The nurse’s office was a scene from a nightmare. Blood soaked the floors, pooling under makeshift beds where students lay writhing in pain. A girl with glass protruding from her eye screamed, while a boy with shards embedded in his chest struggled to breathe. Some of the students weren’t moving at all, their bodies slack, their faces pale.
Sakura and Yuma froze at the door, horrified.
The nurse, her pink uniform now stained with blood, looked up from where she was tending to a badly injured student. Her face was exhausted. “Sakura, Yuma, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Sakura stammered, though her voice wavered. “But Yuma, her arm.”
Yuma tried to shrug it off, but the nurse quickly spotted the deep gash.
The nurse handed Sakura a small first aid kit, her hands trembling slightly. “Remove any glass. Clean the wound with warm water and wrap it tightly. Use the bandages, quickly.”
She barely glanced up as she continued working on another student, her focus split between the many injuries in front of her.
Sakura knelt beside Yuma, opening the first aid kit with shaking hands. She pulled out a pair of tweezers and began to carefully remove the shards of glass embedded in Yuma’s forearm, Yuma hissed in pain as she worked, but Yuma bit her lip, trying to stay strong.
“You’re doing great,” Sakura muttered, her own voice quivering. She pulled the last shard free and tossed it aside. Sakura grabbed a cloth from the kit and dipped it in the bowl of water, gently dabbing at the wound. Blood mixed with water, swirling in pink streaks as she cleaned the gash before carefully wrapping the bandage around Yuma’s arm, securing it tightly. The white bandage quickly soaked through with blood, but it held firm.
“Thank you,” Yuma whispered, her voice strained but sincere. She offered Sakura a weak smile, but her face was still pale from the blood loss.
Sakura mind racing. “I need to find Reo,” she said, her voice laced with urgency. Without waiting for a response, she rushed toward the door, her heart pounding in her chest as she stumbled outside the nurse’s office, her stomach turning. She leaned against the wall, her breath ragged, and then she doubled over, vomiting as the weight of everything crashed over her. She slid down the wall, her head in her hands, knees drawn up to her chest. Tears blurred her vision, and her whole body trembled. The horrors she had seen were too much, too fast.
A shadow fell over her, and Yuma appeared, bandaged arm hanging at her side. “Thank you,” she said softly, her voice gentle but steady. “We need to get to the hall, I bet Reo is waiting” she added, though her face betrayed her own exhaustion.
Yuma extended her good arm, pulling Sakura to her feet. “I don’t think we can help here,” Yuma said quietly, glancing back at the blood-soaked nurse’s office.
The assembly hall was packed, suffocating with an eerie tension that clung to the air like fog. Rows of students shifted nervously where they stood, whispering anxiously as the school staff remained numb, emotionless, their faces pale. Sakura sat between Yuma and her classmates, her pulse quickening as the creeping dread sank deeper into her bones.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. As Yuma, clutches onto Sakura's arm.
From the stage, the sound of static crackled, silencing the room. Eyes fixed as from the speakers, a voice boomed out. It wasn’t the calm, measured tone they were used to—it was something distorted, frayed at the edges.
"Good morning, my dear students," the principal’s voice echoed through the hall, followed by a low, unsettling chuckle. "I hope you’ve all been enjoying schooling so far."
The flickering lights dimmed as the large screen behind the stage blinked on, displaying the principal’s grinning face. But something was off—his smile crooked, his eyes glinting with a manic gleam. The image sent a shiver down Sakura’s spine as the hairs on her neck stuck up.
"I’ve been thinking," he continued, his voice taking on an erratic tone. "This school needs a change. We’ve” suddenly stopped mid sentence “I’ve been too lenient, too soft. It’s time to teach you all something... valuable."
From the back an american accent shouts “Sir, have you looked outside, no one cares this now” as it fell on deaf ears
Sakura’s heart raced as she scanned the crowd for Reo, seeking a familia present, but he was nowhere to be found. Panic bubbled in her chest. Where is he? She gripped Yuma’s arm tightly, eyes darting across the sea of students.
Suddenly, the lights on the stage blazed to life, illuminating the figure of the principal, standing tall and stocky, his tan suit unnaturally pristine against the backdrop of destruction. His dark combover clung to his scalp, his eyes gleaming with a sinister glint. As drones swept around the stage a camera drone hovered close to him. In one hand, he held a sleek revolver, its silver barrel and walnut grip with a pommel emblazoned with the Ace of Spades, while on the other hand toyed with his ID card, the faint glow of his details displayed clearly for all to see.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Rank/Name: Principal Takeda
Kill(s): 0
Points: 1000
Special Item: Spades Key, Game Master Card
Gasps rippled through the crowd, but no one dared move.
"I’ve become complacent," he said, his voice now teetering on the edge of madness. "I’ve allowed it, but it stops today. But don’t worry—I’ve come up with a solution."
He raised the ID card high, showing it to the students. “This little card is more than just your ID. It’s your lifeline now.”
The few that dared faces glowed, including Sakura’s as she looks down Yuma leans in, Her ID flickered as it changes from the school's badge to a Skull with a jester's hat ‘Death Games’, then it reads.
Rank/Name: Student Sakura
Kill(s): 0
Points:250
Special Item: None
His grin widened “You’ll use it to earn points through our games” His eyes scanned the crowd, watching their reactions with sadistic pleasure. “These points,” he continued, tapping his card, “can be exchanged for food, medicine, and even weapons.”
