Part 26: The Origami Cat Killings

_{content warning: suicide}

[BGM: Constriction]


Mouse, that's impossible! Why would Sheep be lying like that if she wasn't dead?

And even if she was alive, how does that change anything?

Here's how it happened.



Sheep was a very suggestible girl. Snake is a very convincing man. A number of scenarios could have taken place, but let's say... Snake approached Sheep, claiming he was concerned about Tiger having the key. Snake said he questioned if she could be trusted.

Sheep advocated for Tiger, so Snake proposed they put it to the test. Sheep was to go in the room and pretend to be dead. Snake would bring in someone, and they'd see the body together. Snake would then tell the other person to get the key from Tiger.

If Tiger really just gave the key to this other person without question, she would be deemed too gullible to keep the key. However, if she went along with the other person, then she would be fine. An extreme way of testing her to be sure, but Snake is quite persuasive, and Sheep is easily pushed around.



So Sheep goes along with the plan, and Snake brings Dragon into the room. He makes sure Dragon checks both the chain and the window. After Dragon runs away, Snake uses the speaker to tell Sheep to unlock the door and come back out.

After all, they wouldn't want to scare the others for too long, so when they got back they'd need to see Sheep alive and well. Sheep complied, and unlocked the chain. However, earlier, when the two were preparing this test, Snake pocketed the poison.

As soon as Snake got the chance, he sunk his poisoned fangs into Sheep and pushed her back down to where she lay before. Snake re-locked the chain and dropped the key in Sheep's pocket. Then he unlocks the window and returns to the intermediate room through there. He quickly shuts the window and acts casual.

We run in right after that- he doesn't have that much time, so the timing of all this is likely quite tight. Dragon insists Tiger quickly unlock the chain, and everybody bursts into the room. Dragon in the front, Tiger and myself behind her. ...And you in the rear.



As we all panic over Sheep's death, you quickly and subtly re-lock the window from the inside. And with that, an impossible murder has occurred.

Whoa...

Mouse, that was incredible.

Yes, indeed, a truly logical explanation you have provided.

I must commend you- I was dubious of how you'd go about it, but you pulled it off!

You have successfully strewn together a scenario in which I could have killed Sheep. Spectacularly done. I say with all sincerity that that was a most impressive effort. However, I'm afraid to say it simply isn't true.



While I grant you that that is a completely possible scenario, I still must ask you provide any evidence towards your claim.

Evidence? How else could you explain that murder!

How else? Why, I could think of a number of ways. Perhaps Tiger was the murderer. She might not have had a clear motive, but killers rarely do.

Or perhaps Dragon. Yes, there was an origami cat by her crime scene, but perhaps she had made it in advance as she prepared to kill someone. But then maybe the tables were turned on her, and her killer used the previously prepared calling card against her.

That would explain why there was no cat near Tiger, yes?

Or perhaps Brian decided to interfere with the game and commit some murders himself. There's no rule against it.

Perhaps Bunny lied, and there were three keys to the chain. Perhaps the poison wasn't actually the instant-acting one stolen, but a slower-acting chemical combination concocted in a science lab, and Sheep locked the chain and sat and died all on her own.



We can all make up stories, Mouse. But that won't make them true.

Fine. Let's move on, then.



We already discussed how the second murder took place. Your killing intent slithered through the wire, through the door, into Dog's hand. You tried to divert suspicion by solving it with me, but you knew that such a simple method would be cracked easily. You even pretended to comfort me while avoiding the circle of accusations the others were making at each other.

Are all my actions, benign or not, somehow devilish in your world, Mouse?

Now we can look at Dragon's death.

And again we reach an impossible scenario.

I am eager to see how you write me the killer here.

It's really pretty simple. There was really only one answer to this mystery all along.



You stacked that tower from inside the room.

That would be the presumption, yes.

Then you hid inside that room and waited for someone to discover the body. This sort of thing is usually a risky gamble, but with everyone so scattered around, it actually wasn't much of a dangerous play at all.

I hid inside the room? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but did you not look around the place when you entered?

That I did.

And you didn't see anyone, right?

I did not.



Then where on earth could I have hidden? There aren't many places to hide.

There aren't, but there was one place. The closet.

The closet?

Mouse, all the closets in the school have been locked.

Hey, maybe Snake found the key to that closet somewhere!

