Chapter Text
“You’re seriously fucked up, man.” Kokichi heard Kaito’s voice from the top of the stairs. “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”
Kokichi did not.
“If I were you, I would've just shot myself earlier. A long time ago. Sometimes, I wonder how you live like this. How do you live like the cruel piece of shit you are?”
Kokichi shut his eyes under the press, he wished he had something more interesting to say. Something clever, annoying, something… emotional. People are supposed to have final words before they die, but Kokichi had already poured his heart out into his least favorite person here a couple minutes ago.
“I really don’t want to do this. You at least know that, right?”
“Just kill me already, asshole. You’ve known that I deserve it, what else do you want from me?”
Kokichi tiredly slit his eyes open to give the outside of the press one last stare before he heard a huff from Kaito.
“I want you to do a lot of things, things that you can’t even make up now.”
…
“I want an apology.”
The air was thick; Kokichi could practically taste it.
“You know I won't do that. You know I’m not sorry.”
“* I * know that you’re a dirty liar. Before I lay this down on you, I want you– no. You need to say sorry. Not just to me.”
Kokichi dragged his head to the right, almost like getting ready for bed. Except this was much worse; the reality of it all. It was heavy, like a chained steel ball. But Kokichi, in all honesty, perhaps deserved this end.
“Why? Nobody’s going to forgive me. I don’t see the point.”
“Of course not. Why the hell would anyone forgive you? You killed my friends– Shuichi’s friends… We were * friends * and you took that away. How do you even call yourself human? After all of this?”
“Just press the button.” Kokichi shut his eyes once more. The shiver in Kaito’s typically booming demeanor was making Kokichi more nervous than he’d like, in the face of death.
“Seriosly?” Kaito’s quiet word echoed through the emptiness of the hanger.
“Maybe dying will be my apology.”
The machine came to life, and suddenly, Kokichi wasn’t ready. The closer it got, the more sweat pooled under his frame, the more he jittered and eventually began to cry along with his stuttering breaths of desperation. Nobody would notice, nobody would care. He kept telling himself. It was his first thought in the killing game. He–
This was supposed to be what he wanted, right?
It started with a certain amount of pressure.
But even then, this choice he made…
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it—
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He regretted it entirely.
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His skull cracked like a melon, its essence splattering and gushing out with bright pink.
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Bones cracked, his stomach popped open and rushed out like an upcoming flood when his ribs pierced through what room it didn't have through the sides of his body.
```
And… Even with all of that… He felt like he was awake when he should have been dead… A horrific, painful surgery, for hours. For months, for years, for * decades *…
Kokichi began to feel something that seemed to be a body, a shell, a coffin of his former self. He was trapped again. It's like he would never escape from what he had done. The pain wasn’t all over his body in a certain amount of time, it began to seep into his veins. A burning, stabbing sensation that simply wouldn’t end. It was supposed to end. It was supposed to stop. But it just… hurts.
Even though he didn’t have eyes, they felt like they were glued shut. Bulging through the sockets, like he was getting choked all over again. Underneath his bare palms, it was strange that he felt something soft. It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cool either. It felt plain. Kokichi felt… alive, somehow. He almost felt like he was floating, like he was high on something. This was what he imagined it felt like, anyway.
Smell. He could… smell something. He couldn’t describe it, but it almost felt familiar. It was a mix between a pool and an old orphanage. Though this time, it didn’t have dust to make him sneeze.
Kokichi smuggled enough strength to open his eyes, even if it was only a little.
Dying was something specifically under Kokichi's terms.
He usually gets what he wants in the end, but… he didn’t. This wasn’t what he wanted. This wasn’t what he was expecting. Was this death? There was no way this was death, not even in hell.
The walls were an off-white, the ground was cushioned. Kokichi's veins were on fire.
And apparently, he seemed to have been sleeping on the ground, if not dead.
Kokichi heard himself huff, a symptom of being alive, unfortunately. And other than his own noises, he didn’t hear much else in the room. He didn’t know where he was. Where was he? Where was… Kaito? Ew, maybe he shouldn’t see him. If anything, maybe Kokichi didn’t get crushed.
No… He definitely died. He felt every. damn. thing.
Kokichi moved his arm, noticing that he was lying on his belly.
He got crushed under a hydraulic press.
With a bit of effort, he lifted his arm and put it in a position where he could get himself upwards.
He wasn’t alive. So, if he’s not alive, then… What the fuck is he? Not dead?
