Fanganronpa: Destination Despair

Part 1/Chapter 10

As I sat on the floor, covering my ears, screams of all types began to break the silence. Low-pitched ones, loud ones, even ones that sounded closer to a shriek than a scream.

"What the hell happened here?!" Allie demanded. So those screams weren't just in my head... They were real. And they had saw, too. Everyone... they're here now.

I looked up and saw most of the others at the spot where Shikumo had fallen from the post. "He... Shikumo, we-" I started, but Mirai clenched my shoulder, as if telling me not to continue.

"...I can tell them. You get your composure back." she told me. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Sachi and I... we were hanging out here, and we were running around in the corn. We came across the scarecrow, which we didn't realize was..." she stopped, thinking about how to word it, "...we didn't know what was underneath it. The post ended up breaking, though, and... b-blood... started to pour out. We looked at it, and ended up unmasking it... revealing... Sh-Shikumo..."

"So... you two were the first to find him..? Then what about Chidori?" Izumi asked.

"AHEM!!" said a raspy, high-pitched voice. I turned to my right, and saw him. Monokuma.

"H-Huh..? W-Why i-is he here..?" Hikari said, barely audible.

"I'm here because I have some explaining to do!!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"And what, exactly, are you going to explain?" Amy asked.

"What you all need to do now!" Monokuma replied.

"Perhaps... are you talking about... the so called "class tri-al"?" Aiko asked.

"Woah, woah, woah there sweetie pie! Slow your role! I know you're excited for the main even, but I must ask you to calm down!" they didn't reply to Monokuma's words. Instead, he continued, "Before we can get on with the trial, you all have to investigate first! You know... gather evidence!"

"E-Evidence..?" Yukiya asked.

"Yes! So, I now declare this the start of the investigation period! Please look around as much as you'd like! Just note that I'll probably get bored, so hurry up!" Monokuma said. And with that, he left. I wanted to chase after him, to scream at him, to ask what the hell his problem was, but I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to move. I still can't believe it... Shikumo... He's really...

He's dead. Lifeless. Gone.

I wanted to puch the words out of my head, but they wouldn't leave. The cruel reality of them is what made them stick.

"We... investigate?" Tomoka asked.

"But how can we do that? How do we know where to start?" Mars asked. Marje was behind them, shaking and pressing his face into Mars' back.

"I suggest that we look around any area of suspicion. Like the farm and the barn, or his room back at the hotel. I'm certain we can find some clues that way." Allie said.

"S-So... we just... l-look around?" Haru asked.

"Yes, I think that would be for the best. I also believe that it would be the smartest decision to split up." Izumi added.

"Hey, are you crazy?! That's exactly what people in horror movies do! And then they get killed because of it!" Ishibuko protested.

"Then find someone to team up with. But I know for sure that we'll get things done quicker if we spread out the work. So I'm going to leave for now." Izumi then started towards the direction of the barn.