Chapter 2: the game begins.
"Wh- what?!" Flash stammered. He snapped himself completely out of his thoughts and examined the girl.
She had light brown skin, for starters. Her eyes were brown and covered by black glasses. She had a black polo shirt, baggy black pants, black sneakers, and black hair.
'Black, black, black... What's with the black obsession?!' Flash couldn't help but think. 'It's ridiculous- right, she's got a knife. Focus on the knife!'
"We're gonna TALK." The girl smirked. She pulled the knife from the wall and twirled it.
'How strong is that knife?!' Flash thought. He glanced around and decided that there was only one obvious choice. He turned and ran away.
"Bae, wait! I'm sorry! Did the knife scare you?! ...shit, he's gone. Bruh." The girl flipped out a pink phone and read something from it. "Got it, the fish market." She began walking calmly.
Meanwhile, Flash was running home.
"I've got it! Almost there..." Flash's eyes widened in distress as he saw the girl exit the fish market right in front of him.
"Bae, I just want to talk." The girl twirled her knife as she spoke. Flash was having none of that, and turned and ran. "God DAMMIT Bae, this is starting to piss me off." The girl growled and checked her phone again. "Next is the elementary school, I'll get him there."
Flash was going an alternate route to his house.
"How did she do that?! It's like she predicted the future!" Flash was feeling hysteria set in. It wasn't every day a knife wielding maniac chased him down.
"I could help you, if you want." A cloud of haze was following Flash. The shadowed man was sitting on it, writing boredly in his notebook.
"What can you do, you're just an imaginary friend!" Flash yelped.
"Oh, that. I lied. To your left." The man said.
"What?!" Flash paled to see the girl approaching fast from the building to his left.
"Bae, listen, I just want to talk... I promise I won't cut you..." The girl was saying.
"I don't believe you, crazy lady!" Flash shouted and turned again. The girl pouted.
"This shit is starting to piss me off..." She flipped out her phone again.
"This is crazy... How the fuck is this happening?!" Flash yelled as he tried to run faster.
"Do you want my help or not? I'm beginning to lose interest." The man said boredly.
"Please!" Flash yelled.
"Done." The man scribbled something and a static sound came from Flash's pocket. He blinked and pulled out his phone to find his diary filled up.
3:45 P.M.: I turn the corner to the left.
3:46 P.M.: I jay walk to the next street.
3:49 P.M.: I cut through that alley the crazy guy down the block owns.
4:00 P.M.: I get in the elevator of my building.
4:03 P.M.: I make it to my apartment! I'm safe! :D
"These are..." Flash gasped.
"Future diary entries, yes. I took the liberty of making your phone a future diary. It'll help you fight Fourth. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have writing to do." The cloud of haze disappeared.
Flash was very taken aback by the whole situation, but decided to shake off knife girl first. He turned the corner to the left. He found knife girl right in front of him.
"Bae-"
"NOPE!" Flash yelled. He heard a static sound and glanced at his phone.
3:45 P.M.: I turn the corner to the left. Knife girl was there! D:
3:46 P.M.: I run through traffic and barely miss getting hit by a car. I shook knife girl, though!
4:00 P.M.: I get in the elevator of my building.
4:03 P.M.: I make it to my apartment! I'm safe! :D
"...you've gotta be shitting me." Flash groaned. He glanced at the crowded street before closing his eyes and running across.
"Bae!" The girl screamed in shock, but it was lost to Flash. All he could hear now were loud car noises passing by at lightning speed. He could feel panic rising in his chest, but he kept running. Finally, Flash opened his eyes and found himself on the other side. He took off running and left the girl in his dust.
At 4:00 P.M., Flash entered his building and got in the elevator. He pressed the button for seven, his floor.
"That was strange, but I'm glad I got out of it." Flash sighed in relief. He watched as the elevator doors closed. At the last moment, a hand pushed between them, causing them to move apart. Flash's eyes widened with horror as the girl from before entered the elevator. He opened his mouth, but the girl slammed the knife right next to his head.
"Shut up and let me talk for a second." The girl said, her tone getting dangerous. Flash closed his mouth as the elevator doors closed, trapping him with the girl. The static sound came from his phone again.
"Why the fuck were you running from me?!" The girl growled.
