(A/N: Well I'm a dumb noodle so I totally forgot to upload this here. So on tumblr, last December, I reblogged a post and some people sent me prompts for me to write.)
Ask: Hey, can ya do POV from the no excuses writing meme. Jade's death from Sky or Jade's POV ;) (sent by an anon)
Sky's hands shook as he knocked on the door, after checking multiple times that the label indeed had Jade's face on it. For some reason, he found himself praying that no one would answer...
...unfortunately (or was it fortunately?), someone did. Sky looked down as Jade opened the door slowly. "...Sky?" she asked in utter confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Sky was so nervous, he couldn't seem to remember the explanation he'd been planning to give. "I... uh..." He cleared his throat. "Can I come in?"
Jade tilted her head. "...Sure, I guess..." she said, laughing under her breath as she moved aside, letting Sky walk inside.
Sky felt his heart pound in his ribcage, each pump increasing his anxiety, as he closed the door. You don't have to do this. Turn back while you can! Look at her, she's just an innocent teenager!
But... I can't kill my friends...
"So, what's the problem?" Jade asked, staring at him with an all-too innocent expression.
Sky put his hands in his pockets and felt for the flask, trying to pass it off as a casual motion. He noticed the dresser behind her. "...do you happen to have some thread in there?" he asked.
"Oh, is that what you want? Sure, I'll get it!" Jade exclaimed, turning around and stepping towards the dresser.
Sky felt time slow down as he pulled out the flask. He could hear his mind screaming at him DON'T DO IT, DON'T DO IT, DON'T DO IT over and over again.
He thought of Alesa and his child, thought of that awful video, thought of the flames that had devoured the bodies of his precious family.
His family... He needed to do this for them...
In one fluid motion, he hurled the flask at Jade's back with deadly accuracy.
A crashing sound filled the air as the flask shattered. Jade cried out as she fell forward, holding onto the dresser to support herself. Her frail body shook to the bone as she began to cough, each cough becoming more phlegmy in sound. She raised a hand as she suddenly began to cough out blood, bright-red in the dim light.
"...why...?" she rasped in between coughing fits. "...why...? why... would... you..."
Sky walked towards her, failing to notice as the girl grabbed the lamp to her left and whirled around, swinging the lamp against Sky twice. The first impact knocked Sky backwards as the lampshade flew off. The second impact shattered the exposed light bulb, plunging both of them into pure darkness.
Jade clung onto Sky's shirt as she sunk onto the floor, still coughing and wheezing. Sky shrieked as he shook her off, staggering backwards and hitting the wall.
The light, he needed light to see!
Sky tried to steady himself as he reached against the wall, struggling to locate the light switch. Behind him, Sky could hear Jade's coughs get weaker before they utterly went silent. It seemed like hours before Sky finally switched the lights on. Sky gasped for breath as he stood there for a few moments, the weight of what he had just done, what utterly horrible act he had just committed, crashing down on him.
It was too late to take everything back. That was the truth of the matter. And Sky couldn't tell what he'd do if he had that option.
His golden eyes hardened as he cleared his mind. His family. Alesa and his son. That's what mattered the most to him. He had abandoned his humanity, blackened himself for them, and he would continue to do so.
Sky turned around, staring at the body that was lying facedown on the floor in a pool of blood. He still had much to do. This wasn't even the hardest part. That was the trial... He had to make sure no one figured out it was him...
Ignoring all the despair that lingered within him, the killer quickly got to work.
Ask: How about part of the trial, from, like, Bodil or Ashley's POV? (sent by sandstormmadd)
Ashley didn't even register what Bodil had just said until Seto suddenly asked, "...Bodil?"
"What?" the man in question replied, confused.
"How... How did you know the prize was in a chest? MonoWither only said that the prize was a bag of coins..."
Ashley felt her heart skip a beat as a sickening realization sank in her stomach. She watched as Bodil's eyes widened in absolute horror.
"That's- That's what I meant to say!" the poor man stammered frantically. "I meant to say 'bag', not 'chest'! Who found the chest the bag of coins was in- I mean-" Bodil clamped his hands over his mouth, realizing too late that he'd slipped up again.
