Chapter Text
Niki’s hand hovered above the form in front of herself. Honestly she’s signed these a million times now, but she still finds herself scanning the paper in case anything has changed. It never does. In a quick, smooth motion, she signs her name and slips it back.
“Now there is the issue of payment.” The receptionist pointed out as she took the paper back. “Your card for your monthly payments declined.” She looked apologetic, having known Niki by now and the state of her finances.
“Oh- Of course-“ She grabbed her purse, taking out her wallet before flipping through it. Several of the cards in there were already completely drained. She pulled out a card, swiping it through the machine.
“Sorry, it declined.”
“I have another, here.” Niki grabbed the next plastic card, swiping it through as well. Come on, she had to have something left.
The receptionist shook her head with an empathetic smile. “Declined. Do you have another?”
With a sigh, the pink haired girl pulled out her newest credit card, barely activated a week ago, before swiping it through.
“Ah, approved. And here’s your receipt.” The receptionist handed over the paper from the other side of the desk. Niki took it, looking it over. She was barely making a dent in these bills, and they only grew longer every day. Most of her credit cards were maxed out at this point, with no real hope of paying them off.
But she had to do what she had to do.
Niki quietly folded up the receipt and put it in her purse, full of dozens of others just like it. She then made the familiar trek to the room that had become a second home to her.
When one lives their life in the same room for days, weeks, months, things tend to get repetitive, confusing. The white walls, once blindingly bright, now held a familiar coldness that threatened to consume her. The gentle beeps and drips had become background noise long ago, easily fading from her mind as the amount of time she spent here grew. The staff was kind enough to give her a cot, where she spent most of her nights. The idea went through Niki’s head to just stop paying for her apartment since she rarely saw the comfort nowadays.
Her fingers played with the stack of mail still in her lap. There were no updates about the boy laying in bed in front of her, just silence that she had given up on filling hours ago. One of her friends was kind though, bringing her mail and a cup of coffee to keep her going for a few more hours before she had to get up and go back to work.
Soft eyes flicked between the occupant in the bed and back down to the letters. She knew what they were before even needing to open anything. The first was an offer for a credit card, trash to be tossed aside since she had already gotten that one. The next was a bill, trash, followed by another and another and another. Student loans, medical bills, overdue credit cards, overdraft fees from her bank. She tried not to think about it, but that didn’t help. She couldn’t just live in a fantasy world where she wasn’t wracked with debt, and she knew that.
The last letter looked handwritten, her brows furrowing. The envelope had her full name on it and her stomach twisted at the thought.
Hesitantly, Niki ripped the top open before digging inside. She pulled out a simple business card. It was unlike anything she’d seen before. One side had a set of symbols; a circle, a triangle, and then a square. It looked hand stamped. The other side simply had a number next to a logo she’d never seen before. This sure was some very odd advertisement.
Wilbur shivered, pulling his coat against himself tighter. It wasn’t cold outside by any means, but he just couldn’t get these chills to go away. He supposed that was just his new reality and exactly why he had to do this.
It wasn’t like Wilbur had never stolen anything before, but this was a bit different. Pickpocketing required a lot more dexterity, a lot more whit, but hopefully he could run into any old fool who was in too much of a hurry to notice a slip of the wrist. He just needed his next fix, it didn’t matter where the money came from. Plus, if he got someone with a particularly shiny watch, it wasn’t like they’d miss the money anyway. At most it’d be an inconvenience.
A beloved musician, turning to petty crime for drugs? Well that was a stereotype for a reason, right? It wasn’t like his band was staying together much longer anyway. Were they even big enough for a headline if he was caught? Who knows.
What Wilbur did know, though, was that there was a man walking this way with a nicely fitted suit and a briefcase. He was the definition of ‘business man’ and seemed to be on a mission. Good, paying little attention then.
As smoothly as he could, Wilbur pulled his coat tighter and walked directly toward the man. He was about to run into him to hopefully swipe his wallet, when he was stopped by a voice.
“Hello, sir.” The man slid to the side to avoid Wilbur’s shoulder.
That got a pause from him, glancing back before stepping a fair distance away from the man. “H-Hello.” That really caught him off guard, it seemed the man wasn’t as distracted as he thought.
“Could I have a moment of your time, perhaps?” The man asked and Wilbur rolled his eyes.
“I already see Jesus every Sunday, you don’t have to sell him to me.” He stated, even though it was very much untrue. He probably hadn’t been to church since he moved out of his parents’ house, but no stranger needed to know that.
“Oh, it’s not about that, don’t worry.” The strange man smiled, “I’d like to tell you about an opportunity where you could make money.”
“I’d rather not get into a pyramid scheme. Find another idiot to fall for your scams.” Wilbur turned, about to just walk away, but was stopped by the man coming up in front of him again.
“Sir, I’d just like to invite you to play a game.”
Wilbur glanced at him. The only types of games that people asked you to play at a subway station in the dead of night for money were not ones he was prepared to play. All respect to workers of course, but he wasn’t one of them. “Look buddy, you might want to find another bloke to get your dick wet with. I’m not-“
As he talked, the man opened up his briefcase, containing two folded up colored paper squares and several stacks of money. Wilbur’s mouth went dry, no longer finding himself able to argue.
“This game is called ddakji. Each time you win, I’ll give you $100.” The man held up the red and the blue folded paper squares.
It only took a moment before Wilbur nodded. “How do you play?”
