Part 62: The Chaos and Darkness of This Race

[BGM: Bullfighter]


Like Pig, he was not dead, but dying. His body still spasmed, and his eyes caught mine. They were filled with... a mix of determination and fear. I couldn't keep his stare for long. My eyes dropped to the floor, where flecks and dots of blood had spurted everywhere. Ox's neck had suffered a nasty cut, and I suppose the blood had just splurted out everywhere. Like pushing down a gusher.

Ox... no...

My breathing was becoming unsteady. Pig, Sheep, Tiger, Ox. Why were the best of us dying off, one by one? Was I next? Snake, to my side, was keeping notably better composure.



Rooster, what happened?

How should I know?! Look, I was at the closet, solving the puzzle Rooster-style.

So randomly inputting combinations?

I resent that. Anyways, that's when I hear this really gnarly sound from behind me. Before I know what's happening, Ox is on the ground by the opened door, dying!

Immediately, I think to check the nearby hallways, because of course, duh, who wouldn't? But I don't see any signs of the attacker fleeing. So I call out for you all.



Ox... I can't believe he died like this.

Nor can I. Mouse, you mentioned that Pig was shot? Why, then, was Ox killed with a blade?

Well, the death happened in this doorway, right? Maybe the killer didn't expect Ox to be that close when he entered, and the knife was better suited for a close-quarters kill?

Perhaps...

Well, Tiger and Sheep weren't killed with a gun, so I don't know how much we can rely on that thought process.

Maybe there are multiple killers?

B-But, Monkey already admitted to being a traitor, and she's tied up! So there should only be one traitor free.

Oh! I didn't think of that.



Why leave you alone, I wonder. Seems a tad odd.

Clearly because they couldn't handle my sick fighting moves, so they knew to bail! And good on them!

Hmm.

Wait, Snake, are you suspecting Rooster?

If the shoe fits, so to speak.

Rooster, why aren't you getting upset about this?

[BGM: Dance of the Snakes]


Honestly, it's just an honor to be nominated as the master culprit. I take it as a sign of respect.

Why?

Well, with all the blood that shot out of Ox's neck, the killer should've clearly gotten a bunch of it on themselves. And yet the only blood on me is the bit on my hand from when I tried to help stifle the wound.

So Snake probably thinks I was able to run to that nearby restroom, wash myself off, and get back here to call you over all before Ox died of a slash to the throat! Right?

…

To be so thoroughly rebuked by Rooster of all people... This hurts.

Look, we can all agree that Rooster sucks- no offense, Rooster.

None taken.



But I don't think he's a killer. Besides, if he killed Ox, wouldn't the weapon still be here?

See! Mouse gets it!

Look, we really, really, really need to just gather as a group in the cafeteria and debrief.

If it wouldn't be too much longer, I'd like to stay here and investigate for a bit longer.

…

If being by myself is a concern to you, Rooster could stay with me.

Yeah, I can do that.

I'd really appreciate it if you could just go to the cafeteria now.

And I'd really appreciate it if I could simply examine the scene for a bit longer.



I could have sworn that I actually heard a small crack in my brain at that point.

Fine. Okay. Whatever. Don't blame me if you get murdered.

I won't.

I will, though!

Thoroughly done with all of that, I made my way to the staircase. Things were happening too fast. It was all just too much. I needed to ground myself again. And so, I made my way back to the cafeteria, praying that everyone left would have conglomerated there so we could have some sense of normalcy.

[BGM: Silence]


However, as I passed the library, once more I saw a scene that nearly stopped me in my tracks. I nearly fell to the floor due to the shock. This couldn't be reality. This must've been a dream. That's the only thing that could explain how quickly people were dying, how quickly this school was becoming a true hell. But I stood on my feet. I didn't even scream. I couldn't.

I didn't want to risk alerting Dragon, who was crouched over a dead Bunny. To the side, Horse also lay motionless, a bullet right through his head. The silenced pistol dangling in Dragon's hand was disconcerting, to say the least.

