I remained motionless for a few seconds.
The red light was still clinging to my skin.
The air vibrated around the circle,
(If I continue like this, they will all die, including me, especially in the next game, but if I do nothing, they will sacrifice me; in both cases, I always have a knife to my throat.)
– …Synchronizing the watches, I murmured.
I looked at my wrist.
The screen no longer displays my usual data.
Just two lines.
[ACTIVE LINK, CENTRAL]
[FIELD SETUP]
[ROOM REHABILITATION, RETURN HOME]
"Too bad..." I sighed.
I looked up.
A-09 was still smiling, crouching a few meters away.
Her eyes shone with an almost amused gleam.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked lightly.
"WHAT what?" I repeated.
– boo-hoo..., he sighs and looks away.
I resumed my obsession with the watch in order to understand something about it.
It was different from mine; it had three extra buttons: a green one, a blue one, and a red one protected by a kind of cover.
I wanted to know what it was used for.
– (green seems healthier to me)
A wave rippled through the ground.
The circle vibrates.
A high-pitched whistling sound pierced the eardrums.
[ACCELERATED SEQUENCE]
[ELIMINATION OF TWO VICTIMS TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL….]
Screens appeared around us, floating like liquid mirrors.
They were displaying distorted images.
Me.
A-09.
And… other faces.
Seo-Hwan.
Kim Young.
Kang Dae.
Ji-Yunwoo.
All frozen, each in a different pose, like digital statues.
"What the hell is this?" I said, covering my ears.
A continuous humming filled the space, a machine sound.
Each step echoed heavily.
My body trembled in rhythm with the ground.
[PAYMENT DEADLINE: 00h12min]
Twelve minutes?
Before what?
Before what?
I collapse to the ground, lacking balance.
It's painful.
Everything around us was becoming flat.
Everything that lives owes something.
And everything that concerns you will pay for you.
"That's it..." I murmured.
A brief laugh escaped my lips.
A shadow appeared behind me.
Reflex.
I turn around, blade raised.
It was Kang-Dae.
He stared at me for a long time before raising a hand in a sign of peace.
His face was covered in dust, his eyes were sunken.
But he was standing upright.
"Ki-Moon," he said finally.
– You look like a corpse.
– ha~... , I replied.
He approached, slowly.
And clings to me
But my eyes drifted to his watch.
I raised my head.
Our eyes meet.
He gave a slight smile.
Then his expression froze.
"And then, damn it," I sighed.
Fuuuuu!
The blade passed so close to our heads
"Stop it!" Cria Kang shouted. "You want to kill us all!"
Seo Hwan was not ready to let it go
The ground vibrated again.
Stronger.
It shakes so much that I feel a burning sensation in my chest.
A feeling of wanting to vomit.
Kang-Dae completely collapsed on top of me.
My breath caught in my throat.
The ground was shaking even more.
The screens changed color, going from red to blue.
I slammed my fist into the ground, pulling myself out of its weight.
Sweat blurred my vision.
But standing upright, a silhouette.
Kim Young.
Her hair was matted with sweat, her eyes fixed on her watch.
No hate.
No fear.
"Shit," she said.
I stood up, unsteady.
– Hey! Kim Young, I called out.
Then the cube was taken out and the lever
His gaze trembled.
"This isn't the time for jokes, Ki-Moon!" she shouted, a hint of anger in her voice.
The ground vibrated again.
Almost knocking me to the ground
"You can..." I said in a broken voice.
– a deal, with me.
– it's to our advantage
She stared at me.
– with you?
She smiled sadly.
– I think you don't understand the situation.
– then explain
Kim Young frowned and gave me the middle finger.
– the best thing to do is to eliminate you
I remain full
The cube in my hand.
[INCOMPLETE GAME]
[GAMBLING DEBT FOR EACH PLAYER]
[TIME REMAINING: UNKNOWN]
I watched Kim Young in the distance.
Then emptiness in front of me.
A smile appeared on my face, without me even realizing it.
So that's how it is, my worth is decided for me.
It's very funny, it's very funny, I expected too much from you, a little too much.
And in that metallic silence, only one phrase still echoed in my head:
The best thing to do is to eliminate you.