For a long time, no one moved. Everyone simply stared down at the spot where Audrey’s body had landed and did nothing. The waves’ rhythmic crashing was almost hypnotic, gluing everyone to the ground, unable to move. No one wanted to move, either. Everyone was still clutching to the useless hope that something might happen. No one was willing to abandon Audrey, whose body had now sunk so far down that it was impossible to see. The fireworks had finally stopped exploding, the last of the colorful embers sizzling out of view. It was a long while before anyone moved. Navini finally came back to her senses, and after realizing what had happened, she began crying. Silently and without drawing attention to herself, tears began to flow down her face. Eventually, after what seemed like hours had passed, Selena spoke up.

“Well, enough of this,” she sighed, clearly bored. “She’s dead. Get over it. Now, shall we-”

“Shut up,” Dexter said coldly. “Just shut up.” Selena looked like she was about to reply, but she took one look at Dexter’s hand on his katana and she thought better of it. They continued to stand in silence, waiting for something – anything – to happen, to give them hope moving forward.

“Why is everyone gathered here? I hope you are not considering all diving off the cliff,” someone said behind them. Jason turned around to see Anne-Marie waddling over to them. “Or has my brother done something again?”

“Be quiet, Anne-Marie,” Axel told her. “Now’s… not really a good time.”

“I see that Audrey is missing,” Anne-Marie, completely ignoring Axel’s comment, stated. “Does that mean that she had died?”

“Shut up!” Navini blurted out before fleeing back into the house. Concerned, Arthur chased after her. Everyone watched the pair as Navini ran frantically back into the house, and Arthur lumbered after her in her heavy armour. This seemed to wake everyone up from their trance, and they began talking.

“What did I do?” Anne-Marie asked. No one bothered to answer. Navini’s outburst seem to unleash a flood, and words came pouring out of people’s mouths.

“What… was that?” Axel asked, flabbergasted. “Did she just… explode?”

“I wouldn’t s…say that she e…exploded,” Lelina stuttered. “We s…saw her body f…fall into the ocean, r…right?”

“Then we must find a way to retrieve her body,” Mary commanded, “so that she may rest in peace. She will never reach His warm embrace without a proper burial…”

“And what of everyone else who died before this?” Timothy asked, frustrated. “Did they get a proper burial? Brian will take care of it, like he always does. Anyways, I’m done here. I’ll be in the house if you need me.” With that, he stomped off. Jason noticed him wiping a tear off his cheek as he left.

“Well that was uncalled for,” Mary said, shocked.

“Let him grieve in his own way,” Jessica suggested before yawning. “In any case, what’s our plan now?”

“Standing around here won’t do us any good. Let’s all go back inside,” A stated, and everyone nodded. As everyone was leaving, Jason pulled A to the side.

“Hey, A? I was wondering if you could help me with something…”

“You planning on killing me here? Come on man, that’s low…” A sighed. “Just kidding, of course.” Jason didn’t think he had been kidding, but he went along with it.

“Did you notice the wooden panes all over the windows?”

“Oh yeah, those,” A replied. “What of them?”

“You’ve still got bullets in that thing, right?” Jason asked, pointing at the rifle A was always carrying with him.

“Yeah, she’s loaded, alright,” A answered, patting the back of his rifle affectionately. “Did you want me to blow up the wooden panes? Cause I think Arthur or Dexter might be better at taking off wooden panes than me.”

“Well, I have a theory about them. Dexter wouldn’t really help me prove it and Arthur’s already run off after Navini, so…”

“Alright, alright, I’ll do it,” A sighed. “But you owe me a favour. You’re a detective or some shit, right? Then next time I get a target, tell the police to not stick their nose where they don’t belong, alright?”

“I don’t work with the police, actually,” Jason corrected A. “I’m not really on good terms with them, either. I work for a private agency.”

“Really? I always took you for the stuck-up police lackey type, but eh, guess I was wrong,” A shrugged. “Something we have in common, I guess.”

“Why? Police rub you the wrong way?” Jason asked. A’s expression suddenly shifted, getting dark and sombre.

