seven of hearts
Arisu finished the 4 of hearts game and headed back to his friends, who only had a day left on their visas before a laser would zap them. He was hoping to find Danma (Takeru) a doctor but the only other survivor was a boy who looked around 17, with a round and soft face and a slim and fragile frame that looked more feminine than masculine but still chiselled and fit. Arisu first thought this man was a woman until he started to talk at the very end of the game. He wore a white hoodie, looking closer at him, he realises the man is around a year younger than him, barely gotten out of high school. The man was quite short too, Arisu would guess that he was around 5 foot 6. Silvery platinum hair that Arisu doesn't think he could miss. What was his name again? Arisu couldn't remember but he thought it was something, Shiya. It didn't bother Arisu, he wasn’t a part of his group so he would only worry as much as he would his friend if they were in a game together again.
Arisu walked into the hotel room to see his oldest friend, Aguni passing back and forwards in one of the rooms. He chose to stay quiet and sneak up on the taller male. He screamed at the male, and doing this resulted in him being punched in the eye. Aguni started to freak out and apologise to him over and over. Arisu was laughing the whole time telling him that it was okay and that it was his own fault, he wasn't mad at all.
“Did you find a doctor?” Danma asked as he hobbled over to his friends on his crutches from the other room with Shibuki. Arisu had a disappointed look on his face as he shook his head.
“But I found someone who could help us in future games!” Arisu told his friends. “He basically saved my life,” Arisu mumbled but his friends didn't hear it.
“Well, then Arisu. Where is he?” Danma asked the gamer.
“Funny story! He ran off before I could ask. But I’ve seen him in 2 games in a row! That means they could possibly be at tonight’s game and could help you Danma!” Arisu gave his injured friend a soft smile. “He seems pretty fit too. Which will be really helpful in a spades game!”
The group of 4 sat around the table in silence as they all ate a bowl of ramen. They were mentally preparing themself for whatever game they will be forced to play. There was visible tension around Damna and Shibuki, but Arisu didn't know why, nor was he going to bring it up because it might make them uncomfortable. If it was important he was sure that his best friend would tell him even Aguni who would tell Arisu anything. He let that thought leave his mind so we can be 100% ready for tonight‘s game.
The sky went dark only being lit up by the light for like an aura to let people know they are over here!! Come check me out!! Is any same person who had two people in the group who had one day less than 12 hours to be precise before laser shot down from the sky zapping through their brains and killing them instantly. Arisu and his friends walk up to the next and hopefully not last game Centre it was the botanical garden which seems like a weird area for a game to be hard but it’s fine it’s not like he can control where it is any way he just had to play the games and hope he wouldn’t die. They walk in and see a table full of different weapons that you used to talk to someone so and painfully with on the table out on display with a note saying take any. On the table next to it was a headset that had a collar attached to it. Arisu was used to wearing them even though this one looks completely different from the one he is used to, so he was a little calmer than his friends, and Shibuki. Aguni helped Danma put his headset on because he was slowly falling over as he couldn’t balance and self with his crutches at the same time. She ignored the boys' struggle and grab herself a phone.
“Hurry up! Registration closes soon!” She told the boys. The 3 childhood best friends quickly grabbed a phone, one stumbling over to the woman who handed him the phone. They grabbed the only phones that were there.
“There have to be more people right?” Danma asked the others very worried. Aguni laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled Danma towards himself and started to mess up his hair.
“We don't need anyone when we have each other!” Aguni tried to raise the spirits of the shorter nervous male. Please enter the garden for the game to commence. The 4 looked at each other before walking inside to see nobody else in there
“It’s just us…” Arisu mumbled looking around to spot anyone. This made him nervous, why was the game only made for 4 people? Registration has closed. There are 4 players. Difficulty, 7 of hearts.
Arisu’s eyes widen. Hearts? The suit means playing with others’ hearts and tricking them. He didn’t want to play a heart game with his friends! That is the worst idea someone can ever have. His first hearts game didn't seem that difficult, but it was a 4 difficult and this is a 7 which is a lot harder.
Game: Hide and Seek
Rules: 1 player will be the wolf and the other 3 will be the lambs. A lamb found by the wolf will become the next wolf and must hide so that the wolf doesn't find them.
Clear condition: The player who is the wolf at the game’s end is the winner.
Time limit: 15 minutes.
When 15 minutes have passed, the collar around the lamb’s head will explode.
The four looked down at their phones in horror. Only one of them will survive? They couldn’t believe it, no, they don’t want to believe it. Arisu noticed as he looked around, the headset focused on wherever his eyes were. There’s an eye tracker?
“What It can't be!” Damna cried out looking at his friends. “We have to kill each other? I can't do that!”
Arisu sighed and looked down. “These collars have eye tracking, wherever we look, it will see. We don’t have a choice in this Danma, we are already in the game.” The first wolf will be …… Danma! Danma’s eyes widen filled in horror as the headset showed a little wolf icon in the corner. He looked around and the first person he looked at, and they met his eyes was the taller slim figured businesswoman, Shibuki. The wolf has been changed! The wolf is now Shibuki! She froze for a moment and so did everyone else. Shibuki quickly ran off further into the garden. She wasn't the fastest, but she would have been quicker if she wasn’t wearing any heels. The businesswoman whispered something under her breath. The collars had a feature that let all players hear them no matter how far or close they are to each other.
