“What the hell are you talking about?!” Sam snapped.
The words burst out before he could stop them, his voice carrying far louder than he intended.
The sudden shout sliced through the ambient chatter of the room, instantly drawing the eyes of every single contestant in the huddle.
“Everything okay, Leon?” Bert asked, his massive brow furrowing as he took a step toward them.
“Sorry! I’m fine,” Sam called back quickly, forcing his voice to drop as he raised a reassuring hand.
“Just… getting adjusted to the stress, I guess.”
The minotaur grunted, seemingly satisfied, and turned back to the others.
Sam immediately turned back to Alice, took her by the arm, and pulled her deeper into the corner, out of everyone’s sight.
His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
“Explain, Alice,” Sam whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of panic and desperation.
“Please.”
“When the game started, a system screen appeared right in front of me,” Alice whispered, her hands trembling slightly as she leaned in.
“It said ‘Killer’. Even though I got stuck with the role, Sam, I swear to you—I had absolutely no intention of actually hurting anyone. But then you walked in and told me someone had been murdered… even though I’ve been standing here the entire time.”
Sam stared at her, his mind racing.
Could there be two Killers? he thought.
No. Nexis specifically announced there was only one.
He racked his brain, tracing over every single word of the rules they had been given.
And that’s when the truth finally hit him, cold and sudden.
Nexis had said the Killer would be rewarded every time they eliminated a player.
But the host had never, not once, stated that the Innocents were physically forbidden from killing.
There was no system rule stopping a normal player from committing murder.
An Innocent player was taking advantage of the absolute chaos of the mansion to kill people.
But why?
What did they have to gain?
The most logical, chilling explanation was simple: someone was systematically eliminating the competition to clear their own path to first place.
It was a monstrous strategy, but for anyone desperate enough to win the ultimate wish, it made perfect, ruthless sense.
If the other contestants realised they could murder their rivals with zero repercussions, the entire mansion would devolve into a chaotic free-for-all.
For once, Nexis had done them a favour, Sam realised.
The host’s promise of bonus points for cooperation was the only thing keeping the group’s darker impulses at bay.
If the truth got out before they found the exit, the mansion would erupt into slaughter.
“Listen, Alice,” Sam whispered, placing his hands on her shoulders.
“I’ll explain everything later, but for now, I need you to trust me.”
Without hesitation, Alice looked him in the eye and gave a sharp nod.
“Okay.”
Leaving the shadows of the corner, the two of them walked back to join the rest of the group.
“So,” Sam asked, keeping his voice casual.
“Any plans yet?”
“We’re thinking of exploring upstairs first,” answered one of the contestants.
“Maybe there’s something useful up there.”
The speaker was a surreal creature named Ryan.
He had the body of a man, but where his head should have been sat the feathered head of a seagull, while enormous wings folded where his arms ought to be.
Ryan gestured with a wingtip toward a grand, sweeping staircase behind them.
A faded red carpet ran up the staircase, while rusted golden railings groaned beneath their own weight.
“Okay, sounds good,” Sam agreed, though his chest tightened as he glanced up into the dark upper levels.
With Bert’s massive frame leading the way, the group began their collective climb.
Each step kicked up choking clouds of grey dust, sending Sam into a quiet coughing fit.
When they finally reached the landing, they found themselves standing in a long, drafty corridor.
It was lined with dozens of ornate wooden frames hanging on the walls—but every single one of them was empty.
The canvases had been entirely stripped away, leaving only bare, dark wood staring back at them like hollow eyes.
A series of doors lined both sides of the hall.
“We should split up,” one of the contestants suggested, gesturing down the corridor.
“Check out all these rooms at once.”
“Are you crazy?” another hissed, their voice tight with anxiety.
“What if something happens to us while we’re separated?”
“Yeah, I’m with them,” a third chimed in.
“We should stick together. Explore them one by one.”
“That’ll take forever!” Ryan argued, his massive seagull wings rustling in frustration.
“We need to be efficient. If we split into small teams, we can clear this whole floor in minutes and meet right back here. If we waste time shuffling around as a giant crowd, we’re just sitting ducks.”
As the contestants began to argue, their voices rising in a frantic clash of panic and logic, Sam’s stomach plummeted.
If the person who killed Ellie was still out there, splitting up was exactly what they wanted.
To settle the debate, the group decided to take a vote.
Those who wanted to stick together as a single, massive group were told to stand on the left side of the hallway, while those advocating to split up were to stand on the right.
But when the dust settled, the division was clear: the left side had only four people, while the right side had five.
They lost the vote.
They were splitting up.
With nine of them now in the corridor, they agreed to divide into three balanced teams of three.
“I guess we’ll be sticking together, Leon,” Alice said quietly, stepping up to Sam’s side.
“I guess so,” Sam responded, keeping his voice low.
It wasn’t the most ideal circumstance—he would have infinitely preferred keeping everyone in a single, unkillable pack—but they had to make it work.
At the very least, he was paired with Alice.
She might have the “Killer” role on her system screen, but he knew with absolute certainty that she wasn’t the one executing people.
She was safe.
Sam scanned the drafty hallway, watching the other contestants begin to group up.
That was when his eyes fell on Bella.
The rabbit girl was standing entirely alone against the wall, her hands clenched tightly in front of her chest as she nervously stared at him, looking small and deeply lost without Ellie.
“Want to come with us, Bella?” Sam called out gently.
Relief briefly flickered across Bella’s face.
“That… that would be great. Thank you…” she whispered, quickly shuffling over to join them.
The heavy clicks of latch bolts echoed down the corridor as the other two teams disappeared into their respective rooms, leaving the hallway suffocatingly quiet.
Sam, Alice, and Bella stood alone before their chosen door.
Sam’s hand was wrapped tightly around the cold brass doorknob, but he stood completely frozen.
He couldn’t bring himself to turn it.
A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck as his mind conjured endless horrors waiting beyond the door.
“Don’t worry, Leon,” Alice said softly, stepping closer.
She placed her warm hand gently over his, anchoring him to the present.
“We’ll be safe as long as we stick together.”
Sam paused, staring down at their joined hands.
The tight knot of panic in his chest loosened, just a fraction.
He looked up at her and forced a genuine smile.
“You’re right. Thanks, Maria.”
Alice gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before releasing it.
Taking one last steadying breath, Sam turned the knob and pushed the heavy door open.