
"Oh god, finally." Seasel steps out from behind the door. There's a little bit of steam that exits. A warm burst of air shoots through us like an invisible bullet.
"What took you so long?" Amelie stands up straight.
"Sorry, we just-"
"Why the hell would you say that to her?!" I can hear Jin's angry voice calling from inside the room which looks like a boiler room out of control.
"She's in a game of life and death. She has to learn eventually that life is hard man." Kanuki soon responds.
"She's just a kid!"
"So now you see why we were in there so long." Seasel sighs and leaves the room. "So glad that's done…"
"Sounds like it's just beginning." Michelle walks to the door, but it slams open as she reaches out her hand. Jin flies out of the door and onto the floor.
"No! Jin!" Yuluk runs out to her fallen friend and kneels down.
"That's what you get for being a punk." Kanuki stands in the door frame, wiping his hands together.
Jin growls and stands up. He rushes at Kanuki and punches him. A full on fight ensues. Michelle and I try to separate them, but Kanuki is built like a tank and soon they are back to fighting.
Yuluk, Cord, and Seasel try to get them to stop, but it's no use. Nothing we say or do is stopping this fight. Then, in a bizarre series of twists, Cord's wrist is slammed into the wall against the scanner for door "7." He is knocked away.
I can see what is about to happen, but I can't react fast enough. Kanuki and Jin's bracelets register on the device and the lever is bumped. Kanuki lands an upper cut to Jin who grabs his shoulders. Both men go spiraling into the newly opened door. No one has time to react, as the door closes shortly after.
In horror, the crew can only watch and pound on the door. Several of us try our bracelets, but the door seems to be locked. It appears a rule has been broken and all we can do is beg for mercy.
"Shit…" Is all that is heard before two loud explosions go off in the room.
No one speaks for awhile. Yuluk is crying profusely. Michelle, Seasel, and myself seem at a loss for words. Cord's entire face has become white as he holds his wrist. Only Amelie seems unfazed by the events. What had the two men been fighting about? Was it really worth their lives? Those are questions that are no longer relevant, but they are all I can think about.
"I know how to get through the doors with the six of us." Amelie speaks up after awhile.
"How can you think about that right now?" Michelle glares at her.
"Because we are still alive. And our time is ticking. The longer we sit here and mourn two people already dead, the closer we are to our own deaths. I'm not gonna let those two dipshits cause me from making it out alive. You all can join me if you want, but I really just need the kid and the lover boy. The rest of you can sit at mope for all I care."
I want to protest, but she has a point. If Yuluk and I go through the "8" door with her, then Seasel, Michelle, and Cord can pass safely through "7." I look at my timer, we have just over 50 hours left before the island blows up. Have we really wasted a whole day? Time feels like it's moving so slow.
"Fine." Yuluk stands up. "Jin was my friend and defended me. If I sit here, I will dishonor him."
Yuluk's act of bravery inspires Michelle and Cord to stand up. No one else says a word…all we can do is push on. We split into our respective groups and each go through the next set of doors.
~approximately 50 hours ago~
The puzzle in door "8" isn't as difficult as I would have anticipated. Unlike the last room, there are no complex puzzles or talk of metaphysics. It's just a straightforward connect the switches and then decrypt a message to turn on lights puzzle. Amelie actually solved it faster than I did. She is pretty bright for being so cold to others. She is also resourceful. If she didn't have the personality of a witch, I think she would probably be the person I'd choose as my survival partner.
I also learned the reason that Jin and Kanuki were fighting from Yuluk.
"The big guy was saying mean things to me. Like how it's natural to die and that eventually we should just accept it and give up. He made me feel hopeless. Jin was standing up for me. And then they yelled. Only Seasel really worked on the last puzzle while they argued. I mostly cried. I feel like…I let him down."
Yuluk is pretty quiet during the puzzle after that. Once Amelie and I figure out the correct connections and sequence, we get through the door. It takes us, once again, down a set of stairs. Just how far down do these stairs go? Also, who took the time to rig this island? I'm very confused as we emerge on the other side.
