? ﾝﾓﾹ? ﾝﾓﾼ? ﾝﾓﾭ? 2:
? ﾝﾓﾔ? ? ﾝﾓﾘ? ﾝﾓﾗ? ? ﾝﾓﾡ? ﾝﾓﾔ? ? ﾝﾓﾘ? ﾝﾓﾗ?
He doesn't quite remember what happened.
After being told where to meet, he went, piled into a van with unconscious people, then a gas came out and he became just like the others around him. Now here he is. The bright light burns his pupils, a groan leaving his chapped lips. His fingers form a little fist on both his hands. A half-fist, almost. An angered one that he got kidnapped. Literally.
When he finally gains the will to move, he sits up in the bed he's on. A gasp gets ripped from his throat. Holy shit... no like actually - holy fucking shit! The man stands, wobbling at first while he looks around the enormous, bland room. White walls, gray floors, more bunk beds than he's seen in his life. He gulps, eyes darting around the area. What the actual fuck? Where are they? He glances down at his appearance, his jaw dropping. Why is he wearing a uniform? A uniform with the numbers '093'.
He stumbles down the stairs, almost tripping more times than he can count. He keeps going and going until a man whips around the corner, about to walk into him. At the last second he yelps and dodges. The player, his number '013', grabs his elbow before he can go flying anywhere. He lets out a huff, "thanks 13."
13 chuckles, running a hand through his thick black locks, "you're welcome 93. Don't go tripping over your own feet for anyone else, I don't think they're as nice and charming as me." 93 chuckles, awkwardly backing away. 13 raises a brow, "you okay? You look pale."
"Always am. My friends always said my skin looked like sugar," 93 replies, shaking him off.
"I see," 13 hums, "my friends always called me hot, but sugar's a nice descriptive word too."
93 rolls his eyes, "I'm going back to bed."
13 softly smiles, then, he goes still. "Park Jimin?!" a male voice shrieks out. 13 turns, 93 furrowing his brows and stepping closer. 13 - who 93 assumes is this 'Park Jimin' - starts rushing to the center of the room. Huh, who knew short boys could run so fast. Then again 93's a short boy himself.
"Kim Taehyung!" 13 - who's definitely Park Jimin - yells. He embraces the man who was calling him. Player 111 hugs him back, squeezing him tightly. 93 shakes his head and tears his eyes away. Instead he goes to another bed nearby, eyeing a lone man who's sitting with his legs pressed up against his chest.
"Excuse me?" 93's voice calls out. The man glances up, his number revealed. 333. "I couldn't help but notice that you're one of the only people not with someone else." It's true - everyone's chattering. The noise filling the air honestly irritates the fuck out of 93, but he doesn't complain verbally. He doesn't know anything about this place yet, it's best to make allies. Starting with 3's over here.
"Hard to talk when you don't have anyone," 333 replies.
93 sits on the edge of the bed, earning him a questioning glance from 3's. "I come in peace," he says, "mind if I call you 3's?" 333 doesn't bother agreeing or disagreeing. 93 takes that as a yes. Normally making friends isn't up his alley, but when faced with a possibly dangerous situation, he needs to do what he has to to survive. He's an introvert that's for damn sure, but he'll do what he must. "Do you have a name?"
"Should we bother using our names in here?" 3's snorts in response. 93 sadly shakes his head and lets his eyes wander around the room. There's actually a few other loners. There's a guy sitting on his bed not too far away. From here 93 can barely make out his numbers. 077 maybe? Guess he'll call him 7's if he ever gets the chance to meet him. Then again he's not here to socialize and make friends; he's here to win. The 'making friends' is merely a strategy to have people on his side if shit gets real. That slapping game was painful for a small amount of cash. If they're offering more cash, 93 is no idiot. He's willing to bet the pain is much more intense.
93 glances over the crowd in front of him, the glimmering light reflecting their sorry faces. Each one so blissfully ignorant. They haven't figured out what 93 has. He leans against the rusting metal railing to 3's bed, his eyes narrowing. Not out of anger or out of tiredness, rather to observe every inch of the bland area. The colorless vicinity is filled to the brim with stupid, grass-colored jackets. Yippee.
