Final Event "The Choice"

[Administrator]

Proceeding forward, our misfortunate league of adventurers has finally reached the end of the tunnel. A massive wooden door blocked their path. Thankfully the doorknob was at full unlock,.. as if somebody was waiting for their visit! Behind the door was a pitch dark black hall with one source of dim light coming from the middle of it.

It was impossible to distinguish what the light source was from the distance, so our group of friends continued their way into the hall. With each step taken they somehow felt that this was it. This was the end of this journey or should I say this torturous story! And there IT was! Their precious prize they all have been waiting for... Dead.

Naya's pale lifeless body, with the lower part of her ribcage exposed, lay peacefully on the floor in the middle of... nothing. To be frank, as you've approached the middle of the hall, you didn't even notice WHEN did the change took place and the doorframe that you all have stepped into has vanished into the abyss as it has never existed. On the bright side (badum-tss) you could clearly see now where this source of light was coming from. Bowed above Naya's corpse there sat Amanda. Her body was transparent, glowing neon green and blue colors. This 'Jedi-ghost-like' projection of what once was a school girl/a monster/a traitor was shifting colors, glitching and overall her "image" was less stable than ever.

Inside Amanda's chest, you could see a glowing ball of unknown red energy. You also could see cold drops of sweat formed on her forehead. She was breathing rapidly, her eyes closed in concentration.

"You," she caught out the first word and a small smile curled onto her lips. "You came," she whispered, as she turned her once again pupil-less white eyes to the group. In disbelief, she looked upon the survived students.

"I thought you didn't make it. It felt like months have passed, I didn't hear... or feel you. All I could do was to contain it from escaping, I-" another cough followed by a massive distortion in her image didn't let her finish the sentence. Meanwhile, the members of The Dysfunctional Five saw a few more students coming from various directions.

With her shaky legs, Amanda managed to stand up and looked around, watching some more students coming in as well. An egotistical thought of seeing Tara for one last time slipped through the fog of her mind, when she, as the rest of the group, heard a sharp wail of a siren followed by:

"AN UNKNOWN ERROR OCCURRED!" a female robotic voice said, "PLEASE RESET THE GAME AND PROCEED FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS"

"NO!" the redhead shouted back and with all strength, she had left, she waved her hand, ripping the darkness apart. A blast of white light faded away to reveal a literally rip in space, about three feet wide and six feet tall. Inside the passage, you could see a familiar view, a schoolyard in its morning hours. Your Maverick High schoolyard!

"Please! GO!" Amanda pleaded, as she stood with her arms wide open, holding the rip, her eyes glowing bright white. "You can get back to your life again, you will be free from their will! You should go, now!"

Next moment a robotic message got repeated once again:

"PLEASE RESET THE GAME AND PROCEED FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS."

"If you stay, SHE will reset the game and... I don't know what she will do next!" Amanda cried out, panicking. With her purpose (as known as "Something") being again a part of her entity she had much more power against their creator,.. but this all can become a waste of time in just a matter of a couple more minutes!

"PLEASE RESET THE GAME AND PROCEED FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS."

A bright blue button with big capital letters forming the word "RESET" appeared in the air in front of the students. (Due to the concentration on holding the passage, Amanda can't see this happening). And then just a few seconds later right by the blue button - appeared another one, a bright red one with big capital letters stating: "DELETE Amanda.chr".

"PLEASE RESET THE GAME AND PROCEED FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS."

___________________________________________________________

You have options to:

- [LEAVE]: your character will go through the rip in "time and space". They will save their memories and will be freed from their creator's (yours) will - after that, you will be able to post one last post in the new (last) epilogue thread;
- [RESET]: you can press the blue button and/or wait till the game resets itself;

Bonus action for team "Orange" (Misha included for hosting this game for such a long time!):
- [DELETE]: you can delete Amanda before leaving (dw, you will have time to go through the passage if you pick both "delete" and "leave") or you can pick "delete" and "reset". You can also NOT delete Amanda. It's up to you, team Orange!

I suggest you to not press any buttons for a bit and just let us all get together and react/have one last chat as NG characters! <3 Love you and thank you ALL for being a part of NG! It was an amazing adventure indeed!!

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

Misha backed away until her shoulder hit a wall. Letting her body lay on the surface for some well deserved rest, the bleeding knife still in hand, she watched as Roxanne wrestled their opponent to the ground. The monster fought back, an evil smirk on her damaged lips until her last breath, but she was finally subdued and fell to the floor, inert. Dead. Without a word, Misha breathed.
Two.
That made two students she had watched die in this labyrinth. Two students she had attacked, and who had been killed partially by her hands.
She turned her head to the side. Without a word, she slid the filthy weapon back into her backpack, leaving it slightly open so she could keep it within her reach for a quick grab. Defense, and survival. That was all she allowed herself to think about right now. Everything else… everything else would get in the way. She couldn’t start doubting now, if she wanted to make it to the end of this path, and find the rest of their friends.
“Are you alright?” her voice was low, empty. Still, she approached the girl who had helped her fight. There was a big, disgusting mark on her leg that she assumed would hurt for a while. It certainly wouldn’t fade, she would keep it as a reminder of a success for the rest of her life. She shook her head. They needed to get out of here, fast.
“Let’s go.” She commanded. She felt like the rest of the group was on autopilot, silently following behind her at this point. It was somewhat creepy, and the memory of the flashes she’d seen when Peyton had touched her in the auditorium made her fear the implications; but if she was to lead for now, so be it. Her first priority was to find her way out, and she wanted everyone to get out as well.

Plus, she would need them to fight.

Hand close to the handle of her knife, she marched forward, hearing the steps of the others behind her. She had no idea where this path led and a voice in her head told her it was a mistake, but she had a feeling that it didn’t matter much at this point. All that mattered was moving on, despite how dark their environment was becoming. At this rate she would soon not even be able to see what was in front of her…
Or around her.
She blinked once, then twice. When had everything turned this… pitch black? And why did it feel like despite it… her eyes did not need to adjust themselves to the lack of light at all? It was like the world had just turned tenebrous, as if it was but a reality of life. Feeling a rush of panic, she turned around. She had no issue seeing any of her teammates, which was a relief, but… despite how much she tried, she could not get a sight of the corridor that had been right behind them. Even Nerissa’s body was missing. Yet, she was sure she hadn’t walked that long… had she?

Had it been seconds… or hours? Why couldn’t she tell?

Her heart in her throat, she turned back to the road in front of her, knowing full well that the rest of her group would have no answers for her. She felt so alone at that moment, and very much afraid. She didn’t even know if marching on still made a difference at this point, but… what else could she do?
Just as she was starting to despair, her eyes perceived a dim, barely visible source of light in the distance. And with it came noises. Voices. Other people.
She breathed, so quickly that her lungs hurt.