“It’s, uh… It’s a long story. For another time, anyhow,” A dodged the question. “Look, forget about it, okay?” he asked, suddenly getting angry.

“Alright, I’ll drop it,” Jason backed off. Clearly, the police were a sensitive topic for A, and Jason had a feeling it had something to do with his odd name. “Anyways, do you mind blowing the wood off the window?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” A answered, glad to have the topic of the conversation change. “Consider it done. You might want to back up. Fair warning.” Not needing to be told twice, Jason cleared the way as A lifted his rifle. He took aim and fired. The sound rang in Jason’s ears for a few seconds, and the wooden windowpane had been blown clean off. Behind the wood lay a metal plaque, covering the entirety of the window, and it had been bolted into the wall. “So, what exactly was the point of that?”

“I wanted to see if we could investigate the rest of the house, but it seems that Brian isn’t ready for us to check this part of the house yet,” Jason explained.

“Ah. Gotcha,” A replied. “We done here?” Jason nodded. “Oh, and I’d appreciate if you didn’t bring up the cops when I’m around. It triggers a lot of bad memories. Thanks in advance,” A requested before walking back into the house. Jason observed the metal for a few seconds and, finding no ways to remove it, headed back into the house.

Upon re-entering the house, Jason noticed that no one was in the center hallway. In fact, everyone seemed to have vanished, except A, who looked as confused as Jason.

“Where the hell is everyone?” A asked. Jason shrugged. The two of them walked up to the hallway where the bedrooms were located, where they found Arthur lingering outside of Navini’s room.

“Oh, Jason and A. What took you two?” she asked.

“Nothing important. Where’s everyone gone to?” A replied.

“Oh, the doors to the third floor are opened. Brian announced it when everyone got back in the house, and they all rushed to go investigate. I suppose you two were outside, so you must not have heard it.”

“Why haven’t you joined them?” Jason asked Arthur.

“I’m worried about Navini. She rushed in here and locked herself in her room, and she won’t answer me,” she answered. “I trust you guys to tell me everything about the third floor, alright?” Jason and A nodded in agreement, and the two headed off to the third floor.

Upon reaching the door labeled “Third Floor”, Jason noticed to his surprise that it was wide open. He climbed up the stairs and was greeted with another well-lit hallway, identical in size to the one a floor below. The hallway was covered in doors, stretching the entirety of the walls. All the rooms were labeled simply as “Guest Room”, and they were all locked. However, there was no one here, and at the end of the hallway, Jason found a door without any label and another labeled “Second Floor”, which he knew must belong to the other door labeled “Third Floor”. He turned the doorknob to the unlabeled door, and to his astonishment, the door opened without any effort. Behind it were more stairs, this time heading down. After climbing down two flights of steps (which Jason knew meant he was back on the ground floor, he entered a grand hall. The hall was much larger than the entrance hall, with a chandelier easily over twice the size of the one in the entrance hall. Several doors were on the wall, but considering the size of the hall, the doors were spread thin. The floor was made of polished, dark wood, with an ivy green rug covering most of it. The hall seemed to have two entrances, one being the staircase he had just entered from and another being a door at the back. However, upon further examination, Jason discovered that the door was just for show – it opened to an extension of the wall, seemingly being pointless. Other people were wandering the halls – Vivian, Dexter, Lelina, Bobby, Rose, Timothy and Alexandra were all investigating various corners of the hallway. Despite the hall’s impressive size, it was devoid of anything – it was just one large hall with nothing in it, save the chandelier. Jason decided to investigate the other rooms, starting with one on the left. The door was labeled “Pool”, and it didn’t take a detective to figure out what was behind it. He pushed the door open and was immediately greeted with a wave of chlorine assaulting his nose. Axel, Skyler and Dahinko were also in the room, watching the pool, which was filled and in swimming conditions.

“If only I had bathing suits…” Axel mumbled to himself.

“Ooh, Skyler, look! A pool closet!” Dahinko, excitedly pulling Skyler towards the closet, exclaimed. “I wonder what’s inside?”

“Probably pool equipment, if I had to guess,” Skyler chuckled.

