Alfred excused himself from the room when Cameron, Rhys, and Harri returned, and stepped outside while all his guests continued to cry or whatever it is they did these days.
Very interesting so far. Gilbert was not reacting how he normally would to a situation, so the alcohol had probably thrown him off. After all, Alfred had only known him for about six months, and never when he had actually been an alcoholic.
Still, Alfred made a mental note to write this observation down. Even a loud, boisterous personality like Gilbert's could reduced to a moody, unresponsive clod with the help from either alcohol, high stress, or a combination of both.
Interesting.
His room was upstairs on the second floor and behind a locked door, where the only phone in the entire house was. In case any of his guests managed to escape the dining room, since he had instructed them specifically to not bring any cellular devices (since they "interfered with the Wi-Fi signal needed to play the game". Nice one, Mattie.) they would have no way to call for the police or anybody else. The only ones with the key to his bedroom were himself and Arthur.
And speaking of Arthur...
Halfway up the stairs, Alfred turned and tilted his head so he was kissing Arthur. Arthur was startled a bit, before he rested his hand on Alfred's shoulder. They kissed for a couple of seconds, before Alfred drew away, smiling, and said,
"You've got blood on your pants."
"Oh-wait-fuck, I do?"
"Is that the blood of a dead Hungarian or are you just happy to see me?" Alfred teased.
"Your jokes are atrocious."
"But I made you smile at Veteran's Camp," Alfred reminded him as he continued climbing up the stairs, "I still think you love me."
"Of course I don't," Arthur said smoothly, still glaring disdainfully down at the darkblood that nearly blended in with the dark material of his pants, "I only use our relationship for free sex whenever I want it."
"Whatever you say," Alfred smirked as he walked down the hall, the moonlight glowing through the window giving it dark, creepy shadows that seemed to be reaching out to him, "You love me."
Extracting a key from his pant's pocket, he gave a sigh as he inserted it into the lock, saying,
"I've got a pair of your pants, you can change into that. I need to change myself, this suit is uncomfortable."
"Please don't get blood on your casual clothes again," Arthur sighed as they both entered the room, Alfred flipping on the light to illuminate it, "I don't think Kiku will fall for the 'I had a huge nosebleed' trick again."
"Rhys's fault for not getting all of it out," Alfred remarked with a shrug as he shut the door behind them. The room wasn't decorated that much, either. This house was not the one in which he lived, but only used it for...Special events like this.
There were, however, a few posters on the walls, and the desk was littered with papers, sticky notes, and books. Alfred's suitcase had been carelessly tossed on the large bed, and he set to work unzipping it while Arthur examined the notes on his desk.
"You made a lot of observations this year," Arthur noted as picked up one of the books and checked one of the bookmarked pages, "Sometimes I forget how smart you can actually be."
"Awww, thanks for the compliment, Artie," Alfred grinned, pretending to blush as he extracted his Captain America t-shirt and a pair of jeans, "Uh, you left your clothes in here from last time, they should still be in the closet."
Arthur, however, did not immediately respond as he leafed through one of Alfred's notebooks, an eyebrow raised.
"Well, if there's one thing to be expected, it's that you don't have a particular order to any of these," Arthur laughed before tossing it back on the desk and crossed the room. Alfred approached his desk and scanned his notes for a minute or so, taking it all in.
Getting kicked out of college was the most embarrassing thing that had happened to him in his life. Failure to actually do any of his work had resulted in his expulsion, and he was known as the rich, deceased millionaire's son who couldn't make it far in the world on his own if he tried.
Matthew, even though not as well known as Alfred, was always called 'the smart one' in the family. As far back as Alfred could remember, he'd always been the little troublemaker and Matthew was the student.
Alfred was the dumb one.
Alfred's fist clenched as he remembered that he was not the dumb one. He managed to do this for four years without ever getting caught, without any of the disappearances ever being linked to him. He studied this people, predicted what their actions would be and if they would accept his offer or not.