"Glad to see you guys made it." Michelle is waiting for us outside. Seasel and Cord are there as well.
Four doors are in the middle of the large opening our door goes to. "1", "2", "3", and "6." We all take turns going through the doors. Most of them we have to do one door at a time and leave at least one person behind, but we manage to finish them all. Each one seems to lead back to the outside of the island, which forces us to go back to the room. Once all the doors are open we join back up in the center.
"Now what?" Amelie asks. It's a good question. All rooms lead back to the island eventually. None gave any specific directions as to what to do next. We are all at a loss.
"What was the point of all of that?" Cord slams on a nearby wall. He seems visibly upset.
"I…I don't feel so good." Yuluk collapses as he pounds. Michelle runs over to her and holds her. Yuluk is sweating and is panting. She has a wheeze in her voice. "I…I'm sick."
"No kidding." Amelie kneels down and feels her forehead. "No fever, but a sweat…"
"It's one of the symptoms." Yuluk says with another strained breath.
"Of?" Amelie asks.
"Cetrakondolcitus."
Amelie's eyes widen. "My god, how have you been going so long without medication?"
"I don't…know." Yuluk wheezes.
"English for the rest of us?" Cord asks. Seasel, myself, and him have moved in to the spectacle.
"It's a rare disease that comes about in infancy. Most who have it only show symptoms once and it goes away…but in even rarer cases. It can continue, getting worse. Especially if you have auto-immune diseases coupling it. Basically, when you get the symptoms, you need medication within an hour. It usually passes a day after. But if you don't medicate…it's fatal."
"Do you have any idea where medication might be?" I ask.
"N…no…" Yuluk coughs.
"We gotta find it!" Cord takes off. I try to call to him, but he is set. In fact, Michelle and Seasel also are up and ready to begin searching for a cure.
"We are all in this together, Amelie, do what you can…I'm guessing you are a nurse or something?" Michelle asks.
"Something like that…yeah…but if you guys are longer than an hour, it'll be too late. I might be able to extend life for another minute or two with my stuff, but it won't be much."
"Got it, let's go!" Michelle nods to me and Seasel. We agree and split up to cover as much ground as possible.
~approximately 20 hours ago~
My stomach is growling and my vision is getting weak. However, I have enough strength to see the number eight bracelet lying on the ground next to the lifeless body.
Amelie did what she could, but even with the extra twenty minutes she gave Yuluk, there was nothing. We are no closer to finding an exit than to finding any cure for the deceased girl.
The others gather around. Michelle picks up the bracelet, stifling a cry. How she can manage to cry given that we haven't eaten in over two days is beyond me. I feel like I'm going to pass out. I can't even feel sad anymore.
"I think…we need to find the number '9' door." Amelie stands up. She looks weaker than the others. The energy she had to pour in trying to prolong Yuluk's life appears to have taken its toll.
"We should…bury her or something…" Michelle lets out sob.
"If you want to waste more energy, be my guest…but in reality, if I'm right…then only three of us are getting out of here…and in either case I'll be leaving…but if we don't find it we all die." Amelie staggers a bit but manages to take a few steps.
I see what she is talking about. Given that 3-5 people have to go through a door, and provided a "9" door exists, then with our numbers, either Amelie, Cord, and Seasel can get through, or Michelle, Amelie, and myself can get through…but…
"What about if we include Yuluk's bracelet?" I ask.
"Even if we do that, not all five of us can pass through. Best case scenario, we have to leave you behind."
The idea goes through me like a cold dagger. It's true. If they find the number nine door and use Yuluk's bracelet, they can pass through the number "9" door without me.
"We can't leave Terrance behind!" Michelle stamps her foot. The others nod. I feel that there's still the possibility in the back of my mind that they all could change their minds and leave me…but I decide to trust them.
