(A/N: I wrote this whole thing in one day and I am dead inside)
(So what if Part 02's trial went... a little differently?)
I can't believe it... After all this time... We finally caught the true killer, the true culprit...
...right?
...Yes. This has to be it. Ryan has to be the killer... He already confessed, and there'd be no reason for him to lie.
"I'm sick and tired of hearing all this," Ashley muttered. "We're just wasting time. There's no point in asking anymore. He's confessed. It's over."
"Agreed!" Annie declared, hand grasping the lever. "Let's get on with the vote and get rid of this selfish monster!"
"That's perfectly fine with me," Husky said icily, standing up from where Mitch was lying and returning to his stand to vote.
"I never knew you could be such a coward, Ryan..." Tyler muttered. "I thought... you were better than this..."
One by one, they all cast their votes. Seto stared at the lever in his hand before making his selection. Immediately, a golden slot machine on a platform rose up in the center of the court circle. The three slots spun wildly, and Seto was only able to catch faint glimpses of the participants' pixelated faces as they rolled past. He noticed that now Sky and Jerome's faces were grayed-out as well. Finally, the slots came to a halt and stopped on Ryan's image. Confetti burst from the machine as the words "GUILTY" flashed on top of the machine.
This was the right choice, wasn't it? Seto felt sudden dread creep up in his stomach, but fought that nauseous feeling down. No, he had to trust the facts. The facts all pointed to Ryan, even though...
...even though he didn't have any blood on his clothes?
"Oh dear..." MonoWither said slowly. "What a shame. And after you guys managed to survive the first trial, too..."
Seto's face instantly paled. No... This couldn't be happening...
"What do you mean?" Annie asked, glaring at the machine.
"Hah! What do we mean? Are you seriously asking us that? We mean that you guys utterly failed! Ding dong, ya'll are oh so terribly wrong!" MonoWither taunted.
"F-Failed?!" Ashley asked, her eyes widening with shock.
Tyler fumbled for words. "But- But Ryan- he said he was the killer-"
"I lied," Ryan murmured, unable to meet anyone's gaze.
"What?!" Bonks shrieked. "How?!"
"I'm so confused-" Husky stammered. "Didn't- Didn't Ryan kill Jerome?! He's the one who hid the evidence, right?!"
"N-Now that I think about it... there's no blood on your clothes..." Steven whispered.
"Mitch was the one who really did it, wasn't he?" Seto asked in a faint voice. "It wasn't you... All you did was conceal the evidence for him..."
Ryan looked up at Seto, smiling sadly. "...So you only realized it now?"
Seto stared back at him, unable to speak. Everyone looked at Mitch, who was still lying unconscious on the floor.
"I- I don't get it- what's going on?!" Bodil asked hysterically. "Mitch killed Jerome? We voted wrong?!"
"How could Mitch have killed Jerome?!" Tyler asked, bewildered and afraid.
"We fell for Ryan's trick," Jordan murmured, his voice shaking slightly. "He framed himself, lied to us, to protect Mitch..."
"Nononono... This can't be happening..." Jason whispered in terror. "Ryan... why the hell would you...?"
"Explain, Ryan," Seto muttered, his voice hollow. "Explain everything to us."
Ryan sighed, bowing his head. "...It was an accident. Mitch somehow got it into his head that the three of us should each kill someone so we could all escape. Of course, we said no. We wanted Mitch to tell us his secret, but he panicked... He... He grabbed a sword and stabbed Jerome in the chest before he could react... Then he broke down, and fell into shock..."
"So then you decided to help him?" Ashley asked, gritting her teeth. "You were willing to sacrifice all of us, even yourself, to save his life?"
To everyone's surprise, tears filled Ryan's eyes. "...I'm... I'm sorry everyone... None of you deserved this at all... It's my fault... Blame me for doing this to you, not Mitch..."
"But why?! Why would you do this?!" Annie asked, horrified. "Did Mitch tell you to do this for him or something?!"
Ryan shook his head. "No, of course not. This was all me. I knew this would happen to us. But if it means Mitch gets to live... then I'd do whatever it takes. I'm sorry, I really am so sorry. Please believe me..."
