The Six Keys

Deadman Wonderland Part Two

     "GO!"

     I froze and stared ahead as huge men tried to squeeze through lasers, inevitably slicing off an arm or leg and screaming in agony as they bled out.

     Shiro tumbled and flipped through the lasers, not one hair singed.

     "Lillianna's turn!" she called, waving from the other side.

     "I can't!" I cried, panicking. "This is insane!" I turned to the audience, waving my arms around. "How can you idiots enjoy this?! It's sick!"

     "Number sixteen is going to face a quick end if she doesn't start moving!" the announcer laughed as two chicken mascots aimed sniper rifles at me from overhead.

     Screaming, I booked it to the first obstacle, bullets inches from my heels.

     The lasers came easy. I was so small I could squeeze between any pair of them. I started passing the other racers, staring ahead as Shiro waited on me. I came way too close on one, searing off the outermost layer of my skin. Startled, I let out a whimper and took some time to make sure my arm was okay.

     "Move it!" another contestant grunted, pushing me right back into the laser. I caught my balance but not before a chunk of flesh was torn from me. I started to cry, the blood already running down my arm and dripping onto the ground. I knew I had to push on, so I quickly made my way towards the end of the laser field.

     "Still think this is fun?" I asked Shiro through quivering breaths.

     We ran to the second obstacle. We faced 6 lanes, each looking very different.

     Some were obvious. The red pulsing rocks were hot coals, the green bubbly liquid was acid, the slowly boiling black goop was tar, sparkling shards of glass, and the piranhas leaping out of the water gave themselves away.

     "What's that one?" I asked, pointing at the purple tinted water.

     Before I got my answer, a man jumped into it, flawlessly swimming to the other side. But near the end, as he came up for air, big welts appeared all over his face, bursting with pus and blood, and he went limp, floating there in the lane.

     Yikes.

     Men were shoving past us and hopping on the hot coals lane. It became popular for all, even the prisoners without shoes. The audience erupted with laugher watching the men push past each other and yell as they tiptoed their way across. Too much activity was there, and to avoid getting shoved in the acid, I considered a better option.

     "Shiro will win!" Shiro said, leaping across the tar lane.

     "Shiro, don't!" I called out, watching her land right in the middle.

     "Shiro is stuck!" she announced proudly, smiling wide but opening her eyes in shock. "Hot tar!"

     I ran into the tar and made my way to her. Slowly but surely, I got there and helped her pull her feet out to jump again. Just like before, she waited for me at the other side.

     I managed to take a few more steps before the soles of my shoes melted off.

     Being the idiot I am, I stood there and screamed, my feet on fire.

     "Lillianna must win!" Shiro cheered. "Come on!"

     I nodded at her and continued.

     "Contestant number four is the first into the final obstacle!" the announcer said as players made their way to the battle royale stage. "Followed by number eleven, nine, seven, twenty-two, seventeen and twelve! And here come numbers sixteen and nineteen!"