NOTE: This chapter is unedited! I have been EXTREMELY busy lately, which is why I haven't been able to update this on for a while. As some of you might know, I post the "beta" versions first on Facebook, then edit them and post the nice, clean editions on . But, since I am an extremely busy college student and an indie game developer, in addition to being a writer, I haven't had time to edit chapters 6 and 7 for weeks now. So, I had two options – to either release them unedited and do it when I have the time, or keep waiting until I'm more free and edit them before posting them on . Since the KR finale happens today on Facebook, I decided to go ahead with the former. What you'll find are small grammar errors, repetitions and a pretty big mistake about Hanako and Lilly's first meeting. It's not unreadable by any means, but it's not as polished as it could be. If you want to wait, I will remove those issues withing a week or two. If you can't wait and just want to follow the story, then keep reading!
I jump up on the futon as soon as I realize I had fallen asleep and frantically check the collar on my neck. Of course, it's still there. If it had blown up while I was sleeping, I wouldn't have been able to wake up in the first place... I close my eyes and lie back down. I can't believe how lucky I was... If the sector where the house I'm in had turned into a forbidden zone while I was sleeping, I would have died... Even worse, if someone had found me like that, I was going to be completely defenseless.
I quickly glance over at the pistol lying on the nightstand right next to me. Its presence there means that nobody had found my hiding spot. The fact that I'm alive right now is a miracle. Ever since that man told us we would be playing the game from "Battle Royale", I was so scared that I couldn't help but cry like a baby, even though everyone else was acting bravely. Then again, maybe I was the only one who truly comprehended what was going to happen...
Fourteen of us will die... I am assuming most already did, but that's not something I'd like to think about. But that's not all. If it was just our death that they wanted, they could have killed us while we were unconscious and leave it at that. But that's not all they're looking for... Raiden and his soldiers want to see us suffer. They want to witness friends betraying and hurting each other, they want to hear us scream in pain as we desperately squirm in a vain attempt to survive. And once we're all just hollow shells of our old selves, fueled by nothing other than our own survival instincts... Then we'll be given permission to die.
That thought brought me to tears. The cruelest thing you can do to a human being is to kill them emotionally before killing them physically. And I have experienced a lot of cruel and painful things. When I was just a little girl, a fire in my home took both my parents away, and left most of my body horribly scarred. I was never supposed to live through that. The only reason I survived it was because my mother sacrificed her own life to save mine. I was left all alone, without a home or a family. I had to undergo many years of painful physical therapy just to be able to live normally again. But even after that, the scars never went away, neither the physical nor the mental one.
After an experience like that, there are only two things that can happen – you can become stronger than ever, or you can just collapse under the pain and never truly recover. I... was never particularly strong. I shut myself away from the world. I went to school only because the people taking care of me demanded that. I hated it. The other children were looking at me like I was some sort of monster. At best, they avoided me and simply whispered rumors about my scars behind my back. At worst, they played cruel pranks on me and regularly humiliated me in front of everyone. There wasn't a day in which I didn't return to the orphanage in tears.
I didn't want to live. What had I done to deserve such treatment?! Wasn't losing everything enough already? All I wanted was to be treated normally. I never wanted people to be crueler or nicer to me just because my face and body are burned. I sometimes dreamed about dying and being reincarnated as a normal girl somewhere far away from here. I wished to have a family, a normal life and a lot of friends. But even though my life was so painful that it made me wish for death, I never considered suicide, not once. My mother gave her life to save mine. It would have been really selfish and disrespectful of me to throw that away. However... That wasn't the only reason.
The truth has always been that I simply don't want to die.
When I first learned what "game" we were going to be playing, I feared that I would be the first one to die. It seemed logical – aside from Lilly and Hisao, I didn't have any friends at all. I didn't really have any survival skills, either. I wasn't very athletic, and I didn't know how to use a weapon. My only advantage towards the other students was that my body, while horribly scarred by the fire, still worked. But I knew this wasn't going to help me very much. I knew deep down that I could never take a life, no matter the circumstances.