"We should…start looking then…" I catch myself from letting out a tear. Yuluk's passing has taken a lot out of us on top of the hunger, the lack of sleep, and the crazy situation we have all been put it. But for the moment, we all have a united cause.
"Let's plan to meet up at the "5" and "4" door in a few hours and go from there?" Cord suggests. We all agree and split up once more to re search every square inch.
~approximately 5 hours ago~
With only a few hours left on my watch, I feel exhausted as I crawl to the place we all originally met. I lean myself against a nearby tree and wait. No one else has shown up. I searched several rooms with no luck. I couldn't find the "9" door. It occurs to me as I sit alone underneath this tree, that the others could have found it and left without me. Suddenly a sense of loneliness washes over me. I'm all alone. I'm alone, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I can't move from this freaking palm tree. Despair begins to set in and I allow a tear to leave my eye.
~Current~
With what little strength I have left, I check my watch…there's less than an hour. I sigh. I won't get to see the sun completely set…but at least I got to see this last one. I hope the others found the door and escaped, at least I will be the final casualty of this island. I begin to close my eyes.
"There he is!"
I feel my droopy eye lids open a bit. As if a mirage has appeared to me, Michelle and Seasel stagger over to me. They both look exhausted, but they manage to get to me and help me up over their shoulders.
"W…what's going on?" I ask, my throat is dry and I barely get the sounds out.
"No time to explain…" Michelle stumbles but groans and holds me up. "We found it."
By it, I can only assume they mean the "9" door.
"Y…you came back…" I can feel tears stinging my eyes once again.
"Well, we can't find Amelie and Cord…and given that we have about twenty minutes before this place explodes…you are the only one who can help us get through the door."
"W…we have to find them…"
"Amelie and Cord were going to leave you to die…" Michelle says coldly.
They were? I can feel my heart sink. Amelie doesn't shock me as much as Cord. He seemed nice. I didn't really know him all that well though. Maybe he put on a face and was just as cut throat as the rest of them. But Michelle and Seasel came back for me…even if it was only because my bracelet would get them through…they cared.
"Yeah, and they sorta disappeared after we all met up…we tried to find them, but we couldn't. We were going to give up and then Michelle spotted you when we double checked."
Michelle and Seasel help me through the "4" door. Sure enough, the number nine door has revealed itself on a panel door on the floor.
"How did you find it?" I ask.
"There was a hidden double puzzle in this room I'm guessing everyone missed from the fight with Jin and Kanuki earlier…I can't quite explain, but it was well hidden." Michelle responds. "I can't explain. I need you both to remember everything that happens when we go in. Do you understand?"
I don't, but Seasel and I both nod.
Together, the three of us open the door. There's a ladder that goes a little ways down to a hallway. Michelle and Seasel help me to the bottom. As we enter a larger chamber, my watch beeps. I look down to see 30 seconds remaining.
"REMEMBER EVERYTHING!" Michelle yells.
I quickly look around. There's a crowbar on the ground, a metal shutter with a keypad, and a small supply of food and water. I also notice a box labeled "medicine." Was this…the stuff that could have saved Yuluk? I feel a lump form in my throat. It doesn't last long as my watch counts down to 0 and everything goes black.
~approximately 71 hours ago again~
The room is cold. I can hear the clanking of metal all around me. I am handcuffed to some sort of metal pole and I try to rattle myself free. However, I can't see, this damn blindfold is tightly wrapped around my head. I have an intense headache from the lack of blood circulation. I feel kind of fuzzy. I can hear a low droning noise.
"Who's that?!" There's a voice. It's female. It's Michelle.
"Michelle?"
"How the hell do you know my name?"
"Michelle, come on it's Terrance." For some bizarre reason this all seems familiar to me up until my response.
"Who?"
"Never mind, are you strapped down to some sort of device on the floor? Feet unbound?"
"Yeah. Wait a moment, how do you know? How do I know you aren't some sort of terrorist or something. You know, pretending to be nice?"
