Chapter 3: Double Murder

It was such a sight, seeing blood spread across the floor staining everything in its path..

This is beyond anything that I imagined. This game is messed up. This is mayhem. 

The victim slowly stared at me, her eyes a bloodshot filled with malice. I laughed as she screamed revealing a nice set of teeth. "I need to help her," my body warned me yet I didn't even bother to move. 

The blood finally reached my toes, now painted in red I walked away leaving trails of blood around the hallway. 

* * *

The scream only lasted a second, what followed afterwards was a blinding silence. 

I quickly examined my tray and saw a file underneath the plates. I guess I had overlooked those details and got a bit ahead. 

A picture of an old lady was attached on the paper, various information was included, her age, occupation, and other personal facts about her. I didn't mind it all as I was fixated at the last line of text written about her. 

"Madeline Günter killed her husband 20 years ago due to infidelity. During her arrest she killed two of the police that captured her with a rifle that her husband had illegally bought and was able to escape. We found her in the boonies living a secluded life and suffered dementia during those times."

This information is like indirectly telling me if it was right to kill an old lady who had forgotten her crimes. 

I chuckled at the fact that this game is well thought of… although the reason for this is still unknown the primary goal is to kill and survive. As if all our crimes will be forgiven by committing another crime. 

As a serial killer… it wouldn't be a surprise that everyone will work together just to kill me. 

I opened the door slightly and saw someone silently walking past me. I quickly shut the door after our eyes met briefly. I became aware that he had a knife for a weapon. 

"Wait, the weapon!" 

I quickly glanced at the tray and aside from food, only the dental floss can be considered useful in assasination. "Seriously, is this even legal?" 

Right now I can feel that maltreatment is clearly evident in this facility. 

"Ah, this will do…" 

I rushed a few bites of food and wrapped the dental floss around my hand for convenience. 

Should I go for the kill? Is there a penalty if I just spectate and do nothing?

Nevermind, not that my questions will even be answered. Let's just find out and regret afterwards.

Of course, I'm a sensible person, thus I decided to just observe how this game will play out, being reckless is not good, and ignorance is a disadvantage. 

I sighed deeply before opening the door. The place was momentarily silent, and the lights were just barely lit. The target should be fixated on finding a nice hiding spot, her old age will surely bite her when she mindlessly runs across the hall. 

I came across one participant, and he stared at me and sniggered. He must have pitied me for having dental floss as a weapon. I would even like to question the validity of this game, but I guess it's all too late for that. 

I tried not to mind him and continued to walk forward. I didn't even try to conceal my steps. Things are still kind of surreal, and I had yet to feel any need to get serious. 

But that was only for a moment. A figure of a blindfolded old lady appeared and disappeared in my peripheral vision like some sort of Doppler's Effect. 

The events were too fast to even comprehend. The guy beside me didn't even flinch and with a quick dash he followed the granny with nimble steps. 

For sure this is not the first time he had chased the old lady. A group of people was already behind her tail, with eyes indicating their thirst for her bloody corpse… "What is the matter with these guys!" 

The chase only got intense from there… 

I really picked the worst day possible to be a killer. A guy was already on the move, he was already on look out, trying to ambush a defenseless old lady. What a shrew. 

Well, it's just that I happened to be that shrew. The only good thing about it is that I'm an expert at this. Although, to be honest, that’s not my main concern. 

It’s been five minutes since I caught the old lady, and quite frankly I think I'm too good at this thing. I might as well massacre the entire building right now. 

She hardly even fought once she noticed my presence, before that I tripped her making her lose momentum while running. At first, I considered the risk of being identified, only to realize that she doesn't even know me.

I'm the new kid, thus my chances of being named is close to zero. But that kind of win doesn't sit well with me. I also thought that killing her would have no significant meaning. 

Now I'm contemplating whether to go for the kill or should I just let her run.

Up ahead was a mob of killers. I found out that this is already the tenth round, no wonder the participants are already too good at this. Surely after a few days I will no longer have any second-thoughts in killing someone. 

I deliberately unwrapped the dental floss in my arm, and used it to cut the string tying her hands. I could already hear the footsteps of the killers. I'm going to test my luck, now this attempt will completely screw me if it doesn't work. 

Faster and faster I sawed the thread, my hands were already bleeding from the friction and heat. Right behind me, footsteps are getting louder and nearer. 

Oh gosh, I thought to myself, "Why the hell am I doing this?" Right now I'm starting to regret my idiocy. I mean, I'm helping a person that I'm supposed to kill. 

Being brought here unknowingly, and being subjected to a very suspicious death game. It kinda pissed me off. I needed to get back to that Blanchet one way or another. Yes, this is a petty revenge, a revenge I'm willing to risk my life for. 

It was either I succeeded or screwed up— Those are my options, I’m a 22 year old serial killer, and I hate being limited by brandished rules. "You better be thankful for this granny!" I silently thought. 

