Chapter 1: Silence of the Sacrificial Lamb (Daily Life #05)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!
With that said, please enjoy!
"To my humblest dearest Miss Cassandra Mura," White Collar sat in his throne as he stared straight toward the unknown talent. "The one who refuses to mention what exactly her Ultimate Talent beholds. Could it be that she is ashamed of her talent? Or is she attempting to hide from certain persecution. Whatever the case may be, you know what your talent is, but I know something more: How your father is doing…"
...
White Collar evaporated into static as the scene switched to video recording of one Hikaru Mura. He looked visibly pale and drained. It shouldn't have been much of a shock for Cassandra to see her father like this. Hikaru always came home with barely any energy but something about this was different to her. It didn't take long for her to figure out why.
Her father was worried. He was in contact with two police officers, and he looked visibly distraught. Cassandra recalled seeing Holland's mother in a similar light in that still image everyone got but seeing that with her own father was something new.
"Calm down, sir," came the voice of one of the police officers.
"H-How can I calm down?!" Hikaru exclaimed. "My daughter has been missing for three days now! How can any father calm down in a situation like this?!"
"Well, she's like any other teenage girl, right?" the other police officer stated. "Surely, she must be out with friends. Maybe got drunk and is just chilling in a motel with her phone batteries dead or something like that."
"A-Are you serious?!" Hikaru glared at the police officer. "H-How can you even think that?! My Cassy never goes outside. She's always cooped up in her room and she always comes down for late night dinner together! She never leaves the house! I'm telling you; she's been kidnapped. Someone came knocking at the door, she answered, and she was taken. That's the clearest logical explanation! So please! Please find her!"
"Kidnapping case?" the police officer asked. "There's no evidence for your theory. No break-ins. Nothing."
"Y-You… You officers… You don't even look like you care," Hikaru clenched his fist. "Th-This is my daughter. You have to find her please!"
"...We'll do what we can," the police officer merely stated.
"Y-You said that the first time I reported to you to file a missing person's report!" Hikaru exclaimed in disbelief. "I-Is this seriously how the law enforcement conducts their duties?! D-Do you even care for her wellbeing?!"
"Of course, we do," the police officer stated, trying to calm Hikaru down. "And we'll do everything we can to find her."
Cassandra could tell Hikaru wasn't happy with their answers. In fact, most of their answers pissed her off. She couldn't help but place a hand on his cheek as she watched him grieve.
"My daughter would never get into any trouble like this," Hikaru murmured in anxious sorrow. "P-Please Cassy. Come back to me. I can't… I can't afford to lose you too."
"Speaking of trouble Mr. Mura," the police officer scrolled through his notes. "We found something very interesting when investigating your daughter. We think you might want to take a look at this."
Cassandra furrowed her eyebrows. What did they find? She watched as her father hesitantly followed the two police officers. Her heart beat. What was going to happen next? What did they find? She was curious. She wanted to know.
...
She never got the answer. White Collar came back onto the screen on his throne, hands clasped together as his mask widened into a sinister grin.
"As promised, I have shown you just how your father is doing," White Collar stated. "He's distraught over your disappearance. And it seems that the police officers may have found something relating to you. Or maybe it's something else. Whatever the case may be, you and I can both agree that fathers are truly the most important things in their daughter's life. And the police officers that spoke to your father with such disrespect, are nothing more than scum."
Cassandra held onto her tablet tightly.
"...That's all I wished to show you..." White Collar's mask grinned.
"N-No... wait," Cassandra quietly muttered to no one in particular.
"Goodbye," White Collar finished.
"N-No!" Cassandra held onto her tablet, tightly.
The video shrank back into the application that had appeared on her tablet. It was a new application that had only appeared in the morning. And Cassandra had so foolishly seen it. Because now she was pissed.
"FUCK!" Cassandra cursed as she threw her tablet straight toward her door. She had a choice. Kill someone to leave or stay here and try to find alternative means to escape. They both had risks, but one had the certainty of leaving and the other, not so much. "FUCK!"
Cassandra took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She headed toward her door and picked up her eHandbook. Most certainly, her chucking the tablet at the door didn't make a single scratch or dent. Thank goodness for that. She could've been severely punished thanks to Rule #9.
Then a knock came at the door.
Perhaps someone heard the loud bang caused by the force of the handbook hitting the door. With an irritated sigh, Cassandra opened the door only to see Jared.
Cassandra clenched her fist. All that blue on that police uniform. That badge that was shone so brightly and proudly. She hated it. This fucker in blue showed her father disrespect. If she didn't have better control of herself, she would've caved this fucker's head in by now.
"Hey, Cassandra," Jared scratched the back of his neck. "Listen. I know you don't like joining our strategy meetings and stuff, but everyone is gathered at the Cafeteria to talk about the videos and such. So, I was hoping you would like to join-"
"Why would I go anymore with a blue fuck like you?" Cassandra glared deeply into Jared's eyes. "Fucking boys in blue think you're all hot shit because you think you're all about the law. You're just sad people who say they're upholding justice when really, you're just dicking around and making a mess out of things."
"I… don't understand where this hostility is coming fro-" Jared attempted to reach out his hand.
"FUCK OFF!" Cassandra slammed the door in the police officer's face.
Jared blinked. Cassandra was a lot crabbier this morning than any other morning. He rubbed his chin. She would've gotten her motive video, meaning she must've seen it. And whatever was on that video might've been as bad as his. Jared tipped his police hat down.
And he let Cassandra's words get to him…
(Auditorium)
Zuri scanned through her eHandbook.
Sure enough, there was nothing. No motive video. No disadvantage. No advantage. She was only one of the few who was lucky enough to not receive anything and thank God for being paired with someone like Kane. Had she not been or had Kane decided to Distrust her, she might've snapped as Yuumi did.
She looked down.
Yuumi was so painfully hurt yesterday, and Zuri felt nothing but empathy for her. What Arthur did was truly unforgivable. Zuri didn't bother thinking of that man. What he did and said yesterday was definitely uncalled for.
Zuri closed her eHandbook and sighed.
She had been called early in the morning by Jared who notified her of the meeting at the Cafeteria today. Apparently, they were going to talk about the videos and what they received. Zuri herself didn't receive anything so she thought it fine to give some time to herself.
That was why she was in the Auditorium.
Out of everywhere else in this facility, the Auditorium was the one place no one would bother hanging out. It was such a shrewd area for a hangout anyway and already filled with bad memories. One, Haruto's near-death experience against Monohebi. Two, the introduction of the Killing Game. Three, the Minigames.
Zuri frowned at the grand stage where White Collar would be standing, preparing his next twisted announcement of the day.
She sighed.
She's spent enough time here as it was. Zuri stood, patting her clothes in an effort to clean herself before moving toward the exi-
"Agh!" Zuri tripped. She winced. She looked down at the bands on her legs. There was a scrape mark on one of the bands. Had her leg been exposed, there would've been at least a scratch so thank goodness for wearing those. "What?"