"Oh geez Ryan, you really think saying sorry is going to do anything?" MonoWither asked. "You just doomed them to their executions! How could they ever bring themselves to forgive you when they're literally going to die because you tricked them?"
Ryan glared at the machine. "I'm not expecting them to forgive me, of course not. And maybe it's my fault that we're going to die, but the one who caused all this will always be you! If it wasn't for you, Mitch wouldn't have been driven to kill someone!"
"Oh please, we just guided him in the right direction!" MonoWither retorted. "It's not like we made him stab Jerome... Besides, all of this is off-topic. We have an execution to carry out!"
"No! I don't want to die!" Bodil shrieked. "Please have mercy!"
"Not like this..." Bonks whispered, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. "Please not like this... I'll do anything..."
Steven clung onto Bart and Dave, whimpering. The two mobs hugged him tightly in an attempt to comfort him.
Jordan stared down at his shoes, struggling to keep it together. It wasn't really working.
"You can't do this, Ryan tricked us!" Husky tried to argue.
"Y-Yeah! He skewed all the evidence! It's not our fault!" Jason asserted.
"And you stupidly fell for it! You didn't catch the real killer! So that means it's all your fault, and you must be executed while the killer lives!"
"But Mitch didn't even kill Jerome on purpose!" Tyler yelled. "So- So that doesn't count as murder!"
"Murder is murder!" MonoWither replied, grinning. "Ending another sentient life is undoubtedly murder! So what if it was an accident? It's still murder no matter how you look at it! Oh, and Seto, we see you over there! Stop trying to activate your powers! It's not going to work, or save anyone's life! So what if you still have a little magic left? You really think that's going to be of any use?"
Seto lowered his trembling hands, glowering at MonoWither with as much anger as he could. However, he couldn't conceal the fear that was coursing through his veins as his heart pounded rapidly. Oh god... They were really going to be executed... And it was all because he hadn't said something sooner...
"You... You know you won't get away with this, right?!" Annie shouted desperately. "Someone will find out what you've done to us! You'll be arrested! You'll rot in prison, if you're not executed first! If you let us go right now, you can avoid this!"
"Hah! Annie, your sense of justice remains impeccable! But your faith in the law is utterly useless. What can they do to stop us? It's not like it's going to bring any of you back to life, is it?"
Annie clenched her fists tightly, but the fear in her green eyes was unmistakable.
"All right, we've wasted enough time! Come on, Mitch! We know you're awake! Stop lying on the floor like a baby and stand up!" MonoWither commanded.
Slowly, Mitch picked himself up from the ground. His face was still as blank as ever, and his amber eyes were empty and dull. He had remained utterly shell-shocked, perhaps even more so than before.
"Now then, we've prepared a very special punishment for the ones who failed to catch the killer!" A red button rose in front of MonoWither and a claw emerged from the wall, holding a gavel. "Upupu... It disappoints us that we have to end the show like this, but we had a nice run, didn't we? It was a lot of fun, maybe we should start a second season and see how that goes!"
Before anyone could reply, MonoWither cackled madly as they brought the gavel down on the button.
CONGRATULATIONS: MITCH HAS BEEN VOTED NOT GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!
A glass tube suddenly descended from the ceiling and surrounded Mitch, who didn't even flinch. Suddenly, everyone screamed as metal claws came out of nowhere, latched around their necks, and pulled them from the court circle. They were dragged backwards into open spaces in the walls. The claws let them go right when glass barriers surrounded each one of them, blocking them from the courtroom.
Each person trapped in their own cells surrounding the courtroom, they started banging against the glass to free themselves, but it was no use. Seto wished he still had enough of his magic left...
Everyone heard the muffled shrieking of Steven, who had been separated from Bart and Dave and was now trapped in the glass tube. Dave immediately tried to run over to Steven, but Bart suddenly teleported behind the zombie, grabbed him, and tossed him out of the way. Before anyone could react, multiple spears from all directions impaled the Enderman, splattering purple blood everywhere. Bart's violet eyes widened and the Enderman took a shuddering gasp before he went limp, his skewered body still held upright due to the spears.
Steven practically went mad. "NO! NO! BART! BART NO!" he screamed hysterically, slamming his fists against the glass to no avail.
