Cube Zero: The Newly Imprisoned

Chapter 2: Fated Decisions

After navigating a few rooms, and encountering a considerable amount of traps via a boot being thrown into a room that contained one, Nightshade came to a grim conclusion once she and her fellow prisoners stopped to rest in a green-coloured room.
"You know..." She started, looking at Sparky. "I'm starting to get the feeling that, considering the number of rigged rooms, we won't be able to navigate very far–and even if we did–we'd eventually die from exhaustion."

Blake and Hunter simply remained silent, and Sparky replied with, "Are you quite sure?"
"I am." Nightshade said as she climbed up to the door, opened it, and climbed into the crawlspace that connected two rooms–which were illuminated with rectangular lights–while looking at her fellow prisoners.
"And besides," Nightshade started solemnly. "Don't even think about anything that's not directly in front of you. The only definite and true enemies are yourselves."

Sparky contemplated on Nightshade's statement as the latter threw a boot into and entered the adjacent room.
Once in the room, Nightshade looked around–it being a dim amber colour–and the door suddenly closed behind her. A nozzle then came into the center of Nightshade's line of sight, and it sprayed her face with a very powerful acid, immediately causing her intense pain.
Her screams were barely heard in the adjacent room, but Sparky acknowledged that something was wrong just by hearing them.

"Boys, I'll be right back." She said to Blake and Hunter, and immediately got to the door and opened it to enter the crawlspace, and stumbled upon a horrible sight once she got to the opposite end of the crawlspace: Nightshade's face had been corroded beyond recognition, and her body was sprawled out and completely still, making it clear that she had died in the ordeal.
Sparky immediately became slightly disgusted and speechless from emotional shock, and immediately returned to the room where Blake and Hunter were. The look on her face when she looked at the two made them a bit concerned.
"Is everything okay, Spark?" Hunter asked. "Yeah. Everything's fine and dandy..." Sparky replied with a bit of uneasiness in her voice.

"What happened?" Blake asked.
"Well... Um..." Sparky uttered before she suddenly fainted.
The boys then exchanged confused glances.
Between Sparky's uneasiness and her fainting in reaction to the ordeal, the boys could safely assume that Nightshade was dead, even though she was in another room as it happened. Hunter was all-out bewildered, not knowing what to do now that a potential "escape artist" was dead, while Blake–although not as confused as Hunter–became scared and concerned, for his final fate could be in the same horrific manner.

The sound of a door opening caused the boys to look at the door to their left, and–in the crawlspace–a teenaged girl weakly came into their line of sight. She slipped while trying to enter the room, but Blake caught her to prevent her from hitting her head on the floor.
The girl–barely conscious–had straight, light brown hair of average length and clear emerald-green eyes. She had several cuts and bruises on her face and arms, and her uniform read, "Melody."
Blake immediately placed Melody on the floor because she was too heavy for him to hold, and Hunter looked at her.

"She looks beat up..." Blake said, crouching to get a better look of Melody's facial injuries.
"I know. Who could do that to her?" Hunter murmured as both Sparky and Melody fully regained their consciousness.
"Who's that?" Sparky asked as she sat up, looking at Blake and Hunter–and referring to Melody.
"I was going to ask you three the same thing." Melody said in a serious yet half-hearted tone as she also sat up.
"Hold on," Blake said, getting back to standing upright and leaning against a wall. "Don't you want to rest for a bit?"
"I don't need your involvement!" Melody snapped.
"She's prideful, no doubt..." Hunter thought with a surprised look on his face.
"Boys, let me try to acquaint her with us." Sparky said, standing up.
"How would I need to be acquainted with you? I don't even know who the hell you are!" Melody yelled, also standing up. "Hold up, mate!" Sparky said loudly and firmly. "There's absolutely no reason to be so overconfident and self-caring, you nitwit! Such behaviour in here might lead you to your death if you are not careful!"

"How would I need to know? You don't seem to be making my mood any better!"
"Bloody hell..." Sparky sighed, then firmly said, "Look. You may not realize it–but one slip up in here–meaning if you encounter just a single trap, you're done for!"
The argument then came to a stalemate and it subsequently ended as a result. "What do you mean?" Melody asked, calming herself down in that instant. "Because," Sparky said. "One of our group members has just fallen to a trap."
"How?"
"Well... Their face was all bloody, and it seemed to have been caused by some corrosive material–"
"How would you know?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, that's how!"

"You don't need to argue with Sparky. She is telling the truth." Hunter said sternly to Melody. "I might want to see this person for myself," Melody said softly. "'Cause I have a hard time believing you."
"Alright, mate. She went to this room." Sparky reluctantly said, and motioned Melody to the door Nightshade had opened. The girl then climbed up to it and opened it, entering the crawlspace. Getting to the other end of the crawlspace, Melody stumbled upon the same bloody sight that Sparky had fainted over.
"It must be who she mentioned..." Melody thought in curiosity, looking at Nightshade's dead body. "With the corroded face, I cannot tell who she actually was..."
"You see what I mean?" Sparky asked suddenly–and rather loudly, catching Melody off-guard.
"Of... Of course." She stammered as she looked behind her, her voice obviously sounding surprised. She then climbed back into the room where the rest of the group was.
"Hmm... It would be wise to stay with us." Sparky said to Melody.

In the observation facility, Nyra had taken a sarcastic liking to Sparky's statement. "She's really considering inviting her into the group? Humph... How cute." She said in a sarcastic manner, chuckling lightly.
"Oh, shut up!" Taylor said, and didn't even hesitate to say, "Do you have to make fun of every single prisoner?"
Nyra didn't respond, as she was too busy chuckling at Sparky's statement.
"Get your emotions in line, mate!" Taylor snapped.
"It's called sarcasm, Wynn!" Nyra rebuked. Nyroc, who hadn't yet been involved in the conversations and arguments between Nyra and Taylor, suddenly said in the midst of the arguing, "You two are just making a fool out of yourselves!"

The two looked at Nyroc, with Taylor being visibly embarrassed.
"You don't have any authority to boss us around, kid!" Nyra snapped.
"Come on!" Taylor said in concern, "I don't get why you're so...let's say...strict to Nyroc when he's simply a young boy!"
Nyra gave no response to Taylor, most likely out of frustration.
"Ugh..." Taylor muttered, and then said quietly to Nyroc, "Look, mate. You don't have to listen to her. I know it's a breach of law, but who can stop you? You're a Nyrolian, like her, but an individual of that lineage does not have to follow the life path of another individual, whether they're Nyrolian or not."