Chapter Text
??? : “We live to die.
We die to be born again.
No one can escape that fact. Why mourn something already lost to the wind? We will join it soon enough.”
Martyn felt like he was falling. Falling endlessly as if he was dreaming. He couldn't see anything around him, like nothing was there at all, a complete nothingness with no end in sight.
Martyn: “But if that's the case, shouldn't we cherish what we still have? Even if we meet with it again, how can we be sure it won't be different?
And if we even remember it.
After all, that's what-”
Martyn opened his eyes suddenly and sat up. It was like waking up from a nightmare, but he couldn't even remember what had happened. His heart was still thumping rapidly, and he had to take a few seconds to calm down.
Martyn: (“Man, what the hell was that just now? Wait, where am I?”)
??? : “Hey, are you alright?”
Martyn: “Huh, what?”
Martyn looked in the direction of the voice and saw a blue-haired man, just standing there beside him, with an expression of slight concern and boredom. Only now did Martyn think to look around the place he so unexpectedly found himself in all of a sudden. It looked similar to a school classroom, with a blackboard with some doodles on it, a place for the supposed teacher, windows on the walls, although strangely covered to a point it could be hard to tell they’re meant to be windows at all, and many desks in the middle of the room, with Martyn seated at one of them.
???: “I asked if you need help. You just woke up, right?”
Martyn: “Thanks, I’m fine. And yeah, just woke up, what’s happening? Why are we... here, wherever it is?”
???: “Hell if I know. That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
Martyn : “ We?”
???: “Yeah, I went in here to check if there are any more people anywhere. Counting you, we have... 18 I think? It’s the last room someone checked in, so I doubt there’s anyone else. Everyone split up into pairs to search for anything that can explain why we woke up in this school. And while we’re at it, what’s your name?”
Martyn : “I’m Martyn Littlewood. And you are...?”
??? : “ Scott Smajor. If you don’t know what happened, want to stick together for a while? I’ll introduce you to the others.”
Martyn: “I don’t think I have much choice, so why not. But before we go, what did you discover until now?”
Scott: “Well, we all woke up somewhere in this school-like building. There’s a gym, classrooms like the one we’re in right now, what looks like dorm rooms for everyone here and a few other things like that. It looks like all of us have been kidnapped for some reason and brought here.
Martyn: “Kidnapped? So you don’t know why we’re here?”
Scott: “No, no one remembers how they got here. I’d guess you’re the same?”
Martyn: “Yeah, the last thing I know is lying in my bed, and now I’m here.”
Scott: “I hoped I’d find someone who knew something, but I’m not even surprised at this point. And now that that’s done, help me search this room.”
Martyn: “Okay, then what about that camera?”
Martyn pointed at a camera installed near the ceiling in the corner of the room, with a big monitor attached to the side of it.
Scott: “Uh yeah, it’s like that in every other room I’ve seen.”
Martyn: “So that means someone is watching us right now?”
Scott: “Most likely. I’ve been getting the felling of being watched pretty much ever since I woke up.”
Martyn: “Also, I wanted to check these windows. They look like they’re bolted shut.”
Scott: “These are the same almost everywhere as well.”
Martyn: “And why is that?”
Scott: “...I feel like you need to stop expecting me to know stuff.”
Martyn: “So another mystery to add to the pile then.”
After investigating the room and seeing nothing more of interest, the two decided to explore other parts of the school. The first thing to catch Martyn’s attention was a staircase going up, blocked off by thick metal bars. And next to it two more people.
???: “Come on, buddy! You’re almost there, those things are nothing to you!”
Martyn: “Is this guy trying to... chew through the bars?” (“They are like twenty centimeters in diameter...”)
???: “Yeah, he’s just like this. I like watching him, it’s funny.”
Martyn: “Maybe for you.” (“Okay, it is a little bit funny. But does he really think it’ll work?”)
??? : “Wait, I don’t think we’ve seen each other yet. I’m Skizz Mcman.”
Martyn: “Martyn Littlewood. And this... thing?”
The man, up until now continuing going at the hardy bars, finally decided to look up and stand up straight.
???: “Hiya, didn’t see you there. What’s poppin’?”
Scott : “This creature right here is Joel Beans. Now, if you don’t mind, I think we should get going, there’s nothing important to see here.”