"If I were a terrorist, what would I gain from strapping you to the floor and pretending to be nice? Do me a favor before you judge…considering you don't have a lot of options. Take off your shoes and feel around for a key ring."
Michelle probably could try to question me, but from the thud of her shoes hitting the ground, I assume she has stopped fighting and is going to give me a chance. She soon finds the key and tosses it to me like before.
At this point I've stopped questioning what's going on. We are exactly where we were when this thing began, somehow I'm not dead and have a chance to do this all over again. I don't know how, but it appears I'm the only one who knows. Michelle seems clueless. I will continue until it's advantageous of me to reveal more.
~approximately 57 hours ago again~
Just like before, Michelle and I meet up with the other survivors. We split up into two groups and go through the doors. Amelie, Cord, Michelle, and I get through our room's puzzle and get to the end. Just like before Kanuki and Jin begin to fight.
"Cord, grab Kanuki!" I shout. Unlike last time where I hesitated to do anything, I take action. The pair of us separate the two men.
"What now?" Cord asks.
"Listen up everyone, I know you have no reason to trust me…but I think I know how to get out of this hell." This is the moment I've been waiting for. A chance to use the knowledge I gained from the last time in order to change what happens.
"Huh?" Amelie looks confused.
"Let me explain. In the room Jin, Kanuki, Yuluk, and Seasel came from, there's a secret door. It leads to the boat. With all of our numbers, we should be able to get through the door and out of here."
"How do you know that?" Michelle asks. She folds her arms. "You weren't even in there."
"I can't explain it, I just know."
Before anyone else has a chance to ask, Seasel looks at me and then to the others.
"I can verify this."
"Wait a minute, none of the rest of us saw a secret door." Jin speaks up. I let go of him as everyone is now focused on this hidden door instead of killing each other.
"How about, instead of debating this, we show you and if we are lying we keep going through these next doors?" Seasel shrugs. "You all can't lose by trying something though, regardless of how far fetched it sounds."
The others take a moment to try and think of something. Is it possible Seasel also remembers? The look he gives me next with a wink confirms this. Seasel and I both have experienced this before…what does that mean?
"Let's do it…" Michelle unfolds her arms. "What do we have to lose? Seasel has a point."
The others agree and we go back into room "4." Just like before, Seasel and I find the floor hatch Michelle found for us before. There's a nine on it. We split up into two groups whose digits equal nine and in two waves go down the ladder, through the hallway, and into the chamber. It's just as I remember it, the crowbar, the food, the medicine, and the metal shutter…this is where this game will finally end.
~approximately 56 hours ago again~
It doesn't take long for drama to ensue.
"Everyone freeze."
We all turn around as Kanuki speaks up. He is holding a knife against Yuluk's throat. Her eyes are wide and she has gone white as a sheet. She struggles against the man's iron grip.
I want to step forward and help her, but given that this guy seems to be a lethal killing machine, I don't dare endanger her life. How the heck did he get a knife anyway?
"Behind that metal shutter is a boat. I know because I drove you all here." There are uniform gasps as he says this. "I didn't think that ass would throw me in here with the lot of you and I could care less if anyone else makes it out of this stinking hell hole. Anyways, that shutter requires a code. I want golden boy there to input it."
"Me?" I ask. Everyone else seems just as mystified as I do.
"Yes you, Zero told me you were the most important one of them all. Only you could unlock the boat. Little bastard panda also said he was sorry. Bah." He spits.
"I don't…know any code." I shake my head.
"Well the bear says you do, so move or she gets it."
I look at Yuluk who is staring at me. Her eyes seem shaky like she is about to cry. I have no choice.
"Fine." I step over to the metal shutter. It has a keypad and in terrible graffiti writing it says to input sequential door code. What the heck does that mean? Is "sequential" some sort of clue? I try to wrack my brain.
"Any day now." Kanuki rushes.