“Hrgh…” Come on, two arms. One at a time… Maybe he should have apologized properly. Maybe he wouldn’t have been punished like this. If Kokichi was going to die, then he wanted it quick and painless. Of course, the world had other plans. Cruel human beings don’t get to choose their punishments.
Kokichi was sitting up correctly now. So, he began to assess his situation. He seemed to be in some sort of room, a white room.
The only thing in here was a thin rectangular slot which was about as tall as his eyes reached in his height, and that he hoped was a coincidence, he could check that out.
And… Looking at his clothes… He definitely wasn’t in his uniform for the killing game, either. Not anymore. He was wearing a baggy long sleeved bright orange shirt with a white rectangular tag on the arm. It has some assortment of digits on it… The pants were the same color. At least there’s some variety, considering this boring white room, except for the fact Kokichi doesn’t like the color orange… but… What the hell was happening? Kokichi wasn’t the type that liked to be confused. Was this some sort of fancy jail? Kokichi wouldn’t be surprised. Though, it felt more like a mental hospital. He hated those things.
Kokichi stood up, with a bit of struggle considering he felt like he hadn’t walked in days, but he slowly made his way to the only shape in the room.
So weird, how he made it from the killing game to this… If anyone else was in the same confinement that Kokichi was, he’d like to have a bit of a chat with them. That is, if there is anyone here. It felt isolated. Kokichi didn’t like that.
Kokichi didn’t have to crouch, the hollowed out rectangle was eerily his size. He decided to peek in.
At first glance, there isn’t much to the meesily thing, but looking through it… It almost felt like how he felt when he walked into a room with two mirrors pointed directly at each other. It was another white room. Holy shit, does he have a chance?
“... Hello? Is anyone there?”
Kokichi heard muttering from the other side. It didn’t scare him, though, it sounded familiar.
There was no way. Angie’s dead. He’s going crazy.
…
“Angie? Is that you?-”
“Yohoo~!” Angie’s eyes bounced from the other side. In turn, Kokichi jumped three feet upwards with a short, terrified screech.
“Nyahaha~ sorry! Angie didn’t mean to scare you!” She pulled back to show the rest of her face. She seemed to be wearing the same uniform that Kokichi had been.
“...No…” Oh god. “You… You’re not…”
“Not… What?” Angie’s smile never faltered for even a second. She was always like that, strangely enough.
“You’re not alive. You’re dead.” Kokichi tried to keep his composure, just in case this was a prank.
“Yet, here we are.” She chuckled. “Do you know what this place is?”
“Do you?” Kokichi backed away from the view point.
“Atua has not said a lot to me in my time here. I assumed he drew me a path to ask you.”
Kokichi only stared. Oh, she was serious.
“Atua thinks you have a strong-willed mind. Atua told me he thought you knew everything! I guess not. I will be sure to speak to him; nobody likes lies.”
Unfortunately Kokichi was the embodiment of a lie. He kept his mouth shut, though. “If… you’re dead, and I’m dead… and we’re both alive…”
“Then everyone else walks this earth well? Atua has yet to answer that question.” Angie decided to sit down, out of Kokichi's view. Unless, he wanted to pull himself upward to strain his eyes just to look at her through the window.
“So, you don't know?” Kokichi sighed, and he decided to sit down too.
“If Atua does not answer, I cannot deliver. It is as simple as that.” Her muffled voice answered, Kokichi assumed she was staring at the ceiling, swirling her fingers… making shapes… He couldn’t imagine Angie without her artistic abilities. Her imagination. Kokichi was only creative in planning and pranks, as it was kind of what was left of his memory. He wondered if any of that was real either.
“Angie, how long have you been here?” Kokichi looked up at the blank wall of his temporary prison. “Did you know that I got here?”
“Atua refrains from responding to me when I ask him for the amount of time. But, as for me… I awoke when I had died.” Angie's mood seemed to falter in that moment. It was odd, even for her.
“Me too. I died, then… woke up in this freaky white room. Is yours any different than mine? A bean bag? Some snacks? Videogames~?” Kokichi scooted himself closer to the door while he named off things he could only dream of, those privileges didn't even exist in the killing game.
“Nope! I am assuming your room doesn’t have any of those things either.” Kokichi heard Angie from the other side shuffle a bit.
