"That's the most logical answer yes, but if his goal is for us to commit murders to leave this school. Then why would he make this school so appealing to stay in?"

Rocky was right.

It was weird.

Marshall: "I wouldn't call trapped in a school with death looming over us appealing…"

Al: "Yeah! The damn you meaning with appealing? I ain't seeing nothing appealing bout' it."

Chase: "If Monopaw wanted us to straight up kill then simply take essential elements to survival away. No food until a murder for example. There's no kind of motive for us to kill."

Monopaw: "Puhuhuhu~"

Monopaw suddenly leaped onto the couch. No one could've told where he came from. He was just there.

Monopaw: "No motive you say? No motive to kill? DUN-DUNNN! That's wrong! Wrong I say!"

Al: "It's the little robot toy! What do ye want?!"

Monopaw: "Puhuhu~! You want a motive to kill? I got plenty for you! Why don't you all meet me in a few!"

Al: "There's no way you can make us kill each other, ground that in that brain o' yours!"

Monopaw: "GAH! I can't stand your hopeful bickering and bantering! But I'll see through it this one time because the despair on your faces will be even greater~!"

Monopaw jumped onto the ground. With quick paces, he comically waddled away. Like a deer that had learned to walk for the first time. The four of us stood in silence, letting Monopaw's words nestle into our minds.

Ding Dong Bing Bong!

Monopaw: "Emergency! Emergency! Requesting all students in the recreational room immediately! Quick! Quick!"

Marshall: "A-Already?!"

Our ears rose to the sound coming from the speaker. Dread heavier than my consciousness sank on my body. My danger-sense flared up. Unwilling gasps of air swirled around me. Why was I panicking? Why did this feel so familiar?

My head felt like it was about to split open. Another layer of worry stacked on top of my body, ready to collapse on itself. Without a second thought, I ran. Faster than my legs could carry. I wanted to see it for myself.

Why?

Why did I desperately want to protect these people from something I didn't even grasp?

What's wrong with me…?

I pushed open the doors of the recreational room to find it devoid of people. My gaze wandered from corner to corner. The black room itself was lit by strips of neon light on the walls with overhanging lights in the center. There were arcade cabinets, video-and-board games, magazines, music catalogs, all set up in a room meant to unwind in.

Chase: "MONOPAW!"

Anger shot through the room. I couldn't contain my emotions. My muzzle snarled as my brows furrowed together, even my teeth revealed themselves.

Monopaw: "Puh?"

Chase: "The motive! Show it to me! That's an order!"

Monopaw: "Awa?! Chase what has gotten into you? Ordering the headmaster around like that I– You might just unleash something in me!"

Marshall: "C-Chase!"

The sound of Marshall's call grounded me back in reality. I snapped my head around to see the three dogs from the library pace in, within mere minutes, all sixteen of us were here. Anxious faces spread like a disease throughout the room.

Hubcap: "I swear to the glorious Hubcap! If anyone freaking dies on me, I will make sure that they don't wake up in the morning!"

Gasket: "So you're saying you'll kill someone that's already dead. Do we need to check for your brains at the lost and found?"

Monopaw: "Shut up you hopeful mutts! It is my time to speak now! Let's all point and laugh at Rocky first! PUHUHUHU!"

As Monopaw sat on one table in the room, he pointed his paw at Rocky, who jolted his head away.

Sweetie: "Why don't you tell us why you brought us here instead."

Monopaw: "Well to quote your classmate; if my goal is for you to commit murders to leave this school. Then why would he make this school so appealing to stay in."

Gasket: "Wait Rocky you actually said that kind of shit?!"

Rocky: "It's only an observation. Don't lose your paws over this."

Monopaw: "So I've given you guys an extra push! Clearly, just getting out doesn't do the trick for you, so I arranged… Your very first Killing School Life Motive! Or KSLM for short~"

Monopaw stood up, revealing he had been sitting on a pile of envelopes with our names written on them. There was one for every single one of us.

Wild: "Ooo a motive! How very exciting!"

Skye: "How's this exciting to you?!"