"Why?! You're some crazy stranger with a knife, of course I ran!" Flash yelled.
"I ain't no stranger." The girl rolled her eyes. "Stop pulling shit with me, Flash."
"How do you know my name?!" Flash gasped.
"Cut the shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!" The girl slapped him hard across the face. "You telling me you don't recognize your only girlfriend, Alicia?!"
"I've never had a girlfriend before, let alone a friend!" Flash yelped, fear in his voice.
"What are you talking about?!" Alicia frowned. At that moment, another static sound came from Flash's phone. Alicia snatched it from his hand and read what was on the screen. She scowled. "Fucking great." She then opened her own phone and dialed someone. She waited before beginning to speak. Flash only heard what Alicia said.
"Hello? Yeah. I was too late, he already got the future diary." She tapped her foot and scowled while the other person spoke.
"Fuck off! I tried my damnedest! Like you said, he's lost his memory." Alicia was silent for a while after that.
"Yeah, I'll meet you there. Bye." Alicia hung up and pulled her knife out of the wall.
"What was that?" Flash asked apprehensively.
"You done fucked yourself." Alicia showed him his phone.
4:00 P.M.: I get in the elevator in my building. 4th does too! D:
4:01 P.M.: 4th looks in my future diary.
4:02 P.M.: 4th talks to someone on the phone. I think they're talking about me.
4:05 P.M.: 4th and I go into my apartment. There are four more people in there!
5:00 P.M.: someone enters my apartment and murders me. DEAD END.
"Wh- what?!" Flash's attention was caught by that last entry. "What does that mean? That isn't true, is it?! Dead end?!"
"It means you're gonna die as the future currently is." Alicia calmly flicked her hair out of her face.
"How can you keep so calm?!" Flash felt like he was about to cry.
"Bae, please. I have a future diary too." Alicia held up her phone. Flash read the screen.
4:03 P.M.: Bae reads my future diary.
4:05 P.M.: Bae and I go into his apartment. His reaction was cute as fuck.
4:06 P.M.: Bae listens to 1st's boring as fuck explanation.
5:00 P.M.: Bae is murdered by Hiyama Takao. I'll fucking kill that piece of shit...
"Y- you have a diary about me?! That's..." Flash's eye twitched.
"Cute?" Alicia grinned.
"CREEPY." Flash read over the entries again. "Hiyama-sensei's gonna murder me?!"
"Whatever. Come this way." Alicia grumbled. The elevator stopped on the seventh floor. Alicia forcefully dragged Flash to his apartment and rang the doorbell. Flash sighed in relief, knowing his parents were away on a business trip. Then his heart leapt into his mouth as the doorknob turned.
"You fucked up, Alicia." A blond haired boy their age pushed the door open. He was wearing sunglasses, Pokemon themed clothing, and blue crocs.
"G. Shut the fuck up. It's Flash's fault." Alicia pushed Flash through the door. Three more people were sitting on a couch in the living room.
One was a girl who looked exactly like Alicia, sans glasses and dark clothing colors.
The next was a boy who looked a bit older than Flash, but not by a lot. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He wore white shirt with red flames drawn along the sides and bottom. In the center of the shirt, blue flames were drawn. He wore blue shorts and sandals.
Finally, a girl with messy brown hair and green eyes was fiddling with her phone. She wore a light blue tank top with an armless beige jacket. She had on jean shorts and blue leggings. Flash noted that she was very blue over all. After a moment, she looked up at Flash and smiled. Flash got a very warm feeling from her. In fact, for the first time in Flash's life, he had found people who felt right. These crazy people felt right to him, somehow.
"H- how did you get into my house?!" Flash gasped.
"Alicia got us a spare key." The blond boy said, boredly looking at his phone.
"I have to keep tabs on my Bae." Alicia giggled.
"I'm not... I'm not your boyfriend." Flash backed away.
"Really? Well, NanIcia is go then!" The blond kid grinned.
"NO!" Both Alicia and the boy on the couch shouted.
"Well jeez. You guys are no fun." The blond guy frowned.
"G." Alicia seemed to be referring to the blonde kid.
'What kind of person has a one letter name?' Flash wondered.
"Flash fucking ran from me like a crazy person. He thinks he don't know me." Alicia continued.
