Riddles: Embraced by Retribution (part4)

Chapter 4: "Numbers of Destiny"

A burst of colorful confetti filled the air, accompanied by a cheerful pop. "Congratulations, Hooray! You made it! Most of you that is…" the message above exclaimed.

As I slowly regained consciousness, I found myself surrounded by a sea of confetti, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Startled by the piercing noise echoing in my ears, I gradually regained my senses, muttering under my breath, "What on earth..." The incessant repetition of the same phrases irritated me to no end, intensifying my frustration.

"Ahh, ahh, mic testing..." echoed a robotic voice throughout the area. I blinked a few times, gradually sitting up, only to discover a small group of survivors from the previous round.

"Hmm, well, not exactly a mic test, but whatever," its voice resounded through the space like crashing waves.

"Hmm, a lot of you met an untimely demise in the previous stage..." Its voice wavered, intruding into the area with an unsettling presence.

"Ohh, hmm... I'll have to change the riddle then, hmm... So the remaining people are eight... Hmm," the robotic voice resounded, indicating the need for a new challenge.

"What the hell do you want from us? We don't want to play your stupid riddles! Let us go!" shouted a man, his voice filled with frustration and desperation. He stood defiantly under the text, blood slowly trickling from the scratches on his abdomen.

"No can do, hmm... Is that what you did in your final moments of sins? Let go?" The robotic voice echoed in the air, tinged with a hint of amusement.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" The man's voice trembled with disbelief. “I didn’t do such a thing!”

"Hmm, since you claim you did nothing wrong, Marcus Henderson... Then ask those whom you have wronged, hmm," the mysterious voice replied, its tone filled with a hint of accusation. “All of you need to think as well.”

"I... How do you know my name…wait no, then all of us here?" Marcus asked, his voice trembling with a mix of confusion and fear.

"Hmm, let's reveal another fascinating fact, shall we?" the robotic voice echoed.

I could sense the malevolence behind that voice as it spoke with a sinister tone, "Every single one of you here, or who has been here... hmm, has committed the heinous crime of murder!" The room erupted with sparks of light, illuminating the unsettling revelation.

"Hmm, I must admit, I got a bit too carried away, haha!" it boomed with an eerie lack of remorse.

"No way, what about that innocent kid? And that frail old man?" a faint voice came from within the crowd, filled with disbelief and concern.

"Ehhh, did I not get through to you, hmm?" the robotic voice whined childishly, its tone filled with frustration and a hint of immaturity.

"Wh-Who cares if any of us killed someone? Shouldn't humans judge humans? Are you even human?" the same man named Marcus who was bleeding from his abdomen shouted defiantly, his voice filled with anger and disbelief.

"Blegh, I'm not talking to you, hmm," the robotic voice dismissed with a hint of annoyance. "The next riddle has already been placed. Solve it if you want to leave, hmmm!" the robotic voice declared, emphasizing the word "solve" with a mischievous tone.

And with a sudden beep, the voice abruptly disconnected, leaving us in bewildered silence.

"Aaarghhh, what is happening?!" A girl screamed in horror, clutching her foot tightly.

Numbers began to mysteriously appear on her right foot as if etched into her skin.

'01010010' with a black tint.

As the tingly sensation spread across our bodies, we all discovered the presence of binary codes imprinted on various body parts. Eight sets of binary codes, each consisting of eight bytes, were unveiled.

Confusion and curiosity filled the air as we pondered the significance of these codes. Were we expected to decipher the sequence and convert it into meaningful text?

Before we could delve deeper into our discussions, the second door slowly creaked open, revealing what awaited us on the other side. To our comfort, it was not another terrifying monster with outstretched claws.

I wished it had been.

Emerging from the haze, the eight of us found ourselves regaining consciousness in a dimly lit classroom.

The room is adorned with the grandeur of a bygone era, boasting tall ceilings, dusty chalkboards, and vintage furniture. Yet, amidst this vintage setting, there is a curious blend of old and new.

Modern technology, like touchscreen panels and security cameras, seemed out of place, when mounted on the walls of this Victorian-style school building. The contrasting elements left us puzzled and uncertain of our surroundings.

Gazing at the blinking red dot of a surveillance camera, one among us voiced their bitter resentment, "Is that bastard watching our every move?" Marcus grumbled in pain and anger. The room fell into a tense silence as we grappled with the realization that our actions might be under constant scrutiny.

The feeling of being observed only heightened our sense of unease and distrust.

As we cautiously ventured out of the classroom, a sense of unease settled upon us.

The atmosphere grew increasingly eerie and unsettling, with flickering shadows dancing along the walls and mysterious echoes reverberating through the empty halls.

The air hung heavy with a musty odor, reminiscent of neglect and decay. It was evident that the school had long been abandoned, left to the mercy of time with no one to tend to its upkeep.

“If it’s abandoned, where is this electricity coming from?” Elena whispered.

“It’s useless to ask logical questions, it could be another of the playful messed up areas of that thing.” Marcus angrily whispered back.

“We have to find a way to decode these numbers, does anyone have any idea how we will arrange them and in what order?” I joined in the whispers.

“It could be a lot of patterns; we could just write them on paper and try to make up the words,” Elena added.

"Or... can everyone let me know where the numbers are appearing and tingling on your bodies?" I inquired, casting a glance at three individuals who had visible numbers on the neck, arm, and foot.

“I feel a tinge on my neck…” Dylan frustratingly held his neck.

“As you all saw, it’s on my foot,” the woman raised her gown for everyone to see.

“It’s on my leg.” The kid uncovered his gown showing the number on the back of his right leg.

“My abdomen is itching,” Elena said annoyingly.