“Whaaat? I totally have cool stuff over here! I have a TV, a bunch of manga, a smokin’ hot detective, oh! Ohmygod, suddenly there’s an opening to the outside of this super boring room!”
“Nyahaha~ I thought you were good at lying, Kokichi.”
It was silent for a while.
Kokichi could have sworn Angie was more fun to hang out with, but whatever.
“Okay seriously though, is there anything else over on your side? Other than this gloomy prison slot in the middle of the wall?” Kokichi lazily tilted his head.
“There is a window.”
“Huh? A window?”
“Yup, yup.”
This piqued Kokichi's interest.
“What do you see through it?”
“Atua knew you would say that. But, through my vessel, it is a blacked out window.” A blacked out window? So weird… “You cannot see it very well on your side, but it is to the right of me.”
Well, time to be nosey. Kokichi picked himself up, then peeked through the gap again. He didn’t know why he never noticed before, but there it was. A black, boring window. Sitting in contrast with the rest of the white room on her side.
“See it?” Angie's voice came into the air.
“Yeah, I do. I wonder why that's in your room and not in mine, I’m so jealous…” Kokichi sarcastically complained, making emphasis by leaning himself on the white padding of the wall.
“Atua suggests it is security.”
“Well duh, someone's watching us. But why? What could a helpless teenager do in this situation?”
“Atua is watching us. He says we are safe.”
“Well… I get what Atua says, but do * you * think we’re safe?”
“Hm? My opinion? Angie's opinion?”
“Oh, sorry! I was talking to Kaito—yes you, dumbass! Who else?” Kokichi flung his right hand to the side, as he tried to emphasise who wasn’t in the room with him, but it didn’t matter. Because Angie couldn’t see much past his shoulders even if she was standing upright to look at him properly.
“Hm… Angie thinks you are in a bad mood and she will talk to you later.”
“What if there is no later? What if I die?”
“It is okay, Atua will take you into his arms safely.”
“You know– whatever.” Kokichi let himself rest on the wall once more. He was, what? Five minutes in? He was already bored, completely sick of this shit. Plain walls, plain conversation…
If he’s bored, then he might as well find something productive to do. A deeper inspection for white room number one? Sure, why not.
Kokichi began to walk away from the window, completely ignoring Angie's strange mumbles. So… Let’s see…
First of all the walls were white, that’s certain, now that he’s fully awake. Then, the ground was also white. It was made out of this fabric material, and Kokichi noticed the wall had this smooth metal feeling to it. Kind of like a marble. Kokichi noted that he wasn’t wearing shoes, so he assumed Angie also happened to be missing hers as well.
A question Kokichi had was if every room outside of these two looked more like his or Angie's. Were they all connected in a strange partnered manner? Was there even an exit? Kokichi turned his head in a couple directions. How the hell is he alive? Did he even die in the first place? It felt… so * real *. He felt every single moment of it, even though by some point he shouldn’t have been awake any longer.
Okay, okay, calm down. He has lots of questions, that’s the main bit. He already had his little questionnaire with Angie.
He turned himself back to stare at where he last saw her.
That didn’t satisfy him in the slightest.
… He’ll try again.
“Angie?”
“Hmm?”
Ugh.
“How long have I been out? How did I even get here? Do you know?”
“Oh! Atua answers!”
Oh, thank god. Literally.
“Oh? What does… Atua say?” Kokichi replied in the least sarcastic tone he could manage, feeling his disappointment already.
“Atua says he heard a big thump! And then… A shuffling noise. Something closed shut– with a whoosh!” Angie's face popped back up into the window, and she stared directly into Kokichi’s eyes. He couldn’t only assume she was smiling with only being able to see her eyeballs, he could also feel her smiling. It’s weird how Angie does that.
“Huh. I dropped in here? Just like that?” Interesting. Well, that’s one thing to go off of. Kokichi looked upwards. It looked completely blank at first glance. Just some typical white ceiling. From Angie’s whole story, though…
“You heard me come in here with a drop. If I fell, then there’s obviously an opening from the top of this room, yeah?”
“Atua agrees. Nyahaha~ your energy seems to have opened Atua’s mind… He is finally speaking to me~!”
Or maybe you’re just delusional, Kokichi thought but decided not to share.
“Okay, so we’re getting somewhere, Angie~! I’m so glad we make super great partners!” Kokichi clasped his hands together while he made his way back to where he could see Angie.
“Are you… Trying to make an escape? Kokichi?” Angie’s smile suddenly faltered, it morphed into something more confused. Strange, since she smiled the entire time.
