Chapter 7

Sato Mizunoe stormed through the abandoned avenue, panting and sweating.

"Oh My God, I'm going to die here! They are all going to kill me! I'm going to die!" – Sato could not stop thinking about her own death. How would she die in that Program? Would she get shot or stabbed? Would her collar get detonated? Sato could not know. She could only know two things: the first thing was that she was going to die for sure. The second was that she didn't want to.

Yes, Sato couldn't deny her life at school was a living hell. She actually felt peaceful and normal during classes, but as soon as the teacher left or the school day was over, Tsukiko would come to ruin her happiness. How much she hated that girl! She and all of her friends. Since the first day Sato got into Tsuchihara, and that was two years ago, Tsukiko could not spend a single day without humiliating Sato. Tsukiko threw paper on her during class, stole her lunch money, and constantly teased her for her glasses, acne and general ugliness.

"Why? Why she does this to me? I've never been mean to her, not even once!" – Sato was crying now. Being sixteen and without any friends or love interests, Sato knew she was quickly losing her youth and teenage hood. When she became an adult, her memories of what most people call "the best years of your life" would be only of bullying, sorrow and humiliation. Would she ever get married one day? Sato seriously doubted it. She was sure she was going to die a virgin; after all she would have only a few hours or minutes left to live, anyway.

"Tsukiko will kill me for sure. The others are no better. All of them…. Always standing around, ignoring me, doing nothing to help me… yes, they are all rotten inside. They are all monsters." – There were some people Sato admired in her class, such as Kyoko Tachibana or Rin Tosaba. Deep inside, Sato wished she had the same luck as Kagura Soga, who got rid of the bullying by becoming friends with Rin. "Yes. Even she managed to do that: to make friends and get popular. And I… I can't …." – Sato couldn't see what was ahead of her, because of the tears covering her eyesight.

Suddenly, Sato tripped on something hard and pointed, on the middle of the street. A jolt of pain went through her right foot, and her body instantly fell to the avenue's floor. Sato was lucky that her glasses did not break. "How unlucky I am. Even this stone on the floor is trying to kill me". Sato's own feelings were screaming against her now. They were saying that she was ugly and unworthy, and would never survive there. Unless… unless…

Sato then saw her weapon, which was on her right hand the entire time but she never got to notice it. It was a Walter PPK pistol. Sato didn't know anything about guns, but it was obvious that that weapon was powerful and could kill many people. Including Tsukiko.

"Yes… yes… she's going to die here… before she kills me, I'm going to kill her… her and everybody I see. They deserve it. Yes! Yes! I'm gonna see my family again! Because they'll all be dead!" – As Sato's sanity vanished from her mind, the overweight girl got up slowly, ignoring the pain on her foot. Then she looked around. What a beautiful day it was. Perfect for revenge.

But before Sato could initiate her killing spree, she saw something in the sky. Something small and beautiful. A bird. A blue bird. And it was flying away, because it had wings. Sato did not have any wings, she was still in the cage. But now the poor girl wished for the bird to come down and carry her on its wings. And then to take Sato to a place far, far away, away from that game, away from Tsukiko, where she could be happy and alive.

Running wildly while holding the pistol, Sato started shaking her arms above her head, hoping the bird would notice her. She screamed:

"Please, please!" – Sato started crying again. "Please, take me away with you! Take me with you! Take me away!"


It was already a little past 9 am when the effects of the heroin abstinence started to affect Tsukiko again. After years of use, the bully already memorized the sequence of problems the lack of heroin put her into: an abnormal sense of heat, followed by disorientation, and then by pain on her stomach and soon on her entire body. After a while, she would lose her sanity and go nuts. The final stage happened only once before, on a day when Tsukiko was coming back home in the middle of the night. She saw an old lady with a purse filled with money and jewelry (at least that was what Tsukiko believed she saw), and then pulled it. When the granny pulled the purse back, Tsukiko punched her and then started kicking the woman until she fainted and stopped moving. Tsukiko then took the purse for herself.

"Fuck"- said Tsukiko to her friend, Tomoko, who was right in front of her, on the opposite bed. "It's coming again."

"Are you sure? Isn't it just the weather? I'm feeling a bit hot too, and I'm not using any drugs." – Out of the three girls in Kumiko's gang, Tomoko was the least cruel and delinquent. She did not use drugs, was still a virgin, and only bullied Sato occasionally. However, Tomoko had seen her friend getting high enough times to know what happened to her. In the end, Tsukiko always got much more aggressive, hitting the first thing she saw until she got her heroin back. It was better not to go against her, but Tomoko had to be sure of the cause first.

"Of course, silly. I know the difference since three years ago."

