Penguindude64 here back with Part Two! Here is Part 1 of my three part Christmas update, where I update all three of my main stories today as a Christmas present for everyone! I hope you all enjoy Red Light Green Light and have a merry Christmas and happy New Year!

MidnightSavvy: Thank you for the first review and your support! There is certainly a reason why Chris hasn't heard of TD...maybe he's lying for some reason? Or maybe somehow he's forgotten? Scarlett is a strong guess, considering her whole Pakhitew incident showing off the kind of person she really is! I wonder what motivation she has though, considering since TDI hasn't taken place, she hasn't met any of the cast members so far and so shouldn't have grown to hate them. I respect that prediction, considering they are the four characters that you see the inner dialogues of! Any further predictions? Maybe after you've read the chapter at least, there's a LOT of bloodshed to happen! I've tried to improve my paragraphs a little, I wonder what you think! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 1: THE EEL ALWAYS MANAGES TO SLIP THROUGH THE NET: BEGIN. 87/87 REMAIN.

Emma POV

I stepped out and was met with a blinding light. However, after a few seconds of waiting, my eyes adjusted to the sudden change in brightness. After adjusting, my eyes were met with a confusing sight. The room was a giant expanse that looked like some sort of desert. All 87 of us were behind a white line in the sand which led to another white line on the other side of the "desert". On the other side of that white line was a tall tree with gnarled, crooked branches with not a single leaf in sight. The strangest thing about the room by far, though, was the giant doll that was facing us, standing in front of the tree.

Suddenly, a voice boomed through the room, coming from a loudspeaker of some sort that I couldn't see. "Attention, contestants. Welcome to the first game of the Squid Game. By winning the Squid Game, the winner will be gifted 100 million dollars." the disembodied voice explained, pausing for a short time to allow us to think about that. 100 million dollars?! That would sort out my university fees and allow me and Kitty to pay all of our family's debt, with money to spare. We had to win this now. "Your first game is simple. Your goal is to make it to the other side of the desert and crossing the finish line. At that point, you will be safe and through to the second Squid Game. The doll will begin singing shortly. Once it does, "green light" will begin. In this stage, you are free to move. This is when it is advised you pursue the finish line. However, when the dolls head turns and the singing stops, "red light" has been activated. If you are caught moving during this period, you will be eliminated, so be very careful. Two things that the doll will recognise and allow however, is breathing and blinking, so feel free to breathe and blink while in the red light phase. You have a time limit of five minutes to make it to the end of the desert. The first Squid Game will begin shortly." The guard summed up quickly.

Wait, something isn't right here… kidnapping people and then paying them a boatload of money for complying with their rules and winning the games? There must be a catch here… but what? Before I could figure out what our kidnappers could be hiding, music began playing. I looked at the dolls head and saw that it was facing the tree. I stowed away my worries for the time being. Me and Kitty needed that money, after all. I dashed forward, noticing I was one of the leaders of the pack. However, the desert was massive and so I would be running for some time until I managed to reach the finish line. While I was normally quite serious, I could see how someone could even have fun during this, provided we weren't kidnapped, obviously. Suddenly, I felt my legs give way. I hit the ground hard and cursed under my breath as I realised I had been pushed. I looked up and saw that Izzy had climbed on the back of Ezekiel and Ezekiel was running around blindly, as Izzy had his eyes covered, laughing like a maniac. Suddenly, the dolls music stopped and out of the corner of my eye I saw the dolls head whip around. Silence dominated the expanse as I stared straight ahead, unmoving for fear of being eliminated, however that would happen. The dolls head scanned the crowd and my nervousness began to mount as its gaze finally reached me. Its cold gaze moved away from me and locked onto a target, being Izzy and Ezekiel.

Ezekiel was still moving around in a panic while Izzy was laughing all the while. The dolls eyes locked onto them and it was at that moment that I understood what our kidnappers had been hiding from us this whole time. Something left the dolls eye at breakneck speed on a direct course with Izzy and Ezekiel. It glinted in the light and with a start I realised that it was a bullet. My eyes zipped over to Izzy and Ezekiel as the bullet impacted the two with perfect precision. Both teens fell to the ground right in front of me, with Ezekiel being the one to land right at my head. If I had any hope of this being a lie, it was quickly disproven. Ezekiel looked peaceful, as if he may be sleeping. One thing proved me instantly wrong however, as blood spewed from an open hole in his head which went completely through his skull, making the desert floor visible below. The crimson blood splattered my face, with the only thing I could do in order to not join Ezekiel and Izzy being to close my eyes. However, I couldn't escape the horror in my mind. The image of Ezekiel's bloody corpse had been burned into my mind. "Ezekiel has been eliminated. Izzy has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated casually, as if commenting on the weather. I can't believe this is happening! I'm going to die here, Kitty is going to die here, we're all going to die here! I had stupidly thought for a brief moment that this would be a simple game, with the eliminated contestants being transported out of the facility. How foolish I had been to have even a slight glimmer of hope in my heart. Suddenly, screams permeated the heavy atmosphere and I hear bullets firing again and again. I could feel my tears and sweat mixing with the blood from Ezekiel, all dripping off my face in a steady rhythm. Normal… as if the whole world was normal. As if any of this hell was normal. The shots finally quieted down and the sweet melody began to play once again, making it seem as if nothing had happened and that this was just a normal event in this game. I opened my eyes slowly to see that the remaining people were still moving, while the floor was littered with carcasses. Unfortunately, I could not spare myself from glancing at Ezekiel once more, his blood beginning to pool and form a crimson blanket below the teen. No. I couldn't think about him right now. I couldn't think about anyone right now apart from myself and Kitty. But to keep her safe… I had to save myself. I hastily wiped the lesson I had learned off my face and dizzily stood up. Once I was sure I wouldn't trip again, I ran.