“It’s simple. If you hit my ddakji, which is my square, with yours and it flips over, then you win the $100. And if I hit your ddakji with mine and it flips over, then you give me the same amount.” The man smiled.
Wilbur glanced away in thought. This was just gambling at the end of the day. And although he wasn’t that bad at gambling, this was definitely taking a chance. He didn’t even have the money to pay if he lost.
“You can have the first turn.” The man said, immediately making the decision for Wilbur.
“Alright then.” Honestly, how hard could it be?
“Red, or blue?” The man held up the squares. Wilbur reached out, grabbing the blue one.
The red square was placed on the floor, unassuming. So Wilbur just had to flip it by throwing his. He wound up and slammed his ddakji down against the red one. It jumped a few inches, but didn’t flip. Fuck.
The business man grabbed his own and got into position before slamming it down just the same, managing to hit at a better angle and Wilbur’s ddakji was flipped over.
Wilbur just stared, disbelieving for a moment before looking back at the man who stared at him expectantly. Right. Money. Which he didn’t have.
“Is something wrong?” The man asked.
“I don’t- Well exactly-“
“You can use your body to pay instead.” The man said so casually.
Wilbur was right! This man just wanted him for his body. He knew it. Though at this point he lost, and this man didn’t look like he’d take no as an answer. “Alright but make it quick. I’d rather the men’s room if you must, even if there’s no one out-“
A harsh slap rang out in the quiet, abandoned subway, a stinging in Wilbur’s cheek.
“What the fuck was that for?!” He called out, hand going to his face.
“I’ll take $100 off what you owe me per slap. How about it?”
Wilbur stared for a long minute before grabbing his ddakji. “Again.”
The business man smirked at that. Over and over again, Wilbur threw his square, watching as it just barely lifted the other, and then the man threw his, flipping it over easily. This game was for children, how was he so horrid? Slap after slap could be heard, echoing through the mostly empty room of the subway. Even when passengers came and went, no one paid them any mind and Wilbur found himself uncaring to the passing glances.
Finally, Wilbur stared down at his square as it collided just right with the man’s, flipping it over onto the other side. He couldn’t help but just stare for a second, processing that he had actually done it and won the game before he let out a loud howl of happiness.
“I did it! I won!” He shouted excitedly, bouncing on his feet. He had more energy than he felt like he had in a very long time. He turned to the man who just smiled and clapped for him. Wilbur looked back over, holding out his hand, “My prize, sir.”
The man grabbed $100 from his briefcase before gingerly handing it over to Wilbur. He smiled to himself, counting his new earnings. Wilbur wasn’t about to stop there though. If all he had to do when he lost was get a slap? Well he’ll see how much he could get out of the exchange.
He’d like to say that as the rounds went on, he got better, but he honestly couldn’t be sure. The slapping continued, but so did the payments for winning. He just kept at it, throwing folded paper at folded paper in the hopes that it’d flip over.
By the end of it, he sat on the subway bench, counting his earnings. His face might be in pain but he was several hundred dollars richer so maybe it was worth it.
“There are many more games like this where you can earn an even bigger prize.” The man started, putting the game back into his briefcase.
Wilbur scoffed, pocketing his earnings. “And do that again for a couple of pounds? Honestly, what do you take me for?”
“Mr. Soot. We both know you’re a failing musician with a crippling heroin addiction.” The man smiled, his words causing the Brit to freeze, eyes wide as he looked up to the other. “Surprised I know your name? Will Gold, age 25. Didn’t graduate college, dropped out to form a band with your friends. But that band’s falling apart due to your chemical dependence. Forced your band to stop midway through your most recent album. Now you’re ‘on a break’ for ‘family matters’. That was six months ago. You’ve now run out of your earnings from said band and are scrambling from debt collectors and the press alike. 1.4 million dollar debt, mostly to shady loan sharks.”
Wilbur’s back straightened, trying to keep the anxiety off his features. “Who the fuck are you?”
The man pulled out a simple business card, handing it to him. “As I said, there are many more games like this where you can earn an even bigger prize. We don’t have many players left to fill, so make your decision.”
Wilbur just stared as the man gave a swift nod and headed back to the subway car. He stared until the two disappeared completely from his sight.
“Who is this?” The voice on the other end questioned, leaving the blond to anxiously bounce his leg. Was he really so desperate that he’d do this? His cheek still stung from the multiple rounds of betting with his own body just to get a chance at getting more money. It wasn’t like his parents weren’t lacking in money- He just wanted more.
The thought of his schoolmates laughing at him for not having the most recent games-. It wouldn’t be so bad to just get a bit beat up for cash, right? People did it all the time on TV.
“Tom Simons.” He finally answered with a breath, closing his eyes to try and stamp down his anxiety.
There was a pause on the other side of the line, as if they weren’t expecting that name to come up. He was sure they’d hung up before, “Would you like to participate in the games?”
“Yes.” He picked at his pants, trying to clear his head.
“Please state your name and birth date to confirm your attendance.”
Purpled’s hands stuffed into his pockets. The night was cold, slowly turning to winter now. If he looked hard enough, he could see his breath under the harsh streetlight above his head. He was surprised to see this wasn’t some shady alley, nor a back road that was barely lit. This was a main road. Although mostly abandoned at this time of night.
He pulled the scrap of paper out of his pocket again, double checking the time and place to meet. Everything looked correct.
At the completion of the hour, a van pulled up, tinted windows slowly rolling down.
The man in the van was dressed very odd, instantly putting Purpled off of the entire idea. Of course he knew this was sketchy, but the man was masked and wearing what resembled a hazmat suit, but red.
