Death Penalty

Ch 6- Timebomb

Desmond- 

I stared at the ginger girl sitting in front of me, Risa. She had been thanking Cosette profusely the moment she was freed from the experiment room, tears glistening in her eyes as she clutched Cosette's hands, overwhelmed with gratitude. Soon, though, Cosette's patience wore thin.

"Shut up, Risa. We still have to get through god knows how many more experiments," she snapped, breaking away from the girl's grasp. "I'm going back to my room." With that, she walked away, leaving Risa looking momentarily stunned, her thanks dying on her lips.

"You should go after her and get to know her better since you're practically chained and need her to survive," the ginger suggested, her voice calming as she regained her composure. I hesitated for a moment but nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I'll do that," I said, pacing after Cosette. Even after spending an hour in her presence, I knew nothing about her. She was clever, arrogant, infuriatingly enigmatic—the kind of person who naturally drew others in with confidence yet kept them at arm's length. I couldn't deny the way she had stood up for Risa; it was strangely touching.

 I pushed open the door to Cosette's room. I found her propped against the floor beside her bed, fidgeting with the collar that.

"Are you trying to take it off?" I asked, tilting my head curiously.

"It can't hurt to try," she replied flatly, her gaze focused on the collar as if it held all the answers.

"It might," I said, easing myself onto the bed beside her.

"So... how do you plan on surviving this mess?" I ventured.

"I dunno," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "I'll figure it out. All you need to do is focus on not dying."

"That's going to be pretty tough considering we're sort of in a death game," I shot back.

She rolled her eyes at me, an annoyed expression crossing her features. "What are you good at? Killing people?"

The question caught me off-guard, but I managed to respond, "No, I'm not a murderer!"

"Then what are you in for?" she pressed, clearly intrigued.

"Money laundering, scheming, scams..."

"Wow, how much did you steal to get a life sentence?" she asked, genuine surprise etched on her features.

"That's a secret," a smirk playing on my lips.

"Whatever..." She dismissed it with a wave, and just like that, the conversation turned back towards something less serious. Just then, my stomach growled loudly, breaking the tension and drawing a chuckle from her.

"Aww, the poor baby, he's hungry," she teased, a note of amused condescension in her voice.

"Will they ever give us anything to eat? We've been here for almost twelve hours," I groaned.

"Dunno," she shrugged, shifting the topic once again. We moved on to discussing our strengths and weaknesses, our potential strategies for survival in this twisted game.

Suddenly, the disembodied voice from the loudspeaker crackled to life, sending a chill down my spine. "Attention players, the next round is about to begin."

"Let's go," Cosette said, jumping to her feet. I followed her, my heart racing as we made our way deeper into this nightmarish spectacle.

The spinner whirled while anticipation thickened in the air. Finally, it landed on the chilling name: "Timebomb."

"ONE PLAYER WILL BE PICKED AND HANDED A TIMEBOMB. THIS CAN BE GIVEN OUT TO OTHER PLAYERS, AND THE LAST PLAYER TO TOUCH THE BOMB WILL BE ELIMINATED. THIS WILL LAST FOR FIVE MINUTES." The finality in the voice sent shivers down my spine.

I felt a tug on my hand—Cosette, pulling me away. "What are you doing?" I questioned, confusion flooding my mind.

Shut up and follow me!" she ordered, determination flashing in her eyes.

We dashed toward the bottom of the staircase, keeping our distance from the chaos unfolding. "Come on!" she urged, her voice barely above a whisper as the spinner eventually landed on a name: "LIONEL EVERVIEW."

"Now!" Cosette shouted, dragging me up the staircase, determination etched in her expression. I couldn't believe I was following this girl through all this chaos, but something it's not like I had a choice.

With our hearts pounding, we climbed onto the second floor and headed to the end of the corridor. "Come with me, quick!" Cosette insisted, climbing over the handrail.

"What are you thinking?!" I exclaimed, dread creeping in.

"Quick, come with me if you don't want to die and kill me alongside you!" she urged. I hesitated, peering down at the mess below. The sight was chaotic—people screaming, rushing, trying to avoid the weight of impending doom.

With a deep breath, I followed her over the railing, my heart racing as I clung tightly to her hand. Together, we balanced along the narrow ledge, inching past the madness beneath us.

Finally, we reached a point where the ledge extended further. I watched as she scaled higher, her hands gripping the concrete as she climbed with an agility I never expected. "Wow, you're pretty good at this," I admitted, awestruck.

"Ehh, this is kinda what I do," she shrugged, assisting me onto the ledge beside her. We sat there, hidden above the chaos, watching as the bomb was passed from one terrified player to another. Everyone was frantically seeking a way out, the ticking of the bomb echoing like a countdown to death.

As the timer finally reached its end, the unfortunate soul holding the bomb was revealed—a player with mousy brown hair.

Boom. Another life snuffed out.

Catching my breath, I glanced at Cosette, who was now standing, anger boiling over. She turned her face towards the camera perched nearby and screamed, "FUCK YOU! AND FUCK ANYONE WHO HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"

Her voice rang with a mixture of fury and despair, a raw testament to our entrapment in this sick, twisted game. In that moment, we were just two prisoners trying to survive against insurmountable odds.