When Hisao chose to sacrifice himself in order to save his best friend, a part of me felt sad. The two of us were really close. Not as close as I am to Lilly, but still, he was the only boy that I could call a friend. But another part felt... relieved. In the book "Battle Royale", two students died before the game even began. I suspected that Raiden would attempt to replicate that as well. And... I was glad he didn't pick me. I tried to justify these emotions by telling myself that I just respected Hisao's choice. After all, it was the same choice my mother had to make so many years ago. But I knew that wasn't the case. I was simply... happy to be alive, regardless of the cost.
This thought made me feel like the worst human being in the world. A lot of questions began popping into my head. Was I truly this selfish? When the chips were down and I found myself in a "kill or be killed" situation, would I be able to take someone's life in order to save my own? What if, at the very end, only me and Lilly remain? I don't want to die at all, but I don't want to kill the only person I can call "family" either. What was I supposed to do in a situation like that? After Hisao's death, these questions overtook my mind. I didn't want to know the answers. The thought "I'm scared that I'll die" was suddenly replaced by "I'm scared that I'll live".
Shortly before Hisao died, the student council president handed Lilly a note. She asked me to read it to her, so I swallowed my tears and complied. The note said to regroup East in order to escape. That sounded like a great idea to me – instead of being on our own, I thought it would have been better if we got together and tried to make some kind of escape plan. Lilly objected to that idea. We didn't really have time to talk much, but she said it was a trap, and I had to go West instead. I didn't object. After all, Lilly was always right.
I've been her best friend for years, and she had never given me bad advice before. If there's one person in the world that I trust completely and without question, it's her. She's absolutely amazing, in every way – she's really intelligent, wise beyond her years, and stunningly beautiful. She's also polite and dignified, but can still be outgoing if she wants to. I have no idea why Lilly decided to be friends with me. I don't know what she saw in the shy, fragile bookworm that wandered in her "tea room" by accident one day while searching for the library. But I know that after years of being by her side, I can't live without her. And... I also know that a blind person like her doesn't stand much of a chance in a "game" like this.
I shake my head to chase these thoughts away. I just can't afford to lose hope just yet. After all, that's all I have left right now. I sit up on the futon and slide my feet back into my shoes, then stand up and walk over to the window to pull the curtain back just enough so I can peek outside. It's already dark... I wonder how long I've slept. It probably wasn't more than a few hours. After all, I wasn't really all that tired physically. It was mostly the tension that exhausted me. It's not uncommon for me to fall asleep when I've been really nervous for a long time. Still, I shouldn't have allowed myself to do so.
I readjust the curtain and sit back on the futon, then take the pistol lying on the nightstand in my hands. It's so heavy... No wonder my bag felt like it weighed a ton while I was running. As soon as I got out of the school, I tried to run west, as Lilly advised me, but my collar's alarm went off. Instead, I had two options – I could go north into the forest, or south into the city. The forest didn't seem like a paricularly safe place to me – there weren't many places I could hide, and there were way too many ways I could be ambushed by someone who had decided to play the game. Instead, I chose to run south and hide into one of the many houses nearby. I really wanted to go hide on the second floor somewhere, but none of them appeared to have one, so I just picked one at random and went to it. Naturally, the door was locked, but the window wasn't, so I used that to get inside. I was really, really cautious. The first thing I did was to barricade the door and close all the curtains. The windows couldn't be locked at all, so the best I could do was just cover them up and hope no one would think about entering through them. After that, I carefully checked every corner of the house to make sure no one was hiding there already. Fortunately, I was all alone.
That's when I finally let my guard down and went to the bedroom. I knew that I desperately needed a plan if I was going to survive. After all, I had no real qualities that would give me an advantage over the other students. Realistically, there isn't any chance of me winning this, so I need to escape. But... how? Nothing ever really came to mind. I didn't want to deceive or trick anyone in any way, and even if I did, I would probably fail at it. For about an hour, I simply sat down on the futon, thinking about a possible escape plan, to no avail. Suddenly, I felt really hungry, and I remembered Raiden mentioning that we had some food in the bags as well. All of my hunger disappeared when I noticed the metal weapon shining from inside.
I wonder, why was I given this? Were the weapons we were assigned random, or was there some thought put into who gets what? If that's the case, then why did they think to give me a gun? After all, I don't even know how to hold it properly, let alone how to shoot! I mean, I know I'm supposed to pull the trigger, but I've also read things about "safeties" and "modes", and I'm not quite sure how those work. Chances are, if it comes to a confrontation, the only thing I can possibly do with it is threaten someone... if the shaking of my hands doesn't give away my bluff, that is.
