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The ride on the elevator was eerily quiet as always. It was even less crowded after this trial. Now without Wenona and Kai, the students went into their shared dorms without a word. That included Mark who sluggishly walked towards Jett's dorm.
He noticed Damon and Ulysses talking outside the tree, while everybody else had already left this place. Mark decided that some listening in wouldn’t hurt. Both of them noticed him, but didn’t seem to mind Mark being there, as they continued talking. Damon, like always, was harsh, not that Mark was the one to speak.
“I don't want to be bunk buddies with you, or anybody else for that matter.” Damon said coldly. After the death of Eva and Wolfgang, Diana and Grace were made to be bunk buddies with each other. The same expectations were also settled onto them.
Ulysses seemed indifferent to it and scribbled something in his notebook. Succeeding the conversation, Damon started to walk away to the dorms, followed by Ulysses. Although the pair didn't exchange any words.
Mark also went to the dormitories. He noticed Damon stomping away to Kai’s dorm. Mark wondered if it was just out of habit or because the owner’s death had something to do with it. Soon, he saw Ulysses who went to his own room. Mark quickly walked to Jett's dorm. Greeting him was sleeping Jett. He must've been very drained from the trial. Mark followed in his footsteps and also got ready to sleep.
*
Mark couldn’t fall asleep. The trial took place at night, leaving everybody tired, both emotionally and physically. He kept on shifting his position on the sofa, but to no avail. The memory of the dead body of Kai came to his mind. He remembered Wenona struggling for her life during her execution. Now, there were only twelve of them. The chance of him being a target grew higher.
The sudden realization of how likely he is to be killed, hit him like a truck. The memory of stares focused on him after Wenona mentioned some people being an easy kill came to his mind. It happend after the first trial. And they were right, someone could effortlessly murder him. Especially given the fact that his athletics were below average.
Mark is going to end up like Wolfgang or Kai. Killed. He was sure of it. Wenona even admitted that at first her target was supposed to be Mark, but decided to murder Kai out of convenience. He might not be this fortunate in the future during next time somebody targets him. Mark survived to this point out of sheer luck. The upcoming days might prove to be fatal for him. He left out a shaky breath.
In this place it’s kill or be killed, and he didn’t want to die. He knew that the two last standing people would be freed, but the chances that he’d survive to this late of the game were unrealistic. Tozu might even be twisting it around, just like he did with being free to leave. It only ended up in being able to leave a room.
As the game went on Mark started to find the concept of killing to escape less and less gruesome. Almost all of the participants would die either way, the only difference being that it'd be for his sake instead of somebody else's. Mark had to be fast. The probability of becoming targeted grew as more and more people died. It was either him or them. Well, he would attempt murder if not for one problem.
The said problem was lying in its own bed, snoring loudly. At the beginning of the game, Mark wouldn’t have felt that much towards his demise. Although some time ago he started getting attached to Jett. At first Mark found him as nothing short of an annoyance. Now he still found him troublesome, but in an endearing way. Not that he’d ever admit it to anyone that is.
Mark knows that if he murdered somebody, one of them would still die. No matter if the majority would vote correctly or not. The price of Mark's escape was Jett's life. He wasn't sure if he wanted to sacrifice it for his own selfish desire. Mark wished for a way for them to be free together.
He suddenly remembered when Eva found a loophole in the rules which allowed her to damage the school's property. Maybe he would find a similar gap in the rules? Mark opened his Tozu Trinket and read the rules again. Even though Mark got his idea from her, he didn’t wish to end up like the girl. No, he wouldn’t end up like her – consumed by fire. He wouldn’t. If he could in fact escape with Jett, he would be successful unlike the mathlete or Wenona.
Even if there wasn’t a loophole, there was a chance Tozu would give them a motive or a perk that allowed the blackened to take someone with them. He would only have to be fast enough, so nobody else will use the motive before him. Mark craved for a way to leave this horrid place with Jett on his side. He reviewed the regulations, specifically those mentioning killing. Mark lingered on the rules 4th and 6th. He started rereading them a few times. He took them with more liberty and open mind this time.
