16: Tomorrow

     Several days had passed since Zico and Suzy avoided each other in the same space. 

But that was the least of their worries; the game was tomorrow. 

     Suzy leaned against her bed board, staring at the window opposite her. She felt her heart beating fast as she stared at the clouds slowly shifting across the sky. She thought she had gotten used to this feeling of fear, but the same terror she felt on the day she got nominated ruptured her again.

The image of Seyoung's death filled her head as she realized she could die the same way.

"Come on," Irene knocked on the door. "We have to go to training."

Suzy curled up into a ball, ignoring Irene. Her body was too tense to move, and she felt as another movement would destroy her completely.

Irene sighed and took a seat next to Suzy, tucking the hair behind her ear.

"What's wrong Suzy?"

"I'm scared," she croaked.

"You've been so strong the past two weeks," Irene grinned. "Don't let yourself down now."

"You said leaders would get us out of here," she said, slightly irked. "When?"

"I can't tell you that," Irene said. "That's classified information."

"Why are you guys always hiding everything from us? Do you have a big plan for only the leaders to escape? Is that why-"

"SHUT UP Suzy," Irene blurted.

"Irene-"

"Get yourself together, NOW." She slapped Suzy. 

Suzy grabbed her cheek, staring at Irene with a hurt face. Irene grabbed Suzy's shoulders and looked into her eyes. 

"Did that hurt?" She asked.

Suzy only nodded silently, staring into Irene's serious eyes.

"This is nothing compared to what you're going to face tomorrow. If you don't get yourself tomorrow, you're going to risk both your and Zico's life do you understand?"

"You think I'm acting like this because I don't know? I'm sc-"

"Remember the bad guys on those television shows you used to watch every Saturday mornings?"

Suzy nodded silently.

"Well these guys are not like those guys," Irene said firmly. "They won't exercise restraint because you're young."

"Then what..?"

"They will kill you if they get the chance." Irene said. "Do not give them that chance."

     Irene stood up and stuck her hand out to help Suzy up. Suzy took her hand and stood up, wiping the tears that had formed across her tearline and forced a small smile on her face. She was terrified, but seeing Zico stand in the living room made her heart feel a little lighter.

She wasn't alone in this.

---

     Suzy walked up to the rooftop, staring at the night sky.

     Today's training was the last she could ever get, and today could be the last day of her life. A million thoughts rushed through her head as she looked at the stars that twinkled in the dark sky.

"What are you doing here?" Myungsoo walked up and took a seat next to her. "Aren't you tired?"

"No," Suzy forced a smile and stared at the fire barrel infront of them.

"I know it's not going to help," he said gingerly as he stared at the fire. "But don't be scared."

"Gee," Suzy chuckled half heartedly. "Thanks."

"I heard from Irene earlier." he looked at her.

"What?"

"You were scared. Very."

"I was just.. stressed."

"I know," Myungsoo nodded. "We all are."

"Have you guys.. had any chance at finding a way to get us all out of here?"

"I can't tell you that Suzy."

"Why?" 

"You want to know the story?"

Suzy nodded.

"A few years ago, there was a boy called Seungjae. Just turned 15, he was adventurous, courageous, curious. He would have been your age if he was still alive."

"What happened to him?"

"He was..different from all the other kids. He constantly said Rubicon was the dream world he imagined. It was like a world from Howl's moving castle; a society where everyone followed the flow of nature and nurture. That was until.. he got chosen."

Suzy looked at him with attention.

"Back then, it was my first year accepted to work at the Head Department ministry. We had never gotten a case where someone under 16 had gotten chosen for a game before; in fact, he was the first minor to ever be chosen."

"So?"

"Back then, we had a policy to keep all information about the existance of the game hidden from our districts unless they were chosen. Those who are chosen were given the opportunity to witness the game. Seungjae was just one of the clueless kids who agreed to seeing the video."

"What happened?"

"I remember it so vividly the way the smile swept off his face as watched our own people kill each other in the most brutal way possible. I filed so many complaints to the ministry to protect minors from the games but they wouldn't listen to a first year like me, nor did they have the power to negotiate with the North."

Myungsoo's face hardened.

"Ever since that day, he stopped smiling. He stopped asking questions, he just stopped.. being Seungjae. Then one day.."

"One day?"

"He disappeared." 

