Chapter 2: Bang! Game Start!
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who would be knocking on our door this late at night?" asked Yuki as he started to head for the door.
"I don't know but let me get it, I'm closer" replied Akise as he leapt up from the bed and checked the peep hole before opening the door. "Good evening Miss Gasai what brings you down the boys' hallway at this hour?"
"Mr. Hiyama asked me to do a bed check and make sure everyone had enough supplies like flashlights, water bottles, and the likes" replied Yuno as she leaned up on her tip toes craning her neck to see around Akise who had inconveniently leaned in the doorway as to block any view of the room.
"Well we are all set on supplies and both in for the night but I would think Mr. Hiyama would send a boy to check our hallway as to keep the sexes apart the way the room assignments and separate hallways are intended" pressed Akise.
"I informed Mr. Hiyama that I could handle any rowdy boys that might try something and there was no need to send two students for the job of one" replied Yuno. 'Move out of the way you jerk! I came down here to see Yuki not be interrogated by you!'
"I see. Then I'll let you be on your way since the faster you check on the other rooms the faster you can return to yours and rest up for tomorrow" said Akise as he closed and locked the door.
"What was all that about?" asked Yuki.
"Just someone doing a bed check, nothing too exciting" replied Akise as he sat down next to Yuki on his bed and peered over his shoulder at his open cell phone. "What are you typing out over here?"
"Just making a note of everything that happened around me today. It's sort of a hobby and before meeting you, Mao, Hinata, and Kosaka it was really the only thing I could do to pass the time" replied Yuki.
"Old habits die hard then. You must have been very lonely if your only friend before this year was your cell phone. Well never you fear with me around you'll never be lonely again" said Akise as he breathed the last part into Yuki's ear before returning to his own bed.
'I was lonely before. Even more so after Mom and Dad split and I'm so happy to have friends now but I'm still having trouble figuring out Akise. He's a lot different from the way Kosaka interacts with me and I can't pinpoint what kind of signals he's sending me. Around the others he's kind and playful but when we're alone and he gets close to me like this…his warm breath on my ear just now sent shivers down my spine and I think I liked it but is he doing it on purpose or am I just being weird and should put some distance between us until I figure it out' Yuki thought to himself as he saved the day's events and lied down in hopes that the soothing sound of the rain would lull him to sleep.
'I can't believe that jerk Akise! It was like he was purposely trying to make sure I couldn't see my darling Yuki. I'll have to keep my eye on him' Yuno thought to herself heatedly as she slid her room key into her door. A low buzz and a red light denied her entry.
"Well that's weird" she muttered as she tried the card again. The same low buzz and red light flashed. She tried the card a third time while trying to twist the door handle and push with her shoulder. "That's strange. I can't get in…should I go to the lobby and ask for a new card key? Maybe Wakaba's isn't working either and the system is down or something. Better check so I have an actual reason if Mr. Hiyama comes back and sees me walking around. Wakaba! It's Gasai! I can't get the door open can you come open it?" she asked while pounding on the door. After a few minutes Yuno let out an exasperated sigh. "Bitch is probably still taking a bath"
Suddenly a loud deep boom shook the building and sent furniture flying and parts of the hotel collapsing. "What was that? It sounded like something close by blowing up"
Moments later Yuno watched as the various occupied room doors twisted from the inside, their occupants desperately trying to get out but the doors held firm.
"Help! The door's stuck!" a girl screamed from the room behind Yuno.
"Someone open the door! My friend's been hurt! We need a doctor!" another girl in the room diagonal from Yuno yelled while pounding on the door and spastically twisting and pulling the door knob.
"Something's very wrong. The doors shouldn't all be locked…because of the curfew everyone's trapped I've got to go help Yuki!" Yuno told herself as she sprinted back down the hall.
"Is there an earthquake?" Yuki asked as he shot up in a panic and carefully slinked off his bed and onto the floor while covering his head.
"No that sounded more like an explosion we need to get out of the building!" replied Akise as he raced for the door. "It won't open" he muttered as he twisted and pulled on the handle.
"Help! There's a fire! Our door won't open!" screamed a student from the room next door.
"If the doors won't open and there's a fire should we chance jumping out the window?" asked Yuki.
"We're on the nineth floor. You might survive a jump from eight stories or lower but any higher would be suicide. We have to find a way to bust down this door fast" replied Akise. Yuki frantically began searching the room for something that would help them.
"Yuki! Are you ok?!" demanded Yuno as she pounded on the other side of the door.
"We're not hurt but the door's stuck and someone called out there's a fire" he yelled back.
"Get away from the door! There was an ax in a case out here!" Yuno called back as she swung the ax into the door knob and card reader as hard as she could. The small machine whirred in protest as Yuno smashed the ax into it again and again until it broke off and the door creaked open. Akise immediately pulled the door back and raced out with Yuki on his heels. Yuno trailed behind as Akise burst through the door leading to the stairs.
'So it would seem only the room doors were locked. Has the game already started and if so was it just our floor that was trapped or is anybody near the players of this game going to wind up collateral damage?' Akise pondered as he exited a side door and headed for a safe distance away from the hotel.
"Well this is an unexpected development isn't it boss?" asked Murmur as she and Deus watched Yuki and Yuno make their escape from the burning hotel on the flat screen in Deus' domain.
"How strange…I have not yet revealed the game to the potential people who could succeed me and yet somehow it would seem someone else has begun the game already" said Deus puzzled.
"Even weirder you're only getting information through Akise right now. Other players could be making moves right now too and we wouldn't know about it. Are we going to call a meeting and see what's what or just sit back and roll with whatever's going on?" replied Murmur.
"Since this keeps things interesting I shall activate the diaries and watch. There's no need to interfere when an overly dramatic blast has signaled the start for all the players already"