“Come on!” she grabbed Andrei’s hand as she started running forward. Her voice sounded so strange in this place, reverberating on walls that didn’t exist, but she didn’t have the luxury to think about that. She couldn’t risk losing whoever was up (down?) there… whether they were enemies or allies. The simple thought of staying in this void terrified her beyond belief.

For a minute, she wondered if she was making any progress at all; no matter how much she ran, she felt like the scenery remained the same; until, eventually, she heard the voices become clearer and clearer. One of them, however, the loudest, wasn’t the one she’d most expected, nor wanted.
Amanda?
She pursed her lips into an unhappy frown; she might have mixed feelings about Andrei now, but if there was one person she had a clear opinion on, that was Amanda. She had no desire to see or speak to her again, but that still seemed better than the loneliness of the void, so she pressed on. Maybe she could punch some answers out of her.

As she got closer and closer, her eyes finally landed on the redhead, who looked less and less human the more she looked; but also on other people. A group of students stood in front of their enemy, with other smaller groups approaching from the sides, and she instantly breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t the only ones still alive. That had been her biggest fear for so long, that her group was all they had left. But now she could clearly see the shapes of Copper, Nancy, Esme, and…

“ALEX!”

She screamed his name before she could think twice about whether she wanted Amanda to notice her presence or not; she was now running so quickly that Andrei was but a ragdoll floating miserably behind her. She only let go of his hand when she finally got close enough to her friend to reach him, and stopped herself before she could tackle him to the ground. Her hands were on his shoulders before she thought to speak another word, moving him to face her so she could look for injuries. Thank goodness, he seemed unharmed, mostly, though his expression was broken and tired. She wondered if she looked the same.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she knew by now that he was fine, but she couldn’t help but ask. Maybe he had some internal injuries she couldn’t see, maybe…
Her teeth bit into her lower lip nervously, as she felt the exhaustion of all the emotions she had just went through finally rush freely through her: fear, disgust, panic, loneliness, more fear, hope, relief… And uncertainty. She had found Alex, yes. And now what?
One thing at a time, Misha. One thing at a time.
Involuntarily, she nodded to the voice in her head. Yes, one thing at a time. She only vaguely listened to the nonsense that Amanda was spitting out, having already decided she was beyond forgiveness now. All she cared about was getting as far away from her before this alarm got serious.
But for now, she needed to focus on Alex. She had both of her boys back; it was a small victory, considering everything else… but it was something.
So it was without remorse that she wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and held him tightly, taking in the time to appreciate his presence, his safety, his warmth. One thing at a time.

[Esmeralda Ortiz]

The wooden door before them was unlocked. With all the medical equipment and bloodstains that were seen throughout the tunnels, Esme wouldn't have been surprised if behind the door the bodies of all of...whatever the sick killer was...had manifested were behind the door. Her group had faced Becca and Emery. She gripped the bat tightly, ready to swing at whatever. It may cost her sanity, but she didn't care. She would be remembered as the girl who knocked Ryan Truman with his own baseball bat.

She opened the door carefully. The light was dim, but she gasped at what she could make out. Naya had been turned into an empty shell. Her pale, lifeless body lay against the floor. Esme couldn't decide how to feel. Dani just told her 'feel everything at once, amiga. It'll be easier that way.' So she did. Disgust for not only the body, but what someone had done with that body. Anger for it being the cause of so many people being killed, some of them having to die twice. Relief that this thing wasn't alive ready to pounce on them. Joy that this game was coming to an end, that the figurative demon was stopped. She hugged the dog with a wide smile.

"Good boy, Copper! Good boy!"

Esme felt so horrible for mistrusting the dog the very first time she had met him. The dog had been a lifesaver every step of the way. He had protected countless people in this sick game. More importantly, he was the sight for someone that needed it most.

"You...You came."[/i]

"Amanda?"

Esme recognized the voice. Amanda was here. Or rather, a figment of her. It was still difficult to wrap her head around all of it. To her, she still saw Amanda as a shy, timid girl that desperately needed good friends. Yet in this world of glitches and killings, the truth was apparent. Amanda was some creation, fighting against the destructive part of her. The red energy coursed like blood through the flickering image. Esme let Copper go, fixated on Amanda.

As the cybernetic girl doubled over, the Latina saw other groups coming forward. From one side, she saw Misha charging toward them, dragging Andrei behind her. She stepped aside so Alex and Misha could have their reunion. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. And apparently the redhead wasn't the only one that made it out alive. Peyton, Tristian, Naomi, and some other redhead she didn't know were with her. She said a silent prayer of gratitude. Peyton had made it out okay. Of all the people she wanted to come through in this game, she had been one that Esme wanted to see again.

In another group appeared Mrs. Truman, Miss Lockwood, a skinny blonde girl she didn't know, Pidge, and...

"Chris! DeeDee!"

She dropped the baseball bat and rushed towards them. Becca would have called her a traitor for showing any happiness for the platinum blonde. But she didn't care. Chris and Dawn had become her friends. A lot of people were slowly becoming her friends through this endeavor. The dancer ran so fast, she could have been confused for a track star. She gave Chris a bear hug. He was here. He was real. And he was alive. Dawn was, too. Esme could smell the chocolate from Dawn as she gave the platinum blonde a tight hug. Just as tight as Dawn had the first time they had met.

There was one final person she saw which just about made her burst into tears. This person had been a stranger when they first met. They had been talking through a party, coming together again to another party hosted by Amanda. Who had been her support when both of them learned far more than they realized about this world. Esme had never been so glad to see this person in her entire life.

"Tara."

She had lost her old friends, but in the end...she gained new ones.

[Alexander Attiyah]

Alex suppressed a shiver as he silently backtracked along with the rest of his group, eventually coming to a halt at what the ravenhaired could only assume was a crossroads. He couldn't see where exactly they were or which direction it was, but he could still hear and think. And though Esme didn't say it, he already knew who the Latina meant by "she." In one of those directions (the direction they had come from) was Emery. Probably still frozen and silent like he had last heard her...

Amongst the group, Esme continued to talk, resolved in her decision to head in the opposite direction. Mutually agreeing, the rest of the group began to follow her. Alex listened to the sound of their footsteps walking away from the body they knew was to their left... The body of his sister. And as Tawny moved to leave too with her hand still gripping onto his arm, he found himself hesitating for a moment, his body facing away from them and his blind gaze fixated straight ahead. It was just a second; he knew as well as everyone where they needed to go. Plus the insistent tugging at his arm didn't leave much of a choice. But in that second he felt more conflicted than ever...

If he went right, that would mean leaving Emery behind. And despite knowing his sister would want him to make that choice, it still tortured him. He didn't want to ever have to make that choice... He didn't want to say goodbye.

I love you, Em, he whispered softly in his mind, his throat constricting from the emotions that swelled within his chest. And with his decision made, he allowed Tawny to finally lead him away towards the unknown, his heart aching and the necklace hanging heavier around his neck with each step that distanced him away from his sister.

