Just Keep Holding On

[You have chosen - Grab the Wire]

Y-Yeah! This is the option that makes the most sense... right?

[Jacob furrowed his brows]

Jacob: So as long as we all grab onto the wire, we'll be fine right?

Jake: ...That's the gist of it.

[Jake then looked up into the air, as though he was actually talking to some ascended being]

Ascended being?

[Shut up]

Jake: How many times will we be shocked?

Announcer: Ah, right! When you all sit down, the timer displayed at the top of your cubicle will start. Since it will be counting down from fifty minutes, that is a total of ten shocks! One for each of you!

Jake: ...Alright.

Pepper stretched out her arms as though she was getting ready to partake in some sport.

Pepper: Well, let's get started then.

[Jacob couldn't help but furrow his brow]

Jacob: Wait, since it only starts after we sit down, I think we should take some time to talk about it, right?

[Dizzy scratched the side of her head]

Dizzy: Hm? But it isn't very complicated, all of us will just hold the wire for fifty minutes, right?

[Evian scoffed]

Evian: Excuse me? I refuse to get shocked. Unlike you lot, I spent a long time styling my hair, and I don't intend for it to get frizzled by any shocks.

...That's your priority in this situation?

Jacob: E-Er, but there's only a small chance that you will be shocked, you know? So you probably won't even get shocked.

[Evian raised an eyebrow]

Evian: Well, I would prefer not to take that chance.

[Dizzy pouted]

Dizzy: U-Um, if your hair really does get messed up, then I could help you make it better!

[Evian frowned disdainfully]

Evian: Like I would let you brutes style my hair!"

[Dizzy pouted]

Dizzy: A-Ah, I'm sorry...

[Evian took a peek at Dizzy, observing her for a few moments]

Evian: ...Well, I suppose your style isn't too bad.

[Dizzy looked up with a slightly surprised expression]

Dizzy: D-Does that mean you will...

[Evian scoffed once more]

Evian: If my hair really does get frizzled, you better do a good job!

[Dizzy smiled brightly]

Dizzy: Alright!

[Lanae kept her frown on the whole time]

Lanae: If you're going to hold it, then I don't need to.

[Daylin smirked and flex his muscles]

Daylin: Well, I can take a shock or two, I ain't afraid, so if a few people don't hold onto the line, that's fine with me.

[Gerald smiled bitterly]

Gerald: ...Oh, but my old body probably won't be able to take much.

[Daylin shrugged his shoulders]

Daylin: Then you just let go of the wire too. I can take it!

...Shut up! You're ruining everything!

[Jake shook his head]

Jake: You don't truly know how strong the electrical current is, not to mention we don't know how many more games there are going to be. If you are strong, then we can't have you too badly injured for the future ones.

[A small frown formed on Daylin's face]

Daylin: Are you doubting me? I can take it, you know?

[Jacob furrowed his brow]

Jacob: But not everybody can. Didn't you hear what the guy said? If only one person takes the wire, then they'll die. If you want to let other people let go of the wire, that means at least one person has to take that burden with you.

[Daylin blinked a few times. It seemed as though he didn't really understand the whole premise, and was just shooting his mouth off.]

Daylin: Then what should we do?

[Katie tilted her head to the side]

Katie: I guess all of us should just hold the wire then, right? According to the rules of the game, that's how it stays at the lowest intensity, time, and amount of people that get shocked.

[Jake raised a finger]

Jake: Then we could just have everyone hold onto the wire the entire time. If you get unlucky and get shocked, then we'll just have to deal with it

[Lanae scowled]

Lanae: ...I have no plans on hurting myself by holding onto the wire.

[Dizzy walked up to her and tapped the tips of her fingers together]

Dizzy: B-But um, it would hurt the others, and since we are all a team, hurting the others would hurt you as well!

[Lanae narrowed her eyes]

Lanae: Since when were we a team?

[Dizzy lowered her head]

Dizzy: Well, the announcer said it was a team game. That means the happiness of the group is also yours! We all have to count on each other, and get out of this together! When all of us get out together, I'm sure we'll be such good friends!