Ashley didn't know what to think. This had to be a mistake, this had to be! She could feel panic start to spread like wildfire, feel her heart start to palpitate...
She forced herself to calm down and observe Bodil's actions. Bodil was currently clinging onto his yellow tie and wringing it into a sweaty rope, his eyes darting back and forth as everyone stared at him. Reading this body language, Bodil was either terrified at the thought of being suspected as the killer, or he was guilty. It was too hard to tell.
Ashley remained silent, not wanting to jump to conclusions. After all, Bodil couldn't have killed Jade...
...right?
"So it was you?!" Annie asked, stunned.
"It wasn't me, I swear..." Bodil whimpered, his accent sounding even heavier than usual as his voice shook.
"Can you prove that's the truth?" Ryan asked skeptically.
"I don't know if I can..."
"Bodil..." Bonks whispered in absolute disbelief.
Bodil began to sob in terror. "R-Really... It wasn't me... I'm not the thief..."
"Then how did you know that the prize was in a chest?" Husky asked.
The poor man began to hyperventilate. "Because- Because-"
"Because you're the thief," Mitch said quietly.
"And that makes you the killer..." Jerome murmured.
Bodil shook his head desperately. "No... I didn't do it... I'm not the killer..."
Bodil was panicking too much, Ashley realized. If he was really innocent, he was just making things even worse for him. Ashley's mouth was dry as she forced herself to speak, to snap Bodil out of it and give them an explanation. "Then say something!" Ashley shrieked, her tone strangely unsettled. "Stop panicking and tell us how you knew there was a chest!"
To her slight relief, Bodil swallowed and nodded. "It- It was yesterday... At 8 pm or so... I was in that room by the main hall where we all woke up... I looked at the fireplace and realized that there was a chest hidden behind the flames, so I..." Bodil inhaled shakily. "...I put out the flames and opened the chest, but nothing was in there. MonoWither suddenly appeared and said that I was too late, because someone had already found the bag of coins..."
...Could she believe him? Ashley didn't have a clue. She trusted Bodil, probably the most out of everyone in this room... She'd known him since they were kids at elementary school... Bodil hadn't learned English and she hadn't learned to control her temper... Yet somehow they'd become close...
But this game MonoWither was playing... Ashley remembered the way Bodil had laughed, his usually-joyful laugh filled with empty despair as he'd burst into tears and ran into his room. Maybe... Maybe Bodil really had done it... In this game of survival, anything was possible...
Lost in thought, Ashley was only vaguely aware of what was going on before Bodil suddenly screamed, "I'M NOT THE THIEF!"
There was a long silence as Bodil breathed raggedly.
"I'M REALLY NOT!"
Ashley wanted to comfort him, but at the same time... What if he'd been lying?
"Bodil, relax," Seto said slowly. "Calm down. It's okay."
"I DIDN'T DO IT! I DIDN'T DO IT!" At this point, Bodil looked as though he was on the verge of collapsing. Maybe it was because he was hyperventilating so much.
"Take deep breaths now..."
Bodil tried to obey. "I... I didn't... do it..." He crossed his arms over his chest and sniffled. "I didn't... I swear..."
"I know you didn't do it," Seto said, lowering his hands with his palms facing downwards. "Just calm down."
So Seto believed him? Seto wasn't one to make statements without proof to back himself up. Ashley felt a bubble of hope grow within her.
Slight relief flashed across Bodil's face. "You... You believe me?"
"Remember your alibi? You can't have been the one who attacked me..."
"But his alibi was that he was still in his room right before you left the hallway, right?" Mitch asked. "He could have waited until you were gone and then rushed out to hit you with the laptop."
"That doesn't sound likely," the sorcerer rebuked. "How could he have timed that perfectly? How could he have known I would try to talk to him outside of his room? Plus, he'd have to have a laptop with him already, before our discussion of the thief, which would imply that he somehow planned the whole thing beforehand."
"...True..." Mitch admitted.