He knew this year's participants. Natalya appeared cold blooded, but she had a weak spot for those who appeared to be weak or innocent. Lukas was protective of those younger than him, like a big brother. Yao was all talk and no action. Feliciano was dependent on others.
Alfred went through the list mentally, listing things he knew about his participants, his guests. Arthur was still searching for a pair of pants, making frustrated noises every time he opened a drawer that were on the closet's shelves. He listed all he knew.
Linh would do anything to have a chance to keep living. Leon could swing from being humble and noble to arrogant and cowardly. Tereza destroyed herself when stressed. Toris would throw himself under the bus for anyone.
Gilbert would-
Alfred smirked as Gilbert's name arose in his mind. Truth be told, he'd never liked Matthew's new boyfriend. He was arrogant, loud, boisterous, and yet...
He was smart. He was too close to Matthew. One day, eventually, he'd find out what he and Matthew did every year, and Alfred could not have that. So when Alfred heard that Gilbert's brother was suffering a terminal illness, and that brother happened to be the husband of another guest who would be attending, Alfred just had to.
Alfred doubted Feliciano would win, and Gilbert could possibly make it. Speaking of Gilbert...
Alfred picked up the phone that was set on his desk, dialling Matthew's cell, and waiting for his brother to pick up. After a few seconds, Matthew answered with a,
"Hello."
"Mattie, bro," Alfred grinned, leaning against his desk, "So, we've already got two dead."
"I'm going to guess..." Matthew hummed, and judging by the sounds in the background, he was watching a hockey match, "Bella and Yao."
"I wish, I don't want Yao to win."
"You should do something about that, then. Who's actually died, then?"
"Bella and Elizabeta," Alfred confirmed, "You were right, Bella wasn't able to handle more than one."
"Elizabeta? Really? But I thought she'd at least make it to round four," Matthew's voice sounded skeptical, "Did you shoot her?"
"Technically, Arthur did, but yeah, she was shot. Her anger issues got the best of her," Alfred said with a shrug, absentmindedly looping the phone cord around his finger, "But five thousand says I can make Linh cry, scream, and beg."
"You know I never bet above two fifty."
"Fine, you're no fun. She has screamed once, when we shot Elizabeta. I bet I can make her cry this round."
"I sincerely regret thinking this would be a good bet."
"Hey, you've never studied what it takes to make people squirm, Mr. Medical Degree." Alfred laughed, "Just calling to tell you how things are going."
"Alright, thanks, Al," Matthew said appreciatively, "How's Lili?"
"I can not predict or foresee anything she might do," Alfred sighed, "Because someone told me about her last notice."
"Sorry," Matthew said unapologetically, "Well, good luck."
"Thanks, bro."
Alfred hung up, unwinding the phone cord from his then there was another guest he was concerned about...
"Who do you think is going to win this year?" Arthur asked as if reading his mind, yanking his pants down to gather at his ankles as he pulled out a pair of pants. Alfred smiled as he crossed the room, giving Arthur a long, drawn-out kiss, before pulling away and responding,
"Lili. Or maybe Linh. Possibly Lukas."
Arthur blinked at him in surprise as he pulled his pants on, confused.
"But...Lili is such a little girl. Linh, maybe, but I'm leaning more towards Lukas or Natalya. Have you seen their records?"
Alfred gave a shrug, before reaching out and stroking Arthur's hair, thinking about his answer, before he said,
"Well, yeah, Lili's a little kid. You've got that right. That gives her an advantage."
"How so?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow, adjusting his tie in the mirror that hung on Alfred's bedroom door.
"You saw how everyone was all like 'she's a little kid' and stuff. They'll probably not harm her, as far as they can go," Alfred said with a shrug as he rested his chin on Arthur's shoulder, "I could be wrong."
"Probably, seeing as you failed Psychology."
"You and Matthew are the only ones I allow to even mention that because I love you so much."
"Save it for your novels, Jones."
The two men exited the room, but not before Alfred checked out Arthur's pants, which hugged his legs in all the right places and gave a low whistle.
