Death Game: Isolated

Chapter 6

*Bang!

Ace's group was the closest from the location of the gunshot.

"Look..."

Angel pointed to the monitor.

[Congratulations to the anonymous player who eliminated a hunter!]

[The hunter, Jack of Hearts, was eliminated!]

These were the words that appeared, followed by the decreased number of participants. The eyes of everybody stared long at the monitor before removing their gazes.

"45 players left, one died earlier and two tonight."

The group heard two gunshots but during the first one, nothing happened, the gunner must have missed the target and the second, a hunter was then killed. They thought that the hunter's weapon was stolen from him by force and fought back.

Except for Mike who was killed on the first day, the other 6 players were eliminated by other players and hunters.

Once one knew someone's name, they will make a thin bond. This explains that Ace only felt fear after seeing the killed players whom he didn't know. Although he only had a little conversation with Cleo, he felt a different emotion on the first night when he saw him laying on the ground unconscious, but luckily, he only fainted.

After what happened tonight, the players' personality will change drastically. Maybe they cannot notice it by themselves but the people around them can.

***

The night seems too long but it was already near its end. After the hunter, no other players nor hunters were eliminated.

*Toot

A sound was heard from the monitor on top of the tallest building that indicates the end of the countdown when the numbers turned to 00:00:00.

"It's over now..." Or so they thought.

The moment every player arrived in front of the tallest building, they saw the masked men standing in a straight line with the man wearing white tuxedo standing in the center front.

"It is the second day of the game. Because a hunter was killed, we will have another game." He spoke and walked inside the building. He didn't go to the stairs because he stood in the center of the first floor of the building, behind him is the stairway leading to the upper floors.

He tapped on the device he's holding and the players heard a metal sliding against each other, then, the floor separated and created an entrance leading to what seems an underground floor.

The masked man in white walked downstairs, the walls and even the floor of the underground floor were all painted in white. This place is 5 meters under the ground.

"What are we going to do here?" Rona asked once they reached the place.

"Just wait..."

They arrived in front of a spacious area, there was a long table with 52 chairs, a metal chair, and a huge monitor hanging at the white wall.

The monitor turned on but it was only darkness being shown, then the familiar voice of a woman was heard again.

"Please take a sit."

"Here are the total number of cards, beside them is a mark indicating that the card holder was already eliminated." The woman spoke and the screen showed what she meant.

[Players remaining: 45]

A

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club (×)

2

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club (×)

3

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

4

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

5

-Spade

-Heart (×)

-Diamond

-Club

6

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club (×)

7

-Spade (×)

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

8

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

9

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

10

-Spade

-Heart (×)

-Diamond

-Club

J

-Spade

-Heart (×)

-Diamond

-Club

Q

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

K

-Spade

-Heart

-Diamond

-Club

These are the words being projected in the monitor.

"We will give you a chance to eliminate a hunter without putting your lives at risk."

Everyone felt hope by the Game Master's words but it was different for Ace. This voice didn't bring any goos feeling to him.

"Each of you will choose a player who you think is a hunter then cast a vote. Once the votes were cast, the player who receives the most votes will sit in the chair in front and you will again cast a vote."

"We will give the defendant a chance to convince you that he is not the hunter then you will then cast a vote. If most of you voted X, he will be freed but if most of you voted ✓, the defendant will die. Now choose..."

"!!!"

The smiles on their faces were gone in an instant, they looked at each other. Each player had their own doubts and suspicions but what if they voted the wrong person? The innocent player will die.

"W-what if we don't choose?"

"Then I will be the one to choose." The Game Master answered, her tone seems she's really delighted by their expressions.

The players feel conflicted, some had their shoulders slumped and can't raise their heads as they write the names they suspect as a hunter in a piece of paper.

Jiel approached Ace and whispered something to him then his eyes shifted to the player with a wound on his head and bloodstains on his clothes.

"I remember him, the hunter and his friend were the players eliminated last night." Ace replied. Ace thanked that he saw the two players last night because if not, he can't think of any names he will write.

"Do you know his name?" Ace asked.

"Jansen, but I forgot his surname." The two boys wrote Jansen's name and showed it to the other three.

"It's okay, I will just write the name. We need to do this, okay?" Jiel touched the cheek of his girlfriend and wrote Jansen's name on the paper himself.

When they were all finished, the masked man in white tuxedo collected the papers.

"Step forward for those who were called."

"Jansen!" As expected, the very first name to be called was Jansen's. They didn't think of any other reason why he had and where he got those wounds because there are no other reasons, except if he fell from a tree.

"Jansen!" His name was then called again but he stayed in his sit.

"Jansen, go now!" Someone shouted and pointed his finger to Jansen. A masked man approached and dragged him in front.

"I'm not... I'm not a hunter!" He screamed and tried to free himself. Why bother? Looking at these two masked men, even one of them is enough to restrain him.

The masked man then continued reading the names aloud and the following 20 names, they were all Jansen's. But on the 21s call, some players lowered their head as Jansen's name was called again.

He felt his world was just devastated.

'Why...?'

He swept his gaze to everyone in here, trying to look for someone to save him.

