Chapter 2

Sunny's POV

Dead silence falls over the hall again. The couple beside me sucks in a sharp breath.

The live chat goes wild.

[is she insane?? did she really just flirt with that psycho, Sebastian??]

[did she not see the pile of meat still steaming at his feet??]

[she's about to get turned into paste too, I can't watch]

Sebastian looks frozen too.

He tips his head down slightly. His eyes, hidden in the dark and usually glowing with a bloodthirsty red, are full of something close to shock.

He doesn't say a word. Just stares at me, cold.

He's ignoring me, so I figure he's playing the aloof type, and that just makes me bolder.

I grab his collar and pull him closer, trying to make out his face.

Good skin. Not a single visible pore. Just cold, like ice.

"Don't be shy," I grin. "I'm Sunny. Guess it's fate, huh? Your ketchup effects are pretty terrifying, not gonna lie, but I've got nerves of steel. So how about we trade numbers? Once we wrap, I'll take you out for lobster rolls."

Sebastian's whole body goes rigid.

"You..." His voice comes out low, with a slight stammer. "You have no idea what you're playing with."

"Aw, don't talk like that, it's bad luck," I say, patting his chest. "So it's settled. Give me your number."

Even the system seems to glitch for a second.

[Warning... warning... player Sunny... behavior anomaly detected...]

The live chat is losing it.

[holy shit the system just crashed??]

[why did Sebastian's hand drop? why isn't he killing her?]

[this Sunny chick is built different...]

I watch Sebastian turn his head away and ignore me, and I feel pretty satisfied with myself. I've got him. Guys like this, the cold and untouchable type, they always fold the second someone goes straight for it. This scene is mine.

The air in the hall is thick with something deeply wrong.

Buck's remains are still scattered on the floor. The other two huddle in the corner, shaking.

Sebastian shoots me one last cold look, his black coat sweeping behind him as he dissolves into a cloud of black smoke and vanishes into the depths of the hall.

"Wait, where'd he go? I didn't even get his number!" I wave, a little disappointed.

"Are you out of your mind?" The guy finally snaps, storming over and dropping his voice into a furious hiss. "You wanna die, fine, but don't drag us down with you! That's the boss of this trial! A killer! And you went and touched his chest?"

I squint at the angry blob in front of me, honestly a little tired of this.

"Buddy, you're really committing to the bit, huh? It's an immersive show. We're all getting paid for this. Why're you so worked up?"

The woman edges closer too, her shape small and timid, her voice cracking. "Sunny, this isn't a joke. This is really a horror game. That man... he's actually dead."

"Okay, okay, I get it, you guys are great actors," I say, waving them off, not in the mood to argue. I'm here to get screen time, so they can play it however they want. I just need to keep being the carefree comic relief.

The system cuts back in, breaking up our conversation.

[Night one is approaching.]

[All players must find and settle into a room within ten minutes.]

[Night rules: 1. Do not leave your room after midnight. 2. No matter what you hear, do not open the door. 3. Stay quiet.]

[Sleep well.]

"You hear that? We need to find rooms, now," the guy says, slipping straight into seasoned-player mode. "Name's Travis. I've run trials like this before. This place is huge, and the rooms won't all be equal. Safety levels are going to be all over the place."

The woman immediately latches onto his arm. "Travis, I'm Brooke. This is my first time in a high-level trial like this. You have to help me. I'll do whatever you say."

Travis pats her hand, looking pleased with himself. "Don't worry, stick with me. I already scoped it out. The two rooms at the end of the second-floor hallway have crosses painted on the doors. Those should be the safe ones."

"Let's go, then!" Brooke says, practically vibrating.

"Hold on," Travis says, turning to give me a cold look. "As for you, Sunny, right? You're a walking time bomb, breaking every rule, pissing off the boss every chance you get. We can't have you near us. Go find one of those run-down servant rooms on the first floor."

I burst out laughing.

"Sure thing!" I agree without missing a beat.

The chat lights up with insults.

[is this girl an idiot? the veteran's obviously setting her up, the servant quarters are basically a hot zone for that stuff]

[Travis is shady as hell, dumping the new girl in the most dangerous spot on purpose]

[and she's just laughing about it, she has no idea what's coming]

Of course I'm laughing.

In a show like this, the lead's always the one who gets handed the worst script, right?

Besides, the servant rooms are closest to the front door. If anything goes sideways, I can bolt the fastest.

And the real reason? I saw Sebastian head deeper into the first floor earlier.

"You two get some rest, okay? Bye." I wave and turn, making my way deeper into the first floor.