“But what if there are bathing suits? Ooh, we could go swimming!” Dahinko cheered. “I would love to go swimming! It’s been a while, you know?”

“Yeah, well, we haven’t exactly gotten much opportunity to do so,” Skyler sighed. The two pushed the door to the closet open.

“Well, that’s disappointing,” Dahinko said, disheartened. “Just some pool stuff. Chlorine, swimming goggles, a pool vacuum, a rod to get stuff out of the pool, some nets and some swimming noodles. That’s it? Ugh, I was hoping it would be cool.”

“Well, at least the pool seems to be well kept,” Skyler said. “There’s even a diving board.”

“Yeah, and look how high it is!” Dahinko exclaimed. It was true – the diving board soared above their heads, reaching at least 15 feet in height. “It’s not as high as I usually dive from, but it’ll do.”

“I’m kind of scared to ask, but how high do you usually dive from?” Skyler asked.

“Well, what’s the average height of a plane?” Dahinko asked, seemingly serious.

“Never mind, then,” Skyler sighed, smiling.

“Now I’m bored. Hey, let’s go investigate somewhere else!” Dahinko exclaimed and dashed out of the room, Skyler walking behind him. Jason gave one more look around the pool area and headed out to the hallway. Continuing along the left wall, the next door to investigate was labeled “Theater”. Jason pushed it open and entered the theater.

The theater was enormous and imposing, with a full stage at the front. At first, Jason assumed this would be a movie screening room, but it seemed that this was a theater for plays instead. Mary and Jessica were currently on the stage, investigating. There were several rows of seats, each spanning the length of the room, with two vertical rows devoid of chairs dividing the seats into three even sections. Jason made his way up to the stage, where Mary and Jessica had moved to the backstage section. The stage had large, imposing curtains, with lots of lights overhead for the proper lighting, only one of which was currently lit. Backstage was also impressive – a ton of stage equipment lay in a generally organized mess, along with microphones and a bunch of technical equipment, none of which Jason knew how to operate. There was also another door leading to changing rooms, which is where the two ladies were currently investigating.

“Ah! Greetings, Jason,” Mary greeted Jason as soon as he entered the room. “Were you drawn to this room as well? Such a setup is perfect for an enjoyable and wholesome presentation. If only Erick were still alive… Perhaps he would have enjoyed this.”

“Well, he… Yaaaaaawn… isn’t, so no point in dwelling on that,” Jessica affirmed bluntly. “Although, you’re right that this is really impressive. Just how rich was Helmsburg anyways?”

“If he can afford an indoor pool and a theater, I’d say money wasn’t his concern,” Jason joked. Jessica shrugged in response.

“I have never had such a monetary need,” Mary stated. “Everything I could ever need, He provides.”

“Yaaaaaawn… Sounds boring,” Jessica replied. Mary looked somewhat offended. “What’s the point of life if you can’t enjoy it?”

“The point is, of course, heartless devotion to our one true God,” Mary answered, clutching the wooden cross she always carried with her. “Once you’ve learned to live for Him, your life has meaning.”

“That sounds like a nice fantasy,” Jessica sighed. Without giving one more glance at Mary, she left the room, twirling her ponytail as she left. Mary looked profoundly outraged.

“A fantasy?” she said, infuriated. “There is no fantasy when you’ve accepted Him into your heart! I must teach her,” she mumbled to herself, and chased after Jessica. Jason chuckled to himself and headed out of the theater. Strangely enough, the pool and theater were the only things on the left of the massive hallway. On the right, two more doors awaited Jason. One, labeled “Laboratory”, was worth investigating, but the other door caught Jason’s eye more. The label had been scratched off, instead replaced with a cheap piece of laminated paper, which read: “It’s a Secret!” Naturally, this door was locked, along with the door to the Laboratory. Next to it was a door with no label at all. Cautiously, Jason pushed the door open. The room was pitch-black, and Jason tried to find a light switch, but to no avail.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Hello? Who’s there?” A voice called from the darkness.

“It’s Jason… Who are you?”