“Um, yeah? What else?”
They stared at each other for a few minutes.
“Not sure about you, but I personally don’t like being stuck in an ominous white room for hours on end. I mean, seriously, what if I got attacked by four creepy adults wearing monokuma masks with their own specific methods of torturing me?”
“...Atua thinks… that description is very specific—but he also has noticed that nobody has been harmed in the certain amount of time that Angie has been here. He is not worried.”
“Okay sure, Atua isn't worried, but aren’t you worried? You’re probably being watched through that black window by strangers for all we know.” It was weird how she was just completely okay with the new environment they were in, but Kokichi couldn’t stand being in one place forever. It was torture.
“Well, Angie thinks that * you * are the one worried,” She bluntly stated, then she huffed and crossed her arms over each other.
“How about this? You help me, I help you. We help each other get what we want!” Kokichi upped his tone a bit to hide his frustration, not that Angie didn’t notice, as he pointed his hands towards himself and then to her to explain his point. “Doesn’t that sound more exciting than blissfully meditating with Atua while holding your pee in because I don’t see any bathrooms?”
“Hmmm… Maybe we should find a bathroom.”
OBJECTIVE ONE : The Bathroom
“Wow, we actually agree on something.” Kokichi turned around again to investigate where he had originally come from. A door in the ceiling. Where that led to, Kokichi had no clue. But, it was the way out. One way or another. “Where do you think the knob is that opens this thing?” Kokichi walked to the middle of his containment.
“I assume the only way to open a thing like that would be from the outside. Or…” Kokichi heard a pause.
“...That window.” It was the only other thing that led somewhere else from the two rooms. It definitely caught Kokichi's attention. “Can you look inside the window? Do you know what’s in the room behind it?”
“Umm… Angie can try.” Kokichi heard her light footsteps from the other end, until it came to a stop and he heard her commentary. “The window itself is quite dark, but there are other things behind it.”
“Like what?” Kokichi suddenly rammed himself against his side of the rectangular opening through both of their walls just to get a look.
“Like…” Angie squinted. “A chair, a desk, and… paper…” Another pause, maybe there were things in there that could help them a little bit. “A ladder?”
“...A what?”
Angie turned her body around, and pointed at the window. Like Kokichi could see anything. But, apparently there was an entire ladder conveniently placed in a room beyond Kokichi’s reach. The question was how Angie was going to get that ladder, and how they were both going to use it. First and foremost it had to be flat enough to fit through the small rectangular gap between both of them, and… well… If they ever got it.
“Hey—”
Kokichi lost his balance when the entire ground beneath his feet began to shake underneath him, and just like that the lights that kept the room white went out.
“Angie?!”
If Kokichi told the truth to Angie and he actually did have to go to the bathroom this would have been an issue. Fortunately, the only issue was that he was trapped in a room during what he guessed was an earthquake without anything to hide under for safety.
Something moved, creaked, opened—
“Wh- Eupf..!” Kokichi fell to the floor with a grunt, and his eyes were more adjusted to the dark after a couple of seconds.
Then, right as he felt like his eyes adjusted, the emergency lights brought themselves to life. A broadcast made itself clear.
[ This is not a drill. Unit 1260 has escaped its containment. Repeat. This is not a drill. ]
Kokichi could hardly hear it over the sirens, but he could care less.
The supposed ceiling door that Angie said he fell out of, it slowly descended down like a private escalator for Kokichi only. It was almost highlighted by everything else, and it opened enough for him to be able to jump onto if he did it right.
“Angie?! If you’re awake, the door opened! Ahaha! Hallelujah!” Kokichi’s voice cracked while enjoying his chance at freedom, he then pushed his body upwards to get himself as ready as possible. He doesn’t know how long this emergency thing will last.
Kokichi practically leaped onto the opening with everything he had, gripping what felt like more fabric to keep himself on the damn thing. This was a really odd way to make a room. Kokichi didn’t have much time to think of anything else, though. He needed to get out of here. He climbed up, taking himself far enough into the ceiling that he couldn’t see the floor any longer.
He really hoped it wasn’t a trap, some type of execution type deal.
The red lights stopped.
