Continued from here.
Chapter Two DEAD END
"Who Do You Voodoo"
"Such an unsteady stream of votes, but I see that the majority followed the early lead... Maybe I won't have to gobble you all up! All this lying and confusion... it's what makes a trial truly chaotic! Despair is born from chaos, among other things, so I can't say I would complain, would you? Of course not! You want to be good boys and girls, don't you?"
Monokuma jumped from the table to land in the circle of podiums. "Fighting again? You people... Do I have to put in timeout? I swear... Let's just get to the results so that you can get your fix blood and mayhem! Now, why don't--"
"It's time tell the truth about me, Monokuma." Wanda was staring at Monokuma, shooting daggers his way with her eyes.
"These people deserve to know you're full of it, and I'm not just talking about your stuffing."
"Oh?" Monokuma looked displeased momentarily at being interrupted. "What do you mean? Is it candy? I assure you, if you hit me, you'll get more than just junk food!"
"Do think I am an idiot? Wait, I know you do. Look, I'll show you." Pointing to her tag, Wanda's title, the
"Ultimate Witch" was comically hanging off her tag. It seemed to be covering another name.
"I didn't even need magic to figure this out. You tell the truth, or I will."
"Maybe... you can't handle the truth! What kind of lame witch are you? Babbling and foaming at the mouth as you are... It's okay, I understand the stress you're going through! No one would blame you if you start speaking on tongues!" Monokuma brandished a claw, stepping toward Wanda's podium. "Maybe you need some of Doctor Monouma's patented medicine!"
Near Wanda, Monomi was shivering.
"U-Uuu... It's supposed to say Ultimate Red Reaper..."
"What?! Don't be ridiculous, sis! You're talkin' nonsense now too?"
"I was here... I was here to protect everyone..."
Kindly putting her hand on Monomi's shoulder, Wanda smiled in an effort to comfort the rabbit. Bending down on one knee, Wanda tried to probe the rabbit for information.
"It's okay. I know you want to protect us. You're our teacher. You're supposed protect us. Is that why I am here? Am I here to protect them? Am I here to protect you, from your brother?"
"H-He's not my brother!"
With a great cry, Monokuma leaped from where he stood to slam a mighty punch against Monomi's face.
"Noooo! Owwww!" she cried.
The poor rabbit went flying across the morgue and slammed into the wall. She groaned and stood to her feet, staring at Monokuma as he grinned down at her. "I'm your big bro, and don't you forget it!"
"No... You're the worst brother bear ever! I came here to protect everyone from you... and I even brought Wanda here because I thought she had the power to keep you away! You were trying to bring someone else, but I intervened! But... this place is so strong... I couldn't do it all..."
"No, Usami."
After taking a deep breath, Wanda exhaled slowly. Mystical energy crackled as she rose into the air.
"You did not fail. My powers, they're coming back. I can feel the magic... it's gathering, growing. It'll take some time, but it's almost over. "
Monokuma turned to Wanda, not looking too concerned about this development. He shrugged casually and raised a paw in her direction. "Your magic, huh? You know, I can make flashy displays too! You haven;t even witnessed... my true form!"
Monokuma held his ground, beginning to growl. Sparks of energy bounced off him and the room itself seemed to shake with power. Soon, Monokuma was enveloped in light.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" Monokuma cried out as if he was speaking to the very heavens. His yelling took up the whole room, drowning out everything else. "Come on, burn this giant despair into your very memories! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!! GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
With one final yell, a giant ball of energy was formed before Monokuma that shot out like a bullet toward Wanda.
"Not a chance!"
Wanda's body glowed as she focused her chaos magic. Wanda fired a massive scarlet stream, a hex bolt, at the "despair ball". The impact was massive, causing energy to break off and fly about the room.
Wanda hit the ground, tumbling over and over. When Wanda's eyes opened, she was struggling and notably weakened. After she looked around, Wanda's eyes widened in horror.
"No...
Bolin...
... I-I killed him."
Jude ran over to the fallen body of Bolin, who had been hit with some of the stray energy. The young doctor yelled the boy's name, but there was no response. Jude knew before he even checked the boy's pulse that he was dead.