“I am Vivian, of course!” the voice replied. “The darkness is great for optimal flower growth, so I decided to dance in here a little!” Jason stifled a laugh. Vivian’s logic was so backwards it was entertaining. “But I tire of the darkness. Shall we turn on the lights?” she asked Jason.

“I would, but I can’t find a light switch,” Jason talked in her general direction.

“Of course, you wouldn’t! It’s back here!” Vivian replied. Suddenly, lights overhead flickered to life, bathing the room in a bright, artificially white light. The room was completely devoid of anything, save another door to the side of it. The windows at the back of the room were covered with metal plates, explaining the lack of light in the room. Vivian was busy twirling in the middle of the room, a flower so close to her nose she was practically eating it. “Ah, better! Now my little plants can get all the sunlight they need!” Jason was about to point out that this light wasn’t sunlight, but he thought better of it. Instead, he headed to the left wall, where another door awaited. Upon opening it, he realized that this room was about the size of a small walk-in closet, only it was crammed with various arts and crafts items. Paint, glue, wood, scissors, saws, paintbrushes, paint rollers, clay, wax and a whole load of materials Jason had never seen adorned the shelves. There was so much in here that it was hard for Jason to stand in here alone. Making sure there wasn’t anything else, Jason headed back out, stopping for a moment to observe Vivian, who was still twirling around without a care in the world. How on Earth has she managed to survive this long? He couldn’t help but think this. He left Vivian to her dancing and left the room. With this, he had investigated every new room aside from the one that remained locked. He headed back up to the bedrooms to tell Arthur about what he had found.

“A pool and a theater, huh? Intriguing…” Arthur mumbled after hearing Jason summarize what he had found. “Navini still refuses to leave her room or talk… I’m starting to be worried,” she confessed.

“Let me try something,” Jason asked. Arthur stepped aside to allow Jason to do something. He knocked politely on Navini’s door. “Navini? It’s me, Jason. Do you mind coming out here for a second? I need to talk to you about-”

“No! Stay away from me!” He heard a voice shout in reply, undoubtedly belonging to Navini. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else! Go away!” Jason could hear someone sobbing faintly inside.

“That’s a new reply. What on Earth is she…?” Arthur seemed confused. “Hurt someone? What does she mean by that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Jason replied, equally confused. What was Navini talking about? Had she been responsible for someone being hurt? In any case, it seemed Navini wasn’t going to leave her room any time soon. Jason prayed that there wasn’t another incredibly convenient hidden passage to her room, or else it might spell her demise. “Maybe keep an eye on her, Arthur. Just so she doesn’t do anything… Regrettable,” Jason warned. Arthur nodded in agreement and Jason headed to the dining room to try and eat something.

As he was approaching the dining room, Jason heard people shouting angrily at each other. Upon entering, he saw that Axel and Bobby were currently engaged in an argument. Selena was watching them, seemingly enjoying every moment, and Alexandra sat idly, barely registering the argument.

“Hey, Axel, I’ve got another joke for you!” Bobby exclaimed.

“Leave me alone already! God, do you even know how annoying you are?!” Axel shouted. His faced had taken on a scarlet tone, and Jason could swear he saw smoke pouring out of his ears.

“What do you call a-” Bobby started.

“God damnit! Leave me the hell alone!” Axel, infuriated, crashed out of the room, slamming the door to the dining room open and passing by a very confused Jason.

“Hey, wait up! I didn’t finish my joke!” Bobby ran off after him. “Why does he always do that?” he mumbled when he passed by Jason.

“What did I miss?” Jason asked Alexandra and Selena.

“Only the finest drama, my dear Jason,” Selena replied, her voice sweet but full of malice. “Guess I know who the next two victims will be. Just as good, too – they are the last two players left that aren’t worth anything alive!”

“And the rest of us are? How flattering,” Alexandra rebutted sarcastically. “You’re an awful person, you know that?”

“And what of it?” Selena smiled maliciously. “Who cares how horrible I am? When I am crowned winner of this game, my morality won’t be of any importance!”

“Why did I even bother trying to talk to you?” Alexandra sighed, shaking her head. “Anyways, Jason, to answer your question, Bobby has been following Axel nonstop since this game began, and Axel finally blew a fuse in front of him.”

