Part 39: Playing Your Outs

[BGM: Hear No Evil]


Instead of elaborating, the tablet speakers went silent. What... what on earth was that about? It was one thing to play this creepy game with the threat of execution, but now all of the sudden it was a hunt? Who would activate such a crazy, batshit Major Trinket? The others were also struggling with the news.

WHAT!! What. The. Hell!!!

There's no way, I can't run or hide, I don't want my life to end in a crappy retelling of a Richard Connell story. Actually, I wish it was like that! At least then I'd have half a chance of fighting back!

Hunting? Me?

I know I'm a fabulous catch, but this is going a little far.

Ah ha, hahaha, oh God I'm really going to die like this, aren't I?

You two, snap out of it!



Seriously, I'm sick of this group just falling apart the moment things start to get a little scary. I thought we already flushed this 'fear of death' thing out of our systems back in the cafeteria!

To be fair, that's an awful big thing to flush away in a single panic session.

No no, Mouse is right. We shouldn't jump to conclusions this quickly, we don't have any idea about what's happening right now.

Just because someone activated an item doesn't mean they're going to use it.

Why else would you activate it?

To test it out?



Please. We already know that someone's trying to kill us all, this is clearly the work of that person.

We d-don't know that there's someone trying to kill us!

Pig, did you not listen to the rules? Whoever has the determined personality has to kill us all to survive. They're absolutely going to try and do that.

Maybe not! There are some people who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the group.

Name one person other than that idiot Tiger.

Uh... Horse?

Are you joking with me right now? Horse?



That guy? Horse? The person we just saw? Horse? That big brute? That's the guy you're talking about, the one you're thinking would sacrifice himself for us? Horse?

Y-yeah, that's right. You don't think so?

Please. No offense to the guy, but inside his head there are just two response buttons, and those buttons are 'Fine' and 'Murder'.

That seems a little harsh...

Again, guys, shut up. We all need to group up and discuss this. To make sure everybody gets to the cafeteria, we should split up and gather everybody.



Are you pranking with me right now?? Ashton Kutcher much?? Your plan means talking with someone who has that knife. Mouse, I don't know if you know this, but talking is the number two thing to occur immediately before a murder.

What's number one?

Assault.

Actually, I think Rooster's right. If someone's trying to kill us, splitting seems like a really really really really really really really really really rea-

I get it.

The others probably know we need to meet up in the cafeteria. Let's trust them.

And group up like a big buffet for a potential purloiner of our unslit throats? A truly confounding plan.



Rooster, it sounds like you've had an objection with everything we've suggested so far. What do you think we should do?

Panic.

...Okay, well we're not doing that, so I guess we'll go with Pig's plan. She's right, the others will probably know to meet at the cafeteria.

Fine. But I like my idea better.

With a plan to regroup in mind, we ran back to the cafeteria. Luckily, it wasn't too far away. When we got back, Snake, Ox, and Tiger were there.

[BGM: Dance of the Snakes]


Ah, it seems I wasn't mistaken in thinking that others would realize the proper course of strategy. Good work, everybody.

Mouse! Thank God you guys are all safe.

Ox, Snake! You two both thought to meet here and try to group up with everyone else as well?

Well, this is the type of announcement that warrants group discussion.

Um, Ox, you're smart, right?

I'd like to think so, yes.

I'm here, too.



Do you think it's possible that someone was just seeing what a Major Trinket did?

Just not going to respond, huh? I see how it is.

I certainly think it's possible, if optimistic.

However, if that's the case, there's no reason to panic. Which is exactly why we should panic as if they didn't plan that.

Huh?

I believe Ox is attempting to invoke the theory of 'playing your outs'. A term originally used by Poker theorists, the general concept is to ignore possibilities which inevitably lead to your loss or victory, since they will happen regardless of your input.



Instead, pretend like the only possibilities are ones where you are in control of your victory/defeat state, and strategize against those.

I get it. If someone really was just testing it out, there's no need to panic. They'll just admit it when asked about it. So we should pretend that they're definitely trying to kill us, regardless of whether or not that's true, since if that's the case whether we live or die is still in our control.

A quick learner, I see.

Just as this exchange finished, I saw Sheep make her way into the cafeteria. She looked petrified.

Sheep! Are you okay?



…

Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Thank god there are more people over here, though. I was really starting to f-freak out, wandering the halls all alone.

Well don't worry about that now, we're all here!

I'm just... I'm really nervous right now. What if someone like Horse bursts in here right now, knife in hand, trying to stab us to death!

