we play games with guns (valorant)

chapter 2

Neon turned her head to see Vincent throwing his arms in the air. Raze rifled through her satchel while the others pulled out a wood chair or leaned against the wall.

Tala grasped the finial of the chair, staring in disbelief as it came off. She held the knob between her eyes, inspecting the hard ridges where it had disconnected. She cast it aside with a sigh and grabbed the higher rail. It scraped against the wooden panels of the floor as she pulled it toward the center of the room.

Raze stabbed the water bottle in Chamber's face. "Take a sip and calm down. We're gonna be fine."

Neon looked up at the ceiling. There was a dusty lightbulb hanging from a thin silver chain. It gave the interior a musty glare and an old-timey feeling. The ceiling was low, too. Neon reached up to clutch the lightbulb in her hand. She observed it. It was a nice work of art. She noticed one end of it wasn't working so she knocked on it a couple times. The shadows of the room danced and rolled from one side to the other as she swung the device back and forth.

Killjoy seemed more jittery than before. She was gnawing on her fingernails. "Then what was he talking about, Raze?"

Klara paused to stand, dusting her hands on her pajama pants. She opened her mouth to speak but Yoru chipped in, "They wouldn't do anything to us. We're too high-profile for nobody to notice if we freaking died. Our staff is protecting us. And the government."

"I think that is the government." Jett seemed nervous.

Everyone turned to Jett with questioning glances. Ripples of concern spread throughout the agents.

Neon reached out for Jett's arm and pulled her closer. Jett squatted to meet Neon at face-level.

Phoenix was sprawled out on the floor, chin propped up on one arm and legs wagging back and forth. He was scribbling some stuff on the floorboards with a crayon. "This stupid tour guide has no respect," he muttered.

"Yeah," Killjoy agreed quietly.

The light shut off.

The man was standing at the door. "Come."

It was 5:50 PM. Neon spotted the moon rising in the distance, bringing its encapuslating limbs over the trees and hills. It cast a luminescent glow at the entrance, so that she could see his face.

"It is time for me to assign your roles." Fang cocked his head toward the inland region behind the warehouse.

"Can we eat first?" Phoenix asked innocently. He was now hunched over the table, his hands clasped into fists.

"No." Fang promptly turned to leave.

They obliged, sluggishly gathering themselves to trail after him. Fang led them down a narrow alleyway before they emerged before a beautifully shaped neighborhood. There were ten houses, all arranged to face each other in a circle. In the center of it all was a flat raised wooden platform. She noted that it was smooth and looked varnished.

Fang rummaged through his pockets and came up with a folded sheet of paper. The paper rustled as he opened it and straightened it on his knee.

"Tala Nicole Dimaapi Valdez."

She stared at him.

"House number one." Neon stood with her lips slightly parted, confused.

"Jett. House number two."

"Viper. House Three."

"Chamber. House Four."

"Fade. Five."

"Yoru. Six."

"Killjoy. Seven."

"Phoenix. Eight."

"Raze; nine. The house number I have called preceding or succeeding yours is your neighbor."