Zuri looked toward what had caused her to trip…
…
…And she widened her eyes.
(Cafeteria)
"Well guys, it seems like Cassandra isn't coming," Jared sighed, repositioning his police hat as to make him seem a little happier. "As usual. But I think we can make do with the rest of u- What is going on here?!"
When Jared entered the Cafeteria, what he had stumbled upon was nothing more than a shitshow. Everyone was there in the Cafeteria except for Cassandra (of course) and Zuri (who had just found something and was currently on her way to tell the group what she found). But at the moment, there seemed to be yelling and overall, a huge commotion surrounding a large gathering of people.
"Oh, Jared," Kane looked concerned. "Well… you see…"
"I can't believe you would do that to Mimi!" Yuumi's voice could be heard among the group of people. "She trusted you and yet you destroyed that trust like it was nothing!"
"Look, I said I was sorry, alright?!" Haruto's voice was the next to be heard. His voice was objectively louder than Yuumi's, but Jared couldn't expect any less of that. "I only did it because I thought it would be good for the rest of us!"
"And how does Mimi getting a disadvantage help any of us?!" Yuumi yelled. She was seriously not happy with the basketball player. Jared had to squeeze through the crowd and try to take control of the situation, but it was clear on both of their faces that neither had any intention of stopping their argument.
"Hey!" Haruto growled. "That advantage could really be of some help y'know!"
"And what exactly was that advantage then, huh?" Yuumi glared as she squeezed Sailor Penguin close to her. "Was it anything you dreamed of? Anything that could really help us out here?"
Haruto stared at Yuumi before clenching his fist and sighing bitterly to himself.
"...N-No," Haruto sighed.
"So, there you have it," Yuumi crossed her arms, glaring at Haruto in distaste. "You gave Mimi a disadvantage all for nothing. All so you can get something lame and no motive video."
"Look, I'm fucking sorry about that, okay?" Haruto continued to scowl at Yuumi. "If it makes you feel better then I'll fucking throw the next Minigame, alright? I'll vote Trust and nothing else? Does that sound fair?"
"What makes you think there's even going to be a next Minigame?" Abigail raised an eyebrow at Haruto.
"Well why wouldn't there be?" Haruto asked Abigail. "The Minigame was already complicated to listen to so why the fuck would they just use it this one time?"
"...Hmm, good point," Abigail gave a firm nod.
"Fine then," Yuumi folded her arms. "But as an added bonus, you're going to do everything you can to make up for Mimi's disadvantage!"
"How the fuck do I make up for that?" Haruto looked visibly irritated with how much Yuumi was putting into this. "Isn't throwing the next Minigame enough?"
"Um, no it's not!" Yuumi glared at Haruto. "I want a written apology sent to Mimi by tonight!"
"Um, Y-Yuumi, he doesn't have to do that," Mimi pointed out. Yuumi merely pushed Mimi behind her.
"I would like to agree with Mimi here," Jared attempted to jump into the conversation. "What Haruto did was awful. Yeah. I get it. But him throwing the next Minigame is already punishment enough. Anything else would be excessive."
"But he has to pay for what he did!" Yuumi declared.
"Hey, bitch!" Haruto's blood started boiling. "I said I was going to make it up by throwing the next Minigame! What more do you want from me?! I already apologized to Mimi like a bajillion times! Now you want it in writing?!"
"H-Haruto, that's not help-" Jared attempted to say before Yuumi cut back in.
"Yes!" Yuumi placed her hands on her hips. "That way, you can reflect on what you did and why what you did was wrong!"
"Y-Yuumi, pl-" Jared was once again cut off.
"Stupid bitch, this isn't kindergarten!" Haruto clenched his fists and shook them in anger.
Around this mark of the conversation, the emotionless Holland watched this back-and-forth between an aggressive person and a bubbly person. At first, he stayed to watch thinking things would be settled in a matter of five minutes...
It's been half an hour already.
He sighed and left his seat while everyone in the room focused on the fight. Tucking his eHandbook in his pockets, he prepared to leave the Cafeteria. That was when Zuri came in with a pant.
"Huh?" Zuri blinked, looking at Holland. "Holland. Where are you going? And… what's going on here?"
"...I dislike conflict," Holland sighed. "I'm going back to my room."
"Oh, okay," Zuri gave him a small nod of understanding. Once Holland had left the Cafeteria, Zuri pushed forward toward the crowd. "I… What is going on here?"
"Oh, Zuri," Kane turned to her just as he had turned to Jared. "Well. Have a look for yourself. They've been at this for thirty minutes now."
"These people need a chill pill!" Titus declared. "Just go kiss and make up already!"
"T-Titus," Jared looked exasperated as he turned to the psychedelic looking character. "Seriously. Not. Helping."
"Please calm down Yuumi," Mimi tried to calm Yuumi down. "Really. It's okay. I understand why Haruto did it. He doesn't need to do anything to make up for me."
"Yes, he does Mimi!" Yuumi fluffed Sailor Penguin with a glare toward Haruto. "He hurt you. He hurt my best friend and he has to pay for that!"
"And I told you a million times already!" Haruto glared at Yuumi. "I'm paying for it during the next Minigame! How many times do I have to say it in order for it to get through your thick ass skull!"
"Okay, guys, enough," Maggie sighed. "This is seriously becoming an endless cycle and I really need to go and clean the Prison Lounge soon."
"I too am becoming tiresome of this conversation," Arthur grabbed his eHandbook from the Cafeteria table.
"We need a topic changer!" Titus exclaimed. "Stat!"
"My skull is thick?" Yuumi looked offended. "Um, what about yours?!"
"That's not the topic change I needed!" Titus groaned.
"Enough!" Ina jumped onto the table that Mayu was sitting at, drooling at the thought of food she would be eating. This action made Yuumi yelp and Haruto jump in surprise. Hell, everyone was surprised by Ina's sudden action. "...Please. Everyone. Let's calm down and stop talking about this subject. What happened happened. Can we please continue to the intended topic of conversation at the moment?"
"Y-Yes, thank you Ina," Kane sighed. Playing the role of leader sure was tough for him. He eyed Haruto and Yuumi, the source of all that chaos. Typically, he imagined them making up soon but instead they scowled at each other and looked away. That wasn't going to change… at least not soon. "Um. So, what I was going to say was-"
"I… found something," Zuri quickly spoke out.
"-Nevermind," Kane crossed his arms with a rather sad and disappointed look. "So much for some quality bonding and therapy sessions. Sniff sniff."
"Ah, I'm sorry Kane," Zuri looked at Kane with an apologetic look on her face. "I just thought that this would be much more important."
Kane sniffled as Haruto jumped in.
"Well don't just stand there and leave us hanging," Haruto stated. "What the fuck is it?"
"...I think I might have found a possible way of escape," Zuri stated.
Everyone went silent as they heard the bomb that Zuri had dropped. Zuri had found a way to escape? After five excruciating days, have they finally achieved what they've all been trying to achieve? As if like magic, the good news immediately brightened up everyone's mood.
