“...our wonderful host.”

“...this hellhole…”

“But she has no control.”

“White flag got your tongue?”

“...just like the rest of us.”

“...no control.”

“Powerless.”

“Powerless.”

“Powerless.”

“Powerless.”

“Powerless.”

“Jeez, ok, I GET it,” Alister rolled his eyes, “I’m an idiot. No surprise there.”

“That’s not my point, Alister.” Kanib stretched her tentacles out in exasperation, “The point is that we now know just how much of a threat Estella is. This is what happens when she's overcome with anger; imagine what damage she could do to you when she’s thinking clearly!”

“All you’re really convincing me of here is that I’m good as dead, and though I appreciate it, are you just gonna tell me the end is nigh or is there a purpose to all of this?”

“Alister, you bruised her ego, and if I’ve learned anything, that’s her most prized possession. She’ll look through every nook and cranny for a time where no one is around you, a time without witnesses.  However, if I’m by you every moment of the day…”

“She won’t be able to do anything,” Alister smirked, “I like your style.”

“Plus,” Kanib held out a tentacle, “You know the superstition.”

“Two crows are better when they stick together.” He grabbed the tentacle and shook it.

“ALISTER! KANIB!” Nyx waved her arms haphazardly, “YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!”

“This can’t be good,” Kanib gritted her teeth (Do septopi have teeth? They do today.).

Nyx sprinted to the pool, the crows right on her tail. They found Wren sulking to the side of a lunker mass of boisterous boarders. Alister shoved and fought through the crowd, reaching the front with immense pain. This pain was both internal and external, as the body that attracted the crowd’s attention was none other than...

“LA’CROSSE!”

The girl’s corpse lay sprawled over the water. Her mouth gaped open like a screaming child’s after a nightmare.

“Why d1dn’t y0u try to st0p th3 murd3r3r!?” Apollo screeched at Wren, “W3r3n’t yOu l1f3gu4rd?”

“Chill out, number boy,” Wren waved him off, “All I did was  look away for five seconds, and this happens. Honestly, you guys are so irresponsible.” Kanib noticed that the girl’s hands were shaking intensely.

“Wait a second,” Dusk called out, shuffling through a large handbag, “Get her body! Maybe we can search it for finger-”

Suddenly, a cloud of purple smoke filled the room. The gaggle scrambled to reach the exit. One guest in particular tried to flee, but was held back by the collar of their jacket.

“Oh no,” their captor whispered, “You’re not going anywhere.”

After what seemed like eternity, the smog cleared. The captive collapsed onto the ground, heaving. The other guest tore off a mask they had put on amidst the confusion, pulled La’Crosse up to the floor by her foot, dried her neck, and sprinkled some white powder over it.

“Very sloppy,” they remarked drily, “You could have at least worn gloves.”

The coughing guest (Who we will call Judas) wiped their mouth, asking “W-what?”

“You heard me.” The other guest (AKA Tillstrom) rose and paced over to Judas, “You could have at least worn gloves. Oh, don’t play that with me. You’re not fooling anyone. I was originally infuriated that someone would dare disrupt my order, but then I looked between the lines. Great recommendation of tea, by the way. Foxglove Forty Winks? Odd name for a tea, but it sure is accurate: Summer’s not waking up anytime soon.”

“So that’s it, then?” Judas chuckled, their voice slowly rising, “You’re just here to trash me? Well, excuse me for not having studied years of how to murder! Excuse me for not knowing the perfect method to rip a person’s soul from their carcass! Excuse me, for having a heart-” 

“Oh, I’m the heartless one, am I now? Yes, I completely understand. After all, I killed two people, and you killed...two people as well. Oh, but what about methods? Sure, that mix with Wildcard was long and brutal, but Spring’s was nice and quick. And as for you? La’Crosse long and brutal, Summer nice and quick. What difference is there now?”

“A-aftermath, duh!” Judas roared, “You’ve sent people you called friends into devastation, not to mention you started that food fight-”

“And you woke the bear of Estella’s rage! Do you honestly think that you’re free of blame? Thanks to you, Apollo might never get another good night’s sleep again!” Tillstrom stopped, then leaned in very close to Judas, speaking in a honeyed voice, “And do you know what else?”

Judas shook his head.

“They haven’t found Maddox, idiot.”

Judas’ pupils dilated. He shook like a category ten earthquake.