Is that what you believe, Mouse?

No, I doubt there's anything like that around. I'm pretty sure those closets were never intended to have anything to do with the game. They were just locked with keys that teachers would have. ...Which is why Snake should've been able to hide there.

Come again?

Don't play dumb with me!



You're actually a teacher at this school, aren't you?

Goodness. Now this is certainly an interesting accusation. I do believe I've said this before, but I am an artist.

You might also be that. But you're definitely a teacher here.

And how did you come to this conclusion?

Earlier, when we talked about the scene Dragon was dead at, you called it 'Mr. Golloday's Classroom'. An odd way of referring to it, wouldn't you say?

I'd sooner call it an accurate one.

How would you know whose classroom it was?



As I said then, it was written on the whiteboard.

But why would you remember that when in a room with a murder victim?

My memory isn't quit eidetic, but it's close.

Even still, that's not how you'd refer to this room if you had no idea who 'Mr. Golloday' was! No one else called it that, they all said 'the classroom Dragon died in' like normal people.

I would consider my speech a bit more eloquent than normal people's.

That's not all the evidence I have.



You recognized Brian due to his Butterfly tattoo, right?

Yes. I believe Monkey did as well.

It makes sense why Monkey would recognize it. She's his therapist. What doesn't make sense is why you would recognize it. By your own admission, you had no real connection to this case. You were just some random witness.

So how would you know immediately that the son of a man who was executed based on your testimony years ago had a butterfly tattoo there?

Did you not recognize the artistry in the tattoo? It was actually done by a friend of mine. When she was showing off some of her work, I thought I recognized the boy who got the butterfly tattoo.

Out of curiosity, I asked about him, and realized who he was. That's a fairly notable memory, and hence why I could identify him so quickly.

What a lovely story. Why did none of this come out when we first talked about it?

Why would it? No one asked, and I hardly thought it a relevant contribution to the discussion at the time.



Is it not because you had him as a student? Could that teacher-student relationship have more to do with why you were chosen than your prior testimony?

There are plenty of people here for seemingly weak reasons. Are they all a part of the teaching staff, too?

There's more. Throughout the day, there's been plenty of moments where you've been more familiar with the school than you should've been.

Again, all hearsay.

You're a teacher, and you have a master key to the closets! After setting up those books, you slunk away to a hiding spot and waited for more prey.

Suppose for a second you are correct. Then how do you explain Tiger's murder? Will you blame that on me, too?

Damn right I will. Admittedly, changing up your pattern did throw me off for a bit. But that's just it, isn't it? A change in the pattern. What happened? Were you out of ideas for locked room mysteries? Or did you just want to shake things up to confuse people?



I believe those are the questions you are supposed to be answering now. Here is another one to ponder: how on earth did I manage to kill Tiger? Certainly such a task is beyond my capabilities, wouldn't you think?

Tiger's strong, but she's not immortal. You were able to easily strangle her by using one simple thing. You took advantage of the crime scene to strangle her!



The crime scene you say? This is certainly a new one.

It's obvious that she was strangled with a wire. Perhaps one found in an art classroom, used for making sculptures.

Perhaps.

But instead of just wrapping it around Tiger's neck, you formed a noose with that wire. You held the neck of the noose in your hand, and dropped the rest of it down through one of the railings in the top floor of the stairwell.

When Tiger walked by, you distracted her somehow, maybe made her turn around. All you had to do was get the noose around her neck, and it was curtains.

You think I had the strength to strangle her while she fought back? How highly you think of me.

You didn't have the strength, you had the weight.



As soon as the noose was around her neck, you jumped over the railing and gripped onto the wire. Your weight suddenly slammed Tiger's neck to the ground, and your entire weight pulled against her throat as her head leaned against the railing.

She could probably lift your weight, but at that angle and having happened so suddenly, there was nothing she could do to fight back. Like a cobra, you roped your way around her neck and strangled tightly. You were able to choke out someone who was three times stronger than you, and four times the fighter.

What lovely creativity on display. Truly, Mouse, if you were to murder us all, I would never be able to catch you.

[BGM: Silence]


But here's the moment of truth: did your words convince anyone other than yourself? Well, let's find out.

How about it people, do you think her story credible?

There are some weird parts here and there, but everything adds up. I don't know how else it could have happened.