Pluck!

The thread frayed off successfully. I felt a sense of relief, but that was only for a moment as a group of knife-holding killers was now only a few meters away from me. I quickly jumped out of the way and rolled off. 

The old lady turned her back from the sound and stood up slowly only to fall. Then I noticed that she had a bad fall for being tripped earlier. The mob was arriving fast, and the tension didn't dissipate. She frantically crawled forward for the hope to save her life. 

I almost laughed seeing her struggle in vain. She used her freed hands to propel herself forward. 

Slowly she crawled and grunted. She's panting from both anxiety and fear. 

She crawled as the footsteps got closer. 

She crawled.

Although, it was too late. 

The mob was able to catched up to her. 

The rescue attempt has miserably failed. The quick turn of events didn't go in her favor, and I was there staring at her being brutally stabbed by ten people while preparing myself to go back to my room. 

But then, that’s when it hit me, I was screwed. Since I helped the old lady, Madam Blanchet will surely view it as an obstruction to the game. I contemplate further as her blindfold slightly loosen, she's flailing her arms in pain, screaming, all while staring at me as if I failed her. The mob slowly dispersed confirming her death, blood spread into a pond even reaching my feet. 

I stepped back not a second later. The game had issued another target since the game ended a bit quickly. They immediately express their bloodlust and their urge to kill revved more intensely than before. As the game continued, a little kid went past me to grab an abandoned ice pick. He had this ugly smirk that has completely erased his innocence. He had gone nuts like the others. I wonder if I'm going to make that face someday, or perhaps I already made that kind of face before, it's just that I couldn't remember. 

I took a step forward only to see a vivid image of a younger me, looking at a corpse of a little boy who was holding an ice pick. It made my knees weak for no particular reason. 

"Se—"

Shing!

I opened my eyes and I was back to reality, "That's weird."

The mob was able to locate the next target causing an uproar to occur. The killing went out of control, hurting even the other participants in the process. 

With the strength I had left, I tried to manage the havoc and pulled the younger ones out. My hand stings as I grab them, it looks like I suffered a long cut from the attempt earlier. I wasn't able to pull all of them out, although they would've survived even without my intervention. 

Perhaps that was true. They may not need any sort of assistance, but for sure I’m definitely not gonna regret everything, or better yet I cannot regret it. 

The other target had been successfully killed. 

The game had concluded and the killers were declared the winner of the tenth round. Based on my count, 25 people still remain alive, judging from the pace of the game… There are about two months before the game concludes its final stages.

In those two months I could die. Perhaps I would be lucky to become the last one to survive. In that time do I even deserve to live? What would happen to me next? 

I considered it as I retreated to my bed. I guess, of course, I should take a bath first. After all, my whole body was smeared in blood. Even my footsteps leave a thin print of my foot using blood as my paint and the white floor as my canvas. 

Before I knew it, the next day had come. 

* * *

Everyone is busy fetching for their lunch, as for me I was busy remembering their faces. There are familiar ones I met yesterday's evening. I even spotted the kid who grabbed an innocent ice pick lying on the floor. His name was Ricky, and he's 15, well I found out since he told me.

I need to gather intel if I plan to survive this messed up game. Beyond everything, the only disadvantage I have against the participants here is that I'm a new addition to the pack. In terms of killing pedigree, then I guess I'm second to none. 

It just showed on how I easily subdued the target last night. 

I grabbed a piece of bread and generously spread a good amount of pickled mayo on it. As I was about to bite off of it, two body bags were being dragged out of the facility building. One for the old lady, the other for the man who became the second target. 

Everyone didn't pay attention to the noise of rough bags being dragged, nor the whiff of rotting stench that accompanied it. They all continued to eat without any hints of remorse or discomfort. Although there are a few who were just pretending not to mind like me. 

Deep into thought, I haven't noticed that Serine sat beside me again. 

"Hello…" she said as her usual greeting, "Eliza, are you not worried?" She looked at me as innocent as she can be, "You might be the next target."

"....."

I didn't reply, I don't want to reply. 

"You help the old lady only to get her morbidly killed," she chuckled in disbelief, "That is against the rules…. Oh well, beginner's mistake." 

"What are you going to do next?" She finally asked the question I had also been trying to figure out. 

"For a 10 year old kid, you have a sharp mouth," I said mindlessly.

"Well, I only act childish in times that benefit me…" she replied honestly, "I believe it's best to be cautious at th—" She paused, and glanced somewhere noticeably.

During my conversation with Serine, she was warning me to be more careful next time when a lady in her mid-forties secretly shushed her by hastily putting her index finger to her lips and gazing at us with an intense glare.

Serine stood up and excused herself. 

I, on the other hand, shifted my gaze and continued to silently munch on the bread.