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I refuse… I refuse… I rEfUsE…
Chiaki sighed as she brought the tattered blanket tighter around herself. She found an abandoned building, out of many, to take shelter in for the night. A chilling breeze flowed through the decayed bricks that barely held up the walls. She still shivered despite wearing her Hope’s Peak blazer and a blanket in poor condition. She curled up into a ball as she laid on the cold floor on her side.
Clouds covered the sky in its own blanket of blackness. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The pouring rain left a river in the road. Usually, the tapping sound of water brought comfort. However, knowing that her friends and classmates were somewhere out there, bringing and causing chaos to the world, it produced a depressing atmosphere. Chiaki scooted closer to the still-intact wall. She felt her eyelids drooping, and allowed them to fall shut.
As a dream of hers came to a close, Chiaki heard shuffling nearby. She stayed as motionless as possible with her eyes tightly shut. Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t move. Whatever you do, don’t move! She held her breath as the figure walked closer to her. They paused, then walked away. Their feet crushing the pebbled floor slowly softened out, and then, silence.
The gamer sat up with a huff, rubbing her eye. The rain from yesterday stopped. The sun scattered its rays among the few remaining trees. Chiaki stood up with the blanket bundled in her arms. “Might as well get moving again,” she mumbled as she stepped out onto the rubble.
She barely had enough time to react when a Monokuma walked around the corner.
A chill went up her spine as she heard the robot’s laughter. Without anything to defend herself, she was dead meat. Out of panic and fear, the poor girl threw the blanket at the robot. Then, she sprinted for her life. The Monokuma clawed at the obstruction out of desperation. Once he removed the piece of cloth, the girl disappeared from sight.
Chiaki stood as close to the tall crate as possible, hand over her mouth and gaze wide. Her legs began to ache from standing there for so long. The pounding of the Monokuma robot feet faded out after some time. But what if there are more of them? Surely there isn’t just one, lone robot in the world. That thought alone scared her.