DANGANRONPA V2: ECLIPSE

Chapter 5: The Catacombs

There was a quiet, yet harsh sound coming from my window, like tree branches scratching at it. For a moment, I thought someone might have been breaking in to kill me, and I found myself missing Tora and her traps. 

Almost everyone had lost their roommates by now. I lost Tora, Nori and Seiko were both gone, Ahmya lost Bashira, now Brittany and Keiko were both dead, Ruji lost Maikeru, Yuuki lost Sora, and Rantaro just lost Saikoro. 

The only cabin with two people still residing inside was Daiki and Kichiro's. 

I hoped it stayed that way. I couldn't imagine losing anyone else. Not now. Ruji was my best friend, I would fall apart if he were to go. Not that I was too worried about him. He didn't seem like the kind of person people would target, despite being incredibly helpful during investigations and class trials. If anything, I was most worried for Yuuki's sake. He was the one holding us all together. 

Then there was Daiki. The fact that he was the ultimate spy could also put a target on his back. But, he was smart. I was sure he'd be fine. 

It took me a while to get to know Rantaro, but after the last round, I don't think I'd handle letting him go very well. Especially after learning that he was the one placing candles down beside each body. Did he have candles back home for his sisters, or did he still believe that they were alive, waiting for him to find them?

Ahmya and Kichiro seemed like wild cards. I hated thinking this way, but both had the potential to kill. I mean, yes, Ahmya was depressed and lonely now, but that didn't change the fact that she was the ultimate arsonist. And Kichiro was, well, himself. 

Still, neither of them were murderers. None of us were. 

None of us ever were. Saikoro, Bashira, Maikeru, Nori, none of them were murderers, even if the games forced their hand. They were good people once. All of us were. 

The tapping at my window persisted. If someone were to break in and kill me, would it even matter? Maybe being killed was the easiest way out of this game. It was better than being threatened with an execution every other day. The stress alone was enough to drive people crazy. The people murdering others had it all wrong. The easiest way out was to be killed, not to kill. 

"Suki, get up," a hushed voice commanded from outside. I couldn't tell who it belonged to until I sat up and saw Ahmya, staring at me through the window with her large red eyes. She might have looked scary, standing there in the dark with her long her blowing fiercly in the wind. 

She wasn't scary, though. She was like me, just a kid stuck. 

"Yes?" I asked, walking to the window and pulling it open. "Aren't we supposed to be asleep?"

"It's morning. Did you miss the announcement saying it was eight AM?" 

Morning?! But it was so dark!

"Um, what?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. 

She seemed to roll her eyes, then used her good arm to wave me forward. "We're all at the lodge, waiting for you. Yuuki thought it would be smartest if we came up with a plan. That way no one else would die."

"Oh, okay," I said. "Give me a second."

I rushed to get ready, then joined her outside. It felt strange to walk with Ahmya since we never spent time together one-on-one. She was quiet. It reminded me of how Ruji was when I first met him, only she had a more intense aura. The air between us felt thick with tension. 

I wonder if she blamed me for Bashira's execution.

I wonder if others blamed me too. In some ways, it was partially my fault the games were still continuing. If I kept my mouth shut, maybe everything would be over long ago.