Despair's Little Game (Book 1)

3. Time has Stopped and Numbers Decrease, Nothing Happens if you are Deceased

The walls were crushed around them. Everything became dusty and hard to see. Makoto looked around and tried shouting his friends' names, but he quickly abandoned the effort when he'd gotten a mouthful of dust and debris. He choked painfully.

He spotted an arm flailing out towards him, he went to grab it, closing his fingers around their wrist and pulling them forward. It was Aoi or at least, what was left of her. Her face was purple-ing by the second, blood quickly gushing out of her eye.

Hina no- oh god- no- who-

Someone must have hit her during the confusion. But who would do that?

Aoi crumpled onto the floor. She was dead. Makoto barely had time to worry about that though, because he still couldn't see anything, and the room was still being destroyed around him.

He checked his bracelet. Only five minutes until the time limit. He needed to be quick. He needed to make sure everyone else was okay. He reached out in the darkness. Confusing noises penetrated the surroundings.

Makoto has to get out of there. He moved forward hoping to find a hallway or another room. He didn't dare run, in case he was in a hallway.

There were the muffled noises of people struggling behind him. He moved away as fast as walking could get him. He hoped not to run into anyone yet wanted to run into something, anything, to know that his friends were okay.

The debris slowly started clearing up. He could almost see things beyond his direct vision.

Beeeeeeeooooeeeep ding ding

The timer reached 0:00. Makoto felt that sharp prick in his wrist and his consciousness faded away.

Makoto slowly came back to reality. Opening his eyes, he sat up and rubbed his head. That feeling of dread set upon him once again. Aoi Asahina was dead, and someone else had to be too. The game was continuing. Somebody else's life had been stolen from them. We're his friends safe? Who else died? Could he keep living for much longer?

The dust had cleared mostly. He stood up slowly and headed in the direction of the collapsed room. He didn't want to think about what he might find. He tried pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, but they kept coming forward again.

There it was. The smell of death. He could already see the red puddles on the floor. He hesitated, stopping right outside the door. He willed himself to go on. He entered the room.

There was Aoi, crumpled on the floor. Her limbs were oddly stiff, her eyes were closed and she had a bruise on her outer right arm.

Oh no...Hagakure... you didn't even have time to escape...I couldn't protect either of you... I'm sorry...

Hiro seemed to have been crushed in the rubble. What could have been his arm stuck out oddly under the pile of debris. Blood soaked through the floor.

7 left... If this was all...

Byakuya and Kyoko seemed to have managed an escape. Makoto didn't find anyone else in the room. He stared at the bodies of his friends. The last people he had spoken to. It was hard to think that they were gone.

He walked out, trying to leave his pain behind him. He couldn't think about it. He had to find someone, anyone. He just hoped they wouldn't try to kill him now that he was unable to make a quick escape.

He walked through the hallways, feeling very vulnerable because no one would be able to help him run if he was stuck. He heard voices.

"W-What are you d-doing?"

"Making sure people haven't died!"

"T-that's stupid! Y-you'll just g-get killed y-yourself!"

"Now you care about getting killed?"

"Guys calm down... we shouldn't fight..."

Another argument rang out in the halls, there was a sound of something hitting the ground. Makoto made his way to them as quickly as he could.

Komaru, Toko and Ryota were hiding in a small storage room, a little ways away from the chaos that had unfolded.

Makoto looked in through the doorway.

"Komaru! You're safe!" Makoto sighed in relief but he quickly ducked out of the way as a pair of scissors flew through the air, missing him by a few inches and sticking into the wall behind him.

"Awe man so close maybe I should-" Genocider was cut off by Komaru.

"That's my brother! Don't throw weapons at him!" Komaru rushed forward, making sure Makoto was okay, "Are you alright??"

"I'm fine, really." Makoto got up again and stared at each of them, "Did any of you see Togami or Kirigiri pass by?"

They all shook their heads.

"We were too focused on staying hidden." Komaru informed them regretfully, "We didn't notice, sorry."

"Master is nowhere in sight! I can't even smell him!" Genocider growled.

Makoto nodded sadly. He only wanted to protect everyone. So far he had failed. Twice. He vowed not to fail again.