Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s quiet...I can’t feel a thing... I can only see darkness, and my ears are ringing... Where am I? I try to take a breath...my lungs hurt. It feels like I’m inhaling smoke and flame. It burns. It burns so bad. What’s happening?

Quinn sits upright with a gasp, gripping his chest tightly, and tugging at his vest. He coughs and hacks, shaking violently...is he awake? Was that feeling just a dream? He opens his eyes, expecting to see his bedroom, but instead is met with the eyes of 15 others. It takes him a moment...but he knows these people. They’re his classmates!

Fellow students of Shizuoka Academy, a school built for the gifted. A less glamorous version of another well known school, Hopes Peak. Where students from everywhere are brought in, to hone their talents and find where they’re most needed in the world out there.

The Ultimate Astrologist. Quinn Orion is gifted in the ways of Astronomy. You know as a kid, the absolute fascination with space, and all it holds? Quinn’s harbored that since day 1, and has never let it go. He already has scholarships at hand, ready to enter into being an official Astronomer. Despite how intelligent he is, he’s always been the awkward kid in the back of the class...

Did...he pass out during gym class? He isn’t the most athletic, but he’s never fainted for sure... The most beautiful girl in the room (in his opinion), Sima, gently crouches down in front of him.

Sima Mollis, the Ultimate Knitter... Shes donated hundreds of clothes to the homeless, and often makes little gifts for friends! Usually it’s things like hats, sweaters, or scarfs, but she’s dabbled in those cute little knitted animal dolls too...

“Quinn? Are you alright?” She frowns with genuine care, and softly holds out her hand to help him up. Quinn gulps, feeling his heart race 0 to 60, before nodding nervously and taking her hand, shakily standing... Boy her hand is soft... She gives a look of concern as Quinn just stands there, holding her hand “...Uhm...”

Suddenly there’s a hand on his shoulder, and someone laughing. “Jeez dude! Stop spacing out, you’re looking like a creep!” Quinn spins around to see another classmate, Elettra, grinning at him.

Elettra Juego, the Ultimate Pinball player. They’ve won just about every tournament they’ve been in! Which, you’d think wasn’t much, but they’ve interested a lot of people into the game, and have earned tons of sponsors...

“Careful Elettra, he’s scared...”

“Uhm, we’re all a little scared!” Elettras laugh sounds slightly more forced this time... Quinn looks between the two nervously

”S-Scared? Are we not....”

“In class?” Sima shakes her head softly “no...we all just appeared here. You were the last of us to wake up. None of us remember how we got here...” Quinn shakes, his hands fiddling together as he stares at Sima in fear.

“Quinn, right?” A low voice speaks to him. He nearly jumps out of his skin, ducking and hiding behind Sima, and stares up at the one speaking to him.

Flint Terran, the Ultimate Naturalist. He’s always so silent, just observing people as if they’re just another species to study to him. He’s tall and threatening, and is often called “Tree” to the ones who have the nerve to speak to him. He’s also stayed back two times with tanking grades, but once in their class, suddenly started getting As...it’s unknown what his intelligence really holds.

“...You better show more spine than that.” He stares down at the shivering boy, with tired, empty eyes “or you won’t survive what could be happening here.”

Both Sima and Quinn whisper out a soft “Survive?” In confusion, just locking eyes with the man, before another comes and gives his arm a gentle tug.

Basil Aster, Ultimate Gardener. Flints only friend, the two are often attached to the hip. Their relationship is a strong one, and can be compatible to the story of Beauty and The Beast. The soft loved one caring for the giant scary one, and teaching him about what life offers, and the beast granting protection and all the companionship he can... Basil is always so positive and cheerful, but even in this situation, he’s staring up at Flint with the need of protection. Flints expression softens, and he gently holds Basil closer to him...

Suddenly the lights switch off, and the stage lights turn towards the small stage to the side of the gym. That things only really made for announcements for the ones in the gym...the REAL stage would be the auditorium. There’s a drumroll from the speakers, and.....a deer jumps onto the podium.

Not a real deer, but one that resembles more of a stuffed toy than a living thing. “Heellooooo my students~!!!” He grabs the microphone, and stands tall on the podium with an excited grin... This may be the strangest thing that the class has ever seen...

“Wh...what are you? Some kind of big stuffed animal?” One of the students remarks. Quinn too focused on the deer to turn and see who that was.

Another voice pipes up, “like one of those ones you’d get from a fair!” It’s true, this deer did appear to be about...a little under 4 feet maybe?

The deer turns quickly to stare at the ones speaking “I am NOT a stuffed animal! You’d have to spend hundreds to win me at some dinky fair!! I am Usoshika!!” His voice sounds very whimsical and carefree, as if there was nothing wrong going on here...he’s already having fun with whatever this game is. “Not only am I this schools new mascot, I’m this schools headmaster!”

“So what, you’re like a fursuit for midgets?” Someone remarks

Usoshika pauses, looking at them “.....first of all, can you even say midget anymore? Is that offensive? WHATEVER! No, I’m not a fursuit for little people! It’s great to meet you all!” He happily waves to the group.........nobody waves back. “Jeez, tough crowd...”

Was this some kind of remote controlled toy? Maybe even a hologram of some sort? Nobody could believe their eyes...

“Cmooonnn! Cats got all of your tongues? Wow, imagine 16 cats all running around with bloody humans tongues!” He laughs....Someone gags “Well, since apparently nobody has questions for me, I’ll continue!” He hops off the podium, a thud sounding out, so he has to have some kind of weight to him, and stands in front of it. One hand is on his hip as he speaks into the microphone. “Good morning my lovely, cheerful students!!”

Someone actually responds with “Good morning” and Shika points with one of his little hooves

“you!! I like you already” Whether that’s a compliment or a threat is still to be seen... “Let’s talk about what you’ll be doing here!” He reaches back up onto the podium, grabbing a clipboard. “You’re societies greatest right? So civilized, so looked up to! You’ll be living together in this school from now on! Don’t worry, dorms are provided! It’s like a happily ever after right? You’re not paying rent, you get all the food you need, nothing can go wrong! You’ll live out the rest of your lives here safe and protected...”

“Now hold on, that’s some bullshit!” One of the students walks to the front...

Devin Smith! He constantly got failing grades, and barely participates in the classes...but he still trains as his true talent!! ....Ultimate Janitor. Hes constantly in a grumpy mood, probably was the one to make the ‘midget’ statement, and doesn’t exactly like to speak much to many people...he’s also about 22

“Don’t worry sir, you’ll get your smokes! Just do it outside okay?” Shika laughs

“I ain’t staying in this school, bein bossed around by some kids toy!”

“How dare you compare me to a child’s plaything...I’m hurt” Shika frowns and touches his chest, and Devin spits on the ground “Why is it you men always do that? Are you marking your territory or-“

“Shaddup! I aint stayin here!”

“Too bad! You’re here for the rest of your days!”

Now Elettra steps forward “you’ve gotta be screwing with us right? Is this some school prank for the seniors? To give us one funny hoorah?”

“Not quite-errrr...sir? Ma’am?”

Elettra only stays quiet

“Non-binary? Gotcha me too. Not quite kiddo! Also, you’re all cut off from the outside world now! No more chaos of society! No more mlm schemes or selling feet pics to get through college! All you have is eachother...”

“And who says we’re gonna comply with this shit? We can walk right out those doors!” Devin retorts

“Oh, you can for sure. But not off the property!” Shika laughs again “there’s a big ol dome over this place! Thick, Unbreakable glass! Don’t worry, there’s an air purifier working in the school, you’ve got unlimited breathing time”

“This is all ridiculous! Someone’s gotta come here and help us!” Elettra yells

“Wrong! No matter how much you all and scream, help will never come!” Shika, pauses, grin growing a little wider “Though...there’s one way you all can leave...”

“Fine, what is it, a ransom? Name your price deer” Elettra crosses their arms with a little glare

“You’re here to put survival of the fittest to a test. To see if humans really are as capable as everyone says, or if they’ll fall into the same feral fear as everyone else...prove you’re better and smarter than animals, and you can go...”

“Are we taking some sort of test...?” Devin grunts in annoyance

“Kind of, in a way maybe!” A heavy silence fills the room as Shika speaks out a very serious message “In order to leave this school, you must kill one of your classmates” No witty retorts, no comebacks, everyone feels a rush of fear, and cold blood spreads through their bodies Shika takes a moment, scanning over everyone, before continuing in a serious tone, “how you do it does not matter. Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, it’s all up to you. Use your imagination, and make it tricky. Because if you’re found out, you prove you aren’t up to humans standards, and you are executed.”

It’s a longer moment before Shika speaks again, giggling “boy! How fast is your adrenaline going huh? How many of you are shaking? Feeling fear in the very core of your hearts? Will you fight and protect yourself to survive? Or will you perish like a stray, ignored by you selfish humans, and die cold, hungry, and alone?” There’s a different feel from Shikas eyes as he speaks, green eyes growing brighter in his excitement...If he had blood, it’d be pumping as much as the students...but for all different reasons

Finally, someone speaks up again, and it’s Devin. “Y...you’re spewin Bullshit again...! We ain’t gonna kill eachother...just let us go...!” A man as full of brawn as he is, even his voice is shaking

“This school is your whole world now! It’s your home, and your life! Make of it what you will!”

Devins fist clenches, and he races after Shika, full of intent to tear him apart. Shika hops onto the podium as he gets close, and drives a bottom hoof into his jaw, then another to his face. Devin falls to the ground...from the looks of his new injuries, those hooves sure aren’t made from plastic.

“I’m not your average deer Yknow!!” Shika starts to check his hooves for any blood “you can’t run at me and expect me not to fight back, and you humans are real soft and fleshy! Now, try to hurt me again, and you’ll have to get a punishment! And depending on what you do, I can either make it torture, or kill you outright. And I don’t want to have Mr. Janitorial here be a worse example.”

Devin picks himself off the ground, holding his hand to his face, and pulling a hand away to reveal that his nose is dripping blood.

“Anywayyyyyy!! Come up and get your handy dandy handbooks!” Shika goes behind the podium, and takes out a basket of what appear to be average tablets. “Take yours and pass it around!! Devinnnn~?”

Devin looks at him, and Shika is watching with a wide, taunting grin. He stands shakily, before snatching the tablet, spitting out a “fuck you”

“Yeah yeah I’m sure we’ll be best friends. You’ll know it’s yours by the name when you open it up, it’ll have your real one on it! If you go by a different name then oops, we didn’t have your preferred one on record. And there’s no intersex bathrooms or anything, so you can only go into your assigned gender. Sorry about that! Nothing we could do about it.” There’s a couple glances at Elettra...they’re the only one that seems uncomfortable at the mention of this “This nifty thing will let you into your rooms, the bathrooms, changing rooms, wherever you’d need a key to get into. And they’re durable! Don’t worry about dropping it, or slipping in the bathroom and it landing in the toilet, you’re all set!! You can read all the rules on it, and like I said! Disobeying the rules is a reallll big no no~ anyway! That’s all the time I have!! Enjoy yourselves!!”

And out the deer races, leaving everyone in disbelief. It’s another long silent moment, some students stunned, some scrolling through the rules, and some looking at everyone else for their reactions.

“......So what the hell was that!” Harlow Geary, Ultimate Gymnast. Always seen as very flamboyant and outgoing, he’s a popular guy with a whole lot of friends! But without those friends, he looks like he’s more alone than he’s ever been.

“I...I I don’t know...” Elettra stares down at the handbook, just turning it back on whenever it goes to rest mode. They seem to be dissociating as they stare at their birth name.

“Hey, cmon guys!! I’m sure we can make the most out of this!” Sarika walks in front of everyone.

Sarika Hecate, the Ultimate Horror Enthusiast...of course she would be the most positive about the situation. In fact she’s probably the one that responded to the ‘good morning’ She’s had to of read and watched movies on much worse...but this is real life. All of this is real.

“Nobody here would kill right? Like they said, this is a test not to go savage right? So we just have to get along and be safe, and maybe they’ll let us go once they realize we won’t budge!”

Everyone looks around at one another...and there’s distrust in everyone’s eyes. How can anyone be sure the person next to them won’t kill? They’re classmates, they’ve been together for 4 years now, but they don’t TRULY know eachother...do they?

Suddenly, nobody, or nowhere, feels safe.

Chapter Text

Quinn nervously opens the room curated for himself, peeking around the area
They’ve added things like posters about space, a telescope, even a space themed blanket
How…thoughtful
Quinn flops onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Are those glow in the dark plastic stars up there?
His stomach is all twisted in knots, scared, terrified even, of what’s next to come. He shuts his eyes tight, trying to convince himself that this is all a nightmare. Any second he’ll wake up, and it’ll be the first day of school. The ACTUAL first day. No giant domes, no murder, and especially no demon deer.
He starts to remove his glasses, planning to attempt in sleep, before a loud thud on his door practically makes him jump a foot off the bed
He puts his glasses back where they were and peeks out the door
“Hi there!” He’s suddenly nose to snout with a stuffed red fox, wearing an almost unsettling grin
Not more robots!!! Though this one is much smaller-
“I’m so sorry about him” another pops into the crack of the door, seeming to pull the fox back out. It’s a sheep, seeming to have a permanent, worried expression
Wait…these look familiar actually. The animals push open the door to reveal Yannick!

Yannick Ahriman, ultimate ventriloquist. Since he was young he practiced his talent on two sock puppets, eventually becoming the two characters today, Agam and Noy. Yannicks eyes are always shut, and he rarely speaks, the puppets always doing it for him. Is it his talent or are they somehow possessed? Honestly, it could go either way.

Agam waves and giggles as the door is opened fully “hey! Sorry to interrupt ya! But there’s a meeting going on in the dining hall!”
Noy nods, hooves lightly tapping together “we would like everyone to come…sorry if we’ve interrupted anything.”

“It’s uhm…fine”
Quinn is never sure where to look, the puppets or at Yannick…
“I’ll…be down in a second”
The three nod, and walk back down the hall. The door is shut for another moment as Quinn takes a deep breath, keeping himself calm, and exiting the room

In the dining hall there’s already arguing…
“I’m telling you, it’s in my cards! There will be something happening soon, and it isn’t good!”

Rada Hope, Ultimate Tarot card reader. His predictions are pretty much always right, or at least not too far off. He’s always quite calm, but even this situation has shaken him up a little. No matter how accurate his cards and crystals may be, he’s full of shit to a nonbeliever

“Shut the fuck UP dude! Nobody cares what your stupid cards have to say! Nobody is killing eachother! We’ll work this shit out and go!”

Swarna Zohana, ultimate archer. Bit of a hardass, she tends to take everything seriously, and doesn’t joke around. She comes off as quite intimidating, especially since she’s always got sharp objects on her
Well…not right now, anyway. Her arrows must have been confiscated

“They are never wrong Swarna, there are troubling times ahead, of death and sacrifice, of revenge and hurt, of-“
“Nobody! Is! Going! To! Die!”
“We cannot be too care-!”

Suddenly there’s a slam on the table, and a loud “SHUT UP!”
Everyone looks to PAZ, who’s taking a deep breath once it falls silent. He holds up a finger and puts his head down, just needing a second…

PAZ, the ultimate DJ. Nobody’s quite sure of what his real name is, but there’s quite a bit of rumors. Because of playing at clubs, his hearing has worsened over the years. You’d think he’d be deaf, but he’s actually developed Hyperacusis, and can’t be around loud sounds. It’s gotten so bad that he just stays in his apartment for days on end, having food brought to his door. He’ll show up to gigs, but always wearing his sound canceling headphones, which he has now

“…….okay” he nods, sitting up again “let’s avoid fighting, yeah? The deer specified NOT acting like animals, so let’s sit and calmly talk…”
Rada nods, softly sitting back down “you’re right, my apologies PAZ…”
Swarna plops into her chair, crossing her arms

Manuela Fonteyn, the Ultimate ballerina speaks up next “we find anything of particular interest?”

She’s another serious person, but her dancing is said to be almost hypnotic, and has even performed all around the world! Girls probably got the strongest legs here-

A few look down, not seeming to find much of anything-possibly hiding away in their rooms like Quinn had done

“Nothing here” Apurva Puca, the ultimate makeup artist speaks up.
She’s currently dressed as what looks like a blue elf, with yellow eyes and messy brownish-red hair. Nobody knows what she truly looks like, she’s only ever seen with makeup and some costume on.
“Seems like a normal school on the first floor…”

Kun Puck, the ultimate engineer, seems to stare at Apurvas makeup uneasily before looking back at the group
“Found a storage room on the second floor…seemed to have food, clothes, an array of stuff. Could be some usable things in there…”

Kun is often the type to pull pranks on people, and have fun messing around with them. He never aims to hurt people though, just have a laugh.
He’s also probably built stuff that’s used all around the world, from tools to buildings

Elettra stands quickly, grin plastered onto their face “holy FUCK guys, third floor has a whole ARCADE!”

“Elettra stayed in there and I had to figure things out myself…” Blanche sighs softly

Lastly for the students, Blanche Diamond is the ultimate Miner. She’s found gems worth thousands, and is the most skilled at navigating mines there is. She’s sometimes called the mole-also due to the fact that she’s completely blind. Her hearing isn’t quite like PAZ, but she’s figured out how to use echolocation to move around a confined place like that

Elettra shrugs with a nervous grin “I got excited…”
“I found a room with some sort of supplies, like a bag, some kind of game, maybe a crane game…a lounge…sure would be helpful if I could better explain.” She looks in the direction of Elettra, who leans back in their chair
“My bad”

“There were a few rooms Flint and I couldn’t open on the fourth…” basil speaks up, drumming on the table nervously
“They were locked.” Flint affirms with a small nod “and I didn’t want to risk breaking any rules by breaking doors…”

“And finally the fifth floor. You won’t believe this guys” Sarika leans forward, scanning everyone “there’s a greenhouse, with a MASSIVE flytrap!”
“Oh…! Maybe we should go look at it?” Basil glances to Flint, who just shrugs
“No, you don’t get it! This thing could eat Flint whole! I almost got too close and it lurched at me. Coolest shit I’ve seen, but also super dangerous.”

“And that’s all we’ve got thats out of the ordinary?” Devin asks, getting nods from everyone else
“So…” Sima clears her throat a little “do you think it’s…real? That if someone gets away with murder, they get to leave with the rest of us trapped?”
“Doesn’t matter if it’s real” Swarna looks over to her “because none of us are killers.”

“I dunno, there’s always big guy over there” Harlow nods his head to Flint, who’s eyes narrow at him
Basil just laughs a little, patting Flints arm “I it’s all for fun, he’s being silly, don’t worry…”

“It’s getting darker outside…I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to stay out here at night” PAZ stands up from the table
“Good idea actually-maybe we can have a curfew? So anyone we find out has gone out past it can be labeled as suspicious…” Sima suggests, looking around
“Don’t see why not I guess” Swarna stands, stretching and making her back pop a little “better get going then I guess. Might as well grab a snack before heading off” and she goes into the kitchen!
“Bye everyone!” Noy waves as Yannick gets up and starts to leave “goodnight!”
“Sleep tight!” Agam intersects with a giggle

Quinn watches almost everyone leave, before standing himself, and starting to head towards the dorms.

Everyone will do their best getting to sleep for the night. Who knows what horrors await them tomorrow

Chapter Text

The next few days were…surprisingly peaceful. As peaceful as they could be, still being forcibly locked up inside a murder school. Emotions were high strung, but could anybody be blamed?
Everyone would walk around the school, give their reports, only have a small argument or two over what to do…
Until of course it all had to come tumbling down.

Quinn entered the dark cafeteria, immediately struck with a confused unease…the lights in here could turn off? He always witnessed them being on, the windows only showing enough light to show someone laying against one of the tables with their head down
“Hey, did you turn off the lights?” He calls, and pauses…they’re staying quiet. Wasn’t it against the rules to sleep outside of your dorm…?
Quinn searches the walls for a bit, before finally finding the switch and flicking them on

And there in the middle of the cafeteria was Sima slumped against the table, her own knitting needles pierced into the back of her neck.
Quinn felt a chill run up his spine, and races over
“…Sima…?”
With a shaky hand he brushes her hair aside just barely, to reveal two open, vacant eyes. He stumbles back, crashing against another table, and using it to hold himself to his feet. He covers his mouth. He feels ill, cold, he can’t find the will to move. He almost doesn’t notice the screen in the cafeteria come to life, and his handbook buzz in his pockets
“A body has been discovered!”
His face snaps to the screen, watching as the robotic deer leans back in a recliner, swirling a glass of red wine in his hoof, an array of screens lining the background behind him
“You will all be given an hour to gather whatever evidence you can to put together the clues of who murdered your fellow classmate in cold blood. Once time is up, ready or not, time for trial, meet up with me at the first floor elevator, and we’ll go down from there! See you soon!”