[ Unit 1260 has been captured and released back into containment. Continue business as usual. ]
Wait, does that mean-
Kokichi felt the slope he was climbing begin to move upwards. Shit. He didn’t think much about this part. The fabric that felt loose before began to flatten, it almost felt like a water bed from where he crawled. He was off balance, and he was losing grip on the white cloth because they were becoming a material that didn’t fit his needs in the moment—
Kokichi lost his footing, he began to fall backwards.
And when Kokichi was going to fall into the room where he started, the stable barrier between the inside of the ceiling and the white containment closed with a loud click. Thank god it lifted quickly when the emergency was over. Otherwise, he would have fallen right back in. Or worse, he fell and got stuck between where the door was supposed to shut and ultimately got cut in half like a human sandwich.
Kokichi was on his back. Now he had a new problem. He didn’t know where the fuck he was.
Well, he knew. But he didn’t. How was he supposed to know? This entire building was unfamiliar to him, other than the smell of it.
Kokichi rolled onto his knees, out of his weird shocked position. Even the ceiling was weird. Kokichi could see the stretched fabric, whatever it was, but it was stretched so tight it was flat. Like concrete. No, that’s not the right word for it. Not concrete. More like, that kids play area foam. A yoga mat type feel. Smooth, but kind of cushiony. Does it loosen when the door comes down? Is that how people get down there during an emergency? Hm…
Kokichi poked the floor. Yeah, no budge.
Kokichi’s out, but Angie’s not out. Quote on quote out, because he only managed to get into the ceiling of all places, but out nonetheless.
“Okay, we are * done * looking here,” Kokichi finished, and decided to stand up. He turned his head to the left, this… ceiling was like a room in itself. It was a huge hallway, yet it took the form of what looked like some space tunnel. Kaito would really love dumb stuff like this.
…Stop thinking about Kaito, you both hate each other.
Kokichi also noticed everything was dim. This hallway tunnel thing seemed to have a blueish tint to it. Kokichi stuck out like a sore thumb here. And, from what he heard from the overhead…
.
.
.
[ This is not a drill. Unit 1260 has escaped its containment. Repeat. This is not a drill. ]
.
.
.
He wasn’t particularly excited about getting caught, if he did. The broadcast mentioned… A number. A certain amount of digits that Kokichi also happened to have on his clothing. If they say his number over the broadcast, does that mean he’ll get chased down? Guess he will just have to find out…
One foot, then the other, he makes his way to where he assumes Angie is.
The hallway Kokichi walked in… especially since he didn’t have shoes… It was super weird. The walls towered over him, with thick tubes and wires. It created a large, incomprehensible net wherever he looked on that side. He’d thought that maybe Tsumugi would come up with something this surreal. What does it matter though? He’s been in the killing game, he’s seen the motive videos. At this point, if he was told unicorns were real, or if aliens existed, he probably would believe it. To the left, there were perfect squared frames. A pattern in the wall. And… down… There it was. The so-called door that Kokichi fell out of, except this one might be Angie's.
Here’s the question, how does he open it? Apparently, it opens during an emergency. If it did, everyone else who had a door like Kokichi would have been able to go through it easily. He was starting to think this was some trick, some new killing game Kokichi was forced into. This wasn’t hell, this was worse than hell.
He batted his eyes at anything else that could give him a clue. Angie said the door couldn’t open from the inside, so if there’s this gigantic hallway that each room has access to without power, why wouldn’t there be a handle on the outside? Unless… This wasn’t the entrance to any of these rooms. Maybe they were emergency exits. They were pretty easy to overcome when they were opened.
This… feels too easy. This is part of something much larger, isn’t it? Kokichi didn’t want to think about it right now. One step at a time.
Do these wires lead to anything? Kokichi padded over to the power cords. Lots of them, but they weren't organized. At least, Kokichi didn’t think so.
[ Ding dong , bing bong ]
Kokichi’s heart skipped a beat. There couldn’t be…
A synchronized echo filled the hallway, then a robotic female voice followed through.
[ All quarantined patients, please make way to sector C. ]
Oh. So there was a way out. Patience.
…
Doesn’t matter now, Kokichi’s already made it out this far. If he got caught, he could only imagine what these people he hadn't met yet would do to him.
Focus, Kokichi. Angie is in that room. Where is the entrance? Simple and easy, right?
And… If Kokichi’s a quarantined patient, then he’s fucked, considering it took the announcer approximately ten seconds to say the whole shabang was over. So, let’s hope they don’t notice he’s missing.