"Tomy!"

"Jiel!"

"Jason!"

"Von!"

Other four names were called, Jiel didn't immediately react but it was different for Darell who immediately stood from her seat.

"Who wrote his name!?" She glared at everyone.

"Darell, stay still..." Cleo told her, Von's and Tomy's name were also called, maybe some players wrote other's name based on how they see them? After all, impression is very important.

Darell looked at Jiel but she only received a gentle touch on her back.

"Don't worry..." He told her and stepped forward.

"Jansen, Jiel, Jayson, Tomy, Von. It is now time to choose who among them is a hunter."

Is there still a need to choose who among them?

The masked men gave each players on the seat a tablet where the names of the 5 were shown.

On the screen, the names were also shown with a number 0 below each of them. Once the players started tapping the name, the number below a specific name will change.

The first votes are for Jiel, the number below his name turned to 3 but for Jansen, he received the most votes.

"No... Do you really believe I'm a hunter? I'm not!"

"Rona... Did you also vote me!?"

Rona didn't answer him, after all, they were not too close, they only knew each other's name and talked once.

"Jansen Barbosa is guilty. It's time to proceed with the punishment." The Game Master said but someone's word stopped the masked men with their actions.

"Wait! Didn't you say he will be given a chance to convince us that he's not the hunter?" It was Jiel.

"Jiel, what are you doing?" Ace grabbed his friend's arm.

"Yes, but is there still a need for it? Looking at the people who voted him..."

"Of course, there is still a need. I'm sure many of us, even those who voted him, still wished that they only made the mistake of suspecting him as a hunter."

"I support his words. If he is a hunter just because of his appearance now, then why are there no other wounded players except from him? Just because he was wounded and his shirt is stained with blood, he's already a hunter? What if it was from a hunter he encountered and fought against?" Tomy stepped forward.

Jansen's face regained a little bit of color, he was glad that someone spoke for him but he knew it it will not be enough.

"Then should we vote you instead?" A woman walked over.

"Jansen and Marco were together last night. Is it just a coincidence that Marco was eliminated while Jansen, who was with him, survived?"

"Miss, what if Marco was the hunter and attacked Jansen but managed to get away? Then another player arrived at the scene and encountered Marco and fought with each other to death." Jiel refuted.

"You're still not convinced, maybe you have a bad history with him or you wanted to get revenge for something." Tomy added.

"Tomy, just stop with your nonsense. Then is it still coincidence if I tell you the relationship between Ronald, Marco, and Jansen? Is it still a coincidence that both the person he has no good relationship with died?"

"Is that so?" If this is the case, then it is really hard to convince these people that Jansen is not a hunter. It doesn't really matter if they convince these people that Jansen is not a hunter. Marco, who was with him last night, was eliminated. Tomy glanced at Jansen and shrugged his shoulders before going back to his seat.

And even if Jansen is not a hunter, the fact that the people here suspect he killed Marco is enough for them to choose him to be eliminated, to decrease future dangers and enemies.

"The decision is now decided, the majority voted for Jansen as a hunter." The Game Master's words was just the start. The masked man in white tuxedo pulled something from the ceiling, it was a rope and at the end of the rope is a knot. His subordinates also moved and tied Jansen's feet.

"Wait! What are you going to do!?"

He struggled, that's all he can do. What wrong did he do? Nothing. He was put to this situation by his fellow players for them to save themselves and he felt really mad about it, he glared at the girl who initiated this all. If not for her, Tomy and Jiel might have been successful on convincing the other players that he is not a hunter.

"Please, I'm not a hunter!"

Jansen cried when his head passed through the knot on the rope. Something pulled the rope in the ceiling and the knot on the end of it tightened and choked Jansen.

His hands were tied so only his feet can freely move.

"Aaaack..."

*Gasp

There were players who watched Jansen's struggle as his body was hanged two feet above the ground. His punishment was to be hanged to death, even before his death he is still struggling.

Few of the players, such as Sofia and Ace, covered their ears and didn't look. They also felt guilt, a fellow student will die not by their hands but because of their own actions.

None tried to step forward for Jansen, he doesn't have any close friends here. Everyone were strangers, it only changed when they exchanged names but can it be called having a close bond with someone? No. Ace, Jiel, Darell, and Sofia, among the players, they were the only ones who share the closest bond of friendship. For Angel, they also developed some sense of friendship, especially Ace, during the days they spent with her. If anyone of them was in Jansen's position, they will do their best to save him even if it means putting their lives in danger.

"Even if we didn't vote, most of us will." Ace mumbled.

*Toot

Jansen's body was already stiff, his face was pale and blood was dripping from his mouth because he bit his tongue while struggling to breath for air. He also peed his pants, causing the floor to get wet.

"Now, you voted for Jansen as a hunter. The majority voted ✓, so the result, he died. Now, we will reveal the truth if your choice was wrong or not."

*Silence

[Jansen Barbosa- Ace of Diamonds]

"Wait, you're kidding, right?" Rona asked after seeing what was shown in the monitor.

Ace of Diamonds, it means they were wrong, it was not a hunter that was eliminated.