"I don't know you!" Flash yelped.
"I figured this would happen. I even told you he probably lost his memories." G rolled his eyes. He spoke again before Alicia could protest. "However, this was probably inevitable." He turned to the three people sitting on the couch. "Guys, Flash has a future diary, and he has a dead end." The whole group groaned.
"What exactly does all this mean?" Flash asked apprehensively.
"When you accepted that future diary, you were put into a survival game. There are twelve participants, including yourself, that are all trying to kill each other. The winner becomes God." G explained. "All of the participants have diaries that tell the future. This is both a strength... And a weakness. The diaries are now equivalent to your future, so if they're broken... You die."
"What?!" Flash panicked.
"Bruh. Why do you think I tried to stop you from accepting one?" Alicia blinked.
"Next time don't try to stab me while doing it!" Flash yelled.
"Bae, I'd never stab you. Just hurt you." Alicia giggled.
"That... That was the least comforting thing I've ever heard." Flash shivered.
"Everyone in this room is a future diary user." G said.
"What?! You're all trying to kill me?!" Flash gasped, multiple scenarios flashing through his head.
"No." G deadpanned. "There's even more complicated stuff, so bear with me. If all of this wasn't bad enough, your memories have been stolen from you."
"Stolen?" Flash sounded disbelieving.
"To put it simply... All of your memories of this world are fake. You are not from this world." G said.
"What? What are you even..." Flash's eyes widened.
'I never really have fit in here... It's like I don't belong in this world... With these people...'
"Do you get it now? Your real memories have been taken." G folded his arms. "You're in a completely different universe than the one you were born in. All of us are."
"That's... Crazy..." Flash knew he wasn't lying. They were in the wrong universe...
"We were all friends... But it seems your memories of us have been taken." G sighed. "At any rate, we don't have time for this. Does anyone else have a dead end?"
"Not here." Alicia said.
"Bruh. I'm good too." The Alicia lookalike said.
"None here." The brown haired girl replied.
"I don't have any. My diary says we'll be having a confrontation with an apprentice diary user, though." The other boy said.
"Yeah, mine is indicating that an apprentice diary user is approaching this building. Probably the same one yours is talking about, Nan." G nodded to the boy. "He'll murder Flash in this apartment in about 15 minutes."
"After that we'll be able to easily defeat him using all of our future diaries." Nan said.
"We aren't losing Flash. Let's get the future changing." G opened the door to the apartment and motioned for everyone to follow.
"What exactly is an apprentice diary?" All these terms were making Flash crazy.
"One of the future diary users has the ability to give people diaries at will. She can basically create an army of minions. The only difference is that their lives aren't linked to their diaries and they can't win the seat of God." G told him.
"That seems unfair!" Flash frowned.
"It is a bit. I think I know who our opponent is." G walked over to a window. Flash followed and felt his heart stop. A masked, heavily clothed man with a machete was approaching their building.
"That guy? Isn't he third?" Nan asked.
"This world seems to be significantly different than the first three worlds, Nan. It looks like our participation in the survival game has changed it." The brown haired girl commented.
"Toxic is right." G said. "He's not a future diary holder here. Though he did get his hands on an apprentice diary."
"What?! Eighth gave a diary to HIM?!" Nan gasped.
"Hm... We'll definitely have to fight Eighth at some point." G frowned. "Now let's go."
"Where are we going?" Flash asked fearfully.
"We're gonna change the future so you survive." G calmly said. "Because you're our friend, Flash."
"Your friend...?" Flash's eyes widened.
"Come on!" Alicia grabbed Flash's wrist and started pulling him after the rest of the group.
'I'm... Someone's friend?' Flash though, shocked. He found himself in the elevator with the rest of the group. They heard a loud static sound and all flipped open their phones in unison.
4:48 P.M.: we reach the roof.
5:00 P.M.: the apprentice diary user arrives and murders me. DEAD END.
Flash shuddered as he read the entries.
"Still got a dead end?" G asked. Flash nodded. "What about everyone else?"
"Not much change." Alicia said.
"Same." The lookalike said.
"My diary entries didn't change at all." Toxic shrugged.
"Mine changed, but Flash still dies almost immediately." Nan said.