Quinn stares as the screen flickers off, and stays frozen before his shoulder is eventually grabbed, and he’s yanked away from Simas body, Swarna standing over him
“What the FUCK Quinn!?”
“I-I-“
Blanche steps in beside her “Relax…just because…he found it doesn’t mean he did it…” she pauses for a moment, finding her words
“…who is it? Is it really here…? Is it really real…?”
Swarna takes in a breath, before saying softly “Sima. The one who knit”
“What…? But…but who could possibly…Sima didn’t have any enemies did she? She was so kind-“
“Which makes her a soft, perfect target” Swarna only stares ahead at Simas lifeless body, unsure whether to approach, or stay away. They had to search for clues…
Quinn stares at the roof as he dissociates from here, listening as the others file into the room
For a long time people only seem to gather, nobody wants to step foot closer to the body

Sarika gently glances among everyone, before taking a breath and stepping forward “well…someone has to do this…right?” She asks cautiously, and kneels on the seat next to Sima. Shes unsure, yet her hand doesn’t even shake as she moves aside Simas wavy locks to inspect the wounds
“…her neck was punctured by her own needles” she almost whispers “thats so…harsh”
“Are needles even sharp enough for that…?” Elettra asks, a shake to their voice as they speak “how sharp are they…?”
Sarika hesitates and frowns “would…would it be disrespectful to take them out…?”
“Not like we have forensics testing for fingerprints” Swarna sighs “And we need to figure out who did it, seeing how sharp can show the strength…”
Sarika sighs softly, before grunting as she struggles a moment, before tugging out the needles with a light crack from Simas neck, making someone gag
“They…seem pretty average…” Sarika states as she looks over them “and…fresher than I thought. Quinn, how long were you here?”
Swarna nudges Quinn, who sits up quickly “whuh? O oh uh-not long. Like…a minute before the announcement”
Sarika nods a little “alright…my guess is she showed up for the meeting early and got jumped” she shrugs, and delicately places the needles down
“And someone needs the arm strength to get those needles in there” Elettra adds

Swarna sighs, and looks to the others who’ve only gathered and watched “…We need people to look around and search for any other clues. Where did these come from? Was there blood sprayed?”
“Not a lot of blood would spray from the back actually” Sarika pipes up “most of that high pressure stuff is more towards the front. Hit it a certain way maybe-but with the needles lodged in there…”
“And I’m pretty sure the needles came from the storage room” Elettra states “there’s a LOT of stuff in there, who knows what you could find from digging through there…?”
“Well it’s the first murder” Blanche states “It can’t be done so clean right? There has to be mistakes-“
“Only murder” Swarna snaps, making Blanche turn her head away “there won’t be another. Once whatever psychopath who did this is gone, thats it”

The bell soon rings, directing everyone to the elevator. They couldn’t possibly have enough for this, could they…? They still obey, and follow like a herd to the elevator, where Shika stands outside of. His hooves are folded behind him
“Hello again my lovely students!” He hums “I’ll admit. I expected this to take a bit longer than a few days. One of you got quite eager” he giggles, as everyone just trudges by and into the large elevator.
And as it lowers, it’s quiet. Everyone looks unsurely at the other. There’s a murderer in the midst, and nobody can be sure who it is.
And as the students file into the trial room, there’s 16 podiums, each set with the assigned students name, seeming to just move alphabetically clockwise. They move to their podiums, and Shika sits atop a throne, overlooking everyone
“And welcome to our first trial! Your job is to figure out who the killer of our sweet ultimate knitter is! You stared at the corpse for quite a while, I hope your discussions bring you to your culprit” he laughs “if you figure out your killer, they will be punished! And if you all pick the wrong person, the murderer will go free, and you all will be punished instead for your inability to work together” he grins, leaning back
“Begin”

“Right…well, arm strength” Sarika sighs out “my suspects are Blanche, Devin, Flint, Kun, and Swarna”
“What the fuck-why me!?” Swarna immediately shouts “I’ve spent this whole time trying to help!”
“It’s only due to strength, nothing else!” Sarika responds, hands raising in defense “I’m only narrowing down who I think could have forced in those needles like that!”
“Well…couldn’t also hand eye coordination be used as well?” Quinn asks “Like you said, to slide them into a spot to stop blood from spraying, that could use a specific hand movement as well…” he thinks “so…Apurva, Elettra, Harlow, Swarna and Yannick…?”
Swarna shakes her head “Don’t have me be the only double in there, that makes me look guiltier! And if I were guilty, I’d be one of the cowards in the back that didn’t do a thing!”
“Some of us had never seen a body before, and don’t have nerves of steel” Basil looks down, fiddling with his gloves
“And you seemed to have things under control just fine.” Flint adds “there was no need to speak up.”
Apurva crosses her arms, now in some kind of cat girl costume for the day “makeup isn’t THAT hand eye coordination yknow…” “Well if it was me why would I help then?”
“To seem less suspicious?” Elettra offers “to throw things off the trail?”
Quinn thinks, before shaking his head “I don’t think it was Swarna. She has the hand eye coordination, but she works with totally different, thinner tools. And she pierces better from a range.”
“Okay, then who else? Swarna was the only overlap of your ideas.” Harlow asks, leaning forward on the podium almost already impatient.
“Maybe…someone listed is just stronger than they seem?” Kun offers “Like…something unexpected?”
“But who else would seem stronger that we haven’t mentioned?” Blanche asks
“Well…” Quinn glances to Yannick “Yannick does have his arms raised all the time to support the puppets…”
Agam gasps, before crossing his arms “Wha-!? How much do you think a couple puppets weigh!? Are you calling us fat!?” He turns his head away in a huff
“We have a little wood in us sure…” Noy shakes his head, seeming to nervously fiddle with his hooves “but we really aren’t that heavy…”
“You can be holding nothing at all and your arms will still get tired from being held up all the time” Quinn states “and even the way your hooves are moving, thats some specific movement”
The sheep puppet shakes, hooves quickly moving behind his back
“Leave us alone huh? How would we even grip those needles huh?” Agam butts in “they’d be all slippery in our little hands!”
“I don’t know, however you opened my door the other day. Or function any other way doing everything for Yannick”
Agams ears raise in surprise “well-cmon, us both doing that? It’s ridiculous! Why WOULD we?”
“To see what could happen if you livened things up. You were already bored, and wanted to cause a change, right?”
Agam shakes his head “Nu uh! Thats a stupid response! Just because-“
“WE DID IT-!” Noy shouts, cowering under his hooves “I didn’t want to, really! But they both did, I had no choice!”
Agam spins to look at Noy, before shaking his shoulders “hey!! What the fuck pal!! We could’ve held out longer!”
The sheep seems to cry, before they both flop and relax, and Yannick slowly opens his eyes
“…you got us then.” He says lowly, voice cracking as if it hasn’t been used in a long time
“You…you did it because you were BORED?” PAZ leans forward, staring at Yannick incredulously “you wanted to make something happen?”
“We couldn’t be caged in here happy forever…” Yannick grins slowly, and the puppets eyes seem to shift away from him “I had to get the ball rolling. And seeing Sima sitting all alone, and knowing where a pair of needles were…I needed to do it. I just had to get the hell started”

The students stare at Yannick, before Shika whistles and sits up “well well! That sounds just as good of a time to vote, don’t you think? Direct your eyes to your podium screens, and select your blackened!”
The group looks down, all selecting Yannick
Even his puppets seem to press the button, both looking downward
Shika picks up a screen and watches as the votes roll in, before grinning
“Aaaaand our winner is…Yannick Ahriman, the ultimate ventriloquist!” Shika puts down the screen, clapping and laughing “good job students! Your first trial was a success! But don’t touch that dial, the best part is yet to begin. It’s *Execution time*”
Shikas grin widens as he takes a hammer, slamming it down on a large red button
A chain collar suddenly shoots from above, grabbing Yannick by the throat, and pulling him through the ceiling
“Now hurry! Shuffle back to the elevator and into the auditorium! We have a show to witness!” And Shika jumps into a shaft, seeming to follow Yannick
The students obey, and do as told, making their way to the auditorium.

Chapter Text

As the curtains open, Yannick and his puppets are left on the open stage, for a moment, just gazing around in confusion.
But before long Shika appears at the rafters, dressed in a sweater vest. As music begins to blast, he holds up a puppet cross. Strings shoot from the ends like tiny missles, hooking into Yannick, he’s suddenly twirled, and his puppets fly off of his hands, laying limply on the ground. Strings hook into his limbs, as Yannick is forced to dance to the heavy music.
Blood drips underneath him as his movements become more and more erratic as he’s turned into a living puppet, moving more and more unnaturally, before his arms begin to snap, twisting and crushing in ways they shouldn’t. His legs turn and fold, screaming out with his hoarse voice as the only thing keeping him upright are the strings controlling his every movement. He spins and twirls, his neck soon snapping under the force as well.
He hangs limp as the movements slow, and he’s only dangling by the strings suspending him.

As the curtains draw to a close and the music stops, the students are in shock of what they’ve just seen. The first of Shikas prized executions

Chapter Text

As the deafening music stops, as it all comes to a close, it’s as if a pin could be dropped in the auditorium, and all would hear it. The students are frozen in their seats, having watched the brutal finishing of the ventriloquist. The reality set in even farther, now that two others had been slaughtered. One by their fellow student, and one by the mechanical ringmaster of it all.
There’s a beat before Basil suddenly lurches forward, vomiting onto the floor below. Flint reaches for him without hesitation, holding him close despite the fresh mess on the floor.
“…okay…!” Sarika hesitantly speaks up, blurting out “that was…! Something…!”
She pauses, as only a couple others glance over. She gulps nervously before standing “Uhm…let’s all get out of here…Flint can…take Basil to the nurse to look for something for the nausea…” she takes a little step aside from them “and how about the rest of us go back to the cafeteria, so we can at least get out of here?”
The others glance around, before just standing and filing out quietly. Sarika looks at Flint and Basil, and tries to ask if he’s okay, before Flint ignores her and just leaves quickly with the boy in his arms
“Oooookay-“ she sighs out a little before following everyone out
The cafeteria is silent as well, everyone in the same seats as they had sat in before. Flint and Basil soon return, Basil wearing a shirt that’s a little too large and sucking on a mint with a bottle of water, staring down at the table in embarrassment from getting sick in front of everyone
They can’t help but look at Sima and Yannicks seats, now emptied.
Quinn stares at the table, and soon manages to whisper “…we really just watched a culling”
“Don’t say culled as if we’re just animals…” Swarna responds
“Well I mean…” PAZ sighs “we’re probably seen as no different to Shika…”
“Humans are animals” Flint glances over “Kingdom Animalia, we’re in the order of primates, people only think otherwise because we’re self aware and have more advanced reasoning-“
“You know what I meant.” Swarna snaps, Basil just patting Flints arm a little in support “we can’t go into things thinking that we’re just creatures to be slain. We need to come together, and not back down from this bullshit show”
“I can’t help but worry who’s next” Harlow speaks up uneasily “who’s to say one of us won’t snap next…?”
“Because if you do, you’re fuckin dead! We all saw how we figured it out in the trial.” Swarna jabs a finger at the group “we did it once, and we can do it again.”

And with that, once again, days go by where nobody is hurt. Flint watches over Basil like a hawk, and nobody doubts they’ve been sharing a room. Swarna had begun policing everyone, determined to make sure nobody gets into any sort of trouble. People like PAZ and Devin begin to isolate, and Apurva somehow makes a new disguise every single day.
But things have been sinking in. There’s something unwell in the air, and everyone seems to be more wary.
Eventually after about a week or two, it’s been getting hard to tell how many days they’ve been trapped, they’re all called to the gym.
Once again, they turn to the podium, and Shika leaps onto it
“Hey boys and girls and a little something in between! How have your past couple weeks been! Peaceful, I assume?”
There’s only a “fuck off!” From somewhere in the back, clearly Devin
“Ah, so mean to me…I give you food and shelter, and this is how I’m treated. Childcare services would see how great this school is and not even take you away!” Shika laughs “but, they may if they had known about the water for the last week…”
The air is silent once again, Shika only smiling slowly as he watches everyone’s eyes flash with panic
“Like the government slipping chemicals into your drinking water, I’ve slipped a little something into yours!” He pauses before giggling “You all look so tense! Is your paranoia justified, or is it the drug in your bloodstream? corticotropin-releasing hormone goes a long way! But don’t stop drinking now, unless you wanna risk dehydration, I hear thats a real silent killer for you humans. I’ve been doing this all week! Because, ugh, waiting was so boring, I had to spice things up! So even if you stop drinking, it’s already in you”
“You…would seriously DRUG us!?” Manuela asks in shock
“I can do whatever I want with you, you think I was gonna wait this out?” Shika sighs out, sitting on the podium and swinging his legs “I may have all the time in the world, but I’m still impatient! It’s just a little test for you all! How long can you hold off, even with this added obstacle? Once someone finally offs someone I’ll stop, deers word!” He raises a hoof with the most innocent smile “I’ll just have to find something else to do after another week of peace!”
He hops back up with a “hup!” Before waving “anyway, thats the update! Good luck!” And he just hops back off the podium, going down whatever trap door must be down there to make him disappear. Once again, the rug has been pulled from beneath each and every one of them, and all trust is out the window. Of both the other students, and of their own minds.

Chapter Text

Quinn sits in his room, taking a couple deep breaths after the announcement. He takes a water bottle he hadn’t yet finished, opening the cap and trying to sniff it. Nothing
He holds it up to the light, trying to see anything inside it, adjusting his glasses to try to see as clear as possible. Nothing.
He takes a tentative sip, swishing it in his mouth like it might burn. Stale. Nothing.
He leans forward on the bed, foot tapping as he stares forward at the space poster on the wall. How were the others taking this…? Do they want to hide away in their room as much as he does?
He glances to the door, tempted to go to the cafeteria, see if there’s anyone hoping for a meeting. He takes a breath to gather his courage, standing and moving to the door, and stepping out. He can’t help but glance both ways in the hall, and catches himself speed walking to the gathering area.
When he arrives he immediately overhears arguing in the kitchen, and creeps over to eavesdrop
“I’m just saying!” Sarikas voice comes through “this is a classic psychological play! He could be totally lying, and just expecting a placebo effect, the water seems perfectly fine”
“Okay okay, maybe, but we have to at least test it right? Can we really be too safe here?” Harlow responds “what’s the harm in boiling it anyway? We just get even cleaner water”
“He called it corticotropin-releasing hormone.” Swarnas voice chimes “do we know who might know what that is? Or what it looks like?”
“Nobody here is a scientist” Harlow responds “or, I don’t know, a doctor, he did call it a hormone”
Quinn finally steps in, watching Harlow leaning almost dangerously over the stove, Sarika beside him, and Swarna leaning against the opposite wall
Sarika looks over to Quinn “welcome to the party…!” She tries to say cheerfully
Harlows head whips to look at him “did you come to try boiling the water too? I’ve heard it purifies it, thats true right? You’re the closest we have to someone sciencey”
“Uhm…” Quinn frowns from the pressure suddenly on him “I…I study stars, not chemicals…”
“You’ve gotta have something though, right?” Harlow takes a couple steps toward him, desperation in his eyes
Quinn’s teeth grit a little in fear of answering wrong, completely hesitant “I…I I think it can purify water, yes, heat can kill things like bacteria and parasites…”
“See!” Harlow turns to the other two “it doesn’t hurt to try it out…!” And he goes right back to the stove
Sarikas brows furrow softly, glancing to Quinn and seeing him tremble. She lets out a little breath before starting to step towards the entrance of the kitchen “okay…I’ll be in the cafeteria to see if anyone else comes by…give me any updates?”
Swarna only grants her a nod before she steps out
Quinn softly sits at the counter “I uh…came to see if anyone was near the meeting area…in case there were plans…”
“Everyone’s hiding right now” Swarna speaks “some locked in their rooms, some gathered a bunch of the older bottles of water, PAZ went to the garden to search for water that might be used on the plants”
“But…isn’t it a hormone?” Quinn asks “would that still affect them…?”
“How should we know?” Swarna almost scoffs “Only ones who would are Flint and Basil, and the freak barricaded the door to isolate the both of them, can’t get Flint to talk and he’s not letting anyone touch Basil”
“Thats…strange”
“Is it though? The guy is already paranoid and overprotective. Treating him like he’s a delicate flower, should let Basil try to protect himself instead of playing guard dog, could get him into shit later if they’ve separated…”
Quinn nods slowly in agreement, mumbling a “maybe…” as he watches Harlow take the pot off of the stove, and trying to fan off the water, soon scooping it into a clear glass, and holding it to the light. He looks, he sniffs, he sips, just as Quinn had done with the bottle
“Nothing! Tastes even cleaner, actually!” Harlow lets out a sharp laugh before downing the rest in one gulp.
Quinn winces, before sighing out in defeat

Chapter Text

It’s only a couple more days. Everyone is irritable, desperate, or totally manic. Paranoia is at its peak, and it’s clear. Whether real or placebo, it’s affecting everyone.
Quinn sits in his room, examining a bottle for what feels like the hundredth time, before the tv screen flickers on
“A body has been discovered!”
Quinn feels himself grow cold, half filled bottle dropping from his grasp as his eyes can’t be torn from the screen
“You will all be given an hour to gather whatever evidence you can to put together the clues of who murdered your fellow classmate in cold blood. Once time is up, ready or not, time for trial, meet up with me at the first floor elevator, and we’ll go down from there! See you soon!”
Quinn only whispers a “no…no no no-“
Paranoia be damned, he throws open the door, only to see others doing the same
Everyone glances to eachother, and Swarna once again taking the mantle, she starts to direct
“Split up evenly to check the floors-wait, who’s missing?”
The others glance around, Elettra speaking up first with only a sweep of the group “Apurva, Kun, and Blanche”
“Alright, then split into groups of two and search each floor”
Each nod, splitting quickly. Quinn and Devin end up together, sweeping the first floor. Devin steps into the storage room, and calls out “Hey!! In here!”
Quinn runs over, seeing Kun and Blanche both turn around, Apurva crumpled onto the ground
“Back up!” Devin shouts
Blanche nervously asks “what? What happened?”
“What, you not even tell her?” Devin snaps at Kun, taking a couple steps back “I it was the shock…!”
“Kun?” Blanche turns to him “when did you get here?”
“Uhm-okay I saw you walked on your own and followed you! To make sure you’d be okay, blind and all…”
Blanche frowns, frustration flicking across her face as she feels somewhat infantilized, but also saying “I…didn’t even hear you…” she turns to Devin “…is there…?”
“It’s Apurva” he kneels by the body
Quinn tentatively steps over, noticing one immediate thing first
Her makeup had been smeared away, leaving only blotches of face paint, and her face mostly bare.
It’s almost more uncanny to see who she really is instead of her disguises
Soon others rush in, and gather around the body. Manuela takes a step back, glancing aside “…it feels weird seeing her real face. Like something we shouldn’t be seeing”
“I have a feeling she wouldn’t want this…” Rada glances up at the others “should…we cover it?”
“Not yet” Flint says lowly “clues first, and then respecting what she’d want. Don’t get distracted”
“Can’t you have a little empathy?” Manuela snaps at him, but he shakes his head
“I can’t, no. There are more important things to focus on”
“You’ve been real sketch this entire time yknow. You haven’t had one reaction to any of this, along with completely locking you and Basil away over the water thing?”
“I am being rational” Flint steps forward, the seven foot figure towering over her “emotions getting in the way only causes rash decisions, which causes sloppy mistakes. And I was protecting us. Paranoia only heightens those mistakes, into something far more violent”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure you’d know all about that” Manuela accuses, Flint growling low and glaring
“Okay cmon…!” Sarika gently squeezes between them “like you said, more important things to focus on right? There’s no time to fight right now”
“Are you not concerned about his behavior at all?” Manuela asks
“Wellll I meannnnn” Sarika laughs a little and twirls her hair “he’s just a little different, I’m sure he’s innocent and just acting accordingly…” she looks up to Flint, who’s only staring her down with eyes narrowed in confusion
Manuela stares at her as well, baffled “………my god you have bad taste”
“Can we not flirt next to a dead body please!” Devin snaps
Flint, still off guard, just takes a step back towards Basil, before glancing to him and points to Sarika, Basil only grinning unsurely and shrugging
Devin huffs a little as he looks to the body “well there’s no blood…”
“I guess thats why I didn’t smell anything either…” Blanche frowns “I’m relieved the announcement stopped me…I’d feel awful if I tripped over her…”
“And…Kun didn’t stop you then either…?” Quinn questions, an couple turning towards the trembling engineer
“Look-I’m still not used to seeing dead bodies-are any of us…!”
Harlow squats next to Apurva with a soft frown “…her neck is bruised. I think she had been strangled.”
“How would you know what that would look like?” Swarna asks
“Lots of bruises you tend to see in gymnastics. Sports in general really. You tend to know the difference”
Manuela glances to the wound before nodding “I’ve got to agree. I think Harlow is onto something…had to grab someone’s arm so they wouldn’t fall and it wasn’t too far off from that”
“So cause of death, strangulation…” Quinn nods
“They’ve got to have some strong hands” Sarika adds “strangulating isn’t always as easy as it looks, unless you know exactly where to press anyway” she points to the sides of her neck “carotid, faster and more efficient. That’ll cause death in minutes”
“Making yourself look suspicious right now” Devin glances at her
“What I’m SAYING is it’s someone also inexperienced! Who wouldn’t know how to actually do it. Look at that, bruising in the front, that’s a crushed trachea right there”
And soon the bell tolls, everyone ushered to the elevator, and down to the basement and to the next Hell