"Holy shit," Haruto looked pleased for a guy with a permanent scowl. "This is fucking fantastic news!"
"An escape!" Yuumi cheered. "Did you hear that, Mimi? We're going to be able to leave!"
"I'm so happy!" Mimi cheered as well. "If I had my magic wand, I would be able to create fireworks!"
"Well?" Jared smiled. "Where is this way of escape?"
"...Um, you see," Zuri began. Compared to the rest of her excited peers, Zuri herself didn't seem to showcase much of that emotion. Instead, she looked a little unsure by what she found. "I found it in the Auditorium, but the thing is, it seemed to be some sort of small tunnel."
"A small tunnel?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "In the Auditorium. How in the blazes would any one of us have missed that?"
"Well, it is a kind of a 'blink, and you'll miss it' kind of thing," Zuri stated. "There was a hole near the corners of one of the Voting Chambers. When I took a closer look at it, it looked as if the small hole led to some sort of underground tunnel. Whether or not it leads to an escape, I'm not entirely sure."
"Huh?" Abigail stared at Zuri. "So, in other words, you called it an escape to get our hopes up."
"I- I'm sorry," Zuri looked down.
"Hey hey, don't feel bad," Maggie reassured the bassist. "What you found is actually nothing short of a miracle. Who knows? Maybe it's our ticket out of here."
"Then should we all head there now and see where that tunnel leads?" Kane asked with a determined smile.
"No, wait," Ina shook her head. "I don't think that is such a good idea."
"What do you mean Ina?" Barracuda blinked.
"If we all go, it may be obvious to White Collar that we are up to something," Ina rubbed her chin with a serious gaze. She eyed the security cameras on the ceiling that was currently watching their morning meeting. "And if he suspects something, he might interfere."
"Th-That's true," Carter blinked. "S-So then, a smaller group should go and check it out then?"
"I'll go join!" Barracuda declared. "You're going to need some muscles for this job!"
"Yo, count me in too," Haruto gave a nod.
"I'll lead the team," Jared nodded as he tipped his police hat to Kane. "And I'll report to you Kane what we find."
"Sounds like a deal," Kane grinned, giving the police officer a thumbs-up.
"Eh, I have nothing better to do anyway," Abigail rubbed her arms with an aloof gaze. "I'll join in."
It didn't take long but soon a group of 7 had been settled and entrusted to take on this task. That group of 7 included Abigail, Barracuda, Carter, Haruto, Jared, Yuumi, and Zuri. Abigail, Barracuda, Carter, Haruto, and Jared all volunteered for the task. Zuri had to go anyway because she was the one who knew where it was. Yuumi was the odd one out of the group, but she insisted on coming as well.
That was when Kane clapped his hands together.
"Alright, so we'll be entrusting you 7 with this important mission!" Kane grinned.
"Seven people," Titus blinked. "What happened to trying to be discreet so White Collar won't notice squat?"
"I agree, it is much, but I suppose all we can do now is trust they don't mess this up," Arthur gave a rather cold gaze to the group of seven. Yuumi stuck out her tongue at the snowboarder in the back.
"Alright, with that said," Kane looked a little more optimistic now. "Let's roll out! Today is the day!"
And thus, the morning meeting ended with a group of seven separating and promising to meet together at the Auditorium for their grand escape excursion.
Everyone else went off and did their own thing…
(Main Hallway)
"Maggie!" a voice forced Maggie to stand still. When she had turned, she saw Kane running up to her with a raise of his hands. With the group of 7 entrusted to find where that tunnel will lead, Maggie thought it best to take this time and do one thing: "You're heading to the Prison Lounge to clean up?"
"Well, I was," Maggie looked to the side before looking back with a smile. "But you kind of stopped me from doing so. What did you need Kane?"
"Alright, stand there and hear me out," Kane grinned. "As a supermodel, you're probably used to a lot of different unique fashion senses!"
"Hm, well that is true," Maggie looked unsure on where this topic was going as she rested her cheek on her fingers. "I was forced to wear a full-on feathery outfit plucked from a wild peacock. Worst moment of my modeling career."
"How about something more vintage and retro?" Kane grinned, fixing his jacket.
"Hmm, I can't remember any outfit that would be considered vintage or retro," Maggie played with a lock of her hair. "I'm sorry but… why are you asking me this?"
"Well, a model like you would make anything you wear work, right?" Kane clicked his tongue. "I was hoping that once we get out of here, you'd be down to model for some vintage outfits that I have stored in my pawnshop."
"You want me to model in vintage outfits?" Maggie blinked, confused. She twirled the locks of her hair once more. "I don't know Kane. I appreciate the offer but since you're working at a pawnshop, won't the original owners be a little iffy that some stranger went ahead and wore their outfits?"
"Ha!" Kane laughed before frowning. "Are you kidding? They passed the deadline for payment months ago. I haven't heard from them since! Legally, that means any other customer can just take it at a reasonable price."
"I see," Maggie smiled. "So that's how pawnbroking works, is it?"
"It's a sweet business," Kane grinned. "You get some really cool stuff here and there and you make a little moola keeping them safe."
Kane moved his fingers as if he were counting cash.
"Of course, it was Grandpa that taught me everything I needed to know in order to run the good "Old Days"," Kane smiled. "I bet your mother was a model as well too?"
"Ha," Maggie giggled. "Far from it. She was a simple wife to her simple husband who happens to be my simple dad. As far as modeling goes, I don't really have anything interesting to share about my past life."
"But you must've gotten yourself into modeling for some reason," Kane blinked at Maggie.
"...Mmm, I'll just say that it was more of a family decision for me to become a model," Maggie smiled. "I am considered to be the best-looking person in the family."
"Heh, I can see why," Kane grinned.
"But it doesn't come without its kinks because I'm always so distracted by boys that I don't get to discover the right guy for me," Maggie drooled with a rather reddish blush.
"...Hmm, what's your type?" Kane rubbed his chin, glancing toward the side.
"Haha, come now, Kane," Maggie laughed. "When you're the best-looking person in the family and get a lot of pawing boys at your feet, you don't need a type. You just need someone that makes you feel satisfied."
"And have you met anyone like that?" Kane asked Maggie.
Maggie's eyes changed from a brighter to a sadder look. Kane instantly recognized it and regretted asking that question. He didn't know why he asked but he got some form of an answer.
"I… I'm sorry," Kane blinked. "I got carried away with that one."
"...Don't worry about it," Maggie folded her arms with a small smile and a sigh of relief. "Some boys just come and go. That's all there is to it."
Kane scratched the back of his neck. He had to admit, Maggie was the most beautiful girl out of everyone in this facility. He wouldn't mind getting into something if they ever do escape togethe- Kane shook that thought. He shouldn't think of something like that at this time. They still needed to escape after all.
