Amongst all the chaos, one person stretched
their hand out.

Nara took a look at it before tilting her head up to see the owner's face.

"Let's form an alliance."

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Episode 2

Cross My Heart

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"Kill or be killed, What's it going to be?"

The question rang through everybody's mind as they stared at one another, pain held in their eyes. Neither one of them wanted to kill the other, yet all of them had the necessity to win.

Suddenly, the area around them started glitching, causing everyone to whip their heads around in confusion. In a split second, the ginormous platform below their feet fell to the ground, causing them to stumble momentarily. The world around them glitched as it slowly started to bring back civilian life. Popping up between the players, people started appearing, each becoming less opaque as they continued walking by; all the while questioning why the particular group was just standing still.

Once the platforms dissolved beneath their feet, they all took a look at the god floating high above them. With a crooked grin, he exhaled black smoke into the air as he vaporized along with it until he was completely gone...

Leaving everyone to face each other.

Nara shivered as the wind combed through her hair. She wondered if anybody would make a move or if this was all just a figment of her imagination.

She got her answer when one contestant stepped forward, everyone watched her with caution, but she gave them no time to react. Yeji threw her arm up to the sky, the electric hum followed by the loud crack, caused everyone to widen their eyes. Before they could move, she spun around and directed the charge at the one across her---Ryujin.

The flash of white caused everyone to throw themselves as far back as they could, the civilians screaming as the evacuated the area upon hearing Ryujin's screams.

Yeji twirled her fingers into her hand before directing another hit at the poor girl.

Nara shut her eyes and found cover in an alley, gasping for air as her anxiety worsened while hearing Ryujin's deafening screams. It all made her sick to her stomach.

"Stop!" Ryujin's voice was hoarse as she begged for mercy. "Stop! You're killing me! You're killing me!"

Ryujin's whole body was on fire, the heat unbearable. The pain was so intense she just wanted to die. The voltage was increasing and by this point, she no longer had a mind.

The smell of burning flesh was reaching Nara and she couldn't take it anymore. Picking herself up, she headed as far away from this as possible, bumping into the shoulders of everyone else struggling to do the same. While she ran, her mind thought out the name "Ryujin" followed by a strikethrough.

She is dead.

Meaning this game... has officially begun.

Nara shook her head as she thought about how intense this fear was. She feared a gruesome death, she feared to face her friends, and she feared to leave her mother all alone. It was too scary, almost too much to handle.

Exhausted, She stumbled a few times, but the fear enabled her to pick herself up and try to keep going. Almost getting hit by a car, she flung herself back, causing her shoulder to slam at what seemed nothing at all. Falling back, she stared in front of her in confusion. She could see the road ahead and everyone else around was able to run forward and past, but she just couldn't.

She lifted her hand up and touched in front of her. Just as she feared, the spot her hand landed on became pixelated just a bit.

She let out a shaky gasp, realizing that there were boundaries set.

The panic brewed once again, causing her to get up and hit the invisible wall over and over as she begged for it to go away.

"No!" She cried out. There was no choice, was there? She had to participate in this bloodbath?

She took a step back and felt the tears prick her eyes, but upon hearing shuffling nearby, she turned into fight mode.

Whipping around fast, she put her hands in front of her.

The shuffling was coming nearby, but she couldn't make out from where. Taking tiny steps, she walked into the alley only to come face to face with someone on the floor frustratedly messing his hair up.

Taehyung's hands shook as he tried to get a grip on reality.

"I don't want to kill, I don't want to kill! I don't, I-"

Hearing a pebble being kicked his way, he jumps onto his feet and swings around every which way in search of the person, eyes manic.

Nara stands still as she locks eyes with the person in front of her. It doesn't take her much to realize that he's one of the ones participating. Why else would he be staring at her like that?

His eyes fall to her wrist where her holographic tattoo glimmered against the light. He huffed lightly before stumbling back. "Are you going to kill me?"

Nara's eyes scanned him all over. His sweater was completely covered in blood, his hair was a complete mess, and the black mask over his mouth only allowed her to make out his eyes. Oh, but how they captivated her.