Chapter Text

“Welcome to our second trial!” Shika cheers “I just knew the paranoia would eventually get to one of you! Make you question yourselves, other people’s motivations, just figuring out a way to make you snap”
Shika looks over as Sarika raises her hand
“…yes Hecate?”
“Sooooo like…was the whole drugging thing real or just some sort of placebo effect…?”
“Oh, no no, I really did that shit” Shika shakes his head “I’m no liar! I may tell half truths and twist my words, but I don’t lie”
Sarika pouts and crosses her arms as Harlow points aggressively at her, in very ‘I told you so’ manner
“And I’m a deer of my word! Now that our dear makeup artist has been slain, I’ll be changing back the water! Just like give it an hour or two, the bottles will be changed first. Anyway!” He claps “the trial now begins! You know the rules, figure out who done it, and you continue on, with our killer getting punishment! If our blackened gets away with it, then they get to leave scott free, and you all get a punishment instead! You know what to do”
“Okay…so who in the world would take off her makeup like that, what the hell?” Manuela immediately begins, looking accusingly at everyone
“I can only assume it was fueled by the paranoia, not able to see her face” Quinn suggested
“Doesn’t excuse how disrespectful that shit was! What if she didn’t WANT anyone to see?” Manuela scolds, jabbing a finger at him
“I can only assume there was some sort of self consciousness about it, I don’t see why else someone would cover their face every second of every day…” Rada offers, only shifting in his podium with his hands folded neatly together
“She was an artist, maybe some kind of performance?” PAZ adds hesitantly
“We don’t need to figure out the why, we need to figure out the who” Swarna commands, hands holding onto the podium, like stabilizing herself
“I mean…who knows, the why could tie into it” Elettra gives a little shrug
“Then maybe…revisit it later? We should get important stuff out of the way. I think Quinn is right, the most likely reason her makeup was smeared off was someone finally had their paranoid break” Sarika says, nodding and moving her hand softly to continue
“I’m not even sure what you all mean by the water making you paranoid…” Basil frowns “I didn’t feel that affected…”
“Well MOST of us had resorted to locking ourselves away for safety, so it’s hard to tell who could have gone where” Quinn adds uneasily
“With her in the storage room, I can only assume she was trying to stock up on some kind of ration, when whoever found her finally snapped” PAZ suggests weakly
“Well thats why I went, I ran out of snacks and knew there was some there instead of the kitchen” Blanche shrugs
“And…Kun followed you? Apparently?” Quinn
“Apparently, even though I didn’t even hear him…” Blanche hesitates as she speaks, clearly unsure
“That…doesn’t sound right. I know you’d be able to hear someone tiptoe from down the hall, and with his boots? Are you sure?” PAZ asks, uneasily glancing to Kun. He couldn’t possibly sneak around dressed the way he is…
“Thats what he had said after all…” Blanche shrugs, not sure if she should be questioning this or not
“It’s not like he would have any reason to lie, right?” Devin looks to Kun from the side of his eye
“Hey…!” Kun raises his hands “maybe you were too distracted! That’s not my fault! What about the strength needed to choke her out huh? I’m sure the janitor could have plenty of that”
“Oh directing the blame to me now! You work with metal, you really don’t think you’d have enough strength to do that?” Devin snaps incredulously, waving a dismissive hand
“Well we have what, me and you and Flint?” Kun
“Well Flint and I had been locked in my room the whole time sorting out waters and stuff, so I can be his alibi…” Basil adds softly, Flint giving only a nod
“True. So it’s the one who found the body right after the announcement…” Kuns eyes narrow to Devin, almost seeming to challenge him
“Right after! Took me and Quinn like 20 minutes to look around the whole bottom floor! YOURE the one that was there first!”
“Would the criminal really return to the scene so early?”
“…Not if they had never left” Quinn speaks, head raising from the epiphany
“You think our killer was just standing there?” Rada asks unsurely, not quite following his train of thought yet
“I do…Blanche didn’t hear Kun, which should be impossible with how heavy his boots are. She only knew he was there once he spoke up. I think he at least had already found the body first…” Quinn suggests, eyes running over every student around him
“So the body discovery announcement was for Kun discovering her instead?” Sarika realizes
“I guess it makes sense, since Blanche cant see. She wouldn’t really be able to quite discover the body…” Harlow gives a timid little shrug
Quinn pauses, in thought, before looking to Shika “…can you please tell us the rules on Blanche discovering a body?”
Shika hums, hooves drumming against his little throne for a moment “alright. To make things more inclusive for her, I decided that once she gets within the vicinity of a body, that sets off the body discovery announcement!”
Quinn nods “so if Kun had arrived there first, it should have gone off earlier. But instead, it only went off when Blanche entered the storage room”
Kun shifts “that doesn’t…it could’ve…there’s still…”
“And as we mentioned…” Quinn continues “the only hands that could have done that much damage with choking would be you or Devin…”
Kun grips the podium tightly, his fingers turning white, before snapping “I FFFFFUCKING…HATE…PEOPLE COVERING THEIR FACES…! It-it-it creeps me out it gets on my nerves okay!?”
“So it…it was from panic…?” Rada asks “it wasn’t anything premeditated?”
Kun buries his face into his hands, shaking his head “nooo…we ran into eachother and I just…I had to…I had to get it off I had to see what was actually there-I didn’t want to hurt her I just-I lost control…”
Shika hums as Kun trembles “well well, I believe our maskaphobia-riddled friend has made a confession!”
Kun glances through his fingers, as if not have even known there was a word for what he felt
“Now are we ready to vote kiddos? Or are there lingering doubts among you?”
The students glance around at eachother, seeming to agree, and nod. The screens raise from the podiums, showing each icon, and everyone choosing Kun
Shika grins as the votes roll in, hooves giving a drumroll “and out winnerrrrrr, Kun Puck, the ultimate engineer! Your second trial was a success, congratulations! And you know what time it is”
He grabs the hammer as the red button raises, excitedly slamming it down
The chain once again shoots from the roof, gripping Kun by the neck, and pulling him upwards. Shikas eyes only flash maliciously
“Punishment time”

Chapter Text

As the curtains open, Kun is disorientated, having been dropped onto the stage floor. He stands shakily on the boards, looking around uneasily, before a giant clock thumps behind him. He looks back as the tile start to tick down, and wood begins to fall around him. He grabs them, easily registering which goes where due to labels. As tools fall he grabs them from the air, wood flying as he hammers, saws, and screws.
The time ticks, quietly at first and barely audible. But as it gets closer to the deadline, it rings like a death knell.
With only a few seconds left, Kun stops, panting as the wooden contraption is put together. He sits within some sort of bowl, before looking over the edge. Shika, dressed in a construction uniform, holds a rope, pulling it back with a mischievous grin, teeth bared excitedly. Kun stares, before quickly looking over the edge of what he’s put together
A catapult
He can’t even get a word out before Shika releases, and he’s flung against the wall at high speed, splattering into the wall into unrecognizable paste

Chapter Text

Once again as the execution ends, everyone is silent. Though it’s almost less heavy, having been the second time. There’s a tiny whimper from Basil, who’s simply offered a mint from Flint, already preparing for the possible nausea
They soon file out, and again gather at the cafeteria
“…so is it time to restock some things from storage?” Quinn soon asks hesitantly “now that the paranoia will get out of our systems…?”
“Well I mean will you really escape paranoia?” Sarika asks
“You know what he meant” Swarna looks to her “the drugs”
“Oh I know, I’m just saying”
Swarna stares at her for a moment, before sighing out “okay, you’re on restock duty then”
“Oh come on!” Sarika frowns “I was just making a statement!”
“I’ll go with her” Quinn volunteers, standing
Sarika is at least quelled having a partner, sighing out “okay fiiiiine, let’s go Quinn”
The two walk together, heading to the storage room
“So you’re…not that affected by any of this are you…?” Quinn asks, glancing to her
“Well I know there’s a difference between fact and fiction, but I dunno, it just feels like I’ve seen this all before. Only disturbing part is it happening to people I know, and mourning that they’ve died in such a way” she shrugs “but not all of us can fall into despair, right? Not many of us are keeping level heads, so I’m doing the best I can…”
Quinn nods slow, before facing forward again “that…makes sense”
Soon they round the corner and step into the storage room. Almost tentatively, as if expecting the corpse to still be there. But no, it’s as if nothing has ever happened
“What do you think he does with the bodies…?” Quinn shivers
“Well there’s a whole ton that could be done with a dead body, take your pick really. Maybe he buries them, dissolves them in acid, chops them up and puts them in our meat”
Quinn feels a wave of nausea hit him with a little groan, and Sarika puts on a grin “but…! That would take much more effort, I’m sure they’re just buried somewhere safe…”
“We can only hope I guess…” Quinn sighs as he starts digging through supplies. He goes for the back, digging through piles upon piles of things away from the shelves. He tosses aside boxes, before his hand touches something fuzzy, making him yank his hand away in surprise with a yelp
Sarika looks over immediately before running over “did you get hurt?” She asks immediately
“N…no, no, I just felt something weird”
“Weird?” Sarika raises a brow, before reaching in herself. She hums as her fingertips brush over the texture
“It feels like one of those little toy animal dolls…let’s take it out”
The two put more trash aside, before revealing a deer in the pile, built the same way as Shika
Quinn jumps back, but Sarika can’t help but grin and hold its face “awww, look at you, wow…”
“Careful…! What if it turns on and attacks us?”
“Relax, this little guy is totally powered off. And honestly he looks more like plastic than metal! Looks more like a toy than a robot” she suddenly scoops him up “cmon! We’ve got to show the others!”

“Guys!” Sarika runs to the group, holding the new find close “look at this!”
Quinn is running behind, hissing out “Shh! Shhhh!”
Once she stops and he catches up he takes the edge of her jacket, covering it from the cameras
“Careful…! We know nothing about this thing”
“Well we can’t show them if we’re covering it…”
Flint glances between the two suspicious “…if it’s cameras you’re concerned about, the sauna doesn’t have any. Should we be bringing your secret there?”
“Oh! Yes!” Sarika grins before immediately heading that way
And once the group is gathered in the sauna, she opens her jacket with a flourish “Tada!”
The students surround the deer, looking over it both curiously and cautiously
“Is it another animatronic?” Harlow asks softly, as if he’d waken it
“It isn’t nearly as intimidating as Shika” Swarna crosses her arms
Blanche reaches out, her fingertips touching the short fuzz, before smiling softly “oh he feels cute…”
Flint seems to stare at it intensely before asking lowly “…where did you find him?”
“Just in the storage room! He was behind a big pile of trash, we had to dig him out!”
Flint watches for a moment, before nodding and turning to the door, walking slowly “right. Well I’m going to keep guard then”
“Good idea!” Sarika waves to him before turning back to the robot “how do you think we turn him on?”
“Well he doesn’t quite look destroyed…” Rada hums as he inspects him “my cards WERE positive today, showing hope and new beginnings…”
“Do we just search for an on button? Do you see somewhere to plug him in maybe?” Basil starts to examine him as well
“Woah-are we sure we want to turn it on…?” PAZ interjects quickly “He doesn’t look as intimidating as Shika sure-but that doesn’t mean we know what it’s capable of”
“Look at him, he’s plastic” Elettra shrugs “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to hurt us”
Basil finds a compartment in the back to open, giving an “Oh! Here!”
He flicks the switch, only a whirring sounding for a moment. There’s silence between the students, taking a couple steps back, before the robot seems to jump, like it was suddenly awoken from a deep nap
“A ah…?” he looks around at all the people, and suddenly backs up along the bench, before sliding off with a little yelp
“Woah hey…!” Sarika quickly goes to his side, setting him back onto the bench “careful little guy…! We don’t want you to get hurt…”
He holds her sleeve in his little hooves as he glances around “…I’ve…never seen this many people before…Wh what’s happening…?”
His voice is of lower quality, clearly coming from an older speaker
“I’m Sarika, Quinn and I found you stored away in the storage room. What were you doing in there little guy?”
“I…I I don’t know…last thing I remember is Father powering me down…in the…what did he call it…oh, in the apartment…”
Sarika nods slowly as she listens
“You…were made by someone in an apartment? And he shut you down?” Harlow asks
“And you call him father?” PAZ adds
He nods softly “Well yeah…Father created me…your fathers create you too right?”
“Lil mans got a point” Elettra mumbles
“Do you remember Fathers real name?” Basil asks, the deer shaking his head
“No, I never heard him say it…”
“Well what’s more important” Sarika chimes “what’s YOUR name?”
“My name…” he pauses, thinking “…Ah! I’m Protoshika!”
The room goes silent again, Protoshika looking around in confusion
“…did I get it wrong? I thought that was it”
“No no you probably got it right…!” Sarika reassures him “it’s just…the resemblance to Shika…”
“How about…we call him just Proto?” Quinn suggests “so he loses the resemblance to him…?”
Proto sits up a little taller, tail wagging
“So you’re little, right Proto?” Elettra asks, bending to be face to face
“I know I’m under 3 feet…!”
“Perfect. You’re probably able to sneak around unseen, couldn’t you?”
“Elettra he just came back to life-“ Quinn frowns
“Maybe, but we still need to know what’s going on. He just came back to life, but what if we die tomorrow?”
Quinn winces from the bluntness “Elettra cmon-“
“No, it’s okay” Proto stands, head raised high “I’ll do whatever I can! For my new friends! You’ve been nice to me, it’s the least I can do!”
“Awww…” Sarika coos “he’s so sweet…”
“Are we really friends, all we did was ask him where he came from and gave him a nickname…” PAZ mumbles to Basil, who just gives a little shrug, murmuring “I think it’s endearing…”
“He may be tiny, but those cameras are still everywhere. You really think he could stay THAT out of sight?” Harlow asks
“I’ve got an idea” Devin grunts, taking a screwdriver from his pocket, and moving to an air vent
“You just carry one of those?” Elettra asks, Devin just giving a shrug as he pries it off
“Ultimate janitor, did maintenance work, some habits just don’t die I guess” he then scoops Proto up, and holds him up to the vent
Proto shoos a couple webs away, before crawling into the vent, peeking around cautiously
“Are you alright going through there?” Sarika asks him
He hesitates, but turns to the group with a smile and nod “I can do it!”
And as the group soon exits, Flints leaning by the hallway entrance. He looks over as he takes another glance down the hall, before giving a little nod and approaching the group
Basil trots forward, and holds onto his arm “Flint! He was so cute, you should’ve came in and seen him!”
“Yeah, well, we need someone as lookout…all the students entering the sauna is a little suspicious…”
“Well the update is that he’s in the vents” Sarikas voice lowers to a whisper “he’s scoping out everywhere, and he’ll tell us any info he finds”
“…I see” flint nods “and you’re sure we can trust this thing…?”
“Soul was that of a child” Rada responds “he seems as dependable as he can be…”
“Robots don’t have a soul”
“Cmon Flint…” Basil softly smiles up at him “he seemed genuine, we can trust him…”
Flint lets out a little huff, before nodding “…alright, fine”

Chapter Text

“Now wait right there!”
The group turns, seeing Shika standing at the hall, hooves on his hips and foot tapping
“now what were every single one of you doing in there? Little strange, is it not?”
A few of the students glance around, before Manuela steps forward
“We haven’t had use of the baths as a group yet, so we were trying to decide who gets to use it first, the guys or girls”
Shika glances to Elettra, who holds their hands up and glances aside, unamused
“I’m just going to sit it out and go later………”
“Mhmm, mhmm, and who was it that won out?” Shika questions, clearly suspicious
“I it was the girls” Quinn smiles nervously “the uh, the guys will just go tomorrow…”
A few nod, before Sarika, Swarna, Manuela and Blanche file back in. And leaving Quinn, Elettra, Flint, Basil, Devin, Harlow, Rada, and PAZ
“Jeez, didn’t realize our supply on girls was running so low” Shika mumbles
Devin looks to the door of the bathhouse, rubbing his chin lightly in thought
Harlow glances to him, before whispering “are you thinking what I’m thinking…?”
“It is a one time chance…” he hums
Shikas eyes narrow as he glances between the two warily, before his chest puffs and his ears stick up straight
“Oh no you don’t!” He marches in front of the doors, crossing his arms and standing tall-as tall as he can anyway “if I have to protect this room from your depraved fantasies I will!”
“Oh so NOW you have morals!?” Devin shoots
“I HAVE morals, they’re just my own! And that includes protecting innocent people from perverts like all of you!”
“H hey!” Quinn speaks up, voice breaking a little from embarrassment “not all of us would want to do that!”
“I can’t trust nerdy little virgins either! All I trust is gayboy over there!”
Flint straightens in surprise as he’s motioned to
“…Well thats no reason to use a sexuality so derogatorily like that, especially if they’re not even-“ Rada starts, but Shika interrupts
“No, Flints gay, that’s why I trust him not to go peeking at the girls”
“Damn who’s gonna break the news to Sarika” Elettra mumbles
“If he were to peek on you six I would…consider telling him no”
“Really picking favorites huh…” PAZ mumbles
“But I’m not letting a bunch of poor girls be spied on! So go! Shoo!” Shika waves them away and the men and Elettra move, some more dejected than others. Quinn turns to look at Shika before he makes the turn, concerned, seeing Shikas ears flick, and tail lash in annoyance, before following the group

“At least we know Shika is distracted right now” Quinn says softly as the group sits at the table “anything we need to discuss? While we know he’s not listening?”
“Biggest thing is Proto really” Elettra shrugs
“And not knowing who’ll be the next to die” Devin speaks up, clearly discomforting the table
“Come on man…” Harlow frowns “I feel like I’m going crazy enough here, I don’t want to be reminded everyday that we’re in danger…”
“Well unfortunately we have to be. Do remember this is considered a game. It may be life and death to us, but to that piece of scrap metal he’ll do whatever it takes to push it forward. Bastard is always a step ahead somehow…”
“Thats why I’m a little worried about Proto…” Elettra absentmindedly traces shapes into the table as they talk “like…what if he already knows somehow? What if cameras are in the vents? What if he doesn’t even find anything? It feels like anything could happen, and that isn’t good”
“It’s cheesy, but we have to stay positive” Quinn immediately responds “thats what he wants, to get into our heads and make us question everything. We need to keep heads up…!”
“Isn’t that a little…impossible?” Harlow asks “Like it’s a good thought and all, but good god, it’s hard not to feel like everything is totally hopeless. We can do our best not to go insane, but I think it’s inevitable”

And in not even 48 hours, Quinn is attempting to relax in the lounge, before the handbook buzzes with an incoming announcement
He hesitates, soon taking from his pocket, and seeing Shikas face
“Hello students! I’m bored already, so come on down to the gym for a fun new event!”
“It hasn’t even been a week!” Quinn shouts at the screen
“I know it hasn’t even been a week, but I’ve just been so eager! See you there!”
The announcement shuts off, and Quinn shrinks in his seat a little. Probably a coincidence, but still suspicious as usual. But he stands with a heavy sigh, and drags himself to the gym
Shika is already sitting on the podium as the students file in, legs swinging as if he wasn’t about to unleash a new horror onto the class
“Alright, get it over with!” Swarna shouts the moment everyone is filed in “tell us your motive or whatever!”
“Rushing me already!” Shika sighs “can’t I ask how you’ve all been doing? The amenities good? I’m keeping the food well stocked? I’m keeping your favorites in? I know a couple of you are getting into my groove!”
“Who the hell is getting into your groove?” Devin asks incredulously
Shika hops off-and forcibly pulls over Harlow
“Cmon buddy! I know your true feelings” he hops onto the stool behind the podium, putting an arm around Harlows shoulders with a devious grin
“I said this in confidence to my empty room you know” Harlow huffs
Shika only laughs “oh I know, but I need a little support here!”
Harlow glances to the students, swallowing a gulp “I just think…! Other than the motives, we…we are being taken care of…! The circumstances could be far far worse…”
Rada sighs “I’ve pulled the Moon, but I didn’t know it would come in the form of Stockholm syndrome…”
“Th this isn’t Stockholm syndrome I’m just…! People have had it worse before…!”
“Boooo get off the stage!” Elettra shouts, Harlow slouching in disappointment
“Sorry buddy, you tried” Shika pats his back, before letting him go and letting him sulk off the stage. He turns back to the students, clasping his hooves “now! Let’s have a little story time. Who has heard of the Russian sleep experiment?”
“Oh!” Sarika eagerly raises her hand
“I knew if anyone here would it’s our little horror fan! Why don’t you come up here and tell us the story?”
She nods, eagerly getting onto the stage to talk about something she’s a fan of
“Okay okay! If you haven’t heard of the Russian Sleep Experiment, you are in for a treat!
Picture this: Soviet scientists, the height of paranoia and desperation, decide to lock five prisoners in a sealed chamber, pumping in some mysterious gas that supposedly keeps them awake. No sleep, no escape, just a never-ending, waking nightmare. At first, it’s all whispers and paranoia. But then, ah, things start to get…interesting!
By day five, they stop talking to the researchers, just…sitting in eerie silence. By day nine? Screaming. Unholy, endless screaming. Oh, and one of them? He starts ripping himself apart, shoving chunks of his own flesh down his throat like it’s some kind of grotesque buffet. By the time the scientists finally open the chamber, because, you know, curiosity and stupid decisions go hand in hand, what’s left inside isn’t human.
Skin peeled, organs spilling, eyes wild with something far worse than insanity. And when they try to sedate them? When they finally give in to mercy? The last conscious prisoner grins, grins! And says something chilling. We are the madness that lurks within you all.”
There’s a long moment before Manuela shouts out “Hey! What the fuck…??”
“Oh! But hey, that’s just a story, right! It’s Just a silly old creepypasta!” Sarika tries to quell anyone who’s thought it was a true story
“Unless, of course… it isn’t.” Shika hums
“Oh no no it is! It was written in like late 2000s, and circulated through creepypasta and Reddit forums-“
“You misunderstand me dear!” Shika grins wide “it isn’t a true story…until today!”
Sarika blinks before glancing to Shika with a little “…huh?”
“That’s right! Found that little story and I was so inspired! So I’ll be releasing gas to keep you all awake! Isn’t that fun?”
“This place is great huh?” PAZ growls lowly to Harlow
“You’re just giving us paranoia part two!” Manuela challenges, Shika shaking his head
“No no, it’s different! That was a chemical being added to your brain. Losing sleep is toooootally a separate entity!! Sure you’ll get the heightened paranoia again, but now it’s combod with hallucinations, your memories, maybe even motor control! And if I decide to do something like broadcast weird sounds? Ohohoho!! You’ll be tearing eachother up in no time!”