Wild: "Come on, Skye! Don't you see the thrill in it? The unknown, the tension, the ultimate test of survival! The ultimate killing game!"

Wild spoke with a sense of pride in his voice, yet it had the casualty of an everyday conversation. His nature felt twisted. His eyes glimmered with emotion, it was a bright hope, or dark pits of despair. I couldn't tell which one. But it had a spark of excitement.

Skye: "This isn't a game, Wild! Lives are at stake here. How can you be excited about killing people?!"

Monopaw: "Oh, how boring! You're all such a buzzkill, BUZZKILLS I SAY!I could almost charge you guilty for the murder of the mood."

Wild: "Aren't I likable~?"

Monopaw: "I can't say it. I really shouldn't say it but… Your spirit! Your spirit definitely puts you in the top three!"

CRASH!

Before anyone realized what happened, Gasket tackled Wild. She hoisted her claw above Wild's face, ready to strike down right at his face. Her eyes had a violent glare that would've killed Wild the moment they locked gazes.

Gasket: "THEN WHY DON'T I CLAW SOME SENSE INTO YOU HUH?!"

Monopaw: "Puhu~! You haven't even read the motive yet, and you're already at each other's throats! FULL MARKS TO GASKET!"

Gasket: "Is that how you see us you bitch?! Are we just disposable to you?!"

Wild: "Your tone seems very pointed right now~"

Gasket: "I'LL FUCKING TEACH YOU–"

Suddenly, Skye ran forward. She wrapped her paws around Gasket and pulled her back. The two landed on their backs, setting Wild free.

Skye: "Don't! It's not worth it!"

I felt a rush of admiration surging through my body. Skye reacted faster than anyone could, daringly she rushed into action. That should've been me. But my paws had nailed themselves to the floor. Skye was such a natural leader, yet I stood there.

Gasket: "GAH–!"

Monopaw: "Well, I haven't finished so… If you two finished cuddling on the floor then I'd like to continue."

Gasket let out a low-pitched growl but submitted to Monopaw's demands.

Monopaw: "Come on my adorable students! Grab an envelope, they're especially made for you!"

We all grabbed our designated envelopes. At this point I didn't know what was going on with me, it felt like the temperature dropped with every breath. I swore I could've seen my breath materializing in front of me. But what if I was imagining things?

With a heavy heart, we all opened our envelopes. It revealed only a card.

"You only took on your talent to distract yourself from the constant overwhelming boredom in your life. You don't care if you'd die, you'd happily take someone along with you."

Chase: "Huh? W-Wait huh what is this–"

Hubcap: "GEHEHE I GOT AL!"

Skye: "I've… I've never stolen anything, what kind of nonsense is this?!"

Monopaw: "H-HUH?!"

Monopaw stomped towards the edge of the table, snatching Skye's card with one of his claws. His eyes glanced over the card before looking at the group.

Monopaw: "T-There might be… A slight problem…"

Rocky: "You mixed up the cards didn't you?"

Monopaw: "Ehhh…"

Sweetie: "Mixed up or not, there's a murderer in this group."

Without hesitation Sweetie revealed her card. My body went stiff. My vision became blurry. I locked my eyes with the card as a knot formed in my stomach.

"You threatened and shot an innocent person for your own gain."

For my gain? No, that wasn't what happened, it was what the situation called for! I didn't shoot an innocent bystander; it was rightfully justified! I just defended myself! How did this… HOW DID THEY KNOW THIS?!

Monopaw: "Well, I like this effect… You know what! I won't switch them back, this is far more despair-inducing~"

Tracker: "And how is this going to motivate us to kill?"

Monopaw: "I'm glad you asked! If no murder happens within 24 hours, I will reveal all your secrets with your names out to the world to see! That includes you lots"

My secret out for the world to see? I'd lose my ultimate status for sure. The police would be on their way getting me kicked out of their forces. I had to stay calm. I couldn't panic. If these emotions would take hold of me, then Monopaw had me right where he wanted.

A battle between my emotions and my thoughts broke out. I had to push my feelings down for now.