"I should get going to the Prison Lounge," Maggie smiled. "But you can bet I'll be there to model with those vintage outfits. Keep them clean for me when we escape. Alright?"
"You got it!" Kane gave her a thumbs up. "How long do you think you'll be in the Prison Lounge by the way?"
Maggie folded her arms and thought about it. She twirled a few locks of her hair before smiling.
"Well, there is a lot of trash in there," Maggie chuckled. "So probably for a really long time. But I bet things would go faster if I had someone to help me out."
"I'll try to be there then," Kane grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Haha, you're too kind," Maggie laughed.
Would you look at that? It seemed like Kane and Maggie have gotten a little closer together. Congratulations Kane!
(Auditorium)
Zuri sat on the stage of the Auditorium as she waited for people to start arriving. Of course, in terms of arrival, Zuri expected Jared to arrive first, given he was a police officer who seemed to be on top of everything at any moment of time. So, imagine her surprise when she saw Barracuda arrive.
"O-Oh!" Zuri blinked before waving Barracuda over. "Barracuda! Over here!"
"Zuri!" Barracuda grinned. "You were here this entire time?"
"O-Oh!" Zuri blinked again. "W-Were you trying to look for me? I'm sorry. I've just been hanging out here. I… didn't really have anything to do while I waited."
"Well, you knew about the exit, so I thought to come see it for myself!" Barracuda grinned. "Where is it?"
"I rather everyone arrives first so as to not raise too much suspicion," Zuri gave Barracuda an apologetic smile. "I imagine White Collar will just be thinking that we're like hanging out… here… in the Auditorium."
"Ohhh, I see," Barracuda pushed his glasses up before scratching the back of his neck. "Then, I came early?"
"Y-Yeah, you did," Zuri gave Barracuda a small smile. "But we can keep each other company… if you want. It's really up to you. Don't let me stop you from attending other things."
Zuri wasn't going to lie. She really thought Barracuda was scary. Even if he seemed nice with the way he talked to everyone, each time Zuri stood next to him, it was like standing next to a bear. Not only that, but barracudas are also predatory fishes of the sea.
And this guy named himself after a predatory fish.
Being with Barracuda alone was nothing more than a nerve-racking moment in her life. God. She missed being in a group.
…
Zuri was silent.
Barracuda was silent.
This awkward atmosphere. Zuri eyed Barracuda a couple of times and each time, she noticed that he didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Couldn't this guy feel just how awkward this unnerving silence was? She had to break it at all costs.
She just had to.
For her sake.
And maybe for his sake as well.
"S-So what do you think about Maggie?" Zuri quickly blurted out.
"Huh?" Barracuda blinked at Zuri, confused. He tapped his chin in thought. "What do I think of Maggie? Well. Maggie's a very nice person! She's like the nicest person here so far, I think! She always goes out of her to talk to me and she's also just… really nice!"
He said the word 'nice' three times. Maggie would be crushed if she ever heard that from his mouth, Zuri reckoned.
"Why do you ask?" Barracuda asked Zuri.
"O-Oh, well, I don't know…" Zuri trailed off. There were many reasons why she asked. One, she needed a random topic to break the silence. Two, this was the first topic that came to mind. Three, she was hella curious. "...It's just that you guys seem to spend a lot of time together. I was just wondering if there's anything going on between the two of you?"
"Going on between the two of us?" Barracuda blinked, confused before breaking into laughter. "Hahaha! Well of course there is!"
"O-Oh, really?" Zuri widened her eyes. Could it be? Could they really actually be-
"We're like really close friends!" Barracuda laughed before tapping his chin in thought. "Maybe even a best friend. We do spend a lot of time talking with each other…"
Zuri winced. This had to be the roughest and nastiest friend zone Zuri ever had the chance to witness. Maggie would be eating ice cream out of the packaging if she ever heard what Barracuda had just answered.
"...I see," Zuri frowned, as she tapped her chin. "Um…"
Zuri never had experience with love. She's had a crush before. Well, she still has one, but even still, she's never had experience so relatively, this was new stuff for her. But why was she even bothering with this. Barracuda never asked for advice, yet in a way, Zuri just had to feel sorry for Maggie.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Maggie was interested in Barracuda. But Barracuda thought of her as nothing more than a friend then that was going to be quite the petty problem. Goodness. What should she do?
"Oh oh, my turn!" Barracuda grinned. Compared to the rather worried Zuri, he seemed to be having the best time of his life. "What's going on between you and Holland?!"
"H-Huh?!" Zuri blinked at Barracuda in surprise. Where did that come from?! "H-Holland? What makes you think there's something going on between me and Holland?!"
"I saw you play chess at the party!" Barracuda grinned. "And you seemed very happy that he came to the party! That must mean you're close friends with him too!"
Oh right. Somehow Zuri had momentarily forgot that Barracuda was dense and only meant what she and Holland had as a friendship. That thought relieved Zuri a bit as she smiled and nodded.
"Oh yeah," Zuri smiled. "We're friends. We promised to be each other's friends because well, we both always had a hard time making friends back at home. Do you have any friends back at home?"
"...At home?" Barracuda blinked before frowning slightly. He folded his arms and spiked his shoulders up as he furrowed his eyebrows, looking into the air. "Mmm, no. Barracuda. Hmm. Alone. Yeah. No friends. I guess Maggie is my only friend then, hahahaha!"
"No friends?" Zuri blinked, looking at Barracuda with both sadness and surprise that he was laughing about it. "I mean, maybe your family counts as-"
"Haven't seen family in about three years," Barracuda quickly said, scratching the back of his ear. "So yeah. I guess Barracuda's been alone for three years."
"I… I'm sorry to hear that," Zuri rubbed her arms.
"But you have friends back home, right?" Barracuda blinked. "You are in a band. So, band members must be your friends!"
"I… Yes, they are my friends," Zuri couldn't help but smile at the thought of her bandmates: Hana, Laurel, Venessa. They were waiting for her. They must be super worried, but they shouldn't be. She'll come home soon. "The best of friends."
"Like me and Maggie!" Barracuda grinned.
"...Barry," Zuri spoke slowly, using the name that Maggie used. "Can I call you Barry? I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but it's sad to hear you've been alone all this time and can only call Maggie as your friend. So, I was wondering…"
Barracuda looked at her with a blink.
"...Would you like to be friends with me?" Zuri asked. Why was this beginning to sound like a love confession.
"More friends?" Barracuda asked before grinning. "I accept! Friend hug?!"
"Oh, that won't be ne-" Zuri didn't get a chance to refuse. She was instantly brought into a bear hug from Barracuda. He normally didn't do that with Maggie, so she hoped Maggie wasn't going to be plotting her demise any time soon.
…In a way, she was right. Being near Barracuda really did feel like being near a bear. But at the very least, she felt less frightened by his presence now.
I guess you can say, Zuri and Barracuda grew a little closer together…
Getting ready for the escape excursion was one thing. Getting ready to actually escape was another. Carter couldn't help but feel… good. The light was ahead of this dark tunnel they were in and Carter, normally so nervous and iffy around others, couldn't help but feel happy to see that he and the people he was trapped with were going to be free soon.