If there’s nothing here but fancy square patterns, wires, and the door underneath Kokichi… There isn't much for him to work with. He has to move forward. This time, he unfortunately has to reverse back to his selfish ways and save his own life rather than sitting around sucking his thumb for someone else.
One foot…
…
It’s been a couple minutes, and every single thing looks the same. Kokichi had come to the conclusion that he was very much lost. He hadn’t lost hope yet, though.
He stopped at an ending. A break in the mold, a new wall. It almost looked like a safe, but it wasn’t made out of metal. Or steel… It was… this weird, shiny, marble texture. It almost reminded Kokichi of that movie “Aliens”. Their weird spaceships…
This wall didn’t look like a door, or any opening of some sort. It did in fact, to Kokichi's relief, have a vent at the bottom of the wall, a little opening with a sort of weak covering that Kokichi might be able to fit inside of if he removed what wasn’t supposed to be removed. Well, maybe he wasn’t so excited about the small space, but he had to keep moving. He had no idea where that could lead to. He needed answers.
With little effort, he managed to take his hands and arms and lessen them inside of the vent. He eventually had gotten the rest of his body inside, too.
If Kokichi had been a healthy person, he would have been a lot more uncomfortable. This was one of those lucky days that being a fast metabolized unhealthily scrawny teenager really paid off.
“Hgk..!” That didn’t mean it wasn’t completely comfortable though. It was on the floor, the vent. A complete cave dive. Kokichi’s first, and his last.
The vent seemed to bend downwards, Kokichi slid down as slowly and as calmly as he could. He seriously wasn’t a fan of tight spaces, especially now that he had gotten crushed by a hydraulic press recently… Man, he just hated when that happened. Totally not cool. Oh, how would Shuichi feel? How could he kiss him when he was a human sized omelet?
Kokichi stopped.
“Oh, great.”
The vent led to a split. One left, one right. Thankfully, it wasn’t actually too dark in there to see. Every couple of feet there were fans, and through the fans it led to different areas of the… containment, Kokichi was inside of. They all had their lights turned on. He wondered if he should at least peek through them to see what the hell this building's format was. Another part of Kokichi decided against it.
Better keep moving. Once Kokichi chose a side, he was sure he could turn back if it was a dead end or what-not.
Left.
Angie might be this way, if he got Angie, then he could use her for something. Something to help whoever else is stuck here. From what Kokichi had gathered, anyone who supposedly died in the killing game ended up… here. No biggie. He can deal with this, just like he dealt with the killing game. Though, in reality he had no idea what happened to everyone after he died. Maybe everyone who’s alive is unconscious.
One way to find out, after finding Angie.
This vent seemed the same, at least that’s a good thing. At least Kokichi can * expect * in this place. Even if only a little.
There was a soft buzz, and it was a bit chilly as Kokichi could feel it all running through his hair. They sure had the conditioning on. He was kind of nervous about the temperature, but hopefully he’d get out in time to get some fresh air.
The creaking underneath Kokichi when he crawled didn’t warm him up any further either.
“If this thing breaks and I fall into a freakish chamber filled with dead bodies… I swear…” Kokichi muttered under his breath.
Just at that moment, something broke the mold in the endless humming that infested the air.
Kokichi decided to look down out of curiosity.
“...okay, what now? One of them escaped. They’re smart, remember?” A voice continued with a conversation Kokichi had just begun eavesdropping on.
“The more ‘emergencies’ happen, the more chance we have of getting an actual one. What kind of safety do you speak of here?”
From what Kokichi could tell, it was the voice of a man. He was almost as short as Kokichi, with brown hair… He also seemed to be wearing a type of white, long coat. It matched everything else in this damned building.
“Makoto, for an Ultimate… I wouldn’t have expected you to be so naïve… And, as for lowly trash like me… I don’t control the company. You don’t control the company. In the end, the only thing we can both do is watch it all happen…”
So Ultimates do still exist here, huh. Kokichi was starting to wonder if this was the real world. Maybe he was being tricked again. Kokichi decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep himself in front of the open view of the small fan, with his neon orange gaudy clothing.
He kept crawling. And even then, Kokichi still heard… Makoto, and the other person converse with each other. Apparently, this was a company. A company that put teenagers in containment, he supposed.
Just as Kokichi was going to the next room, he felt a weak spot in the vent. It made a tremendously loud creaking noise, making Kokichi wince in response.
“Shit–” Kokichi whispered through his struggle to keep still.
The two adults went silent. It had gotten their attention.
