Chapter Text
The following players have been eliminated: Player 230, Player 268, Player 299, Player 331, Player 401. End of list.
All the players in the dormitory froze, watching as the money dropped into the bank and the number of prize money went up. Player 230…Thanos. He was dead and so were the others. What happened? How could all of those people die so suddenly?
Your questions were answered when the rest of the men came back from the bathroom. Some of them were covered with blood, others beaten badly. Both sides were shouting about how one side tried to attack the other, and how they were threatening each other.
Each side gathered everyone around to do a head count, to see how many they had lost. The Os lost three on their side, while the Xs only lost two. You had the advantage. You could win tomorrow’s vote. You could finally get out of here…it felt easy. Way too easy.
You looked over at Gi-Hun. He didn’t seem happy or relieved. If anything, he looked troubled. You weren’t in the clear yet. Not even close.
“Once the lights go out, the ones who want to stay are going to try to come for us. Killing us means they win the next vote and add more to each of their shares.” Gi-Hun told everyone.
You should’ve known it would come to this. Things had become more and more tense as the days had passed and the games dragged on. And all the times Thanos and Nam-Gyu cornered you, and even threatened you less than an hour ago..you should’ve known that they would try to push around someone else. But it seemed like they finally messed with the wrong person. Now only Nam-Gyu was left, and whenever you even chanced to look over at him, he was glaring at you, all of the Os were. It wasn’t safe. They wanted you dead.
The other Xs wanted to strike first. To attack before the others got the chance. But Gi-Hun refused.
None of you wanted to hurt anyone..It’s what they wanted. The people in charge. The people above, controlling this fucked up game. The ones Gi-Hun had told you about before. Who bet on you, like you were horses. Like you were nothing but dogs. They wanted you to kill each other, they wanted you to lose, to die. But you wouldn’t let them. No, you were going to fight.
You listened to Gi-Hun closely, clutching your pant legs tightly beneath you. Don’t attack first. Wait. Hide under the beds when the others try to attack…let the other Xs die.
It felt wrong, letting others die especially when they were on your team. They were innocent, good people. They just wanted to leave, like you. They didn’t deserve this.
But you understood what Gi-Hun was saying. This was your only chance of getting out of here..all of you getting out of here, instead of just one.
“So what you’re saying is sacrifice the good, for the sake of the many?” In-Ho asked.
“If we don’t go after them now, then we won’t get another shot of leaving this place. And it’ll be worth the sacrifice, if it means we can actually put an end to these games for good.”
–
They say that you never truly know if you’re fight or flight unless you’ve had a life or death experience. You learned quickly that you’re all fight. Even now, as the lights shut off and you knew you had to hide, all you wanted to do was fight back, to hurt those who were about to hurt you and the people on your side. You could feel your heart racing, your blood rushing and thumping in your ears, your hands shaking with the need to move.
The feeling of Dae-Ho pressing his hand against your shoulder snapped you out of your thoughts, making you realize it was time to go. You gazed over at the Os, watching as they got to their feet, slowly creeping over to your side. You ducked under the risers with him, crawling under the beds.
It all happened so fast. The screaming, the struggle, the blood spilling onto the floor. The lights above flickered rapidly, disorienting you and making it difficult to figure out what was happening. All that you knew was that it wasn’t good.
You could feel Dae-Ho shaking against you, trembling as much as you were, if not moreso. You reached down and took his hand. He flinched slightly from the contact, before realizing that it was just you. He let out a shaky breath, clutching your hand gently.
“It’s going to be okay.” You whispered to him. “We’re going to get out of here after this. I just know it.”
He nodded. A man fell off the bed and onto the ground in front of you, causing you both to jump. You watched helplessly as he tried to crawl away, but was dragged back by his foot and stabbed repeatedly.
The brutal sight was too much to bear. You leaned into Dae-Ho, looking away, while he did the same. You let go of his hand, wrapping your arms around his neck, while he moved his hands around your back, the two of you clutching each other tightly. You rested your head against his chest, hearing his racing heartbeat, while he tucked his head into your neck, trying to keep quiet.
It was so loud and chaotic and terrifying…and then it was quiet. The next thing you knew, the lights flicked on and the guards were shouting, with their guns raised. It was time to move.
You let go of each other, crawling out from under the bunks and playing dead before they could notice. Jung-Bae crawled out from the neighboring bunk, doing the same. You watched the others, before you heard the guards approach.
They leaned down to scan your numbers. You stayed still and waited for the others to move. And that same urge to fight, to survive kicked in.
Jung-Bae moved first, grabbing the guard and calling out to Dae-Ho, who used a bottle he had saved from a previous meal to hit him over the head and knock him out. Another nearby guard raised his gun towards you, but you tackled him, punching him in the face and wrapping your arm around his neck, putting him in a hold until he inevitably went unconscious.
The others managed to grab some guns, and a shooting broke out. You and Dae-Ho took cover under the nearby bed, which had been turned over on its side as a makeshift shield, while Jung-Bae managed to grab a gun from the guard you had previously knocked out and shot at them, taking them out. You were winning. The guards were losing and dying, and you were going to be safe. You were going to be free.
When you looked over at Dae-Ho, you noticed him still shaking like a leaf. He flinched at the sound of gunshots, raising his hands over his ears in self defense. He looked so scared…it worried you.
“Hey, it’s okay, we’re winning.” You told him hopefully, speaking loudly over the thundering gunfire.
He nodded, but his movements were jerky and sloppy, as if he couldn’t really process what was going on. Like fear was the only thing running through his mind.
Before anything else could happen, the speakers were calling for the guards to retreat, causing the rest to run away, except for one, which Gi-Hun and Jung-Bae managed to corner. The shooting was over. It was safe.
Dae-Ho rose to his feet, still trembling. He followed the others as they walked to the front and were handed their guns. You had a bad feeling about this. Clearly, he was terrified. You couldn’t let him go, not alone at least.
So when Gi-Hun asked for others who knew how to use the weapons, you raised your hand. When you approached, Jung-Bae eyed you skeptically. “You really know how to shoot one of these?”
“I do. My Dad taught me.” You reached over to grab it, but Gi-Hun stopped you, moving his hand in front of yours. “Okay, maybe I don’t know, but I can figure it out. Let me help.”
“No. You need to stay here and make sure everyone in the dormitory is safe.” Gi-Hun told you, the look on his face leaving no room for argument.
So you stepped back reluctantly, lowering your arm. “Fine.”
You walked over to Dae-Ho, grabbing his arm gently. He flinched slightly from your touch, before locking eyes with you. You gave it a squeeze, trying to ground him, trying to hold onto him, as if it might be the last time you ever do.
“Be careful, okay?”
He nodded, offering you something that was supposed to be a smile, but you could see right through it. You could see right through him. You shouldn’t let him go. You should pull him back, you should beg for him to stay.
But you didn’t. Instead, you stood back and watched as he and the others disappeared into the hallway with the guard, praying that your instincts were wrong.
Praying that it would all be ok.