Focusing instead on who was with him and those he hoped so desperately to find again, Alex and Tawny caught up to the others who were stopped only a few yards away. Apparently this was the end of the hallway, but instead of turning back, everyone seemed to be staying put. "What's going on?" the male asked warily in a quiet whisper. He wasn't sure if there was something else to worry about, but no sooner had he spoken, he heard the sound of a door opening. It made him feel tense not knowing what was beyond it, but nothing seemed to be launching itself at their throats this time. So with anxious sighs, they gradually entered the doorway albeit somewhat reluctantly, their figures becoming swallowed by the darkness.

Wherever they were, it was quiet for the most part. At first all he could really hear were footsteps. But then even those slowly seemed to quiet too until all that was heard were the subtle sounds of his friends breathing and Copper panting along. The absence of sound was a little nerving as it left Alex without any 'sight' to go off of, but the energy inside the group seemed to have shifted. Everyone seemed to be holding in a large breath together in hopeful anticipation. And despite his confusion at what was going on, Alex could feel it too. There was a weird charge in the air: the kind of electricity that warned of an event about to happen. They were getting closer to... something.

A sharp breath from Esme seemed to declare the reality of that sensation. But when it seemed to be nothing more than a false alarm, Alex was even more startled by a second voice suddenly speaking in front of them: that particular 'something' sounding a lot like Amanda.

A wary expression crossed the ravenhaired's face. He wasn't sure what to make of what was going on or the way Amanda was greeting them, as if they had agreed to meet up like a group of friends going out for pizza and had been so late the hostess had just given up on them showing altogether. He still wasn't sure she was someone to trust, even with those 'memories' or whatever they were... And the chilling sensation in the air wasn't helping that opinion at all. Everyone seemed frozen... What did they see? What was going on?!

However his thoughts ceased as he heard other footsteps gradually approaching from all side, drawing closer to their position. Instantly Alex's nerves skyrocketed and he reflexively tensed up for a fight, expecting to be ambushed by more of their former classmates and friends. But all tension seemed to suddenly drain from his body as one voice rang out through the air, screaming his name.

"Misha?" he called back in a mixture of disbelief and hope, his head turning towards the sound as his blind eyes widened. He was barely able to mutter her name before footsteps were rapidly racing towards him, and in seconds his body was suddenly being turned fully towards her, hands gripping his shoulders. It happened so fast his brain was still trying to process if this was real or not. It was like a reflex now, by this point... And it scared him beyond words to think this might not be his real best friend, that the one person he knew he could trust without a doubt might be gone to him too...

Instinctively he raised a hand towards one of hers resting on his shoulder, as if searching for a sign of proof. His fingers felt human skin, warm and comforting, yet the presence of what felt like a glove gave him pause. He couldn't recall her wearing that before... Though as he heard her familiar voice—the same one he relied on and needed so desperately to hear—continue to ask him if he was okay as the warmth of her hands clung to him, he found his throat closing up as emotions of relief and gratitude and joy swelled inside him.

It was her. It was really her!

Unable to answer her questions, Alex could only nod slowly, a mere shadow of a smile on his face before it lowered. He was happy to have her here with him. And he wasn't hurt, no... But that was only part of the equation. And he wasn't sure how to even express the other half he was still feeling. "What about you? You okay?" he asked her softly instead, the concern evident in his tone.

Focusing on her presence and the sound of her breathing, he remained silent, his chest tightening. A silence settled between the two best friends, a second of unspoken words communicating between them. Despite his lack of sight, he could practically feel Misha's gaze searching his face. He wondered if she could read everything in his mind beneath all of the dirt and exhaustion—all of the pain. All of the fear and despair... If she did, she didn't say anything. Instead he felt her warm arms wrap around his shoulders to pull him into an honest embrace, and immediately he welcomed her inside, his arms moving to wrap around her tightly in return in a silent, needful gesture.

Around him, he could vaguely hear people talking and noises blaring. But nothing else seemed to matter right now... not for this second anyway. The longer he remained in Misha's arms, the more he felt his emotions flow through him and his pain feel easier to bear. It was like finding an anchor to hang onto and he refused to let go for fear she might vanish or he might break. This was what he needed: a friend. A safe place. Misha was familiar. Misha was home. He didn't know what to say still to her and his silence and desperate embrace was probably worrying her more than anything. But as much as he didn't like worrying her, he continued to hold her close, aching for the comfort only she could bring.

[Nancy Holmes]

"I'm not Rebecca, but I did hang out with her a lot before...all this, so I get the confusion. We can talk more about it later."

No, she wasn't Rebecca... But Nancy could have sworn she saw Rebecca right above her just a moment ago...did she somehow glitch into another person? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her again? Nancy digged her fingertips into the skin of her face, leaving red marks behind. She was going insane. Her body felt better, but her mind was a mess. She took another few steps back until her back touched a wall. Screaming, she turned around to see what touched her - another monster?! Arielle?! Had she come back to get her? She relaxed a little bit when she saw that it was just a wall. A dead-end. Dead.... the end.... So was there no way out? Slowly, she raised a hand to touch the wall. It was dirty and cold, the corners covered in thick mold. She pressed against it, took her second hand to help and pressed against the wall as if she could break through. She started hitting it with her fists, harder with every move until her hands hurt, scratched open by the bumpy surface. The stone didn't move one bit.

After a while she stopped, leaving her hands rest on the wall, her head falling down facing the floor. There was no way out. Then, Nancy noticed the little bottle. Take it, the voice in her head said. But don't drink it. It's poison. Poison. The word echoed in her mind. What would she possibly do with a bottle of poison.... She bent down and grabbed the bottle with numb fingers. After looking at it for a while, she put it into the pocket of her skirt. Who knew, maybe they would encounter another monster and she could force the poison down that thing's throat. She turned around to the others who had already moved back in the hallway.

They stopped after a few steps and Nancy almost ran into Alex and the blonde girl who were walking right in front of her. What was it? Another monster?? The others hesitated for a moment before turning around the corner. When Alex and Tawny finally moved too, they gave way for a weird sight. There was someone lying on the floor in the distance, a black-haired, glitch figure. Nancy covered her mouth to choke down the scream that was forming in her throat. Becca?! But... didn't she kill her?! Her mind raced. Did she come back after all?! She stood there for a moment, frozen, until she realized that the glitching figure didn't move. Maybe...an error....She heard a wooden dor screetching and her head snapped into that direction. The others had opened a door, and Nancy ran a few steps to catch up to them. Hell she didn't want to be left behind with that thing. It could get back its strength any moment.

Walking through the door last, she didn't really see what was lying in front of them. Nor really what was left  and right. It was all just... black...  The sound of silence got heavier with every step it seemed and Nancy's panic got bigger and bigger. They shouldn't be here. They should just go back, this place was dangerous. Unwillingly, her steps got smaller and smaller until there was a distance between her and the others once again. Then, they stopped. And Nancy stopped a few feet behind them aswell. A-Another monster?!