Dave stood a few feet away from Bart's body, too shocked to react. Bart had just sacrificed himself for his sake...
That was when a gunshot rang out and Dave collapsed, a dark-red bullet hole in his forehead.
The platforms everyone was standing on now began to rise, except for Mitch's. Steven knelt down, still smacking the glass walls of his tube desperately as he tried to reach the bodies of his friends, his muffled screams now too quiet to hear. Then Seto lost sight of the others as they rose through the ceiling.
Seto blinked away the tears that had formed in his eyes. This was all his fault... Now everyone was going to pay the price because of his mistake...
He looked up at the hole above him and saw the bright-blue sky. Sunshine beamed down on him, filling him with warmth and light. It had been so long since he'd actually been outside... Ever since the killing game started... But he couldn't take comfort in this. Not when this was probably going to be the last time. Now, the sunshine seemed cold and uninviting...
Seto's platform finally rose to the surface and he had to squint and blink rapidly to adjust. The wind blew a little strongly, making him shiver. Seto tried to focus and looked around, noticing his surroundings. Everyone was in a circle, standing on their own respective platforms, and they were all surrounded by a large forest. However, alternating between each of the 11 participants in the circle were strange, humanoid automatons. Some of them were masculine in appearance, had brown "skin", and wore turquoise shirts and indigo pants. Others were more feminine in appearance with orange "hair" that wore green shirts and brown pants. All of them were fanged, had sharp claws, and had red left eyes that looked similar to the ones on MonoWither.
Seto realized that he was the unlucky one who had to have one automaton to his left and two more to the right. In total, the number of people were 24... 11 participants and 13 automatons...
Seto took one look at the Cornucopia in the center of the clearing and knew. This was styled like the Hunger Games. A punishment fitting for those who'd failed to catch the SDML Hunger Games Champion.
A counter on top of the Cornucopia flashed the number 10.
10... 9... 8...
Seto grit his teeth and mentally prepared himself. He still had some magic left. Perhaps... He could survive this... And save the others...
7... 6... 5...
Suddenly, the automaton to his left leapt from its platform and managed to jump across the space and land on Seto's. Seto was pushed to the ground and screamed in pain as the automaton sliced at his face with its razor-sharp claws, drawing blood. Somehow mustering the strength to fight back, Seto used his magic to blast the automaton off of him.
4...
Seto tried to stand up and gain some footing, but then the two automatons to his right also came charging at him. They both tackled him, knocking him over and pinning him down.
3...
All three automatons bit at him and scratched at his flesh with bloodlust and savagery, as though they were trying to tear him apart. Seto made a frantic, desperate attempt to shake them off, but the excruciating pain was far too much. His whole mind swirled with agony, he couldn't think. All he could do was scream his lungs out in pure torment. Why wouldn't it stop?
2...
As he struggled to free himself, Seto felt himself and the three automatons tumble off the platform in the process. He didn't even register himself hitting the ground before the landmines detonated.
1...
Everyone saw and heard the booming explosion that shook the earth as Seto and the automatons disappeared in a cloud of dust. A resonant cannon shot followed somewhere in the distance, signaling the first death. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the dust began to settle. Quite a few people screamed in absolute shock and horror as they realized the truly awful fate their friend had just met...
0.
The remaining 20 automatons began to run to the Cornucopia. Ashley and Jordan were the only participants who had responded immediately as they too tried to reach the center. Most of the others finally snapped out of their initial shock and tried to run to the center as well.
Poor Steven was still kneeling on his platform, an absolutely broken expression on his pale face. "No... No... No..." he whispered over and over again, rocking back and forth and sobbing. "Bart... Dave... Please... No..." The SDML Mob Observer made no attempt to move from his position, not even when an automaton holding an axe ran over to Steven and brought the blade down on the man's exposed neck.
The second cannon shot rang in the distance.
Bonks, who was being pursued by an automaton with a knife, saw Steven's headless body collapse to the ground. She cried out and ran over to him, fluttering her pink wings to go faster, but the automaton hurled the knife with deadly accuracy and embedded it in her back. The winged-girl fell from the air and hit the ground, landing face-first on the bloodstained dirt in front of Steven's severed head.