“Any Student who is responsible for another Student's death is considered Blackened. All other Students are considered Spotless.” He read. “If the majority vote goes towards a Spotless Student, then all Spotless Students will be executed, and the remaining Blackened will be granted release.”
Mark, after reading the rules again, realized that technically multiple students could be blackened. The only requirement to become blackened is being responsible for a death. If they won the Class Trial, both of them would survive. Mark didn’t want to think about the other possibility, but if worse comes to worst, only one of them would be executed. Toshiko’s claims about how illogical it’d be to have an accomplice were illogical in itself.
His gaze shifted towards the directions the snores were coming from. The only thing illuminating the room was Trinket's hologram, so Mark wasn’t able to see him clearly. In his head he debated waking him up and telling him about his findings. After deciding he’s going to tell the other man during the day, he began imagining the dreadful conversation.
The more he delved into the topic of Jett, the more uncomfortable he began to feel. Mark didn’t even like him that much. It was just convenient to kill with him. Nobody would suspect that two people would murder, making it beneficial. They could easily lie about each other's alibi. Jett always followed him like a lost puppy, so a chance to kill without Jett witnessing it was small. That’s all there was to it. At Least, that’s what Mark started to tell himself. He deliberately ignored the fact he could’ve easily killed Jett.
Mark wasn’t sure if Jett would go with his idea. After all Jett was actually sociable and talkative with others unlike Mark. And he obviously knows what would happen to the rest of their classmates if their murder scheme proved successful. The same classmates Jett probably grew attached to and liked. Would he murder with him, or hate Mark at the mere suggestion of killing somebody? He wondered if Jett even had the guts it takes to kill another person.
“Broskii? You’re awake?” Jett yawned.
Mark didn’t notice the lack of snores. He decided to just go for it and tell him right now. Mark stood up and turned the light switch on. Facing Jett, he forced himself to speak.
“I was reading the regulations and found a loophole…” Mark started, his sweaty hands pulling his beanie over his forehead. He wasn’t sure what was the reaction he was expecting from the other man.
He was sure of one thing though – he had to escape the killing game with Jett.
*
“...A body has been discovered! All students must proceed to Ulysses’s dorm in the dorm hallway immediately! Time will be allotted for all participants to investigate the murder…and afterwards the Class Trial will begin!” Tozu’s voice came from the speakers. The long awaited by Mark announcement finally came. His heart started thumping against his chest.
Hearing the body announcement, when he already knew who and how the person died, felt strange. As he ran with the rest of the students to the body, he thought about how he usually reacted. His response was boring compared to other students. When he witnessed past murders, he didn’t scream his lungs out like Toshiko or Eloise. He didn’t have a reaction full of anger like Grace. He didn’t have his face twist into one full of horror and distraught, like Ingrid or other students. He did dully react with mild uncertainty written over his face. Even then, that expression wasn’t uncommon for him. Mark only said one or two sentences. Both of them would always lack emotion, instead opting out to being as matter of fact as possible. An uninteresting reaction fitting for an uninteresting person like him.
His lackluster reactions towards murders didn’t raise any suspicion. So ironically reacting with more anxiety would put more suspicion on Mark. Hell, they wouldn’t even notice if he didn’t say anything upon seeing the crime scene. When finally catched up. He saw Ulyssess’s dead, bloody body inside his own dorm. The first to discover the body were Diana, Grace and Damon.
Mark felt a drop in his stomach. He kept a stern expression and slight sweat on his face. They murdered him a few days after Mark’s finding of the loophole. He knew he had to kill him to guarantee his and Jett’s survival. That didn’t stop the unease he felt. Soon after other students joined, their reactions varied. Jett was one of them, screaming like he usually did after witnessing a body. Mark knew that this time it was all just an act. The presence of the other man made his shoulders less tense. He remembered he wasn't in it alone as he had Jett. As the crowd slowly regained composure, Tozu gave them the tablet.