Monopaw: "Yup! And with that I'll leave this for you to figure out on your own! Just make sure you don't figure it all out! That might spark a fire!"

With a cackle, Monopaw disappeared from the scene. Tension dawned in the room. Nobody knew what to say. We stayed like this for what felt as hours. But then Sweetie spoke up.

Sweetie: "Well then, since we don't know which secret belongs to who, I recommend laying them all out to see what we're dealing with."

Claw: "My heart lies with you, your majesty!"

Wild: "Now why should we trust Sweetie? She already lied before! And you know how I feel about liars?!"

Rocky: "... Shut up Wild."

Sweetie: "Don't you want to know what your secret is? If we all keep our secrets hidden a murder is likelier to happen."

Everest: "The hell you basing that one on?! If those secrets are anything like the one you read out I'd want to keep it hidden!"

Rubble: "They can't be that bad right? If it means nobody dies then… Maybe it's necessary?"

Sweetie: "They're secrets that motivate us to murder, if you stay naïve then wallow in your self-inflicted tension. It's pathetic."

Sweetie glared over at Rubble who anxiously turned his head away. The pressure suffocated all of us. That's when Tracker spoke up.

Tracker: "Let's reveal them. There might be some worthwhile information on those cards."

Everest: "Oh yeah? And what about all the distrust it'll cause! We want to avoid murder!"

Tracker: "Then our secrets will be on the table after 24 hours and cause even more chaos. Pick your poison Everest."

Everest's eyes widened as shock painted her face. A lingering sensation of fear oozed from her body as her tail dropped in between her legs. The way Tracker talked, confident and stern, made him both the most trustworthy yet untrustworthy person in the room.

Chase: "B-But how do we know if these secrets are true? Monopaw could have easily fabricated them to create chaos among us."

That had to be the truth, right? My secret… That couldn't have been the truth, simple as that! They didn't know the context; it was self-defense! I had no other way to act in that very moment!

Sweetie: "Let me explain it to you in simple terms. Monopaw brought us here and knows things about us he shouldn't. It's highly likely that these cards hold some truth to them. We can't afford to dismiss them."

Rex: "As much as I hate to say it… Ignoring these secrets won't make them go away, and it certainly won't help us survive."

Al: "Bloody hell, I can't believe I'm sayin' this, but Sweetie's right. We gotta face these secrets and figure out how to deal with 'em. Ain't no other choice if we wanna make it outta here alive."

The atmosphere in the room grew heavier as everyone contemplated their next move. The secrets weighed on our minds like a dark cloud, threatening to unleash a storm of despair. But amidst the uncertainty, there was a glimmer of determination.

With unanimous agreement, we gathered in a circle, placing our cards with the revealed secrets in the center. The room grew silent as each of us took turns revealing our secrets, one by one.

Hubcap: "Gehehe! Al, I got yours y'know!"

Al: "Whatcha mean by that Hubcap?"

Hubcap was the first to slam down his secret. His smile reached from ear to ear.

"You failed your drivers theory exam four times"

Al: "Aw geez…"

Al let out an embarrassed chuckle as his paw rubbed behind his head. His cheeks blushed slightly.

Al: "Yeah that's me alright. I ain't good with book stuff so it took me a while to pass…"

Hubcap: "You're a damn trucker ain't ya?! You don't need books! You need a good noggin' for driving, all you damn need!"

Rubble: "W-What about a truck?"

Hubcap: "Don't bring me in with those damn details!"

Everest: "Oh and who had this one? I think it's mine."

Marshall: "That one came from me."

Everest: "As embarrassing as it is for a skier… Damn I'm scared of ice…"

Huh? This all went… pretty well. Everyone seemed to be casual about their secrets, the words on the cards were pretty lighthearted. We exchanged even a few chuckles.

Until…

"You killed a person and have no remorse."

The first disaster was Rocky showing his card. Shortly after was Wild.

"You hate yourself, you think all that bullying was justified. You considered your life to be a waste, so you attempted to end your life three times."

The group fell silent as one by one as horrifying truths kept revealing themselves.

"You failed to save a child because of your lack-luster attitude. You caused a family to violently break apart."