Martyn: “Wait, do you know what’s up there?”
Skizz: “Something we can escape with, that’s what!”
Joel: “And I’ve taken upon myself the task of opening the way there. I know, I know, no need to thank me.”
Martyn: (“I honestly don’t even know if he’s joking or not.”) “And you think the best way to do it is biting through metal?”
Joel: “It’s the first thing I thought of, so probably.”
Martyn: “...Heh. I’ll leave you to it then.” (“I can’t tell if what he says doesn’t make sense, or I simply don’t get his thinking process. I kinda want to see how far he’ll go with this, but we have more pressing matters right now.)
Leaving them alone, Martyn and Scott went into the room leading to the gym. They were greeted by lines of glass cases each containing some kind of trophies from different competitions, both physical and mental, as well as a pensive man standing in the middle of the room, with a woman leaning over him.
Scott: “Hey Impulse, found anything?”
Impulse?: “Nope. The door to the gym is still locked and we haven’t looked around for that long but I-”
???: “Oh, would YOU like to know? Can’t you see how absolutely filled to the brim with clues this place is? And who is this weird weeb next to you?”
Martyn: (“Hmph!”) “Excuse you?! My name is Martyn Littlewood and I can assure you I’m a very respectable-”
???: “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don’t care.”
Impulse?: “Hey, calm down. Gem, I already told you not to insult everyone you meet. Apologise, please.”
Gem?: “And I already told you to not treat me like a child.”
Impulse?: “Gem...”
Gem?: “...I know. Sorry, Martyn. Sorry, Scott. Sorry, Impulse.”
Scott: “I don’t know how you can handle her so well. Are you sure you haven’t met before? Anyway, would you mind introducing yourselves to Martyn now?”
Impulse? : “Sure. I’m Impulse SV. Nice to meet you.”
Gem? : “I’m Gemini Tay. But if that’s too much to remember for your dense brain, Gem is fine too.”
Martyn: (“The nerve of that girl.”) “Did they really have to get here someone who needs a babysitter?”
Gem was about to come out with another riposte, but was stopped by Impulse giving her a tired look, so she ended up simply pouting and stayed silent.
Martyn: “What, can’t think of a comeback?”
Gem: “You-”
Impulse: “Hey Gem, did you check what’s back there? I think there’s something you can take a look at.”
After that, Gem hurried over to the corner of the room Impulse was pointing at.
Martyn: “Wait a minute, I’m not done with her.”
Scott: “Yes, you are. You’re not moving from here”
Impulse: “...I’m sorry for her, by the way.”
Scott: “Damn, you really act like her babysitter.”
Impulse: “I can say the same to you. But I do, don’t I? I think she’s doing that on purpose, honestly. She seems to like me, and not... anyone else.”
Gem: “I don’t think there’s anything there.”
Scott: “And we’re getting out of here before you’ll start arguing again.”
Scott pulled Martyn by his arm probably a bit more forcefully than needed and dragged him out of the trophy room and into the corridor.
Martyn: “Hey, let me go!”
Scott: “Martyn, we don’t have time for that.”
Martyn: (“I’d like to get to Gem a bit more, but I guess he’s right.”)
Scott: “So now, where should we go?”
Martyn: “What about that door?”
Saying that, Martyn pointed at a huge door opposite the room they just left. They came closer to it, once again passing Joel, unrelenting in his task with Skizz encouraging him. The door in question was bright red, made from what seemed like luxury level materials, with various ornaments on and around it.
Martyn: “What’s in there?”
Scott: “We don’t know. No one has any idea on how to get it open, so everyone just left it.”
Martyn: “So what is in there must be important, right?”
Scott: “Probably, but unless you happen to have the key to it on you, I don’t think we can’t do much with it.”
Martyn: “It doesn’t even look like it has a keyhole, at least on this side.”
Moving on, the two went back to the corridor and into a room on the opposite side of the classroom Martyn woke up in not long ago. When Martyn came inside, he didn’t exactly expect to see a giant steel vault door covering what probably was the main entrance to the building some time ago.
Martyn: “What... is this? And why?”
???: “To make us think there’s no way out, if I had to guess.”
Martyn: “Ahh-!”
Martyn automatically flailed around at the sound of the sudden voice, tripping and almost hitting the mysterious somebody in the face.
