Role Call

"....Hey...Wake up..."

A vaguely familiar feminine voice called out to me.

"Wake up!..."

I slowly open my eyes only to be greeted by a young girl with long brown hair and a red dress standing over me. She's a teenager, perhaps in high school? I can't seem to recall who she was...

"Jeez, you're finally awake," Her eyes drifted. She looked mad... No discontent.

"Who are you?" I replied, sitting up on the unfamiliar bed I woke upon. I looked down at my body to discover I was wearing a grey suit, black pants, and a black and white checkered tie. What is with this costume? I don't own anything like this...

"I'm Claire. You?" She replied in a hurry.

"Hank." I quickly answered. I took this time to look around the room. It was a windowless bedroom only lit up by dim candlelight. The interior resembles that of a luxurious mansion with a large amount of space and the use of materials such as gold and diamonds.

"Nice to meet you, Claire. Do you know where we are?" I questioned, scratching my head in a daze.

"I'm sorry. I can't recall. I woke up an hour ago, just like you. A few others did as well, but I don't know anything about what's going on. I was hoping you knew," She nervously clenched her other arm and sighed. "However, we woke up with these strange cards; you probably have one too. I can't show you mine, but you should check out yours." Claire held up a card to where I could only see the backside. I felt around my breast pocket to find something much like a playing card when suddenly Claire grabbed my arm and started to pull me out of bed.

"Before you look at the content in the card, let's head down. The others should be waiting." She spoke. I shook her hand off as I stood in the room, dazed and confused.

"This makes no sense, cards? The others? I'm still wrapping my head around where we are," I fidgeted with the unfamiliar tie. She turned back to look at me. With a good look, I could tell she was quivering. Her face was slightly pale.

"I-I wish I knew the answer, sir." She stuttered, clearly uncomfortable. I scratched my neck.

"Sorry," I sighed, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm just confused," I replied. She glanced down at the floor and then looked back at me with a soft smile.

"Let's have optimism," She smiled nervously before turning around and walking out the door. With a dreaded sigh, I followed after her. I examined the surroundings when exiting the room. I noticed a large chandelier on the high ceiling made out of pure gold and an open floor down below. What seemed to be ten or so other people were down there. The base is made of dark wood and red carpet, with yellow and white wallpaper lining the walls with extravagant patterns. How did I end up here? I can't remember.

I made my way down a grand staircase with diamonds on the railings. Wherever we are, the owner must be wealthy to afford all this.

"Look! Claire found another!" An energetic guy spoke; his eyes were a bright yellow. He wore a zipped-up black jacket with a weird checkerboard-styled cape that went down to his waist. His hair was long and frizzy. His hands were behind his head like he couldn't care less about our strange predicament. I couldn't tell how old he was, but I assumed he was younger than me. Our eyes met, and for a moment, I felt anxious. Do I know him? Why does he seem so familiar?

I waved back at him slightly and looked around at the rest standing in the central hall. The cast of characters varied from confident and shy, weak and strong, energetic and lazy. But most notable were those who were scared and those who weren't.

"So what do we do? Did we find everyone?" A slightly older girl with braided blond hair spoke. She wore a clean green dress shirt and sleek black pants. She seemed very formal, but I felt a hint of carefreeness in her body language.

"I-I think so," A nervous-looking gentleman with overalls and a top hat replied. He seemed around my age, if not slightly older. He glanced around at the rest like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Amazing! Now what?" The yellow eyes on the energetic guy turned into green eyes. A bit startled, I moved back at the color change. Did no one else notice?

"I think we should all look over the weird cards given to us now that we have gathered." An artsy-looking girl in a black and white striped shirt suggested. She had black lipstick and eyeliner, and her personality seemed very eccentric, judging by how she carried herself.

"Yeah, I agree. I think it may be crucial..." Claire nodded softly. My curiosity took hold as I took the card from my breast pocket. On the top, in fine print, it says.

