[Dining room] Event #2 “Shot through the heart.."

[Fate]

The quietest of the group had made it; the next woman he turned towards, however, was a chatty one. She, like the dark-skinned woman before her, was sharing her possible last words with the group, reassuring the younger ones that all would be fine. Her speech was long, but the figure let her finish. When finally, her mouth closed, she turned towards the stranger and smiled, accepting her fate. The figure nodded at her in response, before pulling the trigger once more.

《BANG!》

The loud sound resonated across the room, making everyone around the table jump, including the shooter. Their eyes lowered towards the chest of their victim, which was now covered in crimson red, as well as the spot on the table in front of her, even getting on the wine bottles.

Confettis. Sparkly, beautiful, red confettis, all over her body.

Before anyone could register what had just happened, the sound of the speakers distorted above their heads, signaling the return of the familiar female voice.

“Congratulations.” There was a short pause, before she finally added. “You won.”

There was another, longer pause. Sometimes, it sounded like just the effort of speaking was a chore for her. “Please, reveal yourself to the winner!”

Time stopped for a second; then, the figure finally moved, as if coming back to life, and reached for their mask, finally removing it from their face for all the girls to see.

[Geoff Alen]

BANG!

The gunshot had been louder than what he had expected to hear. Couldn’t the head of this “game” bothered to have given him ear plugs? This was why those people at the ranges had those noise cancelling ear phones to begin with.

"Please, reveal yourself to the winner!" the female voice taunted.

The man's hands shook, and his mask came off, revealing his blue gray eyes, his glasses, and his duct-taped mouth,
____
Geoff would never look, or smell, duct tape the same way ever again. He had come to completely alone. The good news was the only thing taped up this time was his mouth. Something was on his head, but it was too dark to see what it was. His face also felt warm, like he had fallen asleep with the heater on.

A letter had been laid out for him. The paper was crinkled slightly. The deepness of the ink showed it had been printed recently. Maybe it had printed somewhere when he was passed out. Geoff felt a huge wave of relief. Finally, a note with clues! He studied it carefully.

"- Pick up your gun and pick the girl you want to "shoot" first. If nothing happens, pick another one and proceed till you see any results. - Do NOT try to run away, all the doors are closed and shall remain closed until you finish your task. - If you refuse doing the task, you will be "taken care of"."

What? There weren’t even words underlined. The quotations around “shoot” and “taken care of” perhaps. He stole a look to his right hand. The gun in his hand had to be a prop. No one actually ‘died’ in escape rooms, right? Maybe these were dummies that had ketchup or syrup or whatever stuffed inside. If he shot them in the correct order, would he earn something?

When he saw the girls tied up, his heart sank. Kim….Jess….Sawyer…Keiari…no, no, this wasn’t right. They had to be dummies, like the wedding dress mannequin.

When he had pulled the trigger, he had expected the ‘right’ bullet to simply be a blank. One buy one, each girl shrank in horror or pleaded for the life of someone else. It was why he comforted the raven-haired girl in the first place, because she did what he would have done in the situation. As it shot through the brunette who silently accepted her fate, he was expecting the squirt to be comedic or goofy.

At first, he thought it was.

The blood wasn’t blood, maybe just a specially ordered bag from a supplier, and the smell was just coming from old pennies stuffed in the chair behind a dummy. But as the iron heavy smell of blood hit his nose and he saw the girl’s face distort itself into a mask of absolute demise, the finality of it hit him. Escape rooms didn’t do this. He was alive, but it came with a horrible price.

Wait...she wasn't dead.

The confetti was raining down. Bright red confetti. Haha very funny.

“I...I'm sorry....what?,” he said in disbelief.

He looked at the girls, and at the brunette covered in confetti. Usually young impressionable women found a man in a tuxedo and a white mask and thought ‘Phantom of the Opera’. Geoff had neither the singing voice nor the twisted appeal that the fictional character had. Oh, and he also wasn’t a skull face or deformed or whatever. The only thing he had common with the character now was that he was feared. Now that they knew who he was, there was nothing he could to fix any of this. He would forever be the man that had been forced to shoot someone in cold blood. He couldn’t look any of them in the eyes.

He put the gun on the dining room table, the barrel pointing away from them. For all he knew, it was empty.

[Sawyer Brooks]

"Attention!"

Sawyer’s head rocked to the side as a voice blared from the speakers, her consciousness gradually coming back again... as well as the pain all over her body. She felt so weak and hungry and dehydrated. She didn’t even remember passing out either. What happened? she wondered as her stomach gnawed at her insides. If she felt awful before, she definitely felt defeated now. How long had it even been?