"You shouldn't talk to anyone here," 3's finally pipes up, leaning forward on his bed. His eyes don't quite reach 93's. "Just get the money and go home to whoever it is you're waiting for, save their life, move on." 93 feels all the air leave his lungs. The person he's waiting for. Sweet, lovely Kylee. Her. That's why he's here. Because of her.
"If you do it, I'll do the same," 93 states.
3's finally lets his eyes flick over to 93's. The question settles in his expression, but he verbally voices the thought anyway. "Why?" The word spews from his tongue and infects 93's ears. The wind that left his lips when he said it refuses to stop brushing by 93's skin. It refuses to stop biting at him, leaving goosebumps down his body.
Regardless, he smiles. "Because I barely have anything out there. Might as well try to have something in here." 3's scans over him closely, then, a loud buzz is heard. The ear-shattering hum is followed by a soothing tone, almost as if trying to ease him to sleep. It's not working.
3's gets on his feet, standing a hair taller than 93, but he makes sure not to let his fear show. Despite all his knowledge and theories about what's happening here, he's still terrified. Terrified that at any moment these new games will be dangerous. A slap in the face gives them 100,000 won. What's to say it won't get worse?
As soon as he thinks those words: it does.
Several men donning pink suits step into the lobby, masks covering their faces. 93 goes still, taking a wobbly step back. What the hell is going on now? He was expecting something weird, but this? This is a new level of strange. Wait, he shouldn't be mean. He'll say unique. That sounds much nicer, his anger counseling classes taught him to think nice things, even if they're fake. Guess he's doing that now.
The music fades into the background, the pink guys standing near the gates of the room. 93 gulps while staring down the shapes on their black masks. Great. This is going wonderfully. There's silence for several beats as the music fades, everyone in the room having their attention on the intruders. It's almost like the pinks are under better lighting than the rest of the group. It may be nothing, but maybe it's something worth noting.
"On behalf of our administration, we'd like to formally welcome you to the games. Thank you for coming, before we begin with the first game, we have a set of rules we need to introduce. A waiver," one deep-voiced male says, this one the pink standing in the center with a square on his mask, "please step forward and sign the waiver." To 93's surprise (and delight) - no one budges. A sense of confusion fills the air. "I repeat: please step forward and sign the waiver."
"So let me get this straight," one woman calls out, hopping down from her spot on her bed. 222. 2's. Her shining black hair practically blinds 93. "I'm assuming you've used the same business tactic on everyone," she starts, motioning to those around her. "I mean really, some of the bruises still haven't faded from their faces. We see all that, get some magic money, now we're here after being gassed and you expect us to remain calm when some dudes in pink suits come out?"
The others around her agree. The same man from before, 013 or Jimin, seems to cower behind his friend. 93 almost feels bad. Almost. "I understand you're confused, but everything we do is to keep the identity of these games and those who operate it a secret," the same square man explains.
The woman snorts. "That's not shady at all. You slap us, gas us, take all our things, tell us to sign a waiver, and now you're saying you're doing this all to protect the identity of the people here and the games? Forgive me for not buying any of that bullshit for a second." Murmurs of agreement arise from the crowd. That is until the lights flicker off, the screen that showed the player list now displaying videos of this woman being slapped.
"Luna Esposito. 20 years old. Over one hundred million won in debt to a crime syndicate thanks to your parents involvement." The screen switches. "Byun Baekhyun. Over two hundred million won in debt to several banks, some even in the west." Another switch. "Park Chaeyoung. Over five hundred million won in debt thanks to a business plan gone wrong." The next seat of videos is a whole array of them, showing well over two dozen people at once. 93 searches for himself but can't find anything. He does find 333 though. His eyes slightly widen. Even while getting slapped 3's remains cold, almost dead. Another thing to add to 93's fear list. The person next to him.
"You're all in here for a reason," the man continues, "and in here we're offering you enough money to get out of even the highest of debts. The details of the prize money will be announced after the first game, but to get to the first game you must first sign the waiver. Have I made myself clear?" There's no protests. 93 can practically hear the man smile. "Then stand up. We have some work to do."
The 1's on his uniform almost glow under the fluorescent light overhead. After signing the confusing 3-ruled waiver, player 111 finds himself sitting on his bed, another man across from him. "What the hell was up with that Tae?" his friend asks, "three rules? So let me get this straight: the player isn't allowed to stop playing, a player who refuses to play will get eliminated, and the games will be terminated if majority rules against it?"
