Part 112: Do Much Evil

[BGM: Do Much Evil]


You're... you're fucking batshit lady!

Indeed.

How on earth could someone like this exist?

It doesn't make any sense! It doesn't, it doesn't, it doesn't!

How do you live with yourself?

I already explained how I feel emotions to a far less substantive degree than the rest of you, right?

You...!

Save it. It's not worth wasting breath arguing with this reprehensible trash. Completely unforgivable.



Oh, don't curse me so thoroughly. It's not my fault.

How can you say that with a straight face?

This is simply how it was always meant to be.

Huh?

Didn't you know, Ox? The world is fated. Your genes and history were decided without your input, and like it or not, those two factors really do make the decisions. From my birth, it was 100% certain that I would grow up to be like this.

I've no real say in the matter. So, if you're to curse anyone, curse God for the hand he dealt you all.

You're saying that you have no real control of your actions?

Not in a grand sense, no.

Then I have to ask – how are you getting any pleasure from 'controlling' us in these death games?



By your own logic, you still aren't really in control. God is.

Th-that's...

For the first time, it looked as though Monkey had been caught off guard.

At any rate, we really are facing an issue. You've got your hands on Amadeus' blackmail flashdrive, yes? So this incident isn't ending here.

With your taste for blood awakened, and with the city safely in your pocket, you intend to continue playing with innocent people's lives until you are eventually caught or killed.

Oh, don't judge me too quick Snake. Like I said, I plan to start with some nice, peaceful living.



But you know, we'll see. They say being rich doesn't make you happy, after all.

We can't let that happen.

Oh, but I'm afraid you must.

It's a shame that this game is going to have such an abrupt ending, but I guess that's the risk you take when you try and get clever and act as one of the participants. Believe me, it's a mistake I won't make again.

But for now, don't despair! I needn't just execute the lot of you here and now. I'll also allow any of you to join me, to become one of my helpers. After all, the more of you that make it out of here alive, the easier my job will be to explain all this.

You.

Horse stood up. To the side, Snake whispered something to Dragon.

You think you can just do whatever you want, consequences be damned? You think I wouldn't give my life to slay a monster like you? If you think that, you truly can predict nothing!

[BGM: Metal Horse]


Horse rushed forwards, swinging a fist at Monkey. She didn't panic, however. Instead, from out of her sleeve came a long, metal rod. That rod intercepted Horse's swing. The sound of Horse's cry mixed with the crackling of electricity rang throughout the classroom.

Oh, don't worry Horse. Your little temper tantrum was well accounted for.

Grr...

But are you sure you want to kill me? Isn't there... someone else who should be handling this?

Horse faltered, looking down. ...But then, he grinned.

No, I think I can do this one myself.

Immediately, Horse swung his fist down, aiming at Monkey's head. He didn't hit her head, however. He hit the steak knife which she had pulled out from seemingly nowhere. As Horse recoiled, Monkey quickly pulled the knife out of Horse's arm, before moving forward to slash him across the gut twice. He roared, off-kilter, and collapsed backwards onto the ground.



Even the attacks you chose to use, entirely expected.

But then again, am I surprised? You were a pawn – the piece with the fewest number of moves available to them.

Monkey then took a phone out of her pocket.

I can think of a few others who might want to start acting irrationally. If you value your lives... I'd refrain from using such violence. Don't forget who controls your life.

With a confident smile, Monkey walked out of the classroom. Many people wanted to stop her. But our attention was diverted as Sheep ran to Horse.

Hey, hey, hold on!

She took off her sweater, using it to address Horse's wounds. She looked over him with a grim precision.

Don't worry, those wounds weren't fatal. You all take care of Monkey! I'll make sure Horse pulls through this.



Ah, and Sheep moves accordingly as well.

Apparently, Monkey hadn't fully left. Rather, she was simply standing outside the classroom.

Using this injury to cowardly excuse herself from the responsibility of dealing with a threat.

But then again, perhaps she couldn't handle failing to properly address someone's wounds again.

Enraged, Sheep pulled a pen from her pocket and wildly flung it at Monkey. She caught it with a calm look on her face, then began to walk away. The group immediately went after her, though nobody seemed to know what the gameplan was. Still, we all stood in the hallway, looking at her. She stared back at us, waiting patiently, holding the phone in the air. Her finger circled around a button that I couldn't read from here – I could guess what it meant, though.