Slowly she began opening her eyes, her vision going in and out of focus. The first thing she noticed was a tiny flicker of light, then the sound of other people’s muffled voices and what kind of sounded like rain. And as her vision came into focus more, she realized that what was in front of her was actually a candle. And beyond it was a blurred face of a person.

Wait what!?

Sawyer snapped awake in an instant. Her body jerked back, as if to get herself further away from whatever was in front of her. But as she tugged at her arms, she realized they were restrained just like they had been the last time she woke up―except this time with a rope instead of cheap duck tape. And unfortunately unlike last time, these were much stronger than before, leaving burn marks on her hands as she tried to wiggle herself out of them. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath, wincing in pain. She wasn’t strong enough to try and get out of them either...

Looking to her right and left as her vision refocused, she gradually registered the faces of Kim and Keiari sitting on either side of her, also tied up the same way. The lingering fog over her mind still made her head dizzy, but it didn’t hide her growing nerves and confusion at the things she came to notice. This wasn’t that dark sewage room she had just been in with everyone. In fact none of it was what she remembered seeing last: no shitty smell (except for what lingered on her clothes anyway, Yuck!), no cold concrete walls or those weird electric chair thingies. Not even that weird wedding arch either. Instead what she saw was a dining table, two wine glasses, and brown curtains.

What was familiar, however, were the faces of people she was with just seconds earlier―most of them faces she knew. Aside from Kim and Keiari, there was Jess and Freya, as well as the girl who said her name was Emmy and one of the girls the brunette had helped untie. Even the one who was grabbed earlier in front of that mannequin room and hurt her wrist. 10 girls, 10 faces. She couldn’t see any boys in the mix, nor Maya or Aoi which was a relief... But as the brunette turned her head towards the side, she noticed one face she didn’t know moving around the table.

If you could even call it a face that is.

It was a plain white mask worn by a body in a fancy black suit. Their identity was completely hidden by a sack over their head so she couldn’t really figure who it was―or even what their gender might be. But because of the lack of features, it made it look like the anonymous person was staring blankly at her, and instantly Sawyer felt intense shivers race down her spine. Her eyes couldn’t look away. And while the image (especially emphasized by the candlelight lighting up pieces of the mask like a jackolantern) was scary enough, it was when Sawyer’s gaze lowered towards their hand that she realized the masked individual was also wielding a gun.

And it was pointed right at Keiari.

"What the fuck!" Sawyer automatically yelled in her drained voice, her brown eyes wide and filled with confusion... and fear. Her brain didn’t want to believe what she was currently seeing. If this really was some twisted prank, this was getting wayyyyy out of hand! "What the hell do you think you’re-!?"

Click.

The sound made Sawyer’s voice catch in her throat, silencing her instantly. Every single hair on the brunette’s body stood on end while the weight of the situation fully hit her. Whoever that foreboding figure was, they had just discharged the gun. Right at her friend.

And then they turned the gun on another girl.

Click. Click. Click...

It was a living nightmare of confusion and terror. Sawyer didn’t even have a change to fully process what was happening as she was forced to watch the masked figure one by one pointing and shooting the gun at each girl’s chest randomly. This is insane, she thought with weak breaths, her body shaking. She felt paralyzed for the first time in her life. All around her were screams of mirrored fear and terror. And the way the figure acted was so strange and confusing... pointing a gun yet comforting some of those they’d then shoot. None of it made sense, and yet all she wanted to do was fight against it. To see her friends safe and anywhere but here, to see her family again... Even her boss she wouldn’t mind running up to and hugging because at least that meant she was there and not here, tied to a chair and seeing a nightmarish horror movie happen right in front of her face.

"Kim? Keiari? Jess?" She muttered her friends’ names under her breath, the sound of her voice raspy and quiet. She tried turning her head to meet their eyes, her brown irises filled with the emotions and thoughts that overwhelmed her. Did they know just how much she loved them? Did they know how much they meant to her, how she considered them her sisters? She couldn’t take anything happening to either one of them, or Freya…

Now Kim was shouting. Demanding who the figure was… And in shock, Sawyer watched as the gunman stopped. It was like time stood still, like a blast of cold air stealing the breath out of their throats.

"Please don’t hesitate with your choice and proceed!"

It was the speaker again. But before the brunette had any chance to figure out who was talking, she saw the figure shake their head. And then point the gun right at Kim’s chest.

"NO!" Sawyer screamed again. It was like a bolt of fear and anger running through her body―anger that was now directed at the masked gunman. "Don’t you dare fucking hurt her!" Her body was weak, but her voice at least felt strong... She tried fighting against the ropes again, her eyes wet with tears. They had paused, they had stopped... Maybe they would stop again. At the least she hoped she would make them mad. Then maybe they’d point the gun at her instead and leave Kim alone.