"To where?"

"He tried to run away. He realized the cruelties of this place and his fate. He realized he didn't have the powers he thought he had to win against this world. I was in my office when I received the news that his body was found in the North. They had contacted us to ask what to do with his body."

"What?" Suzy said, horrified.

"I wanted to bring him back and give him a proper burial, but that power was out of my hands. I only found out later that the leaders told them to do whatever they want with Seungjae's body. They were using it as a circus prop; last time I saw his head was being used as one of their juggle balls."

Suzy was lost for words as she tried so hard not to imagine the gory scene.

"But I don't understand," Suzy asked. "Information about escape is heavily classified. How did he know where to escape..?"

"At that time it wasn't. Back then, the ministry made almost all information public, and it just happened Seungjae had his hands on the large model of Rubicon and the escape routes marked on there. We hadn't found the actual escape routes yet but we had found the entrance to the North. And I have to assume.. Seungjae though that was the way out.."

"My god.." Suzy said horrified.

"That's why everything's classified Suzy," Myungsoo looked into her eyes. "We don't want to lose anyone else." 

Suzy nodded quietly, her hands shaking lightly from fear. 

"Here," Myungsoo searched around his pocket and slipped out a lighter. 

"A lighter..?"

"Just like you, I was chosen as soon as I got here. And this.." Myungsoo stared at the lighter sadly. "Cost a life for my life."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I'm passing this on to you, you might as well as know the story. When I was new in Rubicon, there was a hyung that helped me get used to this place. He was the president of the Head department ministry. The bravest man I've ever known."

Suzy listened silently. 

"In the game, hyung and I were the last ones left. We had killed off the others and we fell into a deep ditch and when we woke up, we found ourselves tied on a large brick wall. Not far ahead, there was a train that was slowly chugging toward us with a clown holding a large circle saw that was in full power. There was a rope attached to our right feet that was tied to a railroad switch on the train track and if one side cut the rope, the wheelbarrow would automatically swerve toward hyung."

Myungsoo sighed.

"The clown was getting closer and I was panicking when hyung gave me this lighter. Told me to burn my rope and escape."

"So you did," Suzy said quietly.

"Here," hyung slipped the lighter out of his pocket and put it into Myungsoo's hands. "There's not much time left."

Myungsoo looked up at Jinwoo (hyung) with teary eyes, confused.

"I was awake earlier when I saw them soak this roap with kerosene. If you burn this rope, the railroad switch will turn toward me and will release you."

"What about you hyung?" Myungsoo screamed, terrified.

"Don't worry about me," he said. 

Myungsoo looked to the front and screamed as he saw that the train was coming closer. 

"I'm not going without you," Myungsoo refused and pushed the lighter back to Jinwoo. "If..if we don't light any rope at all, the train might just stop."

"LISTEN TO ME," Jinwoo slapped Myungsoo on the face. "If we do not cut the rope, it's going to swerve toward one of us in the end. It's better to save you."

"No, no," Myungsoo refused. "You need to go back so you can help everyone in Rubicon I can't-"

"A job of a leader is to make sure that his teammates are not left behind." Jinwoo nodded.

     "No, no don't do this NO-" Myungsoo screamed as Jinwoo smiled and lit Myungsoo's rope on fire, letting him drop to the floor. Myungsoo screeched in terror as he watched the railroad switch click right infront of his eyes.

The train headed straight for Jinwoo and destroyed him right infront of Myungsoo.

"I'm a person who likes to win," Myungsoo said quietly. "But when the whistle blew to announce that I won, I felt as I lost."

"I'm sorry.."

"I promised him something though," Myungsoo grinned. "That I would become the next President of the Head ministry and fight for the same cause he did."

"And you've done it."

Myungsoo smiled and grabbed Suzy's hand, placing the lighter in her hand. 

"Use it well." Myungsoo said and walked out of the rooftop.

Suzy stared at the lighter and carefully slipped it inside her pocket and made her way downstairs.

---

     Suzy opened her eyes to the sound of the loud horn blaring around the town. 

     She got dressed and checked for equipment in her bag, including the box that Jieun had given her some time back. She slipped out her lighter and placed it in the box, pushing it down  in her bag and slinging it on her right shoulder.

Her heart was pounding not of fear, but of determination. 