“To be fair, I probably would have exploded long ago,” Selena commented. “I’m surprised Axel lasted this long. I suppose we all have our limits, though,” she sighed.

“So yeah, that’s what happened,” Alexandra stated. “I guess one of them won’t be around for much longer, huh,” she sighed.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Jason countered. “Also, what is with people predicting who will die next?”

“Well, isn’t it a little fun?” Selena smiled. “After all, it adds an extra element of surprise when you’re proven wrong. Although, come to think of it, I’ve yet to be proven wrong, haven’t I?” She smiled demonically and laughed equally as maliciously.

“You should go see Cole. You’re clearly in need of therapy,” Alexandra retorted, and for the first time, Jason saw her smile. “Anyways, I’ve got things to do. See you later.” With that, Alexandra left the room.

“Oh, I’ll enjoy playing with her,” Selena laughed. “And while I have you here, Jason, just a reminder that you shouldn’t forget our little deal… Who knows what might happen if you don’t?” She warned, and gallantly strode out of the room. Jason shook his head and walked into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. After eating, he suddenly felt very tired, and headed to bed to get some much-needed rest.

The next morning, all seemed quiet; Jason awoke to the sound of silence. He got up groggily and made his way to the dining hall, passing by no one on the way. When he arrived in the dining room, he saw Lelina and Rose, both quietly enjoying breakfast. When Jason headed towards the kitchen, Lelina spoke up.

“I wouldn’t g…go in there if I were y…you…” she stuttered. “Selena j…just walked in, and she s…seemed to be in a b…bad mood…”

“Tell me about it,” Rose replied. “I went in there for half a second and I get immediately spit-roasted! Well, not literally, but you know what I mean,” Rose shrugged.

“Not like I care all that much about insults, anyways,” Jason told himself, and walked into the kitchen, bracing for impact. Fortunately for him, Selena was busy with another target: Cole.

“How on Earth do you manage to burn toast in a frying pan?” Selena criticized Cole, who was too busy sniffling and wiping tears to listen. “Did you get raised by a fish or something? Who uses a frying pan for toast anyways? And quit crying, would you? You’re a grown adult! Act like one!” Selena scowled. She seemed to be in an extremely bad mood, although Jason couldn’t pinpoint the cause for this. Cole began to sob quietly, cleaning up the mess that was once a slice of bread. Selena followed him around, taking joy in insulting him. “God, you’d think the ‘World’s Best Therapist’ would be able to keep his emotions in check, but you’re just an absolute train wreck, aren’t you? What, did your parents forget to-”

“STOOOOPPPP ITTTTTTTTTT!” Cole screeched before beginning to full-on bawl. Jason rushed over to him to try and comfort him.

“What the hell did he do to you?” Jason spat the words at Selena, having to raise his voice to go over Cole’s loud sobbing.

“Oh, here comes Jason, the valiant white knight, always taking the defence of the weak and helpless. Get real; I don’t need life lessons from you,” Selena retorted, her scowl twisting itself into an incredibly forced-looking smile, making her seem veritably insane.

“Who hurt you?” Jason asked Selena. She didn’t answer – she merely contented herself with looking down at the emotional mess that was Cole. “There, there, you’ll be alright,” Jason soothed Cole as one would soothe a child. It seemed strangely effective – Cole stopped bawling, and looked at Jason, teary-eyed. He continued sniffling, but the crying seemed to finally stop. “Do you feel better now?” Jason asked. Cole nodded, trying his best to stop the tears from flowing. “What the hell was that about? Cole didn’t do anything to deserve that!” Jason yelled at Selena.

“My, you’re awfully protective of him, aren’t you?” Selena stated.

“That has nothing to do with it,” Jason retorted. “Anyone would defend someone who’s just being bullied.”

“Bullied, huh? That’s how you would categorize my discontent at this game?” Selena smiled. This smile seemed genuine, unlike her previous attempts. “I’m just taking out my anger, that’s all,” she said, much calmer than she had been mere moments ago. “As it happens, Cole simply happened to be in my way, and I felt the need to tell him of his wrongdoings and correct them.”