Chapter Text

The group is silent as they’re walking along, each one thinking in some way of what they’ll do…
Will they just react the same way? Locking themselves away to avoid everyone else?
Quinn glances at the sauna, before stopping “guys, wait”
Everyone stops and looks, seeing Proto peeking out, before he pulls back
Sarika gasps and runs over excitedly, before Flint sighs “alright, keeping watch again”
The group files in, Sarika immediately going to scoop up Proto. She hugs him, and starts to speak before she cuts herself off and holds him out
“What did you get into?”
“What do you mean?” Proto looks down at himself, before Sarika places him on the bench
“You’re all…oily.” She rubs her fingers together with an uncomfortable frown “and you smell…bad. No offense, it’s just far different than before”
“How did I feel and smell before?” Protos head tilts
“Fuzzy, kinda musty. You were hidden away so I understand how you got musty thats not meant to be an insult-but now you’re like…” she leans in again and her nose crinkles “…chemically”
Devin steps over, giving a little “tch” before grabbing one of the towels and tossing it to Sarika, who starts gently rubbing Proto down
“You can focus on cleaning him more thoroughly after. But he definitely smells like chemicals”
“Oh! You’d know chemicals right?” Elettra asks
“It’s not like I know every chemical ever by smell, but I can still tell the scent”
“I’m sorry I got dirty…” Proto looks down
“Don’t worry little guy! You were just doing your job!” Elettra goes to ruffle his head, before frowning from the oil texture “ew”
“Alright, so what did you find out?” PAZ asks as Sarika raises Protos arms to get to his sides
“Oh! I saw Shika in the office. He was talking to someone, but they were talking real quietly so I couldn’t hear exactly what it was. And the person was standing just out of sight. So he isn’t working alone!”
The students each freeze, even Sarika stopping her rubbing for a moment
“…Shika isn’t working alone?” Blanche asks, a shaky tone to her voice
“Mhmm! All I could really hear is “here’s what I’ve got next, and then big words I didn’t understand, before the other person told him to Shh”
“…If he got told to hush, and they made sure to stay away from the vent, then they knew something was listening in” Harlow almost whispers “…That person was one of us”
They all glance around, that familiar distrust bubbling again
Sarika just lets out a soft breath before nodding and continuing “thank you Proto…we’re glad you found something…”
He suddenly shouts “Oh!” Before hopping off the bench, and going over to a small table, where a file was held “I also found this in a little room!”
“Little…room…?” Quinn asks, knowing no little room has ever been found by them
He nods as he comes back over, and hands the folder to Quinn “mhmm! I couldn’t read many words, but it seems useful!”
Quinn takes the folder, a feeling of dread in the back of his mind. He hesitates, before opening it up, and revealing newspaper clippings
He glances over the first, before his eyes widen and he freezes. He trembles, before Elettra takes his shoulder and shakes him
“Hey, cmon! Read it out!”
Quinn takes a hard swallow before shakily reading out
“Entire world in ruins from Apocalypse. Rapid plant growth causing entire cities to shut down…”
Devin stares in disbelief before snatching another one from the folder
“Doctors still unsure of what’s caused sudden sickness to cause death of millions, only report a sudden burning of the chest, ringing of the ears, and seizures…”
PAZ suddenly grabs the last article
“Pandemic spreads quickly over the globe, taking out populations with increasing rapidity. Autopsies show high brain damage and collapsed respiratory systems…”
The room goes silent once again, some frozen, some trembling in fear and confusion
Proto glances to everyone, before gently speaking up “that…didn’t sound very good…” he says softly, like he’s afraid of setting somebody off, but also wanting to break the silence
“…m maybe…it’s a lie…?” Harlow suggests, shivering “something…something planted to scare us…to make us think we’re protected here…”
Swarna nods a little “yeah…that sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? We would remember something like that happening before we were kidnapped and brought here. An illness killing people within hours of exposure…? It’s impossible”
She takes the clippings from the trios loose grip, and places them onto the table with the folder Proto had grabbed before
“…we need to focus on the now, where we are…Proto have some sort of film on him means that there really is something unseen traveling through the vents. We need to prepare for the worst.”
They all nod, and start to file out. Quinn realizes they’re missing one, and turn back to Sarika, just idly petting Proto
“…Sarika, are you coming?”
She pauses, quiet, before looking up at Quinn “I’m…going to try to use the spa to clean off Proto more. It’ll distract me”
Quinn pauses, frowning. Finally something seems to of bothered Sarika, and her worried stare felt out of place on her face
“…yeah, yeah sure, I’ll let them know…” and he steps out
Basil now runs up to Flint, unlike his little trot from before, and throws his arms around him in a terrified hug
Flint almost stumbles in surprise, before immediately looking up at the others with an accusatory stare, as if someone had only bullied him
Swarna takes a deep breath “…what Proto returned to us is that Shika is not working alone.”
Flint hums a little, nodding as his stare calms, learning why Basil is upset
“…so there’s a traitor in our midst then.”
To say it so bluntly, the others shift uneasily
“…is that all?”
Swarna shakes her head “we’ve decided they’ve been planted, but there were article clippings of…some sort of tragedy or apocalypse outside. But we came to the conclusion that we would remember something like that happening before we were kidnapped here.”
“I see…” Flint starts to idly pet Basils head “And where is Sarika?”
“Ah…” Quinn speaks up “she’s trying to clean Proto in the spa. Since he was in the vents with Shikas newest concoction he came out oily and smelling like chemicals”
“And we’re leaving her alone with something suspicious? Possibly the most likely person to be our traitor? She’s had no reaction to any of the executions, she must know what’s going on here”
Quinn hesitates, thinking back to that quiet expression of fear he had just been given “…well…if anything happens to Proto…we know who did it then…”
Flint pauses before nodding, accepting this idea
“Alright, we need to make a plan for this gas. Everyone to the cafeteria, we’ll fill Sarika in later”

“Can’t really soak you, but a dry towel won’t do it either. Maybe I can use a little soap…”
Sarika is wrapped in a towel, forgoing the risk of overheating while she’s in the sauna with Proto
He’s sitting between her legs with his back to her, nails massaging soap into whatever little bit of fur or texture there is
“It’ll hopefully remove the smell at least. If not, we can find something else with fragrance…”
“How do you know how to do this?” Protos head tilts back to look at her, and she can’t resist smiling and gently tapping a finger to his nose
“I’ve seen people clean animatronics before. Not like you, but like movie props”
“Oohhh” he faces forward again with a little nods “movies that show you nature and stuff right?”
“Like…a documentary?” Her head tilts a little “there are tons of types of movies, not just those kind. My favorite is horror, I know everything about every horror movie”
“Why horror? That sounds scary”
“Well…it’s interesting to me to dissect what makes things scary, and makes people feel fear. Horror can manipulate emotions, even physically, a whole lot, so effectively. It’s also fun to point out the tropes, call out dumb character decisions, and laugh when the blood and death is over the top and unrealistic. And you can consider it empowering that if something is scary you can just pause it, rewind it, or even turn it off, you’re still in control. Studying it, understanding it, having fun with it…it’s just my greatest hobby”
“Oohhh” he hums “is this like a movie?”
“B…being here?” He frowns a little “well…certainly no movie I’ve seen, this is unique…I guess I could compare things to the Saw franchise but…”
“Is it as scary as a movie?”
Her washing slows for a moment “…it’s much scarier than a movie, yes. Real life is always scarier than movies. I’ve seen a lot of things online, so I don’t react as hard to the blood. But that doesn’t make it less scary”
Proto nods, staring down for a moment “can we watch a movie someday?”
Sarika hums before smiling and nodding “sure, i would like that. We would have to work up to it though, there’s a reason you don’t show kids horror movies.”
“I’m not a kid” Proto huffs softly “I’m older than Shika!”
“I guess you’ve got me there. You’re just so much more…innocent. And friendly. And nice”
“Doesn’t mean I’m a kid…” he looks to the wood on the floor again “I just need a little extra attention…I only lived in Fathers apartment, I don’t know what anything is…”
Sarika is silent for a moment as she takes that in “hm…what stuff did your father teach you…?”
“Not a lot…” he shakes his head “he…didn’t like me much.”
“Why would he not like his own creation?”
“I just wasn’t good enough…” he slouches a little, ears slowly flattening “maybe I didn’t learn fast enough…maybe I was too clingy…not smart enough…I was a mistake”
Sarika frowns, before gently pulling him into her chest “you are good enough, he doesn’t know what he was missing. You’re so sweet and adorable, anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend.”
Proto clings to her, hugging for a long moment
Proto eventually asks quietly “do you think I’ll see the world someday…?”
Sarika loosens her hold, Proto in her lap now as she holds his face
“I’ll make sure of it”

Chapter Text

The gas set in faster than expected. It wasn’t like the water, where you could drink little bits at a time, or even abstain completely. There was no choice but to breathe it in, especially when Quinn entered the physics lab, and found the air purifier powered off
Emotions heightened immediately, as there was even more fighting, this time people hiding away since day one…
Quinn enters the sauna, in the hope that maybe there could be SOME relaxation to be had despite the chaos and fear. He quickly goes to say hello to Proto-before realizing he’s not in the room
Concerned he starts to look around the entire section, calling his name, but nowhere to be seen. He immediately jumps to the worst scenarios. Shika found him, the traitor ratted them out, he could never be seen again. He wasn’t sure if it were the gas or his actual mind, but either way he was panicked. He suddenly bolts to the dorm hall, knocking on every single door. A couple open, some don’t, but joining him in the hall is Harlow, Sarika, Manuela, and Devin
“Proto is missing” Quinn says immediately “I went into the sauna to try to get this gas shit off my mind and he’s totally gone”
“Fuck!” Manuela shouts, and starts to pace “What if the traitor ratted us out?”
“That was my exact thought” Quinn nods “or that Shika found out about him and he’s taken away”
“Maybe one of us took him for protection against Shika or the traitor?” Sarika seems to suggest, but either nobody was listening, or she was just totally ignored
“Maybe the thing just wanted to explore” Devin offers “gotta be cramped in that one spot”
“But then he’s on the cameras, and thats even worse” Harlow says “we need to keep looking around the sauna again”
“No, let’s start looking around the whole school” Manuela says before starting to march off, Quinn following behind
The group looks top to bottom, tired by the fifth floor, but not stopping for a moment in their search. Manuela runs into the dojo, and only a moment later…
“A body has been discovered! You will all be given an hour to gather whatever evidence you can to put together the clues of who murdered your fellow classmate in cold blood. Once time is up, ready or not, time for trial, meet up with me at the first floor elevator, and we’ll go down from there! See you soon!”
Quinn bolts forward into the room, and skids to a stop with a gasp
Swarna and Elettra are collapsed to the Ground, one arrow sticking out of Swarnas chest, and another out of Elettras head
Manuela’s breath shakes, whispering a “No no no…”
“Wait…h…how are we supposed to investigate and have a trial hopped up on some kind of drug…! Isn’t this a bit unfair!?”
Manuela glances to Quinn “well…that just means we have to focus harder, and work harder together. Double check eachother. We can’t be too safe right now”
The students all file in, and Basil gasps softly “th they’re drenched…!”
“Incorrect” Manuela glances to him “we’re still on some kind of hallucinogen.” We need to check with eachother. The blood is coming from Swarnas chest, and Elettras head, thats all”
Basil leans into Flint with only a timid little nod
Flint only gives a little nod, dragging a hand down his face before focusing to the bodies “okay. The murder weapons appear to be two arrows then, one for each.”
A couple nod to agree
“But I thought Swarna had her arrows taken?” Blanche says “did Shika lie?”
“Did Shika lie!” Shika appears seemingly out of nowhere, hopping onto the lockers “I confiscated them! Not once did I say they remained in my possession, I just relocated them from her!”
Devin looks to Elettras body, before stepping over, and going into the pocket. He takes their handbook into his hands and is about to active it, before shika hops over with a “yoink!”
“Hey!” Devin watches as Shika holds it under his arm
“Nuh uh uh! You’re not doing it THAT easily!”
“I was…looking for clues!”
“You liar!” Shika stomps “you were trying to find out their deadname. Let me tell you, there are no clues in the handbooks in this case. As a fellow genderqueer, last service I can give them is protecting their dignity! Now figure out whodunnit, no more interference from me! I’ll be turning the air purifier back on!” And he marches out
Quinn lets out a little sigh “o okay…let’s…just pair up and look for the clues I guess…”
Blanche steps aside, grumbling about feeling useless in these times
PAZ moves to Quinn, and they squat by Elettra
“…Mnhh…are their eyes gone?”
Quinn shakes his head “no…is their face torn…?”
PAZ shakes his head as well, before grumbling “we should be allowed to have these effects wear off before we do an investigation, we can’t focus, we’re hallucinating, this shit is like amphetamines!”
Quinn blinks before looking up at him, confused “what?”
PAZ glances to him, before giving a rushed “I’m a DJ, I do work in clubs and raves, I’ve tried some things”
Quinn stares for another moment before turning back to Elettra “okay…! Uhm, anyway, I don’t see any marks of struggle”
PAZ nods a little “yeah-with the arrow I think we can assume it was a distance away anyway”
“I mean, couldn’t they have like used it like a knife and stabbed them?”
PAZ pauses before looking at him “Through the skull?”
Quinn stares for a moment before groaning and holding his head into his hands “we’re doomed”
Sarika rubs her temples as she tries to focus on Swarnas body, and not let The Voices distract her “okay…through the chest…the blood suggests she wasn’t moving aggressively…”
“What? Hold on, what says that?” Harlow quickly looks at her
“It’d be messier, a little farther…it’d be clear if she was running toward the killer or attacking offensively”
Harlow blinks, before looking down at her with a little “ooh…”
“Mhmm, mhmm” she nods a little
“Are you sure you aren’t the ultimate detective?” Harlow asks, glancing at her “or like…forensics or something?”
“……what?” Her head tilts before it shakes “not at all. This is just sorta stuff I’ve witnessed, and have ended up figuring out inaccuracies in movies and stuff! Just in my element I guess. Also there’s no defense wounds or anything”
“Ah…yeah, it looks like it was done from far away…”
“Closer than Elettra was anyway. Can’t help but think Elettra just…walked inside at the wrong moment and got shot”
Harlow gulps before only nodding a little
Manuela paces softly “I think…this doesn’t look premeditated. Bodies out, bow and the quiver right there in the open, I think our killer panicked and fired”
Everyone freezes up as the bell rings, telling them all to move to the elevator
“Wh what-is it a couple hours already? What?” Quinn sputters
“Feels like it’s been hours to me…” Blanche sighs out
“It’s been nice knowing you all” PAZ sighs, trudging out of the room
“It’s been barely tolerable at the very most” Flint mumbles as everyone follows behind

“Boy, you all look like a wreck!” Shika laughs, kicking his legs on his throne as everyone tiredly look to him
“We really couldn’t have waited until this shit wore off?” Manuela snaps to Shika
“Hey, I turned on the purifier! Some things just can’t wait, like fresh bodies for the kill! Can’t risk them getting too cold. Now do you need a reminder on how to come to the conclusion of who killed our Ultimate Pinball player, and Ultimate Archer? It’s the third trial and all…”
Quinn takes a deep breath. Third trial…
“Okay. We need to stay calm and work through what we know.”
“It’s obvious.” Devin speaks up “Two people are dead, and the murder weapon was right there. Who else would it be but the person whose weapon it was?”
“That… doesn’t feel right.” Blanche shakes her head “Swarna wouldn’t have-“
“Doesn’t matter what she ‘would have’ done. The bow was hers, and she was found dead right next to it. It could’ve been taken from her in a fight.” Manuela adds
“Except she wasn’t holding it. It was dropped on the ground, closer to her body. Would she have thrown it?” Rada asks
“Exactly” Quinn agrees “Which means either she wasn’t using it at all, or it was used against her.”
“Someone panicked, shot her, and ran?” Flint only shakes his head “That’s messy as hell.”
“And it gets even messier with Elettra’s death.” Sarika adds “She was shot in the head, right? That’s different from Swarna’s wound.”
“That tells us the killer changed their approach. Swarna got hit in the chest. probably a mistake, they panicked. Then Elettra? A clean execution.” Devin states
Harlow shifts, fingers drumming against the stand “okay, Or it was a necessary act of self-defense?”
“Self-defense?” Manuela scoffs lowly “With two bodies?
“What if they were both attacking?”
“…You’re saying Swarna and Elettra tried to kill the blackened first…?” Basil asks hesitantly
“Hey, I’m just giving a possibility!” Harlow raises his hands “We don’t know what they were thinking! Maybe they planned something, maybe they-“
Quinn interjects “Then explain why Swarna wasn’t even holding a weapon.”
“Maybe she was going for one, but the killer had to act first…!”
“That doesn’t line up. If she was about to attack, she’d be moving fast, right? But Swarna’s blood pattern shows she was standing still—or at least, moving slowly.” PAZ says
“And what about Elettra?” Flint adds “You’re saying they attacked too? That they deserved a clean shot to the head?”
“Like we said, they would’ve panicked! They came in, they saw, and the killer shot before they could run out and tell everyone”
Devin hums, arms crossed “Oh, now we’re getting somewhere. You just admitted Elettra wasn’t attacking. Killer just didn’t want to get caught. You seek to know a lot about how it happened, other than saying they attacked”
Harlow blinks, pausing “Wait-I I didn’t mean-“
Rada sighs and shakes his head “At least this gas has helped us remove any poker faces…”
“And yet, despite your emotions, you had enough control to aim a headshot? Funny how panic works, huh?” Manuela hums
Basil mumbles softly “I guess it would make sense the acrobat would have enough strength for a bow…”
Quinn comes back in “You said Swarna was going to attack. But the angle of her wound proves otherwise. She was standing upright, close range. You had the time to see her clearly. If she was about to attack, she would’ve lunged. Instead, she… she was just approaching”
“And that bow?” PAZ adds “It wasn’t gripped. It was dropped. Not yanked away in a struggle, just… dropped.”
Harlow shakes his head, gripping the podium “No, no, you’re twisting this-“
“Are we?” Quinn asks “Or are we just exposing the cracks of what the gas obscured?”
Flint shakes his head “You screwed up, Harlow. First shot was a mistake, yeah? Swarna wasn’t a threat, but you shot anyway. And then, when Elettra walked in…”
“You couldn’t let them leave.” Sarika continues “If she did, the whole killing game would be over for you.”
“So you killed them.” Manuela finishes “But your mistake? You tried too hard to make it look intentional, thinking they were the problem”
“The first shot was fear.” Quinn says softly “The second shot was silence.”
Harlow looks down, now trembling “I… didn’t mean to…I saw Swarna, and she…she was coming toward me. I thought…I thought she was going to do something. I just wanted to make her stop, to threaten her, I…I didn’t mean to hit her. And when Elettra came in” he swallows a gulp “they were going to tell everyone.
“You panicked and killed two people.” Devin says in finalization “And now… you’re out of excuses.”
“Sounds like we’re all ready to vote!” Shika cheers “pull up those screens and cast those decisions!”
And as the votes roll in, Harlow suddenly speaks again “b but I did remember something! About outside!”
Everyone’s heads snaps up to Harlow, even Shika glancing to him
“The gas it-it helped me remember-we had all taken shelter together…! What we found-Nature IS retaking civilization…!”
Everyone stops, silent, before Shika moves fast
“Everyone outside is-!”
“And you’re CUT OFF!” Shika shouts, hoof slamming onto the button, Harlow stopped short as the chained claw grabs his throat, pulling him upwards into the ceiling
“But-wait!” Manuela shouts “the votes didn’t even finish!”
“Majority rules, and it’s close enough! Harlow was our blackened! In his loopy state, he had thought he was being attacked, when Swarna really was trying to soothe the guy, and Elettra was just at the wrong place at the wrong time! What a sorry state of circumstances! Now shoo shoo, up to the auditorium, it’s my favorite time of the month! Punishment time!”

Chapter Text

As the curtains open Harlow breathes shakily for a moment, dizzy as he slowly raises from his knees. He stares ahead, at what appears to be an obstacle course
A very…sharp and dangerous course…
But a course nonetheless
His eyes squint in the dim light, trying to put things together in his gassed mind
There’s a sudden FWOOSH from behind, and he spins to see a giant wall of fire, lighting up the entire course
As it moves forward, Harlow misses only a beat, before leaping into the track
There IS an end to it, Harlow can see. Maybe if he makes it to the end, there could be a chance he’d survive. Despite having to move over spikes, or roll between swinging axes, and have a wall of fire force him to move forward
And Shika, ever the performer, raises onto a platform in the middle. In a cheerleaders outfit, he shakes his pom-poms, before starting to cheer for Harlows demise
“Run, jump, climb, don’t be late! If you fall, you’ll meet your fate!”
Harlows breath quickens as he tries not to be distracted by him, the course getting more difficult as he feels the flames licking behind himself.
“Run, run, run! Don’t you trip! Dodge that trap or lose a hip!”
He’s forced to bend over backwards over a hurdle, grunting as he reaches for the last lever, trembling over every inch of his body
“You’re almost there, don’t lose your breath! Just one more step toward certain death!”
Forcing to bend farther, he’s close-
Before a snap rings through him, his spine splitting at the bend. There’s only a moment, before he crumples, hanging over the hurdle
“Oooooh, better luck next time.” Shika hums, giving the pom-poms another shake as Harlow is engulfed by the flames

Chapter Text

And the students, instead of filing into the cafeteria, file into the physics lab, all sitting by the air purifier
“3 down…” Devin mumbles out “9 to go…”
“Don’t say it like a countdown” Manuela’s head rolls to look at Devin
“Doesn’t feel unlike a countdown” PAZ sighs, eyes shutting “like they’re just widdling us down bit by bit…”
“Please no more…” Quinns head gently thunks against the machine “Can we just stop killing eachother…”
“The problem is less us wanting to, and more about Shika messing with us mentally and doing things to affect our brains” Blanche puts her protective sunglasses aside to bury her face into her arms “even if we wanted to live peacefully together, I don’t think he’d let us with these motives…”
“How do you think the next one will fuck us up?” Manuela sighs “if he’s drugged us twice now, what else will he do?”
It’s silent before Basil gasps softly “w wait…! What about-!” He glances to the camera before he whispers “the…search from before…”
Others start to sit up, before Sarika gives a nervous little smile “uh…now that we’re not in paranoid sleep deprived stupors…”

Sarika opens up her room, filled with horror memorabilia
She goes to the corner as everyone files in, away from the camera, and lifts the sheet. Proto looks up at her as he’s revealed, before at everyone else
“Do I have to go back to the sauna now?” He asks
She nods a little, scooping him up into her jacket again
And once they return him to the sauna, everyone turns to the guilty Sarika
“YOU kidnapped him? Really?” Manuela snaps to her
“L listen…! We were all freaking out already, I got it in my mind that during this motive the traitor or Shika would steal him…!”
“So you thought you’d do it first?”
“Sorta! I thought he was safest with me, and I tried to say that maybe he was safest wherever he was but everyone ignored me-“
“Yeah! Because what’s more likely!? He’s taken, or he’s safe!?”
Sarika can only glance aside, fiddling with the ribbon on her neck. She knows Manuela isn’t wrong, and can’t argue against it.
“Okay…” Quinn gently steps between them “we all were out of our minds…Sarika didn’t mean any harm, she just wanted to protect a friend”
Sarika only nods softly “I’m sorry, I was just scared.”
“Whatever” Manuela sighs out “what matters is he’s safe and here”
“…I’m happy you care about me” Proto says softly, looking down and making the others turn to him. He scans them all, before his head tilts in confusion “wait, where’s Swarna, Elettra, and Harlow?”
Half of the room winces, glancing around as they’re unable to know how to tell him
“Well…” Quinn shifts uncomfortably “they’re…”
“…dead?” Proto finishes gently, ears flattening “I knew it would happen eventually…but it’s still sad” he sighs out gently, eyes moving aside
A few seem surprised that Proto seemed to just…accept it. Some expected to cry, some expected him to freak out, and Sarika gives a soft smile.
She approaches and gently pats his head “…you’re taking it well”
“Well…I know what death is…how the circle of life happens…there’s a lot I don’t know about the world…but I know how nature works” he shrugs “but…I’m happy to learn from you all! I’m excited for when we get out, and I get to see the world!” He clenches his hooves “And to see it with all of my new friends! So please, don’t lose hope now! I believe in you all, and you need to believe in yourselves too!”
Quinn stares in surprise for a moment, before smiling and nodding, standing a little straighter “he’s right. No matter what happens here, we can’t back down. No matter what’s happened in this school, or out in the world, we can’t give up now.”
“For both ourselves, and the victims of this cruel game” Rada agrees with a light smile “for their deaths to not be in vain, we must survive”