I sigh and place the gun back back on the nightstand. I try to distract myself by thinking about other things, but it doesn't really work. My mind is way too preoccupied with concern about Lilly. I wonder if she's hurt... Her hearing is great, so I doubt anyone would be able to catch her by surprise, but her blindness means that she wouldn't be able to do much if she's attacked. I bite my fingernail. Of course, it's very possible that someone already killed her... No, I refuse to believe that! In "Battle Royale", they announced the casualties regularly. Unless they say her name, I'm going to keep waiting for her. I'm not sure exactly how she'd be able to find me, but just waiting for her in one spot seems like a more reasonable strategy than walking off on my own to look for her.
I reach towards my bag and pick up a small, neatly packaged loaf of bread from inside, then open it and take a small bite. It's... surprisingly good. Doesn't seem to be Japanese, though. If anything, the label on the package is written in English, though I don't understand a word. Now that I think about it, Raiden's accent was really weird... I'm pretty sure he wasn't Japanese, either. From the looks of things, the people who kidnapped us are probably foreigners, and most likely terrorists. Unlike in "Battle Royale", here we actually have a chance of being rescued, if only we can notify the government about our predicament somehow...
I swallow my bite and take another one while thinking about it. I try to remember every detail of what I know about this place. I'm sure that somewhere, there's a clue that will help us escape. Raiden said that he and his group staged an accident here a week ago. That probably means no one will wander in here just to check how things are going. If we're gonna get help, we need to send a signal to the outside world somehow. It's probably safe to assume that all phone lines have been cut. My cell phone was taken away after our abduction, and Raiden mentioned that his men had confiscated all "questionable items" from the village before we went in, so it's safe to say that we won't be able to find a phone here. No, there has to be another way...
I put the bread aside and reach inside my bag again, this time taking out the map. I spread it open on the floor and start looking at it. From the looks of things, it's actually quite useless... It only shows landmarks for about half of the island. I assume the other half is just one huge forbidden zone. And those landmarks aren't particularly detailed. In fact, there are only four - "Village", which is in the west part of our half of the island, "School", a dot right in the middle of the village, a "Forest" to the north and "Coast" to the east. That's all there is. The map is divided into squares, which I assume are the zones. I notice that none of them are marked in any way, which probably means that we won't get to learn which zones are forbidden until we step into them. I suppose they're doing this to increase the tension in us. After all, the knowledge that literally any "safe" zone could turn into a forbidden one at any moment would put most of us on edge.
I lean back and pick up my bread again. Much like sleeping, eating helps me calm down. I just try not to think too much about the atrocities that are most likely happening all over the island right now. Instead, I simply focus on trying to come up with a good escape plan for me and Lilly. I turn around and look through the bag again. I'm kinda hoping to find a pencil or something in order to take notes on the map, but no such luck. I don't think they went so far as to remove the pens from the houses as well, so I might be able to find one if I look for it. I pick up the gun, just in case, and stand up before heading towards the door and opening it quietly.
The house isn't very big. It just has a couple of rooms and a hallway that connects them. I go outside and look around. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. The place is quiet like usual, though it is a bit colder than it was the last time I was out in the hallway. That's probably just me, though. I take a few more steps and prepare to open the door to the living room when I suddenly feel a breeze. I turn around and examine its source. It's... an opened window. That's weird, I thought that I closed the window I came through after I-
Oh, no...
'Drop it' I suddenly hear a female voice I don't recognize, followed by a weird, mechanical click coming from behind me. My body starts shivering. So, someone was able to get in after all... I'm not completely sure, but I think that click came from a gun... Oh, god... I never even heard her coming in or sneaking up behind me! If she's that good, she's most likely playing the game... My eyes start to fill up with tears when I realize I'm probably going to die.
'P-please...' I stutter. My intention was to negotiate with her and assure her I mean no harm, but my body's completely paralyzed, and that's as much as I can say before I'm rendered speechless from the fear.