???: “Hey, you scared him!”
??? : “Right, sorry. Not the best first impression now, is it? Here, let me help you. My name is Mumbo Jumbo and, despite our current situation, it is genuinely nice to meet you.”
The man then held out his hand and Martyn took it, trying to be casual and ignore the slight awkwardness of the moment.
Martyn: “I’m Martyn Littlewood. You don’t need to be so formal with this, you know?”
Mumbo: “Oh, sorry again. ...Wait, I’m still doing it. I promise I will stop. Just... Lizzie, would you step in, please?”
Lizzie? : “Of course, don’t worry. I’m Lizzie Shadow. I hope we can become good friends after escaping this place, Martyn.”
Mumbo: “But it can’t be so easy, right? Or did you find a way out, Scott?”
Scott: “No. And I haven’t checked up on a few of us in a while, but I doubt they found anything either.”
Lizzie: “We’ll obviously find a way out. You just need to believe it and keep looking!”
Martyn: “So, did you find something in here?”
Lizzie: “Uhmm... no. But I’m sure it’s here!”
Martyn: (“She’s very optimistic, maybe I should work on that a bit myself. Both of them also seem way calmer than the previous people. I probably needed that, to be honest.”) Actually, what is this place supposed to be?
Mumbo: “Probably the entrance hall.”
Martyn: “Then why does it look like a vault?”
Mumbo: “Like I said when you came in, to make us think we can’t get out.”
Scott: “So we’d think escape is impossible and just give up?”
Mumbo: “That’s what I would assume.”
Martyn: “Wait, doesn’t it have screens and keypads on it? I’m sure it’d open if we put in some kind of password.”
Scott: “But we don’t have anything like that.”
Martyn: “Well, we can always just use brute force.”
Lizzie: “I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”
After saying that, Lizzie pointed in the direction of the ceiling, to the side of the camera and monitor, which were present in every room up until now. And what was there made Martyn feel truly scared for the first time since being here.
Martyn: “A machine gun?!”
Lizzie: “I think if we try to leave through here without a password, it’ll activate.”
Martyn: “So, you think whoever brought us here is willing to kill us as well?”
Scott: “We should assume so. Nothing about this situation is normal, and we don’t know what whoever kidnapped us is capable of.”
Mumbo: “That’s why we’re investigating what we can in this room, just far away from the door.”
Martyn: “Still no luck, huh?”
Lizzie: “Maybe not, but that means we’re bound to have more luck later down the line.”
Martyn: (“She really seems like she never gives up. If we won’t find an escape and will need to stay here for whatever reason, it’d be a good thing to have someone like her with us. But that doesn’t matter because we’ll obviously find an escape anytime now, right?”)
Scott: “Come on, Martyn. We can go somewhere else now. Bye.”
With that remark, Scott left the entrance hall, leaving Martyn to hurry after him after waving a goodbye to Lizzie and Mumbo. The next place that seemed to be on Scott’s checklist was just down the hall. Inside were multiple shelves stretching up to the high ceiling. It looked like everything could be found there if looked for hard enough.
Martyn: “They have a whole warehouse in here?”
???: “For god’s sake, can you just stop? I swear, if you do it one more time-”
Scott: “Great, another argument.”
Behind one of the shelves Martyn saw the source of the voice, a man looking very irritated and someone else wearing glasses next to him, who turned to Martyn and grinned innocently.
???: “Hi there, who’re you?”
Scott: “Alright guys, what is it this time?”
???: “He’s annoying, like always! He hasn’t stopped bothering me since we came here.”
???: “Oh, shut up, Timmy. He’s just on edge and I wanted to cheer him up, but he started to yell at me.”
Timmy?: “Oh, really? Like how you tried to shoot me with that crossbow?”
???: “Come on, it was a joke.”
Timmy?: “And how you almost pushed that shelf on me?”
???: “I wouldn’t even dare to think of that, Timmy. You’re being so unfair right now.”
Martyn: “He’s crossing his fingers behind his back, just so you know.”
Timmy?: “Grian! Scott, say something!”
Scott: “Who am I, your mother? You can figure it out yourselves.”
Timmy?: “I’m trying, but he just doesn’t want to listen to me.”
Scott: “Then maybe introduce yourselves and try investigating apart? This room is so big it’d probably be better anyway.”