Chapter Text

PAZ steps into his room, and leans against the door for a moment with a small sigh, before slowly removing his headphones. He scratches his head for a moment, before sitting at his desk. He fiddles with the soundboard, lights lighting up brighter than the sounds volume. Not only from his hearing, but pure habit of living in thin walls
He tries to create a beat for a moment, make himself focus to ground himself-but the visuals his brain is churning are off. Little sparks instead of smooth vibrations. He stops for a moment, and listens. Clicking in the wall
He frowns a little as he glances to the source. Not something he’s unused to, with an apartment in the city as shitty as he had. he recognizes the sound as some sort of bug in the walls.
But it’s usually not so loud he can hear it past his music, and even his synesthesia pick up on it. His eyes shut for a moment before turning up the volume just a little, but it’s still echoing in his mind. He tries to give the wall a little knock, to spook it away, but it only gets a little louder. Normally it would skitter away, but it just continues.
He grunts in annoyance, grabbing his headphones again. He tries not to think of what it could have been, if it was anything but the average roach. Just tries to get lost in sound before bed

“It’s all gone, I’m sorry…”
Protos ears flatten as the smaller group is gathered on the sauna
“I tried to go back to the room to get more info, but it was totally emptied. There’s nothing else I can do…I wanted to help more… but I think I’m out of use now.”
“Hey…” Quinn stands by him with a little smile “thats okay! You aren’t our friend to be helpful, you’re our friend because you’re a sweet little guy who deserves more”
Proto looks down, fiddling with his hooves, but wears a gentle smile
“So what do we think demon deers next play is?” Devin sighs out “poisoning the water, nonsleeping gas, what next?”
“Well it’s all been chemicals” Manuela speaks up “so there’s definitely a pattern here”
“I actually think it’s the opposite, he likes drama and being unexpected, I think there won’t be any chemicals involved. Too predictable now” PAZ suggests
“What if he does something like release some kind of animals on us?” Devin grunts
“Releasing animals? Really?” Blanche raises a brow “how difficult would that be? I doubt he can control animals…”
“Oh you wanna bet?” Devin crosses his arms “20 bucks once we get out of here”
Blanche blinks before sighing out “fine, 20 dollars…”

And as predicted, only a couple weeks later of peace, Shikas announcement comes, and everyone gathers to the gym
This time he’s sitting on a giant box, with a blanket thrown underneath, legs once again swinging in a carefree motion
“Hurry it up now!” Devin shouts, hand waving dismissively “unveil your new horror!”
“Why don’t we ever have a nice little chat!” Shika huffs “I’m so cute and sassy! I’d have a whole line of merch already if I allowed capitalism! I can’t believe only your mole likes me…”
And everyone goes quiet. Everyone had suspected there was a spy, evidence led everything to it. But to finally hear it from the deers mouth makes them all wish it hadn’t been the truth
“Oohhh, so scary” Shika snickers “I guess with that, I’ll reveal your new classmates!”
“New classmates?” Sarika asked, almost seeming hopeful there would be new people around
“Oh yes! Now don’t be offput by them, they can be quite friendly! Like little puppies.” And he stands, before throwing off the covering of the cage
The student gasp as they witness a cockroach the size of a Great Dane, clicking in annoyance now that it wasn’t dark anymore, and all lights are on it
“HA” Devin points to Blanche “releasing animals!”
“What-!” Blanche turns quickly “what’s is it!? I just hear clicking! What animal sounds like that!?”
“Thats…a giant cockroach…” Rada shakily whispers
“Do cockroaches even count as animals?” Manuela glances over
“Animalia…Anthropoda…Insencta…” Flint begins
“Oh not right now!!” Manuela hushes him with a shooing hand, making him huff in aggravation
“That’s not even an animal, that’s a goddamn demon!” Rada shouts
Shika opens the cage and the roach skitters out, examining the area, and Basil practically jumping into Flints arms
“Now one or two of these guys aren’t too bad! It’s the swarms you gotta watch for! Now they can be dangerous”
“And…we assume you’ve released multiple?” Sarika asks, shika laughing
“Smart girl! Of course I did! A couple others too, like some stick bugs, a centipede, watch out for the mantis! And a few adorable little jumping spiders!”
“Spiderssssss…” Basil whines, burying his face into Flints chest
“Oh why don’t you let out a wolf spider on us too!” Devin scoffs
“Oh no no, I wouldn’t do that!” Shika shakes his head “Those guys have grown like 15 feet! They have trouble fitting in the halls!”
The students nervously glance about, and Shika can’t help but giggle “there, like me proving your theories? Here I thought you’d be cheering, but I guess sometimes truth is scarier than fiction, huh?”
Suddenly Shika hops behind his podium, disappearing
The students watch the roach skitter by, looking to find more of its kind

Chapter Text

Basil hasn’t left Flints arms in fear, though he seems to have no problem with it, holding him even as the class is sitting at the cafeteria
“So you’re…terrified of bugs?” Quinn questions “as a gardener?”
“F Flint would always move the bugs for me…” he mumbles in embarrassment “I would try to ignore helpful ones like ladybugs or butterflies”
“Even butterflies…” Sarika frowns softly
“Well there’s kind of a reason to be afraid now” Manuela crosses her arms, leaning back against the chair “some bugs may do pest control, but now WE’RE the pests.”
PAZ leans forward on the table, rubbing his face with both hands. “Okay, so, remember that clicking I heard in the wall? The one I thought was a roach or something? Yeah. Guess it really was.” He glances up, hollow-eyed. “That thing was the size of a couch.”
Blanche’s voice cuts through softly. “Which ones did he say again? I want to know what I’m listening for.”
“Roaches, centipedes, stick bugs, jumping spiders…” Quinn counts off on his fingers, gulping. “He mentioned a mantis too.”
“And no wolf spiders,” Devin says sarcastically. “Because that would just be too much.”
“Well, they’re fifteen feet long,” Sarika mutters, arms folded. “He said it like that was a bad thing.”
Basil hides further into Flint’s coat, voice muffled. “Do bugs… know who to attack?”
Manuela gives a bitter snort. “I don’t think it matters. We’re just warm bodies in the dark.”
Flint finally speaks, quiet but firm. “We need to block the vents. If they’re coming from there, we keep them out. Cafeteria, dorms, any place we sleep. We rotate night watch.”
“And we still have a mole,” PAZ adds, glancing around the table. “Someone who probably knew this was coming and didn’t say a thing.”
A silence falls. Not heavy like grief-sharp, like teeth.
Quinn swallows hard. “So… do we start suspecting each other again? Or do we wait until one of us disappears in the night?”
Manuela kicks at the leg of her chair with a sharp tap. “Waiting is how we get picked off one by one. Again. We have to talk this through. Because Shika knows we don’t trust each other, and he’s counting on it.”
“Okay then.” Devin leans forward, locking eyes with the others. “Let’s do it. Say it out loud. Who do we suspect?”
Everyone hesitates.
“I don’t want to do this,” Quinn says, eyes downcast. “But if someone really is the mole, and they knew about this, that’s not just betrayal. That’s endangerment. Proto could’ve been hurt too.”
Basil finally peeks out from Flint’s coat, brows knit. “Could it still be Proto…? Maybe he doesn’t even know he’s part of it…”
“No,” Sarika says quickly. “He didn’t even know what chemicals were on him last time. If he were in on it, he wouldn’t be that confused.”
“He’s also locked in the sauna,” Flint adds bluntly. “Someone’s feeding him orders, if anything. Watching him. Using him.”
“…One of us,” Rada finishes quietly.
Blanche’s fingers drum against the table, subtle but quick. “We’ve only got our gut feelings. Nothing concrete. And the minute someone throws out a name, it’s gonna spiral.”
“Then maybe we should spiral,” Devin challenges. “Maybe that’s the only way we shake out the truth.”
“I think,” PAZ mutters, rubbing his temple, “that if we accuse someone tonight without proof, we’ll all be sleeping with weapons. If that’s what you want, go ahead. But I’m not being part of a panic spiral.”
Silence again.
Then Sarika sighs, pushing her bangs back. “Okay… then let’s focus on what we can do. Fortify the rooms. Keep Proto where it’s safe. Don’t go off alone. And if anyone sees something weird, no secrets. Say it. Out loud.”
“And if you’re the mole?” Devin eyes the group. “Say that out loud too.”
Nobody responds.
“…Thought so,” he mutters, leaning back.
Quinn casts a glance toward the door, voice barely above a whisper. “We have to last the night.”
Manuela stands. “Then let’s get moving. Someone’s gonna end up bait if we stay here too long.”
They rise slowly—some with resolve, others with dread—and prepare to face whatever clicks in the dark.
The halls are shut tight. Everyone locks up, pushing desks or chairs in front of doors, even the ones with proper locks. Paranoia sits on every shoulder.
“I’ll take the floor,” Manuela mutters as she sets up in Rada’s room, arms crossed over her chest, back to the wall. “Try to sleep. If something comes in here, I’ll crack its skull.”
“Comforting,” Rada mumbles, drawing one final card and glancing at it. “…Tower. Of course.”
In Quinn’s room, he’s bundled tight, journal in his lap, scribbling down whatever logic or thoughts might push back against the fear. Even then, his head keeps turning toward the vent. Every couple minutes. Just to make sure.
PAZ keeps the lights low in his room, curled up in the corner of his bed, soundboard glowing with a muted hum. “Stay calm… just a bug… just a bug…” he whispers, but keeps the screwdriver nearby. Just in case.
Across the building, Yannicks old room is quiet. Too quiet.
But someone’s in there.
Sarika crept in after everyone settled, despite knowing better. Her nerves wouldn’t let her sleep, so she came back to what she called “the creepiest room now” like poking a bruise. Like daring a ghost to show itself.
She runs her fingers over the wall, shaking her head. “Still no clue how that roach got in here before the motive. Or why this room is colder than the others.” She frowns, stepping toward the corner where Yannicks desk sits, littered with puppet parts and small tools for repairs
Something moves behind her.
She turns fast, too fast, and stumbles back with a gasp.
The vent grate is slightly ajar. Not wide. But not closed, either.
Click.
Clickclick.
Scrape.
And then it squeezes out.
A slick centipede. Shimmering. Antennae feeling the floor like blind fingers. Flatter and thinner compared to the Great Dane-sized roaches, but longer and faster.
Sarika slaps her hand over her mouth to muffle the scream as it skitters across the floor toward her. She bolts, barely catching the edge of the desk to swing around it. Her foot slides, nearly falling.
It chases.
Click.
Click.
Clickclickclickclick-
She dives for the door, wrenching it open and slamming it behind her just as the bug hits the wood with a sharp THUMP.
Inside, the creature clicks and scratches. Once. Twice. Then goes quiet.
Sarika sprints back toward the sauna, heart hammering, already breathless by the time she makes it.
She presses her back against the warm wood, gasping, and Proto’s little face peers up from the bench.
“…Are you okay?” he asks softly.
She laughs once, breathless. “Nope.”

Chapter Text

The sun filters in faintly through the windows, but it doesn’t bring relief. The cafeteria is quieter than usual, not from a lack of people, but from a lack of words.
Everyone’s gathered again, bleary eyed. None of them truly slept.
Quinn picks at his breakfast, mostly just stirring it around with his fork. “Anyone… see anything last night?”
“Define see,” Manuela mutters, dragging her hands down her face.
“I had to unplug my lights,” PAZ says, voice hoarse. “Anything brighter than a candle and those bugs started tapping on my vent like they were knocking.”
“Something was knocking.” Blanche tightens the scarf she’d wrapped around her face. “It tapped three times. Paused. Then tapped four more.” Her hand trembles as she sips from her water bottle. “Like it was thinking.”
Rada quietly lays a small stack of cards on the table. “I dreamed of carapaces. Of clicking in sync. They were speaking in tongues…”
“Rada that is not helpful,” Manuela groans, head thunking onto the table.
Sarika walks in last, eyes hollow. Her towel is still around her shoulders, hair damp.
“You shower?” Devin raises a brow.
“Got jumped by a ‘pede,” she says flatly. “Didn’t scream, but I might’ve cried a little.”
Flint glances to her, then down to Basil, who’s dozing lightly against his side. He tucks an arm more securely around him, like shielding him from even hearing the word bug.
“I told you,” Devin says, “bugs. You owe me twenty.”
Blanche rolls her eyes “You’ll get it when we get out...”
“Think we should do a headcount of what species we’ve seen?” Quinn offers. “Maybe we can map them. Like… where they like to crawl.”
Sarika shrugs. “We’ll need to stay in pairs. No one goes off alone. They’re fast, they hunt.”
And as if to punctuate the mood, a faint clicking echoes through the vent above.
Every head tilts up.
Silence.
Click.
“…Can we have breakfast somewhere else?” Basil whispers.

And the group agrees to that headcount
One group moves carefully, sticking to the science wing, flashlights in hand even though the lights are technically on.
“Do you hear that?” PAZ asks suddenly.
Quinn pauses, head tilting. There’s a faint skitter-skitter in the ceiling tiles above.
“Please tell me that’s just a loose vent fan.”
As if on cue, something drops—a stick bug, longer than Quinn’s arm, lands square on a lab table.
Quinn screams.
PAZ leaps backward and nearly knocks over a stool. “It’s just a stick bug! It’s just a stick bug!”
“It’s the size of a baseball bat!” Quinn hisses, holding a broom defensively.
The bug slowly raises its thin forelegs like twin twigs and casually strolls toward the windowsill.
“…Okay,” Quinn breathes, “I I think it was more scared of us…”
“No, that thing was chill. You were the problem,” PAZ mutters, trying to slow his own heartbeat and recover from his screaming.

Rada is doing a tarot reading mid-walk. Devin is not impressed.
“We’re surrounded by nightmare bugs and you’re drawing The Tower?”
“It is relevant,” Rada says calmly.
Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise surrounds them. A cloud of beetles bursts from a nearby vent, circling and then swarming past.
Devin ducks. “NOPE. NOPE. Too many legs and wings, get me out of here.”
Rada simply lowers his head and lets the swarm pass. “Chaos. Sudden change. Tower indeed.”

“Are we looking for bugs, or are we just out for a fun walk in Hell?” Manuela mutters, checking under a bench.
Sarika lifts a trash bin lid and yelps as a cluster of jumping spiders leap out and scatter across the floor.
She hops backward onto a table as they dart around.
“They’re harmless!” Manuela yells. “They just look like nightmares!”
Sarika shudders, hugging her arms tightly. “Jumpscares are the WORST kind of horror!”
One spider lands on Manuela’s shoe.
She flicks it off with a glare. “Back to your eight-legged rave, freak.”

The halls are unnervingly quiet, each step from Flint echoing off the walls with heavy, measured weight. Basil stays close, one hand gripping Flint’s sleeve like a lifeline.
Their patrol had taken them to the second floor, checking storage closets and peering into dark corners, but nothing had shown itself yet. Not until they rounded the corner near the gym.
Basil stops dead. “F Flint…”
Flint’s already looking ahead, his stance tensing.
There, perched by the locker doors, mandibles twitching and limbs folded with an eerie precision, stands the mantis.
Nearly the height of a man, with a triangular head that tilts just so, as if measuring them.
Basil’s breath catches. He instinctively clutches tighter, trembling.
Flint doesn’t flinch.
The mantis takes a single, skittering step forward, claws lifting, but Flint’s gaze narrows. His expression is unreadable, but his presence shifts. Quietly dominant. Protective.
The mantis halts.
A beat.
It stares back at Flint. Twitching. Hesitating.
And then slowly it lowers its claws and begins backing away, turning with a rustle of wings as it melts back into the shadows.
Basil finally breathes again, eyes wide. “Wh what was that…? It just… left.”
Flint watches the hallway for another long moment before speaking, voice calm. “It knew better.”
“…Did you scare it off?”
Flint doesn’t answer. Just gently places a hand on Basil’s head and turns them around. “Come on. We’ll check the stairwell next.”
As they walk, Basil glances up at him, quietly shaken, but more curious than afraid.

Blanche moves carefully through the third floor, one hand trailing along the wall as her cane taps in rhythm. The odd number forced one to go alone, but she seemed less startled than the others
She listens, not just hears, but listens. The faint chittering she’d been trying to ignore is louder here. More erratic.
“…Feels warmer in this hall,” she mutters under her breath.
She stops at a classroom she hasn’t dared check yet. The sound is loudest here. Clicks, scratching.
Her cane gently taps the door. No response.
She steadies herself, then slowly pulls it open.
A wave of heat and stench hits her, like rotting leaves and burning hair.
She doesn’t scream. But her hand goes still.
Even without seeing, she knows.
A nest.
The sound of hundreds of legs scrabbling over one another. Roaches burrowing and nesting in torn insulation, stacked crates, and pieces of what might’ve been furniture once.
“…Gross,” she whispers, slamming the door shut.
It doesn’t stop the noise. If anything, it makes them louder.

The rest of the group reconvenes at the cafeteria, some already seated and others trailing in. The air still hums with unease, everyone keeping a nervous eye out for skittering legs or sudden movement.
Manuela is the first to speak. “Any sightings?”
“Centipede in the hallway,” Devin mutters. “Basil screamed.”
“I did not scream,” Basil protests weakly from his seat beside Flint.
“You did, actually,” PAZ says, sipping water. “It was a little cute.”
“I found a dead spider,” Quinn says quietly. “Looked crushed. Maybe someone stepped on it… or maybe something else killed it.”
Sarika sits back, arms crossed. “Well, at least no one’s been attacked, right?”
Silence.
Then Rada glances around. “…Wait.”
Everyone stops.
“…Where’s Blanche?” he asks.
Quinn sits up straighter, looking to the entrance.
“She said she was checking floor three,” Manuela says slowly. “Just doing one last sweep. That was, what, a couple hours ago?”
Flint is already standing. “I didn’t see her during my loop.”
“She wouldn’t get lost,” Basil murmurs. “She always listens. She’s careful.”
“She would’ve said something if she was running late,” Sarika says, now standing as well.
The silence builds again.
Until Devin mutters, “Shit.”
And just like that, the cafeteria empties once again, footsteps pounding out into the halls, stomachs clenched tight, the dread already beginning to creep in.
Something’s wrong. And they all know it.

Chapter Text

They split up across the floors again, more frantic than before. No longer searching for a scuttling insect, but for one of their own.
Quinn is the one who hears it first: the faint buzz. Not electrical, not mechanical. Organic. Alive.
He stops in the hallway of the third floor, eyes narrowing toward one of the old classrooms. The door is cracked. And the buzzing is louder.
“…Guys?” he calls out, but his voice is shaky.
Flint, Basil and Manuela appear beside him seconds later. Then PAZ, Sarika, Devin. The whole group slowly trickling in, one by one, drawn by the sound.
Together, they push open the door.
And the smell hits them first. Sour. Rotting. Sharp.
The nest is tucked in the back corner, burrowed into the broken cabinet. The walls are smeared with a mixture of soil, mucus, and something else. Chitin glints in the corners. Roaches, massive ones, twitch and shift, some climbing along the ceiling, some frozen, staring with bulbous, unblinking eyes.
And there, at the center of it all, tangled in what looks like old paper, goo, and molted shells
“Blanche…” Sarika breathes out, hands flying to her mouth.
She’s hunched forward, collapsed against the wall. Her sunglasses are gone. Her face is slack. Her body is half-wrapped in some strange resin-like substance, roaches still crawling over her, parts already appearing half eaten already.
She’s not breathing.
She hasn’t been for a while.
Basil whimpers behind Flint, and turns away.
PAZ is frozen, his jaw tight, the light from the hallway reflecting off the still-moving insects.
“…She found a nest,” Flint says quietly. “And they didn’t like that.”
Sarika lets out a tiny, broken, “No…”
Manuela doesn’t say a word. Her fists are clenched tight.
Quinn steps back, and all he can manage is a whisper
“Another one’s gone.”
And though nobody looks to the screen
“A body has been discovered! You will all be given an hour to gather whatever evidence you can to put together the clues of who murdered your fellow classmate in cold blood. Once time is up, ready or not, time for trial, meet up with me at the first floor elevator, and we’ll go down from there! See you soon!”
Once the shock passes, the group begins to shuffle into roles like clockwork, trained now by trauma.
Devin gags once at the doorway before backing out. “Yeah. Nope. I’ll stand guard.”
Quinn hesitates longer, then pulls his shirt over his nose and steps inside with Flint, Sarika, and Rada. Basil clings to the doorframe behind Flint but doesn’t enter. PAZ lingers just inside, while Manuela forces herself forward, face unreadable.
Sarika crouches down, trying not to look at Blanche’s slack face. “She’s… tangled in all of this. Whatever it is.” She runs her fingers over the hardened substance coating Blanche’s back. It crackles under her touch. “This isn’t glue. It’s like… hardened spit?”
“Bug secretion,” Flint mutters, inspecting the smeared walls. “Roaches use it to build their nests. Cemented saliva, dirt, and feces. This was here a while.”
“She didn’t just stumble into this.” PAZ looks to the overhead beams, where glinting shells shimmer in the shadows. “She must’ve been pulled in. It’s like… it’s like they ambushed her.”
“I see scratch marks,” Quinn says, pointing to the cabinet. “Like she tried to claw her way back out… but she was already stuck.” His voice cracks.
Rada runs a finger along the resin on the floor. “There’s bits of fabric here… and hair. This is not the first thing they’ve tried to trap.”
“I don’t see any external wounds,” Sarika says quietly, “but her face is pale… her skin is cold, and there’s… there’s foam at her lips. Could she have been poisoned…?”
“Roaches don’t have venom,” Flint responds, “but mold spores in nests like this? Could’ve suffocated her. Or sent her into some kind of shock. Some people get hit with massive allergic reactions.”
“…or she panicked,” PAZ adds, “and just couldn’t breathe. That happens too.”
There’s a long beat of silence, filled only with the faint click-click of roach limbs somewhere behind the walls.
Quinn rubs his arms. “This… this doesn’t feel like a murder.”
“But Shika won’t care,” Manuela mutters. “He has his show. We still have to solve it.”
Sarika’s hand trembles as she picks something up—Blanche’s dropped sunglasses, lying just beyond the glue-like resin. “…I think she was just looking. Exploring. She found something no one was supposed to see.”
She looks to the others. “And nature didn’t like being disturbed.”
Flint narrows his eyes at the walls again. “If that nest is this big… there could be more.”
Nobody says anything.
Eventually, Rada breaks the silence. “Then maybe that’s the true horror, isn’t it?”
Sarika glances down at Blanche again, voice barely audible.
“She died… for stepping on a nest.”
And soon-time was up. If there had been more evidence, the roaches had been covering, or hiding it.
As usual, they file to the elevator, and descend to the trial room

