Chapter Text
The first sensation that assailed Shin as he regained consciousness was a bright light coming from above. His eyes fluttered open, only for the blinding brightness to painfully force them shut. Again, he attempted to adjust himself to the light, this time adjusting to everything else he could feel. Underneath him was a mattress, though an extremely uncomfortable one. A voice was calling to him from his right with words he couldn't quite make out. And directly on top of his body— no, all around his body— were some form of restraints... He couldn't see them, but he could certainly feel them. Obviously, since he couldn't move.
Once he realized that, the panic fully set in. "H-Hello?!" He screamed, frantically trying to break his restraints. He was only able to move his unrestrained right arm— the rest of his body was firmly stuck in place. Curse his lack of exercise... If he wasn't so weak, then maybe he would have been able to wiggle out. "I-Is anyone there?!" Again, he cried out, tears forming in his eyes as his eyes darted around what little he could see in the room. His head was forced to face towards the ceiling, right up at that obnoxiously bright light. And speaking of the ceiling, it did look pretty high up…
Well, if there was one thing that he could instantly gather, it was that wherever he was was not good news.
As he continued to feebly struggle, he heard that familiar voice next to him again, and was finally able to tell what exactly it was saying and who its owner was. There were only so many people that it could be, given his reputation as a friendless loser. If not his parents, then it had to be his one and only friend…
"Shin! You're awake!" Sou called out to him, sounding a tad less scared than Shin had expected him to. "Are you hurt at all?"
"I-I'm... I don't think so!" Shin responded, still very much panicking and unable to fully focus. "W-Where are we, Hiyori?! Th-This is just another prank, right?"
"...I'm afraid not. I'm restrained, too." His friend sighed. "You don't happen to have anything in your pockets, do you?"
"M-My pockets? U-Um..." With his free arm, Shin reached into the jacket pocket that he could actually reach, feeling around for anything that he could grab. There were two things in there, in fact— a phone that wasn't his, and some sort of key. Grabbing both at once, he placed the two objects on his chest before responding back. "Th-There's a key and a phone! H-Hold on, Hiyori, I'll, um... I-I'll call for help—"
The sudden buzzing of the phone accompanied by a ringtone startled Shin even further, and he yelped loudly as a result. Without even pausing to take a deep breath, he swiped up on the phone to answer the call, yelling at the top of his lungs, just in case. "H-Hello?! Whoever's there, please h-help us!"
"Beginning voiced guidance. The First Trial will now begin."
"Wh... H-Huh...?" A bead of sweat rolled down Shin's forehead. Sou said nothing in response.
"Shin Tsukimi and Sou Hiyori. Find the key hidden somewhere in this room, and then unlock your restraints. Fail to do so within the time limit, and the beds supporting you will activate... and crush your bodies with a thud. You have five minutes to complete this trial."
Even without being able to see himself, Shin could just tell that he was growing even paler than normal. Was Sou feeling the same? He had the key, but... only five minutes...?
"By the way, there is only one key. Please discuss amongst yourselves who will use it, and enjoy this thrill with all your body and soul."
Only five minutes... and only one key. That meant that, surely, one of them was going to…
"Shin! You can still hear me, can't you?" Sou commanded, still sounding oddly calm. "Go ahead and use the key first! I'm sure there's a way for both of us to get out of here alive."
"I-I, but..." Shin sputtered, shakily placing his hand on the key.
"Hurry! You did hear that we only have five minutes, didn't you? If you dilly-dally like that, then we'll both die. You don't want that, do you?"
...Sou was absolutely right. He just... had to unlock his restraints, and then his friend's... Tightly gripping the key, he fumbled around the side of the bed, looking for a way to free himself. His hand came upon what felt like a box, and then a keyhole— that must have been it! Shin shoved the key inside the lock, then used all of his strength (which admittedly wasn't that much) to unlock his bindings. As soon as that click sounded in his ears, he wiggled off of the bed, letting the phone that had been resting on his chest fall to the floor.
God... how long had that taken? He just... needed to help Sou now, and then... they'd be fine, right? But still, he needed to breathe... even if only for a moment…
"...One minute remains."
Shin's breath hitched in his throat as he heard the voiced guidance coming from the phone. Shit, it had actually taken him that long to free himself?! He had to help Sou, and fast! If he didn't get moving, then his friend would never forgive him!
"Shin? You are able to move, aren't you?" Only now did Sou's voice start to carry the faintest hint of panic. "I'm going to die if you don't get going on freeing me."
"R-Right, I'll..." He scrambled to his feet, shaking as he looked around the room. Now that he could see the whole room, he was becoming overwhelmed with how much nothing there was within. It was just the two beds, and a piece of paper hanging from the ceiling. "Wh... What do I...?"
"Thirty seconds remain."
"Shin. Hurry up, will you?"
"H-Hiyori, I'm—" He yelped, trying to insert the key into the lock on the other bed to no avail. "I-It's too small! I can't—"
"Figure something out, Shin!"
"I-I'm trying!" He screamed, tears forming in his eyes. Oh god, he was terrified... Sou was getting angry, wasn't he?! Shin couldn't let him die! But... there was nothing he could do, was there...?
"Ten seconds remain."
He continued to try and shove the key into the lock, trying every possible angle he could. But still... nothing. "It's not—"
"...Time is up. Commencing execution."
"W-Wait, don't—" Shin yelped, hearing the bed squeaking like nails on a chalkboard as it started to fold in on itself. "H-HIYORI!!!"
Sou glared angrily down at Shin, opening his mouth to say something. "Shin, you id—"
CRUNCH.
Before he could finish his sentence, the bed crushed Sou's entire body in one feel swoop, blood splattering all around its immediate vicinity. The disgusting sound of his best friend's bones being shattered into dust made Shin feel sick to his stomach, doubly so when realized that some of the blood had splattered onto his face and scarf. Even worse than that, however... was the indescribably angered look that Sou had given him before he was crushed into a pulp.
He only ever gave Shin that look when he had screwed up tremendously. Not like he didn't deserve the kinds of punishments that Sou thrust onto him when he idiotically bungled something, but it still sent shivers through his whole body. And his last words... He could already imagine what he would have said to him.
Shin, you idiot. How could you let me die?
Did... his friend truly hate him in his final moments...?
After a moment of him staring up wide-eyed at the bed containing the corpse of Sou Hiyori, Shin shakily got up, then slammed open the now-unlocked door and started running as fast as he could. Away from the bloodshed, away from his best friend, away from everything that had just happened. Wherever he was running was completely and utterly dark, but he continued to run, terrified of what Sou would do to him if he didn't get away in time. He was dead, but... he would definitely come back to haunt him... He always found a way.
He didn't even notice that he had passed out while running away, given that the same inky blackness that was contained in the hall was entirely indistinguishable from the inky blackness behind his eyelids. But even when he was unconscious, he still felt like he was running... further and further and further…
It was all that he could do right now.