participating (3)

[Warning: potential gore]

The elevator's music plays a peaceful tune as it goes up to the second floor. Lights flickering and screeching noises of the elevator tuning in within the peaceful music.

Calming her mind and fixing her shirt she messed up during the run. She understood what had happened. Of course, it'll be weird if you became an employee, yet didn't get their very own behaviour.

—ding.

The doors opened the moment it arrived on the second floor. She stepped out of the elevator, observing her new surroundings. It is certainly darker compared to the first floor, store shelves arranged neatly to almost endlessly. It's clear that the second floor contains more players than the first. Its size is large like a really big warehouse.

She calmly walks around the mart, looking around for clues or anything like that. Keeping eyes on her surroundings and memorising her path.

.

.

—pat.

"..!"

Something patted her shoulder. Thinking it's an employee, she quickly took out her weapon and attempted to hit it.

—!

"Ouch.. what a greeting."

He dodged the attack and his hands held the knife's handle, keeping it in place.

"Haa… You fucker, you scared me."

"Haha, that's funny, never thought you'd be scared," said the man who creeped up on her.

Letting out a small sigh; she looks back again at him, despite the fox mask covering most of his face, she recognizes that it was her brother, well, of course, the man that creeped up on her would be no other than her brother.

"..Whatever, How'd you get here?"

"I dunno, I was here in the first place, then I heard the elevator ding."

"Got any plans?"

"I have an employee's ID card and finger."

"..and for what?"

"Look there," he pointed at the cashier, surrounded by 4-5 employees.

"...are you crazy?"

"..?"

"How are we supposed to go there? It's surrounded by employees."

"I just need a bait."

He smiled eerily, as if asking her to be the bait. But what? Why? The reason is simple, he's confident of his plan like how he usually is.

"..what do I get in exchange?"

"Well I suppose it'll be unfair if you're the only one doing the favour. I'll give you a piece of information I've found while exploring this floor."

"—you could say, my secondary escape plan."

He gave her a piece of folded paper, containing the blueprint of the second floor, but something is circled on the blueprint.

'potential escape, unfortunately painful.'

'no surprise, really.'

"Can't we escape using the same method?"

"I don't know honestly, the plan I have currently is only a theory, since it's quite harmless anyways I want to give it a shot."

"Wait, you're going to steal, aren't you?"

"What do I say.. money is money?"

"..."

—sigh.

'Does he know that the words he's saying right now might get him cancelled?'

"..Tell me more about the secondary plan."

"You'll need a limb to exchange."

She looks down to her butcher knife she's holding. The reason why it took form as a butcher knife is revealed.

He points at it;

"—and I think your weapon might ease that." 

Looking back at the map, it's located at the opposite side of their current location, a really far run. 

"Sooo, you'll help me get that money right?" her brother pulled down the blueprint she held.

"Fine."

"If you want, I can give you a share of mine instead."

"..no, thank you."

'Stealing money from the store just to buy something from the store sounds stupid.'

"Don't cry if I don't come back."

'...what?'

.

.

Approaching the checkout area, Eunha whistles, gathering the employees attention. She raised the card that was given by her brother, it then lit up, burning itself into nothingness.

—crackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrack

The sounds of twisting bones, breaking and bending to a terrifying degree. Seems like she got their attention.

—crackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrackcrackacrackcrackcra-

'shit.' 

The employees pushed against eachother, causing them to crash to themselves, but that didn't stop them from chasing her. Running as fast as she could, she took out another card that was given to her and threw it behind her.

—poof!

The employees became frozen solid. Its horrific physical form stays intact, inside of the glassy—glittery—pink solid substance. Some of them moved their eyes, making eye contact with her, but she ignored it.

She looks at the timer on top,

'5 minutes. That's enough.'

She walks past the employees, searching for her brother, but all that was left there was nothing, just a yellow sticky note stuck onto the computer screen.

—"change the computer's date when you're ready„

Reading the sticky note, she figured he found something out, a cheat? maybe? She took the sticky note and folded it, stuffing it into her pockets to remember.

Circling another circle to the blueprint, she marked the cashier's place. And soon, she left to search for the "exchange" place her brother told her.

Whilst being on the way, she thought on how to obtain a limb. She obviously doesn't want to cut off her limbs, so she's planning on butchering an employee.

[Time left: 2 days, 5 hours, 39 minutes]

Several hours had passed as she tried to save her energy, but she couldn't fall asleep despite her fatigue. She could only sleep for a few minutes, then woke up to an unpleasant guest. 

Of course, it shouldn't be taking that long, but with her lack of experience using a map, she got lost and chased by a few times. And right now, she's hiding in a corner, covered by a bunch of empty boxes.

With her mind spiraling with frustration. She tries her best to keep herself sane, her sanity level has dropped massively, from 80% to 30%, and of course her hunger didn't help at all.

Focusing on her hunger, she tries her best to find her way to a proper place to eat; a cafeteria, because she's unable to eat wherever she wants, just like the rules stated.

Going for another trip, she'd found herself at an ongoing event. With eyes, tongues, and even heads displayed inside of the glass. It's the place her brother had told her about.

—"special offer! Black market is open, trade your limbs for special coupons×ׄ

"Ahaha.. all that time just looking for this.."