“The victim is Ulysses WIlhelm, the Ultimate Historian.” Information about him appeared on the screen. Then an image of his body showed up alongside information about his death. “Information of murder: He was discovered in his own dorm. Cause of death: He was stabbed multiple times in his upper body and died from blood loss.” Mark spotted the lack of information regarding the time of murder. It was similar to how in the past two trials one aspect of them would be hidden for the killer's benefit.
After a bit of conversation some people decided to stay in the dorm while others left to look into different places for clues. Just like always Jean and Damon investigated the body. Mark caught Jett’s eyes on him.
“Broskii…would ya mind checking out a place with me..?” Jett requesting him to inspect together any location possible except the crime scene was typical of him. Normally their point of interest would be the victim’s room. However it wasn’t an option now.
“Sure…” Mark replied, tugging on his beanie.
The investigation started.
It felt weird to have to investigate even though he already knew how it all played out. Mark just prayed that Tozu will force them to the trial as fast as possible. Then the rest of them wouldn’t be able to discover all of the evidence. Mark had to shush Jett multiple times whenever he’d try to talk about the fact that they’ve killed Ulysses. There was a chance that somebody could have overheard them. Damon, like always, was asking everybody about what they found. That included the blackened duo.
“Did you find anything?”
The pair has to awkwardly manage through the conversation. Jett just gave an farfetched theory about the evidence they were “investigating”, making both Mark and Damon glare at him. Mark just pointed out the obvious and hoped it wouldn’t spark suspicion.
*
All of the students went inside and stood there in complete silence. Bunch of suspicious looks were spread around. Adrenaline was pumping through Mark’s veins. This was the last time he was ever in a trial. He shot Jett a knowing glance. They just had to go through it and then they’ll be free. The elevator came to a halt. Everyone cautiously left it and went to their assigned podiums. Students glanced at Ulysses’s portrait with a bloody X covering it.
The start of the trial wasn't awkward like it usually was. It was in fact very loud. Various claims ranging in aggressiveness were thrown at Damon. The reason for it was the fact that the body was discovered in Ulysses’s own dorm. Everybody assumed that Damon and the victim were indeed bunk buddies. It obviously put him in a bad spotlight.
Only Mark heard the conversation between the two of them disproving of that. He prayed that the accusations would keep going, making it the shortest trial ever. Unfortunately, after a while Damon successfully proved himself to not be able to kill him. Everybody was on the start again.
Students started questioning what the murder weapon was. They came to the conclusion that the bloody knife and box cutter. While the knife was near the body, the box cutter was laying on the floor in a different place. Mark sent Jett a dirty look. That idiot was supposed to hide it for God’s sake.
“Why would there be two murder weapons?”
“So, there was a kill and an assist?!” Cassidy asked, dumbfounded.
“But, it would be rather nonsensical to be a subordinate in murder! It wouldn't benefit the accomplice at all!” Toshiko shrieked.
“Only an utter idiot would be an accomplice.” Mark added.
“Maybe the killer just… had to switch weapons mid attack for some reason?”
“But neither the knife nor the box cutter seem to be broken.” Ingrid replied.
*
Although, at first everyone didn't accept the mere theory of an accomplice, it was beginning to be more sensical for the rest. It wasn't the end, they could still fool them. It seemed as if the others didn't catch onto the loophole. They thought that helping in a murder is the most unreasonable thing. Mark had to fight the urge to leave out a sly remark.
“There isn't any other explanation on how the killer was in two places at the same time.”
“If two people were indeed involved in the murder, we should disregard any alibis which only two people can confirm themselves.”
“Then of course Eloise and Desmond did it!” Grace interrupted, yelling. “These two lovebirds would absolutely do something so dumb!”
Mark knew after one of Jett's mishaps that sooner or later others’ would reach the conclusion that there were two people responsible for the murder. Obviously Grace’s first thought was to blame Eloise and Desmond. He hoped the rest would follow in her suspicion. She and the pair she accused spiraled into a loud argument. It eventually reached its conclusion with Eloise and Desmond being innocent. The trial continued without any more accusations. Not until students started questioning how the killers knew of the lack of Ulysses's bunk buddy.