“Password?” They asked without hesitance, voice feeling modified with something about the mask.
“Oh.” Purpled fumbled with the memory, “Simon Says.”
The door to the back of the van opened, meaning he must have passed whatever test he had been given. He glanced inside, everyone else asleep. Even as every instinct told him to leave, he crawled into the van and buckled up. Purpled glanced to his left, inspecting the man laying there. Wait, was that- Punz? Before he could get out a single word, gas started to flow out of the vents. The world went black far faster than he could so much as make a sound.
The world slowly started to fade in around Skeppy, light bright above him as he opened his eyes. His body felt a bit heavy, as if waking up from a deep sleep, but he didn’t remember even going to sleep in the first place. He pushed himself up, shoving the blanket off of himself before pausing. These were not his clothes. He grabbed at the fabric of the teal tracksuit, brows furrowing. Did someone change him in his sleep?
A noise caught his attention and his head snapped up, staring at the man in front of him. He had reddish brown hair, bright green eyes behind square glasses, and the same track suit with the number 014 printed across the left of his chest. He looked almost petrified, having tripped over his own feet.
“Ah sorry!” He called out, scrambling to get back up from the ground.
“Are you okay?” Skeppy asked, climbing out of his own low bed to see if the other needed help.
“I’m okay! I just- Kinda distracted, you know. The lights are so bright.” The other said, standing up on his own. He didn’t seem hurt at least. “Do you know where we are? I remember getting into a van then I’m here.”
Skeppy frowned, taking a second to look around. A huge room, bright white with what looked like hundreds of beds in it. It was almost like an auditorium or a gym with how big it was. But even then it was hard to guess. “I don’t- Sorry. The same thing happened to me. I went into the van and then- God this is exactly what my mom warned me about as a kid. Never get into a van with a stranger.”
Green eyes widened, “And we walked right into their van too. These are for games, right? To help us? I wonder why they went about getting us like this.” He sighed.
“I don’t know. It gives me bad vibes though. Just be careful I guess.” Skeppy shifted before realizing. “Oh by the way you can call me Z-“ He paused a second. This place was supposed to be some form of anonymous right? Clearly since everyone involved was wearing a mask, at least the staff, and he wasn’t about to flaunt the fact that he was in debt and got his ass handed to him by a guy in a suit for a few hours. “S-Skeppy. Yeah you can call me Skeppy.” He decided. It was a name he’d use on games every now and then so it seemed fitting.
The other paused, realizing that Skeppy was avoiding real names and nodded, “Then- Well you can call me BadBoyHalo!”
Skeppy couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that, “BadBoyHalo? I just met you and I wouldn’t consider you bad at all. And halo? Isn’t that kinda the opposite of bad?”
Bad’s cheeks lit up faintly at the teasing, arms crossing, “At least mine means something. I mean what the heck is a ‘skeppy’ anyway?” He teased back.
“Hey!”
“Tommy?” Tubbo called out, spotting the blond in the crowd. He quickly turned around to face Tubbo, his face lighting up quickly before he made his way over.
“Toby! Man it’s so good to see you, you wouldn’t believe the time I’ve had! It’s absolutely been crazy. What the fuck are you doing here anyway?” Tommy spoke a mile a minute, glad to see Tubbo, even in these circumstances. Honestly though, Tubbo was just as glad to see his best friend.
“Oh I’m sure I’ve had the same crazy time. They put me in a van, Tommy! A van! That’s after some asshole slapped me so many times my cheek started bleeding!” Tubbo moved his hands as he talked before pointing to his cheek, a bandage still attached to the surface-level wound.
Tommy’s brows immediately furrowed, concern coloring his face as he looked, “You got slapped too?”
“Wait, so did you?”
“Did everyone else get-“
“I’ll fucking kill you! You piece of fucking shit! How fucking dare you show your face near me again!” A yell could be heard coming from the center of the room, silencing any conversation the two boys were having. Without hesitation, Tommy grabbed Tubbo’s hand and led them to the circle that was forming.
A tall man with the oddest facial hair Tommy’s ever seen was standing confident, arms crossed and smirk on his face, at a much shorter man who looked like he was about to punch said man. And if their words were anything to go off of, he absolutely was.
“Good to see you too, mi amor.” The taller man chuckled, not taking the words as threats at all.
“Don’t you dare call me that! Fuck you!” The shorter lunged forward, fist about to collide before it was caught by the other and he was thrown back to the floor.
“Alexis, you couldn’t take me before, what makes you think you can take me now?”
“Should we help him?” Tommy tried to whisper but Tubbo quickly shook his head, “Absolutely not.”
Even still, Tommy was about to just go in before another man came out of the crowd and sprinted to Alexis on the floor. He helped the other up before Alexis pulled his arm free. “Leave Quackity alone, asshole. He’s been through enough!” The man called out.
“I didn’t ask for your help, Sapnap.” He grumbled, fixing the beanie on his head before wiping at his split lip.
“I know, but-“ Sapnap tried to argue, frown on his face.
“This is such a waste of my time.”
“Shut the fuck up, Schlatt! I’ll-“
A loud buzzing spread through the room from the speakers, causing everyone to stop, looking to the doors where several guards began walking in, several with circle masks, and one with a square one. The square stood in the middle, staring out at all the players.
“Good morning, everyone. I’d like to welcome you to the games on behalf of everyone here. Over the next six days, you will be playing six different games, and as promised, those who make it through every game will win a cash prize.” The square in the middle stated, almost as if it was a script.