His eyes widened once causing her to realize she had spaced out on his question.

"N-no-" she started and took a step back, but as she did, the ground below her cracked.

She stilled. As she did, it allowed her to hear incoming footsteps drawing near.

As they drew closer, she ran over and pushed Taehyung behind a dumpster to crouch down against the wall as she hovered over him.

Taehyung stared up at Nara in surprise. He was shocked at the fact that she had really just thrown her body on top of him...to protect him?

Nara turned her head back down to stare at Taehyung as she held herself up from possibly crushing him.

"Watch out!" Someone shouted as they ran in their direction. "Don't hide there!"

Jungkook had turned the corner and was running to them with urgency, the ground slipping from underneath him, causing him to get thrown to the side.

Nara didn't have time to question how he even guessed they were hiding there because upon seeing the way the earth was rolling forward, she could only think to escape. With a gasp, Nara grabbed Taehyung's hand and ran forward. However, Taehyung was in such a state of shock that he ended up getting let behind. Nara turned the minute his hand escaped hers and in that second, she was lifted with the growing hill while Taehyung fell back. She wasn't going to give up though. Launching herself forward, she got a firm grasp around his wrist and held on tight while the mountain they were on grew.

When the earth stopped moving, they were left at 70 feet in the air. Nara on the top of the hill while Taehyung dangled from the edge.

She felt her arm ache as she held onto Taehyung, but she wasn't going to let go.

Dangling, Taehyung just stared up at Nara. He was in awe at the fact she really just saved him. After all, he was just one more person standing in her way.

Feeling her arm about to break off, Nara screamed out in agony.

Taehyung finally realized the situation and grabbed onto the hill as he tried to swing his leg over.

Once seated at the top, he stared at Nara.

"Thank you," he said finally.

Nara shook her head. "It's fine. I'm sure you didn't want to be in this messed up game as much as I did."

Taehyung looked to the side as he thought.

"Are you guys okay?!" Jungkook groaned before he shouted from the bottom, he held onto his arm as he scrunched his face up to get a look at them.

Nara peered down at Jungkook, but Taehyung grabbed her arm quickly and looked at her as if to say "careful'.

"I know you guys are up there. Just trying to help, honestly." Jungkook tried to reassure them.

Nara gave Taehyung a little nod, telling him that she suspected Jungkook to be harmless. Taehyung slowly let go of her arm, allowing Nara to tuck her hair behind her ear and talk down to Jungkook.

"Yeah, we got stuck. It wasn't you who did this, was it?"

Jungkook shook his head before looking around for a way to help them out. "No, I was just running away from battle aftermath. Some girl did this... but she's gone now."

"Are you sure?" Nara questioned.

Jungkook bit his lip, worried that if he said too much they could easily guess his ability. "Positive."

He walked over to the side of the apartment building and yanked the ladder off the wall after a couple of tries.

"Here, but be careful. I don't know how safe this is."

Nara turned around and started to put her foot down to reach the top of the ladder when Taehyung stopped her.

"We either go down and face him or stay up here and get killed." She told him before taking another step down. Taehyung firmly held the ladder for her as she climbed down all the way.

Once on the ground, They both took a side of the ladder to hold onto.

"C'mon. We'll both hold it. Don't be afraid." Nara urged Taehyung to come down.

Taehyung gave in and slowly came down, shaking just a little.

Nara turned towards Jungkook, she wasn't sure he was all good, but he didn't give off any bad vibes. He shyly looked down at the ground, taking a step back to give her a little room before picking his gaze up again.

He came face to face with Taehyung, alarmed at the blood on his sweater.

"How...?" Jungkook kept scanning Taehyung.

Taehyung put the hood over his head. "I was in a situation before I got pulled into the game."

Nara was just as curious as Jungkook about this, but the way Taehyung's voice quavered as he answered told her that it was probably a bad event right before Taehyung got pulled into the game. The god did say everyone had been wronged by society in some way.

