Take My Heart

Five of Spades

The walkway to the game was tiring even with the attempted rest I had on the cold Tokyo road. The only thing that kept me going was the race of my heartbeat every time I thought about another game. The games of life and death were a constant repetitive thought in my mind.

 I finally reached the game, it was an apartment complex this time. It had a total of seven floors and was painted white.

 I set foot on the stairs, walking up slowly with every step I take finding the vague silhouette of anxious individuals. Their eyes gazed at me and the whispers softened. There were old men and women as well as two young women exchanging quiet murmurs as they looked at me. I look in front of me to see a young woman with short raven hair talking to a man with a blue outfit and cap. He was asking a question about what happened to the people in Tokyo.

If only we knew, it was a mystery.

I finally took a glance at a man with a white sports jacket embodying him. His hood was covering his dyed blonde hair stretching to the side of his face. He wore loose black pants that matched his shoes which didn't quite help elevate his lack of height.

He gave this aura of mysteriousness and detachment. Right beside him was a small radio sitting on the floor, he wore black headphones plugged into his ears that could be heard slightly with R&B beats. I was confused for a second as to why such a man would listen to music now instead of worrying frantically like the others.

However, maybe that was an escape for him, through this cruel alternate world. Maybe being calm and tranquil was the best way to win these games. Or maybe he's just a fool.

His cat-like eyes flickered at me which probably caught me staring. Before I could even react a short-haired man nudged me harshly.

"Hey coming through," He barked while his friend beside him smiled awkwardly at me as a means to silently apologize for his friend's behavior.

I walk over to the table and grab a phone as well feeling slightly embarrassed.

There was a ringing noise and the woman began to speak in Japanese the directions. I fumbled with the words trying to translate them right in my head.

When she was done, the people began to go their separate ways, either making teams or working alone. No one would work with a foreigner anyways. I had to remind myself that I was alone this time. She was gone.

My mind screams in overlapping thoughts one collapsing over the other trying to find the most reasonable option. I close my eyes instantly to be introduced with pitch black in an strive to clear out the loud thoughts.

Think.

What is the most reasonable thing you could do right now?

Most likely, the tagger will not be on the top floor because other individuals will be looking at the first floor to the top to find the door. Downstairs or anywhere mid-floor would not be a good idea because the tagger would be focused on killing as many people as they can until time runs out. Therefore all the commotion would most likely happen on the floors below that. I'll lie low on the top floor and then think of a plan.

I do not have the energy to be involved in this, especially after her death. I run upstairs with every step feeling like a boulder to the ground. I clench my fists harder and harder at the thought of her. My eyes were blurred in their vision and I try my hardest to swallow back every tear I had. There's no place for crying. This universe doesn't have empathy for people like me. I'm all alone.

I reach the top floor of the apartment complex. Surprisingly enough, it was the same guy from downstairs with a white hood and feline-like features. I quickly looked the other way trying to avoid the initial mistake of our eye contact.