“That’s how you excuse yourself?” Jason was outraged. “You are a horrendous person, you know that? If I can even classify you as human.”

“Oh, that’s a low blow, my dear Jason,” Selena chuckled. “A low, low blow. But don’t worry. I will always have the last laugh,” she added, venom dripping off her words.

“Just go, Selena,” Jason sighed. Selena took one last, disdainful look at Cole and Jason before gracefully walking out of the kitchen.

“What did I, um, do to, uh, her?” Cole asked, his eyes still wet.

“I have no idea,” Jason answered as he helped Cole back to his feet.

“Um, thank you, Mr. Harlon – I mean, uh, Jason,” Cole hurriedly mumbled before bolting out of the kitchen. Jason shook his head before helping himself to some food.

After his meal, he left the kitchen, only to run into Selena again. She seemed eager to say something to him, but he cut her off.

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Jason told her, trying his best to contain the rage he felt towards her.

“That was awfully revealing, wasn’t it?” Selena smiled, ignoring Jason’s comment. “Oh, and next time, I’d rather you not interfere with my investigating, thank you.”

“You call that investigating? You were flat out bullying him!” Jason retorted.

“Call it what you want; it doesn’t change the fact that it was effective. For instance, I found out that Cole grew up with abusive parents, and that anyone mentioning a parental figure triggers something inside of him. On top of that, he seems incapable of functioning on his own without someone helping him, possible because of his upbringing. And yet, here he is, supposedly the top of the world of therapeutic methods. How on earth did he get to that position? That is what I wish to find out,” she revealed. “Many people here are enigmas when it comes to their talents, and I wish to find out more about them. Alexandra, Cole, Lavender, Vivian, Bobby, Timothy… All of them shouldn’t belong here, and yet here we are. You are also another enigma, Jason, you see,” she smiled and narrowed her eyes. “The title of best detective actually belongs to a woman named Ariana Beverly, doesn’t it? So why are you here in her stead?”

“Why do you care?” Jason replied. Her bringing up Ariana stung more than it should have. “Shouldn’t you care way more about finding a way out of this predicament? If you have so much time on your hands that you can ‘investigate’ other people, shouldn’t you be figuring out who the killer is and how to get out of here?”

“I will answer that only if you promise to tell me about Ariana. Deal?” Selena smiled maliciously. Jason nodded, knowing that even if he didn’t tell her, Selena would find a way to figure it out. “Well, my dear Jason, you already know why I’m not looking for the killer. We have a deal, remember?” Of course, Jason remembered. Selena already knew the identity of the serial killer hidden among them, but she refused to reveal it for reasons unknown. “As for why I’m not trying to find a way out… Well, I know that there isn’t one. Someone set this whole thing up so meticulously, with every little detail planned. Don’t you think someone that careful wouldn’t have allowed an exit anywhere? Unless you think you can survive the dive?” Selena chuckled to herself. “Hence, my curiosity about my fellow players. Now, about Ariana…” Selena stared intently at Jason. Reluctantly, he explained about his former boss’ untimely demise, and how he had come here looking for answers. “Interesting…” Selena contemplated for a bit. “Luckily for you, that checks out.”

“Luckily?” Jason was confused. “You already know… well, you know.” Jason had to be careful what he mentioned around Selena.

“And what of it? You think there’s only one suspicious person in here?” Selena smiled a villainous smile. “There are several people in here that seem highly suspicious to me. Alexandra, Cole, Lavender, A, Vivian, Rose… All of you are hiding something. I can sense it. I’m slowly starting to break Cole, but the others… They’ll take some time,” she contemplated for a moment.

“Wait, you’re trying to break Cole? That’s the reason you were talking to him like that?!” Jason could feel his blood boiling. Selena was starting to seriously get on his nerves.

“Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh?” Selena snickered. “Yes, and mark my words, one day I will break him. I will find out what it is he’s hiding – and the others, too. Including you, my dear Jason. What could be hiding behind that brave, stoic exterior? A past of trauma and abuse, perhaps?” Selena shrugged. “Only time will tell, I suppose. Well, with that, I must bid you adieu. I have bigger proverbial fish to fry,” she curtsied, and left Jason alone to his thoughts.

