2 and a half days...2 and a half years.

The day had proceeded as stressful as usual. Tension in the air was palpable at all moments. Sleep was difficult for everybody, and had been since they arrived. People were starting to lumber around like zombies, still ready to set off at a moment’s notice.

“Aaaaaah!” A girl’s scream pierced the air.

“...w-what was that?” Momo asked.

“It came from the conservatory!” Dale yelled. Nearly everybody ran into the room. They couldn’t believe the sight that was before them.

Audrey was bigger than any person in the room. Hell, bigger than any vehicle you’d normally see. The scream could be heard again, muffled inside of it.

“What the fuck?!” Casey yelled. “Someone’s in there!”

“I-I’ll handle it!” Sachiko said. She went up to Audrey and did something to calm her down. Audrey ended up opening its mouth and dumping the girl out--Lyla.

Lyla was covered in chloroplastic saliva and was severely shaken up, but seemed to be fine.

“H-How did this get so big in two days?” Silas asked.

“I’ve been taking good care of it.” Sachiko crossed her arms and pouted.

“Hmmm….I’ve also been feeding it lots of raw meat from the freezer.” Claudius rubbed his chin. “Perhaps that’s the cause.”

“It looks like she calmed down at least…” Kagayaki said, trying to be optimistic.

“It won’t attack anyone if I’m in the room.” Sachiko explained.

“This thing attacks people?” Silas’ eyes were wide with horror.

“Well, just for now. You really shouldn’t have come in here without me…” Sachiko told Lyla. “But it should be fine now.”

“Fine?!” Lyla said. “We need to kill that thing before it kills us!”

“It’s just a plant…” Akio tried to defend it.

“That’s no plant…” Silas shuddered. “T-That’s a carnivore--that’s a fucking monster!”

“It’s harmless.”

“It’s n-not harmless!” Lyla defended. “I could feel it...digesting me!”

“You don’t have to kill it because you don’t like it!”

“That’s big coming from you.” Dale snorted at Akio.

“W-What’s that supposed to mean?” Akio puffed his chest, unafraid of Dale.

“I saw John’s body, remember?! You think I didn’t see those burns?”

“Lay off him!” Casey got Dale’s attention. “We did that for everyone!”

“You did it for yourselves!” The words were a long time coming. “You guys didn’t execute him, you brutalized him! You guys and Penelope, you’re no different!” He turned to Akio specifically. “You think the naïve act is gonna fly after the horror you pulled?”

“D-Dale, we promised we wouldn’t judge the people who-” Molly was cut off.

“He’s right.” Claudius folded his arms. “The five of you committed an atrocity. You’re no different from John.”

“No different from John.” Lyla scoffed at the ridiculousness of the comment. “Think what you want.”

“Look at what you accomplished. Nothing.”

Lyla glared at him. “I don’t need to be talked down to by Mr. I’ve-Killed-Hundreds.”

“I never killed for pleasure.” Claudius glared. “I never did anything that wasn’t necessary.”

“I think this discussion needs to stop.” Kagayaki was stern.

“Oh, this is rich.” Shirly wouldn’t even look her in the eye.

Kagayaki’s brow twitched but she kept a polite face on. “Can I ask what you mean, Lady Cahill?”

“I’m not stupid you know. The knife, John’s interrogation of you. You’re not our friend.”

“The 17th player…” Sachiko mumbled.

“Uh, no.” Molly said. “The 17th player is obviously S! Have you seen how suspicious that he is?”

“Excuse me, Lady Cahill. Can I ask what exactly you’ve helped us with besides beverages?” Kagayaki kept the smile on her face, much more forced.

Silas had fallen onto the ground, a banana peel had been placed where he was pacing around. He quickly got to his feet and pushed Akio against the wall, pinning him with his forearm. “And I’m sick of these fucking banana peels! Why can’t you just throw out your trash?!”

“S-Stop it.” Momo pushed them apart. “But yeah, t-that’s really gotta stop.”

“Sorry, guys. What am I interrupting?” S had just walked in.

“Just a disagreement.” Casey frowned. “Nothing unusual for friends, right?”

Everybody looked at each other with uncertainty. The lack of sleep, the stress that had compounded over the last few days. A lot of heads in the room shared similar thoughts. Are they really my friend? How much do I actually value them, compared to the price of staying that here increases every hour…?

“That’s strange, though.” S wondered. “Everybody else is here…”

“What do you mean?” Silas asked.

“I saw Anissa go into the ballroom. I thought she was meeting with someone, but strangely enough the door was locked…”

Everybody looked at each other with fear in their eyes. “Let’s go.” Shirly decided.

They all gathered outside the ballroom door. Dale tried the knob, but it was locked.

“What are you waiting for, man?! Kick it in!” Casey’s nervousness was clear.

Dale stepped back and smashed his shoulder to the door. It pushed something jamming the other side just far enough where they could get inside. Everybody crowded in.

It only took a moment for all the emotions everybody had been feeling to leave them. There was a feeling of complete emptiness, like a void had taken over. Then...nothing but despair.

Anissa was hanging from the ceiling by a rope, pale and unmoving, with a chair overturned beneath her.