Tae shakes him off, sighing and rubbing his nose with his finger. "Jimin, not now please." Jimin goes still at that. However, before either of them can continue the conversation, a flash of dark black enters their vision. Seconds later a woman is kneeling next to them.
"Sorry to interrupt, but am I the only one who thinks this whole thing is bullshit?" she asks. Tae eyes her number. 222. The same woman from before - Luna Esposito. "We sign a waiver for some dudes who look like pink big birds and now we get to win some cash? I can't be the only one not trusting this."
Jimin sighs and leans back, "I don't trust it at all, but do we have a choice? We got drugged and sent here. Even if we were to break out or something, where would we go? They wouldn't have drugged us if this place wasn't top secret."
"I'd bet an island," Tae remarks, Jimin nodding in agreement.
Luna shrugs, sitting in front of them, "I know this random, I'm sorry for that, but I'm playing ahead. I need-"
"Friends," Tae finishes, keeping his eyes on the player counter. 456. 456 players. There's no way they're all going to get the money, so what could it be? Obviously they'll be eliminated, but what games will they be playing? Tae can't seem to wrap his mind around it.
"I hate to ask," she softly says, giving him a genuinely vulnerable look, "I just don't want to be alone." Tae can sense there's another layer there. He's not sure why, but he can feel it by looking into her deep eyes. The emotion hiding there is something he almost admires. Having the capacity to feel that much... must be amazing. Tae's not sure the last time he felt something wonderful, or even something horrible. All he is is passive. How does he change that?
Before he can answer her, soft, harmonious strums fill the room. Soon enough a song Taehyung faintly recognizes hits his ears. Ah great, what now? Time to get sacrificed to some higher power? Tae snorts at his own joke just as the pink dildos come striding back into the room. Tae gulps on instinct, feeling the need to sit up a bit straighter in the face of authority.
The speakers buzz to life, all 456 players looking up at the ceiling to try and find where the new noise is coming from. "Attention players. The first game is about to begin. Please follow staff into the game room." Tae and Jimin groan in-sync, Luna snickering and standing. Tae's a little surprised to see her offer him her hand.
"Friends?" she suggests.
He can't stop the smile that graces his lips as he takes her hand, standing. "Acquaintances," he throws back. She returns his smile, the two glad that they have at least someone in this shithole that's not disgusting. Tae can tell from one glance: everyone here is a piece of shit other than Jimin. Jury's still out on Luna, but she seems alright so far.
Regardless him and Jimin walk side-by-side as always, approaching the door in the corner of the room and walking through it with the other players. Tae keeps his hands pressed together, his fingers glistening from the moisture forming on them. "Dude, you're sweating more than me around my wife," Jimin mumbles. Tae nudges him. Not a great joke considering how bad of terms they're on right now.
"Can you blame me? We're heading to some mystery place that probably has a flaming pit and serial killers," Tae mumbles back.
"Well you're oddly positive," Luna comments, walking behind them, "you made the choice to come here, didn't you? Isn't this whole thing on you?" Well shit. She has a point. Damn her for challenging him, he's supposed to be drowning in his misery right now!
"I'm oddly realistic," he corrects with a smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips. She returns the expression as they round the corner. Tae lets out a soft gasp, colors exploding into his vision. For a moment, the entire group stops. What the fuck...? Colored staircases sprouting out in all directions? Tae gulps down his fears and instinctively holds Jimin's hand. The older man gives him a squeeze of reassurance, the two following the pink men up the first flight.
"I hate stairs," Tae complains.
"Gosh you're just a ball of joy today Tae Tae," Luna teases. Tae shoots her a glare. She doesn't back down. "I'm feeling the love Mr. Kim."
Jimin sighs, "Can we focus? We have a game coming up, we should plan. What if we can team? Tae, you and I should stick together."
"You're literally holding hands. I don't think either of you are going anywhere," Luna comments. Both of them ignore her.
"As soon as we get inside the game area, look for exits," Tae tells Jimin. However, he doesn't appear to be listening. His eyes are lasered on the door up ahead. The door they're being led to. Tae furrows his brows, giving Jimin's hand a squeeze to bring him back to reality. "Jimin? What's going on?"