Click.

Sawyer’s blood ran cold. Ignoring her words and following the voice above instead, the figure had pulled the trigger anyway. It was like a mix of terror and relief all at once at that sound; it meant Kim was safe... Keiari was safe... But the gunman still didn’t stop. Nor did they say a word, nor react much to what any of them were doing. They continued on, aiming. And shooting. Like a plane on auto, following the orders of its pilot. And with each click grew the realization that she, as well as Jess and Freya, could be their very next target.

She was scared, she was angry... Would anyone die here? Was this all a joke? She hated not knowing. She hated being in this nightmare. She didn’t want to die... she didn’t want anyone to die! "Please dear God," she muttered over and over under her breath.

BANG!

The sound was like thunder, matching the storm outside. If Sawyer didn’t know any better it was like the room had shook. The breath was stolen from her lungs as she stared at the red bits of paper exploding across the table and the woman the gun had been aimed at. She couldn’t say anything; she couldn’t move her mouth. She couldn’t breathe. Her ears rang, both from the sound of the gun and of the voice ahead that kept saying congrats. Was this all a joke!?

She sat for a minute, trying to process everything going on. Just seconds ago she was sure she was going to die; she was terrified more than she had ever been in her entire life. So when the mask lowered and the sack was removed, the brunette felt an electric shock race down her spine. She was staring at a human, blue-eyed face.

And it was someone she knew. It was Geoff―

"Are you fucking kidding me!?"

The brunette felt numb as she screamed at him. Like her entire body had grown cold and then burst into rage. Emotions ran through her. Terror. Anger. Confusion. All rolled into one. She had just spoken to him moments ago. She had trusted him, and now...

Now she was livid. "You take these ropes off so I can smack you right now!"

[Katherine Sallow]

Katherine heard the click and she was ready but nothing happened. She was safe but at what cost? *Huh Fate has been kind* she thought. Further this mysterious being went down, Della was fine. Thank fuck but then Hannah. Katherine heard her and wanted to cry but no tears came out. All she could do was look at her and BANG!

Katherine closed her eyes and was ready to see Hannah but she was fine. "What the actual fuck?!" She was so confused, I mean thank god Hannah was alright but she wasn't dead. Instead there was confetti everywhere. “Congratulations.” The figure said “You won.” Katherine couldn't help but just stare at the figure in shock. What was happening? “Please, reveal yourself to the winner!”

The figure finally moved and she couldn't help but stare with hate. They reached for their mask, finally removing it from their face for all the girls to see. Katherine was mad. "What kind of sick joke is this?" All these girls were terrified for no reason but then again she wondered how this man was feeling about all of this. Maybe he wasn't a part of this sick joke but all she could think was that she lived to see another day, she was one step closer to seeing her dear father again. Hannah and Della were fine but now Katherine felt as though she could never trust anyone ever again.

[Keiari Saul]

The figure walked to her, gun in hand. Even if she couldn't see their face, she knew they were looking at her. Her voice still caught in her throat until she saw them look away at the table. Her eyes following to look at the wine and chocolates as well. Only to look back when the gun was pointed right at her chest. Her head lifted up, her hands gripped the arms of the chair tightly. Nails slightly digging in. Staring straight into the eyes of the mask. Heart pounding, back pressing against the chair behind her. Please, please, please....

She watched as the finger slowly pressed against the trigger, causing the girl's breath to finally hitch.

Daniel... I'm sorry, please- please know I meant when I said-

{{CLICK}}

Keiari jumped hearing the click, a shrill of a shriek leaving her before she bit her lip. Gasping right after when she realized the gun didn't go off. Tears finally falling down her cheeks as she no longer looked at the figure. Her head falling forward slightly, staring at nothing. Hyperventilating a little as she came to her senses she was okay...

But the relief didn't stay, now there were others girl and she jumped every time she heard the click. Looking up when she heard one of them speaking about their father. And then Kim yelled at the figure. Her mouth opened to tell Kim not to do that, but all that came out was a squeak. She still couldn't talk. Her anxiety overpowering her at the moment.

Please stop this...

She thought as she Della go next. Her whole body trembling. Shaking her head slightly. More tears falling. Another gasp leaving as the gun clicked. Stop, stop, stop!

Then it was a woman she didn't know, an older woman with brunette hair. She watched as the figure walked to her, aimed at her. But allowed her to speak before pointing it fully at the woman. Suddenly Keiari found her voice as the figure shot the gun.

"Please! Please stop this-AAAH!"