"This card is your role, don't let anyone else see it; if they do, you will die." While holding the card, my heart pounded at the warning. I moved it closer to my body to avoid peering eyes.

"The Sheriff. An important role, With this card, you will be granted information after every trial. The information will lead you closer to the mastermind of the killing game among the people around you. You aim to kill the mastermind before the killing game ends."

Trial?... Killing Game?... Mastermind?... Kill!? What the hell?

I looked around at the others. Some people had confusion on their faces and some anger. Some were terrified by the mere sight of their card. What could their roles be? Are they all different? What's going on? How did I get here? Nothing makes any sense at all.

"This is bullshit!" A vulgar guy wearing a skull T-shirt and shoulder spikes scoffed. He seemed just as young as Claire judging by his face, maybe slightly older.

"Could definitely be better, haha." The energetic guy's eyes turned red and blue as he tilted slightly to the right.

"This might be a bit rash, but it might be best to reveal our roles. If we don't, paranoia might consume us." A muscular older gentleman announced. He had clean-cut black hair and was wearing a black T-shirt.

"No fucking way, dude, revealing might be a death sentence waiting to happen," the vulgar guy sneered.

"Er, death sentence might be a bit rash, don't you think?" The artsy girl commented as sweat dripped down her forehead.

"N-No, I agree, it isn't a g-good idea." Claire's face became pale as a ghost as she shivered in place. So much for optimism...

"Look, I know we're all in a state of confusion, but could we at least tell each other our names?" A nerdy guy with glasses and short black hair suggested. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. Despite saying he was in a state of confusion, he looked calm as a rock.

"Y-Yeah, yeah, introductions... Um, we need to know what to call each other, right?... I might as well start us off, haha. My name is Claire. I'm 19, a-and I am an excellent baker!" Claire tried to smile, but the overwhelming fear and panic overcame her expression.

"What is this kindergarten? Why are you introducing yourself like that?" The vulgar guy scoffed. Despite his words, he looked just as on edge as Claire.

"I-I am just trying to get you to understand me a bit better... I'm sorry!" Claire bit her lip as she scrunched up like she was trying to hide away.

"Well, I don't care to understand you. To me, you're all nothing but potential threats." He crossed his arms.

"There's no need to be so rude. We're all a little bit freaked out, you know?" The artsy girl scoffed back at him.

"Heh, wanna fight or something?" He cracked his knuckles.

"What? Gonna beat up a girl?" The artsy girl snickered back at him with crossed arms.

"Tch, whatever. You can call me Matt." Matt calmed down a bit, loosening his tough-guy act.

"Right, I'm Angel. I guess you can call me an artist. But I am still practicing." Angel lightly smiled at the rest of us while trying to keep her composure.

"What a unique name! Sorta jealous," the energetic guy spoke without a care in the world while his eye color turned yellow again.

"I don't want to come off as rude, but I can't help but notice your eyes," I pointed out. He stopped smiling, and his eyes turned grey momentarily before shifting to a half-red and half-green coloration.

"Oh yeah, I noticed that as well. How is that possible?" a short guy with glasses asked. He had medium-length brown hair and a more petite build. I can't quite tell how old he is.

"Meh, I don't feel like explaining it to you," He chuckled with a mischievous grin.

"Sorry if I touched a sensitive subject." I held my arm.

"You're offly cheery given that we had all been kidnapped and passed out for god knows how long." Angel snarked. I noticed a few others wince at the comment. Maybe reality hasn't settled in for them yet. But Angel is right. We had to have been kidnapped somehow. But I would remember something like that...

"Hehe, I wonder why. Perhaps I'm the one who did the kidnapping." He spoke. Squinting his eyes at Angel.

"What the hell did you just say!?" Matt stormed up to the kid and pulled him by the shirt.

"Gah. I was just kidding, damn." He spat with red eyes. His words sounded like he was choking from his grasp. Matt held on for a bit longer before letting go.