Jungkook didn't press on the matter further, he turned back to Nara, clearing his throat. "It's safe right now, but sadly it doesn't mean we always will be."

Jungkook thought about how nobody was around them for now, but they were bounded in. like birds in a birdcage. They would eventually have to face one another. To make things worse, they were on a time constraint.

"This is crazy." Was all he could say. Nara could do nothing more than agree. She walked over and slumped against the wall.

Taehyung stood awkwardly amongst them.

"To get these...abilities? Like they exist? And then....and to face each other with them? to death?"

Nara closed her eyes.

"It's serious... someone was able to attack someone before the game even started. Who was it?" Jungkook gulped as he wracked his brain for an answer.

Nara looked down at the ground. Now that things were a bit calmer, she could recall the name that was crossed out on the game board. "Number 20. Heo Solji...she was my classmate."

The thought about it being someone she thought of as so similar, chilled her.

Thinking back to the moment Solji was standing there, she tried to recall the moment she went missing, but she could have sworn she was just standing there the whole time. If only she had been paying better attention.

"Nobody really even moved." She said quietly as she played with her hands.

"What's going on?" Jungkook rested his forearm against the wall as he leaned against it. "Can someone kill with their mind?"

"We would all be dead in the spot," Taehyng brought up.

Nara looked over at him as he hugged himself, falling back to lean on the wall across them.

"How are we going to make it out of this..." Nara started to realize just how cold the world was. How no matter what, she was always fighting. How she was always alone, just begging for someone to be there for her instead of having to fend for herself.

Lucky for her---this time--- amongst all the chaos, one person stretched their hand out.

Nara took a look at it before tilting her head up to see the owner's face.

"Let's form an alliance," Jungkook told her.

Her mouth fell open in shock. An alliance?

Jungkook pressed his lips into a line as he shyly waited for her to accept.

Taehyung watched them before looking over at the streets and the sky, catching something up there.

"I-I know that only one of us have to live, but I'm not trying to win. If we form an alliance then we have a better chance at living and in the end...I'd rather die by the hands of someone I trust in a way I know won't be painful."

Nara's heart grew warm at his words. She lifted her hand to fit into Jungkook's.

"You're right."

Jungkook smiled. "Jeon Jungkook."

"Yeun Nara." She responded.

They both turned towards Taehyung, who was busy squinting up at the sky.

They raised an eyebrow at each other, wondering if he would introduce himself to them.

Feeling their gaze on his back, Taehyung spoke, "Kim Taehyung. Is that-"

Jungkook tilted his head at Taehyung's response before realizing that he was questioning an object in the sky.

Quickly raising an eyebrow, Jungkook quickly pulls up the map on his head where he sees two blinking dots coming closer.

"P-players!" He shouts.

Taehyung turns around with wide eyes, "Run!"

Nara picks herself up as fast as she can before joining the boys in running further down the alley, trying to keep up at all the turns. Someone was flying towards them?

Jungkook throws his head back. "It's no use! If we can't go inside something, they'll find us!"

Nara feels panic as she thinks about what could possibly happen if someone were to catch up to them.

Taehyung grabs onto her wrist as he pulls her along with him.

"Shoot. There's someone up ahead." Jungkook stops in his track, causing the others to stop too.

"We're fricking cornered." He muttered.

A flash of light blinds them causing them to bring their hands up over their eyes.

Upon hearing descending footsteps, they all freeze.

"Huh." Seulgi studies the group in front of her. She was surprised to have a chance at knocking down 3 in one shot.

They slowly turned around to face her as she looked over all of them. Nara gulped under her intimidating stare.

Joy suddenly pushes from behind Seulgi, shaken a bit at what she sees in front of her.

"You!" Joy takes another step forward as she raises her finger to point amongst them.

They all raised their heads up a bit, not knowing what she was going to do next.

"You're the one...who's played three times."

Nara froze in her spot upon hearing those words.

Following where the finger was pointing to, she thought about just who was she talking to?

Was it Taehyung?

Or was it... Jungkook?

TO BE CONTINUED

----------------------