I was convinced as soon as you accused him of being a teacher here. I too have thought it strange how he referred to certain things. Now I have an explanation.

I called him being a killer from the start! How could a creep like this not be a murderer?

Yeah, it's definitely Snake! Good job catching this guy, Mouse.



Personally, I am not fully convinced. Such an accusation wouldn't stand up in court. However, if it were a civil case, I would rule in your favor.

In other words, Snake, I'm siding with her on this one.

I see, I see. So there you have it.

Snake stood there with this eyes closed for a few moments. Then he began to pace the floor.

Are you going to say something?

He stayed silent for a few beats more, and then spoke in just as calm a tone as ever.

[BGM: Slithering]


I was surprised when I realized Brian had chosen me for this game.

I wasn't surprised when I realized Brian had made the game, this is very much his style. Overly dramatic, mechanically complex, artfully violent, that all checked out.

But I was a little offended that he thought me worthy of this twisted revenge game.

Even more so when I saw that my personality was 'ambitious'.

So I was right!

Why were you offended? If you were his teacher, didn't Brian show signs of hating you in class?

At first, certainly. In fact, he confronted me about it quite early on.



He accused me of horrible stuff, of fabricating testimony, of being an agent of evil. But I calmly explained to him that I only said what I had seen. Everything in my testimony was supported by numerous other people, and the only way I could be lying is if a number of others were in on it.

From there, he seemed to soften his view on me. Even more so when I said I agreed that his father might have been innocent.

You think that?

I certainly entertained the possibility. I'll be the first to admit that chance a slight one, but certain things never sat right with me.

For instance, I also saw Mr. Morris leaving the scene. And unlike Tiger's testimony, I would not describe his expression as particularly angry or scared. Confused, if anything.

Then again, I was further away from him than Tiger, so maybe I didn't get as good a look. So I entertained Brian's theories, and got to know the boy. I would have described our relationship as rather good.

Hence, I was slightly offended after realizing what had happened.

Snake took a few more steps.



In case it isn't clear, Mouse was largely right in her deductions. I tried to make the murders perfectly orderly, but of course things didn't all go to plan.

Nothing does in life. I thought I had learned that lesson long ago.

Before I was in the military, when I was starting out as an artist, I was obsessed with the idea of perfect art. I focused on being as fully in control of my brush strokes as possible. I'd throw out pieces with the slightest imperfection.

So when I ended up in the military due to various circumstances, for a while things made sense to me there. It was an incredibly orderly environment. Everything was where it needed to be.

Entirely unlike the chaos of the battlefield. It was there I learned that as much control that you might think you have, you can't control everything. In time, everything falls to chaos.

I adopted that philosophy into my art. Even the piece I ended up giving to Bowen, that sculpture was made up of broken pieces from my past failed projects.

In teaching as well, I was a strict teacher to those who sought that and a relaxed teacher to the rest. I knew that enforcing order where it wasn't wanted was a fruitless task.

What the hell are you talking about? I thought we were on why you murdered all those people!

[BGM: Silence]


Ah, yes. I suppose I did get a bit off track there.

As could be expected, my parting thoughts are a bit rambling. But for why I chose to prioritize my life over ten of yours? Well, this will ring a hollow justification, and in many senses it is.

I've not nearly the evidence backing my belief that should be required.



Simply put, I could not trust you all.

Trust us?

I didn't trust that even without my interference, there wouldn't be a villain who would not only kill the rest of you, but go on to kill more.

How could you think that? Who would do something that horrible?

Instead of answering my question, Snake took a few more steps and ended up near the chess table once more. He took a move, then clicked his tongue.

[BGM: Hear No Evil]


I see it now.

Incredible. Mate in 9... no, 10. To have decided the game so long ago, Black truly is wondrous.

Hey, stop dodging the question! Why didn't you trust us?

I didn't trust you for one simple reason.



For all the games he likes to play, I happen to know that Brian doesn't play a lick of chess.

What? What does that have to do with anything?

Where would the fun be if I just told you everything?

If you figured me out, surely a puzzle this minor is no match to you.

With that, Snake tossed three tokens on the floor.

Minor Trinkets. One is the one you gave me earlier. I found another myself during the searching. Kept it to myself for obvious reasons. The other belonged to Tiger. I think she had just found one before I got to her first.