"That w-wasn't a very funny joke, you know." Claire shifted her eyes. He caught his breath for a moment.

"My bad, my bad. I couldn't help myself," He grinned again as he panted. What's up with this kid?...

"Whatever, could you at least tell us your name?" Angel crossed her arms with discomfort.

"Of course! The name is Jasper. I might seem like a kid, but I assure you that I am older than I look. I guess you could consider me an astronaut or just a trainee anyways." Jasper's eyes turned yellow again.

"An Astronaut!? You must be pretty smart then." Claire complimented in awe.

"Yup! I aced all the exams to get into the program." Jasper smiled with his hands behind his head.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I don't buy it," The girl with braided hair smirked.

"Hmmm? What are you suggesting?" Jasper asked with a smirk of his own.

"Well, first, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Annie. I'm a highly renowned journalist in my city, and I possess the Secret Keeper role." Annie began by flashing the back of her card before continuing, "This role allows me access to the deepest secrets of everyone here, and from this information, I can tell you that Jasper is quite the liar." Annie winked.

"That's a bold play. Do you have a death wish?" Jasper's eyes turned black in an almost creepy fashion. The mischievous kid had turned serious in an instant.

"Is that a threat?" Annie replied with pure confidence. Almost unbothered by the gravity of our situation.

"No, No, I am not threatening you; I am just calling out your stupidity." Jasper shifted his eyes to the floor as he put his hands behind his back.

"Excuse me?" Annie squinted her eyes at Jasper.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but I think we're in some death game set up by a psychopath. And a role like 'Secret Keeper' seems like something that people would target you for in said death game, riiiiight?" Jasper gave a creepy smile.

"How do you know that we are in a death game!?" Matt scoffed.

"Y-Yeah, isn't this just a sick joke?..." A more petite girl with messy blond hair stuttered. She was wearing glasses and a brown sweater. Jasper turned to look at them, almost dumbfounded.

"Why do I have to explain it to you? This isn't fun anymore..." Jasper's sighed with grey eyes.

"Y-You can't just spring that information onto us! Explain yourself!" The guy in overalls shouted nervously.

"As I said, I don't feel like it." He yawned.

"Wait, Annie, I'm curious. What did you mean by Jasper being a liar?" Angel asked, a little shaken by Jasper's comment.

"No need to answer, Annie; I can do it myself." Jasper glared into Annie's soul. His eyes were a deep crimson.

"She means that in a literal way, I'm a compulsive liar," Jasper spoke with a straight face.

"Oh? Is that it?" Annie spoke.

"Haha, you're pretty. If you want me to release free information about myself, you're out of luck. I promise you I have no secrets," Jasper's eyes were half yellow and black.

"I'm... pretty?" Annie looked at Jasper in confusion.

"Oh, sorry, I lied again, haha." Jasper put his hands behind his head while smiling.

"H-Hey!" Annie got flustered.

"Anyways, why are you picking on me? Don't you have other people's secrets?" Jasper tilted his head.

"Well, I needed to use someone as an example, and I found you annoying. If the rest of you don't want your secrets getting released, then you better keep me alive." Annie authoritatively pointed her finger.

"Hah! Good luck with that, You're still going to die. But believe what you will. I'm done explaining everything to you guys." Jasper's eyes turned black for a moment. Annie's face became slightly pale as the room got silent.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" The guy in overalls sighed anxiously.

"What makes you guys so sure that our lives are on the line!?" Claire yelled with stress. As I looked around, I noticed that besides a select few, the majority were cowardly and shivering. Some were pale, and others distressed.

"The goddamn doors are locked, and the windows are boarded with metal plating. We woke up without memory of where we were and were given these damn cards! If anything, I don't think all of us will make it out of here." Matt clenched his fist with an expression of fury. But at the same time, he had sincerity.

"This is horrible... What are we going to do?" The quiet girl whimpered, and tears began to fall from her face. But nobody was calm or stable enough to try to calm her.