"You - You came"

Her body stiffened. Her gaze passed the bodies of her groupmembers, catching the image of a glitching ghost standing above a dead body - Naya. Th-The thing. Her eyes widened in horror when she understood the full reach of what she saw. Naya's chest was ripped open, as if something had been... ripped out of her. T-The thing...! The red, pulsating thing that was now in the center of Amanda - that was IT. The thing. The demon. The evil. This must be the endboss, huh? Doesn't it feel like it?How many lives do you have left, little Nancy?, the voice in her head said.

"I thought you didn't make it. It felt like months have passed, I didn't hear... or feel you. All I could do was to contain it from escaping, I-"

Lies. All lies. She was trying to play all of them again, like it had been all along...! "Don't listen to her!!!", she suddenly heard someone shouting. It took a moment to realize it had been herself, after Amanda looked at her. "SHE'S JUST TRYING TO KILL US ALL AGAIN DON'T YOU SEE IT???" It sounded so loud in the silence of this...nothing.

Then, like the starting signal for a battle, a siren resounded, sending another wave of adrenaline through Nancy's body. She looked back, but she couldn't see where they had been coming from. The path, if it had ever existed, was gone. The door, that should be just a few stept behind them, had vanished. "W-We're trapped.", she said with unsteady voice. Her breath went faster when she looked around in panic. Other people were arriving from all sides. Her army. Her army of the dead!!! They wouldn't stand a chance against so many of them, they were finished...! Then she saw how one of the monsters, who looked like Misha, ran towards Alex like a maniac. "Alex, WATCH OUT!!", Nancy screamed at her friend, but it was too late. He wasn't quick enough to do anything and the monster dug its fangs into him with an evil, wicked grin on its lips. "NOOO!!!" And everyone else from her group just stood there doing NOTHING. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU HAVE TO FIGHT BACK!!", she yelled, but Not-Rebecca instead dropped the bat that she had been wielding and ran towards a group of monsters. What was this suicide??!! Did she accept her faith that quickly and wanted to get murdered as quick as possible?! No....! Nonononono!

Nancy's eyes twitched towards the bat on the floor. With a quick movement, she picked it up and raised it in front of her chest, her arms stretched out. "G-GET AWAY!!! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER YOU MONSTERS!!!", she screamed with jittering voice, holding the spiky end of the bat towards everyone else, changing the direction of it every second so it would face every monster at least once. Left, right, more right, left again - they were everywhere! And in the middle of them all, her army, the greatest monster of them all. She stopped the bat when it faced Amanda.

"Please! GO! You can get back to your life again, you will be free from their will! You should go, now!"

"LIES!!!This is just another of your sick games, YOU CAN'T FOOL ME!!!", Nancy screamed back. There was nothing they could go back to. Nothing she could get back to. It was all lost, lost because of this THING. Because of Amanda. Her bat still directed threatening towards her, the raven-haired's glance fell on the two buttons that had appeared in front of her group. RESTET, DELETE Amanda.chr. That was their only chance.

[Christopher Kresh]

The read haired boy guided the girls away from the with goo covered walls. They looked anything but inviting. As if they would be stuck to them forever if they were to touch them. Like insects in a spiders web. Whatever was doing this to them would be the spider waiting to get them. Some kind of strange fly and two butterflies. He didn't know if Katherine would like that description as the girl was more of a tomboy but Dawn definitely fell under the description of a butterfly. It may have been selfish but the boy felt extremely relieved when he woke up to see the girl in the same room as him. He was sick and tired of getting his hopes up. Every time he saw a friend alive and .. well enough, they would disappear only to get hurt again. But dawn.. He felt.. Something else when he looked at her. Something more.. Seeing and Hearing Tara and Esme were allright filled him with joy. Tara had been his best and well.. Only good friend for a long while. He owed her so much. She meant the world to him. And Esmeralda. The latina had been there for him when he needed her, she had always been kind to him and had been one of the few people he could call a close friend as well. He would give anything to make sure she got out alive. But Dawn. He had only met her at the start of this whole fiasco. If they had met before he would most likely be too scared to look up to her. She was popular, Beautiful, kind. She meant a lot to him even if she was completely out of his league. Would she still want to see him if they got out of this alive..? Or would things be like the old days again and would she forget about him. Would they wake up in their classroom in their normal clothes as if all of this had not happened without their memories.
He gently held Dawns hand a little bit tighter. No, not this time. He was not going to let some cowardly invisible force take her away from him. He looked around him when he moved forward still protective over the two girls. He was a small guy but size was not going to stop him.
As he spoke his words of motivation the group reached a door. Without hesitation Chris got the handle and opened the door. Maybe this was their way out. He stumbled forward and looked around him. The space they were in was huge. He felt a bit overwhelmed. Something bright caught his eye. Amanda..?  He froze seeing someone else with her. Naya. Or.. what was left of her. He felt his pocket. His phone. He remembered how kind naya had been to him. How nice she was and how thankful she was after he texted her. How she might even wanted to become friends with him. Had she been behind this the whole time..? he didn't understand. 

" Girls stay behind me please.." he mumbled as he was still on guard. Yes amanda had been one of them.. and she had been close to tara. But still. If this was a trick he had to be careful. They had come so far. He couldn't become reckless now. The girl looked as if she was in pain. Or at least.. she looked scared. Was she scared of Naya? or maybe what she had done to naya.  Chris frowned as he listened to her words. He looked over his shoulder to see how the girls were taking this in.

"Chris! DeeDee!"

His head turned back as he looked in front of him. That voice.

" ESME?!" he called out. The girl dropped the bat and ran towards them. " Esme!" he repeated as a big smile grew on his face. This had to be real. It had to be. Life wouldn't be this cruel. The girl ran up to him with incredible speed. "woa..!" He said as he was almost knocked over by the force of her running into him and giving him a hug. He let out a relieved chuckle and wrapped his arms around her. " God..! I am so glad to see you..! are you okay..!?" he asked as he held her. He let go of her so she could hug Dawn as well. He felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. She was okay. Esmeralda was okay.

It was only now that he seemed to notice all the students coming together. He bit his lip. Tara.. where was she. Was she okay..? He frowned a bit his face becoming worried. She had to be allright. She just HAD to be. 

He saw Mischa and Al. He was glad to see they were still alive. He however couldn't help but feel the guilt eating on him. Emery was dead. And he was partly responsible for it by playing that goddamn game. He tried to talk it right for himself as everyone in that moment just tried to safe their friends. It only helped a little. He couldn't help but think Peyton would hate him now. How could she not. He had tried to tell her emery would be Okay in the beginning only to take her away from her by helping Dawn. Where was Peyton.. was she okay..? 
He tried to count the people in the big space. He tried to look for people he knew, Ryan. Where was he..? did he make it? Riley.. did she get out..?  Audrey? she was a fighter.. she couldn't be gone.Where was Thalia?  He looked up hearing another voice yelling. 