I didn't know what to do or say, I just stood motionless. However, it appeared even without motion, Dragon noticed me. Instead of making some move, she continued to examine Bunny. And then, she spoke.

[BGM: Lamb to the Slaughter]


Do you know how the Red Dragons were formed?

…

I didn't know how to respond to this sudden conversation change.

Nah, of course you wouldn't. Some nice law student from a well-off family, you wouldn't know anything about it.

See, the gang actually started out in juvenile centers. The prisons are shit. Only the strong survive. And so, to survive, a bunch of criminals from the same area of Hightower banded together.

And when they got out of prison, they stayed together. Survived together. Because that's what you gotta do.

…



As far as I'm concerned, this man's more of a criminal than any of my friends. I mean, it's guys like him that have ruined my community. Brought us where we are.

But I mean it in a much more literal sense. I knew I knew his face from somewhere, but I couldn't place it. Until I was reminded. This guy's a killer. Shot an innocent man. And he walks free.

…

But that's how it goes, you know? The judge doesn't sentence the cop. And come the next election time, the police endorse the judge once more.

Someone from that fuckin' brutal cycle, some scum like that. It makes sense that he'd do what he did.



Still, even I'm surprised at how brutal he's been.

D-Dragon, what do you mean?

I mean this guy's the other traitor.

Really?

I come down to catch this prick standing above Horse's body. Pistol in hand. I'm looking right pissed, but he suddenly stops me. Tells me to wait a minute, to look at this – he hands me Horse's tablet. Generously, I give him the time of day.



I thought that maybe Horse was the traitor, that it was some sort of self-defense. Turns out, no, Horse isn't the desperate personality at all. And right as I recognize that, Bunny pulls the gun on me.

But I'm faster. I knock it out of his hand. And then, I give him a good ol' uppercut. Send him flying to the ground, face first. From there? Just beat the ever-loving shit out of him. Felt good. Felt right. And who would care about it?

After all, the chaos and darkness of this race will tear away all this shit. Us survivors will write the truth.

For good measure, I grab that busted lamp and choke him out with the cord. And like that, we're saved.

So... he was the other traitor?

'Course.

Could I see his tablet, then?

Ah, that.

[BGM: Silence]


It accidentally got broken when I was beating the shit out of him. My bad.

Accidentally? I froze. I was with Bunny when Sheep was killed. When Tiger was killed. He couldn't be the culprit behind all of this. But... could Dragon? If we're looking for somebody who could break Sheep's windpipe, who could beat Tiger in a fight, who could land a blow on Horse, our options were limited. But Dragon was one of the few who still fit the profile. Could it be...?

… Well, Dragon was the one holding the gun right now. So it really wasn't the time to bring up my theory.

Okay , well... could you wait in the cafeteria for now? I'm still trying to gather everyone, just so we can clear up everything.

Sure, sure, I'll do that.

And, very calmly , Dragon walked out of the room and made her way to the cafeteria. I saw her start talking with Monkey, who at this point must've been very out of the loop. Alright. No matter what I did next, I needed more people. Snake and Rooster had had long enough. I went to the nearest staircase and made the trek back up to the third floor.



...These stairs felt so long. I'd been running up and down them for so long. But it wasn't long at all, was it? This had all been happening incredibly quickly, thinking about it. As I made my way up to the third floor I felt weary. I was just expecting something bad to happen. ...Which is why when I got to the classroom, I almost felt like laughing. I didn't, of course. It was just so... absurd.

There stood Snake, over Rooster's bloody corpse, his arms coated in blood.

[BGM: A Bite That Persists]


What the fuck, Snake?!

I sense that you're upset.

WHAT THE FUCK, SNAKE?!

Okay, okay, hear me out.

You have a very brief amount of time.

Before we get to where we're going, let me just say a few things.

