Riddles: Embraced by Retribution (part2)

Chapter 2:

However, none of them seemed interested in the riddle so they went their own ways to find a way out of this place.

"Find the DoDo bird, it is extinct so guess what remains," I repeated it so I don't forget.

"It seems like everyone else has given up, except for you and me," the woman with cuts from the shards approached me, her voice cautious and wary.

"In this strange place, it's probably best to follow its instructions," I said nonchalantly.

"Huh," she replied, "This place has already claimed two lives."

"Because they broke the rules," I asserted, not backing down. "The dead are not as innocent as they may seem."

Many of those who meet their demise carry guilt upon their shoulders, their bodies may be buried, but their deeds remain on the surface.

She regarded me with a gaze filled with disbelief as if I were some deranged maniac. "You're truly insane," she uttered, her anger rising inexplicably. "At least everyone else is being realistic."

"If they think this whole situation doesn't concern them, then they are wrong. They dismiss this riddle as childish, but didn't they all willingly come here, following the instructions given?" I said looking around the mall for clues.

"I don't think they understand," She interjected, her voice tinged with frustration. “My name’s Elena by the way.” She came in front of me and extended her hand.

My expression remained unchanged, I shifted my gaze from her hand to her face, raising my eyebrows and tilting my head.

"Shit, I'm not dealing with this." Uttering curses in my direction, Elena hastily withdrew her hand and stormed off, seething with anger.

Deciding it was best to part ways with the woman, I continued on my own path. Her demeanor and attitude suggested that she wouldn't easily find common ground with anyone in this place.

As I explored the unremarkable mall, it became apparent that there were no standout features or clues to be found. Where could I possibly find a hint that would unravel the mystery of the riddle?

A dodo... a dodo bird.. a dodo-bird? If DoDos are extinct...then what remains is

‘A bird. But what kind of bird?’

As my curiosity piqued, my gaze shifted towards a store that beckoned with a promising allure. It appeared to hold the potential for answers, enticing me to venture inside and delve deeper into the mysteries that surrounded me.

I couldn't find anything useful after searching for a while. When I stepped out, something felt strange. I looked around and realized that the mall appeared smaller than before.

"Was this mall always this small?" It made me wonder if something had changed in this mysterious place.

It wasn't just my imagination. This virtual realm was undeniably shrinking.

Those who trapped us here didn't even bother to give us a fair time limit like any reasonable person would.

But it was foolish of me to think that this place would harbor normal people.

I encountered other inhabitants along my path, but they ran past me anxiously as if trapped in a cycle. It felt like we were mice thrown into fiery pits, where the flames closed in on them gradually until they were consumed.

A bird... I pondered on the riddle, realizing that it didn't specify the type of bird. Could it be any bird? A real one, a lifeless one, or even a toy bird? The possibilities started to unfold in my mind.

I searched through the toy store and other places where a "bird" might be found, but to my disappointment, there were no traces of it.

Exhausted and out of ideas, I found solace in the central fountain. I sank onto the edge, taking a moment to catch my breath.

Frustration consumed me as I closed my eyes, realizing that thinking alone wasn't getting me anywhere, and the presence of the people around me offered no assistance.

A sudden surge of pain pulsed through my head, causing me to wince and clutch it tightly. It was a jarring reminder of the unsettling truth—I had no recollection of my identity or the reason for finding myself in this perplexing place.

Could it be a temporary amnesia brought on by a traumatic shock? The questions swirled in my mind, seeking answers that remained elusive.

The space around us was rapidly constricting, squeezing us in as if it intended to devour everything outside its boundaries.

Anyone who got caught up in the edge of this shrinking realm met a gruesome fate, their bodies disintegrating into dust, decaying in an instant with a mere brush of the boundary.

The relentless destruction unfolding before my eyes filled me with dread and urgency.

A thought came to my mind.

'If nothing you find is around you then look above you.' As I opened my eyes my gaze settled upon the upper rim of the fountain.

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips as I observed the flow of water impeded by a small object atop the fountain—a delicate white porcelain wing.

As the inhabitants fell victim to the brutal eradication, one after another, their numbers dwindling rapidly, the remaining individuals began to gravitate towards the center.

With determination, I climbed atop the statue, straining to reach the tip of its wing. "Come on," I whispered, my hands struggling to maintain a grip on the slippery surface as I pushed myself forward, braving the cascading water.

I managed to grab hold of it! The sudden exertion caused my balance to shift, and I felt myself falling. I braced myself for the impact, anticipating the collision with the surface of the water.

‘The water surface wouldn't hurt much,’ I thought to save myself from feeling more pain.

However, instead of the expected splash, I found myself landing on a cold, hard white floor with a loud thud. Groaning in pain, I slowly opened my eyes to assess my surroundings.

A sudden burst of fireworks illuminated the area, accompanied by a floating message that read, "Congratsss, you are alive! Well, most of you, but hey... you made it!"

"What the hell is wrong with this place?" I heard a man shout at the message.

But the next message left all of us in great shock.

'One of you... Is the murderer's accomplice'

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After a momentary silence, the 20 people in the room exchanged intense glances, their expressions filled with a brewing sense of hostility and readiness to unleash their pent-up frustration upon one another.

"So there really is a murderer amongst us huh." Elena survived the last act and now was standing there with her arms folded.

"I know! It’s that person!" a man with spiky hair stood up from his place and pointed at me.

"I didn't see him in that last attack! Or when the area around us was killing people! He could be hiding somewhere watching us play twisted games!"

I sighed, "It couldn't have been me."

A lady beside the spiky hair man came forth; she had her gown torn a bit from the sides, "How come? Do you have any proof?"

I gave a dry chuckle, "Proof? It's in my hand..." I showed them the white porcelain statue of a bird in my hand and said, "It couldn't have been me because I was the one who found the answer in the fountain."

The two accusers became silent but another man asked, "Then how come we didn't see you running around like all of us."

"Do I really have to do something so stupid like you? Are you blind? Do you not see me drenched-" The moment I spoke is when I realized... I wasn't drenched in water when I fell into this place.

"That's right! Where is your proof? And how did you know that the answer was there? Only the accomplice can know and not share the answer with others!"

It was getting difficult for me to defend myself. But the only way out was this response, "If I really wanted to kill all of you there I would have picked the bird when only I was standing alone."

"Hmph who knows you are a sadistic person who wants to torture us??" the woman that came to me before spoke in a harsh manner. "You didn't even flinch when the guy's throat slit open and he died on the table! And now there was a child who was killed!"

This matter was getting nowhere. My eye twitched at their words. "So you are blaming me because I don't show panic like the rest of you? What kind of messed up joke is that?"

“Guys stop!” Elena shouted, “I did see him go into a store to find something. And to me it seems like you two are more suspicious, accusing anyone out of nowhere. More like you guys want to get rid of someone who just saved us.”

The two of them were speechless but one alibi wasn't enough to free me from suspicions.

A man in the crowd sighed and also came forward saying, “I also saw him running in the opposite direction to me, maybe you guys have seen him too if you weren’t too self-centered and crying babies running around like idiots.”

‘The last part was unnecessary.’ I thought to myself but was grateful that someone actually spoke up.

He came to me and said, “Thanks, at least I owe you one for saving us, my name’s Dylan.”

I shrugged and said, “I don’t have any memories before coming here so call me whatever you want.”

Our fleeting moment of respite was abruptly shattered as the room trembled violently, jolting us back into a state of alertness.

All eyes darted towards the doors that lined the walls, anticipation, and apprehension etched on our faces. And then, with an eerie slowness, the third door creaked open.

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