She screamed loud as the bang went off, her whole body jumping, her head turning to the side and closing her eyes tightly. That is... until she opened her eyes to see confetti fall on her lap. Causing her to freeze where she was. Head slowly and almost robotically looking up just in time to hear that familiar voice.

"Congratulations. You won. Please, reveal yourself to the winner!

Keiari watched in utter disbelief and shock as the figure was revealed to be Geoff. And all of the sudden all of her emotions dropped. She looked more like a deer in headlights than ever. Was this a prank?

She felt her anger silently rise in her and as he apologized and threw the gun and didn't look at any of them, she felt herself shake. Mad at him. Mad at the situation. Sawyer yelled at him, telling him to take the ropes off so she could smack him. Causing her head to snap towards Sawyer.

"No Sawyer. He isn't worth it..."

Her voice was still shaky and she could barely raise it. But it was enough to where Sawyer could hear her. It would be ovious to her friends she was just as mad. But she was someone that never resorted to violence... Especially if she felt like it would just lower herself to the person they wished to attacked. So shaking her head at her friend she looked at Geoff, wanting to give him a moment to explain himself.

"Why? Why did you do this? What is wrong with you? What kind of joke or prank is this?"

[Jessica Fleming]

"Attention! Please, stand up and open the letter. Read and follow the instructions carefully or else the consequences may follow!"
This voice... it was familiar! So that exclamation "No, please, stay!" was just a trap? Jessica could not but groan. In this place, everything was a trap.

There were many things that Jessica despised. She hated silence, she hated needles, she hated herself, but there was always a place in her heart for some new thing to dislike.

Why does she have to fall so often? She is not Frodo, she's just a ginger girl who wants to play rehearsal with her friends. So, what caused her to passed out this time?

However, Jessica could not be annoyed for long, considering the room where she woke up. It was so sweet that it felt rather sadistically. Candlestick, an opened bottle of red wine with two glasses and an open box of chocolates... it looked like a horror date, especially considering the horrible weather outside.

Even though Jessica was irrelevant to spirits, her hands immediately made the way to the bottle... if Jessica could move them. She was tied once again. Suddenly Jessica remembered what she saw just before losing consciousness. She tried to help Aoi who fell in the room, that would make even Christian Grey jealous. A set of chairs with straps to fixate both your ankles and arms, a rifle, propped against the wall, a set of three electric chairs in the far right corner... and a wedding arch that was completely out of places.

Wedding dress, wedding arc, the date set... It felt more like a cringy "reality" show than a horror movie. Or maybe this maniac has a really singular taste that Jessica wouldn't understand.

In any case, thirst, hunger, and dizziness were the least of Jessica's problems. She just realized that she was not alone, like at all. And it was not like "you're not alone, together we stand" but the creepy one. By peripheral vision, she managed to see her friends, also tied and scared. Kim, Sawyer, Freya, Aoi, Katherine... Agent Kei... and four unknown ladies.
Ten girls and one mysterious figure in a white mask holding handgun and letter. In this beautiful tuxedo, that reminded her of Kim's prom outfit, the stranger approached the girls and began to pull the trigger. Well, it would better be a ‘Phantom of the Opera’.

Ten girls. One gun.

It's the Ten Duel Commandments.

Number one!
"The challenge, demand satisfaction."
"KEI!" shouted Jessica but others could her only her illegible humming.
"If they apologize, no need for further action."
Click! Nothing. Misfire? No bullets?

Number two!
But the figure did not give up, they just moved to another girl, pointing the gun to her chest.
"If they don't, grab a friend, that's your second."
Jessica did not know this blonde girl at all, not to mention being friends, but it did not mean that she deserved to die. And this scream... Jessica was not sure that she'll manage to forget it.
"Your lieutenant when there's reckoning to be reckoned."
But there was no reckoning. Another click and still nothing.

Number three!
"Have your seconds meet face to face."
Jessica looked at the next girl. Katherine. Amazing Katherine who helped Jessica during the photo shoot. Another scream.
"Negotiate a peace."
Click. Still nothing.
"Or negotiate a time and place"
But this atrocious person could not just stop. They continued their march of death.

Number four!
"If they don't reach peace, that's alright."
Jess became hysterical. She began to twitch in their bonds as insane. That was not alright, like at all!
"Time to get some pistols and a doctor on site"
The next victim was an unknown ginger girl who begged to spare her. Jessica's heart went down. Why this horrible person doing this? It was blackmail, for sure...