"That's fine. I've got all I need to beat him. I've got a pretty good idea of what his diary is." G smiled and looked at his diary.
"What his diary is?" Flash blinked.
"Each diary is different. It tells the future in a different way. Like Alicia's only tells your future, but your diary talks about your surroundings." G explained.
"How did you know what my diary did?" Flash blinked.
"Educated guess." G replied and looked at his phone again. "We have to move quick."
As soon as they reached the roof, G began ordering people around. He soon had everyone hidden in different places.
"If he's anything like his previous world counterparts, he'll have a diary that tells him where his murder victims are. However, it'll only give him broad directions. As such, he won't know exactly where we're hidden. It's all up to our teamwork from there." G said.
"I still don't get all this other universe stuff." Flash frowned.
"I'll explain it to you sometime. Now stay hidden and be quiet." G ordered. He himself hid.
After a few minutes- though Flash could swear that hours had passed- Takao Hiyama came up the stairs. His machete glistened in the light of the setting sun. Flash felt sick.
"Now where is that brat?" The killer looked around. "I know he's on this roof somewhere..." Nan suddenly leapt on his back from behind. Stunned, Hiyama dropped his machete and began to try and wrestle the teenager off of him. Nan was resilient, but Hiyama eventually bashed his back against the elevator. Nan was forced off and fell to the ground. Hiyama grabbed his machete and prepared to kill Nan. Then a gunshot rang through the air, and Hiyama fell to the ground. Flash looked to see G standing on the opposite end of the room holding a smoking gun. Nan scrambled over to G as Hiyama started to get up.
"Bulletproof vest, right?" G smirked. Hiyama walked toward G menacingly. Flash panicked.
'A bulletproof vest?! What can G even do against him, then?! We're all gonna die...' Flash's thoughts were cut off when Alicia came from nowhere and cut open the bulletproof vest with her knife. Before Hiyama could react, Nan ran up and pushed him to the edge of the roof. Hiyama shook himself out of his shock, but it was too late. G took aim at him and fired once again. The bullet hit right in the area where Alicia had cut open his vest. Hiyama's machete dropped from his hand and off the building as blood began to pool from his stomach. G calmly walked over.
"Here's the thing... I have no interest in becoming God. But I play any game, even a death game... To win. I'd have you tell Eighth that, but dead people don't tell tales." G casually pushed Hiyama off the roof. The man plummeted all the way to the street below and landed with a crashing sound. Flash couldn't bring himself to look.
"You killed him." Flash gasped.
"He was gonna kill you." G shrugged.
"But..." Flash stuttered.
"Listen, Flash. We're in a survival game. Think of it like real life Survivor, if you like that show with your current memories. This guy wasn't even one of the real diary holders, too. You should get some guts if you plan on living. Now come on before someone sees us up here." G began walking to the elevator, the group in tow.
Later, Flash was sitting on a chair in the living room, staring at the others uncomfortably. He still didn't remember ever meeting them before in his life, and having strangers in his home wasn't ideal. G and Alicia were sitting in chairs while the other three sat on the couch. G cleared his throat.
"Now that we've stopped Flash's dead end, we should discuss our game plan from here on out." G announced.
"Our?" Flash stated at him.
"You're screwed without us, buddy. We aren't letting you die." G grinned. Flash wasn't sure how he felt about that. "Anyway, there are twelve participants. We go by numbers, I.e. First, Second, Third, Fourth, all the way to Twelfth. As it stands, we have a total of five future diary holders here. I am G, First in the survival game. Flash is Third. Alicia and Alexis share the position of Fourth."
"How do they share the position?" Flash blinked.
"They're twins. I guess they're close enough to be considered one participant." G shrugged.
"I resent that comment." The lookalike, who Flash took to be Alexis, growled.
"Nan is Fifth. Toxic is Sixth. I know the identities of Second, Eighth, and Ninth. That leaves only Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth as unknown threats." G said. "We're going strong right from the start, then."
"You forgot Seventh." Flash blinked.
"Oh, Seventh. You'll meet her sometime. It'll be fine." G grinned and stood.
"Whatever that means." Flash grumbled.
"Now, I've gotten all of us into Flash's school." G announced. Flash's heart sank.
"Keep an eye on each other. We're going to survive!"