Don't worry, you're in a group now! I can guarantee that with this many people, he probably wouldn't be able to kill us all, not with this many escape routes.

Rooster! Not helpful!

Why not? It's a valid point.



Why would someone do this? We were all getting along...

Sheep looked like she was on the brink of tears. Luckily, Ox and Pig walked over to comfort her. That's probably for the best. Being a consoling figure wasn't exactly my greatest strength. Just as that was going on, Dragon walked into the cafeteria, with Bunny shortly behind her.

Tch. So you were all over here, huh? I guess Bunny was right after all.

Dragon! Bunny! Are you two okay?

Uh, does it look like any of us aren't okay? You've got eyes, dipshit, use 'em.

Well that's not exactly needed...



Thanks for asking, Mouse, we're all fine.

In fact, you could say that they're grrrreat!

...Is... Is that, are you doing a tiger pun right now, or-

Tiger pun?

You know what? Forget it. Glad to see that you two are safe.

So some asshole turned this thing into a hunt all of the sudden? Of course things would go to shit.

Don't worry! If it's a fight someone wants, then it's a fight that they're going to get!



That's what I'm talking about! I should've just gone around looking for the asshole with the knife and challenged them to a fight!

As you can see, it was a struggle to get her to agree to come over here.

I appreciate the effort. We need to talk about this.

Just then, I noticed that Monkey had also made her way back to the cafeteria.

Mouse, are you holding up okay? I know the news is dismaying, but keep a level head.

We can get through this together. I am here for you.

I'm fine, Monkey, I really am.

...If you say so.

[BGM: Silence]


Even when faced with such a scary looming threat, Monkey's first instinct was to check up on me. God bless her.

Now the only people missing were Dog and Horse. We hoped the two would make their way here, but... Time passed, and no one joined the group. After a few minutes, we started to worry that they weren't coming. Well, that wasn't the concern. We started to worry that they couldn't come. What on earth could be happening outside of the cafeteria? This unease grew to unrest when someone else voiced these concerns, albeit in a slightly unexpected way.

[BGM: Bullfighter]


I'm boooored.

Excuse me?

Bored. We've just been sitting in this one room and the stragglers still haven't come.

I'm sorry our meeting about a potentially deadly butcher isn't engaging you, would you prefer it if something was happening?

Maybe. Right now I just feel like I'm being eaten alive by worry. I think we should leave the cafeteria and check out what's happening in the rest of the school.

And why on earth would we leave the safety of the group and weapons?

There's a buncha good reasons. Let's take Dog, for instance. He seemed like a cool guy, and yet he might be bleeding to death right at this moment, begging for our help.



You have absolutely no evidence to support that statement.

Well, what if grouping up like this is just what the Knife-Man wants? They could be planting a bomb above us or something!

Are you being serious right now? A bomb? How on earth would that get in a school?

We found a grenade in the gym!

Okay, I know you're supposed to be the smart one or something, but I think I'm actually right here. Like I'm not being crazy right now, right? Like I'm actually correct about this?

Look, if you're saying Horse or Dog is trying to kill us all, then it's just as likely that they're hiding outside, waiting to attack when we wander away from the group.



You think the traitor's plan is to let us get bored and come to them? They're not an idiot. They can't possibly expect us to be careless enough to just wander out and let them kill us.

So you're aware of how dumb you're sounding.

Idiocy and genius are oft mistaken- both fall outside the pattern of normal thinking.

That doesn't- you know what, whatever.

Mouse, could you please tell Rooster that we are waiting for Dog and Horse to get here?



This will surprise you just as much as me, but I actually think Rooster has a point.

Of course I have a point! This fact should not be surprising in the slightest.

And yet it is.

Mouse, do you really want to go find those two?

They might not know that we're meeting in the cafeteria right now! It's not like assumed knowledge or anything. It's worth it to go and look for them.

I can't convince you otherwise, can I?

I doubt it.

Fine. In that case, I'm coming with you. Can't exactly trust anyone else to proceed with the necessary caution.

Wow, how brave!



You two are looking super stunning right now, really, the camera would be loving you.

Honestly Ox, you've got some real star power, you should work with that in the future.

Hold on, I might be confused here- am I wrong, or is it sounding like you're not actually going to leave the safe zone?

Who me?

Goodness no, that sort of thing is for the expendables like you.

…

Before Ox could speak up, Sheep interceded. Apparently she had been listening in to our conversation for a while now.



Actually, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, I want to come along as well.

Sheep? Are you sure about this? You know it's dangerous, right?

I know. But I want to help.

Well, if that's how you feel, I'm in no place to object to such help. Mouse?