Grian?: “Nah, I rather stay with Timmy. I promise I’ll be less annoying.”
Timmy?: “So you admit you’re annoying?”
Martyn: (“I’m pretty sure this guy is just playing. Even if this Timmy doesn’t realise it.”) Either way, I’m Martyn Littlewood, hello.
Grian?: “I’m Grian Minecraft. And this right here is my friend, Timmy.”
Timmy? : “For the love of-. My name is Jimmy Solidarity. Just ignore him, if you please.”
Scott: “Now, I gather there isn’t an exit here anywhere?”
Jimmy: “No, but we found some weird stuff around here.”
Scott: “And what is that?”
Martyn: “Hold on. You mentioned something about a crossbow earlier. Why would they keep something like that in a warehouse like this?”
Jimmy: “That’s what I meant. There's a bunch of weapons in here.”
Scott: “But if that’s the case, we can use some of them to leave.”
Grian: “I tried to smash a wall with a sledgehammer, but I couldn’t do anything.”
Scott: “Could you pick up that sledgehammer?”
Grian: “That’s beside the point.”
Jimmy: “I tried it later myself and yeah, not even a dent.”
Scott: “That’s... unusual. Seems like whoever kidnapped up really doesn’t want us to leave.”
Martyn: “I feel like normally when you kidnap someone, you don’t want them to leave.”
Scott: “Well, the more information we can get, the better. Keep investigating. And Jimmy, if Grian gets on your nerves again, try to sort it out yourself.”
Grian: “No need, I already promised not to.”
Martyn: “I’m pretty sure you’re still crossing your fingers behind your back.”
Grian: “Shush, get out, we have investigating to do.”
After getting practically kicked out of the warehouse, Martyn saw nothing better to do than keep exploring, and the next thing he stumbled onto were entire rows of doors with some plates on them. Going a bit further in, he saw another pair of people casually chatting in the hallway. He came closer and greeted them.
???: “...and that’s how it works. I’m surprised you don’t know it, though.”
Martyn: “Hey, I’m Martyn Littlewood, who are you?”
??? : “Huh? Oh, hey, didn’t see you there. I’m Etho Slab.”
??? : “Greetings, friend. I’m Ren Dog, but you may call me Ren, if you please. How are you felling in this predicament of ours?”
Martyn: “Quite shaken up, like most people, and you?”
Ren: “Bereft of almost everything but standing strong.”
Etho: “Cool.”
Martyn: “Well, nice to meet you two. By the way, what is this place?”
Scott: “I think these are the dormitories.”
Etho: “Yeah, there are 18 rooms for each of us, with our names on the doors as well.”
Ren: “Which probably means that, including Martyn, we’ve met everyone who woke up here.”
Martyn: “Why would our kidnappers give every one of us rooms? Are they expecting us to stay here for so long?”
Ren: “If they wanted from us something they could get just like that, they would’ve done something already. This means that whatever we’re meant to do, we just have to wait until they say something. I’m sure we can deal with it amicably.”
Scott: “I don’t like the idea of sleeping in a place like this. Although you may have a point.”
Etho: “I don’t mind it. As long as I have a place where no one will bother me, I’m set.”
Martyn: “So my room would be... this one.”
Martyn looked around and pointed at the dorm room door with a plate with his name written on it.
Etho: “It looks like you and I have rooms right next to each other.”
Martyn: “Huh, neat. Wait, what are these holes in the doors? I didn’t see them until now.”
Etho: “Probably letter holes, if you ask me.”
Martyn: “Don’t you normally have them only on the entrance doors?”
Etho: “Yeah. But they’re here too.”
Martyn: “...”
Scott: “Now, if you don’t have anything to add, we’ll be leaving.”
Ren: “Farewell, if you will need anything in the near future, we will be right here.”
Etho: “See ya.”
Martyn: (“This Etho guy seems so... apathetic. And with Ren being so outgoing, I’m a bit surprised they apparently are getting together quite well.”)
Moving on to the room closest to the dormitories section, Martyn looked at the plate above the door.
Martyn: (“Sauna? In a school? This place is getting weirder by the second. Although, I’ve already seen sci-fi doors with guns attached and giant warehouses here, so it’s not the most questionable thing. But it’s still weird.”)
Soon enough, Scott opened the door, but before Martyn could even take a look inside...