"Ok, I just asked because I was worried." – Tomoko actually WAS worried. "Have you ever thought of stopping it? I mean, using drugs, all of them? "

"Hmm? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Before you started taking this thing, you were my best friend." – Tomoko smiled, remembering the times the duo spent together. "But afterwards, you changed. You started being with her more than with me." – Tsukiko breathed sadly. Tsukiko was much more close to Kumiko than with her now. The reason why Tomoko decided to become friends with Kumiko as well was not to lose her most dear friend. It did not seem to be working.

"Well, maybe it's because she's cool, and you are not. Wake up, girl. Good girls have no chance in this world. I'm the proof of it." – Tsukiko had not always been the way she was. Before Kumiko transferred into Tsuchihara, three years ago, the bully was an introverted girl who always got good grades. Tomoko was her only friend. Tsukiko's parents were recently divorced, and her life seemed boring and monotone. She wanted to kiss and sleep with a boy, to go to parties every night, to enjoy her life more. Her mother's pressure for grades and good behavior were a burden for her. She felt castrated.

Then Kumiko came into her life, turning it upside down. The beautiful, cold girl made her lose her virginity with an older man she met in a club, and soon after offered her heroin. Tsukiko instantly got addicted and knew that she would never get rid of it. When her money to buy drugs got short, Tsukiko started to prostitute herself, guided by Kumiko, of course. She even got her belly button pierced. Tsukiko could still remember the day her mother found out about it all. The older woman was crying in the living room, and after her daughter came down to see what it was the woman proceeded to beat Tsukiko up with a wooden stick. The bully still had some bruises on her back. They both never talked to each other again, because now they were living in the same house, but in different worlds.

"I preferred it when you were a good girl." – Tomoko was now looking at the window. Would things ever go back to what they were?

"Forget it then." – Tsukiko now seemed to be angry. "She's my best friend now, whether you want it or not. If you don't like it, then fuck off. Go befriend that loser, Sato, if you want to have another friend. But remember I'll start bullying you as well. – Tomoko kept looking at the window while Tsukiko felt a sudden pain on her stomach. It was the lack of the drug, coming at full force. "Fuck, I need that shit badly." – cussed the delinquent girl.

Kumiko's voice came from the kitchen and echoed through the stairs, until both girls could clearly hear it. It was breakfast time. Breakfast for Tsukiko meant drugs, of course, but that was another story.

"Time for breakfast! Come down here, both of you!" – Kumiko seemed slightly threatening with her voice tone, but none of the girls noticed.

"I'm coming!" – Tsukiko ran through the small white staircase and into the kitchen, hoping to find her heroin bag on the table. Instead, there were three plates of bread and eggs, and some juice. But the drug was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled, Tsukiko asked her friend, as the pain on her stomach got bigger and bigger:

"Kumiko-san, where did you put my heroin?"

"Heroin? What are you talking about? I know you like drugging yourself, but I did not see anything here." – answered Kumiko, as coldly and emotionless as always.

"It… it can't be possible! It needs to be somewhere!" – The pain got increased. – "Are you sure you did not see it? I remember I put it on the table, at the center of it!"

"Look, I'm sure I did not see anything. Why don't you go check it in your bag? Maybe it's hidden there."

"Alright. I'll check… I'll check." – Sweat started to drip from Tsukiko's face. She knew that she could not live without her heroin. Without giving a damn about how a lady should behave, the girl quickly got on her fours and started looking for her drug under the table and on the floor. Meanwhile, Tomoko went downstairs, scared of what was about to happen. If Tsukiko did not find her drug very, very soon, everything could happen. Besides, they were in The Program now… no, better not to think about it.

"Crap! I can't find it anywhere!" – Tsukiko kept looking for it on the floor, but she knew it would be useless. The desperate girl got up and started looking for her precious in her duffel bag, shoving several objects, like her first aid-kit and her food, out of it and onto the floor. Nothing. There was nothing there. Sweat kept dripping through her face, washing it.

Tomoko decided to help her friend. She dashed to the kitchen area where Tsukiko was standing and yelled:

"Tsukiko let me help you!"

"SHUT UP!" – screamed the bully, pushing Tomoko to the floor. The weaker girl's eyes watered in pain. She couldn't believe that her only real friend was doing that to her. Tomoko could now see the bubbles forming inside Tsukiko's mouth. The symbol of insanity.

Without asking for permission, Tsukiko started searching inside Kumiko's bag. Again, nothing. She then quickly ran to Tomoko's bag and ravaged it, throwing everything she could see out of reach while Tomoko watched in terror. Then she stopped it. Tsukiko raised her right hand high, showing her heroin bag. The symbol of the crime.