“How are we meant to trust that?” A man with messy brown hair called out, the number ‘404’ across his chest. “You kidnapped us. You knocked us out with gas and drove us to… Whatever this place is.” He gestured out to the large room.
“He’s right!” Bad called out, “We don’t even know where we are!”
“We apologize for the inconvenience our methods have caused, but this was all for anonymity and confidentiality. For this reason, our staff are also masked and no personal information can be exchanged about the staff to any of the participants. This is so that we can ensure the games are completely fair for every participant. Don’t worry though, you will have everything returned to you when the games are over.” Square stated.
“I don’t know, still sounds fishy.” The man from earlier, Quackity, called out. His arms were crossed over his chest, “You can’t deny that you kidnapped us. You weren’t transparent about the process at all, used gas on us without knowledge or consent- I mean, really how is this place even run? There’s no way that’s legal.”
“Player 420, Alexis.” Square clicked a remote, the lights dimming and a screen lit up to show Quackity playing a game, losing and getting slapped by the man he played against. The shorter man unconsciously brought up a hand to rub at his cheek. “Age, 21 years. Former law student but quit due to severe mental health breakdown. School money funneled off into business ventures left and right, each failing. All tied to the name Schlatt, but placed under your name. Student debt and credit card debt as well. Current debt, 983 thousand dollars.”
The screen clicked over to another individual, getting the same treatment, “216, Wilbur. Debt, 1.4 million dollars. 404, George, 1.2 million. 324, Cara, 580 thousand. 342, Charlie, 1.6 million. 047, Noah, 890 thousand.” Each name, the person was brought up on screen, showing them losing the game they were playing or finally winning their money from the man. “Each one of you in this room is here for the same reason. You are in vast amounts of debt with no hope to pay it off.”
Tommy tensed up at the accusation, glancing around the room a moment before looking back to the man on the pseudo stage in front of them.
“With each of you, we played a game together, one for money. You trusted us then that we’d pay up and we did. You put your trust in us when you then came again, even after most of you had learned the consequences of losing said game, and you chose to participate anyway. And now, I will give you one last choice. If you’d like to leave the games, go back to petty crime and scrounging up your debt that you have no hope to pay back, getting mixed up with gangs and loans, you can. If you’d like to instead play a series of fair games where you have the chance to get out of debt for the rest of your lives with no real worry about ending up back in it, then take our offer.” Square stated.
“What games are we playing?” Niki asked hesitantly.
“In order to keep them fair, we can not disclose that information. You will be told the game you are playing right before it starts.
“How much are we playing for?” A taller man with long pink hair asked, eyes piercing as he looked back at the man in the mask.
Square clicked a button on his remote, causing the ceiling to start shifting and opening up. A closing light emitted from it as a giant pig shaped glass container eased itself down slowly. It was all but glowing with the light, like the answer to many of their prayers, the music that played as it descended was very similar to many you’d hear in an arcade.
“At the end of every game, the prize money will be collected there. Once the first game is over, we will disclose the amount. If you wish to leave the games, please tell us now and we will return you to your lives.”
The room was silent, no longer was there anyone crying ‘kidnapping’, and similarly there was no one requesting to leave the games either. Everyone just sat in stunned silence. Tommy looked over at Tubbo who’s brows were furrowed tight, eyes glued to the giant glass pig hanging from the ceiling. Maybe staying in the game would be a good idea, to help Tubbo. How could he let his best friend do this alone?
Everyone stood in lines; at the end of them was a guard with a contract, assumedly what everyone would be signing their rights away on. Technoblade stood at the back, eyes taking in every little thing. He didn’t like the look of this place, it was really suspicious. They just kidnapped 456 people and made them play games for money? How did they know as much as they did? It was all setting off alarms in his brain, but he needed the money almost as badly as everyone else here. Something just wasn’t sitting right about all of this, not one bit. Though in the moment, the biggest thing that wasn’t sitting right-
“Can I help you?” Techno asked, prompting the man behind him to stiffen up before giving out a quiet chuckle. He turned to look at the blond behind him, eyes harsh as the other rubbed at his neck.
“Sorry, Mate.” The shorter man said, “Just felt like I’ve seen you somewhere.”
“I doubt it.” He answered simply, “I’m sure you’d know if you had.”
“My names Phil- Za. Er…” He paused, as if trying to piece his own name together.
“Philza?” Techno asked, amused, “I’m pretty sure everyone’s using ‘code names’ so they don’t get recognized outside of here, and that’s what you went with?”
“Yours can’t be much better.” Philza argued.
“Technoblade.”
“Oh that is kinda cool. But also like a 12 year old’s OC.”
Techno couldn’t help but give a snort at that, “I can see it.”
The two turned back to the papers and Techno signed away at them, making sure to get a glance at the three clauses. 1) A player is not allowed to voluntarily quit the games. 2) A player who refuses to play will be eliminated. 3) The games may be terminated upon a majority vote. That seemed fair, he supposed. He stepped back once his signature was down and watched as Philza also took a moment to scan the words before placing his signature down as well.
[Attention, all players. The first game is about to begin. Please follow the staff’s instructions. Please make your way towards the game hall.]
Punz stood in line, already writing up the lecture he’d give to his brother in his head. He stared at the other, a huff leaving him.
“Grump all you want, you cant change that I’m here.” Purpled complained, posture completely mirroring his older brother.
“What if you get hurt!” Punz complained back.
