John got to his feet slowly. He was in his apartment, alone. It looked decrepit, with dust gathered everywhere, yet no signs of a struggle. There was no sign of...him.
What happened? John thought to himself. He'd heard the bang, like a gunshot...The sun was already dipping down below the skyline, casting an orange glow Out of the window, he noticed that all of the buildings were dark, except for a small French restaurant nearby called Le Coucou. Curious, John walked down to the front door, feeling a light breeze as he walked to the lit-up restaurant.
Outside, a man was walking to the restaurant, in front of John. "Hey!" John called after him, causing the man to wheel around in surprise.
"Whoa...there's other people here?" The man said. "I thought I was alone here! What's your name?" "My name is John." John said cautiously, looking at the man. "What's yours?" "Call me Kaye." The man grinned nervously. "Do you know what's going on? This restaurant is the only thing that's lit up around here." "No." John admitted. "I just...woke up here." The two continued to talk as they went into the restaurant. Inside, candles were lit on each table and several phones were lying face down on the register. John and Kaye both took one each, curious. A fancy silver cloche stood on one of the tables, with a sign on the table reading:
Entry Limit: None.
Time Limit: None.
Prize: Bouquet of Roses and a wedding ring
In addition to the cloche, there were already 3 people sitting down at a table; a woman with long brown hair and a simple black dress, a man wearing a plain white shirt who looked nervous, and a woman with toned muscles, a black tank top, and a black leather jacket. Strangely, her hair was dyed a shocking shade of green. "Oh, hello!" the brown-haired girl said as John walked in. "I'm June, nice to meet you! Are you new?" "New?" John said as he sat down, confused. "This place was the only place that was lit up nearby..." The man nodded. "That's usually how it happens. You're in a place we call the Borderlands. And each day, we have to play death games to survive. At least...that's what they've told me." he explained, gesturing to the other 2 at the table. "Death games?!" Kaye blurted out. "You expect us to believe that?" "It does sound a little far fetched..." John said. "Oh, believe me." June said darkly. "These games are all too real."
There was a heavy silence for a moment, before June quickly tried to reassure John. "Oh, but don't worry. I have experience with these games, and so does Blue." The girl in the black jacket grinned. "Yep! We can guide you newcomers through the games." "That's a relief." John said. "I'm not sure my experience as a lawyer can help me here..." "Oh, you're a lawyer?" Blue said." "Yeah. Part of the Devil's Advocate law firm." John explained. "Well, that's nice! You're surely smart, so you'll be a big help if this is a diamonds game." "Diamonds?" John and Kaye questioned.
Blue explained, "Each game is based off a playing card. The suit shows what kind of game it'll be. From what I've heard from June and my own experience, Spades games are physical, Clubs are teamwork, diamonds are intellectual and Hearts..."
As she said that, classical music started to play, and a soft, melodic voice rang out. "Before the game, please nominate one person to be the Celebrity, and give them the crown located on the register." "So...the game's gonna start..." the man muttered. "What's your name?" John questioned him. "Oh, I'm Hui." the man said. "Nice to meet you, Hui. I'm John." John smiled. "I'm sure we've got this." But inwardly, John felt just as nervous as Hui.
"So...who should we make the celebrity?" Kaye said after an awkward pause. "I think it should be an experienced player...but I don't want to be it!" June said quickly. "The celebrity might be someone you have to protect. "Being the celebrity sounds dangerous..." Kaye said, thinking out loud. There was a short pause as they wondered what to do.
"I think we should make...sorry, what's your name?" Blue quickly asked, turning to John. "Oh, I'm John." He replied. The woman nodded. "I think we should make John the Celebrity, because he already looks like one." John looked down at the wrinkled white suit he was wearing, embarrassed. "Uhm...alright." John stepped up and walked to the register. "A celebrity in a fancy restaurant...huh." Blue snickered as John put on the crown. "Let's survive this, y'all."
"The Celebrity has been chosen. The game will now begin." The speakers said, still in that soft, melodic voice. "All of you want the Celebrity...
But only one of you may have him."
"What...?" Kaye said, confused. "What's this?" John said.
"The game you will play is Popularity Contest. Difficulty: Nine of Hearts."
June's face went pale, and the restaurant erupted into commotion. "Hearts?!" Blue said, clearly shocked. "What? A Nine??" Hui said, eyes wide. "A n-nine...of h-h-hearts..." June stammered, clearly panicking. "What? What's a hearts game? And what does the number mean?" Hui looked up at John. "D-don't you get it? The higher the number, the more difficult the game! And the hearts suit...it's a suit of betrayal, of despair! In other words, this is going to be a bloodbath!" John swallowed. Nine of Hearts... what kind of twisted game would this be?
The speakers began speaking again, and everyone nervously listened as it explained the rules:
"Rules:
Each turn, all players must introduce themselves to the Celebrity by stating their name. Once a player introduces themselves, they may hold a conversation with the Celebrity. During conversation, the player conversing with the Celebrity must attempt to convince the Celebrity of why they, compared to the other players, deserve to receive a GAME CLEAR.
After all players have conversed with the Celebrity, each player must decide whether to Confess to the Celebrity or stay hidden. Each player must confirm their name and their choice on their provided phone.
The Celebrity must then decide whether to Confess to, Ignore, or Reject each player that Confessed. If a player Stays hidden, they are safe from Rejection for that round.
If a player is Ignored after confessing, the game will simply continue.
If one player Confesses to the Celebrity, and they are Rejected, the player that Confessed receives a GAME OVER, and the Celebrity may Confess to an extra player for the rest of that turn.
It's GAME CLEAR for the player that confesses to the Celebrity if the Celebrity confesses back.
It's GAME CLEAR for the Celebrity once they Confess to a player.
It's GAME OVER for all other players once one person Confesses and their love is reciprocated by the Celebrity also Confessing.
Violence will be punished with a GAME OVER.
Lying is heavily encouraged."
The table was dead silent, as the players all started at each other, horrified.
"Only two of the players...can live?"
YOU ARE READING
Alice in Borderland: New York
ActionIn the city of New York, people have been brought to a mysterious place known as the Borderlands. Now, they must play in a series of deadly games to return back to the world they came from. Based on my Alice in Borderland RP server.