Nancy. He looked at the girl. She did not look better then the last time he saw her. She looked worse. Chris was worried. She had been fine until the moment he had told her about the creepy texts and the death of some other students. She had tried to kill Thalia. Did she.. actually succeed..? He looked at the girl but didn't go up to her when she moved violently around the room with the bat. In that moment he couldn't do anything else then look at her. What happened to her..? This wasn't the girl who wanted him to join her choir. 

He turned back to see if Esme and Dawn were doing okay still. He noticed the tears in the eyes of his friend and frowned. What happened. Was he too much in his head to notice something had happened to them..? 

"tara" She said. He followed the girls look as he just hoped his friend was in one piece. He took a few steps back making sure Esme had room to sprint up to her if she wanted to. Chris looked down at his hands noticing how he was shaking. This whole moment was really overwhelming for him. He had so many mixed feelings. Feelings of joy, a feeling of dread, sadness over his lost friends, guilt. He clenched his fists trying to keep them from shaking too badly. He didn't know if he should laugh, smile or cry. He was just tense. extremely tense. As if his body was crying but his mind wanted to celebrate the fact his friends were alive and well.

[Deleted]

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU HAVE TO FIGHT BACK!!" Roxannes head snapped  forward as she heard more screaming, more angry and then"You came." a weak, meak , voice- hidden among the others.. whom she never got the chance to know. At the end of the tunnel as they walked, or in her case, limped- she'd hear shouting.
"AN UNKNOWN ERROR OCCURRED!"

"AN UNKNOWN ERROR OCCURRED!" PLEASE GO!"

Roxanne's eyes closed as she dropped to the wall her body covered in anothers blood, her red auburn locks curling around her body as if she'd been in a battle...for her life, was in danger. "Are you alright?”  heard Roxanne as she dizzaily looked up at Misha with a small  half assed grin." One must wonder what all-right is in a situation like this.''her half assed grin turned into a frown. .. that head turned around once more as others found their friends, and she was stuck..unknowing if she had any left in the world she was in before. it made her sad. but at least, mayhaps there were new ones for her. "PLEASE RESET THE GAME AND PROCEED FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS""SHIT" responded Roxanne !she mustered as much strength as she could to stand up."HOW DO WE TURN IT OFF!?" she'd ask. More concerned for Amanda who was attached it seems. glowing.her hands gesturing about as she usually did talk with her hands! "We can't let this  student be deleted.'' Roxanne would not have sleep if she surivved knowing she did nothing to stop this.

That siren caused Roxanne to close her ears in pain , with her hands , cringing at the loud noise! it was so dark, so life less, emotionless, she felt...sad, anger, all in one- she heard different voices. "SOMEONE TURN THAT  GODDAMNED SIREN OFF.'' swore Roxanne she would pause in her shouting only to notice weird reflections of folks she had seen among the school but never spoke to."Easy dose it Roxy, you don't need to go off right now. focus." said her owner's voice, Emily. "Focus. right. And listen to the voice inside my head..okay sure." Roxanne had not heard her owner speak  too much. the girl was stubborn. Roxy frowned seeing Amanda tied up like that- hurt- . she never got the chance to know the girl as she would have.---"Is it mad to pray for better hallucionations?" she'd heard that from somewhere.

she felt so out of place,she was mainly a costume designer, why was she punished? for not talking to them? "Well.You don't make friends by secluding yourself." Roxanne blinked grumpily as every-one had a reuinion except her.all she felt was pain.but she wanted to save the person."We have to save her!" cried the young , once shy woman - who began loking around for anything else other than the delete buttons."Can't we destroy the damned thing!?'' she'd ask "One of you has a bat, anyone good with tech? we can't .. just let her be deleted. She deserves a chance at least! " she'd shout frowning, circling around the machine the best she could.never going too foward or too close to anyone.Roxanne frowned as she was told to go and could see the normal school."We should at least try.'' Roxanne's sweet voice rang out; she sounded like someone who would be unexpected to be shouting right now.

[Catherine "Pidge" Santorini]

It was over... at least for now. A massive wooden door was the light to the end of the tunnel. It had felt like a year had passed since this whole killing spree started, but now it was over. Pidge followed her group of class-no. These weren't just her classmates anymore; they were her friends. She could see all of them again, those who she hadn't seen in a while! Hopefully Naomi and Al were okay; she hadn't heard from them in a while. Also, she couldn't remember if she fully explained herself over the whole hair-sniffing incident. That didn't matter now, though. Those ahead of her opened the door, and Catherine quickly followed suit.

Upon seeing the sights, she stopped dead in her tracks. The pixellated Amanda was fascinating, but that didn't matter now. She kept the promise she made to herself... This kid stayed alive. She ran towards Chris, Dee Dee, and Esme, joining their group hug. "You guys are okay! I'm so glad you all are alright!"

(This post is so short... AAAHHH)

[Phillip Pendragon]

OOC: Got the okay from Sev for Tristans actions and words since she is currently sadly too busy to rp :/

The longer Phillip and his group had been wandering around, in assumingly a barely lit corridor, the more he felt like he lost his mind as more and more sounds started echoing through the darkness. Eventually the sounds had turned into a male voice that called his name. Given that him and Mr Thredson were the only men around to his knowledge, the silent one was quite certain it had been the teacher who had called him. But why? Turning around for a moment, he looked at him briefly. Was something wrong or dangerous happening that he couldn´t see?

After a moment of the silent starring at his deceased lovers brother, eventually he turned his head back to where they were heading towards to instead of the past. As he did so however, he noticed that not only the environment had seemed to change yet again but also various students started to appear one by one. Was this the end? If it was, what would that mean for him though? Did he finally die? Was he dead all along?

None of it mattered tho as he felt as witnessing a miracle happening right in front of him. After all this time and torture, finally he saw his brother again and, from what Phillip could tell from the outside, Tristan seemed unharmed yet a little lost. While the elder had yet to process what was happening, the younger one moved closer to his brother and hugged him. Embracing their reunion, Phillip was spechless and not only because he had lost his ability to speak in the first place. However his hearing was still perfectly in tact as he heard his brother whispering, "I thought I had lost you too ... I can't continue whithout you ... I lost everyone ... I can't loose you too Phil …". Tightening the grip around Tristan, the elder one tried to assure his little brother that they shall never get seperated again. That once they made it out of this mess, this time he would stick up for his brother no matter what. Nobody could scare him of anymore. Not his reputation, not his
friends or lovers and especially not their parents anymore.