"I'm thinking!" I snap. I go back to trying to figure out the code. I shrug and type a number in. As I do, a message appear on the screen. I repeat it as the words show up. "Try back again at 71:00…sad panda face?" I look over.
"What?" Kanuki grits his teeth. He's trapped with us until then. I'm about to say something, when a loud thud rings out. Kanuki drops the knife and falls to the ground unconscious. Seasel stands nearby with the crowbar from earlier.
"Nice work!" Cord grins and holds a thumbs up.
"We should tie him up in case he revives." Amelie suggests. No one argues. As we tie him up using some of the supplies located in this room, Jin and Yuluk embrace.
"I was so scared." Yuluk cries.
"I know it'll be okay…" Jin hushes her and hugs her tight in response.
Once that situation is contained, the seven of us begin to plan. We figure there is enough food if we ration it to last until 71:00 when the code will activate. We also begin to put our heads together to figure out what "input sequential door code" means. Shifts are taken to watch Kanuki and make sure the thug doesn't try any more stunts.
At one point, I pull Seasel aside.
"Why did you trust me about this door?"
Seasel makes sure no one else is listening and then smiles. "This is all an elaborate test, for you."
I blink. "Excuse me?"
"Let me chime in if I may." I turn around and Michelle walks up. Is she in on it too?
"Seasel and I work for an organization known as Project Z.E.R.O. We specialize in averting threats to humanity through accessing the morphogenetic field."
"The what?" I shake my head. Suddenly I'm feeling overwhelmed.
"Let me finish," Michelle folds her arms. "This is a psychological field where you experience timelines in a way others don't. You have the ability to project your mind through timelines…so to speak. This allows you to access various points at various times. Think about Schroedinger's cat."
"Like…from science?" I feel really stupid right now, she's making no sense, but the last bit sounds familiar.
"Yes. There's a cat in a box with a vial of poison. If you close the lid and open it some point later. There is an equal chance that the cat can be thought of as both alive and dead. Think of this situation as something similar. You are in a box right now. If someone were to open the box, you might be alive or dead. Think of this island as a box. You went in. When you open the door to the boat, you will be alive…but until then your mind is going through the various scenarios of being both alive and dead."
"I can't even…" I try to comprehend but I have no idea.
"Let me try," Seasel puts his hand up. "Pretend you are drawing a maze. You will eventually run into walls and have to retrace your steps…but eventually you find the exit of the maze. You have the ability to go back and find the correct path…like me. Most people will just hit a wall and it's game over."
That seems to make more sense to me. I nod.
"Yeah I guess that's the simpler way to explain it." Michelle rolls her eyes.
"So you can do this too?" I ask Seasel.
"Yeah…I'm an esper too."
"So then…do you know the code to the door?"
"I don't. This test was designed specifically for you."
"Why are the others involved? Who is Zero?"
"Zero designs the tests. He called for a specific set of subjects for specific reasons. I have no idea why." Seasel shrugs. Michelle nods in agreement.
"We act as agents of Project Z.E.R.O." Michelle states.
"Are you an esper?" I ask her.
"No. Though I know how they work and when to recognize when an esper is needed. I may have told you in an alternate timeline to pay attention to something…that was used to help you navigate a wall in the maze."
This makes sense, she did tell me and Seasel to pay attention when we found the room before I blacked out. So now I know what's going on, but what in the world is this for?
"So you know I'm an esper and that once I crack that code I pass the test…why?"
"Because…we want you for Project Z.E.R.O." Michelle smiles.
"Of course, we want it to be your choice. We don't want to force you into the program." Seasel chimes in.
"I have another question." I change the topic. "Who was the guy in the beginning Michelle? In our room? The guy I pulled the key out of…"
"I don't know for sure…but I did recognize an emblem on his jacket before we left. He was a member of Free the Soul. A Myrmidon. I have no idea how he ended up there."
"Myrmidon? Free the Soul?" I scratch my head.