“I won’t. We play some games, we win some money, we get back to our lives. Then we’ll have the rent paid off, you can stop working 3 jobs, and we can both go back to our schools. Easy.”
“You aren’t supposed to be here, Gr- Purpled.” Punz sighed.
“Yeah, yeah. Your stupid hero complex. Brother, you can’t possibly go out and help get money because you’re but a child and I must protect you. I’ve heard it a million times. You treat me like I’m a kid.” The younger rolled his eyes.
“Because you are a kid.” Punz pointed out.
“Well it doesn’t take an adult to see you’re killing yourself over this.” Purpled argued back.
Punz was going to argue back, but the second he passed the doorway into the new room, his eyes widened. It was a very odd mix and mesh of textures. He could only describe the scene as a funhouse. The walls were painted with bright yellows, blues, pinks, greens, and there were stairs everywhere. It was as if it was built just to be confusing. It was something right out of a kid’s imagination.
Once they had climbed all those stairs, they were brought into several lines which lead to photo booths. Punz stepped in and looked around a bit. It was an odd mash up of a photo booth and a driver’s license photo.
[Please look into the camera. Smile.]
Punz gave a half-smile into the camera before stepping out. Purpled followed suit, but didn’t smile at all. Punz rolled his eyes, of course. They had to get back into line but Purpled hung back a bit.
“I’m not standing next to you anymore.” Purpled stubbornly said, not wanting to stick near his brother. Punz just rolled his eyes in response and headed back into line. If he wanted to be like that then fine.
The lines of people went up and down the stairs, twists and turns, tunnels, just so many things. He wondered if it was a maze or built intentionally for defense, but honestly, it just seemed more random than that. Almost built as a fun room for children. Honestly that’d be what he thought if brought here in different circumstances. A play room made for children to run around in.
Dream stared at the cameras, eyes watching carefully. Things were falling into place and running smoothly so far. The game was tested and should be working perfectly, all of the participants were in the right places. Honestly a job well done so far. But this wasn’t it, they still had the actual game to play. The first day was always the hardest and that’s exactly why he needed everything to go flawlessly.
He turned away from the screens, trusting that his men would make sure things go well while he’s gone. Dream made his way over to the elevator, standing a moment as it scanned him.
[Identity verified.]
He pressed the button that lead to his suite before waiting as it took him up. When the doors opened up, he headed straight for his main room. Screens displayed all over the wall with the first game’s camera feed displayed prominently. Dream sighed, leaning into his couch so he could get comfortable while the games went on. Although he did need to make sure things went perfectly, that didn’t prevent him from relaxing and watching the results of the game. Who would show the most promise?
Nihachu took a small breath as the participants stood outside of the doors that’d lead to the first room. She was pretty sure of her skills. She was never one for sports, but games were always a fun challenge for her. Video games, board games, role playing games, you name it.
The doors opened up, leading to a giant room. It was dressed up like a large living room, everything scaled up so the fully grown participants almost seemed like toddlers in comparison. A large couch and coffee table were to the right, while a large TV screen sat against the left.
[Attention, all players. After you enter the game hall, please stand behind the white line in front of the screen and await further instructions.]
Niki moved with the crowd, only pausing when she was bumped into. Her head whipped around quickly, “I’m sorry I-“ She paused, seeing who it was, “Cara-“
“Puffy. CaptainPuffy, actually.” The other woman looked nervous, but put on a friendly smile, “I guess I understand why you’re here.”
Niki gave a frown but nodded back. Puffy was one of her coworkers, though the older woman had quit a few months ago and they hadn’t really talked since. “You can call me Nihachu, it’s the name I gave everyone else. Or- Well Niki’s still fine-“ She paused for only a moment before her brows furrowed lightly and she looked back, “If I can- How did you end up here? Is everything alright with your son?”
Puffy gave a soft chuckle at that, nodding, “Yeah, no he’s alright, it just costs… A lot more than I thought to raise a kid. The parents are sick and need help with paying bills too and I just- Well one thing led to another with finances.”
“Oh. Puffy I’m so sorry, you could’ve asked me. I mean I could do something I’m sure just-“
“What could you have done, realistically? You have your own brother to worry about, you know?”
Niki frowned, looking away, “Right.”
“Don’t worry about it. We both got into this so we can get money right? They didn’t say only one person would win. So how about it? We can both get the prize.” Puffy’s smile was warm, as it always was. Honestly Niki really regretted not being as close friends, but so much of her time was devoted to her brother and the hospital. After the games maybe they should go and get a coffee.
“Come on, the game’s going to start soon.”
The two headed to the game area, standing in front of the screen. It was so big it was intimidating.
[Once again, will all players please stand behind the line and await further instructions.]
The phone in Dream’s room rang, prompting him to grab it. “This is Dream. The preparations are complete, the games may begin.” He put it back down without another word and turned back to the screen. It was time they started.
[Here is the first game.]
Skeppy looked up as the screen in front of them turned on. The character on it was a cartoon version of a child, smiling at them patiently.
[You will be playing Simon Says. You must follow the directions given to you by ‘Simon’. So long as the command begins with ‘Simon says’, you must follow it. If ‘Simon says’ clap your hands, you must then clap your hands. But, if Simon says ‘turn around’ without saying ‘Simon says’ first, the player must not obey that command. If a player doesn’t listen to Simon and disobeys a ‘Simon says’ command or does obey a non ‘Simon says’ command, they are then eliminated.]