“I’ll do anything to make sure that I stay alive.” This is what the boys who were frozen solid in place, heard through their headsets. This made Aguni pissed off.
“You bitch!” He screamed as he picked up some of the weapons that were on display and then ran after Shibuki, slowly being followed by Arisu and Danma. She had run far enough ahead so she can safely duck down into some bushes and hide there while Aguni ran straight past her.
“Come on guys! We can figure this out and all get out of this alive!” Arisu tried to reason with the woman and his friends. Shibuki kicked off her heels so then if she needed to run again, she can be faster. This alerted Aguni to her location.
“Come back here you bitch!” Aguni screamed as he ran back from the way he came. He quickly grabbed onto her hair. She let out a cry of bloody Mary as she squeezed her eyes closed. Aguni noticed her actions so he threw her down to the ground. He pins her down and punches her over and over. “Open your fucking eyes! You bitch!” Aguni kept on screaming in the woman’s face. Her eyes slowly opens with a massive amount of fear that took over her, Aguni was 10 times stronger than her. Her eyes look up into Aguni’s eyes, pleading with him to stop this. The wolf has been changed. The new wolf is Aguni! Arisu watched as his friend and Shibuki fought each other over the role of being the wolf.
“Stop this, please!! We can figure something out!!” Arisu cried out to his friends as they looked over at him. The wolf has been updated! Arisu’s eyes widen as he saw the sheep icon in the corner of his headset change into the wolf icon. The new wolf is Arisu! He looked around but he never met his friend’s eyes. Arisu didn’t know if it was his inner will to live or his friends wanting him to live.
“Guys… We can work this out, please! We can all survive this!” Arisu screamed in fear, pain and sadness as he watched his friends who never stopped fighting. This time it seemed to be Aguni who was holding Shibuki’s head down into the ground, stopping her from getting up and trying to steal the role of the wolf from the gamer.
“Arisu… You better figure something out.” Aguni told him sternly. Arisu kept looking down at the ground as he tried his hardest to come up with an idea. This is what he's good at! Puzzle games are his strong suit!
“We need to get the helmets off! Then we can all survive!” Arisu screamed as he shared the first idea that came to his mind.
“You are an idiot Arisu, only one of us is going to survive that's how these games work!” Shibuki fought down that idea as her face was being smushed down into the harsh stone floor. Arisu started to get overwhelmed, so he chose to run away so he didn’t have to see what Aguni was doing for him. “I’ll find a way! I promise!!” Tears formed in Arisu’s eyes as he ran off so he could clear his thoughts, somewhat anyway.
5 minutes are remaining. The wolf is Arisu. Arisu started to panic, was he going to be the one to kill his friends? There was no way that he could live with himself if they died because he, the puzzle genius, couldn’t figure out how to save them all. Arisu stood up on his swaying feet and ran around calling out for his friends.
3 minutes are remaining. “Aguni! Danma! Shibuki! Please! Come out! I can’t do this! Be the wolf!” Arisu cried out. He ran around trying so hard to find his friends. As he started to give up, he found Aguni sitting on some of the rocks. Arisu quickly ran up to him. “Aguni! Aguni, please! Look at me!” He cried out to the man who had a cigarette and was holding it in his hands just looking at it, as a reason not to look at the crying gamer. “Aguni please!”
30 seconds remain. “Arisu… live for me,” Aguni told Arisu with pain and fear behind his voice and tearful eyes.
“I love you, brother…”Danma choked out a sob over the headset speaker.
“NOOO!!!” Arisu let out a banshee scream as tears flooded his vision. He had to watch as the collar around Aguni’s neck flashed a bright red and blue.
It is game over for all the remaining lambs. Arisu watched as the collar around Aguni’s neck, blew his head clean off his body, and blood splattered everywhere, getting all over Arisu himself. He let out a blood-curdling scream that would 100% be heard for miles. The game cleared, and 7 days have been added to the wolf’s visa.
What was this sick world that Arisu was forced to be in? He doesn’t want to live in a world without his best friends. They were his reason to live as well, he would have given up ages ago if it wasn't for them keeping his spirits high.
He stumbled out of the garden to find the 7 of hearts card on the table where the weapons were recently on. He doesn't know if he can that this card. Arisu just killed his friend all for a stupid playing card and no answer on how he can return home. Does he even want to live in a world without them? He grabbed the card anyway and started to walk back towards their, no his base. It started to rain, and rain heavy. The rain was pouring down fast. Arisu felt the rain reflect his mood right now, a depressed thought but Arisu didn’t care he just killed his best friends. Before he did anything he scribbled down another 7 circles on the “Arisu Days Left!” paper. He placed it into his pocket as he fell onto the ground and lay there, having no reason to ever get back up again.
He was about to lose his vision when he saw 2 small and slender legs, covered in gentle grey sweatpants, appear in his vision. Arisu’s eyes look up and he notices it's the guy from the tag and survey game.
Days left on their visas:
Arisu: 16 days
Usagi: 4 days
Chishiya: 7 days