*
“Mark was the only person who heard mine and Ulysses’s conversation. Nobody else could’ve known about this.”
“Hey, he wouldn't kill anybody!” Jett attempted to defend him.
“I bet his accomplice was Jett.” Grace exclaimed. “He would totally listen to Mark without any questions asked!”
“Why would I commit a murder? With Jett from all people nonetheless. He’s too dumb for that.” Mark argued.
“Ouch...That hurt, broskii!”
“See, Jett? Your ‘broskii' doesn’t seem to like you very much.” Damon had a self-satisfactory look on his face since his suspicions got confirmed. Falsely, but confirmed. Mark had to bite his tongue to avoid giving Damon a cold reply. Both his and Jett’s lives were on the line and snarky comments could wait until the end of the trial.
“That’s rough, buddy.” Cassidy murmured to Jett.
“Well, it isn’t a shocking discovery.”
“So…Mark killed with someone else?”
“I didn’t kill anybody.”
“Does he actually hate Jett though?” Toshiko suddenly spoke up, ignoring Mark’s claim.
“What do you mean?” Desmond asked.
“If Mark despises him so much, why does he spend so much time with Jett? Whenever I would say an invalid thing during a conversation, Mark’d just walk away. What’s so different about Jett? If Mark actually hates him, that is.”
“What if he harrasess Mark and forces him to keep company with him?!”
“Hey! I wouldn’t do… I mean hell yeah I did that!” Jett uttered. His lack of acting skills made him a victim of various deadpans.
“Anyway, wouldn't it make sense for them to kill together? They even claimed that they were together during the time of murder.”
“That still doesn’t change that we didn’t kill Ulysses. Believe it or not, other people also don't have a reliable alibi.”
No matter how much both of them denied, others still were sure they were guilty. Mark and Jett were growing more defensive and panicky at everybody’s claims. They could still turn the whole trial around. Probably.
*
They couldn't turn the whole trial around it seems. A long and awkward silence appeared in the trial room. After Damon presented indisputable evidence painting them as guilty, they accepted the fact that no matter what they'll say, no one will believe they're innocent.
“Now, which one do we vote for..?”
“You should vote me out!” Jett yelled with no hesitation, almost as if he was waiting for the question.
“I made the plan and started to attack Ulysses first, though.”
“You only did a small stab and called it a day. I continued to stab when you stopped!”
“No, you didn’t…” Mark argued.
The pair continued to argue about who should get voted out. After a while the rest came to a conclusion that Jett was the actual blackened, while Mark was only the accomplice. They explained the bloody boxcutter as just an aftermath of Mark’s attack, which ended fast. They thought that Mark began the stabs just to weaken Ulysses, and then after Jett took over. They thought that while Jett was stabbing, Mark was getting rid of some evidence, one of them being Ulysses's notebook. The students assumed that if Jett gave the last and the most damaging attacks it would made him the blackened. It wasn’t true, but no matter how much Mark protested, it was to no avail. Homever, it seemed like Jett was satisfied with the judgment. Even agreeing with others’ statements that put the blame on him.
“The cat’s out of the bag, huh?” Jett answered others' suspicions. “Yup, I killed Ulysses. Mark only attacked him once or twice at the beginning. I only finished broskii’s job.”
If Jett’s foolishness was going to continue, he was definitely going to get voted out. Mark couldn't let that happen.
“Don’t listen to that idiot. I did more damage to Ulysses, I was the first to attack, but also I did the last hit, I made the plan, and I…” Mark's voice began to shake as he started to run out of things to say to convince the rest. Nobody believed him homever, already set on voting Jett out. He had no evidence to prove his statements. Even though some of them were truthful. Ignoring his pleas, all of them started forming a coherent explanation of what happened. Tozu accepted it with satisfaction.
“Let’s get to the voting, shouldn’t we?”
In a last resort, he voted for himself hoping that somehow more than half of the students voted for Mark, no matter how unrealistic his hope was. His hands were trembling from anticipation, his heart beating loudly and quickly.