"Gyeh-heh! Upu... Upuhehehe! You see? That's where hope gets ya! Why even bother? Maybe you weren't the intended target, but you're here, and you're just as trapped as the rest of them. Your magic is no match for the darkness around you. It's eating you up, isn't it? If you decide to get uppity again... I may have to deal with you next time!"
Monokuma sighed contently as Monomi weeped behind him. He made his way back to the podiums and hopped into the middle of the circle.
"With that out of the way, let's get on with the show. Gyeh-heh! I hope you guys don't think that little conversation will make a difference here." From the back of the morgue room, an electronic display rose for all to see. "Did you all follow the leader in the right direction...?"
The display changed to a moving image of a slot machine, the suspects' faces on the reels.
The slot machine eventually stopped, landing on Daniel's face three times in a row. The text below flashed...
GUILTY
"I knew it..." Tommy muttered as he looked away from Dan and Herbert, the latter of whom looked mortified while the former seemed regretful.
"Dan... I don't understand. Why?"
"It was because of all the people this guy's presumably killed, Herbert. Who knows how many he killed on the way here? Tommy said he's been fighting him for months! I couldn't bare the thought of so many people having their lives cut short. I see that every goddamn day in the ER!"
Dan shouted as Herbert frowned. Herbert had to admit that he didn't have as good a heart as Dan did. He couldn't have cared less for Roy's victims. He hadn't known them so what was the point of bothering? If anything he was just disappointed that Roy's body hadn't been obtained.
"But I'll take whatever punishment's waiting for me. It's the least I could do for not being honest."
"Isn't it something that even the best of us are willing to go so far for what we perceive as right and just? Dangle something tantalizing in front of a chump... They'll kill a bad guy to promote their own goodness! Upu... It's a sight to behold! All it truly does is spread despair!"
A hold in the floor opened, and the mechanical hand was grabbing. A few in the circle let out a curse at the sight, unable to do anything else as they watched Dan be pulled into the darkness. The display changed to show Dan's fate.
He was in a desolate place, with not a soul in sight but Dan himself. He was on a lonely stretch of road, ruined buildings surrounding him from all sides. For whatever reason, the screen displayed the scene with a gritty orange filter. The whole thing looked truly apocalyptic.
Then there was the moaning. Moaning from all sides, originating from monsters that stumbled out of the ruined buildings.
Dan could see them for what they were: the reanimated dead. They were too numerous to even count, filling up the screen with monstrous looks in their eyes. Dan moved to push one way, causing it to stumble backward into a few others, but the sheer wall of undead held him up, allowing him to quickly make another grab for Dan.
With the medical student unarmed, he knew he would not be leaving this place alive. The undead converged on him, enveloping him into their mass. Dan's screams could only be heard for a few sharp seconds before the display shut off.
"Fuckin' disgusting," murmured Holder, still looking up at the display. "Can't we do something about this? What the hell's happened?"
"There's nothing we can do," Victoria groaned, putting a hand to her head in frustration.
Holder grit his teeth and reached for the gun holstered at his hip, but he found his hand stopping on its own an inch from the weapon. "I can't... The fuck, bear? You pullin' some voodoo magic on me?"
"Me? Why I never... Or, no, I totally would, wouldn't I? Ain't I a stinker? Why don't you go off on your merry way, detective, for we don't need your services any longer! I'm sure my forensics team will run into again some day!" When Holder didn't move to go, Monokuma held his stomach and laughed. "You'll have to be going anyway, for it's time for my forensics team to pack up and go! We can leave the dead body... it is a morgue, after all!"
As the compulsion took over those remaining (With Jack having to Carry Zinnia), Holder watched them go. "I'll be at the casino, tomorrow. Three-Eyed Jack's." Bullet said nothing as they left.
The bus would carry the group to another place to rest, but this time it was a more prestigious location. Located just outside of town and by the lake was The Great Northern hotel.
Monokuma was out of the bus first.
"This place has rooms of all sizes! Get a good night's sleep before we continue the investigation tomorrow!"
This hotel, despite its size, seemed to be suspiciously empty. The group would find very few guests were staying there.
***
CAST LIST
@C.T. as
Arya Stark "Ultimate Killer" [Game of Thrones]
@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]
@Periodically Incorrect 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]