Just as he had finished his thoughts though, his attention got directed elsewhere as got to hear another familiar voice. Nancy! Luckily she was alive as well but … she wasn´t herself anymore, that much was clear to Phillip. Breaking the hold on Tristan, he gripped his shoulder firmly, assuring him to return before he eventually went to at least try to calm down his friend. He didn´t scare if she yelled at him, scratched or hit him or even worse. He forced the bat out of her arms and made way to wrap his arms around her, trying to calm her down enough to press his forehead against her and pat her back. He was well aware how hard it must have been for her and how alone she might feel now with so many dear ones gone. But she wasn´t alone. He was still there and so was Tristan as well as various others.

Even with all the foreshadowing though he still wouldn´t have guessed to hear a robotic voice call them out for a reset and especially he didn´t expect to not only SEE Amanda again, but also have her pleading to them all to flee. Too shocked to see his childhoodfriend returned as a ghostlike figure, he didn´t even realize he had let go of Nancy until he found himself a few steps away from her. There was no time for him to move back though the moment his eyes fell on the buttons. Resetting was one thing but deleting? Deleting Amanda was … impossible, at least for him. No matter what she had done or what she was held responsible for, she still was and would always be his friend and there was no way he could or even wanted to delete her. Yes, there had been immense pain both physically as well as emotionally. Pain to not only hurt but scar them all forever but just because he and the other survivors were suffering didn´t mean Amanda didn´t. Neither did anyone but her have the right to just delete and supposingly kill her with that. Therefore Phillip did what he thought was the only right thing. He moved directly in front of the delete button to shield it. If they wanted to delete his friend, they would have to get rid of him first.

[Peyton Cross]

Peyton had felt like she’d been on autopilot for a long while now. She hadn’t particularly processed everything that had been happening. She’s been in a daze, almost as if she’s been sleep walking. Moving and acting, but not really aware of such things. As her group ventured forward and the Lara Croft clothes got more uncomfortable, the world felt as if it shifted. Darker, colder. She couldn’t see it, but she could feel it. However it wasn’t completely dark….

Misha had then started to run forward, dragging the zombified Andrei with her.

“Misha!” she yelled. Peyton ran after her redheaded friend, the darkness still overcoming her whole surroundings. But then there were voices of people, and a dim light in the distance. The raven haired stopped and finally saw what lied in front of her.

It was Amanda, who appeared to be some type of hologram. Ghost? Holo-ghost?? It was too confusing to keep track of at this point. And beneath her feet…was Naya. Dead. Well…it wasn’t Naya anymore. It was the Something. Honestly she could barely keep track of what was what and who is who and who is what anymore.

Amanda had an almost peaceful look on her face as they approached her. Peyton scowled at her. At last she sees the actual face of the girl who caused all of this shit, though in her mind the monster one was more fitting. This cute face looking at her with tears in her eyes was a shell as far as she was concerned.

More students emerged from the shadows, and she was grateful to see so many people again. Esme, Chris, Phillip, Dee Dee, Pidge, and Alex. Misha ran towards him and the two embraced each other. It seemed the three of them had cut out what everyone else was doing. Peyton gave a soft smile towards the couple. After all, it meant she still had friends she could go back to.

As they finished, she placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Hate to break it to you hot shot, but you look like shit.”

Alex turned around and faced her (as well as he could anyways), giving her a warm and sincere smile. She could tell he was happy to see her alive as happy as she was able to see him. He straightened himself out and said “Thanks, I'm trying a new look called blood and guts. Really brings out the 'inner beauty.’”

She laughed, “I can see the Maybelline cover now!”

The boy went in and gave her a hug, and she received it, clutching his clothes. “Good to see you too, Alex,” she whispered under her breath. For the first time in so long, she felt at peace in his arms. She had someone she cared about, multiple people in fact. She was grateful, oh so grateful.

Their reunion was short lived, however, as a loud siren blasted into her ears.

AN UNKNOWN ERROR OCCURED! PLEASE RESET THE GAME AND PROCEED FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS

Amanda shouted and with a wave of her hand, a bright light appeared. It looked like some type of portal from all of those sci-fi movies. But inside said portal wasn’t space or aliens, it was their school, on a regular morning day.

“Please go! You can get back to your life again, you will be free from their will!” Amanda pleaded.

Peyton squinted at her, sensing doubt. After all she put them through, she’s just supposed to take her word for it? It’s too easy. There has to be a catch SOMEWHERE.

Sure enough with that thought, two buttons appeared. A blue one with the words RESET and a red one with DELETE Amanda.chr. Peyton scoffed at the irony. Even the game wanted her dead. She looked at the redhead with daggers in her eyes.

“You don’t deserve to be deleted. That’d be the easy way out.”

She looked back at her friends, and then the portal, and then she grinned.

At last, she was going to leave this place for good.

[OOC: Thank you Karissa for allowing me to put in the Alex and Peyton reunion! I love these bros, pray they get a happy ending]

[Misha Charisse Quinn]

"What about you? You okay?"

"Hm-mh." It wasn’t much of an answer, but she knew he could feel her nodding against his cheek. He wasn’t very talkative, and neither was she; too much had happened, and she knew more was to come. It couldn’t just end like that; and when shit would go down, she would need to be ready. But for now… for now, she wanted to enjoy the moment, savor his presence and warmth and be content with simply knowing he was alright.

Steps moved in their direction, reminding her that they weren’t alone, despite her efforts to tone down all of the voices around them. Reluctantly, she released her friend just enough to look over her shoulder and see Peyton, watching them with a tender smile as she approached.

The redhead’s lips curved up just barely; she didn’t want to let go now, but she still took a small step back as Peyton greeted Alex in her own way. Not enough for him not to feel her touch, but the minimum so their friend could step in. As she allowed them to take their time with one another, her eyes lingered around the room; more and more people were coming in, small groups were forming as friends and families reunited. It was a touching scene; and still, she couldn’t shake that dreading cold feeling that it wasn’t quite over. They were being offered a way out, but also, a choice. What was the right one? Was there even one? How could they be sure this wasn’t yet another trap, thought to build their hopes up just so the downfall would be even more soul-crushing?

She didn’t seem to be the only one with doubts; Nancy’s screams were becoming more and more difficult to ignore, and as Misha directed her attention to her, she immediately frowned. The mature, smiley girl who had once been her tutor was now frantically yelling at everyone in sight, and, worse of all, swinging a wooden bat around, threatening anything and anyone that might approach her. Instinctively, Misha placed her body between the woman and her friends, fearing what might come out of her next.

"What the hell happened to her…?" she questioned in a low whisper. She hadn’t seen her in so long, could barely remember what had happened in the auditorium with how fast it had all gone down, and she was now left to wonder what could have possibly left her in this state. She glanced in Alex’s direction with worry. He’d come from the same portion of the room as she, had he gone through the same things that had changed her so? He had been so awfully quiet since they’d found each other, unlike his normal, teasing self…

She kept her eyes on her as a man she recognized as Tristan’s brother approached her, trying to silently calm her down. She wasn’t sure it was such a smart call, but he seemed to have gotten out of it unharmed for now. Still the madwoman shouted her certainty that they were being fooled and tricked… and Misha couldn’t bring herself to disagree with her yet.

