Chapter 13

13th chapter. Tragedy is hitting the characters in this one. I've been writing like a dog recently, and there'll be a while until the next chapter, so that I can get some rest. In this chapter, the two points of view are happening exactly at the same time, instead of one before the other. I would love good reviews.

Everything was falling apart.

It wasn't just Yoriko Shibasaki's opinion; she knew that it was happening. Since The Program started, everything was a succession of disgrace and misery. She and Chitose Higurashi got into an extremely pointless discussion with Miki Nakayoshi, leading Yoriko to kill her by accident. Moments later, guilt consumed the tall girl, making her forget to pick up Miki's knife and almost attempt suicide, but Chitose saved her. Things seemed to get better for a while, until both Yoriko and her best friend were attacked by Kumiko Noma and Chitose got her left hand sliced.

Yoriko could try to forget those things, but something was keeping the memories alive. Something was eating her soul, raping and brutalizing it. Chitose, her best friend for years, was dying from blood loss. Fast. And without Chitose, Yoriko knew that her world would be broken. Shattered. Torn apart.

But the girl had no time to mourn or cry for her wounded friend. Her despair was stronger. After quickly barricading the front door with every single object she found nearby (she even tried to move the sofa of the living room before realizing that it was useless), Yoriko put her bleeding friend on the marital bed by the bedroom's right wall and opened her own bag, desperately searching for her first aid kit.

Most people would take a look at the wooden house, to admire its beauty and know what existed there. But Yoriko couldn't care less, and did not look twice at the living room or the bedroom where she was in. Thankfully, Kumiko stopped shooting the door after the girls got inside, maybe because she had found a better target and was hunting other students down.

For Yoriko's joy, Chitose's blood loss was slowing down and now only a few squirts of it were spilled from the gruesome piece of flesh and bone that once was her left hand. However, the tall girl wasn't sure if it meant good or bad news. Chitose was indeed very pale, and looked strangely more beautiful that way. Her cute and childish face had the look of a small angel. But what's the point of being a beautiful angel, if you are dead?

As she opened the first aid kit and removed her school coat to make a tourniquet, Yoriko's thoughts moved from Chitose to Kumiko. Why? Why did she do such a thing? Kumiko was certainly not a psycho, at least not before she got into the game. Yoriko's confusion quickly turned into hatred, and then into pure sadness. Kumiko was a monster who was given a chance to live. It was all Yoriko's fault, one more time. She was stupid and weak, killing a girl who despite her meanness wasn't playing the game, and sparing the life of the other one, who deserved to die.

It wasn't time to wonder about who was playing or not. Quickly and violently, Yoriko tied her red coat around Chitose's arm and started to pull it. Not wasting her time, the tall girl grabbed her bottle of water and washed the severed limb to prevent infection. Yoriko was glad that her father was a doctor. Not a famous or special one by any means, but he taught his daughter about his profession correctly. And unlike most fathers, he did not want her to follow his steps.

However, despite the tourniquet, Chitose's wound kept bleeding badly. The flow of blood slowed down a bit more, but the white sheet where Chitose's left hand was lying was now completely red. It almost looked like if a girl had lost her virginity there.

Yoriko knew something about arteries due to her father and the science classes at school. There are a few major arteries in the body that contain the most blood and cause the most damage if cut. One of them was in the arm, near the wrist. Yoriko did not know its name, but was sure that this artery had been badly severed by the chainsaw. It needed to be tied off.

The ideal wire to stop arterial bleeding should be very thin and long, and Yoriko was well aware of it. The tall girl went to the closest bathroom to search for dental floss, hoping that the family who used to live there was worried about dental hygiene. Her prayers were heard when she found it easily, by the sink counter. Running back to the bedroom in seconds, due to her athletic body and excellent running abilities, Yoriko wasted no time and started tying Chitose's arteries to stop the bleeding.

Suddenly, the noise of a gunshot came from outside, and the tall girl jumped in fear. But it wasn't aimed at the house, coming from a few blocks away. Several gunshots followed, and it soon became clear that at least two people were shooting back at each other. Someone would die.

"Kumiko. It can only be her. That bitch."- While Yoriko fearlessly bathed her hands in her friend's blood and flesh, her personal hatred towards Kumiko exploded. Not satisfied in forever maiming the greatest person in the world, the most beautiful girl in class continued trying to kill her classmates. Monster. Yoriko wouldn't be so merciful towards her next time. The tall girl smiled, remembering herself scratching Kumiko's face with the sickle and hitting her jaw. "Take that bitch. And I promise you this is only the beginning. You will get even more than what you deserve." Yoriko's fragility disappeared.