“He’s lost, [JUDAS]. They haven’t found him, and they probably never will. Because you know what Maddox did. He jumped right into the line of fire.”

Judas collapsed.

“Eureka!” Tillstrom flung their hands into the air, a maniac smile stretching across their face, “Congratulations, [JUDAS]! You’ve just killed a man. But wait, there’s more! Not only did you set Maddox’s chances to survival, you’ve led him straight into the hands of the most bloodthirsty woman alive. The devil is shocked by that, bud! Gee, I bet Maddox is having miles of fun in whatever fresh hell you set up for him! What’ll it be? Chinese water torture? Acid showers? Heck, what I did to Spring and Wild is child’s play compared to what he’s-”

Sobs escaped Judas’ mouth. Tillstrom hesitated, then haltingly turned to face the other.

“[JUDAS]?” They inquired, worry tracing their dulcet tones, “[JUDAS]? [JUDAS]?!”

They scurried to the kid’s side, holding them close despite Judas’ complaints.

“Listen to me,” they cooed, “It’s okay. You’re safe. No one will hurt you here.”

“That doesn’t matter,” They shoved away from Tillstrom, “Do you honestly think I care about that? Heck, I’d rather be dead than...whatever I am right now.”

“What are you talking about?” Tillstrom chuckled, “You’re still human.”

“Humans don’t send people to torture, [TILLSTROM].”

“Yes they do. Sometimes, they do. People make mistakes” They added at Judas’ vicious glare, “Okay, some mistakes are pretty bad. But the people who make them are still people.”

“How. How can they possibly-”

“Because they still feel, [JUDAS]. The only thing that separates humans from animals is our emotions. Once we lose those...we’re animals again. So since you feel bad for Maddox’s death, you’re still a human.”

After that, the silence hung in the air like a blanket on a drying rack.

“Listen,” Tillstrom finally broke the silence, “I’ll protect you, okay? From Estella, from me, from everybody.” They turned to Judas and held out their pinky finger. “Don’t tell anybody about what I did.” 

Judas hesitated, then intertwined their own pinkie with Tillstrom’s.

“Okay. I promise.”

The murderer observed their target. Her tentacles bobbled up and down and up and down and up and down. It was laughable, seeing Kanib’s innocent actions, blissfully unaware that they would be her last. The irony seemed to probe something deep within them; a lilliuputian tremor helplessly begging for them to stop. Oh well, they thought, swallowing the bilge forming in their mouth, what must be done must be done. 

Click.

The weapon flew out of the balcony as the killer was thrusted to the ground. Sweaty and firm hands grappled aroung them. Shuffling through their pockets, the stranglee fought back. The girl collapsed with a THUD! as the other rose.

“Fleet!” they cried. “Oh my gosh! Are you okay-”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Fleet lurched forward, flopping back on the ground, hurting. “I don’t...understand, [REDACTED]. I thought you were my friend. I admired you. I trusted you! And as soon as I turned my back, you destroyed everything, tore those I love from me and tried to kill me in my mourning! And there’s still more to come!”

“I appreciate the compliments,” The murderer scoffed, “But in case you haven’t realized, your efforts are useless. You’re helpless, just like the rest of them. I hold all of your lives in my hands and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

“Maybe…” Fleet heaved… “Maybe not me. But it’ll come. Your malice, your heartlessness, your evil...won’t go unnoticed. One day, you’ll realize that you’re not in control, you’re just as vulnerable as us. What goes around...comes around.” she chuckled softly, “Hey, I just realized! You’re...hehe, your card! What I said! What goes...that’s funny. The-”  

“Shut…”

WILDCARD’s screams echoed throughout their mind. A sheet whipped their face.

“Up.”

Ok so I looked at the card list, and the only other person I suspect besides Nyx is WILDCARD. (Will explain that in a second)  Punkah is a fan while the other cards are birds and flowers and such.  "What goes around comes around" could be a referance to the fan spinning,

WILDCARD could of faked her own death, even though it was quite gory.  Although when AW was yelling at the killer, you'd think that she would of said something about WILDCARD'S death. 

Who knows, really interested to see who the killer is.

3:13 A.M, Outside the Research Lab

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Alice sighed. “Yes, Dusk, I’m sure. In order for Estella to keep us in her control, we need to be fearful, but fear is simply a lack of knowledge. So if we have knowledge...” the lock clicked open, “She will be powerless.”  