Kitty POV

I couldn't believe it. What was happening… it had to be a nightmare, right? I was going to wake up and go to school with Emma, everything would return to normal. But after the first shot, I heard blood curdling screams penetrate the atmosphere. The doll responded and I saw that to my right, DJ had passed out from fright. Before I could do anything to help him, a bullet struck him in the chest and DJ never moved again. "DJ has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated. I couldn't wipe away the tears. I had to remain still. Another two shots came from the left. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Leonard exclaimed, frightened out of his wits while Tammy played the flute, the desperation clear in their body language. Before anything could become of their incantation, both were felled by two bullets, a horrifying look of fear plastered on their faces for all of eternity, their eyes remaining wide open for all of time. "Leonard has been eliminated. Tammy has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated.

I wanted to close my eyes, to stop witnessing tragedy after tragedy… but the bullets came too fast. Katie and Sadie were hugging each other, tears trailing down their faces from the extreme terror they were undoubtedly feeling. "Katie, if we die here, I love you…" I heard Sadie whisper to Katie "I-I love you too…" Katie responded before the first bullet came, nailing Sadie in the head. She collapsed in a heap, blood squirting all over Katie as she howled in horror. Unfortunately for her, this proved to be her undoing, as a bullet entered her head and she collapsed on top of her best friend. "Sadie has been eliminated. Katie has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated. As Katie fell, her blood splattered onto Jen and she freaked out. "AAAAAH! BLOOD ON MY SHIRT!" She screamed in terror. Tom was having the same problem but unfortunately for the duo, fashion was the least of their problems. One bullet entered Tom's head and the other shot its way straight through Jen's stomach, allowing stomach acid to secrete from the hole in her stomach, mixed with the blood, beginning to burn Tom's carcass below her severely as the acid came into contact with his skin. "Tom has been eliminated. Jen has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated. I wanted to throw up but I couldn't. I can't die here. I can't do that to Emma. Oh god, Emma. I quickly scanned my surroundings before my eyes located yet another tragedy. Lindsay, screaming and running blindly towards the start. "TYLER HELP ME!" She screamed as she reached the door and began to pound on it in vain. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she whispered "Ty-tyler…" before her baby blue eyes were stained blood red. "Lindsay has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated.

I can't take much more of this. Luckily, I didn't have to. The doll began its melody once again and turned away from me and my remaining friends. I started running as quickly as I could. I didn't want to end up like them. I wanted to live. I had so many more people to meet, selfies to meet and I still hadn't found a boyfriend. I wiped away my tears as I ran, looking for Emma while I moved. I spotted her right in front of me. "Emma!" I yelled, hoping to have some familiarity in this terrifying situation. Emma quickly turned around and motioned for me to follow her. I obliged and ran, trying to ignore the bodies of my friends I was forced to leave behind, knowing that there was no helping them, despite my heart screaming at me to go back and help. My brain ultimately won out and after another tense minute of scrambling towards the ever-approaching finish line, the dolls head turned towards us once again so I stopped and braced myself, knowing what was to come.

Noah POV

"Holy shit!" I yelled once the dolls head had turned back around. Owen was at my side and he seemed to share this particular sentiment. "Ho-how could they?" Owen asked, trembling. "Owen, we have to keep moving! We need to get out of here as quickly as possible!" Noah yelled as he began to run. "Y-you're right." Owen weakly replied, sprinting after me, surprisingly fast for his appearance. We ran, manoeuvring our way around Leonard and Tammy as we kept running. While I knew I should be feeling something, anything right now, I couldn't help but feel numb. Maybe it was my mind helping me get through this alive or maybe it was something else. Whatever the reason, it was extremely helpful. Even though I've never been an athletic person, I ignored my burning legs and lungs and just kept running. The finish line was approaching fast. I even dared to allow a little bit of happiness into my burning body. However, that all evaporated in an instant when the dolls head whipped around. I froze and due to the fact I couldn't hear Owen's lumbering footsteps, I was willing to bet he had too. The first shot came from the right. For some idiotic reason, Spud, with a poker face, was still running even after the red light had been announced. Even after the shot shattered his chest, he showed no reaction and crumpled to the ground without complaint. "Spud has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated. Fragments of bone flew through the air and one landed in my hair. I was forced to resist the urge to remove it in favour of staying alive.