“The blackened that killed Ulysses Wilhelm is…Jett Dawson!”
These words hit Mark like a truck, making his head dizzy. Jett was going to die and it was all his fault. He was going to die a painful death, because of Mark’s lackluster plan. If he made a better plan or waited for a beneficial motive this wouldn't happen.
“Jett, how could you?” Toshiko yelled through her fan. “Mark, you too! How could you have helped a murderer…”
Glares and looks of betrayal were thrown at Jett. They made Mark tightly clench his beanie with his shaking hands. He was at fault for all of these stares directed at Jett.
“Why did you do it?! There wasn’t even a motive set!” Cassidy yelled with a shock written all over her face.
Mark noticed that Jett’s attention shifted towards him, who couldn't help, but keep staring at Jett. He gave him a glance, silently asking if he could explain the reason for the murder. He received a slow nod in a response.
“Broskii suggested for both of us to kill together.” Jett started, his voice cracking even though he tried his best to look put together. “He found a loophole in the rules. I mean, if you think about it, two people can be blackened. He was actually telling the truth about him also doing a lot of stabbing!”
“Look at rule no.4. ‘Any Student who is responsible for another Student's death is considered Blackened. All other Students are considered Spotless’.” Jean read.
“Technically they're both responsible for a murder which makes them both blackened!” Eloise noticed.
“If the majority vote goes towards a Spotless Student, then all Spotless Students will be executed, and the remaining Blackened will be granted release.” He continued to read the rules.
“Wait, so who gets executed depends on who gets the most votes?”
“So, that’s why Jett took all the blame? It also explains why Mark was so opposed to it too.” Toshiko analyzed with sadness cracking through her voice.
“We wasted all the time picking who's actually the blackened for nothing?”
Silence filled the trial room, disrupted by occasional whispers. Everybody’s gaze was set on either him or Jett. Mark and everybody else knew that Jett’s time was limited.
Wordlessy, Mark got out of his podium and went to Jett. He unexpectedly pulled him into a hug. Mark’s hands were trembling against Jett’s back. Jett's eyes widened at the rare display of affection coming from Mark. Jett hesitantly returned the hug. After a while Mark spoke.
“I love you.” He murmured into Jett’s shoulder and tightened his embrace.
“I love you too, Mark.” After a while, Jett left the hug, his gloved hands now rested on his helmet instead of Mark's back. Jett took the helmet off his head, revealing his scarred face. Various gasps escaped at the sight. Mark didn’t feel shocked at Jett's face unlike the others, as he was already familiar with it. Homever, he was surprised with the fact that Jett revealed it to other students. Suddenly, all of the commotion was paused by a loud and obnoxious voice.
“Boring! Let’s get to the exciting part, shall we?” Tozu yelled. Mark tensed at the words. He didn’t want to let Jett go. “And now, we present…The execution of Jett Dawson!”
As Jett was about to quickly give Mark his helmet with the limited time he had, the metal collar clutched his neck. It harshly grabbed Jett and pulled him backwards, leading him to his execution. The force made Jett let go of the helmet which unceremoniously fell to the ground in front of Mark with a loud clang.
*
Jett was sitting in a Top Fuel dragster. The car was already turned on. He immediately recognized it as the one he often used before the accident. When he was attempting to get out of it, he realised his torso was tied to the seat. He was stuck in a long, yet claustrophobic tunnel. The room was barely wide enough to fit the car and the ceiling was pretty low.
The walls on the right and left had a massive amount of spinning rip blades attached to them. They were placed randomly on the walls with no sense of pattern, and they were definitely able to reach his body. The ceiling had various escape signs on it pointing forward, to the huge open doorway. The car could definitely fit through it. Although Jett could only see blackness in the arched entryway, it was obviously the exit. The room was lengthy, outstretched. It would take a while to get to the end.
Jett took a look at things closer to him. On his right there was an additional space made for a christmas tree used in drag racing. At first, only the blue light lit. Soon enough the three yellow lights gleamed. Jett focused, instinctively waiting for the green light. It started to glow.