???: “OW!”
Scott: “Oh, sorry, Scar.”
???: “Don’t be.”
Scar?: “That’s mean.”
???: “I told you to be more careful.”
Scar?: “Sorry for not thinking someone would open the door.”
???: “Why do I even keep up with you?”
Scar?: “Wait, Scott, who’s that behind you?”
Martyn: (“He reached behind Scott and pulled me by the arm.”) “Hey!”
Scar? : “Hello, I’m Scar. Scar Goodtimes. Who’re you?”
Martyn: “Martyn Littlewood. But you didn’t have to pull me into the room like that.”
Scar: “I’m just excited to meet new people, you know?”
???: “He’s been like that when introducing himself to everyone we’ve met.”
Scott: “Actually, maybe you should introduce yourself as well.”
??? : “Yeah, right. Hey Martyn, I’m Cleo Zombie.”
Martyn: “Well, apparently this place is supposed to be a sauna?”
Cleo: “More accurately, it’s a changing room, if you couldn’t tell. The sauna is over there.”
Cleo pointed at a door to the side of the room. Just now looking around where he were, Martyn could see that the place he was in currently was indeed, pretty obviously, a changing room, with a few benches in the middle and many lockers with keys still in them near the walls. Nothing that seemed out of place.
Martyn: “If we’re meant to live here for the moment I get giving us dorm rooms but why the hell is this here?”
Cleo: “I actually like it. I think it’ll be great for relaxation. I think I’ll need it, especially with some of the people here.”
Scar: “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Scott: “I don’t think getting used to this place is a good idea, to be honest.”
Cleo: “I don’t see anyone having a better one, so I’ll be sticking to the original plan, thank you. What else are we meant to do? Sit around all day in the dining hall?”
Martyn: “There’s a dining hall as well?”
Cleo: “You haven’t seen it yet? It’s just opposite from here.”
Scott: “I assume you haven’t seen anything worth noting here?”
Scar: “Nope. But I did manage to get my finger stuck in one of the lockers.”
Cleo: “And trip over the benches twice.”
Scar: “And trip over the benches twice, yes.”
Scott: “In that case, we should get going. You continue searching, there might be something you missed.”
Scar: “Up to it, sir!”
Cleo: “Just so you know, I won’t help you if you get your finger stuck again.”
Martyn: “I think we should go to the dining hall now, if that’s okay.”
Scott: “Sure. There are barely any rooms left you haven’t seen yet anyway.”
Walking in through double glass doors, Martyn saw what was probably to be expected from a dining hall. A large table with many chairs at it and many smaller ones to the sides. A few decorations like potted plants and, for the first time here, windows not covered by metal plates, showing a taste of the outside world with the grass and trees on the other side. There was also someone sitting at one of the side tables, just staring tiredly forward.
Scott: “What’re you doing?”
???: “We couldn’t find anything here, so I might as well try to think of something that may help.”
Scott: “Like...?”
???: “Something I can make we can escape with.”
Martyn: “Can’t we break one of the windows there?”
??? : “Huh? Oh, hello, I don’t think we’ve met yet. Although, you probably heard about me already. So, how does it feel to meet Tango Tek in the flesh?”
Martyn: “I’m Martyn Littlewood. And sorry, but the who now?”
Tango: “Aw, come on! Does no one else know me?”
Martyn: “I think you’re exaggerating your status a bit.”
Scott: “From what I know, I’m the only one in here who heard about Tango before. I think I’ve seen his name in some article a few years ago.”
Tango: “As you should. After all, I’m the one who engineered a whole new generation of transport. Well, actually it’s still in the testing stage, but I promise it’ll revolutionise the world!”
Martyn: “Sure, we’ll talk when I’ll hear about it from someone else than the creator of this thing.”
Scott: “It seems like we’ve strayed from the topic a bit. Martyn, what were you asking about earlier?”
Martyn: “Oh, yeah. Can’t we just escape through one of these windows?”
Tango: “You think I haven’t tried that? We couldn’t break them, and it looks like there’s a wall behind the trees anyway.”
Martyn: “Who do you mean by ‘we’?”
Tango : “There’s this other guy, BigB in the kitchen right now. It’s just behind that door.”
Martyn: “Oh yeah, it probably wouldn’t make much sense to have a dining room with no kitchen nearby.”