The next one came from the left. Tyler had managed to trip over a small rock before coming to a stop and the doll clearly wasn't a fan of his clumsiness. Before Tyler could even make an attempt to defend himself, the shot burrowed deep into his head and he lay, unmoving. "Tyler has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated. Little fragments of his brain burst out and one landed on my shirt and stayed there. I resisted the urge to gag. Just a little bit longer, then I can remove it. "Ah, my ankle!" Gerry exclaimed from in front of me, with Pete attempting to stabilise him. What a fucking idiot. Two gunshots echoed and both men now had no reason to worry about their ankles at the very least. I was taught to look at the silver lining in any situation, after all. A scream came from behind me and a bullet came right for me. I didn't move. I just stayed still and hoped for the best.

I saw the bullet threaten to invade my neck… and then zoom right past me and hit another more deserving target. "Taylor has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated. Elsewhere, Dwayne had just tripped over his own shoes and fallen to the ground. "NO PLEASE!" He yelled before the bullet hit him in the back of the head. One look at Junior right behind him was enough to break my heart but I had to stay focused. Prioritise me and Owen. Finally, the melody invaded my ears and the doll turned its head once again. I ran. Me and Owen closed in on the finish line and managed to throw ourselves over the finish line. "WE MADE IT!" I yelled in relief as me and Owen collapsed, relieved. However, Owen was already scanning the horizon, worried. "What's wrong?" I frowned, concerned. "I'm worried about the others." Owen replied. "Don't worry big guy, if they've survived this long, they should know what they're doing." I replied, which only seemed to half comfort him as I wiped the bits of bone and brains that had covered me during the game.

Shortly after us, others began to cross the finish line. "Phew!" Shawn exclaimed as he sat down next to us. "Shawn! Good to see you made it." I said. "Thanks. I just hope that their corpses don't rise." Shawn replied, scanning the horizon. I rolled my eyes as I responded "Don't worry, that won't happen. I can guarantee it." "I sure hope you're right." Shawn nervously responded. "Owen! Noah! Shawn!" Someone exclaimed. We all looked up to see a blood coated Emma and Kitty. "Are you guys alright?!" Owen asked, ever the caring person. "Traumatised indefinitely but unhurt otherwise." Emma replied bluntly. "I'd recommend taking a few minutes to rest. You guys must be exhausted from that." I replied. "Absolutely. What kind of sick person does this?" Emma asked. Owen flinched for some reason. I really need to confront him on that at some point. "All I know is that we have to break out of here after this game is finished." Shawn declared. "Y-you're r-right." Kitty replied, noticeably shaken. As we talked, more and more people crossed the finish line, to everyone's relief. Chef, Chris, Scott, Scarlett and B crossed next, joining our group of five and after that the players flooded in, each receiving a warm welcome after all we'd had to go through. Unfortunately, this period wasn't without casualties. I heard a strange cackle and saw that Sammy had fallen behind and tripped as her sister kept running. She seemed furious and terrified at the same time before a bullet entered her head. "Sammy has been eliminated." The disembodied voice stated, making everyone uneasy and upset as the last few stragglers began to flood in as time ran down. With 10 seconds left on the clock, a heavily traumatised Jay crawled across the finish line, shouting "Mickey, where are you?!" Silence. Jay scanned the field behind him, frantically looking for Mickey. He quickly located his target.

"Mickey!" Jay yelled as he readied himself to run for him, however, Ryan got there first and wrapped his muscular arms around Jay. "What are you doing?! My brother's out there!" Jay protested, struggling to pry himself away and gaining no purchase against the mountain of a man. "I'm trying to stop you from getting killed, kid!" Ryan yelled back as he stood, solemn like a statue. On the corpse-filled field, Mickey was running as fast as he could, knowing his time was limited. The seconds ticked down as we all watched with a heavy heart. However, he wasn't the only player running for the finish line. Surprisingly, Alejandro hadn't made it yet and his emerald eyes widened as he gritted his teeth and sprinted much faster than Mickey could. Alejandro managed to dive over the line with 3 seconds to spare and quickly collapsed on the ground. Unfortunately for him, the majority of people were focused on Mickey, who was still running for the finish as the time ticked down. "YOU CAN DO IT!" Owen yelled next to me. This single message of encouragement from the jolly giant himself prompted the crowd of concerned teens to begin cheering for Mickey. "It's motivating him…" I muttered, surprised as he began running faster than before. As the timer hit 1 second, Mickey dived for the line. However, the doll had other plans.