"My man," He smirked, and Arthur turned around and in seconds they were both entwined in one another, kissing. Alfred closed the door behind him as he placed his hands on Arthur's body, one on his elbow and the other on his shoulder, before a voice called,
"Stop snoggin' like horny teenagers and get back here, Cameron is bored and threatening to take the lil' girl!"
"Tell Cameron to step away from the children," Arthur said with a roll of his eyes as they broke apart, and together, they made their way downstairs. Before they could reach the first landing, however, Alfred pulled Arthur aside and whispered him instruction.
"You sure?" Arthur asked, glancing at him. Alfred nodded.
"Yeah," Alfred said, "Do it as soon as you get the chance."
"Should you shorten the time limit? That would make it easier to shoot," Arthur explained. Alfred nodded, and they continued downstairs.
Alfred, however, could not help but feel that he had forgotten something. He did not, however, think about it for very long, because as soon as he stepped inside the room he clapped his hands and shouted,
"Let's begin!"
Lili had been waiting here with the others, who were either still panicking, sobbing, or staring into space with dead looks on her eyes. She was a mixture of one and two, unsure of how exactly to respond to this situation.
She had never been in a situation the reacted in such high levels of stress and panic, and she wasn't sure how to cope with it. Should she scream and give up? Wipe all emotion and wait for an opening?
Threading her fingers through her hair, Lili watched the others silently, trying not to burst into tears. How long had she been here? How long has this gone on? It's felt like years. The only thing keeping Lili from screeching and sobbing and willing to give up was the thought of Bella, whose heart couldn't handle too much and she died too early.
That could happen to Basch if she did not get him a transplant soon. He needed a new heart, and he needed it soon. Who knew how long he could live like this?
The high stress of the situation was making her exhausted, to be perfectly honest. She knew she shouldn't, but Lili felt her eyes slip close, clutching the edges of her seat as if they were a line. She recalled that Basch was telling her off for not wearing sunscreen, but he was still smiling, because he was having a good time.
"Having fun is important," He had told her when they got home, exhausted, but still in a good mood, "But working is important too. We've been working hard. We needed a break."
"It was very fun," Lili had said, hugging him tightly, "Thank you, big brother."
Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and she could feel it. Weak, but fairly steady. They had not been able to walk on the beach much, because Basch became short of breath and extremely sweaty if he walked for longer than fifteen minutes at a time, and they had to go home only two hours after arriving.
But it was still worth it.
Lili opened her eyes as somebody elbowed her in the face, and winced as she did so. Toris gasped, before apologizing quickly.
"I'm sorry," He repeated, "Sorry, sorry, I d-didn't mean to-Really sorry-"
"It's fine," Lili said, before smiling at Toris. He smiled back, weakly, before leaning forward, lowering his voice.
"A word of advice...Please try to avoid the red one."
"Cameron?" Lili asked, her eyes immediately going to the man, whom she realized was watching her intently. Toris looked surprised.
"How do you know that?" He asked curiously.
"I have a really good memory," Lili said with a shrug, "I even remember the house number and the name of the street. I was watching outside the window the entire way here."
Toris opened his mouth to respond, but the door suddenly opened, and in stepped Arthur, wearing, noticeably, a new pair of pants, seeing as they were a dark shade of purple and not the black ones from before. Behind Arthur came Alfred, who was dressed differently, but still looked excited.
"Let's begin!" He shouted, clapping his hands together. Lili felt dread rush back into her as Harri, the shortest of the brothers (at least, she suspected they were brothers-they all shared the same green eyes, thick eyebrows, similar facial structures, and Cameron and Harri's noses were nearly identical) with ginger hair, extracted a strange-looking device from his pocket not unlike pliers.
"For this round of Would You Rather-" Alfred began, but Feliciano interrupted.
"Is Bella dead?" He asked nervously. Alfred gave a shrug, before continuing as if nothing happened.
"-The question is...Would You Rather...Have on of your teeth pulled? Or have three of your fingernails pulled?"
