CH4: Chain Reaction

“S-she promised she wouldn’t stay in our way as long as she could stay there. Please, she just needs some time for herself.” Faye explains but Vinora doesn’t seem convinced. “Then why the green, huh? The bitch still doesn’t trust us!” Faye pulls on her hand and stammers: “N-no! It’s for Arleth, silly. P-please calm down.” Vinora groans and points at Esme with her gun as the girl stands still in the green. “NO WAY! We didn’t show mercy because we wanted her to get to chill out in the rec room! We didn’t ask, we told her to join us or be eliminated!”

She is somewhat right, but somehow I can’t imagine Esme is trying something big. It just seems she wants some peace. “Vinora, I think she’s just too stressed to help us right now.” Vinora shakes her head: “No! I won’t fucking take that shit! I can’t let this smug rec crawl into her hole and play games and sit on the couch! We’re fighting for our survival here!”

Vinora is impulsive and easily annoyed but now she seems to be going overboard. I see her finger on the trigger. “No! What are you doing, Vinora! Please! You know what will happen if you shoot her, right?” I try to reason with her and she keeps staring down Esme on the other side of the room. She shouts: “It’s a safe area now! I don’t give a damn if you shoot me! But you’ll lose, dammit! All I want is to lie down, ok?” Vinora seems conflicted and I pray she will see reason. Suddenly her expression calms. “Ok, fine. The night is over soon anyways.”

At that moment I hear a laser gun fire and a red flash. I get scared and take my gun out. I also hear another shot and a scream. I see a blur and shoot in the direction of the lasers towards the bathrooms past the hallway. I see her. Arleth is boldly making her way through the hallway with her **** rifle. She hit Vinora and Vinora fired too out of impulse. I can’t believe it as I see it unfold in slow motion. Vinora drops her gun and falls to my feet, passed out. My head turns and I see Esmeralda fall over, her arms still spread wide. Faye returns fire towards Arleth while Grace does the same. I feel a cold shiver go down my spine and my heart beat slow down.

I gasp out of it as Grace pulls me back. “I’ll hold her off! Go! Get the hell out of here!” I see a familiar look in her eyes as Faye hurries to me and pulls me back. I stumble and hear the screech of the announcement. “Esmeralda has been eliminated by Vinora” I hold my breath and run with Faye as the other one comes: “Vinora has been eliminated due to rules violation.” I run up stairs and feel my eyes burning and my stomach turning. Why did she have to be so impulsive? Why did she fire reactively? She must’ve gotten startled.

Faye opens some door and pulls me in and sits me down on a couch. I can’t help but shiver as Faye leans on me and holds me: “I-I’m so sorry! I just wanted everyone to be happy! I didn’t think…” I am not angry at Faye. I don’t know who to blame. It’s nobody’s fault. But that still doesn’t take away the fact that Vinora is gone. Before I get more time to think about it, the night ends and I fall asleep comfortably on the couch in Faye’s caring arms.