The third cannon shot rang in the distance.
Instead of running over to Cornucopia, Tyler made his way over to Seto's platform, which was now covered in dirt due to the blast. "SETO!" he shrieked, kneeling down by the dirt and trying to see if Seto was somehow still alive.
To his horror, Tyler realized that even salvaging a body would be difficult. Suddenly overcome with nausea, Tyler's face turned a sickly shade of green before he keeled over and vomited for the second time that day. He couldn't fight back the gasps and shudders of disgust and revulsion as he realized that the only thing he could do for Seto was scrape the bloody bits and pieces of flesh off the platform.
Even if he had seen it coming, he wouldn't have moved away to avoid the automaton that stabbed a diamond sword straight through his back.
The fourth cannon shot rang in the distance.
In the Cornucopia, all hell was breaking loose.
Jason had grabbed a sword from the Cornucopia and was now sparring against an automaton, who also had a sword. He was fighting for his life, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins was making him all the more determined to survive this ordeal.
Husky was also clashing with another automaton, also filled with resolve. Finally, Husky knocked the sword from the machine's hands and stabbed its chest. It was a rather satisfying feeling when the automaton fell to the floor, now just a useless pile of metal and plastic. Husky looked up and saw that now two automatons were fighting Jason. "Jason!" Husky yelled frantically, hurling his sword at one of them with deadly precision.
Now with only one enemy left, Jason parried a blow and kicked the automaton to the ground before plunging his blade down, ending its artificial life. He looked over at Husky, grateful to his friend for saving his life, and noticed that the humanoid mudkip was now running towards him. Jason ran towards him as well, closing the distance between them. Oh god, he was so glad Husky was still alive... They needed to stick together if they were going to live...
Right before they met, Husky suddenly jerked forward and lost his footing. Jason caught him in his arms, laughing a little due to the adrenaline in his veins as he thought about how Husky was always so clumsy...
That was when he looked over Husky's shoulder and saw the arrow sticking out from Husky's back.
The fifth cannon shot rang in the distance.
Jason's face paled as the sword slipped from his now-trembling hands. No... This couldn't be... "H-Husky?" he asked quietly, registering how limp the mudkip's body was in his arms.
He looked up to see an automaton approach him, fixing another arrow onto its bow and aiming straight at his forehead.
Still holding Husky's body, Jason stared at the automaton before looking down at the arrow lodged in Husky's back. He laughed again, this time consumed with sorrow bitterness, before closing his cerulean eyes.
The sixth cannon shot rang in the distance.
Annie had somehow managed to climb on top of the Cornucopia. The SDML Archer had been lucky enough to find a bow and a quiver of arrows, and being true to her assigned talent, was now picking off automatons one by one. Spurred on by anger and an undying determination to live, she let her arrows be her voice.
She heard an automaton creeping up the Cornucopia behind her. She whirled around, reaching for an arrow in her quiver...
...only to realize that she had run out.
The automaton hauled itself up, standing on the Cornucopia, before baring its fangs and running towards her. Annie yelled as she used her bow to smack the machine down before kicking it off the structure. More automatons climbed up the Cornucopia and surrounded Annie. Annie raised her bow and forced a determined grin, even though she knew this was the end. No, she wasn't going down like a coward. She wouldn't give MonoWither that satisfaction. If she was going down, she was going to go down fighting.
When her torn, mangled body fell off the Cornucopia and hit the ground, she had a satisfied smile on her face.
The seventh cannon shot rang in the distance.
Jordan, who had fought in several Hunger Games matches himself, was actually handling himself pretty well. A sword in hand, he had already felled several other automatons. But unfortunately, he was getting swarmed, and he was also starting to get worn out. It seemed like this would never end... The onslaught of enemies was infinite... He didn't know how many of his friends were left, because he'd lost count of the cannon shots a long while ago.
What's the point anymore?
Suddenly, Jordan's sword was knocked out of his hands. He tried to dodge the automaton's stab, but it still grazed his side. He hissed in pain and clutched the left side of his abdomen, which was now bleeding profusely, and backed up against the wall of the Cornucopia. Jordan panted as the stinging pain started to swell. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he looked up at the automatons that were now crowding around him.