In Rooster's story, he should've at least heard the footsteps of somebody running away. After thinking about it some more, the blood thing wouldn't matter much if he cut the throat from behind, and was careful about it.



I searched through this classroom, and found a bloody letter opener hastily stuffed behind some textbooks.

The same letter opener currently lying next to Rooster's dead body?

I'm getting there, relax.

Relax?!

Okay, perhaps not the best advice, just let me finish.

When I showed Rooster the letter opener, he immediately lunged at me and snatched it from me. I say all of this to show how very reasonable it is to assume that Rooster possesses the desperate personality.

…

I am sad to say that Rooster does not, in fact, possess the desperate personality.

Goddammit, Snake!



Listen, when he grabbed the letter opener, I saw killing intent in his eyes. So, out of pure instinct, I grabbed a nearby textbook and hit him in the side of the head.

And from the looks of things, from there you grabbed a nearby pen and stabbed him in the side of the throat?

… Yes.

Snake...

It was an honest mistake!

It was murder!

One could reasonably argue self-defense.

One could if they're a dumbass.

Now there's no need to be rude.



I don't even... how does this keep happening, why is this still happening.

By that tone of voice, I presume more victims have shown up?

Horse and Bunny. Dragon killed them.

She did?

Well, she killed Bunny. I don't know about Horse... But I'm assuming she's the traitor.

I have to doubt that.

You do?



She was partnered up with me, remember? Which means I very much doubt she had the opportunity to commit all those murders.

I mean, the Pig murder took place on the first floor in the fifth round?

Uh, yeah.

Then yes, she simply could not have done it.

Then in that case... Was it Bunny? But no, he should have had an alibi, too... My mind started to spin. I needed to keep my feet on the ground, as hard as it was.

You're going to get arrested for this, you know that right?

Oh Mouse, no need to be so dramatic. Surely we can work something out.



This can all be erased by the chaos and the darkness. A truth can be written by us survivors.

...Something was going off in the back of my mind, but for now, I needed to keep pressing forwards.

The cafeteria is still the meeting space.

Alright, I'll head there now.

Oh no, we'll head there now. I'm not gonna let people go off on their own anymore.

A fair request.

[BGM: That Pesky Rodent]


And so, with Snake very much in my line of sight, I made my way down to the cafeteria. There was Dragon, and there was Monkey, who was still tied up.



Mouse, there you are.

Monkey.

Seeing a familiar face triggered all that exhaustion that I had been holding back to catch up with me at once.

Mouse, I'm worried for you. It appears you're doing an awful lot on your own. This can't be healthy.

Yeah, well, dying also isn't healthy, but I'm trying to stop it the best I can.

Doing a real good job of that.

Hey, fuck you!

Wow, uh, okay.



Breathe, Mouse. Remember what I taught you. Breathe.

That's right, how could I forget? Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Right now, there's only four of us here. And one of us can't survive.

A perilous situation, to be sure.

There's only one person besides us who's still alive, at least as far as we know.

Dog.

Tch. Figured a shady bastard like him'd stick around.

There's a lot we need to go over, and before we do that I'd like to have him here. So here's what's going to happen. Snake, Dragon, you stay here with Monkey, and the three of you need to keep an eye on each other, and an eye out for distant threats.



I'm going to go find Dog. Alive or dead.

Mouse, are you sure about that? Given everything that's happened...

I'm finding Dog. One way or another.

I respect it.

Good luck, Mouse.

…

[BGM: Silence]


Both of their statements felt pretty hollow to me, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Was leaving those three to themselves and wandering off into the school alone a good idea?Probably not. But what was I to do? People were dying left and right for no apparent reason, I was at a complete loss. I couldn't think of what the best thing to do was, so I was doing this.

I started looking around on the first floor for where Dog might be. But, perhaps to be expected, I couldn't find him. Why would I be able to? That would mean something was going right in this god damn hellscape of a school. This long, long sixth round was starting to come to a close, so I found a nearby classroom and input my action. After being sure that Dog was nowhere to be found on the first floor, I decided to head back to the cafeteria to make sure nothing had happened.