Jimin softly smiles, but even Tae can see the pain behind it. "Looks like the door to my house," he mumbles, not truly present in the conversation at hand. Luna and Tae decide against pressing, instead letting the guards bring them inside. Soon enough the door is open, Tae sauntering inside first with Jimin trailing behind by a foot. His jaw drops more than it did in the stair room.
The vicinity stretched out before him almost reminds him of a western. His eyes dart around the sand-colored ground crunching under his shoes, the painted walls supposed to remind him of a bright sky. Is this supposed to look happy? Tae furrows his brows, filling in the gigantic space available in the room. Jimin comes with him albeit still distracted. Alright, now Tae's worried. If they're about to play for cash, they need to be concentrating on what's happening in the present, not the past.
"I need you to talk to me buddy," Tae softly coos, trying to ease his friend into it.
Jimin slowly blinks while taking in the sights, glancing down at the... the doll? There's a doll? Whatever, that may be strange, but Tae's top priority is Jimin's mental state. "I miss her," Jimin mumbles. Then, he dryly chuckles. "Them. I miss them." Tae sighs, knowing that there's nothing he can say to console the poor man. Not like Tae would know anything about missing someone. A lover. A child.
More players fill in, Tae adjusting his ugly-ass green jacket and glaring down at the other side of the enormous room. The eyes of a doll stare back at him, the object donning an orange dress, a yellow shirt showing where the dress stops near her neck and arms. He observes the two guards standing by its side, not showing any change in their posture. They truly look like soldiers, as do the others. Tae wishes he could know who they are, even one of them.
The tree hiding behind the large doll has no signs of life. No leaves, no bugs, nothing. Just dead branches shimmering under what Tae assumes is artificial light. He grits his teeth, looking for any indicators that this is a sick joke. A doll and two guards. How wonderful is that?
"Players, welcome to the first game," a voice says over the speaker system. The doors close behind them, Tae jumping from the 'thud' that follows. "The game you will be playing is red light green light." A hush falls over all 456 players in the room. Um... what? Tae glances at Jimin, the man finally paying attention. He meets Tae's unwavering gaze and shrugs. Why the hell are they playing a children's game? "When the doll turns her head away and says green light," the speaker explains, the doll moving her head in-sync with the words, "you may move until you pass the white line on the other end of the room. When the doll calls red light and looks at you, you must stop. Players who do not stop when the doll says will be eliminated. You have five minutes."
Tae gets in a ready stance, choosing not to question the morals behind the game. "Why the hell are we playing a damn children's game?" Luna asks, voicing Tae's thoughts. Tae shakes his head as an answer, no one truly having an answer for it. The rest of the group, although equally confused, do the same as Tae. Jimin worriedly lets go of Tae's hand, Tae instantly missing the brief comfort Jimin's body brought. But Tae doesn't have time to think anymore. The timer starts.
"Green light!" she calls, the robotic voice reverberating down Tae's shuddering spine.
Tae's not surprised that four idiots start running, Tae deciding to take slower steps and keeping his weight center as to not fall. Jimin notices and mimics his movements. Luna stays behind them, flipping her hair over her shoulder so she can see better. Tae chooses not to pay attention to her. "Red light!" the voice calls, stopping Tae in his tracks.
The doll turns, one of the runners completely falling over because of the sudden stop. There's a pause as the machine whirs her eyes around. The eyes locate the fallen, groaning player. "Player 451. Eliminated," the speaker says. Tae almost smirks. One less player already. Tae shouldn't be rooting for the others' downfall, but he can't help it. There's way too much at stak-
'Bang!'
Tae manages to keep his footing after the crack goes off, almost sounding like lightning. Jimin's eyes widen as he watches the already fallen player sink more onto the dusty ground. The other runner laughs at him, then, the doll turns. "Green light!" she calls. More movement, Tae still keeping his weight shifted forward. Jimin gets a little further than Tae in time for "Red light!" to be called.
Her eyes quickly dart around the area, but that seems to be the least of the worries for three players. The three up near the fallen player stare at him, slowly backing away. "Why aren't they stopping?" Luna mumbles. Tae wishes he had an answer, then, he gets it: another bang goes off. This time Tae can see the blood.
Screams ring out, chaos following. Tae's vision goes blurred as he tries to comprehend what the fuck just happened. His nostrils flare when the putrid smell of blood hits it, his mind spinning from the amount of people running away. "You idiots! You'll get shot!" Luna hisses out. Tae barely knows that it's Luna that's how foggy his mind is.