"We have to play the game the mastermind set up for us." I finally spoke up, getting everyone's attention.

"Mastermind?" Angel asked.

"It was in my card. There is a mastermind. And it's someone here." I announced.

"And who the hell do you think you are?" Matt walked up to my face.

"You don't scare me, kid," I glared down at him. He smiled in response.

"Glad to know that not everyone here is a coward," Matt scoffed in my face before stepping back.

"I'm Hank Anderson. A top-of-the-line detective,"

"A detective, huh?" Jasper's eyes lit up green, "You might actually be useful." he snickered.

"Well, I feel a bit better about having an officer on our side." Claire sighed in relief.

"Who said he's on our side?" a taller girl with glasses and purple hair spoke. She was wearing a black sweater and black pants. She looked younger but not too young. She blended in with the crowd.

"I get your hesitation, but just trust me for now. I'll figure out what is going on around here. I don't know who put us here or what they want. But as a detective, it is my duty to find the truth, no matter what." I promised.

"Well said, Mr. Detective! Don't let me down." Jasper winked.

"Let you down?" I questioned, but there wasn't a response.

"I'd hate to cut you short, but we still haven't finished with names. There are a few introverts here," Angel pointed out, changing the topic. She seemed to calm down a bit.

"Oh," The quiet, more petite girl shifted her teary eyes.

"The name is Willow." She quickly stuttered before going back into hiding.

"I don't think we will get much out of her." Angel shrugged. I could tell Angel was trying to hide her fear by acting confident. Her body language tells a different story than her words.

"How about you?" Angel pointed towards the taller girl with purple hair.

"I'm not introverted, just observant. You can call me Elizabeth." She looked away from everybody as she spoke.

"Great, now that leaves you four," Angel continued rapidly.

"Right," The nerdy guy announced while pushing up his glasses, "It's Alex. I work at a software development company. Nothing interesting about me," He wiped his forehead as he spoke.

"So you know how to code?" Jasper questioned.

"Yeah, Java and C," Alex answered.

"I think I'm starting to see a pattern." Jasper put his finger over his lip as he smirked.

"What pattern?" Alex pushed up his glasses once more, almost robotically.

"Oh, I'll tell you in a bit, be patient." Jasper chuckled.

"Ignoring Jasper's antics, I think I am ready to introduce myself since everyone else has." the short guy with glasses cleared his throat. "My name is Leo. Some of you may have heard that name if you read many novels. I am a semi-popular writer."

"I thought I recognized you from somewhere!" The guy in overalls shouted.

"Who might you be?" Leo replied with a smile. He didn't seem too anxious compared to the rest. No... He almost looks too calm...

"My name is George, a public speaker, and a politician. However, I also read a lot. I love your work." George anxiously complimented.

"Then that just leaves the muscle gorilla over here," Elizabeth spoke lightly.

"It's Tyrone, Don't call me a muscle gorilla." Tyrone crossed his arms. He had an aura of wisdom and strength that put those near him at ease.

"That's all you're going to say?" Alex replied.

"There isn't much more to say. I'm still processing everything" Tyrone looked off.

"You're the one who mentioned sharing roles, right? Why don't you share yours, muscle man?" Annie cheekily smirked.

"I will tell you when the time comes. However, if everyone chooses to keep silent, I will also." Tyrone spoke in a respectful and calm tone.

"Then that's everyone, right?" I interrupted.

"As far as I know," Claire replied.

"So, Jasper, what pattern did you see earlier?" I turned toward the guy in question.

"Well, I was wondering why they chose us specifically." Jasper started.

"Like what we have in common?" Angel asked.

"Exactly, And when I listened to your introductions, I think I figured it out. We all are talented and smart individuals. A detective, a journalist, a coder, a baker, a writer, e.t.c" Jaspers's eyes were half green and yellow.