Five!
"Duel before the sun is in the sky"
And then the worst part happened. The figure turned to Kim, her precious Kim, who even in this horrible situation looked for Jessica and remained brave. She did not beg for mercy, oh no, her Kim began to shout on a potential murderer.
"Pick a place to die where it's high and dry."
Jessica began to cry. She could not look. She was too weak for this. She had never lost someone and just thought that Kim could be shot in front of her... Jessica now could not even see, because her eyes were blurred by tears. If Kim dies... she won't see it because she was too weak, because she always chose easy ways, avoided responsibility... Jess wished she spent that horrible night in Kim's house. It was her fault. Entirely her fault. Sawyer said something but Jess did not hear.

Six!
Click. Jessica kept crying. She could not look but eventually, she forced herself to rise head. Kim was alive! She was alive! Jessica could not but smile. The worst is behind. Her friend will live.
"Leave a note for your next of kin"
But it was not over. Jessica began to laugh as she could. Her body and mind were just a mess. She did not know how to react. Jess only could hear an intrusive song that stuck in her ginger head.
"Tell 'em where you been
Pray that hell or heaven lets you in"
A beautiful silent girl was next. Maybe she was also mute, as Jessica? Jess swallowed. Another click, nothing. Was it some kind of cruel joke, or... she should be the one. Of course.

Seven!
"Confess your sins"
The next woman, also unknown. She was also calm and Jess could not tell if that helped her to copy or made it worse. She felt... emptiness. And a loud song that almost displaced actual words.
This woman was ready to die. Jessica felt jealous of her. She could stay brave and strong while she... well, it won't be an honorable death but a miserable one.
"Ready for the moment of adrenaline when you finally face your opponent."
Bang! Confetti. The song stopped as dramatically as it began. Their opponent wore the mask off.

It was Geoff.

Jessica did not know what to think. Was it still a reality show or maybe Geoff was a secret villain, like in, spoiler alert, Until Dawn? Maybe, all of them got back at him and it was his way to revenge..? But how could it be? Geoff was such a nice guy and Jess had no idea what she could do wrong...
Let it better be a reality show or maniac with EXTREMELY LIKE HELL singular taste.

Well... Geoff seemed surprised for sure. Let's hope that was not because he wanted this gun to actually shot.

Jess did not know what to think about it. She was physically and mentally exhausted and barely managed to stop crying. The girl wanted just one thing - get some water and sleep. She was too tired for conspiracy theories now and she did not know which of her dozen options was the correct one.
Probably TV show but Jessica could not say for sure. It was too dark to see cameras if they were any.

[Hannah van de Berg]

Hannah closed her eyes waiting for her fate.

BANG.

Shaking she took another breath feeling the tears roll down to her chin as she in her thoughts went over her life. Her father saying goodbye to her. Her leaving with her mother and meeting her stephfather and stephbrother. How scared she had been when he lost his temper. How her parents had tried to take her side but made everything worse in the process. How she would run away to her own secret spot in the woods. If heaven was real that was where she wanted to be.

However there was no pain. No stinging feeling in her chest. Just a loud noise. She opened her eyes and noticed she and the table in front of her were covered in confetti. Completely frozen in shock she just stared at the man in front of her while barely hearing the words coming from the speakers. She .. won? What did she win? Should she be happy? Hannah was shaking all over as she couldn't form any words tears still running down her face making the confetti stick to her cheeks. Her breaths were fast and shaky as well as she stared at the man while he took his mask off. Had she seen this man around before? He looked vaguely familiar. As the girls around her began to yell at the man hannah was silent. She was pale as a sheet of paper.

[Geoff Alen]

"Are you fucking kidding me!? You take these ropes off so I can smack you right now!"

"No Sawyer. He isn't worth it...Why? Why did you do this? What is wrong with you? What kind of joke or prank is this?"

"What kind of sick joke is this?"

Geoff was prepared to be yelled at. He agreed with everyone shouting and yelling. It was an absolutely sick joke. He looked at the chocolates and the wine, and the brunette that had been the bullet's target. Glitter and confetti draped around her, making her look more like a chaperone teacher that was sick of being at a party surrounded by drunk people and wanted to go home. She was so pale, he thought she was going to vomit. Sawyer, the brunette, looked ready to kick his ass. If anyone deserved a kick in the ass, it was him.

He glanced around the room. The female voice was probably watching them, laughing her ass off in whatever her little security room was. There were cameras watching them, but he didn't have the energy to go hunting for them. Besides, if what Sawyer said was true, they were tied up. Getting them out was top priority.

But first, an explanation. He owed them all that much.

He walked over to his own note and picked it up. The blood-red glitter had rained upon it, too. He shook it off and spoke calmly,

"I woke up here with that hood on my face and my mouth taped shut. This note here," he put it on top of the chocolates so they could see the solid proof, "said if I didn't shoot, I'd be dead. I didn't know it was going to make a dollar store valentine's day pinata come out. I," he sighed and walked behind them. "I'm sorry I scared all of you. The doors should be unlocked. As soon as you're untied, you're free to go."

