Snake 6:30 P.M. Fourth Day
After the announcement, we all piled into the dining room one after the other. The table didn't have the usual food on it and we all waited with bated breath, not daring to speak. The atmosphere was tense as we waited for the announcement that could be our salvation or our doom.
The doors to the side of the painting open once more, and people in suits and masks walk into the room, lining up along the walls and standing still. The last person out the door is a man in a cat mask who stands at the front of the table, where everyone can see him.
"Welcome everyone, I am your host, Mr. Cat." He introduces himself with a bow.
"Why are we here!? What game are you talking about?!" Rooster is quick to shout at the man. I keep silent, sinking into my seat slightly, trying to avoid the piercing eyes of Mr. Cat as they sweep the room.
"I'll get to the explanation quickly since it seems you folks are so eager to start. I'm sure you've noticed that something like this costs an extreme amount of money-"
"What does that have to do with anything!?" Rooster interrupts. His eyes shift to her, and there's something cold and unfeeling in them that makes me shiver. Rooster must sense it too as she slams her mouth shut.
"That's better. Back to what I was saying: There are many small cameras set up throughout this hotel to watch you. Don't worry; there are none in the bathroom, and the ones in your rooms are deactivated until we need them." At his words, everyone in the room is outraged.
Cameras, they're watching us on fucking cameras. I dig my nails into my arm, only stopping when it feels like I'm about to bleed.
"It seems you don't appreciate that, but there is a reason for it. We are sponsored by certain wealthy individuals who would like to watch the game that I have prepared, that is how we were able to set everything up. I will now explain the games to all of you." Mr. Cat explains this all with glee.
It's disgusting, we're just entertainment for the wealthy, that's the only reason we're here. I want to cry, scream my lungs out, fight back, anything. But none of it would help, it would only make our situation worse. I keep my expression carefully blank, trying not to let any of my malice slip through in my expression.
"The game you will be playing is simple, it's a killing game! The only motive provided is that if you kill someone, you will be able to get out of here, leaving the rest doomed to live here forever. The rules are that if you kill someone, you have two ways of making it out, if you keep the body hidden for three days, or if you win in a trial after the body is discovered. If a body is found, you may investigate as you want, and once you are sure of your clues, you may accuse somebody. After accusing someone, we will take a vote on who wants to defend the accused, and everyone will split into two groups and either defend the accused or prove that the accused did it. Does this make sense?" Mr. Cat asks once he's done.
"Are you insane? We would never kill each other!" Rat shouts in dismay. She stands up and glares at Mr. Cat.
"Really?" He hums.
"Of course we wouldn't kill anybody! Killing someone is a crime and a disgusting act, nobody here would do it for something as trivial as getting out of here." Horse agrees. Though I want to believe their words…I'm not naive enough to believe a bunch of strangers wouldn't kill to get out of here.
"What happens if the person accused is innocent and we find evidence supporting this halfway through the trial?" I raise my hand to ask Mr. Cat. I spot the others turn their angered expressions toward me, but I don't look at them for long, keeping my gaze fixed on Mr. Cat.
"The accused simply provides you an angle to look at, in the end everyone will vote for they think is truly guilty, if you all find the right person then they will be killed as punishment for getting caught, after all, those guilty of murder should get their punishement, does that answer your question?" He asks, tilting his head.
"Yes, thank you," I respond. It's better to have all the knowledge in a situation, if we ever got to that point and didn't know what to do, it could have disastrous consequences if he doesn't tell us.
"Well, if nobody else has any questions-"
"How are we supposed to kill someone? I don't see any weapons." Tiger cuts in. Even more enraged expressions are turned our way, I don't know why I'm being implicated when I didn't ask the question though.
"They are around, almost anything can be a weapon, though I have hidden a few around the hotel just for you guys, so enjoy!" He exclaims. He proceeds to wait a few seconds, looking at each person before clapping his hands together.
"With no more questions, let's get this feast started!" He shouts. The people lining the room exit through the doors, coming out a few minutes later with food they place on the tables. Once they're done, they all leave along with Mr. Cat, I catch his eye just before he leaves, his eyes look out at us with undisguised hatred. A chill runs through my body as the door closes on that gaze. As soon as Mr. Cat leaves the room, it explodes into a chorus of outraged shouts.
"What is wrong with you two! You're basically saying you'll commit murder!" Horse scolds.
"Those questions…were a bit much," Rat says, scratching her cheek.
"A bit much? Asking if there are any weapons is a confession if I've ever heard one." Dragon chuckles.
"I just wanted to know, I mean, who runs a killing game with no weapons?" Tiger shrugs.
"Do you people really think that nobody here would kill someone to leave? We're all strangers, it would be weirder to trust everyone here with our lives." I explain.
"I-I would never kill someone…that's mean." Rabbit replies.
"Though they have a weird way of saying it, I actually agree with those two, we barely know each other, I mean, one of us could already be a murderer." Monkey states with a smirk.
"Indeed, human nature is a fickle thing." Dog says while nodding.
"Kill? We have to kill each other…to leave? This isn't fair! I want to go home!" Boar starts to sob.
"It'll be alright young one, how about you eat some food for now." Dog comforts, patting his head and filling up his plate for him. Boar stops sobbing and nods, taking the plate from Dog gratefully.
"Hmm, kill…not kill…it doesn't matter, just treat the place as a fun vacation." Sheep hums.
"This kid is crazy." Rooster snorts, pointing at Sheep. He doesn't seem to notice the insult as he piles his plate high.
"Ah! He's taking all the good food!" Tiger quickly snatches up a few items out of the spread. I grab my plate and start piling it high as well, slapping Tiger away when he tries to take some off my plate.
"Ahem, I think, for now, we should continue looking for a way to escape, I want to believe that the people here wouldn't be capable of murder, so for those of you who don't believe in that, could you trust in me?" Ox says diplomatically.
"Do what you like, if somebody gets murdered don't come running to me with apologies," I tell him.
"Mhm, what he said," Tiger mumbles through a mouth full of food.
"I would like to trust in you. I hope you do well with my trust." Dog says kindly.
"Hmmm, we'll see what happens," Monkey says mysteriously. The rest of the meal is filled with sounds of chewing and idle chatter, everyone seems a bit on edge, but overall relaxed after the announcement of the killing game.
Only I'm clenching my toes under the table, trying to avoid the shaking fear that threatens to envelop my body. Kill to get out of here, I can't deny that it's tempting, hiding a body for three days in this big hotel should be easy. But precisely because I'm thinking that is why I'm so terrified.
If I'm even pondering it even with my shitty life outside of this hotel, what could people who have better, more successful lives be thinking? Murder is a lot easier than people think, one accident, one time thinking of it as a solution to your problem is enough to get you thinking about it more and more.
Murder is the ultimate solution in a place like this, and if you don't get caught you get away scot-free, it's too enticing, all too probable. But nobody recognizes that, they're still living in their happy fairytale land where trusting each other is enough…my eyes flick to Tiger who's still happily eating next to me.
I wonder what's going through his head, my new friend seems simple enough, but what he said on the first day still rings through my head, how easily he called himself crazy, almost casually. He's smarter than he acts, and something about that scares me…but he's the only person who's ever wanted to be my friend. Ugh, this is too complicated.
"I'm going to bed," I say, getting up from the table.
"Aw, you always go to bed early." Tiger whines.
"Going to bed early and getting up early is better for your health," I reply, pushing my chair in and leaving through the doors. I can feel different gazes on my back as I leave, curiosity, hatred, amusement. Whatever these people are thinking, I know one thing, I can't trust any of them.