Content Warning: womp womp

Casey, of course, ends up in Julian's room.

"You know you're an idiot, right? You could get hurt." Julian says, looking at him. Casey cocks an eyebrow.

"So could you."

"Okay, come on." He groans. "You know exactly why I'm here."

"Yeah." Casey says, and his jaw sets. "Same reason."

There's a long moment of silence. Julian knows exactly what he's saying, but he doesn't want to acknowledge it, because that makes it real. Casey's face is expectant, like he wants Julian to say something about what he's obviously implying, but Julian turns away.

"Whatever. I could use someone who won't piss me off."

He knows that if he looked at Casey, he'd see the disappointment on his face, so he doesn't. But the mood clears up quickly enough. "You think I can't piss you off?"

"Oh, I know you can. I just know you won't."

"Okay, fuck you." Casey laughs.

"Hey." Someone says from the door. It's Salina. "Kana wants us to come and play some memory game."

"Memory game?" Casey says. "That doesn't sound... 'terrifying' or 'violating'."

Salina laughs, and rolls her eyes. "That's what Meghan said! But then Kana went on about the stakes and the consequences, so I guess you never know."

Casey shrugs. "My memory's pretty good. I'm not worried."

"Let's go put that to the test." Salina winks. The two of them leave, and Julian feels something almost like jealousy in his chest, but tells himself to fuck off.

Julian is handed a colourful square, like one side of a big rubix cube that's about as far from being completed as possible.

"The game is simple." Kana says. "Let the sequence play, and then enter it exactly as you saw it. If you mess up, there will be consequences. You get three chances. This game is not about teamwork, so any communication will be penalized."

Lulu and Meghan look at each other and giggle. Kana shoots them a glare, and Lulu slaps a hand over her mouth, but this only makes them giggle more.

"Begin." Kana says. Julian can hear the exasperation in his voice, and the corners of his mouth quirk. He definitely understands that feeling.

The game starts off slow. A couple squares flash coloured lights at his face, playing differently toned beeps, and he repeats it. The chorus of beeps from everyone playing the same game is like a cacophony of birds being electrocuted.

As he plays, the game speeds up. More colours, more beeps, for less time.

"Oh, whoops." He hears Meghan mutter. "So much for three chances. That's me gone. Can I-" She falls silent. Focused on remembering the pattern, he doesn't look up until he hears Lulu say "Meghan?", the fear in her voice unmistakable.

Meghan is frozen in place, her skin tinged slightly purple, like someone who's just suffocated. Her arm is bent, her hand gesturing behind her to represent her unfinished question. Julian can't even see her breathing, but as her eyes lock on his he realises she's awake.

The game in his hands makes the 'you failed' sound, and he glances down at it. Lulu grabs Meghan's face. "Meghan? What's wrong with her?" Lulu tries to shake Meghan, but it's like she's made of stone. Julian can see Lulu's panic rising, and an eerie, being-watched sensation stirs in his own chest.

"Consequences." Casey breathes. "This place is intense."

"How did they do that?" Salina asks. "They didn't inject us with anything this time. Surely they can't control us like this."

"Is she going to die?" Maia realizes. "If she can't breathe- sure, she's alive now, but humans can only go for like three minutes without oxygen to their brains, right?"

"No!" Lulu covers her mouth. "What do we do? We have to-" She looks around, but everyone seems just as lost. "We can't let her die!"

There's a moment of silence, and then- "We have to keep playing."

All eyes are on him. Julian clears his throat, feeling his cheeks tinge pink and glad that the mask covers it. "We have to, um, keep playing, right? If we all finish- or lose, or whatever- the game ends and she goes back to normal."

Maia nods slowly. Lulu shakes her head. "We can't just sit here and ignore it!"

"It's the best chance we've got, Lulu." Salina says, her voice soft. Julian looks back down at his game and starts the second round, and there are faint beeps as everyone follows suit. He can hear Lulu crying, and from the corner of his eye he sees her hands shaking, but she starts her game again as well. But she keeps stealing glances at Meghan, and it's no surprise when the end sound plays and she throws the game away.

"No," She says, "No, no, no-" She rises halfway out of her seat, as if it's the couch that did this to Meghan, but Julian can almost hear when her muscles contract. He tells himself to ignore it.

Salina is next. A clock is counting down the minutes in his head- they're getting dangerously close. And yet, he can't bring himself to lose, not just yet.

"Fuck it." Maia mutters, still playing. "I don't need to breathe anyway. Why am I even-" Deliberately, she presses the wrong button, and then starts her third round and presses it again. Pulling her legs up and resting her head on her knees, she freezes.

Red. Green. Blue. The game gets fast, but Julian is faster.

"How much longer?" Casey asks. His voice is quiet, focused. He knows that Julian has been counting it. Julian almost doesn't answer, but sighs and looks up, losing his second round.

"Already been three minutes. But the brain can take four. So we have about twenty seconds?"

Casey's eyes flick to Meghan for a moment. "Surely the workers won't let her die. We just need to call their bluff."

"Case-"

"Come on, Julian. They're stoic, not psychopaths. You think the government would let them keep going if they killed a girl?"

Julian just looks at him. "You think the government knows?"

Casey looks up. Julian sees the look on his face. They both know it- this place was designed to kill people like them.

Of course the government doesn't know.

Casey's game makes the noise, and his eyes widen for a split second before he, too, freezes. Julian's shoulders slump.

"Awesome. Leaving it to me. Thanks." He stares at Casey for a moment longer, watching his lips slowly turn purple, before turning his game back on and instantly jabbing a finger at the wrong button.

Briefly, he feels something like lead travelling through his veins, his muscles, but then it's gone and Casey gasps, clutching at his chest. The room is full of gasping, raspy breaths, everyone realising they can move again, looking around.

One person doesn't look around. She slumps, almost melting to the floor. 

Maia kneels on the ground beside Meghan. Julian takes a half step towards them.

"She's still not breathing." Maia says. "Someone else needs to do CPR. I'm worried I'd just- break her."

Julian almost volunteers, before remembering that the mask on his face would make it pretty difficult to do any mouth-to-mouth stuff. Casey takes his place, positioning his hands over Meghan's chest and pushing, over and over, and then pressing his mouth over hers.

Julian knows it won't work. But Lulu has recovered enough to start sobbing, and Salina is clutching at her shirt, and Casey is trying so hard-

One minute passes. Then five. Then ten.

Meghan won't breathe.

Eventually, Julian gets down to his knees and gently pulls Casey's hands away. Their eyes meet, and he sees the hopelessness there. Casey leans back, his jaw clenched. Lulu screams.

And Meghan still does not breathe.

{1278 words}

Lmao not me waiting two years before publishing the next part- I'm just keeping you on the edge of your seat 😉