[Lanae still looked stubborn for most of her dialogue, but when she heard the last part, her expression couldn't help but soften.]

Lanae: ...Fine then. But I'm not making all the sacrifices, alright?

[Dizzy gave her a thumbs up]

Dizzy: Got it!

...Thank god for her. If she wasn't here, this whole group would totally be falling apart.

[Jacob noticed that Jake was intently looking at Dizzy. After a few moments, he wordlessly shifted his gaze away.]

Jake: Since it seems all of us are in agreement, we can sit down on the chairs and grab the wire. As a mini rule, we should be holding onto the wire for the entire fifty minutes.

[Daylin raised an eyebrow]

Daylin: What's the point of that? As long as we hold it every five minutes, nothing changes, right?

Hm... I don't really agree with this Daylin guy,

[Jake shifted his eyes slightly]

Jake: Because... we may lose track of time. Even if it's a small chance, assuming we all forget to hold onto the wire, then all of us will die.

[Lanae scoffed]

Lanae: You lot may be that forgetful, but I am always punctual to every single meeting I've ever been to.

[Evian nodded]

Evian: Although some say arriving late is somehow stylish, that is false. And I would never be out of style.

[Gerald let out a feeble chuckle]

Gerald: Actually, I agree with Jake here. Although the chances are less than one out of a million... it's always better not to take that chance, especially if a life is on the line.

[Daylin crossed his arms]

Daylin: One in a million? There's no way that could happen!

[A strange glint flashed by Gerald's eyes]

Gerald: Of course, that's what we all think... until it really happens.

[Daylin blinked a few times obliviously]

Daylin: What is that supposed to mean?

[Gerald looked down at the ground]

Gerald: ...There are many ways to die. Earthquakes, illnesses, and sometimes even other people.

[He laughed, but his voice trembled slightly]

Gerald: My daughter died. Not from any of those, but from a strike of lightning. There's less than a one in a million chance to get hit, and even then, there's only a ten percent chance that you'll die.

...Oh god.

[Everyone else fell silent, not knowing how to respond to that]

Gerald: If it was a natural disaster that happened in her area, I could at least hope as I fret over her safety. If it was an illness, even if it was a fatal one, I could at least see her for a few moments before she passed away. If it was someone else that murdered her, at least there would be a person to hate.

[He slowly shook his head]

Gerald: But it was none of that. It was a day like any other, and all of sudden she was just gone. The chances were less than one in a million, but it happened. So that's why I'd rather not take any chances, even if they are really small.

[Daylin's face twitched a few times]

Daylin: Ah... alright.

[Jacob looked over at Leah]

Jacob: Um, just in case you missed it, all of us are going to hold onto the wire the entire time. That's fine with you, right?

[Leah seemed slightly hesitant, but she nodded in the end. Jake took a deep breath]

Jake: I guess all of us can get ready then. Just take a seat, grab onto the wire, and don't let go.

Jacob: Yeah... let's do that.

[Everybody then went to take a seat in the cubicle and grabbed the wire. Once the last person was seated, the timer started to count down, slowly ticking down from fifty minutes.]

Dizzy: Mm... fifty minutes is a long time. Since we're all here together like this, why don't we talk?

Lanae: Talk about what?

Dizzy: Um, well since we're all strangers, we can talk about ourselves! Back in school, I had all these really nice friends, I can tell you about some if you want!

Evian: Hm? Were they fashionable?

Dizzy: Ah, they were!

Evian: Oh, then please tell me about them!

Dizzy: Well, one of them has this really cute pink flower in her hair that just makes her look so pretty!

Evian: Ah, a flower in the hair. It may be a cliche, but true fashion isn't necessarily about the current fad.

What in the world is this guy talking about?

[A few people remained quiet, but as the conversation was going on, nearly everybody joined in. By the first minute, everyone except for Leah had spoken up at least once. By the third minute, they began talking like they were actually a group of friends despite the fact their interests seemed to differ greatly.]

Huh. Can strangers really get familiar with each other this quickly? That's... that's impossible.

