Continued from here.
Chapter One DEAD END
"Marked for Death"
"Hey, come on now...!" Monokuma stood from the diving board, flashing his claws. "If you don't stop acting violent, I might have to eat you all up! The slightest provocation and you're at each other's throats yet again! And doing so with
guests under our roof! For shame!" Monokuma cleared his throat, retracting his claws and clasping his paws together above his head. The bear took a dive off the board, flipping through the air to land gracefully on the ground below. "Ta-dah!! Hopefully that display will distract you junk food addled youths long enough to listen to me! And don't tell me again you're not youths, because I see a lot of childish behavior from where I'm standing!"
The bear's mood shifted as he turned and gave Darv a sweet smile. "Oh, you silly thing. Why in the world would I expel the rat? He's doing such a good job getting you so worked up! You want to kill him for, what, hurting your feelings? Awwww... are you okay? Can Monokuma make it all better? I wonder..." Behind the diving board rose the familiar electronic screen. "Now that you've all chosen a target, let's see if it's the right one!"
The display changed to a moving image of a slot machine, the suspects' faces on the reels.
Klim was reeling, leaning back against his podium after having been sucker punched by Rant. He watched the slots above with wide eyes, wondering just how life had become so topsy-turvy. Any reputation Klim had managed to uphold throughout his life was about to take a startling nosedive, minutes before what was apparently to be the loss of his very life. As fast as the reels moved, Klim's life flashed before his eyes.
The slot machine eventually stopped, landing on Sigma Klim's face three times in a row. The text below flashed...
GUILTY
"Maybe congratulations are in order! Although, if I gave you all the offer of exterminating Rant over killing off this chump, some of you I bet would be interested."
"Y-Yes!"
Klim was gripping his podium so hard, his knuckles were going white.
"Don't do this. Don't do this to me! This isn't right! You can't just kill me...! You're not judge, jury, and executioner... You're barely even a sheriff! You can say I did this, but you still have yet to provide physical proof!"
Bullet spat in Klim's direction.
"Scum!" She would have jumped him by now if not for Jude holding her back.
Monokuma looked innocent as he stared back at the doomed principal. "What was that? Do you think anything you say matters now? Did you think I was... being serious? Upupu..." Monokuma started to laugh. He slapped his belly. "No matter how much they want to give into their blood lust and kill the rat, they voted for you, after all! That's how this works! If you want evidence, I got it!"
Monokuma casually tossed a camera that landed on the ground in front of him. It was busted, presumably having fallen from the roof. Not only was there a camera, but a photo too, seemingly taken moments before Max's fall.
Victoria gasped.
"Are you saying...?"
"There's your proof! You don't have a say any longer! Prepare to be gobbled up!"
"You..." Victoria shook her head, staring at the photo.
"You kept this from us? You had proof of the killer all along? We didn't have to do any of this?" Monokuma ignored the girl.
"Ugh..." Diana looked disgusted as she avoided everyone's gaze.
"He had access to the whole school and all its secrets. He left after helping us with the body, putting him in an easy position to burn the journal. Fuck..."
Klim stumbled backward from the podiums as a mechanical hand rose up from the center.
"No!" he cried, body shaking.
"You don't get it... Maxine was going to slander the face of our school! Blackwell Academy has a reputation to uphold... I am Blackwell! We go down together, so I could not simply afford--"
"Wait!" Jude yelled toward the man.
"Tell us, what was Max going to say? What was she going to tell us?!"
Klim froze, watching as the hand moved closer to grab him. His gaze shifted to Jude for just a moment. His expression told Jude all he needed to know: The principal was ready to bury his secrets with him.
The hand took hold of the principal, dragging him down into the depths below.
"And she liked to be called Max," Bullet said, talking to the principal who could no longer here her.
"Never Maxine."
The monitor above turned on to display Klim dropping into an empty room, left confused and dazed. As the man stood to his feet, metal clamps came up from the ground to secure his feet in place. Tiny mechanical limbs reached out and grabbed at the man's arms, pulling them so he was standing in a T-pose.
That was when it
really began. Shocks were administered to the man, causing his whole body to spasm. If he hadn't been held in place, Klim would have fallen to the floor, writhing in agony. The shocks weren't enough to kill him, however, for the execution was far from over.
Sharp blades then descended from the ceiling, cutting down quickly to slice through Klim's arms. The man screamed and blood poured. The clamps released him and the man fell forward-- right into an open box. The door on the box closed behind him. It was then lifted upward into a standing position, where only Klim's face could be seen behind a glass panel.
The man screamed more and more. Soon, flames could be seen licking up at the man's face. He was being burned alive.
The display shut off, mercifully shielding the group from the rest. Those new to this could only stare in horrified awe. Even Meira looked up at the blank screen with pain and sadness.
"Dude..." Bullet whispered, falling out of Jude's grip and stumbling forward. She slammed into a podium, where she had to hold herself up.
"You just fucking murdered our principal."
"Oh?" Monokuma seemed pleased as ever. "I thought this is what you would have wanted? Would it have been better if it was the rat? At what point does violence become
not okay? Everyone uses violence every day to get what they want! Don't think the rest of you are any better! Our poor principal had to get punched on his way out too... talk about adding insult to injury!"