'I said DROP IT!' the girl raises her voice. What is she talking about? Does she mean the gun in my hand? But if I just drop it like that, won't it go off? That's what always happens in books when someone drops a gun on the floor. But if I don't drop the gun, she's going to shoot me... I'm scared out of my mind. I don't really know what to do. If I just run for it, there's a chance that I can make it to the window before she can shoot... No, that's not going to work, she already has her gun aimed at me... I won't be able to make a single step before she kills me... I close my eyes and reluctantly let the pistol slip out of my hands and fall on the floor by my feet, which makes a loud *THUD*, but, surprisingly, doesn't cause a gunshot.
'Now kick it back!' the girl instructs me. I comply. She takes a few steps back.
'Okay, you can turn around now'
I slowly shift my legs and turn around, facing the intruder. I don't really recognize her, but the collar around her neck means she's certainly a "player". Her extremely long, brown hair has been left to flow down freely, which doesn't seem very convenient to me, especially in a situation like this, but it seems like she's used to having it like that. Her white shirt is covered with stains of red, as if someone had sprayed her with graffiti paint. But... The pickaxe hanging on her skirt waistband and the gun in her hand make me think that the stains aren't from paint. I suddenly notice that she only has one hand. Her left arm just ends in a bandaged stump. From the look in her eyes, I'd say she suddenly noticed my scarring as well.
'You must be Ikezawa?' she asks me. I nod carefully, still wondering if I'm going to be shot or not.
'Y-yeah... How d-did you know?'
'Hisao talks a lot about you! Well... Used to, anyway...' she smiles sadly. 'You don't seem like the type of girl to be playing this fucked-up game'
'I'm n-not playing!' I try to assure her, but I'm not sure how convincing I sound. 'I j-just want to go home...'
She thinks for a moment, probably wondering if she should believe me or not. I know I'm not particularly convincing, but at least I was honest, and I think she saw that. She's smiling.
'So do I. The name's Miki, by the way. I'd shake your hand, but... You know'
I stare at her for a few seconds. Was this... a joke? I can't quite tell, but if it was... Why is she even joking around at a time like this? Maybe she thinks she's lightening the mood, but for some reason I feel even more awkward and nervous when she's doing that...
'Um... I'm H-Hanako...' I introduce myself and instinctively place my right hand over the scars of my face. Miki smiles and hands me the pistol back.
'I don't think you'd shoot me in the back, so... Here. You know how to use it, right?'
I carefully pick it back up and examine it with my eyes. Now that I compare it side by side with hers, they look really different. Does she know how to shoot using the model I have as well?'
'Um... N-not really...' I admit.
'Wow, seriously?' Miki giggles. 'You're exactly how Hisao described you!'
I blush and look down. I'm not quite sure what she meant by that, but I don't think I like it very much... I notice her putting her gun behind the waistband of her skirt. She approaches me and places her hand on mine, then helps me lift my pistol up until it's lined up with my eyes. It's really heavy... I don't think I would have been able to hold it up steadily without her help. Miki's a lot stronger than she looks.
'I'm not sure about the specifics, but your pistol is a Desert Eagle. Which means the only thing you need to do is to take the safety off like that...'
She uses her thumb to push down the small hammer at the end of the gun. It didn't seem very easy to do. I'm not quite sure if I'll be able to do it on my own.
'...And then just aim and shoot! The Deagle is really accurate and powerful, but it kicks like a mule, so make sure you hold it really tightly when you shoot, or else you might hurt yourself!'
I nod silently. I consider firing a shot just to see exactly what it feels like, but that would probably be a bad idea. Even though it would be good practice for me if I ever need to use the pistol, which I hope from the bottom of my heart won't happen, it will certainly give away our position to any "players" nearby.
'Y-you sure know a lot about g-guns...' I comment. Miki smiles from ear to ear.
'It's just a hobby of mine! I really love watching American movies and reading stuff about the weapons they use... but that's about it. I may know a lot about guns, but I've never actually fired one... I don't think I really want to, either. But I'll probably have to'
'W-why do you say that?'
She looks at me, with a serious look in her eyes.
'Because there are people playing this fucked-up game. And even if we come up with an escape plan, they're not gonna let us leave until we deal with them'
'Eh? B-but... Why?' I ask. It doesn't make any sense to me – if we find a safe way to escape from the island and return home, why would they still attack us? I wouldn't risk compromising our plan by walking around the island and gathering everyone, but if we meet someone on our way out they would be more than welcome to come with us!