Martyn looked into the kitchen through the door. Although it was more of a hole in the wall then a proper door. There were enormous amounts of food in the room. With the fruits and vegetables next to each other in giant crates and a wide selection of meats on the other end, as well as multiple kinds of kitchen utensils. In short, everything a cook would ever need. As he was told, there was a man ravaging through a box of fruits.
Martyn: “Hello?”
BigB? : “Oh, hi there. Are you that person who was talking with Tango right now? I’m BigB Statz, nice to meet you and I hope I can trust you.”
Martyn: “And I’m Martyn Littlewood. But what do you mean by ‘trust me’?”
BigB: “Okay, I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything, but technically how do you know that someone doesn’t, for example, secretly work with the people who abducted us or something like that?”
Martyn: “What, you think they put someone in here to oversee us?”
BigB: “I’m not saying I believe that! Just that it’s a possibility.”
Martyn: “Whatever you say. By the way, what were you doing?”
BigB: “Looking for... anything. I wouldn’t really expect to find anything useful in these crates, but it won’t harm to check.”
Martyn: “They’re really giving us everything we need. I don’t even have half of these things in my home kitchen.”
BigB: “Yeah, there’s some high quality stuff in here. At least we won’t have to worry about starving to death for a while, even with 17 people here... or 18, including you.”
Martyn: “Unless we escape before that becomes a problem.”
BigB: “Yes, but we can’t be sure about that. Actually, did you meet everyone yet? I thought Pearl was the last one to wake up, so I suggested we all met up in the dining hall before... I assume Scott found you. I didn’t think there would be someone else, so sorry you need to find everyone one by one.”
Martyn: “It’s no big deal. You’re the... 15th person I’ve met, but I haven’t seen this Pearl. Do you know where she is?”
BigB: “I heard her saying she’ll go investigate the laundry room.”
Martyn: “Okay, thanks. See you later.” (“The laundry room? I guess the last two people will be there.”)
Martyn went into the dining hall and before he left beckoned over Scott, who in the meantime sat down next to Tango.
Scott: “Coming. Tango, let me know if you come up with something.”
Tango: “Sure thing, man.”
Once again in the corridor, Martyn turned in the direction he hadn’t checked until now. There was another set of dorm rooms and a single door on the other side, presumably leading to the room he was looking for.
Scott: “I’m pretty sure this is the last place you haven’t seen yet. Not counting the locked rooms, at least.”
The inside was like any public laundry room you’d find in a city, maybe just a bit smaller. There were around ten laundry machines, all of the needed detergents and even some magazines, presumably to kill time while waiting.
Pearl?: “Scar, I told you if you come back here I’ll pour bleach into your eyes.”
???: “Just imagining that gives me the creeps, y’know? But it’s not Scar this time.”
Pearl?: “Oh, sorry. I thought you’re someone else. Who’re you?”
Scott: “I’m scared to ask what he did at this point.”
Martyn: “Hi, I’m Martyn Littlewood. I heard you’re Pearl, right?”
Pearl? : “Yeah, Pearl Moon, at your service. Or whatever you say when introducing yourself. This gremlin here is Bdubs Hundred, I don’t think you two’ve met yet.”
Bdubs: “I’m perfectly capable of introducin' myself. Also, call me that one more time and you’ll see!”
Pearl: “Gremlin.”
Bdubs: “Hngh- You- The-”
With incredulity, and after a spectacular failure of trying to duke out a single sentence, Bdubs pouted with his arms crossed but decided not to respond.
Martyn: (“Wow, for a second I felt bad for him. Too bad that second passed.”)
Scott: “Anyway, have you found anything here?”
Bdubs: “*sigh* Nope, nothing at all. Unless you mean stuff for doin' laundry, at least. But we might’ve gotten somethin' better if both of us were actually trying a bit!”
Pearl: “Eh, I wasn’t too big on this investigation thing from the start. I’m just waiting for something to happen.”
Martyn: “I’m not sure we should be thinking like that anymore. After all, how much can happen without us doing any-”
*ding dong bing bong*
As if on cue, a loud bell rang through the room. Looking for the source, the four present laid their eyes upon the monitor in the corner. It came to life and showed a very blurry character, covered up by static. It was hard to see anything of it, but Martyn still thought it didn’t look too... human. Then, out of the speakers buzzed out a voice. A voice so lighthearted and artificially high-pitched, it didn’t seem too fitting to hear in a situation such as theirs.
