The Adaptive Game

"HAZELNUT SPREAD"

- Emilia

Hah.

We're not going anywhere.

It makes sense to keep going. I want to keep going. I would rather die on my feet than live in the ground.

I've already decided. You can tell me I could just come back but there's no more time to lose. It never even would make sense to end the game and come back. I don't care if anyone else wants to go home. If they die here, they turn into cash.

If they go home it means nothing.

Square Mask comes out with multiple circle masked guards behind him, and a whole ton of food in crates.

"Meal time has arrived. There is enough food for each of you. Please line up and take your serving."

Everyone immediately runs and gets in line, some people even try to squeeze their way into the middle, some succeed and some fail.

Everyone takes their food and leaves. Once I get closer to the front, I see that our food is biscuits with hazelnut spread. There is also orange juice boxes being handed out with them.

The guy in front of me steps forward to get his food. I realize he's the person that I took the card from a few days ago.

He says to the guard:

"Hey, do you have any... other drink options? I never could drink orange juice without having a stomach ache, so I never drank it at home or at school."

The guard stares blankly into space, with the juice box and hazelnut spread in both hands.

"Mmmm..okay."

He picks them up and walks off. I take my share and follow him.

Unexpectedly he whips around and looks at me.

"...Hi."

He just turns back around and starts walking.

I still follow behind him.

Suddenly, I hear someone complaining how there's no more food. Both the guy and I turn around again to see what's wrong.

"You said there was enough food for everyone! I'm starving, what's the issue here?!"

The Square Mask raises a finger.

"We do have enough food. Everyone should have enough."

A pregnant woman comes up from the line and points at a group of people - specifically at a black haired, thug looking guy. His entire group each has two juice boxes, and two hazelnut spreads.

The complaining man runs over to black hair and immediately tries to take a meal.

"You'd better drop the stuff now. Don't make this hard. All of us gotta eat today. I know I'm stronger than you."

"What are you gonna do? Prove it lil' bitch."

"Oh, I will."

Before the complaining man even lands a swing, black hair hits him in the gut and then grabs him by the neck.

Someone from behind me says:

"That's Jarred. Heard he got out of prison by punching an electrical box several times, opening the main gates."

An orange and yellow haired kid suddenly lunges at black hair and completely knocks him over, he drops the other guy and goes to completely pulverize orange.

Everyone just watches the kid get kicked and jabbed until he stops moving.

His death turns into cold hard cash.

Nobody does anything, not even the guards.

"HEY! I thought violence wasn't allowed."

"Not in this case. There was no unfair advantage to a game." The Square Guard says.

A group of circle masked staff take a coffin in and put the kid's body in. They put a lid over his coffin and take him right out.

"Oh my god..." I hold my hand over my mouth.

The guy I was following before sips his orange juice.

"Killed over a goddamn hazelnut spread."