As she turned to her friends, she could see in Peyton’s expression that she wasn’t fully convinced herself. Yet, her words surprised her. “You don’t deserve to be deleted. That’d be the easy way out.” In any other situation, she would have agreed with that, as cruel might it seem; Amanda had killed and destroyed too many lives for her to be given a kind escape; yet, at the same time… if they left her roaming here freely, who was to say that she wouldn’t come back for them later, how could they be sure that was safe? When she thought about it that way, deleting her felt like the best option for everyone; and still, she dreaded the thought of it being a test, and that whoever chose to vanquish her would be thoroughly punished… despite how much she wanted to.
Enough to frown as Phillip moved in front of their tormentor, glaring at anyone that may approach, physically shielding her with his body. He didn’t even seem willing to defend his case, simply staring anyone that might defy him down, and she felt her blood boil. Good for him to want to be the “better person” and not stoop down at such a monster’s level by killing her to avenge everyone; but this wasn’t just a petty teenager’s brawl. Real lives were on the line, their lives, and those of everyone who was gone. He couldn’t make the choice for all of them. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.

Glaring back, she took a step forward, watching the scene before her unfold, ready to intervene.

[Esmeralda Ortiz]

“You guys are okay!”

Pidge was rushing to the group. In the excitement and bloodshed, Esme has forgotten about the tech worker, and she felt guilty. That was about to change. She opened her arms to hug the glasses bound girl. The dread of being in a game was going away. Her friends were safe. As were her acquaintances. Horrible to admit, but with less people, Esme felt like she knew the names and faces better now than she had a long time ago.

Red. Blue. Green.

The flickering colors were a stark reminder. This wasn’t over yet. As expected, the arguments began. Nancy was still trapped in her own mind, poor girl, and not even coaxing from Phillip and Tristan was going to set her free. Others were talking about Amanda’s fate.

“We have to help her. We have to at least try!” the redhead begged. She was standing dangerously close to Amanda’s phantom. Esme didn’t like the idea. No matter how see through she was, there could still be a possibility of attack.

Or maybe not.

”Deleting you would be the easy way out.” Peyton said. Phillip was even barricading the red “DELETEchr.” button with his body. This left the rip and the blue “Reset” button. Misha was standing at attention like a soldier listening for direct orders. Esme didn’t like the idea of either button being pressed. Amanda practically gift wrapped everyone a way home and with all the understandable mistrust, the lines were not black and white. Some were glaring at Amanda coldly. Phillip had taken care of everyone pressing one button, so Esme made ready to stand by reset.

”If we reset the game, the chances of THAT,” she pointed to the mangled corpse of Naya, ”coming back is high up there too. Too many people have died from both it and Amanda. Also, Do any of you really want to be an empty shell controller by Mother?”
Esme has been behind the making of the game. She knew how this all would work. Deleting Amanda would be too easy, Peyton was right, but knowing the creator, “Mom” would have to “adopt” a new child, put it through the same abuse as Amanda has gone through. Resetting would do just that...but with the price of trapping everyone for good, and probably erasing everyone’s ties and once again leaving them to the slaughter with a new minion “Something” would choose.

[Tawny Tempest]

Tawny kept pulling the blind man behind her along the corridor. Damn he was slow. She was trying to catch up with the others but they suddenly stopped and she did as well when the scenery from the previous changed. "...the.. fuck..." She muttered out loud, just standing there staring in disbelief for a while. Somewhat listening to the hologram ghost thing tell them what to do. There was no question about it she wanted to go home. She then looked around the others to take notice of Dawn. The blind guy had a handler now so she took her chance and ran over to Dawn and tackled her with a hug. "Let's go home Dawn, okay?" She said nuzzling herself to her cousin.

[Nancy Holmes]

Nobody was listening. Did they not hear her? Did they not WANT to hear? She looked around, her former group members swallowed by the crowd of monsters. They were lost. Nancy closed her eyes for a moment tightly and when she opened them, she saw one of them walking over to her. It looked like Phillip. Instantly, she moved the bat towards him.„S-STAY AWAY!!! I SAID STAY. AWAY. FROM ME.“, she screamed a the monster, but it didn’t stop. She walked a few steps backwards but the monster was fast, she couldn’t react when she was suddenly pressed against its chest. Panting in fear, she froze for a moment, but holding onto the bat with all her might. When it tried to take it from her, she screamed at the top of her lungs and smashed her forehead against his nose - she didn’t reach higher. The monster let go of her and stumbled away, so Nancy could raise her bat again and hit its shoulder hard, the sharp nails getting stuck in its flesh. She had aimed for the head but the thing had been fast to protect itself. Faster than she had thought. She needed to strike it down...! It looked like the monster was at least shocked, one hand at the bleeding nose, the other risened up to protect his face from the bat. Nancy needed her full force to pull the bat out of his shoulder again, which immediately started to bleed a lot. „YOU CAN'T FOOL ME YOU THING!!!!“, she yelled and looked at it with a hateful glance. That wasn’t Phillip. He was probably gone just like everybody else.

It didn’t stop it for long though, since it simply walked away from her, like it didn’t feel any pain at all. Disbelief in her eyes, Nancy stared at it and followed the monster walking towards the buttons. No...! Panic rose inside of her. Would it push one of them??? But no. It just walked to them, turned around and shielded them and Amanda-something. In the split of a second, her surprise was gone and her body was filled up with wrath again. „YOU CAN'T PROTECT YOUR MASTER FROM US YOU MONSTER....!!! THIS FUCKING TRAITOR DESERVES NOT TO LIVE!! GET OUT THE WAY YOU THING!!“, she yelled and ran towards them, her bat raised upon her head. When she reached the Phillip-imitation, she smashed the bat against his side with all her might, making him fall to the ground and open the way for her. „I'm going to end this now.....!!!YOUR SICK GAME WILL END HERE AND NOW!!!!“, she said, standing in front of the buttons. She lifted her arms, ready to use the bat once again - either to press both buttons at once with it or to smash them if she could. 

[Alexander Attiyah]

Alex could feel Misha's hair brush against his cheek as she nodded in reassurance, their arms still wrapped tightly around each other. At her quiet response, he could feel a bit of the breath he had been holding in finally release now that he knew she was alright, and the muscles around his shoulders slowly started to relax. Thank God, he whispered in his mind as he focused on her warmth, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. It was a humble relief; he knew she was still worried about him like he was for her, and she was right to be. They weren't out of the woods yet... But knowing she was alive and with him again meant everything to him in that moment. And so he continued to hold her close, letting the comfort she brought slowly ebb his mind the longer they embraced.