Yoriko tied Chitose's arteries with one hand and pressed down on the tourniquet with the other, making the flow of blood slow down until it stopped after several minutes. Chitose was still in shock and had real chances of dying, but her breath and the beats of her heart indicated that there was still hope for her. She wasn't going to die. Yoriko would not allow it.

"I wish… I was more than only her best friend." – Yoriko shook her head to that thought. It was an impossible dream, and she knew it.

Meanwhile, the noise of gunshots continued, piercing through the tall girl's ears. But they stopped soon after she finished tying the knot, as suddenly as they started. Did someone else get killed? Probably. Although Yoriko hoped that the target managed to escape, she knew that the first option had the biggest chance. They were in the Program now; it was kill or be killed. Only one would remain.

A miracle suddenly awoke Yoriko from her trance. As the blood stopped flowing from Chitose's arm, the small girl woke up slowly. Her beautiful brown eyes and hair were Yoriko's reason to live, a reason that was still allowed to exist in this world. Chitose came back to consciousness very slowly and softly, much like her fragile appearance suggested. Her hand was lost forever, though. A scar tattooed in her soul that would never disappear.

"Yori-chan… am I going to die?"- Tears washed both girls' eyes. Although Chitose had escaped death, her dead hand still caused her pain. It felt like a horrible burning, a permanent shock. But her friend still tried to comfort her:

"You won't die, Chitose. You won't die. Now sleep. You need to rest."- Chitose was only half-awake, and Yoriko's words entered her brain and did not leave. As her face started to regain color, the small girl willingly chose to leave the cruel reality for a moment, escaping to a land of dreams where no one could hurt her.

Yoriko started crying again, but not for Chitose's severed limb. Yoriko cried for herself, for the feelings she had for her friend but knew that they would never be revealed. Chitose wouldn't understand her, and even if she did, Yoriko doubted that she would get corresponded. Everything was against her love: her family, her country, and maybe her own best friend.

Yoriko knew that she loved Chitose since first grade in elementary school, when they met each other. But since puberty kicked in for her, since two years before The Program, she started loving her friend in another way. The same way that makes couples make out in theaters while being watched by several people. The same type of love that creates and destroys marriages, makes babies and unites the fate of two different people.

Everything that she learned in life considered it to be a sin, but Yoriko couldn't care less.

Because she had truly, deeply and madly fallen in love for her female friend, Chitose Higurashi.

Some people say that happiness is something that depends on three things: money, friends and love.

Rena Kuroda had the first two, and never allowed the lack of the third one to ruin her life. Everyone found love one day, and the girl still hoped that the boy of her dreams would appear and take her in his white horse. However, was she happy? Definitely.

She never had to worry about money. Rena wasn't rich by any means, but had a decent house and enough money to live her life with dignity. Viewed as a very mature girl for her age, Rena worked part-time after school and during vacations in the small clothing store owned by her mother. Although she did not care much about fashion, Rena couldn't deny having fun in that place, especially when Natsumi Moriguchi and Shizuko Honda went there to buy clothes. The trio used to spend entire days at Rena's shop, dressing themselves several times but never buying that much. Natsumi bought some very expensive clothes sometimes, but Shizuko's pregnancy made her feel fat after having to buy bigger numbers than her own. Anyway, it was a good place.

Rena couldn't ask for better friends. They were only two, but she knew that one true friend is worth more than ten plastic ones. Although Natsumi sometimes openly released her anger towards Shizuko, for her negligence after she met that guy, Rena did not feel resentment towards the pregnant girl. In Shizuko's place, Rena would do the same. Love is very strong only in the beginning of a relationship, but then it cools down and makes people remember their same-sex friends again.

Natsumi was even better. She had her flaws, but always made Rena laugh with her jokes and root for her during ballet competitions at school. They knew each other longer than they knew Shizuko, and showed it during their birthday parties. Rena had never given Natsumi a gift that she did not like, and vice-versa. Rena could see in Natsumi's eyes everything that she liked: ice cream, history classes, trendy clothes, TV shows, and much more.