Jason wandered around for a bit, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he decided to check up on Navini, whom he had still not seen since Ariana’s death yesterday. Arthur was nowhere to be seen, and Jason knocked cautiously on the door. There was no reply from the other side. Jason turned the doorknob, but the door was locked. Immediately, a panic seized Jason. Navini hadn’t been…? He looked around, desperately trying to find a way into her room. Suddenly, Brian materialized near him, looking highly annoyed.

“Finally!” the baby exclaimed. “Jeez, took you idiots long enough to notice her absence. Ugh, go in. I don’t even care at this point,” he added. Jason heard a click and the door to Navini’s room opened on its own. Jason didn’t care for questions – instead, he rushed into Navini’s room, praying that she was alright.

The room was empty.

Navini wasn’t in the room. The bed had clearly been slept in last night, as the sheets were disheveled and messy. Aside from that, there was no sign that Navini had even been in her room. Jason searched the room frantically for any sign of her. The trumpets hadn’t played yet, and it was that hope that kept Jason going. Navini, wherever she was, was still alive. The panic he had felt earlier was only getting worse, and it took all of wits to keep his calm. It was then that he noticed one of Navini’s unique dresses on the floor in front of the bathroom door, along with the staff she carried around and her platform shoes. The door was locked, and Jason was sure that someone was in the bathroom. He didn’t know why he was so sure – perhaps it was a detective instinct or just his guts – but he was certain someone was in there. He frantically shook the doorknob, praying that something – anything – would happen. Brian had followed him into the room and was watching Jason’s search.

“Wait, did I forget to install electric locks in the bathroom doors?” Brian seemed to be pressing buttons, wherever his real self was hiding. “Well, that’s annoying. Hang on, I’ll get my sister to do it. HEY, SISTER!” he barked to his left. He seemed to be waiting for a reply. “Hang on, I’ll be back,” he mentioned, clearly annoyed, and dematerialized. Jason waited for an agonizing few minutes until Anne-Marie waddled into the room, holding a golden key.

“My apologies for the wait. My brother is rather rude when he wants to be,” she said, looking anything but sorry. “It appears you need the master key. Brian’s instructions were very clear: you are to use it for this instance and only this instance, or else you will face severe punishment.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever, just give me the key!” Jason yelled. Anne-Marie could sense the urgency in his voice and handed over the key. Jason shoved the key into the doorknob and slammed the door open.

There was blood. So much blood.

A kitchen knife lay on the bathmat next to the tub, coloured crimson by bloodstains. Some of the blood had begun seeping into the rug, colouring it a faint pink. The water in the bathtub was slowly turning more and more red as time went by. In the bathtub, Navini’s naked body lay, her wrists sliced open. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t seem to be breathing.

“Oh my god…” Jason was slightly disgusted. He had dealt with suicides in the past, but they were the one crime that never seemed to get less grotesque over time. Knowing time was essential, he rushed to get towels to wrap around Navini’s wrists. Carefully, he lifted her body out of the water and carried her onto her bed. The wounds on her wrists her very large, and a towel could only stop the bleeding for so long. Thinking quickly, Jason tore off bits of Navini’s dresses from her closet and used them as make-shift bandages. He then used some fabric and tape to seal the bandages on her wrists. Navini’s body was incredibly pale, and Jason couldn’t feel a pulse – it was hard to steady his nerves enough to find one in the first place.

“What’s going on… Oh my god!” Arthur raced into the room as soon as she saw Navini’s body. “I left for a few minutes to get some food and… Jason, what happened?”

“Go in the bathroom and see for yourself,” Jason replied. Arthur took one glance into the bathroom and pieced together what had happened.

“Is she… You know…?” Arthur seemed to be unable to bring herself to say it. Jason had no reply for her. He wrapped the blankets around Navini’s body to cover it up and tried once again to feel for a pulse.

He had no idea if Navini was still alive.

SURVIVORS: 19?