Lili felt as if her body were slowly being drained of all it's blood. She stared at the strange object in Harri's hands as he approached her, smiling. Lili began to stand up, the only thought in her mind being flee, but a pair of hands rested on her shoulders, and she looked up to see the always stoic-faced Rhys forcing her back down in her chair, before pulling two strips of leather from his pocket and tying her wrists to the arms of the dining chair.
Lili struggled as he did so, the panic setting in, kicking her thin little legs out, trying to kick his him away, but when Rhys finished, he backed away and looked towards Harri, who clicked the pliers in his hand, grinning, before asking,
"What will it be, girlie?"
"I-I-," Lili sputtered, and Alfred held up a hand as he said,
"Wait, wait, wait...I forgot to mention. There's a change in the time limit."
Alfred held up his watch, so they could see the number five illuminated brightly.
"Five seconds," he warned, "Five seconds to make your decision. So, Lili. Would You Rather have your tooth extracted or three fingernails pulled out?"
"I, I, I," Lili panicked, and instantly going with the option that sounded less painful; "Fingernails!"
Harri looked almost disappointed, but grinned as he bent over, shielding what he was doing from Lili's eyes. She felt something gently grab her other hand, and turned to see that Toris had slipped his hand into hers, and his eyes were watching what Harri was doing. Lili felt something pinch her fingers, and barely had any time to prepare herself when she felt as if her finger were being ripped off.
It felt like a thousand freezing nails were driving into her finger at once, that the very bones of her finger were being ripped out, and Lili screamed as she clenched Toris's hand tightly, her feet kicking out and hitting the leg of the table. Her heart raced in her chest as she felt a slight pinch in her middle finger, and screamed even louder, even though the pain had not arrived yet.
She pressed her shoulders into the chair behind her, her screaming so loud and raw it felt as if her vocal chords were being shredded apart. She was sure she was leaving bleeding claw marks in Toris's hand, who she felt wincing beside her, but she didn't care.
Harri gave a hysterical laugh as Lili felt the final pinch on her ring finger, and she didn't know if he was laughing at her, or if he were nervous, because it did sound like it. Lili did not have any time, however, to ponder this, as the final fingernail was ripped away from her skin.
It felt as if her entire hand was being dunked in water that was hot it was freezing, as her three fingers burned and twitched with spasms, as she herself gasped for air, unable to properly comprehend the amount of pain her aching hand was in. Her entire arm was on fire. Her hand did not feel like her hand. It felt detached. Sawed off.
Harri held up the three ripped fingernails for her to see, smiling, and saying,
"You're all done now!"
Rhys bent over and untied her hands, and Toris let go of her hand gently, and there were indeed bleeding impressions his knuckles. Lili stared blankly at the bloody, smooth and squishy lumps of flesh that resided where her fingernails had once been. Her ears were ringing. Her heart was racing. Harri had placed the fingernails in his pocket.
Her fingernails were in his pocket.
Her fingernails. They were gone.
Lili turned her head and threw up on the floor.
"Awwww, gross," Lili heard Alfred whine, as she steadily brought her wrist up to her mouth to wipe away the vomit she'd gotten on her chin, "Who's turn is it?"
"Rhys cleaned up Elizabeta's blood," Arthur supplied.
"Right. Cameron, clean it up!"
Scowling, Cameron left the room, presumably to get a mop or a rag. Lili's attention was drawn to Toris when he gave an ear-splitting shriek. He must have made his decision whilst she was upchucking. Lili caught sight of Harri dropping a bloodied fingernail onto the table in front of Toris, and felt close to throwing up again, even though there was surely nothing left in her stomach now.
Toris didn't scream the second or the third time, but instead bit his lip and emitted a high-pitched whining sound as Harri laughed. Lili continued staring down at her own hands, the numbness ebbing away and the icy pain flowing back. Her fingers felt sore and raw, and were twitching slightly. She couldn't keep them from twitching.
Harri moved onto Natalya, who said, before Alfred could even start the time,
"Tooth."
Alfred laughed, and Lili gave her a wide-eyed look. Surely, a tooth being pulled would be much more painful than three fingernails?
