"What was that?" Grand exclaimed in surprise. "He… survived?"
Click
I looked toward the back of the room where the traps had been triggered once again.
At the same time, above the door, the stone plaque with the drawings spun on its own axis again, revealing new figures.
A new round began.
However, blood did not pour down the door.
I smiled happily.
Burges won.
"I can tell you what happened," I said, staring at Grand. "Just admit first that you're a stupid bastard and that I was telling the truth."
Grand snarled, rolling his head.
"I'm a stupid idiot and you're not a liar. Satisfied?!" he asked, rummaging in his pocket once more for a cigarette.
"Sure, very satisfied," I nodded. "Burges chose the right door thanks to me, and on the other side he found a Harpy, a mythological being half woman, half bird. But one hundred percent naked and, judging by his reaction, very beautiful too. Lucky bastard!"
Gulp
I chuckled softly as Grand swallowed hard, staring at the door. I'm sure he wished he'd made the same choice.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH
However, the flames were already advancing once again, provoking him to confront me again.
"What was written on the stone tablet?" he asked, eyes narrowed.
"A lot of nonsense, a long, big load of crap," I said with a shrug. "Basically, it provided a description of what the drawing should have so that we could choose. In the first round, it was Bat; in the second, Harpy; and now…"
I let my eyes slowly scan the drawings. Once again, there was only a single winged being, and this time it was an angel.
"And now?" Grand asked, taking a step forward. "Say it already so we can get out of this hell."
My eyes slid back to Grand.
"Let's say I give you the answer," I said dryly. "What do I get out of it?"
Grand frowned as Drake stepped closer, hostility in his gaze.
"I'll let you leave here alive," Grand said, almost spitting in my face. "Isn't that enough?"
I laughed in amusement.
"I can abandon you here," I said with a smile. "I'll get out alive no matter what you try. You, on the other hand, will die without my answer."
Suddenly, my face twisted into a furious scowl.
"So stop barking, bitch, and start cooperating!"
He clenched his teeth in irritation, but then he took a deep breath
"Spit it out. What's your price?"
I looked them up and down.
"I want the Zeus Building for myself," I said, greed blazing in my eyes. "Along with all the women, thugs, and money. Everything, just for me."
Grand's eyes widened, and then he started laughing.
"No, no, the Zeus Building is out of the question," he said amused. "I get the feeling, but I can only promise you other things."
"Are you sure you want to bargain?" I asked. "Isn't your life worth the Zeus Building?"
"No, you're not understanding me," Grand said, shaking his head. "The Zeus Building is my life! Without it, dying is just a minor inconvenience."
"Choose something else," he said.
"I'd pay anything—just not that," he repeated.
"Tsk!" I clicked my tongue. "In that case, what am I supposed to charge—your clothes?! That's all you have here!"
"…"
Grand and Drake looked at each other, then shrugged.
"Our clothes are pretty expensive," he said, showing off his watches, chains, and jacket. "I think it's a good deal."
Drake agreed beside him, making me narrow my eyes.
I rubbed my eyes to make sure of what I was seeing.
"What the hell!" I complained. "Fine then! But hand over everything, even your underwear!"
They looked at each other again, then shrugged.
Before long, there were two piles of clothes and accessories in front of me, and two naked men.
"The answer is angel," I said bluntly. "You can go." I gestured for them to leave.
Cough, cough
"Okay," Grand said as the flames drew closer. "In that case, we're going…"
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH
The two walked slowly toward the door as the flames advanced behind us.
Together they pushed the door open and came face to face with the endless mist, their eyes wary.
I approached them with the torch in hand.
"Go already," I said bluntly. "The flames are almost here."
They remained standing in front of the door, their eyes darting over their shoulders to me and to the flames.
Then Grand's eyes locked onto mine. Thick sweat ran down his forehead.
"Go first, Drake," Grand said, naked, patting his shoulder. "I'll be right behind you, I promise."
"That sounded really weird—you're naked, man," Drake said, but then he nodded. "But okay, I'll go."
Gulp
He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before stepping into the endless mist.
Grand watched him enter with a smile, then turned back to face me once more.
"I changed my mind," he said, stepping back. "I think it's better to go in the next round. We don't know what happens if two people go in together, right?"
I took a step forward.
"I promise you," I said expressionlessly. "It's safe. Nothing will happen."
"…"
"You don't need to distrust me."I said expressionlessly."That's the right answer. Go quickly!"
"…"
"Don't you want to survive?" I said expressionlessly. "Just go!"
"..."
"..."
We stared at each other in silence, the flames reflecting in his eyes along with my silhouette.
BANG
Click
The door closed behind him, and the traps retracted once again.
HAAAAAAA
"WHAT IS THIS!!!!"
"PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!!!"
BANG BANG BANG
"LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT!"
"I PROMISE I'LL BE A BETTER PERSON!"
"I PROMISE!!!"
"I PROMISE!!!"
"I PROMISE!!!"
BOOOOOOM
Thick blood seeped through the cracks of the door, staining Grand's feet as he stared at me in silence.
His eyes were wide open, my figure stark against the torchlight.
"I made a mistake," I said, watching the blood reach my feet. "Apparently, the answer wasn't angel."
He was stunned against the wall.
"Y-you're l-lying," Grand stammered, his voice trembling. "You knew… I'm sure… you knew the right answer."
My eyes locked onto his.
He had no way to arm himself, being against the wall.
I analyzed his figure from head to toe. He was taller than me, stronger than me, and yet... he wasn't more dangerous than me.
"Okay, you got me. I am a big liar." I said in a voice empty of emotion, my expression thoughtful. "I believe there's one more challenge on the other side. Another group challenge where I need to trust my teammates and vice versa..."
"W-wait!" Grand began to tremble at those simple words and fell backward onto the floor. Instinctive fear taking hold of him. "W-we can s-start over! Y-you d-don't need to k-kill me." He let out a weak laugh with a desperate smile.
"... And after everything I went through in here," I said bitterly and coldly. "After having my death sentence handed down by a third-rate thug. After you tried to kill me every damn round… did you really think I'd let you live?"
Tap Tap Tap
I approached with the torch in hand and crouched down in front of him.
"You have one last chance, Grand," I said with contempt, then laughed. "Since you didn't choose a door, I'll choose one for you."
"And then you'll die a painless death."
"Or else…"
"I'll kill you with this torch, the same way you told Burges to kill me."
Gulp
He swallowed hard and tried to open his mouth to speak again.
"You don't have the intelligence to solve the riddle, you don't have any thugs left to protect you, and now you're lying on the ground, naked, right in front of me while I'm armed."
"You're going to die no matter what. Just decide how you want to go."
Grand's eyes grew dark and lifeless.