"Oh, god..." Victoria moaned, burying her face into her hands.
"No... this is so wrong. This is disgusting. I don't care what he did to Max, he didn't deserve that."
"Oh, boo hoo! A killer is a killer! Well, I know some of you are guilty of that in the past, but I can look past that now that you've become my students. For getting this one right, I have a present for you... one more clue I decided to keep for myself!"
Monokuma produced a note ripped from Max's journal and tossed it off to the group. It read:
Wow, okay... I found Jefferson's password. I can't forget it, just in case. TPFTHLK
"With this... we can access the computer in Jefferson's office." Jude took hold of the note and nodded at the words.
"H-Hold on... what is the school going to do with a dead principal?" Meira asked, sounding shook up for once.
"I mean, I'd volunteer, but it seems a little... cursed."
"I'm glad you asked!" Monokuma exclaimed. "With the power vested in me as town sheriff, I shall grant one of my students their new role! Dadada-daaa!" A spotlight fell on the one and only, Old Man McGucket.
"Weee-hehehe! The power! The powerrrr!!"
The old man lifted his trusty skewers in triumph.
Meira could only shrug.
"Eh. Works for me."
***
Jude led the group to Jefferson's office to check out his computer using the password provided by Max. It was found that a large amount of the files on the computer had been deleted, though a few remained. The files were pictures and information about girls across Blackwell Academy, including the five missing girls. While it was still unclear why Jefferson had these files, he was at the very least keeping tabs on the girls, indicating a clear connection between them.
It seemed that to find out who killed Mark Jefferson, some investigating into the missing girls would be required as well.
Monokuma then informed the group that their investigation of the school was over and that they would continue tomorrow. "But we won't be driving all the way back up to the camp!" he declared. "No, we're heading to a motel!"
As the group was forced to climb into the bus, Corrin was momentarily stopped by Bullet. She seemed not entirely happy with how everything had turned out, but she managed a tough smile for Corrin.
"Hey. Just wanted to thank you for... uh, you know, agreeing to help find Rachel and all. I'm gonna keep looking too, and uh... Good luck."
Bullet gave one last look back before she was gone for good.
***
As night descended on Bright Falls, the school bus was on its way to an isolated corner of town. Snuggled on a hill was
The Majestic Hotel, where Monokuma planned to have the group stay the night.
"Remember, students, maximum four to a room... and no frick-fracking!"
***
CAST LIST
@C.T. as
Arya Stark "Ultimate Killer" [Game of Thrones]
@Yang Lee as
Bolin "Ultimate Earthbender" [The Legend Of Korra]
@Kaykay as
Chikage Kushinada "Ultimate Jujutsuka" [History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi]
@Chewy Rabbits as
Catbug "Ultimate Cutie" [Bravest Warriors]
@Minerva as
Corrin "Ultimate Protector" [Fire Emblem]
@DapperDogman as
Darv "Ultimate Saltborn" [Salt & Sanctuary]
@Yun Lee as
Edmond Honda "Ultimate Sumo Wrestler" [Street Fighter]
@BarrenThin as
Genji Shimada "Ultimate Forgiveness" [Overwatch]
@Krieg as
Isaac "Felix" Gates "Ultimate Bounty Hunter" [Red VS Blue]
@The Tactician as
Jack "Ultimate Samurai" [Samurai Jack]
@york as
Jack Frost "Ultimate Funhouse" [Rise of the Guardians]
@Verite as
Kyoko Kirigiri "Ultimate ???" [Danganronpa]
@Gummi Bunnies as
"Lapis Lazuli" "Ultimate Crystal" [Original Character]
@LuckycoolHawk9 as
M. "Stiles" Stilinski "Ultimate Sarcasm" [Teen Wolf]
@Crow as
Morikubo Nono "Ultimate Wallflower" [THE iDOLM@STER]
@Archwar as
Noble Six "Ultimate Lone Wolf" [Original Character/Halo]
@Jeremi as
Poison "Ultimate Manager" [Street Fighter]
@ShiroKiyoshi as
Rant T. Mouse "Ultimate Rat Mouse" [Original Character]
@Josh M as
Scarlet Witch "Ultimate Witch" [Marvel Comics]
@Crimson Spartan as
Seamus "Sledge" Cowden "Ultimate Breaching Charge" [Rainbow Six: Siege]
@Hospes as
Tarlotte "Ultimate Tantrum" [Kyoshiro to Town no Sora]
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as
Tekhartha Zenyatta "Ultimate Teacher" [Overwatch]
@The Spartan Potato as
Terezi Pyrope "Ultimate Justice" [Homestuck]
@DBZ7 as
Tharja "Ultimate Hextress" [Fire Emblem]
@Nater Taters as
Tomoko Kuroki "Ultimate Loser" [WataMote]
@Atomyk as
Victoria Maribeth Chase "Ultimate Bitch" [Life is Strange]
@Takumi as
Yurick "Ultimate Arcanist" [The Last Story]
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as
Zinnia "Ultimate Lorekeeper" [Pokemon]