Kokichi was so dead.
“...Did you hear that?” The taller one began to speak, this time his voice was hushed. It was almost like they were the ones scared, not Kokichi.
“I wish I didn’t.” The shorter one’s voice shivered, though it could have been almost unnoticeable to any normal person. Not Kokichi, he was far from that. He could understand any tone like the back of his hand, and he wouldn’t shy away from using it to his own advantage.
However, there was a large gap of time between that exchange of words. Kokichi could only hear the faint buzzing of the machine he was inside of doing its job, and a light ticking of a clock that Kokichi assumed was in the room he was almost out of.
“It… must have been a rat. Of some sort.” Kokichi heard a shuffle, possibly the person shifting their position.
“Do you think… one of them escaped? Again–”
“Just grab the gun. I don’t like risking anything.”
Oh, a gun. The last time Kokichi was in the presence of a gun, it didn’t end very well for him. Especially people who are * good * at using a weapon like that. Kokichi’s cue to leave.
The second Kokichi put any amount of pressure on the vent in front of him, that's when it collapsed from underneath his weight. To be fair, he was still almost a hundred pounds.
Thankfully, the vents were connected to the ceiling over a collection of wood boards that he assumed were meant to keep the vents from falling onto someone's head if they ever failed to keep themselves where they were supposed to be.
“Ugh..!” Kokichi wished he could silence himself, because now these people knew he existed. He escaped. He was bad.
These wooden boards saved him, but for how long?
“There! That’s the thing that—”
“With my luck, I’m sure that this will hit..!” Oh, they were serious.
Kokichi didn’t plan very far, he kind of pulled a lot of this escaping bullshit out of his ass. But, here he goes.
The trigger pulled, and there was a loud exploding sound that came out of the object. It made Kokichi jump, but he still managed to keep himself where they couldn’t reach.
“You call * that * luck?! Give me that—”
“They say third times the charm!”
“I say trust your companion for once. Give me the gun, Nagito…!”
While they started arguing, Kokichi managed to crawl to where he originally wanted to be. The issue was his bright clothing. He wasn’t leaving that easily, at least, not without a mark.
More bangs from the weapon filled the room. Every time they happened, Kokichi’s ears rang… This piercing, stabbing sensation. He just barely dodged a bullet that flew up near his ear, he felt the air from it. So horrifyingly close, but thankfully it hit the ceiling above him. Holy shit, he could actually die from this.
Keep going.
With much struggle, Kokichi moved to the next room. He didn’t get much time to fully see if there was a door that these two maniacs could easily go through to blow his brains out. He was fine. This was fine.
“Where did it go? I’m— kind of… out of bullets…” Kokichi assumed the taller one spoke.
“What do you * mean * where did it go? It’s wearing bright orange just like every other contained animal in this stupid job.”
A click, the shorter one grabbed the gun back.
“With me around… you’re going to get bad luck, you know…”
Kokichi's heart punched his chest, his breathing uneven, and his ears still rang. Throbbing, and throbbing. He just needed to get back to the vents, that’s all… yeah…
“Keep looking for it, it’s most likely still up there.”
Just like Kokichi suspected, the door to the room he didn’t want them to come inside of opened.
Kokichi slowly attempted his way over to the vent. Just… a little further…
creak
“Anything orange, yet?” What was his name? Nagito? Yeah, he said that. “Did you at least reload the gun?”
“Of course I did.”
Ugh… does this ever end?
Kokichi froze, attempting to hide any of his body from the two men for a few seconds.
He took great carefulness in sneaking his way more than halfway across the room while they spoke over themselves. Kokichi did great, at least in his head.
“We can’t let it ambush us, not like last time. That almost got us fired.” Makoto stopped.
Last time?
…Whatever. It doesn’t matter. The vent is right in front of him now.
He— …
Oh.
Once Kokichi was where he wanted to be to progress in his plan, the vent didn’t even connect to the boards. It wasn’t close enough to just crawl over. He’d have to take a small jump.
Kokichi took another glance down at the adults. Then back to the escape vent.
“It’s still up there.” Makoto whispered, not that it was very quiet.
“Shoot and hope for the best?” Nagito replied.
“I think you’re better at hoping than me.”
Okay, yeah. To them, Kokichi was just an animal. Something to kill off, and then forget about. At least he knew that they would make it quick for Kokichi.
“Here, if you actually hit it I think we’ll get a raise!”