The first to step forward was Snake.



I'm not sure if your offer is genuine, Monkey.

Of course it is.

Well then, I'd be happy to join you.

S-Snake?

Forgive me Mouse, but it's not like I have much of a choice in the matter. Our options are limited, so I now stand with the powerful.

Besides, helping her with this blackmail job could be quite interesting. Done right, there could be a beauty in these experiments.

I have some editorial notes on how, in the future, you could incr–

That does it Snake, you asshole!



In a rage, Dragon stepped forward. Without a second thought, she swung her metal bat at one of Snake's back legs.

AAAGH!

I knew you were a selfish asshole, but I never saw this in you. Maybe I can't hurt Monkey, but I can sure as hell set an example to other potential traitors.

Dragon stepped down on Snake's left hand, then swung the bat down at his left arm. I heard the sound of bones cracking.

AOAOAHGHHHH!

Everyone, look at this. This is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil.

She then swung hard at Snake's right side. Again, the bat heavily impacted Snake's right arm.

GRRHAGHH!!

He fell to all fours. In a beautiful flow, however, Dragon immediately spun around and changed her target from Snake to Monkey's left arm – the one holding the phone. In response, Monkey jabbed Dragon in the stomach with the cattle prod, sending her flying to land on her back on the floor.

FUCK!

Dragon, you absolute moron! I was obviously going to betray her!

What?!



My, my. What a comedy of errors.

I'd be laughing if it weren't entirely what I thought would happen. Snake would – unauthentically – plot to get on my good side, intending on betrayal. Dragon would act first, think later.

But her eyes would never really leave me; she'd just be looking for a time to strike at me.

And to think I had you two pegged as some of the most unpredictabl–

Just then, Snake lunged up from his position. His right hand grabbed out for the phone. Monkey, caught offguard, tried to pull back, but the phone went tumbling to the floor. Dragon, who was still lying on her back, grabbed the bat and smashed the phone.

Gotcha!

This is...

At our school, we recently had a stage performer come in. I picked up his lesson on acting out a fight quite quickly.

Snake smirked, but as he winced, it was clear that Dragon had indeed still broken his left arm.

[BGM: Silence]


Monkey's entire face, on the other hand, was entirely flushed.



She immediately started twiddling her thumbs at a speed I had never seen before while closing her eyes. She was muttering something under her breath. Then, a few seconds later, she regained her composure.

[BGM: Fire Breath]


I've amended my predictions. I'm still fine.

It's simply a matter of forgoing the phone and using the computer.

In an instant, I realized what she meant.

She's going to try and get to the base where she's running the game!

However, as Ox shouted this out, Monkey reached under her sweatshirt and, with a bit of difficulty, pulled out a metallic stick. I realized that this was part of the contraption strapped to all our chests. But Monkey was able to undo this piece from her bomb... Wait, these were bombs strapped to our chests... As I realized what this meant, she flipped a switch on the cylinder and threw it up towards the ceiling. She then immediately began to run down the hall.

*BWOOOM!*

We had started to follow her, but were pushed back by the immediate explosion that occurred as the cylinder hit the ceiling. It was a pretty minor explosion, all things considered – definitely not the full force of the blast that could incinerate our chests at any moment. ...But it was enough to do a number on the building's structural integrity. The ceiling began to collapse, when–

Hrgh!!



Tiger leaped in front of us, and held up her arms. She shielded us as the debris began to fall.

Hurry! Get through here!

We didn't need to be told twice. Ox, Bunny and I ran forwards as Tiger stood in place, looking like she was attempting to prevent the entire building from falling in on itself. I was grateful for what she was doing, but I didn't have time to give thanks. I was too busy sprinting towards Monkey at full speed, with Bunny and Ox at my side. If she was able to get to wherever she had kept the computer running this before we caught up to her...

No, I couldn't think about that. Besides, we were gaining on her. As much as Monkey could predict, she couldn't think herself into running quicker. Up ahead, she took a hard right, turning the corner where the staircase to the second floor was. Why was she...? Immediately, my mind flashed back to the library. Other than the two doors to enter it, there was one door in the back with an exit sign. She was aiming for that door to leave the building!