“This is just… Simon says?” Bad furrowed his brows, glancing over at Skeppy, “The kid’s game?”
“Yeah- I guess?” It was odd. He had no idea why money would be on the line for such a simple kid’s game. But at the same time, this game didn’t particularly rely on a lot of skill, did it? This would be easy.
[Let me repeat the rule. You must follow the directions given to you by ‘Simon’. So long as the command begins with ‘Simon says’, you must follow it. If ‘Simon says’ clap your hands, you must then clap your hands. But, if Simon says ‘turn around’ without saying ‘Simon says’ first, the player must not obey that command. If a player doesn’t listen to Simon and disobeys a ‘Simon says’ command or does obey a non ‘Simon says’ command, they are then eliminated.]
[Those who keep up with Simon and are not eliminated at the 5 minute mark, will pass this round.]
[With that, let the game begin.]
The clock beeped, turning on and the screen lit up.
[Simon says, stand on one leg.]
The crowd moved, everyone doing as they’re told. Skeppy rolled his eyes, it can’t be this easy.
Two friends near the front laughed, gently shoving each other, until one ended up falling completely. The second his second leg hit the ground, the world felt like it stopped.
[Player 418. Eliminated.]
A shot rang out, making everyone else go silent. The man who fell went still and the one who pushed him frowned. “Hey, get up.” The friend moved to crouch next to the unmoving man, staying on their one leg. When they pushed him though, blood drained from the body. All at once everyone started screaming. A few more shots sounded as people scrambled. The friend was the next to go, followed quickly by anyone deciding to run.
Skeppy stood frozen, still balancing on one leg. No way. No fucking way.
People pushed and shoved, trying to make it to the door which just caused shot after shot for disobeying. Everyone that scrambled for the doors that wouldn’t open were shot, bodies piled up. Skeppy was unmoving. There was nothing he could do but watch. No way. This was a death game.
It wasn’t until the shots calmed down that his muscles threatened to give up. He had been shaking since the first shot, but it was clear this pause was effecting him more and more. He wobbled, eyes widening as he was on his way to tip over completely. He yelped, closing his eyes tightly as he waited for the impact and the shot, but nothing came. Skeppy’s eyes opened slowly, looking over to the pressure on his arm and seeing Bad holding him up.
Bad’s face was a neutral mask, the smile Skeppy had seen all day had completely disappeared. It seemed he was in survival mode, but even still hadn’t let Skeppy fall over.
[I will now repeat the rules.]
Skeppy looked up, finally getting himself to balance on his leg so Bad could let go and keep his own balance.
[You must follow the directions given to you by ‘Simon’. So long as the command begins with ‘Simon says’, you must follow it. If ‘Simon says’ clap your hands, you must then clap your hands. But, if Simon says ‘turn around’ without saying ‘Simon says’ first, the player must not obey that command. If a player doesn’t listen to Simon and disobeys a ‘Simon says’ command or does obey a non ‘Simon says’ command, they are then eliminated.]
[I will repeat the rules again.]
[You must follow the directions given to you by ‘Simon’. So long as the command begins with ‘Simon says’, you must follow it. If ‘Simon says’ clap your hands, you must then clap your hands. But, if Simon says ‘turn around’ without saying ‘Simon says’ first, the player must not obey that command. If a player doesn’t listen to Simon and disobeys a ‘Simon says’ command or does obey a non ‘Simon says’ command, they are then eliminated.]
[With that, let the game resume.]
[Simon says, touch your nose.]
There was no hesitance to follow the direction, everyone giving all their attention to the screen in front of them. Anyone who hadn’t listened or fell off their leg were eliminated. Skeppy tried not to think about it as he just stared at the screen.
[Stick our your tongue.]
Bang! Bang!
[Simon says clap your hands.]
Bang!
[Simon says sit down.]
Bang! Bang!
The relief in Skeppy’s legs could be felt as he took a seat.
[Reach up with both hands.]
Bang!
[Lay down.]
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
[Simon says jump up to your feet.]
Bang!
There was a bit of stumbling, but it worked. He regretted not going to the gym so much now.
[Simon says spin in a circle.]
Bang! Bang!
The commands were coming out a bit faster now. So that must be the main challenge then. Tripping them up with quick commands.
[Touch the floor.]
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
[Simon says touch the floor.]
Bang!
[Clap your hands. Jump. Simon says pat your head. Walk to the left. Simon says take a step backward. Simon says jump forward.]
The commands came out faster and faster and so did the gunfire. His eyes glanced around to who was left. It looked like half of them were on the floor bleeding out. His mind raced but he followed the movements, no matter how stupid. What the fuck was happening?
[Simon says touch the floor. Turn around. Simon says turn around. Simon says reach up with both hands. Clap your hands. Simon says lay on the floor. Now jump up.]
Skeppy dared to glance at the clock and they were close. At every command, more shots rang out, and he was convinced he was going to be close.
[Simon says turn around.]
His eyes widened, it’d be harder to follow if he wasn’t watching the screen. Even so he obeyed with everyone else. There were so few people behind him. In the beginning there was a crowd but it was far more sparse now.
[Simon says jump. Simon says keep jumping. Stop.]
So many shots sounded and he looked back at the time. Just a few more seconds.
[Simon says stand on one leg.]
Everyone stood there and once again Skeppy wobbled. He felt himself trip over himself and he was falling. He gasped. This time Bad wasn’t fast enough to save him. He closed his eyes tight and-
[Beep!]