How could she have forgotten about Bodil's alibi? She was there, for God's sake! Ashley felt like a total idiot. How could she have lost faith in Bodil so easily?
"So Bodil isn't the killer?" she asked hopefully, just to make sure she'd heard correctly.
"It seems like it," Steven replied.
But just because Bodil didn't kill Jade, that doesn't mean he'd never kill anyone... a dark thought crossed her mind.
Ashley forced herself to ignore that horrid idea. Bodil wasn't capable of something like that... She could always trust him...
...right?
Ask: (POV) Mitch's POV from when Jerome was hit by the wither skull in chapter 2? (sent by fortedreams)
Mitch always thought of himself as a rather strong person. Well, at least emotionally. Maybe the physical part was questionable, especially compared to Jerome. But Mitch had never been one to panic for the most part. Even when he'd woken up in a strange place and realized there was no way out, Mitch had tried to remain calm. Even when that machine had started building a Wither, Mitch immediately pulled out his sword, prepared to fight to his death alongside Jerome.
But when Jerome suddenly collapsed to the floor, coughing and jerking erratically, foaming at the mouth, Mitch felt the whole world come to a stop. He couldn't hold back the shriek of horror as he dropped his sword and knelt by his best friend's side. "Oh god, oh god! Jerome!" he cried out. He felt utterly useless. He didn't know what to do. All he knew was that Jerome was in pain and he couldn't lift a finger to help the bacca.
"We need milk! Does anyone have milk?" Seto asked.
For a moment, Mitch felt despair. Who would have milk? No one, obviously-
Dave suddenly pulled out a bottle of milk. Mitch gasped in relief. It's going to be okay Jerome, you're going to be okay...
Steven passed it to Seto, who immediately made Jerome down the contents. Jerome stopped coughing. Then his body went limp and his eyes rolled back in his head.
The world stopped once more as Mitch once again lost hope. He heard someone screaming Jerome's name, before realizing that said person was himself. "JEROME! JEROME NO!" Mitch grabbed Jerome's shoulders and shook them frantically, trying to bring his friend back to consciousness. He felt a pair of arms belonging to Sky pull him back. Mitch struggled to free himself, too frantic to listen to reason. "Let me go! Let me go! Jerome!"
"Mitch, calm down!" Seto shouted. "Jerome's not dead! He just passed out, he'll be fine in a few hours!"
Mitch didn't believe him. He needed to confirm it himself. Jerome, please don't be dead... Mitch wrenched himself from Sky's grip and fell on all fours, crawling towards Jerome. Please... Please...Almost too scared to breathe, he pressed his ear against Jerome's chest and listened closely. After a few seconds, Mitch finally heard Jerome's faint but steady pulse. Mitch choked out a sob of relief and closed his eyes. Jerome was alive... It was okay... He was fine...
"I- I thought he was dead for sure..." Ashley whispered.
"Well he would have died if my dark side had decided to attack him instead of my white side!" MonoWither cut in. "Now you all know just what I'm capable of!"
Mitch swore he saw red at that moment. That stupid machine... or whatever it was... Mitch raised his head and grit his teeth, shaking with anger. "You... You almost killed Jerome..." His mind was a whirlwind. He couldn't think properly. All he could think about was the way Jerome's body had convulsed before going still, all too still...
He grabbed his diamond sword which was lying the floor and charged forward, roaring.
"Mitch, no!" Jason yelled, grabbing Mitch from behind. Tyler quickly wrenched the sword from Mitch's hands.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU, I SWEAR!" Mitch howled. He needed to make that thing pay, he needed to avenge Jerome...
He needed to feel like he'd done something to help his childhood friend instead of just sitting there panicking like an idiot and doing nothing...
"Such anger! Such fury!" MonoWither exclaimed in mock terror. "Oh, we're positively quivering in fear! Such a courageous man truly deserves his title of the Super Duper Minecrafter Level Hunger Games Champion! Or does he really?"
Mitch's eyes widened and he stopped fighting. He went completely silent. What the hell did that thing mean by that?