He wondered what exactly Zuri may have found, how reliable it could be, and most importantly, what he would do once he returned back into the world.
He might write a report. Yes. Now that was an idea. He could write a simple article of his time being a survivor of a twisted man's sick game. He could go into immense of his hardships and how he truly felt being around people he has never seen before.
And what's more, it could become a worldwide sensation. It would be a phenomenon. An instant best-seller, rivaling the works of Stephen King and JK Rowling. Carter Franklin. From Ultimate Opinion Columnist to someone everyone can recognize and respect.
Respect.
Carter thought about it now. Respect wasn't all that bad. Nor is being famous. It would be nice. Mr. Rowan always said his writing and his honesty was the greatest combination the world could ask for…
…Mr. Rowan.
Carter looked down. He snapped out of his insane fantasy of being a Killing Game survivor. He was currently at Cell Block A, staring at the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell. He remembered what his video entailed and looked down.
This was all her fault.
It was her fault he has become a target. Would he ever forgive her? Carter first thought he deserved it when Ina distrusted him and set him up for a disadvantage. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Ina's mistake forced Mr. Rowan back into his life and not the way he would've liked.
"...Carter," a voice snapped Carter back into reality once more. When Carter turned, he saw Ina, looking at him in slight concern.
It didn't take long for Ina to realize that Carter was a little unnerved around her. It took less to figure out why and why he was standing in front of her Ultimate Cell. Ina looked down in slight shame before sighing.
"...I'm sorry," Ina apologized. "Really. I am. But we are soon to be free. We are soon going to leave this place. Surely, you can forgive me once we leave, yes?"
"...I-I thought about how I deserved to be punished and deserved that disadvantage," Carter softly spoke as he hugged himself. "I- I m-mean. I'm n-not exactly a g-good guy or anything like that. F-Far from it. S-So originally, I agreed w-with you. D-Distrusting me w-wasn't w-wrong."
Ina remained patient and quiet, allowing Carter to speak on his behalf.
"Th-Then I realized it w-was," Carter bit his lip as he looked away with a rather sour expression on his face. "I w-was the one wh-who d-deserved to p-pay. N-Not… not M-Mr. Rowan…"
"...Carter, what are you talking about?" Ina asked.
"...H-Have you ever questioned w-why bad things happen to you and why good th-things happen to others?" Carter asked.
"...Yes," Ina merely stated. "I questioned that the day I was born…"
"Th-Then you m-must know how it f-feels like to b-blame yourself for s-something you had g-good intentions with," Carter hugged himself as he gave Ina a small smile.
"...Carter," Ina sighed. "With all due respect, I fail to follow through where you're going with this. Who is Mr. Rowan? Was he the someone you cared about in your motive video?"
Carter remained silent as he stared off into the distance.
"...What did White Collar show you?" Ina asked, a little more direct this time.
"...Th-The disadvantage," Carter looked away.
"I…" Ina didn't even know how to respond to that. No. As a matter of fact, she stopped herself from responding. Carter was deeply upset about the disadvantage he had received from the Minigame and Ina was entirely at fault for that. "...I'm sorry Carter. I really am. If any case, may I know what Mr. Rowan was to you? Or at least, show me what White Collar sent you?"
Carter seemed to tense when asked about showing someone what he received on his eHandbook. Ina recognized and cleared her throat.
"Or just, Mr. Rowan would be fine," Ina stated.
"...H-He was my high school teacher," Carter looked away. "S-Someone I could really look up to. H-He was just… the one person wh-who actually sh-showed me w-what I was c-capable of. And I d-did so many things for him. I made myself who I am because of him."
"...Sounds admirable," Ina looked away.
"H-He is," Carter looked up and smiled. "H-He's the most important person in my life. He t-taught me about writing as an opinion c-columnist. I owe everything I own to h-him. Th-That's how much I respect him as a t-teacher."
Carter couldn't help but feel lost in his thoughts as he thought about his experiences working with his favorite high school teacher. He turned to Ina.
"Y-You have someone like that?" Carter asked.
"Someone to admire…" Ina closed her eyes and thought about it. It took a while but eventually she came up with one simple answer: "No."
Ina glanced to the side.
"...I had no one to admire," Ina stated. "The moment I was able to think and talk for myself was the moment I was able to learn how to identify the demons to the innocent slaves despairing under their control. People come and go. So, I never had the time to admire someone and other people I could've admired turned out to be demons wearing the skins of humans."
"...Th-That sounds… gritty," Carter stated.
"...Just the life I was born in," Ina frowned as she crossed her arms. "All thanks to the biggest demon of them all: the one who left me to fend for myself all alone."
Carter blinked, confused. Ina took notice of Carter's confusion and shook her head.
"...I must have gotten carried away," Ina frowned. "Sorry. Again. About Mr. Rowan. However, the moment we escape, we'll finally be free from White Collar's control. And whatever he showed you will mean nothing."
Carter looked slightly unsure but at the same time, he knew Ina had a point. They were all about to leave soon. This should be a joyous day, not the day to leave behind regrets. Carter sighed and nodded at Ina.
"Y-Yeah, you're right," Carter gave her a small smile.
"Now, if you will excuse me," Ina folded her arms, looking serious. "I have something I need to do in my Ultimate Cell. Do not wait up."
"Um, y-you got it?" Carter looked at her, strangely.
Ina gave Carter a firm nod and headed directly into the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. Carter would've followed but he was eager to leave this facility. He turned his heels and headed toward the Auditorium.
Needless to say, Carter and Ina, despite what happened yesterday, grew a little closer today…
One by one, the seven members of the escape excursion team entered the Auditorium and joined up with Zuri by the hole she had been talking about. They didn't really know what they expected but when Zuri had told them about finding a hole that seemed to lead to a tunnel, they certainly expected a rather larger hole.
"What the fuck is this?" Haruto placed his hands on his hips. "This is a fucking gopher hole."
Yes. The hole at hand was as small as a gopher hole. However, the hole was more of a crack in the floor tiles with a small opening underneath. If one pressed their eyes against it like a peephole, they would've seen what Zuri was talking about: a small tunnel large enough to fit an animal and not a person.
"Um, Zuri, you didn't lead us here for a prairie dog hole, did you?" Yuumi looked at Zuri with a slight disappointed look.
"W-Well, I just had a thought…" Zuri looked a little nervous. The group seemed to be disappointed by this revelation. At the same time, they should've expected this. How could a large tunnel and a hole leading to said tunnel get unnoticed by someone like White Collar, who had prepared so much for these prisoners to play his twisted game?
"Seriously, none of us can shrink down to the size of a guinea pig," Abigail folded her arms. "Can't believe I wasted my time on this."
"W-Wait, just hear me out," Zuri quickly stated. She couldn't bear how quickly the others were to dismiss this. "So, it's not the hole you were really expecting. But still. Don't you think something like this could still be of use to our escape?"