He knelt down behind Jess and began working at her ropes. Her poor wrists looked like they had been through the wringer. The knots were basic, but whoever tied them must have been a good girl scout. Or boy scout.

[Emer Shallow]

Click.
Nothing.
She was safe.

If she'd had anything to drink in the last couple of days, she would have definitely emptied her bladder right about now. Her pleading had turned to stunned silence for a second while she tried to figure out if she were still alive or not. She shook like a leaf, not even registering what else was going on, until she heard-

BANG!

She didn't want to look, but her eyes automatically snapped towards the sound before she'd had a chance to think about it. She couldn't believe what she saw when her jumbled mind took in the confetti and the woman very much being alive. Shock, confusion and fear ran through her, making the whole following scene a blurred acid trip.

She'd given up on freeing herself. The ropes were far too tightly bound, and breaking out of them would accomplish nothing when she'd still be trapped in a likely locked room with an armed sociopath. The only thing she could do was observe, so observe she did. She watched intently as the masked figure removed his mask and looked straight at them.

The mask had made him look more menacing than he appeared now. Now he looked more frazzled, like the rest of them, as if he were scared too. He even looked a little handsome. What the fuck, that was definitely the overdose of adrenaline speaking, he'd almost just shot her! Honestly speaking, Emmy couldn't quite catch everything he was saying, her brain still preoccupied trying to process what had just happened, but two things she now understood:

1. This man knew several of the girls in the room already, which was its own kind of messed up, and
2. He'd been threatened or otherwise put up to this. Still, as far as she remembered, which admittedly was hazy, he hadn't even hesitated. And he knew these girls! How could you do that to someone you knew and cared about?!

Emmy kept staring at him in shocked silence, wondering what came next. They weren't safe yet - they were still tied down, there was still a gun in the room, and she assumed there was no way out of here without a key. Maybe they could jump out the window... Maybe... 

[Claudette Hautecourt]

As the gun clicked when it was her turn to be shot at she froze. She wasn't dead. It took her a moment to remember how to breathe again. She had held on to her breath for a long while. The footsteps of the man going from girl to girl in what seemed like a random order. Wait, why was he choosing to shoot at them in this order even? There had to be a bullet in there right? Or was he just playing them for his own amusement. As scared as she was right now a small amount of anger began to well up in her.

He was on the girl number seven when she realized that after this one there were only three left, so if there was a bullet in that she would see someone die. Claudie chose to look away, she didn't want to see it if it was going to happen. Then all of a sudden there was a loud bang that made her jump in her chair. There, it had happened. She very carefully looked over and saw red sparkly confetti floating down around girl number seven. What the fuck?! Dumb founded she looked at the mystery man and the girl. Suddenly the radio burst out again, making her jump once more. "Oh god!" She muttered to herself. "Congratulations! You won!" Won what? The anger grew in her. What the fuck was this sick game? And what exactly was to be won in this?

The voice in the radio instructed the phantom man to take of his mask, and he did. When she saw his face she thought she had recognized it somewhere before. But more importantly she wanted to hit that face right now. "What the hell were you playing at!!!" She yelled at him before he could have a chance to explain himself. The other girls joined in as they all were screaming at him after the shock and fear wore off. He began to explain and told them about the letter and that he was doing it because of instructions and because he didn't want to die if he didn't follow them. It was understandable but it didn't make her want to hit him any less. He began to untie the redheaded girl and she decided to bit on her lip. If he would free her then she could give him that smack she thought he deserved for scaring them all so.

[Freya Alexander]

It was as if the world had ended.

A distant roar of thunder brought Freya back to her senses; the talons of darkness gripping her mind with a ferocity she could barely overcome. Circumventing the weather; or the thick stuffiness in her throat from a lack of water; or even the sickly feeling as her grogginess washed away from her, Freya’s mind barely processed what was around her. White strips of light overexposed her eyes, which were fluttering open, then closed. Sensory overload; a pulsing in her eardrums; an agony in her head. She heard cries of fear, though that just might be the remnants of one of her dreams…

Huh… Red wine… Freya smirked gently. Had she fallen asleep at the table again? She’d have to kill one of her flatmates for leaving her and not tuck-her-in, god forbid! It wasn’t the first time after some rave that she had been left stuck in the weirdest positions, having made a cheese sandwich for herself and woken up with bread stuck to her face. But… that didn’t look like her flat table… and… Freya doesn’t tend to drink wine. The cries of fear, they stuck with her, and the girl’s eyes snapped open with a sudden affirmation that this was not normal.