...It couldn't possibly mean...
No, that didn't matter. What mattered right now was that Jerome was safe, at least at the moment.
The world began to move again.
Ask: (POV) The motive scene, Seth's perspective ;) (sent by an anon)
Seth didn't know how to explain his feelings about this whole situation. MonoWither had declared a motive involving videos of some sort, which were supposed to goad the participants into killing each other. What exactly these videos contained, Seth had no idea, and he wasn't particularly willing to find out.
But still, Seth had the dreadful feeling that these videos would work somehow, or at the very least plunge them all into despair. So Seth, setting aside his curiosity about his own video, found his designated laptop in the back corner next to Jade, and thought about his next course of action. Perhaps, he could stop all this from happening, when MonoWither was distracted...
Maybe this could work...
Seth opened the video file and put on the headphones, but didn't press play. He kept the file open, in case MonoWither started heading in his direction. Seth then opened the command prompt, and thought carefully about his options.
Perhaps it would be best to deactivate MonoWither somehow. Technology like that needed a wireless connection between the machine and the operator's control center. So if he hacked into the network...
That was when Jade started whimpering loudly. Startled, Seth turned to the girl, who was trembling and biting her lip, terrified. Wondering what the hell she'd seen, Seth stole a glance at her screen and couldn't believe his eyes. A totaled car had collided into a tree and had burst into deadly flames. Seth could barely see people sitting in the front seat slumped over on the dashboard. The screen suddenly went black and the words "FIND OUT AFTER THE SHOW!" appeared.
Jade shook her head repeatedly, too horrified to speak. Perhaps, Seth thought, Those people, they must have been Jade's family...
So this was the "motive" MonoWither had been talking about. The gruesome deaths of their loved ones, videotaped to compel others to murder...
Filled with new resolve and thinking of his own family, Seth typed rapidly as he tried to break into the system. He tried to ignore the screams of everyone else as they watched their videos. He needed to do this for them! He needed to save all of them!
He shut all the outside sounds out and concentrated intently. He'd finally connected onto the main network. He found the coding linked to MonoWither. He typed in what he felt like would be the code to deactivate the wretched machine...
...only to have everything blow up in his face. Literally. Seth removed the headphones and jerked backwards. What... just happened...?
"Well, well, well, look what we have here!" MonoWither said with delight. "Looks like someone broke Show Regulation #5! 'No violence is permitted against the show's hosts, MonoWither!'"
...Oh fuck no.
Seth stammered nervously. "N-No- I didn't-"
"But the computers are programmed to self-destruct once someone hacks into our system and attempts to input the code that deactivates our program! That qualifies as violence!"
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
"But I didn't actually succeed!" Seth yelled, trying to justify himself. "So- So it doesn't count!"
"Hey! We're the ones who made the rules! We get to decide what counts as breaking them! This behavior simply cannot be tolerated, Seth! Rules are rules! We didn't want to cause a death ourselves, but we must punish you for this violation..."
"I'm sorry!" Seth pleaded, standing up. He looked around, silently begging for someone, anyone, to help him... But no one could do anything. Seth knew he'd dug his own grave. "Please! I swear, I swear I won't do it again!"
"It pains us to say that Seth, the Super Duper Minecrafter Level Redstone Mechanic..."
"No, no, no, no!" Seth shrieked.
"...is hereby voted off the show..."
Seth, full-out panicking by now, pushed Jade aside and sprinted to the door. His red cap fell off his head and onto the floor.
"...and will be punished accordingly!"
Seth could see the door. He was so, so close to it. He reached his arm out, ready to push it open. This feeling of terror, of a need to escape, it felt like... It was familiar...
It was always right when he was about to succeed. Right when he was about to deactivate MonoWither, right when he was about to escape...
Seth felt the pressure plate sink beneath him.
-ZAP!-
White-hot pain was all he registered as his body jerked, seized by the strong current of thousands of electrical volts coursing through him all at once. Seth screamed in raw agony. His leg, his whole body, it felt like he had burst into flames.
MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP-
Everything faded to black as Seth withered away.