We followed her. Bunny had taken the lead, so he was the first to begin turning the corner... which is why he was the one who made contact with the cattle prod as Monkey leaped out to ambush him. To Bunny's credit, though, he didn't immediately pass out. He actually caught the prod.

And then, to my utter shock.. he gripped it so hard that it broke.



I had heard that cops needed to pass pain tolerance tests before they got their taser. But this was something different. However... it's not like Bunny was Superman. In doing this feat, he immediately and wordlessly fell back, onto the floor.

Naturally, you'd be the quickest of the three. That's the most troublesome one handled.

And without another word, Monkey resumed her sprint up the staircase. But through this ambush, Ox and I had all but caught up to her. We made our way up the double-layered staircase, and prepared to run down the hallway at the top. However, once again, as Ox began to turn left around the corner, Monkey jumped out at him, plunging her steak knife at his chest.

...Ox didn't have near the instincts that Bunny had. He took the blow square in the chest, then stumbled back down the stairs, the knife still in his torso.

And you, the 'smart one', fell for the exact same trick! ...Though, there really isn't any difference between a cop and a prosecutor.

And again, Monkey calmly resumed running away.

Ox!

I'm fine, Mouse...! She just got me in the side. More importantly, go after her!!

Right!

Of course. Why'd I even stop to check if he was fine? I was the last one left. If I couldn't pull my weight, we'd all be dead soon enough. I ran faster than I ever had before. Like I thought, Monkey entered the library... and I went in right after her.

[BGM: Silence]


There, in the library, Monkey turned towards me, catching her breath. I slowed down, also catching my breath.

Please, Monkey, you don't have to do this!

You're right. I don't.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Monkey threw a jab right at my head. I was so blindsided by this that I caught the punch squarely in the face. I stumbled back to the wall.

Tiger sacrifices herself in the explosion to let Mouse, Ox, and Bunny through. Sacrifice the cattle prod to get rid of Bunny. Sacrifice the knife to get rid of Ox. In the end, Mouse alone will catch up to me.

But she won't be able to stop me from walking out the door to the nearby computer and entering a few simple keystrokes. I already told you Mouse, I re-did the calculations.

[BGM: Do Much Evil]


This is a solved game.

And your team loses.

That couldn't be the case.

Come on, Monkey! You yourself know that this is wrong, you said it yourself!

Indeed.

So you can still be a good person if you just stop!

Why should I care about being a good person? There isn't a heaven, Mouse. Your purpose in life is strictly to get the most enjoyment out of it. And this is how I get mine.

No... There had to be something. I wasn't done yet!



I had noticed a stapler on a nearby desk. In a clean motion, I leaned over, clutched the object in my fist, and then flung it at Monkey at full speed. ...She leisurely swayed to the side, letting it fly harmlessly out of the way.

Is this really the best you can manage? You really are running out of choices, aren't you?

Don't worry. You won't have to make them very soon.

Something, something, anything?!

Okay, okay, you've got me! If you just spare me, I'll work with you! I can help you set these things up, honest! I mean, I saw through you, so you know I'm smart, right?

You are quite smart, Mouse. Smart enough to know your only chance at this juncture is to trick me.

Apologies, but I know you quite well, Mouse. I'm your therapist. The chance that this is genuine is... perhaps 3%.

No...

I fell to my knees. Despair was filling my body. There was nothing I could do. Monkey looked at me with something akin to pity.



Oh, Mouse. Don't look like that. It's not your fault.

You're really a remarkable woman, truly. Given your situation, you far exceeded what most would be able to do.

But the fact is, humans have their limits.

That's...

Looking at me, you seem to be struggling, panicking. Thinking that if you did or said the right thing, you could win.

But that's just not how things work. There are times in life that none of the options can bring you victory. Just accept that this is one of those times.

Keep cool...

[BGM: Silence]


You know, it really is a shame to get rid of you, Mouse. I had a lot of fun controlling you.

And, in some weird way, it was even more fun when you acted out of line. You were a wonderful puppet.

But I plan on living free. And you're just too much of a liability.

Monkey began to turn away.

You can't... You're not going to get away with this! There's some way to, to stop you!