Click! Click! Click!

Looking around wildly, Freya came to realise she was trapped, once again, but the circumstances seemed far more dire this time around. Oh… Oh, god. A man… A masked man. What was he doing? Was that…

Was that a gun?

Horrified, Freya jerked back, as one by one the figure aimed the gun, rested their finger on the trigger, then pressed.

CLICK!

The sound seemed sharper this time. Freya began to tremble, a lump catching the words in her throat. People she recognised…. Kim, Sawyer, Jess, and… oh god, Hannah! Wriggling around erratically, trying to free herself, her eyes fixed on the gun. Hannah was next. She- She didn’t want this. Why was this happening to them? Some had cried that this was an elaborate escape room; yet how could it be? This was beyond demented, this was vicious. There was no love here.

“H-Hannah!” Freya cried out suddenly, just as the trigger was pulled…

BANG!

Sobbing suddenly in horror, Freya was expecting to see her friend’s lifeless face splattered with blood; some contortion of gore which would scar her for the rest of her life. Instead… bright red confetti. Blood didn’t look like that. Her ears were ringing, and she could barely hear whatever the voice overhead was enthusiastically declaring. She was just staring at Hannah, at her face. She wanted to see if she was okay. Bit of a fruitless thing, but with so much going on, she needed confirmation, needed to see her move again.

And then the man removed his mask; Freya’s eyes flickering over to look at him. He had a handsome, older look to him… and his hands were shaking, his mouth duct-taped shut. This wasn’t his doing!

“I...I'm sorry....what?,” He shared their similar incoherent confusion and terror. So, it was some sickening joke all along?! How ridiculous. Freya gasped and wriggled, noticing the others were berating the poor stranger. How could this be his fault?

“This… This isn’t right! Why are we… here?!” her voice cracked gently, and Freya hung her head to squeeze those ocean blue eyes shut. The ocean itself was threatening to storm, as tears flooded the rims of her eyelids. She refused to let them fall, breathing furiously hard, as a thick rage overcame the little woman. If she got her hands on whoever did this to them! … She’d likely be utterly useless, but she’d give them a good earful.

“This wasn’t you, was it? You look as scared as us,” she directed her attention to the older gentleman, looking just as lost as everyone else. He proceeded to explain what his recurrence of the events were.

Something to do with notes, being forced, and then a pinata. It all seemed somewhat numb to her, but she was right. This man… as far as she was aware, was innocent.

"I'm sorry I scared all of you. The doors should be unlocked. As soon as you're untied, you're free to go."

Freya was seated at the end, thus implying she’d likely be the last to be freed. Flexing her hands, the pain in her arms was something to behold. Only just adjusting to her own body; she must have had plenty a rope burn and bruise to inspect later. Once she’s free, she’d make sure to grab that bottle of wine, and chocolates and run with them.

“Free to go… Go where?” she asked, incredulously? “I… I want to go home,” her voice whispered out, a fearful pain filling her chest. It was a longing Freya could not describe. She just wanted, needed someone to hold her; tell her she’s being silly and everything is alright. But this was not one of her nightmares; this was far worse.

[Della Edington]

It was if as soon as the gunman pulled the trigger in her direction, Della's brain shut down. Sure, she could see him move to another person and point, but she couldn't feel any relief, couldn't register that she was alive and breathing and without a bullet in her chest, couldn't stop her eyes from following the barrel of the gun as it pointed to another woman.

But it quickly got back to work when the gun went off this time.

There was red everywhere, fluttering and glittering around and on the brunette stranger, the gunman, the table. There was a moment of silence as everyone processed what had just happened. Even the gunman, taking off his mask, seemed stunned and unsure of what had just happened. And then screaming, shouting, questions. Della's brain struggled to catch up as she looked over at the woman who was covered in confetti instead of blood, looked at the man who she recognized from having been one of the kidnapped people alongside herself as he tried to explain. She at least knew they were alive right now, that no one had died, but if this man was here, where was everyone else? 

Della opened her mouth to speak but her voice only came out as a small, scratchy sound. Was her throat dry from dehydration or fear?

"Where...where are the others?" she asked, hating the rasp of her voice. 

[Geoff Alen]

"Free to go where?" the pink-haired girl sniffled from the farthest end of the table.

Geoff felt the most sympathy for the girls he hadn't shot. After he finished unknotting Jess, he went down to their section. The pink-haired girl wailed about just wanting to go home. He understood her sentiment. Being in a situation that was life or death, only to reveal that it was a sick joke, would take its toll on anyone. He bent down to untie the pink-haired girl and avoided eye contact with all of them. 

