SOLITAIRE || AIB || OC

Akira Mitsumi - Tag

And again, the game had begun. People began to separate into groups, whilst Akira dithered in spot. She had five minutes before the tagger was released, that's what the voice had said. Her eyes darted around the room. The woman was already gone, as with one of the burly men- the one in the camo trousers - and the boy and girl accompanying him. She was hoping she'd be able to join them, the muscly guy serving as protection, whilst she could talk freely with the other two. But, no such luck. Even Arisu and Karube had left with the stubby man, leaving her alone. Staying there probably wasn't the wisest - judging from the last game, there was most likely some form of punishment awaiting her if she stayed. And Akira Mitsumi had no desire to be a dead woman. Not looking as messy as this, atleast.

The last pair standing in the lobby of the apartment were the other two burly men - not bad for a last resort, she thought. Honestly, they intimidated her. For all her gall and confidence, she couldn't quite bring herself to talk to them.

As she mulled over her predicament, they began to walk out of the lobby - she'd already missed her chance. She followed, close behind them, like a dog begging at their heels. If they noticed her, she'd totally talk to them. If they didn't acknowledge her, she was simply just a player going in the same direction as them. Easy. They seemed to be sticking close to the base of the building, avoiding the stairwells. An odd choice. She figured it would've been best to get as high as possible.

"Hey, don't you think you should-!"
Akira was interrupted by a commotion from the stairwell behind her. Three- no, four voices - the taggers, maybe? Akira flattened herself against the wall. The two men simply stared at her, before looking between each other with a bemused expression. The commotion quickly subsided, as the group of players moved higher up into the building. Akira's face flushed red as she realised she'd been overreacting, and made herself look totally stupid in front of these men. She cleared her throat, looking to the side, before speaking again, a little quieter than before.
"..Don't you think, uhm, it would be smarter to get higher up?"
Her voice echoed into a thick silence, before one of the men spoke up
"How long have you been here, girl? One of the men said. He was wearing a white, button-down shirt, with thin, silver wire-frame glasses. Akira found his attire slightly amusing. It didn't quite look like something someone his build would wear.
"The..venue? About 10 minutes." She tilted her head. The man huffed.
"No, The Borderlands."
"The Border-what-now?"
"The Border-" The man paused, before correcting himself. "How long has it been since everyone disappeared?"
"Oh! It's been, like, a day."
"That explains a lot. Look, Girl, if you're so set on your little plan, you can run along, and play by yourself." The man bent down a little to her height, his tone obviously patronising.
"It's -" Akira paused, brow furrowing in obvious irritation. "It's Maizuru. Not 'Girl'."
"Isn't that a city?"
"Well, it's also my name. So, shut it with the 'girls'. It totally bugs."
"It bugs, does it?" The man snickered, turning back to his friend - the shorter one, in the black jacket. "Well, I'm Ōno Katashi, and he's Hirano Mamoru. Does that make you happy, Girl?
"Maizuru." Akira corrected.

The men huffed, but they seemed to be allowing her to stay. Atleast, that's what Akira was going to think. Another noise came from the stairwell - heavier, dragging steps. Akira froze, turning to face the noise. It must've been one, two floors above them. Ōno and Hirano didn't seem bothered by this, so she forced herself to keep calm. It had definitely passed the time set for the tagger to have started roaming - maybe he was much further away? Maybe this was just another player, a little out of breath.

Until she heard gunshots. They tore through the tense silence, battering the air. There was a thud, scattered footsteps, and all fell silent once again. Ōno and Hirano exchanged glances, whilst Akira flattened herself against the wall again. They were dangerously close to the stairwell, and she dreaded to think what would happen if she strayed from these two men - Had someone really just been shot? To think the loss of a life could so easily sound like scaring a cat with firecrackers.