And now this friend was with her in The Program, along with Aya Tsunaba. They could die at any time, and unless a new way of escaping was discovered, only one of them would not leave Saitama in a body bag. If all three of them made the top three, of course. Looking at Natsumi's face, Rena lamented not spending even more of her time with her. Shizuko's unexpected pregnancy caused a lot of trouble. It ruined many of her friend's plans, and made them delay some of their personal dreams in order to help their friend. A true act of selflessness, which had not yet been repaid.

However, Shizuko's pregnancy was the smallest of their problems in that game. Right now, Aya should be their cause of worry. She was useful, but was she trustworthy? Rena had already prohibited Natsumi of walking alone with Aya, in ANY circumstances. Or the three of them would walk together until they were the only ones remaining, or they would probably die soon after being separated. After night came, Rena was thinking about interrogating Aya in a non-violent way. Friend of foe, they had to know what she wanted as soon as possible.

"BANG!BANG!" – Two gunshots echoed through the large hill, not that far away from where the girls were standing. Rena's eyes opened wide. Were they being attacked? What was happening over there?

"What is that? Gunshots?" – Rena turned her face to Natsumi. Her friend's facial expression would haunt Rena for the rest of her life. Natsumi was more scared than in any other situation, her face pale and sweaty, her eyes wide open, and her breath quickening on every passing moment. It was terrifying.

"I don't know, but I think it probably is. We've got to keep moving, faster than before. Come on!" – Rena wasn't the leader of the group by luck. She knew what she was doing most of the times, and right now, what she wanted to do was just getting out of there and living to see the sunset later on that day. "Aya, come with us too!" – Aya, distant as usual, just waved her head and started walking faster along with the other two.

A few more minutes passed by, but they seemed like years for Rena. Every breath she took and every move she made created the feeling of being watched and stalked. She wanted to scream, but knew that screaming would only attract the shooter and make things worse. The Program was a game of silence, and the ones who managed to keep their mouths shut were usually the winners.

After finally losing track of time, Rena tried to comfort herself by thinking that things could not get worse. But they did.

"Click!" – The noise of a safety being pulled. The three girls turned around.

Kumiko Noma was approximately thirty feet behind them, but she did not need to get closer. Her two guns, a Derringer and a Walter PPK, would do the job on their own.

At first, Rena could not recognize Kumiko, despite of her popularity and beauty. The girl looked like if she had just come from a bloody fight. There was a large, bloody cut on her cheek, and her mouth was bleeding. When she smiled sadistically, it was clear that she had lost a tooth. Beauty is certainly not eternal.

Rena didn't wait for the gunshot. She ran and screamed like a swimmer being chased by a shark.

"RUN! RUN! RUN NOW!"- Rena was one of the best runners in the school's track team, and could run faster. Natsumi and Aya were a little behind. But none of them were fast enough to be out of a gun's reach. Kumiko pulled the trigger of the Derringer after aiming carefully. She wasn't going to miss, no matter what.

"BANG!"- Kumiko did miss, but not completely. The gunshot grazed the side of Rena's body, instantly creating a large scar that spilled blood. It was superficial, but it did hurt. A lot.

"Rena?Rena?" – Natsumi shouted in despair and ran towards her wounded friend.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! JUST KEEP RUNNING!" – A tearful Natsumi had no other choice but to look ahead and run. The pain was intense, but Rena still managed to stand up and run as fast as possible.

"BANG! BANG!" – Two more bullets, one from each gun, were brutally unleashed towards the group of three. None of them hit their targets, as the girls' desperation made them run in irregular patterns, making it harder to get hit. Rena took the opportunity to fire a shot against Kumiko.

"Bitch!" – Rena shot at Kumiko with her Browning Hi-Power, but she also missed. The gun jumped upwards and took the bullet to the sky. Rena had no experience in firearms at all, and it proved itself to be her doom.

Realizing that there was no way of shooting again, Rena kept running and dodging more bullets from Kumiko. She quickly lost count of how many there were. Some supernatural entity, such as God or Buddha, was certainly on the girls' side, as none of the bullets hit their targets. Kumiko had as much experience with guns as Rena. Absolutely none.

A few quick steps ahead, the street divided itself. In the middle of the street appeared a large bush of bright green grass, which got bigger the further it went onwards. Now there were two different pathways, and Rena took the one on the left without looking behind to see if Natsumi and Aya had followed her. Something she would regret.

"Rena!" – The leader looked to her right side to see Natsumi screaming. It was the last time they would see each other.

Before Rena could shout back, Natsumi and Aya disappeared behind the large bush. The panic made them take the pathway on the right, separating themselves from their leader.