"If that's the case, you would have to be more than a lying piece of shit." Annie chuckled.

"I told you I was an astronaut" Jasper's eyes turned grey.

"I don't believe that for a second." Annie smiled.

"Quiet down; I don't want to hear your bickering." Elizabeth closed her eyes.

"I-I don't understand how you can be so calm and cheery right now..." George shivered.

"But if what Jasper said was true, that would explain why we were chosen," Angel agreed.

"There's a problem with that theory," Tyrone called out.

"How so?" I replied.

"I don't have a talent, I might be strong, but I'm not special." Tyrone crossed his arms.

"Maybe the mastermind sees talent in you. We all have different definitions of what talent is." Leo suggested.

"Speaking of the mastermind, Mr. Detective over here said they are one of us, correct?" Jasper asked.

"That's right. Who's the fucker who kidnapped us?" Matt clenched his fist.

"L-Like they will just up and reveal themselves." George sighed.

"I'm surprised though. Why would the mastermind decide to involve themselves in this killing game? Isn't that reckless?" Angel asked. Suddenly the light became dimmer.

"Indeed it is," A deep voice formed around the central hall spoke from a speaker.

"Who's there!" I exclaimed. The others all started to look around the room as well.

"Now, now, no need to be so startled. I will be your guide and rulekeeper for the game. You may call me Oracle."

"Tch, rule keeper, my ass. You're the mastermind, aren't you?" Matt cracked his knuckles.

"They would be one of you fourteen. I have nothing to do with the mastermind." Oracles' voice sounded dark and menacing.

"Fourteen? Don't you mean twelve?" Angel corrected.

"Not according to the roster. On it lists Claire, Matt, George, Elizabeth, Hank, Tristan, Willow, Tyrone, Angel, Leo, Jasper, Isabelle, Alex, and an Annie" Oracle listed.

"Isabelle and Tristan... Those are the two missing." I picked out.

"I see. Well, they can hear this message as well. So I will continue to the rules." Oracle continued. "As you might or might not already know, you are in a killing game designed by the mastermind. There is no one out there to help. You are alone. You might have also found that you have been given an important role. These roles determine how you proceed to act throughout the game. The roles are determined by personalities and talents and judged by the mastermind's opinion. But there is more to this game. You see, many of the cards have a specific ending. If it states, "Live till the end," then there is another option you could choose to escape." Oracle explained.

"And what's this other option?" Jasper asked, unsurprisingly unfazed.

"If your card has that phrase, you may take on a trial. And if you escape the trial, you may leave the killing game." Oracle's deep voice reverberated through the central hall.

"This is ridiculous!" Matt yelled.

"So you're telling me we're really in a k-killing game?" George's eyes widened.

"God, why can't you just accept that already?" Jasper grunted.

"Because it's all too surreal! Why me!? I did nothing wrong to deserve this!" George cried out.

"I wanna go home..." Willow whimpered.

"I understand you're all shaken, but this information is vital for survival. We need to hear Oracle out." I tried to calm the peanut gallery. If they have the power to kidnap all of us and get away with it, I doubt there will be an easy way out of here... This might be life-threatening.

"Right, you're right..." George backed down. I took a deep breath.

"How does one initiate a trial?" I asked.

"More importantly, what is a trial?" Angel joined in.

"Before that, let me ask. You all know what a majority vote is, right?" Oracle changed the subject.

"W-When most people choose one thing over another, right?" Claire answered nervously, her face pale as a ghost.

"Well, in a trial, all of you will use a majority vote to pick someone. And that someone will die as a result. If you choose the person who initializes the trial, they will perish. Suppose you fail to pick the right one. In that case, the initializer needs someone to perish in their place unless specified otherwise by the initializer's role. Once they do so, they may leave." Oracle elaborated.

"That's... insane.." George clenched his overalls.

"And how do we start a trial?" Jasper smirked with red and blue eyes.