"And how exactly can it help?" Jared tipped his police hat down. He was visibly disappointed by this outcome.
"Well, it still has a tunnel, doesn't it?" Zuri asked. "Meaning whatever animal made this tunnel has to have come somewhere from the outside. Right?"
"So what?" Haruto scowled. "Do we just follow a prairie dog to the outside world? Like that's going to happen."
"N-No, no wait, Zuri is onto something here," Carter blinked as he examined the hole and the tunnel. "Th-There's two things we can probably theorize about this hole and the small-animal sized tunnel. One, if it was a rodent, it had to have dug in through an opening in order to make this tunnel. A-And if we follow this tunnel, we just might find a weak point in this facility's s-structure."
"If?" Jared blinked.
"Th-The other theory," Carter rubbed his chin. "Th-This was made by Monohebi."
"Oh!" Barracuda blinked. "I get it! Because snakes can dig holes!"
"A-And this tunnel seems to be a perfect size for Monohebi to s-slither through," Carter fixed his glasses. "S-So if M-Monohebi really does travel through this tunnel…"
"It would explain how Monohebi can get around," Jared widened his eyes and nodded. He recalled an instant when Monohebi seemed to just suddenly appear back on Day 1:
Monohebi had slowly let herself down the ceiling and coiled herself to one of the locked doors. This act made Barracuda widen his eyes.
"It's the snake!" Barracuda exclaimed.
"What are you doing here, pest?" Ina crossed her arms, glaring at the snake.
"Yeah... that's right," Jared nodded. "There was even an instant when Monohebi entered the intersection between the Prison Lounge and the Cafeteria through the ceiling. So those tunnels might not always travel underground."
"Wait, I'm confused," Barracuda stated, confused.
"Th-Think about it," Carter continued. "Monohebi p-probably travels through these tunnels to get around the f-facility. And no doubt one possible location this tunnel m-may be connected… is…?"
Carter trailed off for the others to finish his thought process. Abigail was the first to respond with the most definite answer.
"...Wherever White Collar is hiding," Abigail narrowed her eyes. "I take back what I said, Zuri. This is definitely something to investigate further."
"Sweet," Haruto grinned as he menacingly cracked his knuckles. "Then that means we have a possible upper hand on that Satanic fucker."
"How do we figure out where this tunnel leads though?" Barracuda asked.
"We break through the fucking floor is how," Haruto continued to crack his knuckles. "Anyone got any like crowbars or anything like that? Jared. You probably have something like in your Ultimate Cell, right?"
"Just batons," Jared answered. "Though I doubt they'll work just as well as crowbars."
"Hey hey, you still have those guns in your Ultimate Cell, right?" Yuumi raised her hand excitedly. "Maybe we can use those and shoot the ground wide open!"
"Th-That's… not how guns work," Jared looked a little disturbed. It was probably because of the fact that Yuumi's description of how she wanted the floor uncovered was pretty extreme.
"Moreover, we're trying hard to not throw attention to ourselves, dumbass," Haruto glared at Yuumi.
Yuumi in response, stuck out her tongue.
"And J-Jared, M-Maggie, and I worked hard to put those b-bullets away in the Evidence Room," Carter twiddled his fingers. "W-Would be a shame if it… like… was all brought back out again."
"Oh booo, I guess no guns it is," Yuumi pouted as she hugged Sailor Penguin close. Sailor Penguin also seemed sad that they couldn't go in guns blazing. His cousins in Madagascar would totally do something as awesome as that.
"Look, if there's a hole like this and a tunnel system underneath, there's literally one thing we can do," Abigail said with a stifled yawn. "We're just going to have to kick it the floor in. Eventually the floor will snap, and we'll be able to make a larger hole."
"Alright, but what can we use to do that?" Zuri blinked as she looked at Abigail. "I mean. I doubt we would all be able to kick the piece of the floor off."
"Let's use our eHandbooks!" Barracuda suggested. "It could be like… the hammer to the nail!"
"It's against the rules, dumbass," Haruto grumbled. "You use that eHandbook and White Collar's gonna have your head."
"O-Oh," Barracuda blinked before looking down. He thought he had at least a decent solution to their problem for once. "Right."
Jared rubbed his chin however and looked back up toward the group.
"I suppose what we could do is maybe find something in the Evidence Room," Jared suggested. "It might have some useful things we need to crack the hole open."
"Oooh, good idea," Yuumi smiled. "And we can even bring those bullets if we need to!"
"We already said guns don't work like that," Zuri chuckled sheepishly.
"Not if you don't believe it!" Yuumi declared, holding Sailor Penguin's flippers in the air.
"Jesus Christ," Haruto muttered. He was honestly getting sick of Yuumi and her damn toy. He normally had nothing against the girl but that fight in the morning against her threw his old opinion of her for a loop. Now he was getting tense whenever she spoke. That wasn't good.
"So, we're going to the Ultimate Police Officer's Cell or-"
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
The group of seven froze. The noise that they had heard made its way past the Main Hallway and into the Auditorium. It was a scream unlike anything they have heard since their time in their facility, and it only kept on echoing the more the group stood still to process what they had heard.
"W-What the heck was that?!" Carter exclaimed; his eyes widened as he trembled. He held his glasses onto his face in place.
"It... It sounded like..." Zuri widened her eyes, terrified of what that scream could mean. It seemed like she had also recognized who that scream may have belonged to.
"W-Whatever it was…" Abigail looked a little breathless. "It sounded like it came right outside."
"Let's go!" Jared prepared to run toward the Auditorium's exit but before he could reach it, the scream returned, giving Jared a better sense of where it was coming from.
"ARRRRRRRRRGH!"
"I-It's!" Jared stopped, widening his eyes before switching to a more determined look. He repositioned his police hat and gestured to the group. "Hurry! To the bathrooms! Now!"
When the group of 7 heard the scream, they were quickly able to track it to the boy's bathroom specifically. Jared was the one who led the group. Behind him was Barracuda and Haruto, ready to act accordingly to the situation at hand. Abigail was behind those two muscle heads. Then the shrewder members of the group hid in the back, nervous as to what that scream was all about.
Jared held up his fist to gesture to his allies to stand back. He took a deep breath. Whatever was behind this bathroom door was clearly not going to be a good sight. He tightened his fist. Then without warning he slammed open the door.
And what they found there was…
…
"...U-Urgh."
Holland was on the floor, clutching his leg. His usual emotionless face was completely stricken with a pained look on his face. It was easy to see why. His leg was seeping with blood and the palm of his hands were practically bloodied for attempting to put pressure on his bleeding leg wound.
"O-Oh my God…" Carter widened his eyes.
"W-What the fuck," Haruto could only breathlessly whisper.
"H-Holland!" Zuri was the first one to quickly run to his side. "O-Oh my God. Oh my God. You're bleeding all over the place."
"W-What the hell happened?" Jared walked up to Holland in shock.