'Because...' Miki sighs and leans against the wall. 'The people playing the game are too far gone. I've... seen what they do. Ibarazaki from the track team was shot and killed right in front of my eyes, without any provocation on her part...'
'Ah...' I gasp and look down. I didn't know Ibarazaki very well, but I knew she was a good friend of Hisao... Every time I saw her at school, she was always smiling cheerfully... It saddens me to hear that she's gone. 'D-do you know who else was...'
'I only saw her' she shrugs. 'Though I did hear gunshots at the east coast a little after the game started. I assume that at least one person kicked the bucket there. And there's probably someone else with a gun playing the game. We should watch out for that'
My heart skips a beat as soon as she mentions the east coast. That's where Miss President wanted Lilly and me to go! So... Was it really a trap, after all? If so, is she the one who fired the shots that Miki heard? Or was she just a victim of someone who took advantage of her escape plan? I guess there's just no way to know right now. In any case, words can not describe how grateful I am that we didn't go east after all. If we had, both me and Lilly would have probably been dead...
'W-we have to get out of here...' I mumble quietly, mostly to myself.
'No objections here! Let's go somewhere safer and try to come up with a plan!'
'Um... W-we can go to the bedroom over t-there...' I point at the bedroom door. Miki nods and quickly starts walking towards the room. I follow her closely and enter, then sit down on the ground and point at the map I have already spread.
'You haven't marked it off?' she asks. I shake my head.
'I d-didn't go outside, s-so I don't know where the f-forbidden zones are...'
Miki reaches inside her skirt pocket and pulls out a pen. I suddenly notice that she's lacking her bag. I'm guessing she probably left it behind since it was too heavy. Carrying a pistol, a pickaxe and a bag was probably way too much, even for someone as athletic as her. Actually... How come she she has two weapons? I'm curious if she picked it up along the way, but I'm afraid that the answer might be related to the blood stains on her shirt...
'D-do you, um...' I ask as I pick up the loaf of bread lying on the futon and carefully hand it over to her. She shakes her head.
'I'm not really hungry... I already ate some before ditching my bag, but ever since I came here, I've lacked my appetite...'
I shrug and pull it back, then take another bite. I admit, I eat more because I'm nervous than because I'm actually hungry.
'Okay, look here' Miki tells me and taps on the map with her pen, then draws a few big X's on it, mainly on the part that says "Forest". 'Everything to the north is just one huge forbidden zone now. That includes the forest, the school and some of the buildings in the village, as well as a part of the coast. From what I can see, they're trying to push us south'
I take a long look at the map. According to Miki, almost half of it was covered by forbidden zones. In the village, there are only three zones that are still safe... And, to be honest, I don't think they'll remain so for long.
'We n-need to go...' I stutter as I realize the zone we're in now will probably be the next one to become dangerous. She nods.
'But then what? If the collars start beeping, we can just run south and hope for the best, but it would be stupid to just run blindly without a plan, unless doing so is absolutely necessary. There's got to be a way to get off the island. Any ideas how we can do that?'
'A... signal' I say carefully, sharing the conclusion I had reached by myself earlier. 'I t-think they're foreigners... And...'
'Foreigners? You mean the terrorists?'
I nod.
'Yeah, I guess that makes sense... There's no way that Raiden guy was Japanese. And the weapons we have, your Deagle and my Colt... They're both American weapons. It's a pretty safe bet that we've been taken by foreign terrorists'
'Y-yeah... So if we can send a s-signal...'
'Oh, I see what you mean! If we can notify the folks back home that something's not right here, they might be able to send help! But that's easier said than done, you know! I'm pretty sure they've thought of that! Phone lines have been cut, and all cell phones were confiscated. So, what else can we do?'
I stare at the map intensely, trying to come up with a solution, but nothing comes to mind. Maybe a signal flare might work, or some sort of firework... No, chances are we won't find anything like that around, and even if we do, their light is only momentary. We need something more permanent, something that will send light that's constantly visible to anyone around the island.