'Pound, pound, pound...'
'Bang, bang, bang...'
'Scream, scream, scream...'
The noises overstimulate Tae's senses, a blackout threatening to come to him when he realizes it. They're dying. People are dying! They're getting fucking shot in fatal places! Tae's eyes start working again in time for a running player to be shot in the head right in front of him. He gasps when he gets tackled to the ground by the dead body. The next five seconds are the slowest, most terrifying in his life.
'Tick'
His breathing halts, eyes widening at the very prospect that he could die here. That this dead player is the reason for his downfall. The doll must've caught him. She must've caught the sudden movement. The sudden fall. Maybe even the sudden spike in his heartbeat.
'Tick'
Tae waits for the gunshot to come. He hears many 'bangs' in only a second, but none of them hit his body. Or if it does, he's too numb to feel the pain. Or anything, for that matter.
'Tick'
Jimin glances down at him. In the single second their eyes lock, Tae can see the eyes of a scared boy staring back at him. For half a second Tae believes he's looking in a mirror. Then, Jimin averts his eyes to another screaming woman who gets gunned down by the guns mounted to the walls.
'Tick'
Tae's tears fall, convinced that his movement was detected and he's going to be next. His eyes glance up at the gun closest to him, wondering if it'll aim his way. It never does. In fact, none of them ever do.
'Tick'
Silence hushes over the crowd. The grotesque smell is still sitting in the air, brushing by everyone's faces to remind them that this is where their greed got them. Tae slowly feels his senses come back to him at the end of the five seconds. He's not going to die. At least not yet. The guns didn't aim his way. The shots stop like the screaming. All that's left is greed personified: the remaining players.
"Allow me to repeat the instructions," the speaker announces, her voice cutting Tae's ears like a knife. "You may only move when the doll shouts green light. Any player who is still moving when she shouts red light will be eliminated. Please make your way to the other end of the room. Any player who fails to cross the line before the timer runs out will be eliminated."
The speaker cuts out, Tae softly crying as the doll turns her head. "Green light!" Jimin goes to Tae right away, to his surprise, Luna doing the same. Together they push the dead player off of him and help him stand. It takes a total of eight seconds. Then, the doll turns. "Red light!" The trio go still, staring down the thing. A gunshot. Two. Three. "Green light!"
Jimin and Luna take Tae's hands, the three walking shakily in-sync. His eyes glance at the timer. Three minutes. Three minutes to get to the end of the room. Tae whimpers, Luna glancing his direction and using her free hand to brush a tear away. "We have to keep moving," she insists.
"People are dead!" Tae cries. He's sure he sounds completely deranged, but it's only the truth. He's stepping in blood. There's a crimson color oozing from what used to be the whites of his shoes. Both Jimin and Luna stare with wide eyes, their expressions showing that deep down, they secretly agree.
"Red light!" Four shots. No, five. Six. Tae quivers, glued to the spot. "Green light!" Jimin and Luna go to move, but Tae doesn't move with them. They stop, whipping back to face him.
"Tae, come on, we have to move," Jimin insists. Tae lets go of their hands and shakes his head. Jimin runs a hand through his hair. "Look, I know a lot is happening right now, but we need to go." The fact that Jimin of all people is handling this well boggles his mind. And deep down, it kind of scares him.
Tae holds his ground, refusing to move just yet. He needs a minute to process what the fuck happened. "Red light!" Jimin and Luna freeze, as does Tae. The seconds tick by, more gunshots going off. "Green light!" Jimin starts moving, then notices Tae still doesn't budge. At this point Tae knows he's getting on the older man's nerves, but he doesn't have the effort to care now.
However, Tae's thoughts are interrupted by Luna. Or more specifically - her hand. She slaps him in the face, him gasping at the sudden pain bursting to his senses. His eyes widen, whipping back around to glare at her. Yeah, his cheek isn't fully healed from the slaps he endured from the businessman: he's not exactly happy with her for doing that. "What the hel-"
"Move your ass!" she interjects, turning and hurrying away.
Jimin nods in agreement, and it's that that finally gets Tae to start again. Tae and Jimin walk side-by-side, Luna ahead but only slightly. His teeth clatter together, each beat that passes barely registering in Tae's mind. "Red light!" He stops. Gunshot. Two. Five. Eight. "Green light!"