"It's an organization bent on making us all a uniform race…it's kinda hard to explain, but basically they want everyone to be the same and to clone and reproduce their version of 'perfection.' What a member was doing in the first room…I have no idea. Maybe Zero caught him trying to get in on the test and killed him or had Kanuki kill him while he was setting us up on this island? I mean how did any of us get into the rooms?" Michelle shrugs. "At some point, Zero does things on his own and in a way that doesn't conflict with the true objective. There's a number of possibilities…but I think a killed Myrmidon modified by Zero to serve a purpose in this test seems the most plausible."
I'm about to respond, when Yuluk crashes to the floor nearby and begins spasming. I check my watch, we have about 21 hours before the door unlocks. I know what's going on.
"She has a rare disease." I shout to Amelie. "The medicine in that box should cure it…I'm guessing. And you should know how to apply it because you are a nurse or something like that right?"
"How did you…" She looks confused.
"No time!" I pry open the box and hand it to her.
"This stuff is for Cetrakondolcitus…isn't it?" She asks. I nod. She seems to understand as she begins to apply the medicine to Yuluk. Once she is stable again, the others ask me how I know. With help from Michelle and Seasel, I explain. It seems to go over most of their heads, except Amelie who doesn't seem to care much.
Kanuki finally regains consciousness around 15:00 and it takes the combined strength of Jin and Cord to keep him subdued. Amelie injects him with a sedative that knocks him out.
It's pretty uneventful for the rest of the time, but at 1:00 there's a dinging sound. It's time for me to try entering the code, but so far no one has any idea of what to do.
I look at the pad and think. With an hour to go before the island explodes, the others depend on me. I think very hard, I try some different things, but nothing works.
The others seem anxious and begin pacing and fighting with each other. I don't want to fail them all…this responsibility is becoming too much. I feel like I'm about to explode.
~Alternate Timeline~
I'm back to the timeline before I blacked out…I think. It's like the whole thing is playing on fast forward. Jin and Kanuki fight and die, Yuluk gets sick and dies, the crew splits up and I am alone.
Then it plays again…and again…and again.
There must be some significance to this cycle. I try to pay attention. Then it hits me, this cycle has me going through the same doors over and over. If this is a maze like Michelle and Seasel say, then there must be other scenarios where I go through different doors. Why do I keep focusing on this one then?
"Input Sequential Door Code."
I've got it.
~Current~
I input the series of doors into the key pad in the order I entered them in the other timeline. As I type the final 9 into the keypad, a green light blinks and a screen opens up.
"Congratulations Teary! You've done it. Welcome to the club."
The others cheer for me as the metal shutter rises. Behind it, just as promised, is a boat. We all hurry onto it dragging Kanuki as well. As much as we can't stand him, there's others who can judge his actions for themselves.
"I just realized," Amelie pauses. There's less than fifteen minutes on the clock. "I don't know how to drive a boat…does anyone else?"
"Uhh…yeah…" Cord speaks up after a few minutes. "I used to drive my uncle's boat in college."
"Then get to it." Amelie points to the key which is in the ignition.
Cord nods and starts up the boat. The engine revs, and we all sit down as Cord speeds away. As we drive away, I notice the sky turning red, orange, yellow, and purple again. Instead of being near death and watching the ocean this time though, I'm alive. Everyone's alive. This was all planned, all part of the test. I somehow feel more significant now. I just used my "powers" to save everyone and guide them through the maze. This must be what Project Z.E.R.O. is all about…why they need us…to fulfill their mission.
"I'm in." I look at Michelle who sits next to me.
"Good." She smiles back. I debate asking her if she wants to get dinner some time, staring into those beautiful green eyes overwhelms me. Given that we just escaped an island that is set to explode at any minute, I decide I have time between now and when we get to dry land to ask the question.
For now, I look to the horizon of the ocean, where the sun is now setting. I'm alive. The others are alive. The nightmare is over, for now. All I have to do now is watch the aftermath, 72 hours from when this ordeal began…
I can finally live beyond the fourth sunset.