Killing Game Quarter

Chapter 4: Burning Questions with No Answer Part 9

Inside the cafeteria, there was an undeniable feeling of dread, or anguish over the videos. However, that feeling was overshadowed by the feeling of confidence that we'll be able to overcome it, somehow. I wasn't sure how we were going to, but sharing the videos was the only first step we have.

The three of us grabbed ourselves some breakfast, and I grabbed myself two cups of coffee as a preliminary wakeup call, and we sat down.

"Before we get started," Mia said, speaking up in a much more formal tone, "I would like to know who watched their videos, so we know who to talk to in the meeting. So just raise your hand if you've watched your video."

Akira, Poppy, Liam, Mia, Jambo, and Myself all raised our hands, and Mia counted them all up, with her own hand raised as well.

"For those who have watched their videos, you will have to attend the meeting in the shower room. The rest of you are not forced to, however you are able to if you are curious about the contents." Liam explained, before sipping his tea.

"We won't make you share your videos, but it's highly recommended so that we can help each other." Mia said, sounding oddly caring about everyone's wellbeing. Whether it was genuine, or to save her own ass from getting killed, I had no idea. I chugged down a cup of coffee, and felt terrible doing so, since it just brought back the thought of my mom.

"And we're going there right after breakfast right?" Akira asked.

"That is correct Ms. Natsumi." Liam confirmed, which made Akira take a deep breath, before nodding and eating again. We all ate our food, talking amongst ourselves but staying mostly silent, preparing mentally for the meeting. In total I had five cups of coffee, mostly drinking from the stress, before our breakfast time was up.

Once we realized that it was time for the meeting, we all collectively threw out and cleaned up our food, and left the cafeteria in small groups, heading for the showers or otherwise.

The group of viewers entered the showers, and we all gathered in the driest part of the room. We all stood awkwardly for a short while, thinking of what to say, or who should say it, before someone took the initiative.

"Mine was about my dog, Oscar." Poppy started, smiling melancholically, "He was my dog for most of my childhood." Some of us gasped, including myself, hearing the news.

"Did they…" Jambo started, not wanting to say what we all were thinking. Poppy nodded.

"They said that I had three days ta kill someone, or he'd be…" She trailed off, losing her smile and looking away.

"Mine was the same, but with my sister...Sandra." Jambo went next, sounding a bit choked up talking about it, "She… was tied up, and… she was hurt, and I…" He couldn't finish his statement, as he put his hand up to his face and silently cried, with Poppy and Akira comforting him as he wept.

"Mine was interesting, but horrifying nonetheless." Liam started, looking away from the group to keep his composure, "The video told me that I was the Ultimate Historian." His statement caused all of us to look towards him as he continued, "Apparently, I had been helping with a history museum with my fellow colleagues before I was taken. And my video displayed… an explosive device set in the museum, set to go off in two days."

"Jesus christ…" Poppy said, holding her hands in her head.

"Mine… Also gave me a talent for myself." I said, looking at Liam. "It said I was the Ultimate Literary Prodigy."

"What was on your video besides that?" Akira asked, seeming curious.

"I… Would rather not say." I responded, genuinely not wanting to think about the details again.

"Mine was about my parents." Mia popped in, her eyes closed as she gripped her sleeves, "They were threatened and I was told that I have two days. That seems to be the running theme here."

"You weren't… bothered by the sight at all?" Akira questioned.

"..." Mia didn't respond, her eyes still closed.

"Mia, you can tell us if you were-" Akira continued, trying to help, but Mia burst out soon after.

"Of course it bothers me! You think anyone wouldn't be upset by that kind of stuff?" She shouted, before realizing her outburst, and calming down. "I'm just… trying not to think about it so I don't succumb to the motive."

"But… What are we going to do?" I asked, needing a way to fix this before it gets worse.

"Well, we could call their bluff." Mia said, getting a determined, cold glare, different from her usual one.

"...Bluff?" I asked.

"Yeah. Think about it like this. Unless everyone we know was kidnapped at the same time, and these recordings were all recorded yesterday, that means that these have been pre recorded days, or weeks ago." Mia explained.