It'd be nice for you if there was, right?

But I already thought it through. This chessboard? I picked every piece very delicately. I crafted the spaces myself.

There's nothing here that's going to defy my expectations. And if nothing defies my expectations, then I can certainly control the outcome of the game.

Just face it. I am in control of everything here. You are in control of nothing. Because I have control, I am going to choose to murder you all.

[BGM: Mousetrap]


And nothing unexpected is going to pop up and save you.

You can only explicitly taunt fate so much until the world decides to whack you on the back of the head. In this case... that whack came in the form of Rooster. To my complete surprise, he had woken up from his stupor a bit ago. Monkey made the classic mistake of monologing for too long. While she did that, Rooster had regained his footing. He... did not look okay at all. But, as though he were possessed, he rushed at Monkey and slammed her into the nearby wall.

AAAAH!

Before Monkey could cry out any more, his hands wrapped around her throat.

_{Wh-what are you... d–}

This. Must. End.

_Sto–

This. Must. End.

[BGM: Silence]


With an unparalleled rage in his eyes, Rooster choked Monkey's neck harder and harder. A number of emotions went through Monkey's eyes. Confusion, fear, desperation, and finally... acceptance. What did I do during this? Nothing. I just stood there... watching.

Finally, Monkey's eyes stayed open... but they saw nothing. Rooster let go of her, letting her corpse flop to the ground. The second person he had killed. The second person he had strangled. Then, he turned to me. He looked me right in the eye. His eyes had a look of... how to describe it? I can't think of the right emotion. But... it was the equivalent of a sad shrug. An apology. A grim acceptance. A... 'what can you do?'

And then, without much ceremony, Rooster collapsed to the ground. He was far, far from recovered. The fact that he had gotten up in the first place is a one in a million miracle. The type that no man can predict. The sort of thing God sends now and again, just to keep us all humble.

Absentmindedly, I walked to the door Monkey had been running to. I opened it.

[BGM: Queen of the Jungle]


And there, finally, for the first time in a long time, freedom. I wasn't moments away from dying. I could almost cry. ...But not yet. I looked over, and saw a picnic table nearby. This door apparently led out to the school's backyard.



On the picnic table were a number of things. Of particular note, there was a laptop. That was prob ably what was running this whole thing. But there was something that caught my eye even more. A small USB flash drive sitting next to the computer.

...This was it, wasn't it? Amadeus' legacy. The root of it all. I picked the flashdrive up, holding this holy grenade in my hand. Now... What to do with you?



I asked the thread what they felt would be the best course of action should the USB still exist and be obtainable. It was actually a pretty close race between destroying it or keeping it hidden, but between the votes in the thread and a few I was given privately, the action that got the most votes was to pocket it for later. Considering how many lives were ruined or ended by just the potential to reveal this information, having it never be found at the crime scene but still within reach should the information be important later seems to be a common consensus – basically a case of 'think on it or see how it can be used to help others' rather than an immediate gut action.

I slipped the flashdrive into my pocket. For now, it was better off with me. And... just like that, it was over. I contacted the authorities, and they said they would be on the scene right away.

In the mean time, I just stood there, in the open air. Finally free. To put it mildly, I had a lot of thoughts about everything that had happened. It was reasonable to say that I'd never be the same after all this. I'd... definitely need a new therapist. Because, boy howdy, was there a lot of stuff I was going to have to work through in all of this. But... I'd move on. Because, unlike Dog or Pig, I could. Unlike Amadeus, unlike Aaron, unlike Brian, Rooster, Monkey – my life didn't have to be defined by this incident. It'd take a bit of doing to get over it all, certainly. Naturally, the media would eat this incident up, and I'd be all over the news. In all likelihood, I'd never truly shed the skin of this incident. Because... the fact of the matter is you can never really truly erase the past. But I didn't need to be defined by it.

I could go on and become the greatest defense lawyer the world had ever seen. I could be angered by this incident, shake my fist at injustice, and turn into a prosecutor. I could become a famous author, writing about what had happened, and other similar topics. I could get really into horse riding and become a professional jockey. Or I could just jump off a building one day. But whatever happened... I was free to choose it.

I was in control from here. And that's what really mattered to me.