[Players remains: 44]

Rona was the first person to leave the place but before that, she glanced at the people who refuted Jiel's and Tomy's words earlier. They were Vincent and Jinnah.

"What? You've got something to say?" Vincent noticed Rona's gaze to him.

"You will die tonight but if you somehow survived, you are free to vote for me as a hunter like you did to Jansen so that another innocent will die again just because of your personal feelings." Rona coldly stated as she went upstairs and left the building. The truth is, she didn't vote for Jansen as a hunter.

Seeing that Jansen was still killed and knew he is really not a hunter, she hoped she just voted him as a hunter.

Some of them were really guilty, Jansen was not a hunter. The players and the Game Master have different way of thinking that's why...

"Why are you sad? Although he is not a hunter, you just eliminated a threat to your survival. Is there a rule that only hunters will eliminate players?"

"The hunter's job is to eliminate players who failed to eliminate their opponents. This will continue if you stay hiding, you are only giving the hunters an opportunity to survive longer. Jansen, sadly you killed him. You will surely experience the fruit of his actions if he's still alive."

"What do you mean?" Vincent Asked.

"Jansen Eliminated Marco and got his card, so tonight will become peaceful but he's already dead so the peace I'm planning was cancelled."

"There are only 11 hunters left and 33 players. Which of the two will be wiped out first? If you kept hiding and hiding from the hunters, they will slowly eat you all. If a player killed a hunter, the things that belonged to the hunter like his weapon will be yours."

The masked men moved and escorted the players out of the place.

"Don't touch me!" Jinnah glared at the one pushing her but it didn't do anything, the masked man kept pointing his rifle to her.

When they arrived outside the building, Rona was already nowhere to be seen.

Fiona, who was staying quiet earlier, went to the restaurant nearest from them.

***

"As expected, you're here..."

Rona was heating the water when Fiona entered the kitchen.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"You're feeling bad for Jansen?"

"I'm still a human, how can I not feel bad?"

"You're really bold, what if Vincent and Jinnah went after you?"

"They are free to try, I'm not a hunter after all. If someone innocent died again because of them tomorrow, maybe the other players will deliberately deal with them."

"..."

"Why are you still here? I'm going to cook."

"Rona, I know you feel guilty for Jansen, me too. But please be careful with your words, we do not know if Vincent and Jinnah are hunters and only wanted to decrease the number of players who is a threat to them." Fiona told her.

"I know..."

"Marco was killed by Jansen, his friend. No one can be trusted here except for yourself. Everyone will aim for their survival, we are the only ones familiar with each other here, I'm just worried for you as your friend."

"Really?"

"What's with your words? Are you thinking that I will stab you at your back like what Jansen did? I want to survive and will eliminate someone if needed but I am not evil enough to harm my friend."

Fiona poked Rona's forehead and sighed before leaving.

When she was outside, she saw someone running over and stopped in front of her.

"Vincent, he's fighting with someone!"

She is not concerned with Vincent but she's concerned about the one who is fighting against him. Vincent is a black belter in taekwondo so one can expect that this fight will be a one-sided one, or so she thought.

When they arrived at the scene, Vincent was already kissing the ground.

"Che! I see, I remember you now. They said you're the best in your taekwondo school, you even learned some martial arts from your family but what's this? You're so sloppy, have you been fighting with kids?" It was Jiel, adding insult to the injury.

Fiona was confused, from her observation and own memory, Jiel is not someone to start a trouble. She still remembered back then that during the previous Summer Camp's issue, Jiel properly controlled his own emotions. Based on the words from his school, he's a very quiet student who only goes out with his girlfriend and is not someone who is sensitive with his emotions.

*Slap!

Fiona's eyes shifted to the girl who just slapped Jiel.

"What do you think you're doing? Is it good?" She asked.

"They started it first..." Jiel answered and went to the side with Darell. Ace was also only watching the scene that's why Darell was also not happy about it.

Fiona walked over to Tomy and asked what happened and he explained.

"How can we know that he can't even control himself and suddenly attacked someone just because of simple words?" Tomy laughed and looked at Jinnah who is supporting Vincent to stand.

"They clung to their instinct that Jansen is a hunter just because he was with Marco the time he was eliminated. We used reason to make them look at the other possibilities but nothing happened, it's like he's only good at using his body but not his mind." Tomy added and looked at Vincent who's glaring at him.

"Tomy, you s**t!"

"What?" Tomy left the place and didn't throw any attention to Vincent any further.

"Vincent, even if Jansen is not a hunter, you two should have thought hard about it whether to vote him or not, at least we knew that you tried to reason out something but sadly, you didn't. I bet you also have a bad relationship with him that's why."

The smarter ones knew that Vincent and Jinnah, or just Vincent, knew that Jansen is not a hunter. And the reason why they wanted him to get punished and eliminated is because Jansen killed Marco. They have the thought that if Jansen killed Marco, he must've been a hunter but it was just a suspicion, the thing that drove Vincent to vote Jansen is the fact that he doesn't feel any good towards him.

Hopefully, he will not receive a very bad karma.