SWNOVELXO Chapter 7: EPISODE 7: STILL IN IT
Sarah's eyes widened in horror as she sat frozen, sharing a chair with Whisky. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks: one of them would have to get up. But as their gazes met, neither Whisky nor Sarah made a move to push the other off. Instead, they sat there, paralyzed, their eyes locked in a silent understanding of the desperate situation they shared.
Then Whisky's voice echoed in Sarah's head, 'The world is a bigger.. much bigger place.. full of different flowers... but life is just too short to discover all of the blooms. And these guys, have made our lives even shorter.'
Then Whisky remembered his promise that Sarah had doubted, 'Don't worry, Sarah. I'll protect you until this is all over. I.. promise.'
Sarah's voice echoed into Whisky's head, "Whisky... don't make promises that you can't keep."
Back at the real world when Sarah and Whisky were staring each other like they needed to kiss each other.
It was suddenly when Whisky stood up from the chair.....
EPISODE 7: STILL IN IT
Sarah's mind racing, she wondered, "Is this finally the end for Whisky?" Whisky, meanwhile, swiftly scanned the circle, spotting a few empty chairs, but they were too far away to reach before someone else claimed them.
His eyes darted to his right, where a girl sat, and beside her, an empty chair awaited. However, a student hovering in mid-air was about to occupy it. Whisky seized the opportunity, grabbing the chair and holding it in place, allowing the student to land safely on the floor.
The boy's eyes widened in a mix of fear, shock, and despair, his initial relief at securing a chair replaced by horror as he realized he'd been outmaneuvered. Whisky, meanwhile, calmly took his seat, his quick thinking saving him from elimination.
The room fell silent, with everyone's mouth agape in shock at Whisky's audacious move. Even Whisky himself seemed taken aback. Sarah's silent whisper, "What?" echoed the collective astonishment.
The stillness was palpable, with all eyes fixed on Whisky, including the soldiers. The intercom crackled to life, breaking the silence. "What the—?" The voice paused, then continued, "You hell boy, you just cheated!"
Whisky, still gazing down at the floor, replied with a hint of innocence, "How could I have cheated if I didn't know the rules?" He raised his head, flashing a mischievous grin that left everyone even more stunned.
The intercom crackled again, "Don't play dumb, kid! You already know the rules. If you didn't, you wouldn't have made it to the final round—"
"Nah, that's not it," Whisky interjected, his voice confident. "Have you ever played fighting video games? Let's say 'Tekken' – most of us know it. If you're an expert at the game and you hand a controller to someone who's never played before, the probability of the expert winning isn't 100%. There's always a chance, no matter how small, that the beginner will win.
"That's what happened here. I'm a beginner in this game, and I simply followed the footsteps of others. I observed how they played and adapted. And yet, I still managed to reach the final round. Isn't that just luck?" Whisky's words hung in the air, his grin still plastered on his face, as he awaited a response.
"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," the voice on the intercom retorted.
Whisky chuckled confidently. "And it's even more ridiculous that you didn't clearly state the rules. Everyone knows this is a children's game, but maybe that's not true everywhere."
He leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Where I come from, things were different. We didn't play Musical Chairs; we played hide-and-seek in maize fields spanning thousands of hectares. Finding someone could take all day." Whisky let out a hearty laugh, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
Everyone in the room knew he was bluffing, and Whisky knew they knew. But he maintained his poker face, enjoying the charade.
Whisky's gaze swept the room, his eyes locking onto the cameras. He knew every move they made was being watched. "Let's just say you made a mistake," Whisky said, his voice dripping with confidence. "For me and this guy, we're still in it. This was the last round, wasn't it? Letting one player live wouldn't hurt, would it?"
The person on the intercom burst into laughter, a deep, menacing sound. "Haa! Haaahah. Hahha! Yeah, you're right, kid. It wouldn't hurt to let one little rat escape. Like you said, you're still in it."
Sarah's face lit up with a smile, relief washing over her. She had thought it was over for Whisky.
The soldiers stepped forward, escorting the standing students away. Instead of taking five, they took four. Three soldiers remained, guiding Whisky and the other boy to another part of the wall.
"Congratulations, you can now proceed to Section 3," the intercom announced. "And what's your name, kid?"
"Whisky, Hallow... Whisky," he replied, smiling confidently.
The voice on the intercom chuckled. "Whisky, that was stupid of you to do that, and I still let you get away. Alright, Whisky, I hope you'll make it."
As the door slid open, Whisky whispered to Sarah, "There's no way I'd protect you if I'm a goner."
Sarah's eyes welled up with tears silently with joy.
They stepped into another hallway, the sound of AK-47s echoing from Section 2. Whisky's thoughts turned grim – every section had its consequences, and those consequences meant death in different ways.
In Section 1, others had died in a massive explosion. Now, the gunshots in Section 2 signaled another bloodbath. For the moment, everyone felt relieved, but Whisky wondered what deadly event awaited them in Section 3.
*______
"NEXT TIME: GRAVITY WRATH"