Tomoko had never been so scared in her entire life. Tsukiko's eyes were not human anymore, but a monster's. A wounded lion, a violent bear, an angry serpent. And they were fixed on Tomoko. After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, Tsukiko opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs:

"Tomoko, what the fuck is this thing doing in your bag?" – Tsukiko's anger moved towards the heavens, her pain was increasing. She was feeling her breath quicken, her vision redden. Her entire body was in pain, burning. And yet she couldn't just take the drug and forgive Tomoko. That bitch would pay for stealing from her.

"It wasn't me! I did not put it in!" – Tomoko could only say these short sentences before Tsukiko ran towards her and punched her in the nose. The pain was horrible, and Tomoko's nose got red and some blood started coming out of it. Tsukiko was a strong girl, and Tomoko was now terrified.

"Fuck you! I should have known you were worth shit! I was your friend during several years and this is how you repay me! You don't deserve to survive this game!" – Tsukiko was yelling so loudly that the noise could be heard one block away from the house.

The mention of The Program made Tomoko cry even harder. Yes, this is how it would end. She would die there, killed by her own best friend. And Kumiko… wait, why was Kumiko smiling? Tomoko thought about it for a moment, but quickly forgot it. Her own life was at risk and that was what mattered.

Tomoko ran and grabbed her drill on the floor, at the same time Tsukiko grabbed her chainsaw. Both girls turned their weapons on, and buzzing sounds echoed through the room. Only one of them would leave that place alive, they both knew it. It was friend against friend now. But while Tomoko's facial expression was of pure grief and sadness, Tsukiko's was horrifically angry and mad. She was the one who was ready to kill.

Tsukiko invested first with her chainsaw, and Tomoko tried to shield the bigger weapon with the drill. It was useless. The chainsaw merely scrapped the drill and sent it flying away from Tomoko's hand, until it hit a point on the floor where she could never reach it on time. In tears, Tomoko looked at her former friend's face and eyes: what happened? What made her become like that? Who, who was behind it all? Those were the last thoughts she would think in her life.

"Die bitch!" - Tsukiko swung the chainsaw's blade again, this time sideways, and it started cutting through Tomoko's skin. Tomoko never felt so much pain before. It was unrelenting, brutal, and inescapable. Blood started dripping from the wound, wetting the floor and Tomoko's legs. But it was only the beginning. Tsukiko kept cutting the chainsaw through Tomoko, now destroying her flesh and making the girl scream in pain.

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!" – Tomoko could only scream as pain invaded her body and her warm, red blood flooded her clothes and the saw. In instants, both Tomoko and Tsukiko were two red creatures, along with all the space around them. Tomoko's internal organs were now visible and exposed, falling on the floor along with the blood. Tomoko could feel the pain disappearing, along with all the sensations in her body. She was about to die, and her eyes only registered red and Kumiko's devilish smile on the background, like a picture of Hell. As Tsukiko kept cutting and cutting, Tomoko's body was split in two, and now the entire kitchen floor was nothing but a sea of red blood.

Finally, the chainsaw finished the cut, and Tomoko's body fell on the floor, head and chest first and then her legs. Tomoko was already dead, the pain being lifted from her as the world ceased to exist. Her face registered an expression of pure terror and pain.

"Now Tsukiko! Get the drug on the floor! Get the drug on the floor!" – screamed Kumiko.

Tsukiko was now a savage. With her clothes filled with blood, messy hair and face, and mad eyes, she seemed more like Leather face than with a Tsuchihara student. Pain was on her entire body, abstinence concealed. Tsukiko did not feel any remorse over the death of her friend. She wasn't thinking anymore. All she wanted was her precious…. Pain, pain

Tsukiko crawled forwards on the blood like an animal, heading towards her heroin bag. Then she heard the noise of a gunshot, and the pain on her body was entirely replaced by an agonizing pain on her head. Instantly it was over. Everything. The drug, Tomoko, her life…. It was all darkness now.

Kumiko held her Derringer pistol proudly, looking at the two bodies on the floor. Tsukiko fell over Tomoko's body and now seemed to embrace it, completely still. The back of her head was horrendously open, with a huge hole caved in it and pieces of her brain clearly visible through rough it. Blood gushed out of the wound and stained the floor under Tsukiko's head. The only one left alive in that room was Kumiko, who wasn't even dirty with blood.

Kumiko walked through the blood in an extremely slow and creepy way, and held Tsukiko's heroin bag. She then threw it in the kitchen's trash can, because it meant nothing for her. Slowly heading towards the garden, the beautiful girl only said only two sentences to the corpses:

"Goodbye, both of you. We've never been friends."

Girl #4, Tomoko Kobi- Dead

Girl # 22, Tsukiko Amano- Dead

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