???: “Ahem. Ahem. Is this thing working? Can you hear me? Do my words find their way to your pretty ears? I think we can begin our entrance ceremony. If you’d be so kind, please all gather in the gym. Oh wait, I see some of you are already close. In that case, look and be amazed as the doors open... now! ...Anyway, get to it! I’ll be waiting~.”
And with that, the monitor’s screen went black again.
Bdubs: “What...?”
Martyn: “What was that?”
Pearl: “I got what I wanted, I guess. Should we go?”
Bdubs: “NO! What if they want us to be there so they can kill us or somethin’?”
Martyn: “I think you’re worrying too much.”
Scott: “No, he’s right. It’s the first time we hear something presumably from our kidnappers. We don’t know what they’re planning, so we should stay careful. But we can’t ignore it either.”
Bdubs: “What, do you think whoever was in that video wants to help us?”
Martyn: “Possibly. We don’t know until we check.”
Bdubs: “Well, alright. But I’m staying in the back.”
Pearl: “Don’t worry, no one’s gonna see you anyway.”
With that, they went off through the long corridors in the direction of the gym. Surprisingly, they didn’t see anyone in their way, presumably because everyone else already got to their destination. These suspicions were confirmed when Martyn saw them in the trophy room.
Cleo: “Everybody’s finally here? If so, I think we can go in.”
Impulse: “Nothing good’ll come from waiting here. Joel, open the door.”
Joel: “Aye aye, captain!”
Joel yanked the doorknob, threw the door open and ran into what laid beyond with the rest following him. As they soon saw, it was... surprisingly barren. There was some sports equipment and a stage of sorts in the back. The rest was just empty space.
Gem: “That’s underwhelming.”
Mumbo: “Shouldn’t there be something more?”
Tango: “So we came here for nothing?”
Etho: “I’ll be going back.”
???: “God, the kids these days, no patience at all!”
Bdubs: “Who said that? Show yourself!”
Scar: “It sounded like the voice in that video.”
Martyn: “I think it came from behind the podium. Should we go check?”
???: “No need for that. I’m right here!”
Then, with no other warning, something got sprung out from behind said podium and what landed on it was...
Grian: “A bear plushie? Seriously?”
Martyn: (“It looks similar to the silhouette from the monitor. Was he the one that made the announcement? Wait, it’s not even human. Does one of our kidnappers use him for communication or something?”)
??? : “I’m not some measly plushie. I am Monokuma!! I’m the headmaster of the academy we’re in right now.”
Lizzie: “Why is this stuffed animal talking?”
Monokuma: “Do you have cotton in your ears? I’m not a freaking stuffed animal. I. Am. Monokuma. Do I have to drill it into your head, miss?”
Skizz: “Sure, but why did you call us here?”
Monokuma: “I just wanted to welcome my beautiful students, that’s all.”
Cleo: “Students? I’m pretty sure all of us graduated years ago.”
Joel: “I can confirm, I did go to school at one point.”
Jimmy: “I think you’re missing the most important part. Why the hell did you abduct us?”
Monokuma: “Oh man, someone finally asked, that’s what I’ve been waiting for! I’m getting so pumped up right now, you don’t even know!”
Ren: “Just spit it out, foul beast.”
Monokuma : “How feisty. Alright, the reason you were brought here is to play a game! A killing game, to be more exact.”
Martyn: (“A... killing game?”) “What does it even mean?”
Monokuma: “Jeez, do I have to hire a laryngologist here? I said it’s a killing game, so a game in which you kill each other. You know, stabbing, decapitating, hanging, poisoning, crushing, electrocution, shooting, strangulation, burning, all that jazz. When someone does it, they may be able to leave.”
Etho: “And you just want us to accept that?”
Joel: “Yeah, if you’re so set up on this murder thing, maybe I should just kill you right now.”
Lizzie: “No! ”
Joel: “Hey, let me go!”
Lizzie: “We have no idea what they’re capable of. You can’t just punch everything you see, stop being so reckless.”
Scott: “Also, I don’t think destroying this thing would amount to much anyway.”
