Part 75: Covered your Tracks

[BGM: Fire Breath]


Instantly, I peeked out the classroom, to see if there was anyone around. I didn't see anyone, but I heard Dog's voice. He was having a one-sided conversation with somebody. And he was getting closer. I leaned back in and quickly filled Rooster in.

Dog's coming, he's coming soon, he has company- we're screwed. I'll try to distract them.

Got it!

Without another word, I left the room and walked a couple steps forward. When Dog turned the corner, I was standing outside the classroom furthest from the one I was just in. And thank God, because he was walking with Horse. Seriously?! What shit luck! One of the few people we couldn't deal with. If it was just Dog, well, we could've shut him up by ourselves. But Horse? If he caught us now, we'd be screwed. Quickly. I needed to stall.

[BGM: Silence]


Hey, Dog, Horse, funny seeing you. What are you two doing over here?

Good to run into you, Mouse. Hard at work trinket hunting, right?

That's the idea, at any rate. Though I haven't had much luck yet.

I feel that. Anyways, Horse and I were searching together.

...Actually, Pig was also searching with us, but she went up ahead down this hallway. Did you happen to run into her?

You have to be shitting me.

Uh, no, haven't seen her around this way.

Oh?

That's odd. This hallway kinda seems like a dead-end, and there's only three classrooms.

Well, I don't know what to say. I've yet to see her.

[BGM: A Bite That Persists]


Dog's eyes squinted, and he looked at me, up and down. He was suspecting me, wasn't he? Shit, shit, shit. I couldn't do anything suspicious at this juncture. If those two walk into the room with Pig's body, there's no way to weasel out of that. Horse would kill me – no question. Even if I could get away, Horse would report to the group, and then I'd be really screwed.

I think I'll look around for her, if you don't mind.

I did mind.

After you!

I gestured to the classroom I stood beside. Anything to keep him out of the deadly classroom for a second more. Following my suggestion, Dog walked into the classroom, and Horse followed shortly after. I didn't know what to do other than stay there. But just staying there in silence felt... dirty. So I talked, and talked. Not about anything useful, just about what I thought about the game, suspicions, Brian, where Trinkets could be found... Anything. Honestly, it probably made me seem more suspicious than less, but its main function was to relieve my own stress. Dog and Horse didn't really engage in the conversation at all. Horse stayed by the door, while Dog searched all over the classroom. ...He looked in places that wouldn't make sense if Pig was alive. Which meant...



He was on to me.

After searching the classroom, wordlessly, Dog walked out and into the next classroom. Horse and I followed. Again, he looked around. Nothing to find. After he had searched, he left and walked to the last classroom. The one Pig and Rooster were in. I didn't really want to follow him, but Horse was right behind me. He was... watching me. ...He was on guard for me. It'd be more suspicious not to do so, so I gulped and walked into the room. There...



I didn't see anything. Rooster must've hid. But Dog would sniff them out. He looked around the room, in all sorts of hiding spots, like he had already done. ...And yet, he didn't find anything.

Huh? I had to hide my surprise.

Dog didn't. At that point, he had become openly suspicious of me, and yet, seemingly, my innocence was proven.



...so yeah, like I said a couple times, I don't think Pig is here.



…

Yeah, well, I must've read the room wrong.

Sorry to waste your time like this, Pig must've made a wrong turn or something.

Yeah, probably.

Well, I guess we'll get back to looking around. You look after yourself, 'kay?

Will do.

Alright Horse, we're done here.

...Okay.



And just like that, the two left. I watched as they walked down the hallway, not looking back. What... had happened? I was confused, to say the least. The only answer I could think of lay in the first classroom, so I walked over to it. And sure enough, I saw Rooster standing there, a grin on his face.

[BGM: Dog Days]


Tah dah!

Rooster! What did you do?

I simply followed through on your plan.

My plan?

Yeah! You led them into the classrooms in that order, and you kept talking like that.

Listening in at first, I was confused.

But then I realized what you were signalling me to do!



First, I took four of those Hot Wheel cars and put them under four textbooks. Then I put Pig's body on the textbooks. Like that, I could roll her around easy. When the three of you entered the second classroom, I made my move.

Since they were afraid you might be a killer, Dog wanted Horse to stay with him at all times. And since they thought you were acting alone, they never thought about covering the hallway.

I used the opportunity while they were in the second classroom to move Pig quickly from the third classroom to the first.

And since you were talking so much, the sound of the Hot Wheels moving along the floor was covered up! Brilliant thinking, Mouse!