“My back hurts a bit, and it’s not because I’m old.” The old man tried to reach his back but couldn’t point it well.

As everyone said the pattern could easily be understood.

“It is the anatomical order of naming the body parts. It commonly starts from the head, neck, torso, upper limbs, and then the lower limbs. There is no one that has it on their head or forehead so I’m guessing we should start with the neck which is Dylan, the old man, his back, that quiet person…” As I looked at the weirdly mute person at the back he just waved his arm at me showing his numbers, “…has it on the arm.”

I wonder if he can speak or not but that did not matter, “Mine is on my thigh, the remaining part that a person hasn’t revealed should be…” I trailed off as I looked at Marcus.

“There is no way I’m letting some strange person see my buttocks…that’s harassment.” Marcus furrowed his eyes.

“No one wants to either….” The old man retorted.

Sighing I continued, "We will just make up the missing word. For now, let’s find a place where we can find a computer.” I looked around and found an exit door.

Confused and scared, we began to explore the school, hoping to find some answers.

Walking through the dark corridors, we noticed that some classrooms were locked, and others led to empty rooms with broken furniture and cobwebs. The sounds of our footsteps and whispers bounce off the walls, making some of us jump at every creak and groan.

The woman fiddled with her arms and while staring at her foot she spoke a little above a whisper, “My…my name is Maya…I wanted to tell you all since I’m going to die anyway…if any of you survive…I hope you remember me.”

There was silence from all of us before Marcus spat out, “No one wants to remember a murderer…”

“I- I just thought …we all are in this mess! We are the same, so!” Maya frantically swayed her arms.

“Shut it…” Elena angrily hushed her. Not wanting to hear another word from Maya’s mouth.

As we stood at the foot of the staircase, a debate ensued among us about whether we should split up or stick together.

"We can't solve the riddle if we're not together. We need everyone's numbers in this," I emphasized, trying to convince the group to stay united.

"Humph, so you're saying that you wouldn't value our presence if it wasn't for the riddle? How selfish of you," Marcus retorted, clearly offended by my statement.

"Considering our circumstances, it's only natural to prioritize survival," I responded, disregarding his remark.

"You!" Marcus shouted angrily, his voice filled with frustration.

"Shh. Shut up," Elena admonished Marcus, her voice filled with urgency. "Do you even realize where we are? Save the arguments for a more appropriate time!"

Walking up the stairs we came across the dark hallway, our footsteps echoed loudly in the silence, and suddenly we heard a strange noise that made our very being instilled with fear. It was a low growling sound, coming from somewhere nearby.

We instinctively paused, and looked around nervously, trying to identify the source of the noise.

“Oh fuck…” Dylan cursed under his breath.

We saw it: a monstrous creature standing at the end of the hallway silhouetted against the faint light coming in through the windows. It's tall and hunched, with long, spindly limbs and a grotesque, distorted face.

Its skin is a sickly pale grey, stretched tightly over its emaciated frame. Its eyes are black and empty, and its breath comes out in long, ragged gasps.

The creature seems to be staring at them, sizing them up with an almost predatory hunger. As it takes a step forward, into a brighter light from the windows, we can see that its fingers are long and bony, ending in razor-sharp claws that glint in the dim light.

Suddenly, with a loud, sickening crunch, the creature's head snaps to one side, its neck twisting and contorting in a grotesque display. They all recoil in horror as they watch the creature transform before their eyes.

Its body elongates and stretches out, forming a long, whip-like appendage that snakes its way toward them.

The sound of its movement is like the crack of a whip, sending shivers down the spines. The group backs away hurriedly back in the opposite direction, knowing that they need to get away from this monster as quickly as possible.

But as we turned to flee, we heard the sound of a person being snatched up, “Arghh get it off of me! Help…Save me!” There was a person I did not notice much because he never spoke a word until now.

Well, even if no one knew his name, his last words were heard at least.

His legs are coiled up while flinging his arm in the air relentlessly, he flails in the air and drowning in fear. Until finally his whole body is inside the coil.

With a quick snap, his whole body explodes and leaks in from the gaps of coils and blood drips down on the party.

I saw Maya shriek and fall to her knees.

We had no time and indeed, no more people to lose as we saw more creatures approaching from above the ceiling, their growls and snarls filling the air.

The atmosphere was suffocating, with the stench of decay and the sound of snapping whips filling our senses.

“What the fuck is that! I thought the Victorians never had a monster problem!” Dylan screamed.

“Who cares what era we are in!” Elena yelled and grabbed Maya in frustration, Maya’s voice trembling with fear. "What do we do? We can't fight those things!"

The kid responds, trying to keep his voice calm. "We need to find a way out of here. There must be some kind of escape route."

The group starts to move quickly, trying to find a way out of the corridor. As we turn a corner, we run into a dead end. The group freezes, unsure of what to do next.

Dylan swallows hard, their voice barely above a whisper. "We're surrounded. We're never going to make it out of here alive."

But I on the other hand, who has remained calm throughout the ordeal, speak up. "We can make it out of here. Look at that lamp.” I pointed at the dusty lamp under which bright light was flickering.

‘What was a small lamp doing in the dead of the hallway if not as a clue?’ I thought.

Catching my breath I spoke further, “It could be the place we are looking for.”

“What if we are wrong!” Maya cried, the approaching monster was menacing enough for us to rush in many ways.

“No time to think, RUN.” I quickly grabbed the lamp and pulled it out, the light traveled from beneath it to the top of it in a flashy diamond pattern, leading to shining cracks that seemed to be an outline of a door.

It slid to the sides and we all entered without further hesitation.

The door closed behind us and crystallized in its original place, the power inside the room flickered on. We saw several huge computers all having a static hum to them as if they were busy calculating something unknown.

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