Rhys tied Natalya's hands to the chair, and Lili found herself watching in horror as Harri pried her mouth open, the bloody plier-like object fixing onto one of her molars, and Natalya's eyes squeezing shut as Harri began to visibly strain his arm back, working to pull the tooth out of her gums. Lili unconsciously raised her palm to her lips and pressed it to her mouth, feeling the violent urge to scream and gag and throw up and curl into a ball and sob all at the same time.
She was here, she was watching this happen, she was playing this game, and it had not seemed so real before now. Natalya did not scream, but emitted high-pitched groans every few seconds and Lili wanted to cover her eyes and scream but she did not because she could barely move. Toris was still panting, and everybody else was either focused on Natalia or looking away purposefully.
With a final successful tug, Harri yanked the tooth from Natalia's gums, and her eyes widened and she gave a screech of pain, hand jumping to her mouth and pressing against her gums, as if hoping to soothe them. Harri proudly showed the tooth around, as if it were a prized piece of gold, before slipping it inside his pocket.
Lili slowly drew her knees up to her chest, curling her entire body onto the cushion of the dining chair as Leon grunted and made odd noises as his fingernails were pulled, and she bit her lip and closed her eyes as Feliciano screamed loudly before, during, and after the loss of his fingernails.
Feliciano had come dangerously close to being shot, or eliminated, as Alfred had said earlier-he had had one second left on Alfred's watch after sputtering, stammering, and crying, before managing to choke out his answer, and out of the corner of her (now open) eyes, Lili saw Arthur's hand slowly drawing away from his waistband. Then Lili had to squeeze them shut again when Feliciano began screaming.
Listening to the beeps of Alfred's watched made her both panicked and soothed, because he timed Harri every time he pulled fingernails (or in Natalya's case, a tooth) and the constant beep, beep, beep, was a reminder of their situation, but the constant, repetitive of it was soothing. It was a known, in the midst of the horrors of the unknown they were all currently trapped in.
Lili opened her eyes, turning her neck a little so she could see Yao, who was nervously biting the edge of his fingernail. Tereza sat next to him, her arms so bloody from the constant scratching (out of nervousness? Habit?) that every time she tried scratching them now, her fingernails just slid across the skin because it was slick with blood. Lili looked down at her hands and felt a little grateful that whilst she had unconsciously left deep marks in her palms from her (remaining) fingernails, they were not bleeding.
"Yao," Alfred's voice said sweetly, as if it were trying to physically caress Yao's form in a tenderly dangerous hold, "Would You Rather have three of you fingernails ripped out or one of your teeth removed from your gums?"
Yao bit the edge of his nail nervously, eyes lost in thought, and Lili counted the beeps in her mind. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Yao opened his mouth and said, "I-"
But the words never did leave his mouth. On the fourth beep, out of the corner of her eye, Lili saw Arthur rapidly pull his gun from his waistband, point it at Yao from across the room, and fire.
Lili was frozen. Staring. Stunned. There was a dark hole dripping from Yao's forehead, not in the middle but off-center, dark liquid streaming from it and steadily pooling beneath his eyes, dripping down his chin.
And then, his body slumped sideways, and his head landed on Tereza's bloody armed, and she shrieked and leaped to her feet, but Lili did not hear her shriek because her mind was foggy and her ears were ringing and everyone else was screaming.
There had been one beep left.
One beep left on Alfred's watch.
And yet...
Lili could not throw up again, but she could flinch as everyone started screaming, Leon and Tereza the loudest, and she could hear Alfred laugh and Cameron give an exasperated sigh as he moved towards Yao's body, as if getting fed up with so many dead bodies needing moving.
One beep left on Alfred's watch.
This had been planned.
Lili turned her head slowly, to stare at him, feeling as if she were being frozen from the inside out, and watched him giggle, and knew this was not a fair game. The strings were being pulled. Perhaps Alfred had a set winner in mind and was going to kill off the people who could hurt this person's chances.
If this were the case...
There was no way Lili would be able to survive.
And for what felt like the millionth time in a time span of many years, Lili cried again.