The moment everyone’s at their stands, Shika claps his hooves and gives a wide grin, spinning in place atop his throne.
“Alright, alright! Welcome back to another thrilling installment of Guess That Death! Hope you’ve all stretched, hydrated, and emotionally repressed whatever needs repressing, because it’s trial time! My dear students, uncover what exactly killed our Ultimate Miner”
Quinn leans into his stand, looking pale. “Shika… this one wasn’t… I mean, it didn’t feel like a murder.”
“Maybe! Maybe not!” Shika hums. “This time’s a little more interpretive! Was it an accident? A case of nature being a bit too wild? Or… was someone hoping you’d think that?”
“That’s bullshit,” Devin spits. “You’re just trying to make us doubt ourselves. She was stuck in a damn bug nest!”
“And someone could’ve lured her there!” Manuela snaps. “We can’t act like it just happened!”
“But we didn’t see anything!” Sarika protests, her voice shaking. “There weren’t any signs of a struggle! No cuts, no bruises, just… just her fused to the wall like a bad horror!”
PAZ shakes his head. “The place was crawling. You felt it in the air. She could’ve inhaled something, maybe-mold, allergens. Or she froze up in fear, and… her body gave out.”
Flint’s eyes narrow. “That’s what he wants. For us to spin our wheels in guilt.”
“She could’ve screamed,” Rada says quietly. “She could’ve called for help. But she didn’t. She wandered off alone.”
“And if someone knew she would?” Manuela’s voice cuts through like a knife. “Knew she was always trying to prove herself useful? What if someone pushed her toward that hall?”
She looks to Sarika, who puffs her chest a little in surprise “Wha-are you accusing me…!? We literally were together! If anything you’re my alibi!”
“You were quiet sometimes, you could have seen and directed her”
“Manuela-!”
“Enough,” Flint rumbles. “If you want to throw out accusations, back them up. We’re here to figure out the truth. Not make each other easier targets for the next motive.”
“Maybe Devin wanted that 20 bucks real bad” PAZ jokes lowly, Devin glancing over with a silent glare, that told him not to joke right now
“There is no killer,” Quinn says softly. “Not this time.”
And everyone nods
Shika claps again, tail swishing behind him like a metronome. “Ooooh, getting passionate this round! I love that. It’s a shame it’s done already. I was hoping for more finger pointing! Thought this one would be a doozy, guess not. But death is death! And you know what? You’re right, my little starshine, this one wasn’t murder! This was an unfortunate little tumble into Mother Nature’s mouth!”
Sarika flinches. Basil closes his eyes tight. PAZ looks sick.
“Blanche wandered too far into a nest, inhaled spores she couldn’t handle, and pfft, lights out! A little cautionary tale about poking the natural order. Or, y’know, bugs.”
Devin growls low. “So what was the point of this trial?”
Shika grins. “Trust exercises, of course. I wanted to see how quick you’d all be to turn on each other, even when there’s no blood on anyone’s hands.” He leaps to the center of the courtroom, spotlight catching in his eyes. “And I must say… you didn’t disappoint.”
No red button. No chains. No screams.
Just silence.
And an ever-present reminder. The earth can take you, too.
“At least there’s no little torture show” Manuela sighs, and Shika smiles wider
“Now, I wouldn’t take away your entertainment!”
“YOUR entertainment” PAZ grumbles out
“We have a special guest today to help me preform! To the auditorium, please~”

Chapter Text

As the curtains open slowly, a small, fuzzy little figure is sitting on the stage, no taller than 2’10”
He shivers and looks around nervously, glowing eyes scanning the conveyor belts surrounding him, appearing in a factory facility
Proto looks up as a neon sign flickers on
ALWAYS READY TO HELP!
He falters, whispering out a “what…?”
Before the machines come to life, tasks appearing on the screens before him. A simulated voice calls out: “ASSISTANCE REQUESTED. PRIORITY LEVEL: CRITICAL”
Proto runs to the conveyor with a little gasp, hooves shaking, entire body trembling. He picks up welding gear, hesitating, before trying to weld metal parts together
With his inability to know what he’s really doing, and fumbling in his fear, his plastic hooves begin to melt. He yanks his hands away, but is spun to a different spot.
He starts trying to sort items on the belt, but struggles even picking them up with his melted cloven fingers. Blades shoot from the machine, slicing and cutting away his arms for not moving fast enough. He stumbles back, before weights come down for him to hold. He struggles with what’s left of his arms, weak legs crumbling beneath him.
“ASSISTANCE REQUIRED. PRIORITY LEVEL: CRITICAL”
Proto groans lowly, but manages to crawl to the dummy within a wreckage, and grabbing it within his mouth. He pulls it out, tossing it aside, before the wreckage collapses onto his lower half, pinning him down. A circuit panel comes up in front of him, but the moment he touches his nose to it to fix it, barely even grazing it, he’s electrocuted, head falling to the stage
Sparking, burning, fried, his eyes flicker wildly. He mumbles a weak “I can help…I can still help…” his voice statics, clipping at a couple of moments
A platform raises, Shika on top. This time, not wearing any sort of costume
He looks to Proto with a little smile, almost forced, before walking over
“Still trying? You don’t know when to quit. But let’s be real…your service is no longer required”
Protos eyes widen, and they flick to the audience, and they spark in desperation. Maybe he can help those who believed in him until the end. He tries to reach out, before shouting in his broken voice
“KEEP GOING, PLEASE! DONT! LOSE! HO-“
He’s cut off immediately, as Shika brings a hoof down, crushing his head instantly. The neon sign overhead flickers, before hanging on its side and swaying, and going dark.
Shika always reveals in his kills. He’s always grinning during performance. But as the curtain comes to a close, all thats seen is a cold, empty stare

Chapter Text

It’s quiet for what feels like a long moment. It was like Yannicks execution, where everyone was shaken. This time, even more so.
A couple look to Sarika, who’s usually the one unaffected enough to lead them out of the auditorium and to the cafeteria
But not this time
She’s curled against the chair in front of her, face in her arms to hide, trembling violently. Her hands are fists, nails digging into her palms as if trying to ground herself. Or maybe even punish herself for not being able to do anything
Quinn hesitates and gulps, moving slowly to touch her shoulder. But she only stands suddenly, hair covering her face. Wordlessly she walks to the auditorium door, before bolting away at the last moment.
The one who had been almost immune to these executions had finally been broken
Quinn watches her go, frozen. The air feels wrong. Thick and warped
Devin lets out a breath so slow and ragged it sounds like it’s scraping out of his lungs. “He wanted to help so bad,” he mutters. “He died trying to help us. We didn’t even give him a chance to live first.”
Manuela presses the heel of her hand into her eye. “Why the fuck did he have to go like that? He was a kid, I don’t care if he was made of plastic.”
PAZ, usually the one to make a joke even if it’s a grim one, just stares at the floor. His leg bounces, hands clenched into his hoodie sleeves. “I heard the static in his voice. That wasn’t just some staged thing. That… that was him at the end.”
Basil’s entire face is wet, silent sobs shaking him as he clings tightly to Flint’s arm. Flint says nothing, just wraps that same arm around him and holds him close. His expression is unreadable, stern, hardened, but his free hand is trembling.
Rada doesn’t cry. He just lowers his head, his cards slipping from his fingers and scattering across the ground. He doesn’t pick them up.
“…He begged us not to lose hope.” Quinn’s voice is small, but it cuts through the silence. “Right before…right before he was killed. He was thinking about us.”
No one moves. No one answers.
Eventually, Flint stands, lifting Basil carefully with him. He doesn’t look at anyone else as he walks to the door. But before he leaves, he mutters one thing:
“…If we give up now, then he really did die for nothing.”
He walks out, Basil in tow, leaving a silence that feels even heavier than before.

The heat is almost unbearable.
Sarika stumbles into the sauna, the door creaking shut behind her. She doesn’t even bother to take off her jacket or shoes. Her legs give out almost immediately, dropping her to her knees. The towel Proto always sat on is still folded neatly on the bench.
Her breath shakes. Her fingers dig into the floor.
For the first time since this began, there’s no sarcastic laugh, no flippant remark, no snide deflection.
Just a soft, gasped
“…why…”
Her hands tremble as she crawls over to the bench, slowly reaching up and unfolding the towel, holding it to her chest like something sacred. Her knuckles are white with how tight she clutches it.
“I was supposed to protect you,” she whispers, voice catching. “I I told you we’d see the world. I told you-I wanted you to see the world!”
She rocks herself, curling tighter, the towel caught in her fists. Tears fall fast and hot onto the tile.
“You were just a little guy who wanted to help.” Her voice is rising now, broken. “And we used you. We all did. Even me.”
Her nails dig into the towel. “I kept putting you back in here like a tool in a box. I didn’t fight harder. I didn’t even notice how much it was wearing you down.”
Sarika buries her face into the towel and screams.
A long, guttural cry that echoes off the walls.
And when it’s over, she’s left gasping, chest heaving, throat raw. She curls up again, smaller this time, quiet.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m so, so sorry…”
The towel rests against her chest like an apology that came too late.
She doesn’t move for a long time.

Chapter Text

While Sarika grieves in silence, the rest of the group slowly makes their way back to the cafeteria.
No one speaks at first. Every step echoes louder than it should. Even the sound of the chairs being pulled out feels too harsh for the moment.
Quinn finally sits, rubbing his hands together in nervous repetition. “He… he still tried to help us. Right at the end.”
“He shouldn’t have had to.” Devin mutters, eyes fixed on a single crack in the table. “He was just a little fucking thing. He wasn’t even built for this.”
PAZ lets out a low exhale, elbows on the table and hands in his hair. “It’s like he was made to help…and it killed him.” His voice trembles with barely-contained fury.
Manuela doesn’t sit. She just leans against the wall, arms folded tight across her chest, her expression unreadable. “Shika knew what he was doing. That execution wasn’t like the others. He didn’t enjoy it.”
Flint sits down heavily, Basil still tucked beside him. “He wanted it done. Fast. Clean. He hated what Proto represented.”
“Hope.” Rada finishes, gently laying out a single tarot card facedown on the table. He doesn’t look at it.
Harlow had been one thing. Kun another. Even Yannick. But Proto? Proto was different.
And now the room feels colder without his tiny voice or eager questions.
A silence returns. This one doesn’t feel heavy with tension, just with loss.
Like something essential is missing.
It’s some time before the door creaks open.
Sarika steps into the cafeteria, her hair damp with steam, clinging slightly to her neck and cheeks. She doesn’t look like she’s been crying anymore, but there’s a hollowness to her posture. Like she’s been scraped down to her core.
Everyone turns to look.
No one speaks at first.
Then Basil shifts in his seat, offering a quiet, “Sarika…?”
She stops, eyes scanning over the group
“I… didn’t want to be alone anymore,” she finally says, voice thin, like it’s been wrung dry.
“You don’t have to be,” Quinn says, moving his tray so she can sit beside him.
Sarika nods and moves slowly to the table. She doesn’t sit immediately. Her hand hovers over the back of the chair, like she’s waiting for something, someone, to tell her it’s okay.
Then she lowers herself into the seat with a quiet breath.
“I thought I could handle anything,” she admits, staring down at the table. “Thought if I stayed positive and upbeat enough, I could just… dodge it all. Like smiling meant the fear couldn’t reach me. But Proto…”
Her voice cracks.
“I tucked him into a towel like a baby. I told him we’d show him horror movies someday. I didn’t think… I didn’t think I’d see him become one.”
No one rushes to fill the silence.
It’s Rada who finally places his card face up: The Star.
“Hope still exists,” he says simply. “We just… have to be willing to carry it now.”
Sarika stares at the card for a long time before gently resting her hand over it.
“I’ll try,” she whispers. “I’ll try for him.”

The familiar buzz of the handbook makes everyone flinch.
It’s never good.
Not anymore.
Quinn is the first to check, eyes scanning the glowing screen. He reads aloud, voice stiff “Attention students! For your safety, please return to your dorms and remain inside. A special guest is being released to cleanse the facility of any remaining pests. You may hear skittering, shrieking, or heavy thuds. That’s normal!
Our friend is just hungry.
Do not engage. Do not investigate. Stay inside until further notice.”
“…what?” PAZ breathes, already halfway to his feet.
“Cleanse the facility?” Manuela’s eyes go wide. “What kind of guest!?”
Flint’s jaw tightens. “Most likely something to eat the infestation, predator bugs often go after groups like that”
Another buzz. A second message pings through the handbook, this time accompanied by a pixelated image:
A grainy, low-res silhouette:
Eight legs. Thick and bristling.
The scale of it…impossible.
“WOLF SPIDER - 15ft.
Dispatched for extermination duty.
Estimated sweep time: 6 hours.
Stay put, kiddies!
Note: I have never been more serious this is not a joke or trap
Bring food or something if you’re hungry, you have 20 minutes”
Flint nods “yup, tracks. Roaches are a primary food source”
Sarika lets out a shaky breath. “So he wasn’t joking…”
“Fifteen feet,” Rada mutters. “That thing’s going to make the mantis look like a lapdog.”
“I don’t care how long it takes, I’m not moving from my bed,” Manuela says, already backing toward the dorm hall.
“And don’t try to peek out the door either,” Devin growls. “He said it’s hungry.”
Quinn swallows hard, the image burned into his retinas.
As students begin filing out with nervous energy, Sarika lingers just a second longer.
“…Proto would’ve said it’s probably misunderstood, wouldn’t he?” she says softly.
Quinn nods. “Yeah. But I’m not taking my chances.”
And with that, the halls go quiet. One by one, doors shut. Locks click.
Then, from somewhere deep in the school, comes the first thud.
And the skittering begins.
The moment Quinn’s door shuts, he presses his back to it. The lock clicks under his hand.
He doesn’t move right away. Just listens.
He winces as he hears a skitter. That wasn’t far.
His eyes flick to his bed, but he doesn’t sit yet. Instead, he drags his desk chair slowly toward the door and wedges it beneath the knob, just in case. It’s probably pointless, but right now, Quinn doesn’t care about logic, only about safety.
Skitter. THUD.
He sucks in a breath and finally retreats to the bed, curling up with his blanket pulled to his chin. He glances toward the vent. It’s silent. For now.
He opens his handbook again. Re-reads the message.
“Stay inside until further notice.”
“You may hear skittering, shrieking, or heavy thuds.”
“Do not engage. Do not investigate.”
As if he needed the reminder.
He grips the blanket tighter and buries his face in it. For a moment, he tries to pretend this is just another bad night. Like back home. A thunderstorm. Something loud but harmless.
But then-
Quick steps-
A deafening THUMP directly outside his door.
He freezes, breathing shallow, Chest tight.
It’s right there.
There’s a scratch, like claws dragging against the wood. A slow, curious tap tap tap.
Then silence.
Quinn doesn’t move for a full five minutes. Maybe longer. Not until the skittering fades down the hall again, slower this time, like the thing is searching.
Only then does he let out the smallest, shaking breath.
He doesn’t sleep that night.
None of them do.

The morning creeps in with no announcement. No chipper call from Shika, no threat, no fanfare. Just the quiet tension that hangs heavy in the air like humidity before a storm.
Most of the students don’t leave their rooms immediately.
It’s Quinn who emerges first, his face pale, eyes red from a night of no sleep. He walks slowly down the hall, glancing at every shadow like it might twitch. But it’s quiet now. Dead quiet.
The cafeteria is mostly empty when he arrives. Only Devin is there, sitting at the table with his arms crossed, eyes distant.
“…Any idea if it’s gone?” Quinn asks softly.
Devin shrugs. “Didn’t check. Didn’t sleep either.”
Quinn sits across from him, folding his arms on the table and resting his head. “I heard it right outside my door. Thought I was done for.”
“Yeah.” Devin’s voice is hoarse. “Me too.”
More footsteps eventually follow. Manuela drags herself in next, hands shoved in her hoodie pocket. She doesn’t say anything, just flops into a chair and stares at the table.
PAZ is next, adjusting his headphones nervously. “I didn’t see anything. But I heard it. Didn’t break in though. But it could’ve.”
“…It knew where the rooms were,” Rada mutters as he enters, shuffling like a ghost. “But it didn’t force its way in. Not this time.”
“That wasn’t a coincidence,” Flint grunts from behind them as he arrives with Basil trailing close at his side. “Shika didn’t want it to kill us. It was cleanup. A reminder of what he’s capable of.”
Basil clings tighter to Flint’s jacket, clearly rattled. “There were…so many bug corpses in the hall this morning. All crushed. Like the spider had stomped ‘em out…”
“Wolf spiders liquify the insides of their prey. Can’t always get the exoskeleton. I assume Shika just hasn’t gotten to that yet”
Quinn winces. “I guess it did eat them.”
“Not all,” PAZ murmurs, staring at nothing. “Some were just…gone. Drag marks. Like it took them.”
Another long silence follows.
“…At least it’s over?” Manuela says, though her voice cracks on the words.
“For now,” Rada replies grimly. “Until he sends the next horror.”
Everyone falls quiet again.
But then, quiet footsteps echo down the hall.
Sarika enters slowly, eyes sunken but dry now. She doesn’t say anything. Just walks to the counter, grabs a slice of bread, and tears a piece off absently.
She doesn’t look at anyone.
Quinn stands. Walks over carefully. “Hey…how are you feeling?”
Sarika takes a breath, finally meeting his gaze. Her voice is quiet.
“…I’m not okay.”
She glances back at the rest of the group, then lowers her eyes.
“But I’m not giving up either.”

Chapter Text

Things aren’t too peaceful for a week, relationships strained, the traitor still hiding among the students. Any info attempted to be gathered always leads to nowhere, and it’s as if they narrowly dodge discovery every day
And of course, all things must come to an end…or rather, an announcement
“You know what time it is kids! Cmon down to the gym!”
And everyone shuffles forth
At the gym Shika is humming, head bobbing back and forth to his own little tune. Once everyone arrives, he starts to clap “Hello my students! We’ve got a real special one for you all today! For this demonstration, I’m going to need your handbooks”
“Gonna find a way to isolate us with this?” PAZ mumbles, giving his with his screen facing down
“Oh no no! I have little gifts for you!” Shika laughs “I’m sure these will make you all feel much better! Give you a little motivation! For what, depends on you”
Each student hands their handbook, Shika seems to press a few buttons, before handing it back
“Now I suggest you all head to your rooms for a bit to watch these! Wouldn’t want any distractions”
The students glance to eachother in confusion and curiosity, but file out, following what Shika says
Quinn hesitates as he retreats into his room. With trembling fingers, he taps the glowing handbook icon dedicated to him. The screen flickers on, and a soft, gentle melody begins.
A familiar face appears, a close-up of his mother, her eyes warm and filled with quiet pride. Behind her, a backdrop of a starlit sky stretches into infinity.
“Quinn,” her voice is tender, yet steady, “our little stargazer… we know this isn’t what you imagined for your first steps into adulthood. But even in darkness, the stars guide you. Remember, every constellation was once a collection of scattered points until someone saw the pattern. We believe in you. Always look up, even when the night feels endless.”
The image shifts to his father, who stands outside with a telescope pointed at the heavens. “Son, the universe is vast and full of mysteries, just like life. No matter what happens in this place, don’t ever stop reaching for the stars. We’re here, watching, and loving you always.”
The video ends with a final shot of the galaxy swirling, the words “Keep Shining” emblazoned across the screen in soft, glowing letters.
Quinn’s chest tightens. The warmth of his parents’ voices mingles with the bitter chill of his present reality. His eyes grow misty as he swallows hard. For a long moment, he stares at the dark ceiling, searching for that familiar glimmer of hope. Then he gently closes the handbook, setting it aside as if it were a precious relic.
A heavy sigh escapes him as he whispers, “I’ll keep looking up… even here.”
In that quiet promise, the fragile resolve of the main star in this broken constellation flickers back to life.
Soon he cautiously steps to the hall and steps out, where others wait as well. There’s varying reactions, sorrowful, standing straighter, little to no change from Flint and Devin
“Anyone uh…want to share?” Quinn asks hesitantly
Basil leans into Flint with a little sniffle “it was my family…”
Quinn gives a little nod “mine too”
“I feel like it’s probably all our families…” PAZ says lightly, clearing his throat when it cracks
“Or a mentor” Rada speaks up
“…so people we care about most then” Manuela gives a little nod
“By motivation he must mean to get out and see them again” Sarika glances around the room
“Or motivation to stay strong and survive for them” Quinn adds “Thats what I got from mine”
“Well not all of us are thinking so positive then” Manuela says with a little snap, making Quinn blink in surprise
Quinn’s lips part, but he hesitates. Manuela’s voice hadn’t risen, but the sharp edge in her tone was enough to slice through the thin veil of calm that had settled over the group. He watches her for a moment, her jaw tight, arms crossed, eyes not quite meeting anyone else’s.
“…What did you get?” he asks gently, almost cautiously.
Manuela scoffs softly, eyes flicking away. “Just my ballet team. Told me they missed me. That I should come home.” Her voice thins, quieter. “But I can’t. Even if I make it out, I don’t know if there’s still a home to go back to. We still don’t know the truth.”
A beat passes. The group falls into a kind of hushed stillness, like a breath caught in all their chests.
“That’s what makes it worse,” PAZ finally murmurs, rubbing at his wrist. “You don’t even know if they’re real… if they’re safe.”
“Or alive,” Rada says softly, eyes lowered.
Basil lets out a shaky breath, pressing his forehead lightly to Flint’s shoulder. “I want to believe mine were real…”
Sarika leans her back against the wall, tilting her head upward. “So either it’s hope, or it’s despair. Classic Shika. Always a double-edged sword.”
Quinn’s gaze drifts between them all. There’s tension in every corner of the room, guilt, fear, doubt, but also threads of connection. Fractured, but still there.
“…We’re still together,” he says quietly. “No matter what he’s trying to do to us. We’re still here. And that has to mean something.”
For a moment, no one responds.
Then PAZ gives a small, humorless smile. “You’re too good at this protagonist energy thing, you know that?”
Quinn stares for a moment before he huffs out a soft laugh. “Someone has to be.”