The game goes back and forth between the battle of moving as fast as he can without falling and the battle of not flinching when a gun rips through the eardrums of every player still somehow alive. Tae's hands shiver as his eyes scan over the crowd. The sea of bodies before him. Even after moving a decent amount away from the start, here he is, waiting for sudden death at any moment. A gunshot to the head. A player knocking him over on purpose. His friend leaving him. The last option is least likely, but in Tae's insanity, he sees it as something that could be true. He gazes at the back of Jimin's head, his black locks almost shimmering under the light. Jimin wouldn't leave him. Tae needs to knock that in his mind. He can't let his delusions hurt him more than they already have. Fuck, he already ticked a minute off the clock for not only him but Luna and Jimin too.
That's another thought: Luna. The woman slapped him to snap him out of his sinful stalling. Deep down he's grateful for it. For her. And he's not sure why. "Red light!" Everyone halts. Tae moves only his eyes to glance at the clock. A minute and a half. That's it. His eyes scan back ahead, noticing how close they are. It'll probably only take them a minute at most to reach the line. It's almost like it's calling to him. "Green light!"
The end of the line! It's so close! Tae keeps moving, pitter-patting along as the time ticks. Tick tock, tick tock. A pendulum, almost. It clicks and clicks, taunting Tae to move faster- "Red light!" Freeze. Seconds tick by. Multiple gunshots. People flinch from the gunshots and add more to the pile. More red to the stains on Tae's shoes. "Green light!" A minute left.
Tae rushes himself, nearly tripping but paying it no mind. Jimin grabs his sleeve before he can pass the older one. "I'm not letting you fall," he whisper-yells, giving Tae a stern yet pleading look. Tae shakes it off, moving with him. Luna is the one who speeds up this time, taking the lead and glancing around nervously. While she stares at the people, Tae keeps his eyes on the clock. An object to distract him from the gunsho- "Red light!" Pause. Gunshots. More noises. Some people flinching and dying from it. Silence for several beats. "Green light!"
Tae notices the seconds that pass and lets out a short breath. Thirty seconds left. That's all they have left. The line is only about twenty feet away, but there's something about the small distance that has Tae's head spinning. They can make it... right? Tae gulps down his nerves and shivers, stepping forward more. It's right there! It's so fucking close all he has to do is-
FUCK!
His foot snags on the arm of a fallen player, a yelp leaving his lips. "Red light!" No no no no no- 'catch!'. Tae gasps, facing the ground vertically as gunshots go off, a heavy tug on his collar. A hand grabbed him. He closes his eyes. More shots. None of them end Tae's life. He pants, trying to stay as still as humanly possible. The gunshots cease. "Green light!" Ten seconds. The man who grabbed Tae helps him to his feet, the pair running towards the line only a couple feet away. Jimin and Luna are behind the line, eyes wide as they observe.
The mystery man - number '077' - hops across the line, Tae following in his footsteps. The timer beeps right as Tae lands on the ground, the new man and him heaving in-sync. Tae glances up, seeing that several players are still left. Then, the gunshots come. They all die. All of them.
Tae shivers, closing his eyes as if that'll make it go away. There's a pat on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" Jimin's soft tone asks. Tae opens his eyes again and sniffles, turning to face his best friend. He nods albeit reluctantly. He turns his gaze to the man who saved him. Black fluffy hair, gentle eyes, strong build. Tae offers him a smile that he's quick to return, the two giving each other a nod of respect. He lets out a small breath and sits back, the guards trying to gather them to return to the lobby. Right now however, Tae feels his heart go numb. Hundreds of people died in that arena at least. He swallows the lump that sat at the back of his throat, his eyes burning with tears.
What the hell does he do now?
TO BE CONTINUED
Thank you for reading! This chapter took a long time. I thought this would be the length of an average Adrift chapter AKA 4.5k words, but it's actually longer, and that's why it took so long on top of my other stories and my short hiatus. Thanks for following the story! Hopefully the next chapter will come a lot faster! While you're waiting I suggest checking out my other stories and please add this to your library if you're enjoying! Don't be a silent reader! Tell me your thoughts 3 See you guys in the next chapter! Next episode: Let the Voting Begin.