"I… I was attacked," Holland groaned, gritting his teeth to fight back the painful feeling.
Jared stopped looking at Holland before scanning the entire boy's bathroom. Nothing of note to be found. It was practically empty. While he looked around for any clues of Holland's potential attacker, Abigail was the next one to ask.
"Who attacked you?" Abigail asked Holland, a serious expression on her face.
"...I think… I think it was the Lamb," Holland's hands and legs trembled.
"Th-The what?" Abigail looked surprised. Carter on the other hand looked like he was going to faint.
"O-Oh hell no," Carter started to play with his fountain pen nervously. "O-Oh hell no. Hell no. No no no no no. L-Lawson the Lamb? C-Could it be?"
"I… I don't know but I think it was someone dressed as the Lamb or maybe it was the Lamb," Holland shook his head. "I… I don't know."
Abigail furrowed her eyebrows. Could it really have been Lawson the Lamb?
"Okay, we need to put some pressure on the wound," Jared stated after a perimeter search of the bathroom. "Bandages. Pieces of clothing. Anything. Wrap it around his wound. We can't have him losing too much blood."
Zuri and Yuumi nodded and got to work, using whatever material they could muster up to make a makeshift bandage for Holland's leg. As they attempted though, Holland's leg twitched as he winced in pain.
"Oi, after that Lamb bitch attacked you, where did it go?" Haruto asked Holland.
"...I… I'm not sure…" Holland tried to fight past the pain as he spoke. "B-But if you guys came from the Auditorium, then my guess is that he's going straight toward the direction of Cell Block A…"
Haruto didn't stick around after Holland responded to him. Instead, he quickly dashed toward the bathroom exit.
"H-Haruto!" Zuri exclaimed. "W-Where are you going?!"
"Stay here!" Haruto yelled. "I'm going to find that Lamb fucker and then I'm going to roast every single one of its fucking chops!"
"M-Maybe you need someone to come-" Jared suggested.
"All medical attention on him!" Haruto cracked his knuckles together. "I can handle a fucking sheep freak."
That was when Haruto raced out of the boy's bathroom and straight toward the direction of Cell Block A.
Haruto had to hurry. That damn Lamb actually went up and attacked someone? If this was five days ago before he had even been captured and placed in this facility, he would've laughed at the idea. But with everything that had been happening: nearly drowning, nearly getting choked by a talking snake, being forced into a Killing Game by the Devil… this was something Haruto could very much believe.
That damn lamb coming to life and finally striking. Piece of shit. He was going to find it and once he did, he was burning it for sure.
He sprinted towards Cell Block A as Holland had said that was where Lawson was headed toward. But he couldn't reach Cell Block A. Because the moment he reached the intersection leading to the Prison Lounge, the Cafeteria, and Cell Block A, he smelt it. He felt it.
And he saw it.
The fire.
There was smoke erupting from the Prison Lounge. Gray dark smoke seeping through the door cracks. The moment Haruto had entered this part of the facility, he felt the heat rush through his body. And he saw the bright orange flames erupt from the Prison Lounge. Not only that, Mayu and Kane were there in the middle of that intersection.
Kane was missing his brown jacket but from what he could see, it also seemed like he had been within the fire's reach. Perhaps that was the pile of burning charred up clothing near the Prison Lounge's entrance. Mayu was by his side, attempting to calm him down, as Kane seemed to have trouble breathing.
He seemed to have taken a load of the smoke and was coughing profusely.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Haruto cursed as he stopped in his tracks to talk to Mayu. "What the fuck happened here?!"
"I- I- I don't know!" Mayu exclaimed. "I just smelled something burning from the Cafeteria and came out to see Kane nearly burning to death."
"I… I…" Kane covered his nose. He didn't want to breathe in any of that smoke. "I… don't know what happened. I smelled smoke, opened the Prison Lounge and suddenly all that fire just came out."
His voice croaked a bit. He needed a moment.
"Shit, fuck, why now?!" Haruto growled.
"Did you smell the flames too?" Mayu looked up at the basketball player.
"...No," Haruto looked a little frantic. "Holland was attacked."
"W-What?!" Mayu looked shocked.
"H-Holland?!" Kane widened his eyes.
"He's bleeding in the bathroom," Haruto clenched his fist. "And he says it was the fucking Lamb that did it. That's why I came here. I wanted to go find it in Cell Block A but…"
"G-Go," Kane looked away from the smoke. "Go find that Lamb. Mayu and I will try to contain the fire."
Haruto stared at the flames before hearing Kane yell:
"GO!"
Right.
Haruto had to go find that fucking Lamb who was now starting to spill blood. He rushed toward Cell Block A, leaving Kane and Mayu to help contain the fire.
…
Cell Block A wasn't any different. The moment Haruto made it to Cell Block A, he stopped dead in tracks. It was the same as the Prison Lounge only this time, it occurred in the Ultimate Revolutionary's Lab.
Smoke.
Heat.
Fire.
"W-What the fuck is going on here?!" Haruto roared.
"H-Haruto!" Mimi was on the floor, her eyes terrified.
"Jesus, kid, what the fuck happened?!" Haruto yelled.
"Eep!" Mimi buried her face in her witch's hat. "P-Please don't yell at me!"
"Uh… hmm, sorry," Haruto cleared his throat. "But seriously. What the fuck happened?!"
He was only one percent quieter. Mimi didn't say much of anything. Instead, she just trembled. Haruto turned toward the fire but before he could do anything about it, he heard Mimi slowly sob.
"I…I'm scared," Mimi trembled. "I wanted to come out to find Yuumi. And then, everything was so hot, and it was burning and and…"
Mimi wasn't able to finish her testimony. Haruto attempted to run toward the burning Ultimate Cell but jumped back quickly when the fire roared, nearly slashing him with its dangerous burning flames. That was when a new sound echoed throughout the intercom.
"Attention all prisoners," came the voice of Monohebi and a raging alarm noise that blared throughout the facility. "This is an emergency. There is a fire in the Prison Lounge and the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. Everyone must remain calm and try no attempt to cleanse the fire. Allow me to turn on the emergency sprinklers."
"Ahhhh, i-it's t-too loud," Mimi covered her ears. She was terrified. Haruto on the other hand had to glare at the intercom. Something in him made him think that it was all planned out. The fire, that announcement. But at the moment, he had to look out for Mimi, but he had to admit, her crying and the alarm system was seriously getting on his nerves.
And the snake's voice. Ugh. He hated that snake.
"I repeat," Monohebi repeated. "This is an emergency. There is a fire in the Prison Lounge and the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. Everyone must remain calm and try no attempt to cleanse the fire. I will now turn on the emergency sprinklers."
The emergency sprinklers turned on, washing away the dying fire in both the Prison Lounge and the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell. When the orange coloring faded and the heat lowered to merely warm, the smoke became grayer and continued to disintegrate into the air. It fogged up the Prison Lounge and the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell.