Oh, uh, thanks. ...Good on you for picking up on my plan.



Hey, I might not be the smartest person around, but I can pick things up when you're putting them down! Anyways, what were we saying before this whole distraction?

Tiger, right, yeah. She's an issue.

It'd be best to get rid of the big threats like her and Horse as soon as we can. ...The only question is how.

Indeed.

[BGM: Exotics]


Suddenly, pensive music began to play.

Wh-what's that?

Oh, I just thought if we were having a brainstorm session, I would set the scene. So I took out my MP3 player and turned on some jams.

Why do you have an MP3 player with you?

I dunno. I had it on me when I got kidnapped, had it on me when I woke up. Doesn't really have any functionality other than playing music.

Who has an MP3 player in this day and age?

Mouse, are you here to figure out how to murder an Olympian, or are you here to be a Judgey Jason? Because you can't be here for both.

Okay, okay, sorry. Didn't know it was a touchy subject.



For the record, I find that music more distracting than anything else.

Well, I like it.

… Okay then. At any rate, a head-on assault against Tiger isn't going to work. She'll kick both of our asses. However, she's pretty trusting. Maybe if I bring her to a classroom, and you ambush her...

I like it, I'm loving it. Ambush her with what?



Themis really likes their musical references. First Hanson, and now this? Anyway, obviously only one of these is the right answer, and it's the one that follows what Mouse literally just said- a head-on assault won't work. Therefore...

All I need you to do is hide.

What?

Just trust me – based on the rate this game's been going, I'm pretty sure this'll work. You just need to be out of sight, and this'll work.

I don't see what you intend here. I'm intrigued. If this is what you say we're doing, that's what we're doing.

Alright, go back to the third classroom, and find a great hiding place. I'll find Tiger and lure her over.

On it, boss.

And like that, we had our plan. My job, as usual, was to be the lurer, and Rooster would be the killer.

[BGM: Silence]


It didn't take long to find Tiger – she was searching in the auditorium on this floor. Convincing her to follow me was easy enough – she wasn't suspicious of me at all. I told her I needed her help with something in a classroom, and she just followed. I brought her to the door.



Alright, the issue is in here. Although, actually, the round's getting close to being over, isn't it?

Hey, you're right!

Before we start on that, we should input our moves on the tablets. Here, you can use this room, and I'll use the one right beside it.

Cool!

And just like that, the trap was set. Tiger walked into the room without a single alarm being raised in her head. I waited, and as expected, a little bit later I heard screams of agony. The Jade Emperor made it very clear. Using your tablet when someone else was in the same room was against the rules. Penalty? Instant execution.

We couldn't kill Tiger. But Brian could.

[BGM: Eyes of the Dragon]


I walked in and saw the results of my trap. I saw Tiger lying facedown, blood dripping from her neck. Rooster had gotten out of his hiding spot, and looked down at the carnage with a blank look on his face.

Dang, Mouse. Cold blooded.

How was that cold blooded? We didn't even do anything this time!

You're right, you're right.

Still, you're really good at this 'murder' thing. ...Like, scarily so.

Tch.

I didn't give him any more of a response than that.



Hey, what's this?

Rooster noticed something on the body. He leaned down and fished out a pistol from Tiger's pocket.

Sweet, a pistol!

Huh. Wonder what Tiger was doing with something like this?

Did she have this on her the whole time?

I guess so. I mean, there haven't really been any weapons lying around the school, at least, not that I've seen. But in that case, does this mean she had this on her before she was taken?

Perhaps. At any rate, this could be useful. Who should hold onto it?



Thread voted to give the gun to Rooster. What results from this decision will show up... later!

You can hold onto it.

Really?

Yeah. Like I said, I don't want to do any killing.

Sweet.

Happy to have the gun, Rooster pocketed it.

And so what now?

I think we should split up and look for Minor Trinkets for a bit. Act normal. Divert suspicion. After all, we've already killed 5 people. That's like, halfway there.



You're right, we should pace ourselves. Alrighty then, I'll check out the third floor, and you can go down to the first floor.

Got it. Oh and, like I told Tiger, the round really is almost up. So make sure to input your move.

On it!

And just like that, my one ally split up from me. I was on my own. ...Well, I couldn't dwell on that too much. It's not like there was any reason that I'd be in danger. I wasn't a suspect of anything, and there were no 'traitors' coming after me. In the classroom with only Tiger's dead body, I took out my tablet and pressed the RUN button. Then I left the room, and walked down the stairs.