Right before Skeppy’s arm collided with the ground, the timer finished. No gunshot, no nothing. He opened his eyes after a second, looking up he saw Bad with wide eyes, staring at him. It seems they both expected him to be down for the count. The timer was the only thing that saved him.
[Congratulations. The first game has completed. You will now be brought back to your quarters.]
Skeppy let out a breath, not wanting to get up yet. The second he could, Bad put his leg down and crouched to make sure the other was okay. He gave a breath of relief before helping the other man up.
“I thought you’d be shot for sure.”
“What? I won’t lose that easily.” Skeppy’s voice was a lot more whimsical than he felt.
The bedroom felt darker when everyone got back. No one wanted to talk. Everyone huddled in small groups near the beds, quiet and tired. How was what they had just been through real? It was hard for Tubbo to process. He was literally standing there and the man in front of him- God. This isn’t what he signed up for. This isn’t what he wanted. Surely he could go back and explain to those asshole that he owed money to that- Fuck what was he thinking there’s no way!
“Toby!” Tommy called out, pushing through people before he found his best friend, giving him a hug. “God, I thought I’d lost you!”
Tubbo’s brows furrowed and he hugged back, “I thought I’d lost you too! What the fuck was that? Some kind of sick death game? Fuck.”
“My mom always told me nothing in this life is free.”
Tubbo and Tommy separated, looking at the one who interrupted. He was tall, very, but couldn’t have been much older than either of them. He had a half and half dye-job of black and white and a 456 on his chest.
“Sorry- I didn’t mean to interrupt.” The boy looked anxious, which was a bit ironic since they literally just had a life or death game yet seemed to worry over the socialization instead.
“Tubbo.” The brunet held out his hand.
“Tommy- innit… God, I need to think of a better name.” Tommy chuckled, introducing himself.
“You can call me Ranboo.” The tallest introduced, “I honestly didn’t think there would be so many people my age here.” He frowned lightly, “Especially after what happened at the first game.”
“Yeah, that was crazy! I just froze up.” Tubbo frowned back before shaking the thought from his head.
Before much more could be said, a loud buzzing sounded and the lights light back up to their full brightness. The square guard came back in, following after him were 8 guards with triangles on their masks, guns in hand.
Everyone got up from where they sat, far more weary of the men coming into the room. Although there was little trust in them before, no one trusted them for sure now.
“Congratulations. You’ve all made it through the first game. Now, let’s announce the results of the first game, shall we?”
Everyone watched as the number of players went down. Breaths were held as the result flashed up on screen.
“We started with 456 players, 255 were eliminated. Meaning, there are 201 of you that completed the first game.”
There was whispering and muttering from all the players, even Tubbo desperately looked over to Tommy who had no answers. Over half of them were gone, just like that. God just what kind of death games did they get themselves into? This was absolutely insane.
A man pushes through the audience, orange hair streaked with white and some scruff on his face. His number is 079 and he immediately falls to his knees at the front. “I’ll find a way to pay back the money, please, no matter what it takes I’ll do it. Just please let us go. I don’t want to die, you can’t, please I promise I’ll forget everything I saw here.”
As if pushing down a domino in a line, one by one others started joining in begging for their lives, falling to their knees in front of the guards to beg for their freedom. Tubbo thought about joining them, but Tommy held his shoulder tightly.
“Everyone, I think you’re misunderstanding here. No one is here for your debts, and we have no intention of hurting you. We are giving you a chance, an opportunity for you to be able to fairly and honestly get the money you owe and be freed from your previous lives.” Square stated.
“An opportunity? You kill us for losing a children’s game and you call that an opportunity? You’re fucking sick.” Wilbur called out.
“This is all just a game.” Square said. If his posture wasn’t so trained, Tubbo would find him shrugging with how casually he said that sentence. It didn’t sit right with him one bit.
“People dying? That’s a game to you?” Skeppy spoke up.
“Those that died were eliminated for breaking the rules of the game. If you follow the rules, you will not be harmed and the prize money will be yours.” The guard stated.
“Fuck your money!” Punz called out, “I’m not going to just sit by and play your stupid games and die for the chance at some money.”
There were cheers of agreement from the crowd. Tubbo once again looked over to Tommy who was frozen, not really able to do much but nod.
“I will remind you of the first clause of your consent form, A player is not allowed to voluntarily quit the games. This means that once we start playing, no player is allowed to quit, simple as that.” Square continued on.
There was more murmuring and shouts from the players.
“And what about our families? They’ve got to know we’re missing! The police will be on their way any minute and then you’ll be caught! How could you hide 256 bodies?” A man with stark white hair contrasting his dark skin called out from the back. Tubbo couldn’t see clearly but he thought the number across his T-shirt was in the 050’s. It was subtle, but when the man spoke, the Square guard seemed to turn his head quickly to him.
“Exactly! You’re fucked!” A bald man from the front piped up, 149 across his back from where Tubbo could see.
People started shouting, one after another, and it was a full breakdown of thoughts and yells. After a few seconds though, the Square guard moved his arm up quickly and shot a gun into the air. Everyone hit the floor, protecting themselves from the possible assault. The sound of guns being cocked being heard over the screams. Tubbo dared to peek, staring at the Square guard who stood on the platform, all the triangle ones having their assault weapons pointed right at the group of unruly players.
“Let me remind you of the second clause. A player who refuses to play will be eliminated.” Square stated sternly.