And...

Something had happened.



… Monkey.

…

What happened? Why? Why did this...

I couldn't vocalize my oncoming breakdown. But it was pretty obvious what I was referring to. After all, in front of a tied up Monkey, Dragon and Snake lay motionless on the floor. Their tablets had both fallen inbetween them. Blood flowed from their collars. This wasn't a murder. This was an execution.

[BGM: Hear No Evil]


I wish I could tell you, Mouse. I truly do. I mean, this is pretty scarring for me as well! ...Well, not that that will matter for long.

But you must know something. You were sitting right here!

It was all pretty standard at first. The two were arguing over some inanities. I had my eyes closed, I was doing some meditation. This situation sort of necessitated it.

And then, all of a sudden, I heard them cry out in pain. Their collars, they were...

Monkey began to choke up. She struggled to look me in the eyes. I realized that I wasn't the only one being broken down by all of this.



I have to assume that there was some sort of Major Trinket at work here. That's really the only explanation I could fathom.

A Major Trinket...

Of course. Of course some Major Trinket would just kill Snake and Dragon. Damn it, I should have asked them both more questions when I had the chance! And now...

Mouse, this isn't advice I should be giving to you, but...

But?

I think you need to go on the offensive.

What do you mean?

[BGM: Rat's Awakening]


Well, if I understand everything right, then it must be Dog that used the Major Trinket that killed Dragon and Snake. He's the only one else alive, right?

Right.

Then he must be the desperate personality. And indeed, this seems pretty desperate. I said we needed to pair up, and look what has happened. The one person who's been alone the whole time has been able to take people out one by one.

Well, I guess that's not entirely true. Both Dragon and Snake were a bit confused, and ended up killing two other people out of paranoia and confusion. But Pig, Sheep, Tiger, Horse, Ox, Dragon, Snake...

I believe there's one suspect left.

...Two suspects left.

...Mouse, you can't be serious, can you? I-I know you're scared, but please, take a moment and calm yourself. Consider.



I'm on your side, Mouse. I've just been trying to help. And I've been tied up this whole time. It's impossible for me to have done anything.

I'm not talking about you, Monkey. I'm talking about Brian.

Brian?

This whole thing... it's all bullshit! He must've brought us here, and then, with us trapped, he snuck inside the school and began to off us one by one! He's the true murderer!

Mouse, you're not thinking clearly. And that's understandable! It's an unclear situation. But... the Brian I knew would never do that.

Would the Brian you knew host a death game like this?

Yes. Yes he would.

…



He was unwell, Mouse. I said as much. But in this whole design, I see... I see him in this. It's incredible, really, how much it fits him. In a horrific way, don't get me wrong.

But as dark as vengeful and motivated as he might have been, Brian always felt a sense of fairness. There's no way he'd break his own rules like that, Mouse. And I don't think he has it in him to commit murder himself. ...Just to put the pieces in place and let them topple over on their own.

...So then...

...So then it's Dog.

Breathe. Breathe. Thinking about it rationally, Monkey made sense. My need to pin it on an unexplained third party was irrational. There was no evidence to suggest something like that. Dog was the obvious culprit.

So now, Mouse, you have to act. If he has some Major Trinket that can remotely execute people, you can't just wait here.

Odds are, the Trinket has some sort of prerequisites required to execute someone, so it's not all powerful, but that doesn't mean you can wait him out. You need to strike first.

I know, I know, but... Even if he's coming after me, to kill someone?

It's not going to be pretty. But it's necessary. And after this, after all this is over, you can forget about it all.

[BGM: Silence]


The chaos and darkness of this race will erase what happens here. The truth will be written by the survivors. ...Or survivor, I suppose. It'll be hard to live on alone. But you'll have to do it, Mouse.

…

The idea that Dog was the traitor, that he killed all of us... So I should go deal with him first, right?