The second round continues
The players returned to their seats with hesitant steps. Their breaths trembled, sweat streamed down their faces, but their eyes met… fear facing a greater fear. No one knew anymore if the person sitting next to them was a human or an executioner waiting for the right moment to finish them off.
The timer's sound rose again: 30 seconds…
The hand of girl number(3) trembled as she placed her palm on her weary head. She didn't want to look at anyone, but the shout from player number (1) shattered her nerves:
"Come on!There are only five seconds left! Say something!"
She quickly glanced at player number (4); in front of him, the first letter N and the last O. She smiled despite the tension, a nervous smile carrying both fear and resolve. She said in a shaky but clear voice:
"Got it…Your name is Naoto!"
The lights on the bracelet around player number (4)'s wrist flashed like red embers. His body shuddered as he screamed:
"Damn it…I'm dead!"
Not a second passed before his final scream tore through the ears of those present. His body convulsed violently, then froze as blood flowed from his wrist and mouth. The smell of iron filled the room.
Everyone shuddered; some covered their ears to escape the scream, others bit their lips to stifle their fearful tremors. But the game didn't wait for them.
When the turn reached player number (7), his whole body was shaking. His eyes were fixed on player number (8)'s paper. The letters in front of him: M at the beginning and E at the end. Time was melting away before him, the seconds like knives. At the last moment, he screamed:
"Your name is…Masatoe!"
A sharp buzzer. -3 points.
Number(7) froze, his eyes on his wristband which now showed: only 4 points.
He hit his head with his hands,screaming: "Impossible! Impossible!"
But number (8) seemed calm, as if he was playing a different game. He suddenly said in a low voice:
"Your name is…Kaoru."
Another mistake. -3 points.
Player number(1)'s voice rose at him:
"What the hell are you doing?!You're losing on purpose!"
Number (8) smiled, a smile of someone who knows more than he says:
"I know the name of girl number(3)… What if we make a deal? Either I help you… or you lose three points for nothing."
But player number (1) shook his head in refusal, clinging to his confidence:
"I don't need your help.I'll do it myself."
He tried to guess the name, but failed once again. -3 points.
Number(8) laughed mockingly:
"I told you…"
At the same time, girl number (3) stepped forward with an eerie calm, as if she forgot that death lurked behind every mistake. She looked at her opponent, number (5), then said the correct name without hesitation. A moment later, the bracelet exploded. Number (5)'s body hit the table, his eyes wide in shock, blood bleeding from his neck.
Stunned silence filled the place, but number (1) was the most shocked. He screamed, looking at her:
"How…how are you doing this so quickly?!"
The girl smiled, a smile of someone who knows a hidden secret:
"I used to work in the name registration department.Every day I dealt with thousands of names. Your eyes betray you… but I read them quickly. I even… know the name of player number (8)."
Silence fell. All eyes turned to number (8). For a moment, his composure faded, and a faint trace of surprise appeared on his face.
The girl said:
"If he were like us…he would have died from the start. But he's different. Completely different from us."
Death continues to reap the players
While attention was on her, player number (6) was trying to concentrate. Time was running out, but he screamed in the last second:
"Your name is…Hiroshi!"
The bracelet on number (7)'s wrist exploded; he screamed in pain, then collapsed as another corpse onto the table. Only four remained.
The turn returned to number (8), and he looked towards number (1). He said calmly, like someone throwing a stone into a still pond:
"Your name is…Tairo."
The name was correct.
Number(1)'s body shuddered as he tried to flee towards the door. But the bracelet didn't spare him; he screamed before falling as a lifeless corpse.
Now only number (6) and number (8) remained. Both had one point. Any mistake meant death.
Number (6) trembled, his forehead wet with sweat. In front of him, the letters M and E. He tried to think, but his mind was empty. The timer reached the end. Zero.
His wristband displayed: 0 points.
He looked at his opponent in despair,then whispered:
"What's your name?"
Number (8) smiled calmly, his eyes gleaming with a mysterious color:
"My name is…Mouse."
Number (6) laughed a hysterical, desperate laugh:
"You were…one of them then… from the beginning."
Mouse said quietly, as if confirming:
"Yes…I am one of them."
The bracelet exploded on number (6)'s body. Blood flooded the floor once more.
Then, for the first time since the game began, the metal door slowly opened, its creak echoing as if opening a new hell.
Mouse stood up, his face calm and his smile cold.
He walked out with steady steps,the bracelet on his wrist glowing with a faint red light… just one point, but it had been enough.