All the sweat and tears she put into training for this game could not go to a waste, and she was only focused on one thing.

Two is the limit.

     Suzy followed Irene and Myungsoo as they opened up the door to the North. 

She glanced at Zico who was silent as he followed the leaders, walking ahead of her. 

     Suzy felt her hands tremble a little as they walked into the main square of the world up North. Citizens with disgusting fish heads as faces and other animals roamed the streets as they all eyed the candidates who were coming up to the North from their districts.

From the side, she saw Joohyuk walk toward the stadium with Kyungri next to him. 

They met eyes but didn't greet each other. 

     Suzy arrived at the door of the stadium and stopped as Irene and Myungsoo looked back at them.

"Good luck," Myungsoo said solemnly.

"You guys aren't coming in with us?" Suzy asked, half scared.

"It's restricted to candidates only." 

     "See you soon," Zico said lightly and walked into the stadium calmly. Suzy waved goodbye and trailed behind Zico, trying to keep her eyes on him as she flinched at the sight of all the disgusting half animal humans staring right at her from the side, including the fish man she had seen when she had first arrived at Rubicon.

They turned a corner and entered a room that was dimly lit with lazer lights.

Suzy sighed in relief as the room was filled with the people from other districts, and no animal humans.

The room was a training room where people were practicing their throws and stabs in the side.

At the center of the room was a large circle lined in red. Around the circle were smaller circular standing platforms that were under a glass case, labelled with their district numbers, lit up in blue.

She looked around and saw Joohyuk standing near the opposite side of the room, practicing his knife throws.

booooooooooooom

Suzy flinched as a large horn blared through the room. 

     The red circle flashed on and off as the circular standing platforms protruded slightly from the floor and slid the glass cases open. Everyone walked towar the platform and placed their feet on the feet guide that was in the circle and looked up.

Suzy followed Zico and stood on the circle labelled 6, watching as the foot guide locked her feet into the platform tightly. 

"What's happening?" Suzy hissed.

"On my count, grab my hand."

"What?"

     Suzy gasped as the red circle protruded up from the floor. The ceiling divided in half and opened to reveal the bright light of the stadium. Suzy looked around and saw that the large circle that lifted them up placed them at each end of the stadium. There was an arched pavilion in the middle of the stadium loaded with weapons and food. 

She could hear the loud screams of the audience as the large circle lifted up and revealed them on the stadium.

Suzy stared at Zico with a panicked face.

Suddenly, the large screen switched on to a countdown screen, as the crowd began to count down in zeal.

10!

9!

8!

"Seven," Zico whispered to Suzy."Six, five, four,"

3!

2!

1!

0!

      A large horn went off as Zico grabbed Suzy's hand and ran toward the pavilion.

Suzy looked to the side and saw the others were also running for their lives.

Zico released Suzy's hands as they were the first one to reach the pavilion.

"You grab the food," Zico panted as he threw Suzy a bag. "I need to take weapons."

Suzy gulped and nodded, hurridly stuffing all the food into the bag as the other districts began to arrive and began loading their bags with weapons and food also.

Suzy gasped as another hand reached for the water bottle that she grabbed.

It was Jung Hyerim from district 1, the quiet girl who never talked during training.

     Suzy tried to snatch the water bottle off Hyerim who snatched it back. Suzy plunged to the floor as Hyerim took out a knife and walked toward Suzy, about to slam the knife down at her face.

Suzy screamed as a boomerang knife pierced right through her head, out the other end.

Hyerim dropped her knife on the floor and fell right next to Suzy, her head bleeding uncontrollably.

"Our first contestant is down!" The anchor announced as the crowd cheered widely.

"Here," Zico picked up Hyerim's knife and placed it in Suzy's hands.

"S..she just-"

"Next time, kill her." Zico pulled the boomerang knife out of Hyerim's head and slipped it inside his inner protection vest, running toward a bush plant.

"Where are we going?" Suzy yelled as Zico grabbed Suzy's wrist and ran into the bush.

     Suzy coughed and stood up, looking at the place around her.

The bush behind them was gone, replaced with a Parisian post-war city.

The game had begun.

Happy late New Year!

(I am getting alot of inspiration from Hunger games and Maze Runner so some aspects might sound a little similar.. sorry about that) 
Thanks for all your supportive comments

We finally reached the Game season in the story :)