The head whipped around and a single bullet raced towards him. Fortunately, Mickey wouldn't have lived long enough to feel pain. Unfortunately, his dead body landed right in front of Jay. Everyone was silent as they slowly turned to Jay. Jay screeched as he clawed at Ryan's hands to escape and with a start, Ryan complied. Jay fell to the floor and kneeled down next to his fallen brother. He quickly reached for his neck and checked his pulse. After feeling nothing, his eyes went wide. Quickly, he performed mouth to mouth despite how fruitless everyone else knew it was, including me. Jay's lips were coated with blood as he attempted the impossible but I knew he needed to be stopped lest he start panicking and get himself killed. Before I could voice my complaints, someone beat me to the punch. It surprised me that Rodney of all people bent down to the pint sized panicking teen and picked Jay up. "LET GO OF ME! HE NEEDS MY HELP!" Jay screeched, attempting to claw his way back to his brother. Rodney was hesitant to reply but replied nonetheless. "I'm… not the greatest at this stuff but you have to understand something." Rodney explained. "NO! LET GO OF ME YOU HORRIBLE PERSON! IF I DON'T DO SOMETHING…" Jay screamed in a panic. "Your brother… is gone." Rodney spoke softly, as if too much force projected into his voice would scare Jay away. Jay flinched at that. He froze for multiple minutes, as if he was trying to process that information. Then he buried his head into Rodney's shirt and if the state of the shirt was evidence enough, he was crying. Rodney looked rather uncomfortable but still embraced it as Jay's wails pierced the quiet atmosphere. However, that wasn't the final casualty of this game. Unfortunately, there was one person missing when the time ran out. The guard simply walked up to them while in the red-light phase and shot her in the head. That slow person happened to be Staci. "Staci has been eliminated. All players have either been eliminated or have crossed the finish line. The first Squid Game: Red Light, Green Light has concluded. Please follow the guards back to your quarters." The disembodied voice explained.

With a heavy heart, I followed the remaining group to our quarters, with one last glance at the war-zone of corpses now present. Thinking back to every single announcement, we had lost 19 people of our 87 and the morale of the group was low, especially of those who had lost people close to them, such as Junior losing Dwayne and Jay losing Mickey. No-one was doing brilliantly at the moment but there was most likely a sick bastard amongst our number who was enjoying this. While I was sure more deaths were unavoidable at this point, one thing was for sure. I promised to myself that night that I would figure out who the mastermind was behind this evil game and put them down for the scum they are. After cleaning myself up in the bathrooms, I asked for a pad of paper and a pen from a guard, who surprisingly gave it to me. I immediately got to work in writing down the name of every single contestant who hadn't been killed thus far and remembering everything I knew from the mastermind. This was the way forward. Narrow down suspects and find the answer I'm looking for. Before I do any actual thinking, I removed my name from the list and after a minute of hesitation, removed Owen from my suspects list too. I sighed as I realised he had earned my trust. "I really am hopeless…" I muttered to myself as I got to work. This was going to be a long night.

? POV:

I laughed to myself as I thought of the success that today had brought. 19 down, 68 to go. Of course, I can exclude myself from that number and my other friend, bringing the number needed to die down. Of course, I'm unsure of whether I plan to let her live or not but we shall see. I'm sure my next game will see the more stupid members of the cast get cut off. I just can't wait to see the despair it brings. Suddenly, the door opened and the person who walked in shut the door behind them. "Ah, Owen. How nice to see you!" I exclaimed, sarcasm lacing my voice like steel. Owen winced at my tone but began speaking regardless. "Hey, why do you have to do this? Couldn't you achieve your goals a different way?" Owen begged, desperation clear in his eyes. "My goals can only be achieved this way." I replied curtly. "Please, could you reconsider? I mean, my friends are being murdered here. Couldn't you give them a second chance?" Owen attempted to reason. "A second chance? Owen, I'm done with second chances. Shouldn't you be preparing for the next game?" I replied, irritation clear in my voice. Owen winced once again before responding "Right, I'm sorry. Please at least consider another method, though." Owen replied before leaving the way he had entered. I laughed to myself. Owen thinks I'm going to consider another option? How pitiful. By the end of this game, I will put them through so much despair that their eventual demise will be all the more sweet. They will all be dead. Burning in the pits of hell while I may finally rest easy. They may have once meant a lot to me but now? Fuck them. I can't wait for the next game.

CHAPTER 1 END: The Eel Always Manages To Slip Through The Net. 68/87 remain.