Afterwards, he suddenly felt warmth on his back. Jett turned his head. The wall behind him turned on fire and started moving forward without a pause. He hit the gas. The almost nostalgic smell of nitro emerged in the air.
The fiery wall was getting closer to him, no matter how fast he drove. Jett suddenly felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. One of the circular blades hit him, piercing through his already scarred skin. He left out a wheeze at the impact. Jett kept driving, set on making it out alive no matter what.
Soon enough, a sudden, deep agony spreaded to his side, painting one of the walls red and making Jett lose the pressure on the pedal. He quickly regained his composure on the gas, as he felt the fire like a bunch of slugs biting his back. Fire was directly hitting him, as his only source of coverage on his upper body was a small seat.
Jett was getting closer to the exit, as even more cuts and burns covered him. The closer Jett was to his destination, the more bloody the car alongside him became. His body which was always carefully sealed away was revealed in bits and bits. Especially parts of his back, because of the never-ending fire behind him. The unforgiving wall behind him grew even nearer. It made him shake, even though it was hot against his back.
As Jett went closer to the exit, it was starting to slowly close in, a wall was sliding from the ceiling to the floor. If he was quick enough, he could definitely make it out of here. While he was getting faster, the wall was doing the same - closing in with even more momentum. When he was finally close to the exit, it was already too late. The space left wasn't tall enough for Jett to fit through.
He pulled the fuel pump lever, turning the fuel off. Jett also tugged for parachutes, but they weren’t coming out, it wasn’t working. The desperate attempt to stop the car proved unsuccessful. The door closed fully. Jett wasn't fast enough.
*
Flames were eating away what was left of Jett and the dragstar. He turned into nothing more than a burning, unresponsive shell of who he was, soon to be crushed by the fiery wall. The monitor displaying the execution for the other students turned black.
Mark couldn’t take his eyes off it, even after it ended. He wished he was the one who died. Mark often wished himself death, but now, all the previous pleads were like nothing compared to this. He was at fault for Jett's death. His dumb plan was the reason for his death. Mark should’ve taken the consequences of it, not Jett.
“Even in the darkest depths of the killing game love wins!” Tozu cheered and then glanced at the shaking and hyperventilating Mark. He was paler than regular and tears were overflowing on his cheeks. “Well, not in this case I guess…”
Various sobs filled the room at the sight of the violent execution of Jett. Most of them were just cries of fear for their own lives. They weren’t sobbing because it was Jett’s screams that echoed in the room, they were sobbing because they feared they’re going to end up like him.
Mark, whose legs were trembling, was being glared at by everyone. The majority of the stares sourced from abhorrence while some like Diana's or Toshiko’s were full of pity. He wasn't sure which ones he preferred, not that it really mattered.
Diana tried to comfort Mark. She hesitantly took the helmet from the ground and handed it over to his shaky hands. Mark gently held it, afraid it was going to shatter like glass because of him, just like Jett did.
Diana continued her attempt to encourage Mark, although all of her words were like gibberish to him. He lacked the energy to say anything. Rather than protesting in words, he gave her the most intimidating glare he could muster, but with his current state it wasn’t very effective.
Many voices echoed through the room, but none of them belonged to Jett. He will never hear his voice again. All of the sounds were like white noise to him. Mark couldn't focus on the words said by his classmates. Not that he took any effort into listening to them. Mark just lowered his blank gaze to the floor, unattentive while tears were still running down his cheeks.
After a while, the elevator opened. Mark forced himself to enter it. His sight focused on Jett’s always ingrained spot that was now empty. When the elevator came to a stop, everybody left it. Mark, albeit sluggishly, followed the others’ footsteps and went to the dormitories. he desired some privacy after his loud feelings were open for everybody to see. He unconsciously almost entered Jett’s dorm before he stopped himself. Realising the mistake, he quickly walked over to his own dorm instead, When he entered it and slammed the door shut, his tears threatened to come back once again.