What's the point anymore? he asked himself again.
Jordan smiled grimly as he leaned his head back against the wall, staring down the automatons, before raising his hand and giving a salute.
The eighth cannon shot rang in the distance.
Ashley was running through the forest. After grabbing a sword and stabbing a few automatons, she'd decided to run before things got too chaotic. So far, no one was pursuing her, so that was good, but unfortunately she had no idea where the hell she was going. Would there even be a chance of escaping this arena? MonoWither probably made sure there wouldn't be...
Where's Bodil? she wondered briefly before shaking the thought away. No, she couldn't afford to think about him. Not when her own life was on the line. He was probably one of the eight people already dead...
That was when she heard him scream hysterically, his cry echoing throughout the silent forest. Ashley halted in her tracks and looked around wildly, breathing heavily.
"HELP! HELP ME!" Bodil shrieked desperately.
Ashley realized that the voice was coming somewhere to her left. Should she go help him? Or should she save herself...
"SOMEBODY! PLEASE!" The voice was getting more frantic.
Ashley grit her teeth and held onto her sword more tightly before running towards the direction of the voice.
She burst through a clearing and saw a bunch of automatons crowding around a rather tall tree. Ashley looked up and realized that Bodil was sitting near the top, crouching on a sturdy branch. She backed away into the shadows, hiding so that she wouldn't be spotted. It was too risky for her to fight...
An automaton was climbing up the tree using its sharp claws. Bodil, his face filled with panic, was holding a tree limb in his hand. "GET BACK!" he screamed, striking the branch down on the automaton's head when it got closer. The automaton hissed and grabbed the branch, wrenching it from his hands. "Sh-Shit- I SAID GET BACK!" Bodil shouted, kicking the automaton down repeatedly with his legs. The machine lost its grip and slammed against the ground, the impact smashing it into pieces.
More automatons began scaling the tree, hissing loudly. Bodil whimpered as he began climb higher, carefully finding strong branches that would support his weight. He didn't have much more height left...
That was when one of the automatons pulled out a fishing rod. Ashley's eyes widened and she raised her sword, preparing to throw it.
But... then they'd know where she was and start to chase her...
In that moment of hesitation, the automaton cast the fishing rod and hooked onto Bodil's shoulder. Bodil cried out in agony as the hook pierced his flesh, and he struggled to keep his grip on the branch. The automaton tugged at him, making the pain worsen. "HELP ME!" Bodil screamed. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE! PLEASE! SOMEONE- ANYONE-"
The automaton pulled harder, and finally the branch Bodil was clinging onto snapped off. Bodil's arms waved wildly as he fell backwards. All Ashley did was watch as the poor man plunged the whole way down, screaming in desperation as he tried to find something to grab onto and slow down his fall...
His scream was cut off with a sickening crunch as his body hit the ground.
The ninth cannon shot rang in the distance.
The automatons all turned around to face Ashley, their red eyes gleaming. Ashley's face paled as she backed away. Oh god, they'd known she was there the whole time? Ashley immediately turned around and fled, speeding through the forest. She could hear the automatons chasing her in hot pursuit, snarling viciously like wild animals.
You left him to die.
Ashley ignored the voice in her head as she ran as fast as she could. There was nothing she could have done, she told herself.
Bodil was your best friend. You let him die.
Ashley tried to focus on running, but the voice was persistent. Bodil was going to die anyway, she said internally. Focus!
You just stood there and watched. You were too afraid for your own safety to help out your best friend. What kind of friend does that?
Ashley wiped away the tears that had suddenly sprung up in her eyes. Why was she being distracted at a time like this? She needed to survive!
Bodil wouldn't have let you die. He would have fought, he would risked his own life for you. You never deserved a friend like him. This is why he would never have returned your feelings.
Her vision blurred by her tears, Ashley suddenly tripped and fell forward, tumbling down a steep slope. When she finally stopped at the bottom, there were cuts and bruises all over her body. Ashley groaned as she tried to pick herself up from the ground, propping herself up with one arm.
Who could love a selfish person like you?
Ashley panted heavily as she looked up to see the automatons racing down to where she was, swords in hand. Her brain screamed at her to move, to keep on going, to live.