Wait... Light... Island... Of course! Why didn't I come up with this sooner?! I can't help but give a little smile once I come up with this plan.
'A lighthouse...' I say, with a bit of satisfaction in my voice.
'A... lighthouse?' Miki repeats after me. I nod.
It makes perfect sense. Since we're on an island, chances are there's going to be a lighthouse. Of course, it could be in one of the forbidden zones, or on the other side of the island, but if we're very lucky, we might be able to get to it and send a signal!
'Now that you mention it, I think I saw something like that to the southeast'
'Y-you did?!' I ask happily.
'Don't get your hopes up. Most modern lighthouses run on electricity, and I'm pretty sure that's been cut as well'
I shake my head.
'A lot of l-lighthouses have an... emergency system' I explain. 'In case a d-disaster cuts the power...'
'Seriously? Are you sure?'
I look down back at the map. Of course I'm not sure, this is just some stuff that I read in a book. I'm not sure if that's how real lighthouses work at all, but it's really our only option to send a signal. Once the people in the mainland see the light of a lighthouse from an area that was supposed to be evacuated a week ago, there's no way they won't send a ship to investigate!
'Well, it's not like we have a better plan!' Miki grins. 'We'll give it a shot, and if it fails, we'll try to come up with something else.
I smile happily.
'Y-yeah!'
'Okay, let's see...' she picks up her pen and starts drawing a route on the map. 'Moving through the village would be dangerous. I'm not sure how many "players" are left, but chances are most of them are here. We need to get out as soon as we can, and then we can move across the south shore until we...'
Miki suddenly stops talking and starts looking around. I tilt my head to the side in confusion.
'W-what's—'
'Shh!' she quickly cuts me off and pulls her revolver out. 'We're not alone'
'Eh?!' I asked, a bit startled by this revelation. Does she mean there's actually someone else in the house?! Oh, crap, we forgot to close the window and pull the curtains after she entered! I start shaking and look at my pistol lying on the nightstand. Does that mean... there's going to be a fight? I don't want to shoot anyone!
'Stay here' Miki says and stands up, then slips her shoes off. I'm assuming it's to move more quietly, since stepping with shoes on the wooden floor would give away her position instantly. I had never even thought about that when I first came into the house... She's truly amazing! My new friend quickly moves across the room without making a single sound, then uses the hand holding the pistol to silently pull the door open.
I sit on the futon nervously, wondering what I'm supposed to do... Should I take my shoes off as well, and then grab my gun and follow her suit? Or am I just going to be in her way? Ultimately, I simply look down and decide to stay where I am. Miki knows what she's doing. I don't. I'm only going to be an inconvenience. And besides... I'm really, really scared... I hope she doesn't get mad at me for that...
She glances over at me to see if I'm coming with her, then turns around and silently walks through the door. Was she expecting me to follow her? Or was she just making sure that I didn't? In any case, it's too late for me to do anything right now. I just sit on the futon awkwardly, trembling a bit. I don't think Miki would allow herself to be caught by surprise and killed by the intruder... But if she does, then I'll have to defend against them on my own... and if they managed to kill someone like her, then I would stand no chance at all.
'Don't move a muscle! Drop the bags! Both of you! NOW!' I hear Miki yelling out orders from the hallway. Both... of you? Does that mean there were two intruders? I hear two big thumps, which I'm guessing were caused by the bags hitting the floor. That's good, I think. It means Miki has control over the situation.
'Where are your weapons?' she asks them.
'Um, do we look like we're armed?' I hear a female voice that I don't recognize.
'There's no way the two of you survived without weapons for so long! I can see something sticking out from the pocket of your skirt! Drop it!'
'If I do that, it's going to break'
'Then place it on the ground slowly! You too, blondie! Drop the cane!'
My heart skips a beat. Blondie? Cane? No way! Could it be... I know I need to stay put and wait for Miki to be done with them, but the thought that Lilly might actually be here won't leave my head. I stand up and slowly walk towards the open door, then peek out from inside the room. My friend is holding two other girls at gunpoint. One of them has short hair and a really tired look in her eyes. And the other is...
'LILLY!' I yell out, with tears in my eyes, then start running towards her and jump in her arms. I can't believe this! She actually found me! I wrap my arms around her tightly and start crying from happiness. She hugs me back.