Sakura’s breath quickened, her mind racing. Where is Reo?
Principal motioned toward the far side of the stage. A spotlight flicked on, illuminating Kazuto, who sat chained on a stool with his head shaved. The look in his eyes was pure venom, but even he couldn’t hide the fear that flickered beneath his bravado.
Sakura’s breath caught in her throat. What’s going on? she thought, her mind racing. This was getting far worse than.
The principal’s grin didn’t falter. "We’ve made some upgrades to the school, as you may have noticed. CCTV, drones, vending machines, oh, but they’re more than just technology." a series of vending machines rolled onto the stage, their metallic bodies gleaming under the harsh lights. One label Medi-care, another Snackoo and the last named Commando.
His voice lowered, a whisper that echoed through the room as he gestured to the drones around him. "You see, these machines aren’t here to make your life easier. No, no. They’re here to watch you, to test you. Each one of you, as well as the staff, has been assigned an ID card, and you’ll soon learn that it’s the key to your survival."
He gestured to the students. "Your ID cards track your every move. Points are earned for participation in events, challenges or if a benefactor sees fit. The more events you complete, the more points you’ll earn. Points can be exchanged for prizes, food, water, safety, and yes... your life."
Sakura shivered, her stomach churning as the reality of their situation sank in. Yuma pale as a ghost as she listens with her mouth agasp, while other students shift uncomfortably as the realisation sinks in. This wasn’t just school anymore, this was something far more sick and twisted.
“The drones are always watching. One wrong step, and the game ends for you... permanently” He pointed his revolver toward the crowd, grinning wickedly. “Let’s just say the consequences will be immediate.” His laugh was hollow and chilling.
Kazuto tried freeing his arms as he drew the principal attached with his chain’s rattling.
Sakura’s heart pounded in her chest, believing this was a nightmare. The principal was smiling too broadly now, pacing the stage with a gleam in his eye. The room fell into a stunned silence as the students exchanged fearful glances. But it wasn’t over.
"And now, let me show you how this game begins." Without another word, the principal aimed the gun at Kazuto. The room froze. Sakura's heart pounded in her ears, each second stretching into an eternity.
Kazuto sneered. “You think I’m afraid of you?” he spat.
The principal’s smile didn’t falter. "Oh, you will be."
“Your son killed himself! his death wasn't my fault” Kazuto shouts.
And then, the deafening crack of the gunshot echoed through the hall. Time slowed as Kazuto’s body jerked violently, his face twisted in shock as blood bloomed across his chest. He crumpled to the ground, the chains clinking as they hit the floor as his ID faints to black.
Screams erupted from the students, chaos breaking out as they scrambled. Sakura’s eyes were wide, frozen in disbelief as the scene unfolded in front of her. The sound of her classmates panicking barely registered over the pounding in her head. Reo.
Suddenly, the panic took hold. Sakura shot to her feet dragging Yuma with her. Sakura eyes scanning the frenzied room, her heart hammering in her chest. Where is he? She grabbed Yuma by the arm. “I can’t find Reo!” she shouted over the chaos.
Yuma’s face was pale, but she nodded, her eyes wide with fear. “We’ll find him!” she urged, pulling Sakura toward the back of the hall as the crowd surged around them.
Students were shoving toward the exits, but the heavy doors had been securely closed. No one was getting out. The panic only grew as the realisation settled in, they were trapped.
The principal’s ID pinged with a bright glow, he flashes it to the room.
Rank/Name: Principal Takeda
Kill(s): 1
Points:1250
Special Item: Spades Key, Game Master Card
The principal’s voice boomed through the speakers once more, this time with a calmness that was even more unsettling. "Who knew?" the principal said, laughing maniacally, his voice echoing through the hall. "A life reduced to a mere 250 points. What a bargain! Maybe the teachers are worth a 1000?" He turned back to the vending machine, scanning his ID once more. “One chocolate bar, please,” he said to the machine.
Happily obliged with a cheerful beep, 50 points were deducted from his ID as it dispensed a bar, the principal caught the treat as it dropped and took another smug bite.
“Now,” the principal continued, addressing the terrified crowd, his voice calm and composed.
A male teacher stood up, middle-aged with blood splashes staining his white shirt, shouting to the front, “End this now!” the same thick American accent from earlier ripped through the room.
“Mr Hanson, I am really looking forward to your participation, the first game will begin soon. Be ready. And remember… there are no second chances.”
But none of that mattered to Sakura. Not now. Not while Reo was out there, lost in the madness.
The doors swung open with a clang, but the exit felt like a trap, an invitation to something far worse, as an eerie silence cut through the room like a blade. And then, as if he had never been there, the principal was gone, swallowed by the shadows.
Yuma pulled at her arm, trying to steer her toward an exit, but Sakura shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "I need to find him." Sakura’s breath came in ragged gasps as she frantically searched the crowd, pushing through the mass of bodies. Her eyes darted from face to face, but none of them were Reo.
"We’ll find him," Yuma insisted, even though her own voice wavered, betraying her fear. She pulled Sakura along, her grip tightening, "But we need to get out of here."
Reo, where are you? The thought repeated like a drumbeat in her mind. Every face she passed wasn’t his, and the weight in her chest grew heavier with each step.