Heart of a survivor × Chishiya Shuntaro

Chapter Three

"A game?"

Takara thought that after today she couldn't be anymore confused. Yet there she stood, completely dumbfounded by what she had just read.

"First everyone vanishes and now I have to play a game?" She spoke aloud. Her mind felt like it could almost explode with confusion, she dreaded what else could possibly happen.

Trying to snap herself out of her daze, she thought about what she should do next. She could easily just ignore what she had just seen, after all they do say ignorance is bliss. Plus she was getting quite hungry, she could just turn around and enter the apartments, play it safe. She had no idea what could happen if she followed the illuminated sign. It could be dangerous.

But then she felt it, deep inside her, the desire that she had repressed for so long. The desire to live. And it was pulling her in the direction the sign was pointing towards. This was her chance to break free, to break the cycle. There were a thousand possibilities of what could await her, and that feeling of the unknown, it excited her, thrilled her. She felt the rush of adrenaline that she hadn't felt in so long. It was intoxicating, the rush she always wished for, it was right in front of her written in bold letters.

➾ This way to the game ➾

It was enticing that's for sure. Takara had always been a curious person, always wanting to know more, to pull at the string to see what would unravel in front of her. It had been in her nature since a child, and that same child like sparkle could be seen in Takara's eyes once more as she glanced back up to the board.

Thinking back to her current reality, if she had seen this board, maybe someone else nearby had also seen it? It's not like the board was small; it dominated most of the main street and could be seen from a far distance. The hope that she would finally see another on her curious journey was yet another reason pushing her to follow the arrow.

She also considered the possibility that this was just her life now. There could be no going back. That her existence now only consisted of living in a quiet, desolate world, playing these mystery "games" whenever a billboard lit itself up. She shrugged her shoulders, at least that's better than a 9-5. She chuckled at the thought.

With the information she had laid out in front of her she had to make a decision. And quickly, she made up her mind, it was time to break the cycle. She had dreamed of escaping her monotonous life for so long and that day had finally greeted her with open arms. The anticipation of what could await her at the game was too much for her. She wouldn't be able to rest until she found out.

"What's the worst that could happen? It's just a game" She stated, feeling confident that following the sign was the right decision.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Upon walking towards the game, she noticed how she was walking towards the station she gets off at for work. It reminded of her life before today, and served as another reason to push on forwards to the game. She wanted to leave yesterday behind her. Her old life behind her.

She thought that it couldn't just be a coincidence the sign was leading her this way, the game must be at the station. And she was right.

She approached the station, noting that the place had that electric hum of power running through the building, through the tracks. The light emanating from the building contrasted to the shroud of darkness that consumed the land around it.

She spotted that this station had also succumbed to nature just like the one close to her old home, half covered with moss and greenery that stretched top to bottom. As she walked closer, a smile formed on her face as she spotted what she had been searching for the whole day.