'Are you alright, Hanako?' Lilly asks, sounding really concerned about me.
'Y-yeah...' I admit, still reluctant to let go just yet. The two of us were separated for only a day, but it really felt like an eternity to me! Now that we're finally together again, the only thing I want to do is enjoy this small moment of safety and comfort. Lilly raises her hand and pats the back of my head gently.
'Everything's fine now. We won't be separated again. I promise' she whispers with a smile. I smile back and nod to her. I know that everything's going to be fine now. My fear has faded away. I'm reunited with Lilly, and we have a plan to escape the island. I know that everything's going to be fine now.
After a few seconds, I finally let go and turn around, still standing closely by my best friend's side. Miki has lowered her gun and is examining a small, electronic device that kind of looks like a GPS.
'So this is how you found us, Suzu?' she asks. The short-haired girl nods.
'That's Lilly's... "weapon". It shows the location of everyone wearing a collar, as well as when we're approaching a danger zone. It's the only reason we've managed to stay alive for so long'
'Impressive...' Miki comments. 'But how did you know it was us? It could have been anybody!'
'We didn't' Lilly speaks up. 'There were two houses here that each contained two students. We simply picked one at random'
'S-so there are other people here?' I ask. 'M-maybe we should-'
'I don't think that's a good idea' Miki interrupts me. 'Listen, four of us are too many as it is. Escape will become completely impossible if there's six'
'Eh? B-but...'
She smiles reassuringly and gives the device back to Suzu, then places her hand on my shoulder.
'Don't worry. It's not like we're abandoning them or anything. When we signal the mainland, they're going to be rescued as well. But for now, we need to leave them alone'
'B-but... With more people...'
'I am afraid Ms. Miura is right, Hanako' Lilly intervenes. 'I trust everyone here, but we don't know who these people are. What if they attack us while our back is turn?'
I want to object, but I simply can't. Like always, Lilly is absolutely right. The chance of being betrayed increases along with the size of our group. As much as I don't like to think that anyone from my school would scoop as low as to shoot everyone in the back... This "game" brings out the worst in people.
'Okay...'
'Well, then, now that that's settled, let's get over the plan with you, guys!' Miki grins happily.
'We... have a plan?' Suzu asks.
'Ikezawa just came up with it. It's not perfect, but I sure can't come up with anything better!'
I blush and turn my face away. I don't think it's fair that I receive all the credit. After all, I would have never come up with the lighthouse idea if it wasn't for Miki. Still, I don't feel comfortable making any objections, and besides, it doesn't really matter.
'Excellent work, Hanako' Lilly smiles. 'The only plan me and Ms. Suzuki had was to find you and come up with a proper escape strategy afterwards, so we would be happy to follow your idea. Isn't that right?'
'Hm? Oh... Sure...' Suzu nods.
'You two make an odd couple!' Miki giggles. 'I'd never imagine you to become partners like that! How did that happen?'
'Admittedly, we didn't really plan it out. A few hours ago, she found me wandering around helplessly, and offered to help me. I accepted her generous offer'
'It wasn't all that generous...' Suzu shrugs. 'She needed someone to read that device she got. I needed someone to keep me awake. It was a... What was that word again... Symbiotic relat-'
Suddenly, a series of loud noises coming from outside the window cause my ears to ring. Sounds like firecrackers are being fired outside! It takes me a little while to realize that it's not firecrackers at all. It's bullets.
Someone's firing at us from outside.
My body starts trembling rapidly. I want to move, to run away, but I find myself glued to the floor. Suzu's head explodes in front of me. A fountain of blood splashes from her eye and onto my face and clothes, then her body goes limp and falls down like a ragdoll. My throat feels so tense, it's like someone's choking me. I can't yell. I can't scream. I can't look away. All I can do is stare at her body as dark, red liquid begins pooling around her.
It takes me a lot of effort to turn away, but I finally find myself able to do it. I want to look towards Lilly and see if she's hurt, but my body won't listen. My head slowly twists towards the window, purely out of instinct. Outside, a young, blond boy is holding a smoking pistol. No... It's not a pistol... It looks like one, but it's also kind of different... I can't quite tell how. It takes me a while to recognize the boy, but there's no way I could ever mistake his identity – it's Leo Harway, the transfer student that everyone has been talking about.