"I missed you so much, Cha-cha..." he breathed softly in a hushed whisper, his words muffled by her hair. In his voice he could hear the deep honesty at that statement. It had felt like an eternity since he had last seen her... probably because of everything he had went though. He had needed his best friend with him. And now that he found her again, he didn't want to let go.

Absorbing the moment as much as he could, Alex eventually loosened his grip inside her arms a few seconds later when he felt another hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to turn in the direction of whoever it was while keeping Misha close to him. "Hate to break it to you hot shot," he heard a familiar voice say, "but you look like shit."

The ravenhaired's mouth turned up a little at the corners into a somewhat forced smile, his grief and mess of emotions a little more eased than before but still there all the same. "Hey, Peyton," he greeted her in a half-hearted chuckle, trying not to sound as off as he felt. "And thanks. I'm trying a new look called blood and guts. Really brings out the 'inner beauty.'" He gestured towards himself as he attempted to ease the conversation, the iron smell that practically radiated off of him being more than enough proof of the 'souviner' he was wearing. Despite the fact he looked like shit, he didn't want Peyton to worry over him or ask any prying questions; already he couldn't bring himself to say what had happened yet... How was he supposed to break the news about Emery to Peyton, his sister's best friend?

However there was no hiding the strain in his voice. And the half-hearted joke felt more like a tombstone epitaph than anything. Yet for as broken as Alex felt, he was sincerely glad to hear Peyton was okay, and the relief he felt for having his friends with him was played out honestly in the small smile he sent her direction. Something he was glad was understood and reciprocated all the same as he shifted away from Misha just enough to envelop Peyton in a welcomed hug. "Good to see you too, Alex," he heard her say, causing his smile to widen a little.

Breaking apart from Peyton, Alex gradually began to register even more voices of people he knew around them: Tristan (who seemed to be talking to Phillip), Chris and Dawn, Pidge, Tara, as well as those among his own group and a few others he wasn't so familiar with. So they're alive and here too, he concluded as a small dose of relief continued to warm though him. Yet amid the relief was the ever-present apprehension made evident by Amanda's presence and the sudden appearance of everyone - as well as the absence of others. Something was going to happen. And the chilling promise of it made his nerves progressively increase with the chaos happening around him.

"Who else is here? Is Alessia with you guys? Al?" Alex asked in a hoarse voice towards Misha and Peyton, the names coming out in a rush. He was almost scared about the answer that he might get back, as he couldn't pick up their voices from the chaos of noises around him. However he was cut off by one particular voice being louder and more chaotic than the others:

"G-GET AWAY!!! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER YOU MONSTERS!!!"

Alex jumped, turning his head quickly towards Nancy's voice that continued to scream and threaten at the top of her lungs. He hadn't really noticed her yelling at him earlier, but now there wasn't any chance of missing out on what she was saying now.

"What the hell happened to her..?" he heard Misha ask quietly through the chaos. He could feel her gaze redirected towards him as she spoke and his brows knit together slightly in response, unsure how to really fully answer that question. He knew who Nancy meant by monsters. And he knew why she was screaming and why she was scared. He was afraid too; he didn't trust Amanda. And the fresh scars of mere moments ago still cut deep into his mind and heart. What they had experienced in that hellish maze was terrifying and horrific, but he also knew there was a lot more to Nancy's insanity than that; there had been other things—things including the incident with Thalia and the truth behind what happened to Becca the first time...

And the latter wasn't something he could push himself to say yet.

So instead he remained quiet, brushing his thumb lightly against the hair around his wrist. On his face were traces of painful memories, yet most of all was a concerned expression also mirrored in the ravenhaired's tone. Despite everything, Nancy was still his friend, but it was becoming even more evident how dangerous her current condition was: towards herself and everyone else. It startled him to realize just how different she was now compared to their conversation in the classroom... She had seemed so scared to lose herself then and even back in the auditorium she seemed resolved not to hurt anyone. But as soon as they had woken up among all those scattered syringes and blood with the newfound knowledge of their existence, it was like something had snapped in her—

And it scared him how rapidly she was deteriorating.

As if to prove that point, a sharp wack resounded in the air. Then followed quickly by another one. And another... It took only half a second for Alex to realize what was going on as his breath hitched in his throat, his mind flashing back to Becca. "Nancy, stop! They're not monsters this time!" he tried to cry out, holding back from outwardly cringing at the term. However her screams of rage and determination well overpowered his own due to his sore throat, and his words were quickly drowned out by the continued beating she was giving. He had no idea who it was on the receiving end; it wasn't like the person was saying anything, but in the end it didn't really matter.

Just as soon as it started, however, the sound of her bat hitting against someone's body suddenly stopped. Meanwhile the constantly repeated warning of 'PLEASE RESET THE GAME' continued to blare in his ears, causing his nerves to skyrocket even more. Everything was falling apart at a dangerous rate. And it was all Alex could do to try and sort through the fury of noises: Amanda urging everyone to leave; Nancy threatening to cause Armageddon; people throwing out comments and ideas... "You don't deserve to be deleted"; "We have to help her!"; "Reset the game" ... The ravenhaired didn't even know what everyone was talking about; he couldn't see to know. But one thing spoken around the room at least stood out:

So we DO have a way to leave this place? he wondered as the air in his lungs seemed to evaporate. He could sense Misha standing just a step in front of him, and a flickered expression of hope crossed his face though it was brief. Were they really this close to just being able to leave? To go home...? He didn't believe Amanda before; it seemed almost too good to be true after everything they'd been through and even now a part of him still wondered if it really was too good. But if Amanda was telling the truth and there was a way...

He swallowed hard. He didn't trust Amanda nor did he forgive her for what she had done. It made him extremely wary—something that wasn't helped by the fact he couldn't see what was happening. There was no way for any of them to know if Amanda was being truthful or not. But that was not his only concern: from what everyone was arguing about, he could piece together that there was a debate over whether to delete Amanda or not too. Everyone around him seemed to have a strong idea of what they wanted and where they stood—worse yet, some were willing to fight and hurt other people for it. Personally Alex didn't know what to think... He wasn't sure what they meant by deleting her. But beyond that, he had so much anger towards Amanda over what had happened to his sister and himself that a large part of him feared what would happen if they didn't destroy the very thing that had caused all of this. It left him feeling cold and fearful thinking of the same thing happening again, and he didn't want to leave the possibility of it repeating to chance. And as awful as it might be to admit it, he would be lying to say another part of him didn't want revenge for Emery...

But despite his hatred, he wasn't sure what he wanted in regards to Amanda's fate. At least, not enough to say so quickly anyway. Right now he just wanted to hold on to and protect those of his friends he had left, and if that meant leaving and trusting Amanda's advice—even despite his better judgment—he knew that they needed to get out of here fast before whatever window they had vanished, the blaring sirens and pleas from their said torturer making that task more and more urgent. So he merely bit the inside of his cheek and searched for Misha's hand, his face contorted in a look of confusion, fear, and unsurety.