Chapter Text
It was all a little overwhelming.
As you left the boardroom, there was silence between the three of you. Though you had only met the pair in the Borderlands, it was true that you had come to care for both Usagi and Arisu on a level that you had only known in the previous world. Having lost track of the days, you didn’t know whether that was months, or even years, ago. It had become so much of a blur, there were days that you almost forgot that the other world had ever even existed.
“So this is the beach...” you muttered to Usagi as the pair of you changed into your newly assigned beach attire. “Quite literal in the naming, isn’t it?” Your sarcasm fell on stony ears as she proceeded to get dressed.
“Either these people are delusional, or there’s something far more sinister going on here. Let’s find Arisu outside and see what’s going on.” Usagi responded. You nodded in agreement before heading out the door, with no idea what to expect.
Even down the hallway, you could feel the vibrations from the loud bass enticing you to go outside. Usagi froze in her tracks in front of you, causing you to almost collide with her as she reached the main exit doors. Peeping over her shoulder, your mouth dropped open as you saw hundreds of people, drinking and dancing the night away. How was this possible, when you’ve been fighting just to survive ever since you got here? You felt almost bitter towards the masses of people in the pool - it was as though they had been living luxuriously whilst you had been slumming it for God knows how long. However, you had to remind yourself that they too face the games, and this could all be taken away from them at any point.
A stranger thrust drinks into your unreceptive arms and you awkwardly obliged. Just as you were about to take a sip, you heard the sirens. Before you could even open your mouth to question them, cheering erupted from the masses, indicating that the next games were about to begin. The crowds surged into the main hall like a wave in the ocean, pulling the three of you back inside. You clung to Usagi’s sleeve to not lose her, relieved when the group arrived at its destination and you could breathe once again. As you regained your balance and wriggled free from the group of people beside you, the Hatter appeared at the balcony with a cheerful pep talk. It was as if he wasn’t risking everyone’s lives for his own gain - it was almost as though he valued them.
Several members dispersed within the crowds, holding black bags with folded pieces of paper. You were handed a piece of paper with the number ‘3’ on it. Cursing under your breath, you saw that both Usagi and Arisu had different numbers – you were entirely on your own for the first time since you could remember. Inside, you were terrified, but there was no way you would show it. You were better than that. As your number was called, you smiled encouragingly towards the pair, wishing them luck as you turned away.
Team 3 were awaiting you on a truck. There were two teenage girls clung together, a man with tattoos covering his face, a muscular militant you had seen before, one middle-aged man, a couple, and behind the wheel was an angry looking man. A single strand of his jet black hair fell over his face as he kept his focus on the road ahead. Your gaze fell upon him for a little longer; he looked about your age, with piercings and pulled-back black hair. You noticed that the seat beside him was empty, and you wondered why this was the case. Shrugging your suspicions away, you hopped on to the seat.
The man scoffed as you did, causing your head to whip round with a snarl in retaliation.
“Problem?” You hissed. If you would have had any idea who you were dealing with, your reaction would have been entirely different. He smiled, and not a kind one.
“You best pray you don’t see me during the game.” he smirked, before turning his head back to the road and starting the engine. He was trying to intimidate you, but with all the horrors you had seen, a single man felt a little anticlimactic. He would have to try better than that.
When the truck ground to a halt, you realised you were at an old zoo, long since abandoned. The walls were crumbling, but you could still imagine the masses of families who must have had so much joy within the park. The man beside you winked in your direction before hopping out of the truck, slipping his gun across his shoulder as he walked away. As your vision drifted to those in the back seats, you saw the fear in their eyes as they watched the man head to the other militants. You had a feeling that the game was the least of your concerns – if it was up to this man, he would probably be returning alone.
Nine phones awaited you, placed on a small table at the front of the zoo. The angry driver strode in front of the crowd, scoffing as he looked towards the couple who were cautious of picking up a phone. He grinned once more in your direction as he barged past you, colliding with your shoulder. You cursed under your breath, and from behind, you felt him freeze in his tracks. Pretending not to notice, and feeling like any hint of weakness could potentially mean death for you, you held your breath as you grabbed a phone.
“Facial recognition complete” you heard the familiar voice chime.
A flash of yellow caught your eye, and you looked up to see ‘Game. Beast Hunter’ written clearly above you. Below, you saw a scoreboard, with various animal images.
“T-tiger?!” one of the girls whimpered, clinging to her friend. You felt your bottom lip trembling, and so bit down to avoid seeming weak. The gaze of the man from before fell upon you, causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up, despite him being stood behind you. But this wasn't the time to worry about that. The tattooed man wielding a samurai sword strode through the gates and headed towards the carousel. Everyone kicked into gear and scattered.
Sticking to the shadows, you began to search for anything that you could potentially use as a weapon. Whilst the others made full use of the arena, you scavenged around the edges. You found a few rocks and stuffed them in your pockets as potential distractions. Along the perimeter, you found a large advertisement protected by a layer of glass. Standing well back, you took out one of the larger stones and launched it at the glass, shattering it. You pulled off your jumper and wrapped it around the largest piece of glass, fashioning it into a make-shift blade. At that moment a scream filled the air, and your eyes fell upon one of the girls being cornered by a panther.
Focusing entirely on its prey, you were able to use the carnival sounds to your advantage to mask your sounds and sneak up behind the panther. With a swift action, you drove the glass blade into the side of its skull, right as it was ready to pounce. The panther let out a final growl before crashing to the ground. The girl, still trembling, whimpered a thank you in your direction.
“Panther. 80 points” you heard the robotic voice state coldly over the speakers. As you looked up to the scoreboard, your attention drifted to the swinging boat ride, and the gunshots coming from that area. The man from the truck was laughing as he fired left and right.
You weren’t the only one.
The tiger that had been prowling around the carousel had also picked up on the sounds, and was making its way to the boat.
Shit.
Slipping back into the shadows, you followed after the tiger. The man didn’t seem to notice the beast stalking him, and continued to shoot towards the carousel. In a flash, the tiger had somehow jumped onto the boat, and you knew you’d have to act fast if you wanted to intervene.
Whilst you had a feeling that many people would be better off if cruel people such as him were out of the picture, you figured your chances of surviving the round would increase significantly with firearms on your side.
Reaching into your pocket, you raced towards the boat and began shouting at the top of your lungs.
“You on the boat! Hey!”
He glared at you shouting, unable to make out the words you were saying. He just pointed his gun directly at you, as the tiger grew closer.
Grabbing another stone from your pocket, you instead turned your attention to the tiger itself. Though you aimed for its head, you were only able to hit its torso, but the desired effect was achieved. With a roar, the tiger whipped its head round to face you, and leapt off the boat. The man bolted upright as he figured out what had happened.
“Fuck.”
You slowly began stepping back, not having considered what to do once you had got the tiger’s attention off the boat. Raising your glass blade in defence, you held your ground, twisting your feet so they went deeper in the gravel below.
It was at this moment that another of the militants stood in front of you as the tiger headed your way, punching it right in the face and sending it cascading to the side. Using this opportunity, you rushed back to the carousel where the rest of the survivors had gathered, waiting for the militants to take out the tiger.
Surely enough, it didn’t take long.
“100 points. Congratulations. Game clear.”
It was over.