The kitchen is quiet. Sarika opens a cabinet, slowly inspecting cans. Manuela stands by the sink, arms crossed.
“You’ve been real quiet since Proto.”
“So have you.”
Manuela scoffs “Yeah, but I wasn’t the one giving pep talks about sticking together and keeping hope alive.”
“I meant those things. Doesn’t mean it’s easy to say them now.”
“Guess we’re all faking it. Just some of us got better at it.”
Sarika shuts the cabinet with a little more force than necessary. “If you’re trying to start something, don’t.”
“I’m trying to see if you’re still on our side.”
Sarika freezes… but doesn’t answer. She just walks out.
In the rec room, PAZ tunes his board, flipping dials halfheartedly. Devin lounges nearby, flipping a pencil between his fingers.
“You’re getting twitchy. You always get twitchy before something goes down.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Bullshit. You didn’t sleep before the last two trials either. What do you feel, DJ?”
PAZ pauses, eyes narrowing “Like someone’s about to get desperate.”
“Yeah. That tracks.”
They lapse into silence, the quiet buzz of static over the speakers filling the air.
Quinn leans on the railing by the garden, eyes to the soil. Rada steps up beside him, silent.
“…You think we’re being watched even more now?”
“Of course. He wants to see who breaks next.”
Quinn speaks gentler, quietly “I wish I knew who the traitor was.”
“We all do. But don’t go looking too hard.”
“Why?”
“Because when you look long enough… you start seeing it in everyone.”
He leaves Quinn alone with that thought.
In the hallway outside the dorms, Basil leans into Flint’s side.
“You… you wouldn’t lie to me, right?”
Flint looks down, caught off guard by the question.
“What brought this on?”
“The videos. Everyone’s been… tense. Talking less. Whispering more. I just… I want to know who I can trust.”
Flint gulps gently, his mouth twitching like there’s more he wants to say. Then after a beat “Then trust me.”
Basil nods slowly… but doesn’t let go of his own suspicion entirely.

Chapter Text

It’s early morning when the students gather—groggy, quiet, and scattered. A few had woken early, murmuring about hunger or dreams that felt too real. The cafeteria is dim, the lights still cold with morning haze.
And then a scream.
Quinn is the first to rush over, others close behind as they crowd by the kitchen entrance. Sarika claps her hands over her mouth. Devin mutters a curse. PAZ immediately looks away.
Basil lies crumpled at the base of the counter, neck showing a red mark around it, eyes wide with a frozen kind of fear. There’s no blood, only the sharp, pale stillness of someone gone too fast.
Everyone freezes in a stunned silence, tension strung tight.
Then someone whispers, “…Where’s Flint?”
They all slowly glance around.
And then turn.
Flint is already there.
He’s standing just behind them, expression unreadable, arms slack at his sides. His eyes are on Basil. Just Basil.
There’s a quiet gasp, maybe Sarika. But no one moves. No one speaks.
It’s not fear of Flint, it’s the weight of grief settling over them. Flint steps forward slowly, as if in a daze, until he’s kneeling at Basil’s side. He reaches out, brushes his fingers gently against his hair.
And then, finally, he breathes one word, so soft it’s nearly missed.
“…Who?”
…Now the silence is fear of Flint. He raises to his feet slow, eyes sharp and dangerous. His hand flexes, fingers curling, and his lips curl into a snarl
“WHO!”
Everyone takes a little step back, and Devin is the one to step in front of the others
“Calm down. You’ve got every reason to be upset, but we gotta think this through before jumping to attacking people”
“One of you” he growls low, eyes scanning the other six “Are fucking dead. The earth will split beneath you. The roots will wrap your throat before you get the chance to scream.”
The others are left stunned as he suddenly storms away, to nobody knows where
They all glance to eachother, Devin mumbling “I get the feeling he’s going to take out our killer before Shika does”
Nobody dares to even breathe.
The tension hangs thick in the air, heavier than the silence that came before it. Even the clicking of the ever-present camera eyes above seems to pause.
Quinn swallows hard. “W We need to… start investigating, right?”
“Do we?” Sarika’s voice is small. She’s trembling. “If Flint finds them first…”
Devin exhales sharply, rubbing at his face. “That’s why we have to. He’s not thinking straight. If we don’t find the blackened fast, we’ll have two more bodies on our hands.”
Rada nods slowly. “We need to find the truth. Not vengeance.”
“Yeah, good luck getting him to listen to that,” PAZ mutters, arms crossed but eyes darting to the kitchen entrance as if half-expecting Flint to come storming back in any second.
“I don’t blame him,” Sarika murmurs “But he’s going to do something reckless…”
“Then we better figure this out before he does,” Quinn says, more firmly now. “Basil wouldn’t want another death on top of his.”
They all glance to each other again, reluctant and still shaken-but with that quiet nod of resolve, they scatter to begin their investigation.
And all the while, in the back of everyone’s mind, one terrifying thought claws to the surface:
Where is Flint?
And will there be anyone left to stop him?

The cafeteria is quickly sealed off, the group trying to preserve what little sense of order remains.
Quinn kneels beside Basil’s body, careful not to touch him at first. The ribbon was taut around his neck, cut in where it was pulled tight.
“…He didn’t even fight back,” Quinn mutters. “His hands don’t have any defensive wounds. No bruising, no scratches…”
“He trusted whoever it was,” Sarika says softly, standing nearby “That, or he never saw it coming.”
Devin scans the kitchen next, checking for signs of a struggle. “No broken glass. No dropped food. He wasn’t even in a rush. He came in here casually. Quietly.”
“Like he didn’t think anyone else was awake,” PAZ adds, running a hand through his hair. “God. He probably didn’t want to wake Flint…”
Rada stands near the fridge, gazing toward the doorway. “There’s only one exit. Whoever did this didn’t have much time to flee.”
“Maybe they never left,” Manuela says quietly. “They could’ve hidden. Waited for the right moment…”
Quinn looks up sharply. “Do you know something?”
She shrugs, arms crossed. “Just saying. If I were going to kill someone, I’d wait until they were alone. Cornered. Could’ve been anyone.”
Her tone is cold. Not uncaring, more like detachment used as a shield.
Sarika steps over to inspect the ribbon. Her hands hover for a moment before carefully touching the fabric.
“…This isn’t Basil’s. It’s too long. And it’s got… like a powder on it?”
“Powder?” Quinn leans closer. Sure enough, subtle flecks of powder catch in the dim cafeteria light.
“Where do we even have powder around here?” PAZ asks.
“Someone’s uniform?” Sarika offers. Then her voice drops. “…Someone who wears ribbons.”
Everyone falls silent for a moment.
Then, Rada says softly, “There’s only two of you who wear ribbons.”
Sarika and Manuela exchange a glance. And suddenly, the cafeteria feels colder.
“…Let’s keep investigating,” Quinn says quickly, stepping in before it gets worse. “We need to be sure.”
Devin checks the trash, then the counters. “There’s no food out. Nothing started. He didn’t even get a chance to grab a snack.”
“So someone struck the second he walked in,” PAZ murmurs.
“And there was only one other room open on the way here,” Rada mentions. “I saw the library lights still on.”
They all glance to the hallway.
“…Let’s check it,” Quinn says.
The group moves cautiously through the quiet halls, the only sound the echo of their footsteps. Tension coils in their spines with each step, a silent dread following them like a shadow.
They stop at the library, the door slightly ajar. Quinn is the one to push it open fully, peering inside.
The lights are still on.
Books have been pulled from shelves in certain spots, none on the floor, but several placed oddly. It’s not chaotic, just… intentional. Organized. Someone was looking for something.
Sarika runs her fingers along one shelf. “Looks like they were grabbing books about human anatomy. Maybe self-defense too…”
“Why would someone look that up right before a murder?” PAZ frowns.
Manuela shrugs in the back, voice dry. “Maybe they wanted to make it fast.”
Quinn ignores the way that makes his skin crawl. “Okay… so someone was here. Someone researching.”
The others look around, a flicker of paranoia flashing in each set of eyes.
“…Okay.” Quinn straightens. “We’ve got the ribbon. We’ve got the library. We’ve got the fact Basil clearly trusted whoever it was. It’s not much, but it’s what we’ve got.”
“…We also have a furious seven-foot-tall tank loose in the school,” PAZ mutters.
That sobers everyone.
“We better head to the trial before he gets there first,” Rada says. “Because if Flint figures it out on his own…?”
Quinn swallows hard. “Then we won’t have a trial. Just a massacre.”
And with that, the bell rings
They start moving again, toward the elevator, toward judgment.

The elevator doors creak open, revealing the now-too-familiar courtroom below. The air is heavier than usual, dread dripping from every wall. No snark from Shika. No theatrics. Just the weight of Basil’s death pressing down on all of them.
Quinn steps into the center slowly, eyes darting to each of the students who remain. Sarika is already at her stand, unusually quiet.
The screens flash, signaling the beginning of the trial.
Shika’s voice comes at last, but it’s quieter, more subdued. Is it the students imaginations, or is he a little roughed up? “Time for the fifth trial…! Someone has taken a little dear from us. Our sweet Basil, Ultimate Gardener. Let’s see who wears the blood on their hands.”
No one speaks immediately.
Until Devin breaks the silence. “We’re gonna address the obvious first, right?”
“Right,” PAZ sighs. “Sarika. The ribbon.”
All eyes turn.
She barely reacts. Just blinks slowly, and mumbles, “I know what it looks like.”
“You’ve had a ribbon around your neck since day one,” Rada says, tone careful. “And Basil was strangled. With a ribbon.”
“But not mine,” she mutters, finally standing a little straighter. “Look closer.”
Manuela squints. “It is different.”
Quinn nods. “It is. I noticed that, too. Hers is wider—almost like a scarf. Basil was strangled with something narrow. Thinner. Like a shoelace.”
Sarika taps her fingers together, softly. “It’s fabric ribbon. Not string. You couldn’t strangle someone with it… not easily. It’s too soft. Too wide.”
“It would crumple under pressure,” Quinn confirms. “The marks on Basil’s neck were sharp. Deep. Clean. The ribbon used had to be tighter, pulled like wire.”
“Like a ballet shoe lace,” Rada offers gently.
That freezes the room.
Manuela doesn’t flinch, but she does narrow her eyes. “So you’re saying someone wanted it to look like her.”
“I’m saying someone banked on us being paranoid enough to point fingers fast,” Quinn says, his voice firming.
Sarika just lowers her eyes. “Wouldn’t be the first time people assumed the worst of me.”
“You could’ve taken it off,” Devin offers. “Framed it to look like someone else…”
“No,” Quinn interrupts. “If she did, she wouldn’t have still been wearing any ribbon. If she was trying to hide it, she would’ve removed it.”
“She also didn’t act like someone covering her tracks,” PAZ mutters.
“Alright then,” Rada says carefully. “If we’re not accusing her… we need to ask who would have access to something thin. Strong. Intentional.”
Quinn’s eyes narrow, voice low. “Someone who wears shoes that lace up the legs.”
A pause.
And slowly, the room turns toward Manuela.
Manuela doesn’t show weakness under the sudden shift of attention. If anything, her jaw sets harder, arms folding across her chest with a poised, confident air.
“Oh, I see how it is,” she says coldly. “We find one of my ribbons and it’s suddenly me. Even though Flint was the last to show up. Even though he was the one closest to Basil. Even though he has more strength in one hand than I do in my whole body!”
“You’re seriously trying to pin this on Flint?” Devin scowls.
Manuela’s gaze cuts to him sharply. “Why not? You’ve all seen how protective he is of Basil. Obsessively so. What if that night Basil wanted just a little space? Or said something Flint didn’t like? We don’t know how long Flint was awake before finding the body, he could’ve been there the whole time.”
“That doesn’t line up with the timeline,” Quinn mutters.
“Doesn’t it?” she challenges. “None of us saw Flint until the very end. Everyone was already there. Maybe he showed up after everyone else to look less suspicious.”
Rada frowns, brow furrowed. “That’s a big leap to make.”
“Bigger than assuming I’d use my ribbon to kill someone I care about?” she snaps back. “Everyone here knows I’ve fought tooth and nail to keep people safe during these trials. Why would I throw that away?”
“To kill someone out of jealousy?” PAZ offers quietly. “Or fear?”
Manuela doesn’t even blink. “If you think Flint couldn’t snap from grief or anger, you haven’t been paying attention. He’s terrifying when he wants to be.”
She slams her palm against her podium, voice rising.
“All I’m saying is, I didn’t do it. Maybe someone wants it to look like I did. And maybe we’re all being played… by the one person we’re too scared to question.”
All eyes begin to slowly shift toward Flint.
“Me? ME?” Flint shouts, body posture almost becoming hunched, as if he were ready to launch himself across podiums to beat Someone
Quinn gulps, holding up his hands “We’re just stating Possibilities! You never leave Basils side! So for the one time for him to go on his own alone just feels suspicious-!”
“You know fucking nothing! Any of you!” Flint spits out, nails digging into his podium “Basil was all I had ever had! All there ever was! He’s the only one I care about out of any of you! Out of this entire world and the remainder of humanity!”
“Now Flint-“ Shika laughs a little warily “Lets take a deep breath now-“
“All of this work to wipe out all of you cretins! And this is what happens to me! I destroy all of fucking humanity, set up this fucking game, and this is what I am accused of!”
The entire room goes silent, only Flints heavy breathing being heard
Shika slides down into his chair with a little “oh boy…”
“I’m sorry,” Devin leans forward “can you repeat that?”
“Thats fucking right!” Flint shouts, clearly through holding back any inhibitions “I’m the mastermind, I work with Shika, we caused the end of humanity! Who fucking cares!”
“Who fucking cares!?” Manuela repeats “that sounds like a big fucking deal to me!”
“Wait wait-Flint-but why would you do that…?” Sarika asks
“Why WOULDNT someone try to do that!? Humans are a plague to this fucking planet! To everything around them! Destroying nature, destroying eachother, this whole damn set up proves that a human only needs the tiniest push to kill! We all think we are better than animals, but we are NOT!”
“W Well of course they do when they’re pushed to extremes…!” PAZ tries to fight “They were protecting themselves!”
“Oh, and whoever killed Basil was protecting themself? Really!?”
“To go home-“ Manuela starts
“Well home is gone!” Flint shouts “Everybody you knew and loved is dead! All either killed by oxygen poisoning, or giant bugs! What you’ve been fighting and hoping for, NO LONGER EXISTS”
Everyone in the room is stunned for a long moment
“…If we know who the mastermind is” Devin glances around “Why don’t we just leave and run off now?”
“Oh no” Flint growls, raising a hand
Shika bends over the throne, clicking a switch. The doors to the room thud as they’re mechanically locked from the outside
“Nobody is leaving. Not until we find out who killed Basil. And not until they’ve earned their execution.”
The tension in the trial room is visceral. Like the very air has turned to static, threatening to ignite at the smallest spark. Every single student is locked in place, staring at Flint, at each other, at the sealed doors, as if trying to process ten revelations at once.
Manuela glances to Sarika judgementally “still think he’s hot?”
Sarika glances to the huffing snarling Flint, before back to her and twirling her hair with a “Welllll-“
“Nevermind shut the fuck up”
“So… you really are the one who ended everything. The cities. The people. All of it.”
Flint doesn’t even look at him. “Yeah. I made it better.”
PAZ stares at his podium, mouth slightly open in shock. “…I don’t even know what the fuck we’re supposed to be doing now.”
“We still have a body,” Quinn says shakily, gripping the sides of his podium as if it’s the only thing anchoring him. “We still have to figure out who killed Basil. That hasn’t changed.”
“But the why sure as hell has,” Manuela mutters, glaring across the room. “I’m starting to think Basil wasn’t killed because of a motive… but because someone figured something out.”
“Or…” Sarika’s voice is fragile, but steady. “Because someone wanted to send a message.”
No one says it aloud, but all their eyes flick briefly back to her. The other ribbon-wearer.
Rada speaks again, rubbing his temples. “So… even if Flint didn’t kill Basil… we now know that this entire game was orchestrated by him and Shika. That alone changes everything. Can we even trust anything anymore?”
Devin exhales harshly. “No. But we do still have to finish this. If only for Basil’s sake.”
Quinn looks to the others, regaining a sliver of composure. “We’ll figure out the truth. Flint’s breakdown doesn’t change the facts. We follow the evidence. We can still do this.”
And with that, the group forces themselves back into trial mode. Each step laced with newfound dread. Not just of the killer…
…but of the mastermind standing in the room with them.
Manuela adjusts the strap of her leotard-turned-top sharply, jaw clenched so tight her teeth nearly creak.
“Oh, we can still do this, huh?” she huffs out a bitter laugh. “Swell. Let’s all pretend we’re in control again. Just ignore the fact the puppetmaster threw his strings on the floor and told us we’re dancing in a burning theater.”
“Manuela…” Quinn says carefully.
“No,” she snaps, turning fully toward him. “You’re all acting like that wasn’t the most important confession we’ve ever heard. Flint admitted to ending the world. You’re all just going to keep playing nice, nodding along with the trial like this isn’t completely fucking insane?!”
Sarika opens her mouth, but no words come out. She looks at the floor instead
“We’re not ignoring it,” Devin says, voice rough. “We just can’t do anything about it. Not yet.”
“And what about you?” Manuela spins her attention now, eyes sharp. “You’re all so quick to point fingers. I was there first!”
Rada squints, tilting his head. “That’s true, you were early on the scene…”
“I always am,” Manuela states proudly. “Because I care. Because I want to get us out of this. Unlike some people, I’m not hiding behind dramatics or crying over robots.”
Quinn tenses. “That’s uncalled for.”
“Is it?” Manuela asks, turning cold. “Or is the truth just finally uncomfortable?”
Sarika doesn’t speak, but takes one tiny step backward. Enough for the group to notice.
“You’re making yourself look suspicious,” PAZ mutters.
“Oh, please,” she scoffs. “You want to suspect me? Be my guest. But you’re going to need more than just ‘she’s being mean’ to make a case.”
Devin leans into his podium. “Then you won’t mind if we go over your movements again.”
Manuela smiles tightly. “I’ll give you my whole fucking schedule if it’ll get you off my back.”
But that tight smile doesn’t reach her eyes. They stay steely. Calculated.
And somewhere, behind all that fire and poise, something much colder is hiding.
Quinn steadies himself, clinging to the threads of composure still in reach.
“Okay,” he breathes. “Let’s walk through it one more time. Basil left his room alone, late at night. He didn’t want to wake Flint. We know he went to the kitchen.”
Sarika nods weakly. “And the kitchen connects to the cafeteria. It had to be someone who saw him there.”
“Someone who wasn’t asleep,” Rada adds, watching Manuela carefully.
“Which could be any of us,” she shrugs, arms crossed. “None of us were being monitored.”
“Except it wasn’t any of us,” Quinn says, his tone sharpening, “It was you, Manuela.”
Her smile returns, but it’s tight, cornered. “You’re grasping.”
“No, we’re not,” Devin cuts in. “The ribbon that killed Basil, it came from your shoe. That’s fact.”
Manuela’s gaze flickers. “And Sarika wears a ribbon around her neck every day. Convenient how hers isn’t missing, huh?”
“Sarika’s ribbon is thicker,” PAZ snaps. “The knot left on Basil’s neck was from a thin material. Like the ones on your shoes. And your shoes are more likely to have powder stuff on it than hers”
“You could’ve easily pulled one off,” Rada adds. “Tied it tight. Basil was small. Vulnerable. Especially if he didn’t expect it.”
Quinn’s hands clench. “You knew he wouldn’t fight back. You knew he’d trust anyone in this group.”
“I wouldn’t-”
“You would,” Sarika cuts in
“Because I think you already decided you were done waiting.”
Everyone turns to her.
“You said it yourself. You were sick of pretending we were in control. You were mad that nothing changed. So you made something happen.”
Manuela laughs, but it’s hollow. “Do you really think I’d stoop so low?”
“You didn’t just kill Basil,” Quinn says, his voice low. “You framed Flint. You waited for the first night Basil was alone. You saw your opening.”
PAZ looks down, teeth grit. “And you took it.”
The group falls into a heavy silence.
Finally, Manuela closes her eyes. Breathes in deep. When she speaks, her voice is quiet. Cold.
“…Basil was weak. Sweet, but weak. He couldn’t survive what’s coming.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make.” Quinn’s voice cracks, and he slams his hands onto the podium. “He was trying. We all were.”
Manuela looks around at the others. And for the first time in this trial, her pride cracks, if only slightly.
But she doesn’t answer.
The voting screens are already rising, and this time, no one hesitates.
The votes fall like stone.
Shika leans onto his throne, slow and satisfied.
“Well then,” he purrs. “The ribbons come off, and the curtains rise. It’s time for your final performance, ballerina.”
“Really? Still making us watch this shit?” Devin asks
“One last performance to remember us by” Flint says lowly. Shika hits the button and the chain comes down, wrapping around Manuela’s neck and pulling her away