Lucky me. This should bring your count up to 9.



Although, I guess the 7 we started with will be more than enough without me.

Without you?

Oh, Mouse. I intend to take a graceful leave. I very much doubt history will remember me with much honor, but I wish to at least have an honorable death.

From his pocket, Snake pulled out an ornate golden knife.

That knife...

I found it in Dog's boot when I went back to look at the body. Thought it might be useful.



And with this, Brian will not have murdered a single person. A small grace, but a grace nonetheless.

Hey, hold on! You don't have to do this!

Oh, but I do. Not for any moral reasons, but because the alternative is to be executed. If you wish to do me any favors, Mouse, try and spin the story you tell the world to have some mercy on me.

I know in your eyes I have no good reason to deserve it, however... I am more sure than ever that if I had not done something, we'd have ended in an even worse spot. So let's end things on a light note, shall we?

Plaudite, acta est fabula!

[BGM: Silence]


With that last cry, Snake slashed his own throat in a single swipe with the knife, sending blood spattering everywhere. But it wasn't a beautiful death. It wasn't a fast or painless one. I heard him slowly sputter out, spitting blood on the floor, spasming for far longer than he had intended to.

His death was ugly. As ugly as all deaths are.

…

[BGM: A True Foal]


Mouse, have you inputted your action?

Yeah. Yeah, I did it at the start of the round.

Okay, okay. Just checking.

It was Round 12. Using the Trinkets, we were on track for everyone surviving to cross the finish line together. With Snake gone, we had no problem forming a sense of unity once again. Our only concern was the person with the hateful personality. However, after checking the tablets, we discovered that the person with that personality was actually one of Snake's victims.

Everyone with a special win condition was gone. We could freely work together. It didn't take much maneuvering to get everyone back together. And on the last turn, we could all make it to the finish line. It was fine. We'd all make it out alive.

...no, that wasn't right.

Because 5 of us were dead.



So, are you okay?

Do I look okay?

You know, you saved us with that whole Snake thing. There's nothing to feel bad about.

I know, but... I don't feel good about him killing himself like that.

Why? He was a remorseless serial killer who put himself above others.

I don't know about 'remorseless'. I think he felt really bad, he just wasn't good at expressing that.

Okay, fine, remorseful. Still doesn't make it right.



I know that! But I don't know if he's a bad person because of all that. It's not like he'd ever normally kill someone. He's as much of a victim of this stupid game as anyone else.

Perhaps. But I would mourn those he killed and not him himself.

Of course I feel shitty about the victims! Sheep, Tiger, Dog, Dragon, not a one of them deserved to die!

Then why are you focused on Snake?

I'm not. It's just... I still don't get why he did it.



He made up some justification so he wouldn't feel bad about the fact that he killed people to survive. It's not some grand mystery.

But what was he saying about chess?

Does it matter?

No, I think it does! He was talking about this earlier. The chess boards are supposed to be put away during Thanksgiving Break. He must have known that for certain because he was a teacher. And yet there was a game in progress when we got here...

You only get this bit of dialogue if Snake was one of the people you first hung out with at the start.

So what?

Well, if he's right that Brian doesn't play chess, then who played that game? Did some random kids break in during Thanksgiving Break just to play chess? And wasn't he moving the white pieces throughout the race?



It was like he was playing against someone.

I turned to the group.

Hey! Was anyone moving the chess pieces during the game?

I was only met with blank stares.

If that's the case, then who was he playing against?

Mouse, I think you're thinking about this too much. What matters now is that we're getting out of this alive.

I guess you're right...

There wasn't much to think about. We had won. This was our happy ending. Round 12 eventually came to a close, and everyone alive crossed the finish line. Our collars came off, and we escaped the school.

[BGM: Silence]


In the end, myself, Ox, Bunny, Horse, Rooster, Monkey, and Pig escaped alive.



Ending - 7 of Spades

If nothing is found in the first three rounds but weapons and Trinkets, Snake will be assigned a role that forces him to act. If he's given a good opportunity, he will begin to take measures against the group by murdering them one at a time.

Someone smart like Mouse may eventually catch him and lead the group to get out safely, but only after a number of participants are dead.

There are certainly far worse outcomes, but this path is a bit too unpredictable and deadly. Surely Mouse can make better decisions than this, right?