Claw revealed his card, it wasn't hard to pinpoint who it belonged to.

Zuma: "Huh? Wait… Huh?"

Zuma's expression went blank, his pupils shrunk in horror. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably as his face became unreadable. I thought back to the infirmary and the garden. Zuma was a people person, determined to become stronger, putting faith in the surrounding people.

Zuma: "... I don't remember… "

Sweetie: "Seems like we can pin-point that on you. Although it doesn't surprise me. Someone as weak as you."

Claw's expression briefly changed to a sliver of doubt. As if he questioned what Sweetie said. But within the blink of an eye his expression solidified. Going back to his stone-cold, distant glare.

That's when Moby's eyes pinpointed back at his envelope that kept his secret. Another card stuck out.

Hubcap: "I'll get that for ya since you're still learning how to talk!"

Without hesitation, Hubcap grabbed the second card in Moby's envelope and slapped it next to his own.

What we saw…

Made me want to throw up.

"Your belief led to the killing game. Your belief is the reason this is happening. The killing game is your fault. You're responsible."

Moby: "I…. I…. I…."

Claw: "WHAT IN THE DAMNATION IS THIS MOBY?!"

Moby: "N-No…! It w-was j-just… I-In mine…"

Rubble: "Are you implying Moby set up the killing game or something?"

Rubble stood in front of Moby as he stared at Claw. His eyes didn't even dared to blink. Rubble was as focused as he could.

Claw: "Are you ignorant?! It came from his envelope didn't it?"

Tracker: "Are you?"

Claw: "HUH?! How dare you speak to me in that way!"

Tracker: "Monopaw said he mixed up the secrets right? There are 17 secrets here. If any would be one to stir up a murder. It's this one."

Tracker spoke as he put his paw on the freshly revealed secret. His words weighed on all of us. There was a sense of truth in his words, but I saw right through them. This was a bluff to diffuse tension.

Sweetie: "... I'm curious to hear what you have to say, continue."

Tracker: "Seventeen secrets, sixteen people. It can mean three things. One, a person has two secrets in the mix. Two, one secret in this mix is a lie made up by Monopaw to get us to kill or three, there is a seventeenth person who we don't know the existence of."

Marshall: "Wouldn't that seventeenth person be… Monopaw?"

Tracker: "That could easily be the case. But what I can say is that this specific secret was put in to stir up trouble."

Rex: "Yeah obviously! All secrets are thrown in here to stir up trouble, what's your point?"

Tracker stayed silent for a few seconds, closing his eyes. His breathing turned heavier, slowly becoming the only audible thing in the room.

Tracker: "My point being, accusing Moby or Zuma is pointless at this stage."

Zuma: "H-Huh why me?!"

Tracker: "It was originally your secret packed along with it, wasn't it? If it weren't Moby, you'd be the logical next suspect."

Zuma: "..."

Rocky: "If we want to ultimately prevent a murder. We all need to spill our secrets. Every single one."

The group stayed silent for a few seconds. No one dared to speak up. The threat of losing what was important in our lives loomed over us. Everyone clung onto the hope of getting out. Now that I thought about it. That hope was why no one spoke up.

Rex: "Can't we just connect the lines and pinpoint a secret to each one of you?"

Chase: "... There's no way to confirm anything unless everyone fesses up to begin with. I think accusing people based on suspicions is going to lead to even more tension."

Wild: "You guys aren't seeing the underlying problem."

Skye: "Huh? There's an underlying problem under all of this?"

Wild's glance danced over the table. Inspecting the cards one by one. It only took a matter of seconds for him to turn around to us.

Wild: "Six of the seventeen secrets are directly stating murder. That means at least five of us are not just capable of murder, it wouldn't even be their first time. Taking in account the possibility of a fake secret of course! Nyehehe~!"

Skye: "What if it was accidental or self-defense! You don't know any of the context behind these!"

Wild: "Do you?"

Skye: "I… Why are you even bringing this up? Are you purposefully trying to start stuff?!"

Wild: "I just can't help it Skye. I'm just…"

"...So excited about this game to start…"