How Long is Forever [COMPLETED]

Let It End

You lean back into the chair while letting out a shaky breath. While you didn't even notice the tension in your body, you now feel the ease as you relax your muscles. Whatever just happened, it did so completely unexpected.

"We shouldn't do that again," you mumble between grit teeth. Five people have gone through these doors, and only three survived. Two, if Granny wasn't lucky enough. And the King is still waiting for his victory.

Schoolgirl has turned so white now that there is no way left to blame it on the quality of the monitors, and you can see her trembling hands as she ruffles through her hair. "What... what happened?"

You watch your own hands, not able to hold still since the second major shock. Will they stop quivering once this is over? Diamonds was still activated when Granny was inside, which only confirmed Chishiya's theory of it being chosen twice. But Freckles' hasty action caused it to switch to Spades. "He nearly killed both of them. I don't know about the older woman, but Freckles is dead for sure."

"Freckles?" Sweatpants puts in with a snort, "don't tell me you have such stupid nicknames for all of us?"

It probably sounds like a joke to the big one, because he can't stop laughing about it. "What am I then, eh? Goliath, Schwarzenegger? Tell me, little mouse!"

Not even bothering to answer him, you focus on Chishiya and the schoolgirl. They're the ones you want to bring out of this alive. Schoolgirl's expression has turned into a frown, while Chishiya remains apathetic to the other players' fate.

"It was still on Diamonds when he entered, so I assume the Game Masters didn't want two people to be in there simultaneously."

"Of course they don't!" Sweatpants looks up with mockery in both eyes and voice. "They want the one inside the chair to suffer for the others, and it would be against this idea if two people always went through the room at the same time."

Schoolgirl has stopped dragging her hair and has her eyes glued to the ground now. "We still have enough people to make it. Can... can I go next? This game makes me feel sick. I... I want to get over with this as soon as possible."

Mr. Muscle makes attempts to disagree, but Sweatpants silences him with a single glance. You check the currently active room and already open your mouth to give her a hint, something that will cause a minor shock yet nothing worse, but she shakes her head before you can talk.

"I know the way. Save your strength for him." She nods towards Chishiya and then opens the Diamonds door. It doesn't take longer than a couple of heartbeats for her to cross the room safely and disappear through the other door.

The three remaining men watch each other in silence for a bit, and another cramp is looming in your left leg, but it seems that you can stop it in time by shaking your limbs.

It's the big guy who makes the first noise eventually. It starts as a giggle and quickly turns into a laughter, so heavy that tears emerge from the corners of his eyes. He pats Sweatpants' shoulder, who has just gotten up on his feet again, and his chest still vibrates from whatever he finds so funny.

"So it is you after all, you bastard! Eh!"

Sweatpants doesn't flinch or deny this accusation. The smirk on his face reminds you of Chishiya, knowing yet illegible to anyone else. Potentially dangerous. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"If blonde Romeo here was one of the enemies, it'd be a Diamonds game. No one would waste such a brain for Hearts. And them?" He huffs into the camera, "they remind me of my brother, you know. Wanted to be perfect, loved by everyone, bla bla. Cancer took him in at the end of the day, and I made sure that he'd make over all his money to me while the pain meds kept him inside a delirious state. He was too naïve to think people would actually abuse him or his wealth...Yet none of his friends attended his funeral. A corpse can't give them money, eh? And Crybaby here is just the same."