One of them asked where everyone else was, with a voice so raspy that Geoff almost opened the bottle of wine for her to take a drink. But he didn't for two reasons. One, the wine might not even be actual alcohol but just water died a dark red. Two, there might have been poison. He may not have shot them, but the chocolates and wine could have been kidnapper's plan B. And three, wine was not a good hydrating beverage. 

"Ideally," he said. finishing the pink-haired girl's bonds and working on Sawyer's, "there should be a bigger room or hall behind the dining room doors. Maybe the others are behind there." And preferably not in a terrifying bondage situation like the girls were. Where was Aoi? Geoff hadn't seen her in the lineup, and he couldn't decide how to feel about it.

[Kim Anderson]

Numb.

Kim didn't feel anything. She tried to resist, tried to break free out of her bonds by force. But the moment she heard the gun shoot she stopped. Her body stiff from fear refused to move and take a peek of what might have happened. Eventually, she forced herself to turn her head towards the possible massacre... but there was no blood. No corpse. The woman was alive, breathing, covered... in glitter and confetti? And before her stood the 'killer'. Whoever they were they looked strange as if they were... dumbfounded?

Seconds later the figure finally took off the mask and revealed his face, but Kim could not believe her eyes. She refused to accept this reality. It couldn't. No! Not him!

Geoff.

Kim's blue eyes have frozen in place. Geoff. Out of all people. Why him? How could he do that? How... can she trust him now.

The girl looked back at Jessica and her heart sunk. Her friend's eyes were bull red, she looked paler than a ghost. Kim tried to give her a little smile and whispered back to her: "It's alright, Jess, we are okay, it's over." At least for now. Who knows what kind of charades the man behind this has planned for all of them. And what were their real motives, because so far... this all didn't make much sense.

Besides, right now it didn't matter. Kim just wanted to reach Jessica's cheek and brush those pesky tears away. Then she looked over Jessica's shoulder and saw Sawyer, who was burning with rage, which was actually not surprising. The ginger-head overheard the man explaining to her and others that he was forced to do it, he didn't know what would happen he just followed the instructions he was given because he had no other choice.

What kind of sick joke was this? You can't just apologize for such things. People apologize when they step on your foot but not when they could ACCIDENTALLY KILL you just because they didn't know if the gun was loaded or not!! Who was behind this?! Geoff clearly didn't know anything about the gun nor the confetti, but still... Would she do the same? Would she "shoot" somebody if that meant that her life would be spared instead?

When Kim's turn to be untied came, she didn't say a word. The ginger turned away her head from the man, hiding her face in her hair and just patiently waited until he was going to be done. Moments later she was finally free, the girl stood up rubbing her wrists. She finally looked up and gave another small glance at the man, she thought she could call her friend. The woman felt a rush of mixed emotions build up inside her. But she didn't dare to say anything. Not to look away from him. She lingered, contemplating if she should say something. Anything.

"Geoff," she whispered, but didn't know what to add.

HOW could you do this?
I am so sorry?
Why?!

Kim looked right into Geoff's deep blue eyes...

And turned away.

"I'm so sorry, Geoff."

She let out a small sigh and walked to join Jessica, Sawyer and others.

[Geoff Alen]

Geoff finished untying the girls and dusted his hands. Compared to the duct tape that everyone had been bound to in the basement, this rope was much better quality. The scratch of flax was not fun. He could only imagine how raw and scrapped everyone's wrists were going to be when this was all done. He had been lucky. Kind of.

Survival instincts had taken him over. This had been far worse than his paralysis by analysis. Heck, when did anyone have time for analysis when there was a gun and threat to shoot people? Whoever was watching them, or setting this up, was probably done laughing. Geoff stood and dusted his hands...and saw Kim was looking at him.

Most girls had an obvious expression. Sawyer and the pretty blonde looked ready to smack him across the face. The pink-haired girl was ready to burst into tears. Jess was already crying. Only three people were unreadable; Keiari, the elegant raven-haired young woman, and Kim. If his heart had sunk when he had been forced to shoot her, now it was going down faster than even he could have predicted.

Kim's beautiful blue eyes were glittering. She didn't ask the questions outright, but every little fleck of light that went across her eyes, for every unshed tear, he saw a glimpse of her frustration and disappointment. Geoff never had anyone look at him the way Kim was now.

"Geoff", Kim said quietly.

"Kim..." his voice was just as quiet and shaking.

When she turned away to stand by her friends, the dagger did one final twist to his gut. He looked away from the girls and towards the dining room doors. Just open and get this over with, you fuck, he thought.