"With that, the 2nd game is done! I realized that DDR isn't as thrilling when you're watching it, huh. But, you know what really keeps this game together? Your dismembered friend! Who can't keep his body parts together, apparently. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Did you guys actually think that you can finish this experiment unharmed?

Lol, that's too farfetched. Man, if it was really a safe experiment, I wouldn't have to actually kidnap you, I'd just ask your parents directly! Speaking of which, I hope they don't notice their children are missing. I wonder what happened to them, does anyone have guesses?

Anyway, I just wish I could see all your hopeless faces right now. Apparently, I could only see this in a screen, just like how you could see me in this big theater-like projector screen. 

Ah, and don't worry, Paul's death was simply making the experiment finally progress. Also, I have no use for him now, I let him get early access to the center of your curious minds, the locked room outside. It's open now, it's all up to you guys if you wanted to know what determined his fate, or maybe you won't. *Whisper* Also my name is Skin if you guys didn't hear it last game."

This psychopathic motherfucker.

My head was filled with thoughts. Thoughts that are not about Paul, but rather, thoughts about killing this fucker, Skin. I don't even know why, maybe because there's a dismembered body just below the stage that we are infront of, or maybe just because I want to escape and forget all the things that he did to the people here.

I didn't feel despair, I felt anger.

James and Jest was trembling, I know they're scared, they just don't show it. Jane, Vergil, Reim, Gab and, hell, even Andy were terrified. Their eyes started looking hopeless, and their bodies were trembling, but unlike James and Jest, I felt that they were already giving up. 

What about me? What did I feel about this?

I felt nothing. I don't know why but I felt nothing towards Paul's death. I only felt anger for Skin, because I know now, I know that Paul isn't the only one who'll die in this experiment. I want to save these people, I want to escape with them. I was angry at Skin because I also felt failure, failure of not noticing it sooner, and also, I felt hopelessness, because even if I knew what was coming, I couldn't do a thing about it.

"This theater will be now closed, alright? Now scram, go to your rooms. I won't close down the arcade, I like it. Anyway, yes, the deal is all good. The 3rd floor and the DREADED Locked room is now open for all to see~. Now get out of here, I don't want you all see me, I'm shy. The "Nines" -like the new name? Robots sounded very bad though, so I was thinking of changing it, you know, nine because you're all nine inside. Well, 8, to be exact, lol. They'll close the door down, and anyone who're inside will meet the same fate as Paul did. NOW SCRAM! GET OUT OF HERE! Byee~"

We went out the theater, and down to the first floor without muttering a single word.

From the looks of it, they were still thinking about what happened to Paul, I mean, who wouldn't though? 

Although, they were all terrified now. All of them trembled because they just saw a body, Paul's body, get dismembered right in front of them. 

However, I..

I didn't feel scared, nor tense at what happened. I don't know why, I just calmed down, and although there was a body getting dismembered, I was thinking of other things, things that Skin said about all of this. He said that Paul went to the room earlier than us, and that he supposedly saw something there that made Skin kill him..?

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No, it was more like a death flag for him, because Skin knows what's in there.

Wait, wait, wait, no. NO. 

So.. Paul was meant to die from the start..?

No, no, that's unlikely, I mean, we all picked a song randomly. It's not like Paul was unfortunate enough to get that endless song or was he? 

From what I've seen, James, who's pretty athletic from what I've observe, got a pretty hard song in the game. Vergil, who's energetic and was on par with James when it comes to the game. She also got a hard song, on the other hand, Gab, who looks like they haven't ran and was very frail, got a really easy song. It was like the songs were programmed for us...

Unfortunately though, we picked the songs randomly. That's the only contradiction I could think of, but there were a lot of advanced robots here, and there was only one DDR machine. Maybe, it was really programmed to know who the hell was in the dance pad...?

Now that I think about it, all these tech..

These tech doesn't even exist from what I remember.

These machines are all high-tech, and I only remember me having a normal smartphone, well, I can't even consider my memory here, so I won't rely on those, I only remember a single event anyway.

But why Paul, why-

My shirt was pulled by Reim, who was tearing up.

"Hey.. Why... Why aren't you scared..?"

"Me? Of course I'm scared.., but what's going to happen if I am? None, nothing would happen."

"But.. but.. Paul was one of us..!"

"I know, that's why I won't be scared anymore. I want to avenge him, and I won't achieve that if I'm scared beyond thought. So, would you help me..?"

"Help you with what..?"

"Help me avenge him. We won't avenge him if we keep trembling. We need to escape this experiment, and if we're scared, it's like we're accepting that we're part of this fucked up experiment. I won't accept it, We're not part of this, and I don't think anyone should be a part of this, that's why being afraid doesn't help. It just slows us down on escaping and avenging Paul. So, help me, help me finish this experiment."

"O-ok..!"

"*Why is she blushing, though?*"

I feel bad for lying at Reim, I just want to escape and finish this experiment, but I do want to finish it with them.

Atleast she calmed down, and was walking normally now.

They all went to their rooms, while I went to the cafeteria to get something to drink. Tired, I sat down the chairs on the cafeteria, and someone was walking in. 

"You're not affected by all of this?"

James said, with a shaky tone.

"Of course, I am."

"Bullshit! Then, then why the hell aren't you afraid? You're not even startled!"

"Why, do you think I'm suspicious?"

"FUCK YES, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO SEEMS CALM ABOUT ALL OF THIS!"

"Because I want to finish this hell of an experiment. Don't tell me you don't want to get out of here."

"God, of course I want to go out, but I JUST SAW A BODY GET DISMEMBERED RIGHT IN FRONT OF US, DON'T YOU THINK THAT MAYBE ONE OF US WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE?!"

"And what the hell do I gain from thinking about that? Of course I'm fucking scared, I haven't seen anyone get murdered, nor get fucking dismembered. Man, I know that, I know that we won't get out of here together, but it's better than just giving up here, sure, Paul died, and I know that one of us will die on the next games, I'm just..

I'm just not trying to think about it. I want you all guys alive, but I guess I should know that things wouldn't go positive in this hellhole. So what the hell is the point of being terrified? Man the fuck up. I'm just the same as you are, but I don't suspect the people here, I trust them. They all want to go out, just like you and me."

"Fine! Do what you want then, but I'm still suspecting you."

James then left the cafeteria. To be honest, he isn't that much of a delinquent if you talk to him, well, I think I cleared his suspicion of me being the man in the screen. 

I then stood up, then left the cafeteria as well. 

Tired, I went into my room and jumped on my bed. But I can't sleep.

After remembering what James said, I couldn't help but think..

"*Will I die here as well?*"

"*Hell no. Of course I won't*"

I'm going to finish the game, along with them. But first, in order to that, I'll have to learn the truth about this experiment, starting with the locked room.

Hesitant to go out of bed, I waited for a few hours, then I finally had the strength to go out of bed. Damn, when you're tired, it really feels like gravity is weighing your body down in bed. But I got out of bed, and went to the second floor without anyone noticing. I grabbed the knob, and thought..

"*Well, I hope this is all worth it.*"