Her heart told her to stay put.
The tenth cannon shot rang out in the distance.
When the countdown ended, Ryan had never even tried to reach the Cornucopia. He'd fled almost immediately and headed through the forest. But now... it seemed like he'd finally reached the edge of the arena.
He was standing on the edge of a cliff and staring down into the dark abyss. Ryan smiled grimly, wondering how deep the fall was going to be and if it would hurt once he reached the bottom.
He'd heard all the cannon shots and knew that he was the last one. So he supposed it was up to him to end this execution. "Hey... Mitch?" Ryan said aloud. "I know you're probably watching this happen... I just wanted to tell you that it's not your fault, okay? It's mine. All these deaths were caused by me. Please don't blame yourself... Please... I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted..."
Ryan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped. His stomach twisted as he plunged down...
...and then he grunted as he felt himself hit the ground. Ryan opened his eyes, wondering if he was dead now. What the... How am I back on the cliff?
"You idiot!" MonoWither cried out through the PA system. "You can't just leap off the cliff! We obviously put a portal down at the bottom to teleport you back!"
"Why can't you just let me die!" Ryan yelled. "What, don't tell me you're going to 'spare' me all of a sudden!"
At that moment, he heard footsteps behind him. He whirled around to see someone with chestnut hair wearing a red-and-black checkered hoodie. All the blood drained from Ryan's face. "M-Mitch?!"
The person, or automaton to be exact, looked up to show gleaming red eyes. Before Ryan could react, the automaton lunged at him and tackled him to the floor. Ryan gagged as the automaton wrapped its fingers around his neck, pressed down on his throat and began to choke him. Ryan gripped onto the automaton's wrists and tried to loosen its grip, struggling for air.
"Ryan..." the automaton whispered, its soulless red eyes staring deep into Ryan's blue ones as the man continued to writhe frantically. "I hate you..."
The voice, which sounded all too much like Mitch's, sent chills down Ryan's spine. Ryan desperately scrabbled at the automaton's fingers, but it was useless. His head, his lungs it felt like they were about to burst, he needed to breathe...
"This isn't what I wanted..." the automaton hissed. "I never asked you to kill all of them... You monster... Now I'm all alone... Monster... Murderer..."
Ryan felt his vision go blurry. He couldn't tell if it was from the tears in his eyes, the lack of oxygen, or the blood getting cut off from his brain. Probably all three. Ryan's struggles started to weaken as his brain shut down.
"I hate you so much! You deserve to die!" the automaton screamed angrily.
Ryan was so dizzy and his mind was so fuzzy, he really did think Mitch was speaking to him. He didn't even have the strength to cry.
"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" the automaton repeated over and over.
I'm sorry Mitch... was Ryan's last conscious thought before his vision went dark and his eyes rolled back in his head. Ryan's struggles ceased as his body went limp and his lifeless arms dropped to the floor.
The eleventh cannon shot rang out in the distance.
The screen in the courtroom turned off.
"Oh... how sad..." MonoWither said almost mockingly, sniffling. "So tragic... What a despair-filled conclusion to our little show... Don't you think, Mitch?"
Mitch had not made a single response throughout the entire execution.
"Anyway, that's it folks! That's the end of the show! We're proud to announce that Mitch, the Super Duper Minecrafter Level Hunger Games Champion, is the victor of this game! Mitch, what would you like to say to the adoring audience?"
Mitch didn't say a word.
"Ah, he's so happy he won the game, he's speechless! You know what'll make him even happier? He now gets to leave this place and return to the outside world! But it's dangerous out there, isn't it? Yes, as his responsible hosts, we can't let him leave without any means to protect himself!"
A gun dropped from the ceiling and landed in front of Mitch. "Here you go! A weapon! You know how to shoot a gun, right? Just aim and fire! The gun then goes bang!"
Mitch slowly picked up the gun, staring down at it with empty, bloodshot eyes.
"So, Mitch? What are you going to do, now that you've killed all your friends and ended the show?" MonoWither asked. "Say something for the audience! They're dying to know!"
Mitch looked up at the hovering machine for a few seconds before raising the gun to the side of his head.
The twelfth and final cannon shot rang in the distance.