He stays still, without moving a muscle. His eyes, cold and expressionless, are focused straight ahead. Leo... just killed Suzu, didn't he? I don't understand... Why did he do it? Is he one of the people Miki was talking about? The ones who lost their minds because of the game? No, I don't think so. His face is as calm as always. I think that he's perfectly aware of his actions. But then... Why would he do it? Is it possible that there really is someone who can kill his friends and classmates without any remorse whatsoever? No, there can't be a human being this twisted. I refuse to believe it. And yet... the cold, calculated calmness in his eyes won't leave my mind...
Something slowly falls out of his gun. It's dropping gradually towards the ground, like a film in slow motion. I'm not quite sure what it is, but he has stopped shooting for a moment, so it's probably the gun's magazine or something. He slowly reaches inside his pocket and pulls out a new one, then brings it up and loads it into the gun. I know I should get away from him before he starts shooting, but... I can't do that. I can only stare at him as he's preparing to kill me. I feel like his eyes have hypnotized me.
'HANAKO, RUN!' Miki's loud noise finally snaps me out of it. She fires two rounds towards Leo, and even though she misses both times, it's enough to make him dodge out of the way and take cover. I turn around and quickly look at my friends. Lilly has fallen on the ground. She must be terrified and confused, but is doing her best not to show it. Even in a situation like this, she's still trying to remain composed and dignified. She seems pretty shaken up, but other than that, I don't think she's hurt.
On the other hand, Miki is a bleeding mess. Her face is covered with the red liquid, and there's a large, crimson spot on her right shoulder. The revolver is literally shaking in her hand. It must be really painful to lift such a heavy gun with a bleeding wound on your shoulder... After she notices that Leo has taken cover, she turns to me, her right eye closed and covered in blood, and points at Lilly.
'Help her out and run! NOW!'
I run towards my friend and help her stand up, then let her place her arm across my shoulders so I can guide her properly. I know that Miki's escape plan meant that we would need to abandon all our supplies here, but it couldn't be helped. If we remain here for just another minute, Leo is definitely going to kill us.
Miki shoots a few more rounds back at the window, but they act as nothing more than warning shots. Still, they do the trick, and we manage to get away without being followed. Miki clears the barricade I placed at the door earlier and literally bursts through it. I follow her, trying to keep a decent pace, but it's so hard to do when I'm carrying Lilly with my left hand and the heavy pistol with my right one. If only I was a little bit stronger physically... I suppose it doesn't really matter now, anyway...
The sky is darker than black. The few stars in the sky are the only thing that illuminates our path as we escape the village. We need to get south, but none of us have any idea where south is, so we simply follow Miki's gut. After about ten minutes of walking, she finally falls down on the ground, exhausted. I allow Lilly to sit down as well and turn around. There isn't even a sign of Leo anywhere in the distance. I sigh with relief and join my friends.
'H-how bad is it?' I ask Miki. She looks at her wound, then sighs.
'It's not life threatening, but... It's still pretty bad. I can't see anything with my right eye, and I can barely move my arm... At least the bullet went straight through, and it doesn't seem to be bleeding much'
'Are you going to be alright?' Lilly asks, with a concerned look on her face.
'Yeah, don't worry about me... It's not like we have any healing supplies, so I'll just have to bear with it...' Miki makes an attempt to smile, but it's obvious she's in a lot of pain right now.
'So... W-what now?'
Miki closes her eyes and sighs.
'We... lost the tracker, didn't we?'
'No, we did not' Lilly smiles faintly and reaches inside the pocket of her skirt, then pulls the GPS-like device out. The screen is a little cracked, but other than that, it seems to work just fine. I smile widely upon seeing it.
'Alright! At least something good came out of this whole mess...' Miki smiles as well. 'Give it to Hanako. From now, you'll be responsible for keeping a very close eye on it, alright? Another surprise like that is going to destroy us for sure. We can't afford to be careless anymore!'
I simply nod and take the tracker from my best friend's hands.
'Now, if you don't mind, I would like to know the details about your escape plan' Lilly smiles and sits down properly, ready to listen.
STUDENT #14: SUZU SUZUKI – DEAD
6 REMAIN