Tubbo heard shifting to his left and he immediately looked over to see Quackity stand up, “Clause three, the games may be terminated upon a majority vote.” All attention shifted to the law school drop out, eyes shining with hope. “If we vote to stop playing and the majority agrees to stop, then the games end. Do I have that right?”
Square gives a small nod at that. “You are correct.”
Everyone began looking up as Quackity continued, “So we vote. If the majority agrees, then we leave.”
There was a pause with the guards, but Square gave another short nod, “If that’s what you request, then we will vote to decide if we end the games. But, before that, let me reveal the prize money so far.” He clicked a button on his remote, once again revealing the giant glass pig. This time, a tube came down, filling its hollow core with stacks upon stacks of money. It felt like it just kept going up and up.
Tubbo stared desperately as it went. That could pay off what he owed and then some, and it was still going. By the time it had finished, it was a little over halfway full of money. There were murmurs and gasps as everyone stared. From what Tubbo could tell, that amount of money could help everyone here with any of their debts. Although his wasn’t because his family was sick, he knew even he needed that money desperately. He didn’t even know what happens when you owe money to a gang and he really didn’t want to find out.
“$84K per person eliminated, with 255 players eliminated, that means there’s currently $21,420,000 in the pot. If the games dissolve, that $21.4 million will instead be sent to the families of the eliminated players at $84k each and you will all return home empty-handed.” Square stated, making everyone murmur once again.
“So if we compete and win all six games…” The begging man from earlier, with orange and white hair, asked, “How much is it that we get?”
“With $84k each player, at 456 players, the total potential prize money is $38,304,000 that will be split between any player that passes every game.” Square’s words sunk in to everyone. Tubbo couldn’t even imagine that much money. Sure his parents were comfortable financially, but he wouldn’t have to work the rest of his life for that much money. He could pay off his debt and be far more than just comfortable for the rest of his life. He gave one glance over to Tommy who was still stiff and anxious. Tubbo understood. Their lives were on the line here.
“We will now begin the vote.” Square stated, causing everyone to stand from where they were sitting on the floor.
Somewhere near the front of the room, the floor opened up, slowly pushing a platform with two buttons. A green one with an O, and a red one with an X. It was as straight forward as it could be honestly.
“In front of you are two buttons, this will be the basis for our voting. If you wish to continue the games, press the green O, and if you wish to terminate the games, press the red X. Once you finish voting, please move to the other side of the white line and wait. Voting will be in reverse numerical order, starting with player 456 and ending with 001. 456 please come forward and cast your vote now.” Square gestured to the button platform in front of themself.
Ranboo walked hesitantly and anxiously toward the platform, eyes shifting between it and the people behind him. He took a breath, knowing what he had to to. He reached his hand over and pressed the red X before glancing up to the screen, watching the X click over to a 1 to show his vote. He then walked carefully backward until he was in place.
The next person was called, a frail looking old lady who glanced back at the money a moment before clicking the green circle. And like that, the voting started.
Red, green, red, green. There was almost a pattern to it. People were truly split. 433, Sapnap, O. 420, Quackity, X. 415, Schlatt, O. 404, George, O. 402, Eret, X. 375, Niki, X. 346, Karl, O. 342, Slimecicle, O. 324, Puffy, X. 320, Tommy, X. 319, Tubbo, X. 300, Hbomb, O. 292, MichaelMcChill, O. 216, Wilbur, O. 170, Purpled, X. 169, Punz, X. 149, Jack, O. 140, Skeppy, O. 134, Antfrost, O. 079, Fundy, X. 057, Ponk, O. 049, Hannah, O. 047, Foolish, X. 014, BadBoyHalo, X. 002, Technoblade, O.
It was down to the last person, Phil. The number across his chest reading 001 and the two sides were even with 100 for each vote. Of course they were, he thought to himself, he’d have to be the deciding vote. If he voted yes, the games would continue and all these people who desperately wanted to leave and not lose their lives would have to keep going. If he voted no, the ones who desperately needed to keep going for whatever debts they were in would have to stop and lose their last chance at whatever that caused them to go into debt in the first place. Don’t get him wrong, Phil needed money desperately, but did he really need to throw his life away just for the chance?
Phil’s hand hovered over the circle, he really did need that money. He glanced back, half the people behind him were praying, the other half just stared at him, anxious. No, he couldn’t do that. It didn’t matter what he would do, he couldn’t keep these games going knowing there were people who didn’t want to be here. They didn’t want to lose their lives with the potential to get themselves out of debt. And he understood. He looked back up at the Square guard before slamming down the X button, pushing the majority over the line into ending the games.
Gasps of relief filled the room, many people crying. But there was another sound that filled the air, complaints.
“The majority has voted to end the game, and thus the games will now end.” Square stated.
“Wait! Please!” Slimecicle pushed through the crowd, “Those who want to, should still be able to play!”
Another pushed through, “Please let us keep playing! We didn’t want to end the games!” Antfrost pleaded, “This isn’t fair. Those of us still willing to put our lives on the line should be able to keep going!”
“Please! Just let them go home and we’ll stay!” Ponk called out. “The dead get all the benefits, but we’re left to suffer? That’s bullshit!”
“I’m sorry to say, the vote was fair and the rules were clear. The majority has decided to end the game, and that means they’ve been terminated. But, that isn’t the end of this opportunity. If your mind changes and the majority wishes to participate once again, the games will continue. This is goodbye for now, then.” Square stated, watching as the players started to riot, but were quickly sedated when the gas began leaking into the room.
Phil stared at the people around him, hoping he’d be able to make it back into the games. This couldn’t be the end.