Monokuma: “Oh, you’re lucky they stopped you. This game has rules, and one of these rules is that violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited.”
Mumbo: “If that’s the case, shouldn’t we know the rules ahead of time?”
Monokuma: “My thought exactly. That’s why I prepared these!”
After saying that, Monokuma somehow pulled out a stack of metal tablets and threw one to everyone.
Martyn: “What the heck is this?”
Monokuma: “These are your e-handbooks. In them you can check stuff like info about other students, the map and, most important for now, the rules of the killing game. Go on,”
With only a little hesitation, Martyn turned the handbook on and clicked on the “rules” section.
Rule #1: Students may reside only within the school. Leaving campus is an unacceptable use of time.
Rule #2: Nighttime is from 10 pm to 7 am. The gym and warehouse are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution.
Rule #3: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitories will be seen as sleeping in class and punished accordingly.
Rule #4: With minimal restrictions, the students are free to explore the academy at their discretion.
Rule #5: Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.
Rule #6: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate, unless they are discovered.
Rule #7: Once a murder takes place, a class trial will begin shortly thereafter. Participation is mandatory for all surviving students.
Rule #8: If the guilty party is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed.
Rule #9: If the guilty party is not exposed, they alone will graduate, and all remaining students will be executed.
Rule #10: The "Body Discovery Announcement" will play when three or more students discover a body.
Rule #11: Additional school regulations may be added if necessary.
Martyn: “Hold on, what about rules 7, 8 and 9?”
Monokuma: “You didn’t think you’d murder someone and go out just like that, did you? That’s right! To actually get out you need to first commit murder, then try to not get found out. When three or more people discover a corpse, I’ll play an announcement and after a certain amount of time, the class trial will begin. There, if others find out you’re the culprit, you’re as good as dead! But if you get away with it, you get to leave and everyone else gets executed.”
Skizz: “Hold on a damn second, you can’t just throw us on the deep end and tell us to kill someone like that!”
Scar: “We won’t murder anyone only because you say so.”
Monokuma: “You can just live peacefully here forever if you want. But someone will kill sooner or later. Now, if you don’t have any other questions, I’m leaving. Peace out, suckers!”
Without even waiting for a response, Monokuma disappeared as abruptly as he came, leaving the stage empty and everyone else speechless. It took a while before someone broke the silence,
Bdubs: “I told you so! I told you it’ll be bad.”
Gem: “Oh, so you would rather stay completely oblivious to someone just waiting to stab you in the back?”
Grian: “That doesn’t matter because no one is gonna do it. I don’t think even Timmy would murder someone.”
Jimmy: “Now what was that supposed to mean?”
Pearl: “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. We can all say we trust each other, but at the end of the day, there’s no way to actually verify it.”
Ren: “To take a life of an innocent being, that’s... unthinkable!”
BigB: “Maybe to you, but how do you know about anyone else?”
Martyn : (“I don’t want to agree. I want to say that no one will die, that we’ll all find a way to escape, but he’s right. How do I know if everyone thinks like that? We’re all complete strangers. What if one of us have already killed someone before and would have no problem doing it again to escape by themselves?”)
*ding dong bing bong*
As the bell stopped Martyn in his thoughts, the monitor in the gym flickered to life and showed Monokuma, this time clearly, without static.
Monokuma: “Good evening, everyone! It is now 10pm. As such, it is officially nighttime. I encourage you to go to your rooms to relax and get some sleep. You need to be well rested tomorrow to fulfill your murderous plans.”
Etho: “So... what now?”
Joel: “I’m tired. Can we wait with it until tomorrow?”
Martyn: “I have an idea. Maybe tomorrow morning when everyone wakes up, we’ll meet up in the dining hall and then think about what to do.”
Scott: “Sure, either way, I think we should go to sleep for now.”
Bdubs: “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Everyone went out of the gym, Martyn draggling behind them. As soon as he came to his dorm room, he locked the door and collapsed onto the bed.
Martyn: (“A killing game. Killing someone else to escape the place we’re trapped in. It sounds so stupid. Like some bad TV show. But no one will actually betray us, right?”)
Martyn: “...Ugh, who am I kidding? Of course someone will die. That’s just how it goes in a situation like this. It’s just a matter of time…
I just hope I won’t be the first one out.”
18 PEOPLE REMAIN