"Murder, of course," Oracle had a hint of humor in his voice, and the room became silent.

"M-Murder..." Claire's eyes widened, her knees collapsing on the floor. Her optimism had been shot.

"Hah... So that's how this works." Angel put her hand over her face.

"Two people need to die for your escape then, and two people will die if you even try attempting it..." I looked down.

"So, what do we do until a trial? How many days' worth of food do we even have?" Leo kept his cool, unlike the rest of us.

"You have around a month's worth of food, and you might be able to stretch it if you fast. But it will run out one day. And as far as what to do, that's for you to decide." Oracle answered.

"With a game as elaborate as this, I doubt there's any way of escape." Jasper's eyes became deep blue, contrasted by his smirk.

"This is bullshit.." Annie spoke quietly. Her overbearing and cooky attitude seemed to exist no longer.

"This is bullshit!" Matt then yelled.

"What did we do to deserve this!?" Claire screamed.

"We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose." Angel looked depressed, her emotions repressed by her will to keep strong.

"There are fourteen people, yeah? Shouldn't we go with the most survivors?" I pondered out loud in a fit of anxiety.

"What are you suggesting?" Matt asked.

"Don't get me wrong. I would like for all of us to survive. And this option only works as our last. However, with fourteen, we can for sure save up to five people. Logically speaking. Shouldn't we do that course of action if needed?" I suggested.

"And the other nine people just lay down and die? Good luck with that. The chances of that happening are close to zero." Annie combated.

"I know, I know... But I wanted to bring that option to light in case we truly can't find a way to escape." I defended. "If needed, I'll be one of those to die. It's my idea, after all. And it's an officer's job to protect civilians. Even at the cost of our lives." I winced.

"I agree with the sentiment. I was a firefighter myself back in the day. But I think you're being rather rash right now. Why not calm down, Hank." Tyrone tried to put me at ease.

"Haha, isn't that strange? If we play the game only thinking of ourselves, it will end up being only one or two survivors. Logically speaking, that makes no sense... But there's no way we would choose the option with more survivors.." Jasper's scoffed.

"With the food being the time limit, we don't have long to think about it," Angel replied nervously.

"Could you be a bit more optimistic? You're talking like there isn't any other way..." Claire grabbed her other arm.

"She's right. There is another way out, but it won't be pretty," Tyrone confidently stated.

"Explain," Leo glanced up at Tyrone with a serious expression.

"My role has to do with an early escape for everyone. I can't show you, obviously. But you have to keep me alive." Tyrone's voice was soothing.

"Sounds like bull to me." Jasper smiled with yellow eyes, "Tyrone, why in the hell would the mastermind give you a convenient role to escape early?" Jasper continued.

"I don't know. The mastermind seems to be chaotic in nature. But it's true." Tyrone looked sincere. Liar...

"We'll keep it in mind," I uttered. Why did I think like that?...

"For now, we should find Isabelle and Tristan," Angel suggested in a depressed tone.

"It would be nice to gather everybody." Leo crossed his arms.

"But where do we even look?" Elizabeth asked.

"W-We'll just have to explore." George sighed, his body shaking.

"Then let's split off into groups; pairs of three should work," Leo suggested. No one had the right mind to suggest otherwise, so we split into groups.

I got paired with Angel and Alex.

Annie, Matt, and Elizabeth became a group.

George, Tyrone, and Leo paired together.

And finally, Willow, Jasper, and Claire paired.

"Hehe, let's make sure no one dies when split apart." Jasper chuckled in contrast to the general atmosphere.

"That's not even funny.." Angel scoffed

"Let's come back together in, let's say, 45 minutes," Leo suggested.

"Got it," I nodded, and then the groups went in different directions. It seems this group has more calm and rational thinkers than emotional ones, given their reactions to the information we learned today and the sudden situation we are trapped in. Or perhaps we haven't had reality hit us in the head yet? Who knows... But this game... Why does it seem so familiar?