Ah right, but it's just a story, so it's unrealistic anyway.

[...]

...What?

[By the fourth minute, everyone almost seemed to forget they were even in a game where their lives were at stake. Even the more disagreeable ones had stopped frowning, and even seemed interested in the others.]

...Hm. It was every five minutes that the shock came in.

Kaite: Ah, five minutes is coming soon! All of us should hold onto the wire if we aren't already!

Lanae: Well none of us let go of the wire because that's what we agreed on, right?

Katie: Ah yeah, but I was saying that just in case.

[Then the five-minute mark came. Jake suddenly let out a low growl, as clear repeated banging sounds came from his direction. The shock only lasted a second, but afterward he was panting hard.]

Jacob: Ah, were you shocked?

Jake: ...Y-Yeah.

Dizzy: Are you ok? How bad was it?

[Jake took a few more breaths before calming down his breathing. He sounded a little off, but spoke in a casual tone.]

Jake: ...It wasn't too bad. If the intensity was increased, then that would be pretty bad, but if it's just this, then I'm sure all of us can get through it.

Oh, so it's not that unfair.

Jacob: Ah, then that's a relief! I thought it was going to be really painful.

Jake: ...Yeah, it's nothing like that. You all can continue talking now.

[Though it was a little awkward at first, the conversation began flowing naturally once more. Jake hardly spoke during that time, but he was also absent for most of the first five minutes, so it wasn't too strange to anybody. Soon enough, another five minutes passed.]

Daylin: Urgh!

[Daylin let out a clear cry of pain, and groaned for a while after]

Dizzy: Ah, were you shocked? Are you ok?

[Daylin didn't respond despite her saying that]

Jacob: U-Um, Daylin?

Daylin: Y-Yeah?

Jacob: You ok?

Daylin: Ah...

[He paused for a good five seconds]

Daylin: Yeah, yeah. Perfectly fine.

Lanae: Hah. You did say that you could take it.

Daylin: Hahaha, yeah it was nothing. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was nothing.

...It doesn't sound like nothing. Maybe he's just... a little more sensitive to electricity.

Jacob: Um... ok?

[The conversation was a little more strained this time, but everyone was able to continue chatting without too much worry. They had already gotten through two shocks, and there were no major mishaps. Then came the third shock.]

[This time, it was Jacob that received the shock]

Jacob: A-AHHHHHHHH!

[Jacob's eyes bulged out of his sockets and clearly became bloodshot. He spasmed hard, and involuntarily slammed his limbs onto the chair and table next to him. It was only for a second, but he was panting extremely hard afterwards.]

Jacob: What... the fuck... was that?

Jake: ...

Daylin: Nothing. It was nothing. There was nothing. Nothing.

Dizzy: A-Are you ok?

Jacob: No! That hurt really badly! My body is even trembling now, and my thoughts are all jumbled. I even felt my heart stop for a moment there! That was... that was way too terrifying. What the fuck, Jake? I thought you said it wasn't that bad!

Jake: ...

[Jake didn't speak, which just made Jacob get angrier]

Jacob: What? You aren't going to speak now?

Dizzy: H-Hey, I don't think he meant anything by it. He just wanted to be encouraging!

Jacob: ...Huh? Is that what you meant Jake?

Jake: ...I never told any lie. You're just being a big baby because of a little bit of pain.

[Jacob's eyes widened all the way]

Jacob: What did you just say?

...Hey, come on man, don't be so hung up about it. He clearly wasn't all that fazed from it, so why should you be.

Jacob: What? But... but...

Dizzy: Huh? I didn't say anything. Or did you mean something else by what?

Jacob: ...Nevermind.

[After a minute, the conversation continued, but everyone seemed a little more reserved and afraid to speak. Jacob, Jake, and Daylin all hardly said anything, making the conversation feel a little more empty, but everyone was still managing.]

[Then the fourth shock came, this time targeting Gerald]

[He let out a cry of pain, then a gasp. After the second was over, there was a sound of something large falling to the ground.]

[Gerald had fallen unconscious]