Trivia Murder Party(and Many Other Enormous Proportions)

Oneshot 6 - ...the...

Something's wrong.

He WAS going to do something. He just can't get it in his head.

Why can't he remember? Cookie was lost in thought. So lost in thought that he forgot to announce the topic of the next question.

"Cookie!"

Cookie snapped. He looked back at the five players who were staring at him confusingly. Then he felt a hard hand on his shoulder.

"Focus, Cookie!" said Binjpipe, "You have to do this for the contestants! For the viewers! Remember?"

"R-right away Bangpop- I mean...BoyPoop, I MEAN- BINJPIPE! God-"

Binjpipe let out a giggle and walked away. Cookie was starting to hyperventilate. First the forgotten deed, now fumbling through his words?

Get it together Cookie!

He took a deep breath, before turning to face the players.

"Sorry about that. I was just a little lost in thought. Uh- the next subject? Right. Try on...'I'm Going Through Crippling Anxiety and I Can't Stop.' Huh. Ironic."

He looked towards the players, then back at his card.

"If I am neurodivergent and I am experiencing anxiety attacks, which of these things would not be so autistic for me to do?

1. Hand stimming
2. Nail biting
3. Arm scratching
Or 4. Heavy breathing...? What-"

Cookie ignored the contestants putting in their answers as he looked at the card again. This wasn't what he had before. What was going on? He looked towards the You Don't Know Jack production team behind him. Maybe he should ask them. Yeah. That seems like the right decision.

He walked towards the production team, waving the card around in his hand.

"Excuse me, is this the right-"

He felt himself bump into something. A window? No...

Suddenly, the room started to glitch. Cookie stepped backwards, terrified. He desperately looked at the contestants...

"Uh- are you guys seeing this?"

But they didn't answer. He looked towards the production team as they were completely ignoring him as well.

"Binjpipe?!"

Of course, no answer from that godforsaken robot as well. Cookie spun around, looking at his surroundings in a panicky manner, and as he did, he felt a sense of déjà vu.

But before he could even process that, everything turned black.

Cookie couldn't see anything. He just stood there in darkness. He reached out recklessly, searching for a flashlight. But then he stopped as he realized something...

He couldn't feel the ground below him anymore.

Letting out an echoing yelp, Cookie plummeted through darkness, feeling the wind pass by him in seconds. He helplessly reached for something to hold on to, but there was nothing.

He was sure he was going to die by now. Or this was a bad dream. Either way, he was falling. And he didn't know where this was going to land. Cookie closed his eyes, preparing for impact anytime now...

...

"Cookie! Are you really messing up again? Perhaps you should work on your lines more often..."

That was the voice of Binjpipe. He opened his eyes. He looked up to a pair of black boots in the way of his vision. Then he stared upwards at the robotic figure that represented the streaming company.

"Wha-"

"No matter!" Binjpipe remarks, putting Cookie back on his feet, "Just try again!"

"Try...again?"

Cookie looked forward. The contestants were still there. He looked behind him. The production team was also present. It was as if all of those terrifying events never happened. He immediately went into another panic.

"Binjpipe, something's happening. I was-"

Before he could get out the words of his previous situation, he felt his vision distort like a glitch on a computer. He felt a pain in his chest as he clutched it, crouching down to endure the moment. It soon stopped after a few seconds, as Cookie heaved his chest up and down, before looking up at Binjpipe.

"What the hell was that?!"

Binjpipe giggled. "Did you forget, Cookie? The algorithm specifically states that you can't use any strong profanity while hosting games!"

"But I didn't-" Cookie got interrupted as Binjpipe put its metal finger to his lips.

"You glitched, didn't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then don't say whatever you had to say again! Toodles!"

Binjpipe began to walk away in its magnificent black boots. But before she could, Cookie grabbed its sleeve.

"Wait! I need to talk to whoever made the algorithm. This profanity system is b- ridiculous! And not only that, things have been getting more ridiculous from here. Where is that person?"

Binjpiped turned its head a full 180. It almost seemed unsettling. Cookie's grip loosened a little bit due to his fear.

"Let me tell you two things," Binjpipe spoke, its voice a little more tense than usual, "First off, you cannot speak to the person who created the algorithm, you have to speak TO the algorithm. It's what makes us...Binjpipe. And second..."

Binjpipe released itself out of Cookie's grip and turned its body to face him.

"Only faculty is allowed to speak to the Algorithm. You need a Binjpipe™️ pass to get inside the hall."

"And how do I get one?" Cookie says, before Binjpipe let out an outrageous laugh while putting its arms behind its back.

"Oh, Cookie!" it said so sweetly, the tone wasn't so sweet, "You are nothing to us, but just a host for You Don't Know Jack! I'm sorry, but you can't speak to the algorithm very soon. Now if you excuse me, I'll have to be on my way."

Binjpipe left, the sound of its boots against the floor leaving an echo in the hall. It had a radiating smile, one that never left its face.

Cookie, on the other hand, had so many thoughts on his mind.

After the game ended, he went to the break room to grab some coffee. He looked at the cup in his hand, the reflection of his porcelain face in the liquid.

None of this felt real.

Of all of the images in his mind, one of them struck through them the most:

Find a Binjpipe™️ pass, head to the hall, and talk with the algorithm, face to face.