They were lucky, but Rena wasn't. Kumiko had decided to take the left pathway and run after Rena, who had the best weapon of the trio. "I don't wanna die here, I don't wanna die here…" – cried the runner, as she dodged more bullets from Kumiko's Walter PPK.

The pain of the scar Kumiko had created was getting bigger and bigger, and soon Rena would not be able to continue running so fast.

However, like what happens to all guns, Kumiko ran out of bullets. But Rena did not notice that until she saw a large shopping mall right in front of her, which increased in size as she got closer. Great. It wasn't just a mirage.

As Rena ran towards the huge glass door of the mall, she reflected about her life. She did not create many things that would last forever, like building a house or writing a book. She also did not leave any children, something that Shizuko got luckier at.

However, Rena knew that people would miss her, and that tears would be shed after the next announcement was heard. She was a good girl, after all. "At least I'm going to be remembered." However, she regretted not getting a boyfriend or better grades. If she knew that she would get selected for The Program, she would have cherished her life even more.

Suddenly, Rena Kuroda realized one thing.

She was NOT going to die. Not while she could still fight.

By the time Rena reached the door, Kumiko had already reloaded her guns and was ready to restart the shooting. But if Rena managed to get to the mall faster and to go inside, she could still avoid the bullets and hide, shooting Kumiko when she had the chance.

Rena reached the glass door. She tried to open it.

It was locked by an iron chain.

"No! This is unfair! This cannot happen! I can't die here!" – turning around with a bestial roar, Rena decided not to accept her death. She aimed her Browning at Kumiko before the other girl could do the same, firing three shots in a row.

"BANG!BANG!BANG!" – But the gun only produced noise and nothing more. All of the bullets missed, due to Rena's lack of shooting skills.

Kumiko fired, knowing that while Rena was fixed in one position and she got closer, her aim could only get better.

The first bullet came from the Derringer. Its 0.22 caliber projectile tore through Rena's ribcage, causing her a lot of pain. She felt like being stabbed by a huge and hot needle. The pain was still bearable, but the bullet completely pierced her body and spilled blood all over her skirt. It was the beginning of the end.

"BANG! BANG!"- Two more gunshots followed, hitting Rena in the stomach just above the first shot. What once was a needle became a huge axe, burning her torso and making the white fabric of her uniform turn red. The world started to spin around the girl, and her vision turned red and blurry. In a flash, she remembered everyone who passed through her life, her parents, teachers and friends. But the bullets were not that strong, and Rena could still keep her legs on the ground. Her left hand touched her belly for a second. There were three bloody holes in it.

"!" – Rena's last scream carried pain and sorrow within it.

"BANG!BANG!" – After stopping for a few seconds to reload the Walter PPK, Kumiko shot two more bullets through Rena's chest. One of them hit the right side of her chest, and the other pierced the middle of her breasts, shattering her spine. Those were the most brutal shots, severing her vital arteries and making the girl spit blood through her mouth. A large red stain and many bullet holes appeared on the glass door behind Rena, and she started to fall backwards. But because the bullets did not hit her heart, she felt everything. The red world around her turned white. The horrible pain started to disappear and was replaced by numbness. And finally, her back got sliced and cut by several glass shards while her falling body destroyed the glass door. She did not think about anything. It was impossible to do it.

Then the mercy shot came.

It hit Rena in the left side of her forehead, opening a large red hole and empting the back of her head. Her exposed brain, along with pieces of her skull and more blood, contributed to make her body even uglier and messier. Everything ended with that bullet: her dreams, her vision, and her life. All was shattered.

By the time her body hit the floor, with an explosion of blood and glass shards, Rena Kuroda was already dead.

Girl #17 Rena Kuroda- Dead

16 to go

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Rena Kuroda's death was hard to write. Her fate, along with all the other character's, was already defined since the beginning of this fanfic. However, even though she's a character who died relatively early in the story, I ended up enjoying to write about her. I don't know if you readers got attached to her during this chapter, but I believe I did for sure. Sadly, her death shows that even the good can fall during The Program.

RIP Rena Kuroda. You did not deserve what you received.

This chapter was aimed for the heart the whole time, especially in the Chitose/Yoriko scene. Only Yoriko is a lesbian, but not Chitose. However, she might want to reveal her secret to her friend before it's too late. I tried a different writing style in this chapter, compared to the previous ones.

I hope you all enjoyed it!