Chapter Text

The curtain parts slowly, the stage lit by a dull spotlight. On either side of the platform, Flint and Shika emerge, each stepping in time with the faint beat of a slow, metronomic rhythm. Two ornate chairs sit center stage, facing the curtains. They approach without a word. Flint’s face is unreadable, carved from stone, while Shika wears a theatrical grin, his excitement bubbling beneath the surface.
They nod once, almost like co-hosts to a show no one asked to see, and take their seats.
As the rest of the curtain lifts, Manuela is revealed behind them, standing center stage, trembling. Her once-graceful form now seems small and hunched under pressure. Around her neck is a massive shock collar, bolted tight and blinking with little red lights. A slow, dramatic waltz begins to play, something grandiose, haunting, and echoing with phantom elegance.
She doesn’t move.
A second passes.
Flint doesn’t hesitate.
BZZZT!
The collar fires off a jolt, making Manuela cry out and drop to one knee. She forces herself up, panting, her hands shaking as she lifts them into a dancer’s pose.
She begins to dance.
The movements are stiff at first, choppy and trembling. Not her usual grace, but survival instinct. She twirls, steps, spins-
BZZZT!
Shika presses the button with a giggle.
BZZZT!
Flint again, barely blinking.
Every misstep, real or imagined, is punished.
She starts to sweat. Her skin shines under the stage lights, each shock making her flinch harder. Her knees buckle, her ankles twist, but she keeps moving. It becomes manic. Desperate. Her motions turn wild, less a performance and more a plea.
Shika claps to the rhythm, eyes gleaming.
BZZZT!
Flint again.
BZZZT!
Shika follows.
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
The sound of the shocks becomes part of the music, a nightmarish percussion to the dying ballerina’s final number.
She tries to leap, her ankle twists midair and she collapses.
For a moment, silence.
Then…
Flint presses.
Shika presses.
Flint presses.
Shika presses.
Flint. Shika. Flint. Shika.
Manuela is screaming now, silent at first, then hoarse. Each jolt roasts her nerves, her body twitching uncontrollably on the floor as the collar emits pulses of light, faster and faster.
And then, both of them press down together. Holding.
The sparks pour from the collar like a broken electrical wire. Her body spasms violently, then goes still. Smoke trails from her mouth, her fingers twitch, her eyes wide but lifeless.
Shika exhales dramatically, standing up and dusting off his hooves. He turns to Flint, still seated beside the smoldering body, and raises up his hoof. Flint glances to him before rolling his eyes, and finishing the high five

Chapter Text

The moment the curtains close and the body is gone, Flint doesn’t say a word. He glances at the group, face unreadable, and without warning, turns and walks out of the auditorium. Shika follows behind with a gleeful skip in his step, calling out, “Don’t wait up~!”
The door shuts behind them. A long silence settles.
“…Where the hell are they going?” PAZ finally asks, looking around.
“They’ve never left like that before,” Sarika mutters. “Shika always stays behind the curtain. And Flint… he wouldn’t just walk out.”
“They’re planning something.” Rada’s voice is low. “They know we’re unstable. This was a test.”
“They think we’re too weak to fight back,” Quinn says, stepping forward. “But maybe we’re not.”
He turns to the rest of the group, his tone calm but resolute. “We need to find gear. Anything we can use, goggles, gloves, scarves, fabric, anything we can layer or cover up with.”
“Wait-you’re saying we’re going outside?” PAZ says in shock.
“We can’t stay in here forever. The cameras are still running. Flint’s still watching. Shika’s still watching. And we need a plan if we’re going to survive them. They’re weakened now that we know. He has to recover, it’s now or never.”
“…I’ll check the storage rooms,” Sarika offers, standing tall again “There’s bound to be extra supplies. Maybe old uniforms, or cleaning gear…”
“I’ll get tools,” Devin says. “Anything sharp. Anything heavy. Just in case.”
They all nod, a silent pact forming between the last survivors. This time, they wouldn’t just wait for the next motive.
They were preparing for war.

The door creaks as they step inside, dust already swirling under the flickering light overhead. Sarika immediately heads to a pile near the back, where old uniforms and folded linens had been stashed long ago. Quinn trails behind, glancing back toward the door every few seconds.
“You alright?” Sarika asks, not looking up as she rifles through the mess.
“Yeah,” he lies, starting on the opposite side. “Just… thinking too much.”
Sarika pulls out a heavy plastic poncho, frayed at the bottom but intact. “Thinking’s what got us here,” she says. “It’s what’s gonna get us out too.”
Quinn gives a small nod, still distracted. His fingers brush something stiff, he pulls it out to find a thick hazmat-style glove. “You think they kept this stuff here on purpose?”
“I think they kept a lot of things here on purpose,” Sarika replies, pulling out a roll of duct tape. “Here, we can reinforce anything we find with this.”
She tosses it over. Quinn catches it with a soft “Thanks,” before slowly holding up what looks like a face shield. Cracked, but better than nothing.
Sarika finally turns and sets a pile of scavenged finds on the nearby table: rubber gloves, a couple of balaclavas, plastic aprons, old goggles, and a janitor’s raincoat.
“…We’ll look ridiculous,” Quinn mutters.
“We’ll look alive,” Sarika corrects. “And that’s more than some of us can say.”
He goes quiet at that, but his hands move faster. Together, they start bundling the gear into armfuls, preparing to take it back to the group.

Devin walks with purpose. His boots echo against the tile, the only sound in the long, empty corridor. He comes to a stop at the heavy maintenance closet and yanks it open with a grunt.
Inside is a mess. Cleaning bottles knocked over, an old mop petrified from disuse, a tangled coil of extension cords. He steps in, scanning fast, fingers twitching. He needs something-something to defend, something to pry, break, fix.
He grabs a crowbar from a rack, its surface rusted but solid. A small smile tugs at the edge of his mouth.
“Bingo.”
Further inside, he finds a roll of thick electrical wire. It might not be a weapon, but it’s strong enough to bind or reinforce a barricade. That goes in the bag. Next to it: a box cutter, some gloves, a roll of rubber sealant tape.
He slings a toolbelt over his shoulder, then freezes when a soft clickclick echoes behind him.
Slowly, he turns. A centipede,almost as long as his forearm, is skittering across the doorway.
Maybe the giant spider missed some of the smaller bugs
He waits.
It disappears into the darkness.
“…Okay.”
He exhales through his nose and grabs a small canister of bug spray. “Guess I am the janitor after all.”
He shuts the closet behind him and marches back toward the others, belt clinking with every step.

PAZ pushes the door open with the edge of his hoodie sleeve. “Never thought I’d be back in here unless someone got stabbed,” he mutters.
Rada trails behind him, calm as ever, already eyeing the cabinets. “We’re not here for just painkillers this time.”
They get to work quickly. PAZ checks the drawers while Rada searches the upper cabinets, his hands gloved and careful.
“Bandages. Gauze. Antiseptic. Alcohol wipes. I’ve got a couple adrenaline shots here too.” Rada lays them out like tarot cards, lining them up with precision.
PAZ flips open a drawer. “Yo, scalpels.” He lifts one, giving it a little twirl between his fingers. “Not much, but it’s something.”
“Careful,” Rada warns without looking.
PAZ shrugs and pockets one anyway, along with a small pair of surgical scissors.
As he turns to check another drawer, PAZ freezes. “Ugh-dude.”
Rada looks over. “What?”
“Mini roach nest.” PAZ steps back fast, pointing to the open drawer where a few twitching antennae are visible behind a box of rubber gloves. “I’m not squeamish or anything, but that’s disgusting.”
Rada nods, calm as ever, and closes the drawer with a single smooth motion. “Then we won’t use that one.”
They gather up the rest of their finds, emergency blankets, burn cream, and a flashlight with barely working batteries.
“We’ll have to share,” PAZ mutters, shaking the light.
“We’ll make it last,” Rada replies. “The stars do not shine brightly for us now, but we still have their memory.”
“…Are you always that cryptic or is it the trauma?” PAZ mutters, slinging their shared bag over his shoulder.
Rada just smiles.

One by one, the groups return to the cafeteria, the safest place they know.
Sarika drops the heavy duffel she and Quinn had packed from storage. It lands with a thud that echoes across the empty room. “We got basic tools, stuff to create some makeshift masks, rope, tarp, even some duct tape,” she says, catching her breath.
Quinn nods. “A couple utility knives too. Should help if we need to cut through vines or fend something off…”
Devin returns next, dragging a battered metal pole and tossing a cracked riot shield onto the table with the tools he gathered. “Closets are picked clean,” he huffs. “No real weapons, but we’ve got blunt force covered. Better than nothing.”
Then come Rada and PAZ, each carrying a bundle of salvaged supplies. They empty it onto the table in neat rows, antiseptics, bandages, thermal blankets, anything they could find, and a flashlight still flickering faintly.
“And we got makeshift weapons too,” PAZ adds, producing a scalpel and the scissors. “Not ideal, but if we’re gonna brave the outside, it’s something.”
Quinn looks over the assortment with quiet focus. “We’ve got enough here to last a few days-if we ration.”
“But not forever.” Devin crosses his arms. “We still don’t know what’s out there. How much of the city’s left, how many bugs are still roaming…”
Sarika ties her hair back, tight. “That’s why we move fast. Plan smart. We don’t panic-“
“-And we don’t turn on each other,” Quinn finishes for her. He glances between the others. “We’ve made it this far. We can make it farther.”
The group stands in tired silence, eyes flicking toward the sealed doors.
For now, they create their defense
But what waits on the other side is something even their combined efforts might not be enough for.

The cafeteria had become their workshop.
Rada carefully cuts up strips of tarp while PAZ pulls apart a smaller air filter, salvaging what’s left of the usable material. Sarika threads together elastic from one of the bed sheets, her hands shaking slightly, but her focus unshakable.
Quinn folds a filter square over a layer of cloth, holding it in place while Devin staples the edge down with a grimace. “This is janky as hell,” Devin mutters. “But maybe it’ll buy us an extra breath or two.”
“It’s not about perfect,” Sarika says quietly. “It’s about not dying the moment we step out there.”
PAZ tosses a partly assembled mask onto the table. “They’ll clog fast,” he says, sitting down and running a hand through his hair. “So we should only wear them if the air starts hitting us hard. If it feels normal, maybe we risk without to save the filters.”
Quinn glances toward the doors, the ones they all know they’ll be walking through soon. “Shika had this place sealed tight for a reason. No telling how bad it’s really gotten out there.”
Sarika finishes knotting her mask. It looks ugly…layers of cloth and gauze held together by twine and a scrap of plastic…but it fits.
Rada sets his down next to hers. “I added lavender oil to mine,” he says softly. “Not much, but… maybe it’ll keep me calm.”
The others pause. It’s a small thing. But somehow…it makes sense.
Even Devin, who had been scoffing most of the process, carefully places his mask aside when he finishes. “If this thing breaks the second I breathe,” he grumbles, “I’m blaming all of you.”
Sarika snorts a little, despite everything.
One by one, they line their masks up on the table. A strange mix of materials. Personal touches in a world that’s gone cold and savage.
“…We’re really doing this,” Quinn says.
No one answers. But no one denies it.
Soon, they breathe the outside air.
Whatever that means.

Chapter Text

The air is heavy with tension. Each step toward the front of the school echoes with finality. This is the moment they’ve been working toward. Months of death and dread, and now the exit is finally in sight.
Quinn leads the group, crowbar clutched tightly in his hand. The others are close behind. Devin with his jaw clenched, Sarika quiet but steady, Rada with his gaze downward, and PAZ trailing behind, goggles perched on his head just in case.
They stop at the massive double doors. The once-pristine entrance now layered in dust and grime.
“Alright,” Quinn murmurs, sliding the crowbar into the crack. “No one sees Shika or Flint, right?”
“No sign,” PAZ confirms, his voice low. “I think they’re really gone.”
Sarika stands beside Quinn, hand resting lightly on the doorframe. “Let’s do this.”
Quinn nods and pries hard. There’s a groan of metal as the door shifts, resisting like it doesn’t want to let them out. He adjusts, digs in again, and heaves.
CRACK.
The lock gives.
The door creaks open slowly, groaning against months of silence.
Sunlight spills in.
The students shield their eyes. The natural light is so… pure. Real.
The schoolyard sprawls before them, but it’s nothing like what they remembered. Wild grasses stretch waist-high in most places. Moss curls up the stone statues at the gates, and vibrant fungi glow faintly along the shadows of the walls.
But more noticeable than anything…
Above it all is the dome.
A transparent ceiling curves high above the entire grounds. Thick glass or plastic, fogged in places but undeniably there. A sealed bubble protecting, or trapping, the school from the outside world.
“…What the hell,” Devin breathes, stepping out slowly onto the stone path overtaken by weeds.
Quinn follows, mask clutched in his hand but not yet worn. The air smells… normal. Not fresh exactly, but breathable. Still filtered.
“It’s artificial,” Rada says quietly, looking up. “This whole school’s inside a sealed biosphere.”
Sarika bends down, fingers brushing over a clover bursting through the pavement. “Then the oxygen poisoning hasn’t reached us yet…”
“But if the dome cracks,” PAZ adds, “that changes fast.”
They all stand there for a moment, surrounded by nature, but still trapped.
“…So what now?” Sarika asks.
Quinn exhales. “Now we search. We see if we’re alone in this dome… and how far this ruin really stretches.”
And with that, they begin to move through the tall grass. Small figures in a wild, overgrown world, hunting for answers

The grass sways around their legs as they move as a single unit, following the stone path toward the front gates. The sky above is still visible through the translucent dome, casting a diffused light that feels more like late spring than apocalypse.
As they approach the gates, the students all pause.
The towering metal bars are still swung open, just as they were when the school’s main doors were sealed. Dust has settled in every groove, vines curling through the iron like veins.
Devin nudges one of the gates. It creaks faintly, but there’s no resistance.
“No lock?” Sarika asks softly.
“They must’ve assumed the school’s doors were enough to keep us penned in,” Devin mutters.
“Or they didn’t think we’d survive this long,” PAZ adds, rubbing the back of his neck.
They step past the gates, feet crunching over gravel and overgrowth. Beyond, the dome’s curve becomes more obvious, arching in a wide perimeter that disappears into the hazy treeline.
The students veer right, following the edge. The air hums faintly with some unseen generator, and as they walk, their reflections faintly shimmer in the curved surface of the dome.
After a while, Rada raises his hand. “Look.”
There, embedded in the dome wall, is a strange metal structure. Rounded edges, reinforced seams. An airlock. Built into the side like a sealed emergency exit.
“Was this always here?” Sarika whispers.
“No clue,” Quinn murmurs. “Might’ve been hidden… or maybe we weren’t meant to see it until now.”
They crowd around. The airlock has a heavy handle, industrial in design. No buttons. No passwords.
Just weight.
“Let me,” Devin says, rolling his shoulders.
He plants his feet and grips the bar with both hands. Muscles strain beneath his shirt, his teeth grit as he leans back and pulls.
Creeeeeeaaaak.
The seal resists at first, like something ancient shaking off months of no use, but then it gives with a sudden pop. A rush of stale air escapes, carrying with it the scent of metal and sterilization.
The door swings open with a hiss, revealing a tight corridor lit by flickering yellow lights.
“Holy shit,” PAZ breathes.
Sarika clutches her chest. “We’re actually doing this…”
Quinn exhales through his teeth. “Okay. Masks on.”
They all don their makeshift masks. Filters from scavenged machines, scraps of cloth sewn together, pieces of tubing clumsily rigged. It isn’t perfect. But it might be enough.
One by one, they step inside the airlock chamber, and the door seals behind them with a hiss.
Lights above blink red, then green.
Then the door ahead of them unlocks with a low thud.
Quinn rests his hand on it.
“You all ready?”
“…Let’s see what’s left of the world,” Devin mutters.
And with that, they push forward, into whatever remains.

Chapter Text

The door groans open, the last barrier between the students and what remains of the world. The filtered air inside gives way to something… thicker. Heavier. The moment they step through, the change is immediate.
The grass is tall, some of it nearly shoulder height, bending under its own weight, golden at the tips like wheat. It sways as if a breeze is passing through, but the air is still. Almost unnaturally still.
Sarika steps out first, the filtered mask snug on her face. Her boots crunch down the flattened metal threshold and sink slightly into the soft ground.
“Woah…” she whispers.
It’s not hot, despite the abundance of oxygen. Instead, it’s a strange, crisp temperature. Late August should have that edge of summer humidity. But here, the air is too clean. It’s like breathing in something sterilized and unnatural, every breath dense but cold.
Above, the sky is still blue, but the trees are already changing. Not just the scattered reds and oranges of early fall, but whole canopies of strange color, hues too saturated, almost glowing. Leaves shimmer in copper, deep red, and vibrant yellow, looking more painted than natural.
“…It looks like it’s been… sped up,” Rada murmurs, eyes fixed on the trees.
“Like time hit the fast-forward button for nature,” PAZ adds, turning slowly in place.
Flowers have overgrown their bounds, unfamiliar species pushing up through the concrete at the base of the dome, vines curling in coils around old fencing. A fallen sign that once read “VISITOR PARKING” is almost entirely devoured by moss.
“Are those blueberries?” Quinn squints toward a bush nearby, but the fruit is too large, too pale. Not quite right.
Devin touches one of the twisted trees, fingertips running along its bark. “The soil… it’s softer than it should be.”
Sarika moves her foot, uncovering a small skeleton. A rabbit, maybe, picked clean and bleached in the sun.
They all go quiet.
The only sounds now are the distant trill of insects, far too many insects, and the subtle hissing of their own breath through the filters.
“…Welcome to Maine,” PAZ mutters.
Flint stares out past the others, arms crossed tightly. He says nothing.
Quinn finally asks, quietly, “Where do we go from here?”
And for a long moment, nobody answers.

The group moves slowly now, eyes darting between the overgrown stalks of grass, each one brushing against their sides with whispering touches. The filtered masks muffle their breathing, giving everything a faint hiss underneath the natural hum of the field.
“Stay low,” Devin murmurs, crouching slightly as he pushes some brush aside with the crowbar.
They follow his lead, ducking into the thicker parts of the field, where the plants create a canopy of gold and brown above their heads. The sunlight filters through in broken patterns, highlighting just how alien this version of outside has become.
Quinn freezes as something shifts in the soil.
A low rumble, and the earth gives a faint, rhythmic twitch beneath their feet.
“…What the hell was that?” Sarika whispers.
They watch as a patch of earth just ahead ripples, like water catching a breeze. Something bulges upward from the dirt. A rounded, wet, pink shape. Then another. Segmented. Glossy.
An earthworm, thicker than a boa constrictor, slowly surfaces from the ground, slithering blindly across the path ahead. It coils slightly, then begins to bury itself back down again, leaving behind torn, loosened soil in its wake.
“…Okay,” PAZ breathes, wide-eyed. “Okay. Cool. Nature documentary on steroids.”
They continue forward, stepping carefully over the soft ground it disturbed.
But it only gets worse.
A sudden vibration hits the field. Subtle, at first, just enough to make the grass sway in one direction. Then again. And again. Heavy. Deliberate.
The group drops instantly, crouching low in the brush.
Rada is the first to see her.
The wolf spider.
Fifteen feet tall. Legs like long, serrated spears, twitching ever so slightly with each step. Her massive abdomen is covered in fine bristling hairs, and her many eyes glint in the sunlight like black gemstones. Each movement is slow, purposeful. She’s not hunting. Not yet. Just roaming.
She steps over a fallen tree like it’s a twig, moving in total silence except for the soft hum of her breathing through her spiracles.
Devin grabs Quinn’s arm and pulls him down lower. The others flatten, still as corpses.
The spider stops. Her front legs tap against the ground.
She sniffs the air.
Quinn’s heart races so loudly it feels like it could give them away, but the spider does not move toward them. Instead, she turns, stalking toward the far end of the field… away from them.
They wait. And wait.
Only when her hulking form disappears into the woods beyond the field do they finally breathe again.
Sarika is shaking slightly, clutching her ribbon.
“That’s the one,” Devin mutters. “The one Shika let loose.”
“Let’s hope she doesn’t come back,” Rada says quietly.
They continue forward, quieter now, more aware than ever that this new world is not their own.
It belongs to something else.

The group trudges forward through fields turned to wilds, brushing past knee-high ferns and grass tall enough to graze shoulders. The heat of their own breath against the inside of their makeshift masks is beginning to wear on them, sweat clinging beneath their clothes, but they press on.
And then… the trees part.
At the bottom of a gently sloping hill sits a small town, or what’s left of one.
The buildings are half-collapsed. Storefronts shattered. Ivy has grown straight through broken windows and trees burst from rooftops, roots tearing through concrete like veins. Rusted signs swing in the breeze, some with letters missing, others completely overtaken by moss.
There are no people.
No birds.
No cars.
Only the wind and the sound of insects.
A loud, rhythmic chirp echoes from nearby, and PAZ nearly jumps out of his skin, until a massive cricket, the size of a large dog, leaps up from a crack in the pavement. It lands on a nearby car roof, denting the rusted metal, and simply sits, cleaning its legs.
“Harmless,” Quinn mutters, trying to reassure himself more than anyone.
“And gross,” Devin adds.
Sarika pauses as something buzzes overhead, a fly, a couple feet long, zipping by with a lazy hum, its wings glittering in the sunlight. It doesn’t even glance their way.
“God, even the small ones are massive…” she murmurs.
They move carefully, weaving through the bones of the town. A collapsed post office. A diner with vines growing from its counter. A small school so covered in overgrowth that only the shape remains.
No signs of people.
No signs of animals.
Just empty buildings and nature run amok.
“…This really is the end of the world, isn’t it?” Rada says softly.
But then Quinn stops.
“…Wait. What’s that?”
At the far edge of the town, past where the cracked asphalt gives way to field again, a glimmer of something smooth and curved stands out among the wilderness. A dome.
Another dome.
For a horrible moment, they think they’ve circled back somehow.
But no, the air around it looks different. A pale shimmer in the sunlight, but this one is smaller than the school’s. Through the translucent surface, something unnatural stands:
A mansion.
Gated, pristine, almost untouched. A manicured lawn, cobbled walkways, hedges that haven’t overgrown at all. Somehow, it looks clean.
Alive.
Quinn takes a step forward. “That’s… that’s not our dome. That’s something else.”
“It’s the only sign of civilization we’ve seen,” Sarika adds, voice hushed with disbelief.
“So what?” PAZ glances at the others. “We’re just going to walk up to it?”
“Got a better plan?” Devin asks.
The group goes quiet.
Rada exhales. “If someone is inside… they’ve been surviving. And we haven’t.”
That’s enough for them.
With the ruined town behind them and the looming dome ahead, they start toward the mansion, toward whatever comes next.