"Your point being?" Liam asked.

"They could be lying about their threats, so if we want to call their bluff, we can assume that all of our loved ones are fine." Mia said, "Even if it's not a bluff, ignorance is bliss sometimes."

"That's…" Poppy stammered, looking conflicted at the idea,

"It's the only option we have…" Akira said, looking equally conflicted, but understanding.

"For now, it is all we have." Liam reaffirmed, "In other related news, has anyone not shared who wants to share their videos contents?" After Liam said that, we all looked around, before noticing something concerning.

"Guys… Where's Jambo?" Poppy said, staring where Jambo was before we all started talking. We all collectively looked around, and after confirming that he was no longer there, we started to panic.

"Did anyone see him leave?" Mia asked, sounding increasingly worried. We all shook our heads in worry.

"We should split up and look for him!" Akira announced, "If he's in danger we need to find him before anything bad happens!" We all agreed and ran out of the showers to split off.

"Where should we go Aka?" Poppy said, following behind me as I thought.

"He might've taken the vents for whatever reason, and the ones in the shower lead to the bathrooms." I said, "So let's go there first."

"Right!" With that, we both rushed over to the bathrooms, while thoughts about what might have happened rushed through my head, too fast for me to properly process. Within minutes, we made it to the bathrooms, and burst in.

"Jambo?! Are you in here?!" Poppy yelled, while we looked around the small room. I searched around with nothing to find, until I heard some form of whimper come from a stall. While Poppy was still yelling around the bathroom, I knocked on the stall.

"Jambo?" I asked. The voice that came back through the stall shocked me,

"Why are you guys yelling, what happened?" It was Urkstin, who opened the door shortly after, looking confused.

"Have you seen Jambo anywhere?" I asked him, looking inside the stall for anything interesting, to which there was nothing.

"I uh, I don't think so. But I did hear something coming from the-" Urkstin leaned to the side to look behind me, where the vent was, and looked surprised at what he saw. Poppy and I also turned our gaze, and saw what appeared to be some kind of solid metal plate covering the vent entrance.

"... Go get everyone else." I said to Urkstin, with him nodding and rushing out. As he left, I kneeled down to grab the metal plate to move it.

"AH-" I pulled away immediately after I felt an intense burn on the plate, and reeled back in pain, "It's hot!"

"The plate?" Poppy asked, and I nodded as I stood up and kicked the plate out of the way. That was when we both felt an immense heat spill out of the vent, like an oven opening. We both stepped back in shock and took a second to process what just happened.

"You felt that too right?!" Poppy asked, rubbing her face from the heat irritation. I simply nodded, looking more confused than I've ever been. I kneeled down once again, and peered into the vent, cautious to not get burnt again. What I saw on the inside of that vent was much worse than anything that some heat could have done to me.

Inside the vent, my eyes slowly adjusted to see the legs of someone, laying inside of the vent...

Through the heat, I could see a small pool of blood coming from their side, and their body remained unmoving in the vent...

…

From a distinct green shirt, and the disappearance that had just transpired, the words cam out of my mouth before my brain could rationalize what I was seeing.

…

…

" … Jambo?" I said, my voice shaking as I desperately gripped onto the idea that what I was seeing wasn't true. Poppy kneeled down next to me, and gasped when she saw Jambo lying in the vent. I stared at him for what felt like days, before my suspicions were cleared as the Loudspeakers turned on.

"Attention all Contestants. A body has been found in the bathrooms. Please meet there now. Once everyone has gathered, the investigation will officially begin, so please make your way there quickly."

...

...

"What the HELL?!" Poppy cried out, stumbling back after realizing that Jambo had been killed. I moved back as well, staring at his body, trying to figure out how the hell this could have happened.

One of us was murdered again.

One of us had murdered again.

Even though we were figuring out a way around this motive.

Even though he was with us in the showers.

The corpse of Jambo Adebayo now laid in front of us, and showed us the futility of trying to end this game, one way or another. This body proved to us one thing very clearly.

Someone is always bound to snap.