The lab was lined with massive, jet black tables holding similarly colored computers. The keyboards’ furious clicks echoed despite no scientists being present. On the back wall, a monumental screen displayed various images of graphs, security camera footage, corny jokes, inspirational quotes, etc. The walls, however, were the true spectatcle; they were slick and black, and vertical strains of teal code ran down them.

“Oh my Einstein,” Alice gasped.

“Alice, pay attention,” Dusk grabbed her AE’s shoulder, “We can’t waste any time. We need to get in, get what we need, and get out.”

“R-right. Erm, I see a file room over there, maybe I could - “
“I’ll take that. You man the computers.”

“Dusk, wait - “ but she was already gone.

3:13 A.M, Outside room 301

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Good idea or not,” Alister was a tad muffled through the door, “Staying here means certain death for all of us. We have to at least try to escape.”

“I know, but... “ Naomi shook her head, “Just...hurry up, ok?”

“Patience, Naomi.”

“Naomi?!” Kanib gasped, “How did she get past the guards?”

“I, er...asked them politely.”

“So politely that they fell asleep,” Alister chuckled. Naomi stuck her head through the door.

“Bring a weapon, okay?” Alister (who was on Naomi’s left, back facing the door) heard her and picked up a morning star. “Where did you...nevermind.”

3:16 A.M, In the Research Lab, computer 301

“Isn’t that curious.”

The computer was on a Google document titled “A Good Game of Soccer.” Alice impatiently scrolled past - it was just some notes on a murder mystery story, some aspiring writer’s nonsense

WILDCARD (Ok fine... Super energetic, definitely weird, witty, funny, and possibly a little ADHD. Aaaand, sometimes I can get a little overly emotional.Loves spicy food, strawberry cake and raspberry lemonade. Will be the first one to die.)

“‘Will be the first one to die,’” Alice whispered, “And...”

She scrolled down further. Most of the content was simply the form information, but there were some notable exceptions.

Maddox: Project EX.

Nihil: Kill before the grand day.

Dusk: Keep an eye on.

Atlantis: What a problem.

Alice: Lab Enthusiast. Perfect for Project Valerie.

3:16 A.M, in the halls

“That’s curious.”

The hallway was split in two.

“Let’s split up,” Alister suggested, “That way we can cover more - “

“Nya nya NYA!” 

“Shh!” Naomi waved her hands frantically, “Estella could hear us!”

“She’s right though,” Ameri cut in, “Splitting up is never a good idea. Have you seen Scooby Doo?”

“Scooby Doo is your first example?” Alister rolled his eyes.

“We still shouldn’t split up,” Kanib eeny-meenied the two options, “If we’re going to escape, we need to do it together.”

“So what? We can alert the others if we find a way out!”

“And how would we do that?” Naomi snapped, “I don’t suppose you have any walkie talkies, and we’re sure as shortening not screaming our finds!”

“But-”

“Listen, Alister, we’re all sticking together. If you want to be a little hipster, no one’s stopping you, but we’d rather stay alive.”

3:22, Research Lab.

“I was wondering, how did you get into the boy’s dorm?”

Where was this coming from? Alice gazed at the keys, pondering the meaning of this new sentence.

Then she heard it.

3:22, Outside the Research Lab

“I was wondering, Kanib, how did you get into the boy’s dorm?” 

“Oh, it was all thanks to Alister,” Kanib gleefully answered Naomi, “He stuck me into his backpack! Isn’t that right, Alister?” She turned to the air.

3:24, Research Lab.

“No no no no no.”

Alice backed away from the screen. The keys were blurring with speed, typing like a life was on the line.

“‘I need to get out of here, ‘ Alice heaved, then slapped a hand over her mouth. The footsteps grew louder.”

  In the distance, footsteps pounded.

3:24, Outside the Research Lab.

“No no no no no.”

“That idiot!” Naomi sprinted down the hall and rounded the corner.

3:25, The Research Lab  

“I need to get out of here, “ Alice heaved, then slapped a hand over her mouth. The footsteps grew louder.

3:25, The Scene of the Crime

Atlantis shoved Naomi to the floor, blind to all things except for her brother.

3:25, The Research Lab

Alice spun around, scouring the room for exits. Her eyes rested on a blurry black figure sprinting towards her.

3:25 The Scene of The Crime

She bulleted towards a black and white coffin.

3:25 The Research Lab

She bulleted away from the monster.

3:25

She tripped.

3:25

She fell.

3:25

She failed.