…
Kane and Mayu looked at one another before slowly helping each other up. They heard the pitter patter of Barracuda and Jared rushing toward them, worried glances on their faces.
"W-What happened?!" Jared exclaimed. "Monohebi announced there was a fire and…"
"Th-The fire's been dealt with," Kane sighed, placing his hands over his hips as he attempted to catch his breath.
"Where's your jacket?" Barracuda asked.
"Oh?" Kane blinked. "It's over there on the ground, slowly getting charred into bits. But enough about me. How about Holland? How is he?"
"He'll survive," Jared gave a firm nod. "Abigail, Zuri and Yuumi are with him right now. He lost blood but the damage will only at least make him struggle to walk for at least a month I would say. From what I've seen, there's been a lot of damage to the nerves."
"...And the Lamb… attacked him?" Mayu looked scared. It wasn't an emotion anyone would've thought to see from Mayu but lo and behold, there it was.
"...Yeah…" Jared clenched his fist. "I bet Haruto told you that, huh? Where is he by the way?"
"He went straight to Cell Block A," Kane answered. "My guess is that he stumbled across the Ultimate Revolutionary Cell fire."
"B-But, what caused the fires in the first place?" Barracuda asked, his heart beating greatly.
"...I don't think any of us have an idea," Mayu sighed. "But maybe we should go inside and see later once it's safer."
"No need to worry about such a thing," came the voice of the snake, Monohebi. She slithered over to the group of four. "This facility's ventilation system will take care of the toxic air right away. It will be safe to enter after five minutes."
"Well, glad it doesn't have to take long," Jared tipped his police hat, looking serious. "We're going to have to investigate what caused that fire."
…
"What in God's name is happening here?" Arthur rushed toward Haruto and Mimi. "One moment I was looking through my eHandbook, the next I heard Monohebi say something about a fire!"
"Yeah well, look behind you, dumbass," Haruto gestured to the dying smoke coming out of the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell. "There was a fire and how it started, I don't even fucking know."
Arthur stared at Haruto. Then without warning, he rushed toward the inside of the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell.
"Hey!" Haruto glared at Arthur as he ran toward the Ultimate Snowboarder, leaving Mimi behind. "You got a death wish or something?! There's still too much smoke in there, asshole!"
Arthur didn't care. He quickly entered the Ultimate Revolutionary's Cell. Haruto growled and followed right behind him.
…
"Five minutes are up," Monohebi stated. "It should be safe now."
Jared didn't wait for anyone. He headed straight into the Prison Lounge which should be now cleared of the toxic smoke. He sniffed around, still smelling the slight aroma of charred up coal and a hint of alcohol. Hardly anything had been cleaned from the party in the Prison Lounge but what was this alcohol smell?
Did someone… bring alcohol to the party?
He also noted that there was a completely clean section of the Prison Lounge that had been completely untouched by the fire and that was around where the jukebox and the gramophone was. But then something else caught his eye.
And once he got closer, he widened his eyes.
"N-No…" Jared muttered.
…
"What?" Arthur stopped dead in his tracks. The entire room was completely covered in soot. Luckily, the walls and ground were nothing but stone, so the fire hardly did much damage. All it really did was repaint the floor with soot and black coal but that wasn't what caught Arthur's eye.
When Haruto reached Arthur, he too stopped in his tracks.
"The fuck?!" Haruto widened his eyes in shock.
…
"Hey Jared, what did you find?" Kane asked, cautiously as Mayu and Barracuda loomed over behind him.
The moment they laid their eyes on what Jared had been staring at, they looked equally as shocked.
"N-No way," Barracuda looked pale.
…
The Ultimate Revolutionary Cell was covered in soot and decaying smoke. Shattered pieces of glasses cut into even tinier pieces after Haruto and Arthur had entered the room and stepped on each individual piece. There were limbs twisted in an unnatural angle and half of its face that had once been there was now nothing but ashes.
That was the shocking and frightening scene Haruto and Arthur stumbled upon: the burnt up, twisted, charred, and practically decimated body of Lawson the Lamb, the Ultimate Police Officer Mannequin.
…
The Prison Lounge had 50% of the room being covered in small flames, ash, and nothing but soot. The only thing unnatural was the completely untouched corner of the room which housed the jukebox and the gramophone and the four people who had stumbled onto an insane sight.
One of the chess tables had been toppled over, with scattered chess pieces all around it. It didn't stop there. It just got more frightening. A little above those chess pieces was a kitchen knife, coated with blood, sizzling thanks to the fire. And most frightening of all was what was leaning against the wall a little above that kitchen knife.
For the kitchen knife was near a pair of legs which connected to a bloodstained stomach. It wasn't hard for Barracuda, Jared, Kane, and Mayu to recognize it.
It was a stomach belonging to only the slightly charred body of Titus Erskine, the Ultimate Conductor.
"A-AUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!" Mayu screamed.
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
And so it begins! The ending of the Chapter 1 Daily Life and the beginning of the Chapter 1 Deadly Life!
First things first, I would like to apologize if the update took longer than usual. For one, I'm currently visiting my family for two weeks, meaning there is a chance my writing time will be a little limited. However, I'm happy to say that I have completed the Trial chapters so literally all I need to work on next is the next chapter: the Investigation chapter! After that, it's smooth sailing with the final parts of Chapter 1 :D
Sad to say it but yes, Titus was the first to go D: Thank you Lidamek for allowing me to use him for such a small period of time. Though, compared to everyone else in this cast, Titus had to be the first to go. In fact, it made sense to me that he would be the first to go. His story could only be told through death than life, meaning even though Titus is dead, his story is not over. There are still some questions lingering on with his character that have yet to be answered but will be tackled in the future!
I really did enjoy writing Titus since compared to everyone else being rather serious and on top of things, Titus was one of the funnier characters that I can use to say random stuff like that 'milf' comment during the Minigame. It was fun writing him and I had a clear idea on how he acted and sounded like. Just full-on positivity and Hagakure energy haha!
However, as I said, although Titus may be dead, his story lives on!
With that said, I hope you enjoyed the final Daily Life of Chapter 1! Of course, do let me know how I'm doing and what I should fix but most importantly... let me know who you think killed Titus! Until then, the beginning of Chapter 1's Deadly Life has begun ;D
Prisoners Remaining: 15
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular)
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7)
Barracuda - The Ultimate Personal Trainer (Weekaro)
Carter Franklin - The Ultimate Opinion Columnist (armadas)
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate ? (ExtraMeme)
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Basketball Player (theotakureader101)
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi)
Ina Hamamura - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping)
Jared Ceartas - The Ultimate Police Officer (Otterplay)
Kanenoshin Amao - The Ultimate Pawnbroker (benkj6)
Maggie LaDroubi - The Ultimate Supermodel (Project Drama)
Mayu Mashiro - The Ultimate Heiress (zetsunaflame)
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan)
Yuumi Kizuchi - The Ultimate Sailor (Shamelles410)
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45)