And once again, Kokichi began to wonder why he’s still trying to * live *. He was dead, wasn’t he?
“…Really?”
They’re chattering. They’re busy. Stop thinking. Just jump.
“No.”
He readied himself, and then with much effort he leaped—
BANG
ow ow ow ow
Something unbearably hot dug itself into his side. It hurt. Kokichi choked, and forgot how to climb for a moment as he grasped what he could from the outside of the vent. It was closed. Idiot. It’s closed— the vent is closed and he jumped and assumed it was gonna let him in? Just like that?
Kokichi was hanging from the vent, his hands keeping him from falling.
He’s going to die.
click click click
“What the—“ Nagito tried pulling the trigger, but the bullets didn’t come out. He shook the gun a bit.
“It’s jammed? Are you serious?”
Kokichi’s heart should’ve stopped beating a long time ago.
“Give me it.”
“Huh? No, don’t worry I got it. Just… one second…”
While they fought over who was going to end Kokichi’s life, he wheezed as he attempted to climb on top of it so he could possibly take off the cover in time to just get. Out of here.
Like a ladder, Kokichi slowly pulled one hand over the next and lifted himself to the point where he could reach one leg over. It’s risky, considering the height of his fall, but it will have to work. He couldn’t think of anything else, his body was too hot. His hands were too cold, yet they were sweaty, slipping over each metal bar as he heard click over click over click.
He was high enough. He reached over an arm, and practically dragged himself over the top of the vent before he heard another gunshot shake the room.
“Ahah! Look, hope has taken the living trash’s side once again…”
He was getting used to it. He wasn’t getting used to the hurt in his side, though. Kokichi needed to act quickly.
“Shut up and SHOOT IT.”
Kokichi did his best to take off the lid of the vent, he was vulnerable like this. This stupid bright orange.
The lid was loose, and then right when he lowered his head to watch the piece of metal cling helplessly on the floor.
BANG
Another bullet flew right over his head.
BANG
And then another, slashing his left arm and taking the orange fabric with it. At this moment, Kokichi wanted to cry a bit.
BANG BANG
The next few shots missed.
Even though these two were talking about luck earlier, it seemed to be on Kokichi’s side.
He placed a hand on the left side of his possession on top of the object, getting ready to swing and fling himself into the vent fast enough so he could avoid any more shots.
1,
2…
“DAMNIT FIRE!”
3!
BANG
Kokichi was already head first into the vent, but the bullet nearly hit his shoulder on the way in. He was fine. He made it, so that’s what mattered.
The adults weren’t finished yet, though. Kokichi heard bullet after bullet, ears ringing and stinging when each shot passed him by, creating holes with a ping, following another ping as they continuously destroyed the shell of Kokichi's escape tunnel. He’ll have to move quicker, even when blood stained his orange shirt. Even when sweat gathered over his forehead and his heart wouldn’t stop ramming against his ribcage.
Arms dragged his body, and he was pretty sure he was making a bloody slug trail wherever he went. The furious yells, the shots, and the buzzing of the vents no longer went through to Kokichi's brain as all he could hear was a faint mind numbing ring.
…Rrringggg…
…Riiiiinggggg…
…Rrrrriiiiiiiiiiingggggg
When does it stop… haha…
He wasn’t aware how far he had army crawled before he began to realize the vents started to decelerate. He felt like he was going to fall. He was lightheaded, he thought. Had he stopped bleeding yet?
Kokichi turned his head, looking back at the sticky pink sludge following him. That's… That's probably not good. The average person usually bleeds out and dies in… less than ten minutes sometimes? He still has time. He just needs to get out. Yeah, get out… One goal after another.
At some point, between fuzzy black and seeing the grey steel surrounding him, he felt an exit. A familiar, bridge like bar structure he could softly drag his fingers up and down it. It’s cold. It’s so nice… No, focus. Out.
“Ngh… come on… open…” It creaked, Kokichi almost thought it wouldn’t budge– but it did budge. It opened. Kokichi was hanging again.
This would have been Kokichi’s half cut sandwich possession if he had died from the exit out of his white torture room. His arms hung down, but from what Kokichi could tell the floor wasn’t that far away. The other half of his body was still inside of the vent. But it's fine. He’s not dying at all right now. And he’s probably gotten to the point where he’s seeing things now, because there are multiple black figures in this room, walking closer to Kokichi.
He gives up.
He passes out.