Death's Games

The classroom was shrouded in an unsettling silence, the only sound the soft sobbing of students who had just witnessed the gruesome deaths of their classmates. The air was heavy with fear and mistrust, as if anyone could be the next to succumb to the voice's twisted game.

Small voices began to whisper, "We can't trust anyone... anyone could be next."

Just then, Kaida, the class representative, stepped forward, her eyes wide with fear and guilt. "I-I'm sorry, guys," she stammered. "I'm the one who proposed trying to cheat the game... now look what's happened."

Taro, one of Shin's bullies, sneered at Kaida. "Yeah, this is all your fault! Now we have four more dead bodies in here, and what are we supposed to tell their families? That the voice killed them? No way, we'll say you killed them!"

The classroom erupted into chaos, with students shouting and arguing. Some defended Kaida, saying she wasn't to blame for Cole's actions, while others accused her of being reckless and irresponsible.

Death, still grinning from ear to ear, sidled up to Shin's side and whispered, "Now, wasn't that fun, Shin?"

Shin's anger boiled over, and he shouted, "What's fun about this?"

The entire class turned to stare at Shin, their eyes wide with shock and fear. Death whispered in his ear, its voice dripping with malice, "Remember, Shin, no one in this class can see or hear me except for you. So, mind what you say... you might just end up joining those four boys."

Shin's eyes darted around the classroom, meeting the accusatory stares of his classmates. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean to..."

Death chuckled, its voice like a rusty gate. "Oh, now that's my boy!"

Death's grin grew even wider as it continued, "Look at all those people who used to torment you, Shin. Now, you're doing them harm, just like I am. How does that feel? You should be enjoying this alongside me."

Shin's eyes locked onto Death's, his mind reeling with horror and disgust. Without a word, he turned and walked away from Death, leaving the demonic presence to laugh maniacally in the midst of the chaos.

The classroom was a powder keg, waiting to explode into violence and bloodshed. And Shin, still reeling from the trauma of the past few minutes, knew that he had to find a way to stop the voice and its twisted game before it was too late.

The voice's announcement sent the classroom into a frenzy. "You now have 2 minutes left to complete the game or the remaining 3 groups will be eliminated!"

Panic set in as students shouted and screamed at each other. Desks scraped against the floor, and chairs clattered as students jumped to their feet.

Shin's bullies, Kaito, Ryota, Taro, Akane, and Sora, huddled together, their faces twisted with fear and desperation. Kaito, the most vocal of the group, spoke up.

"We have to play," Kaito said, his voice low and urgent. "We can't just sit here and wait to die."

But Ryota refused, his eyes flashing with anger. "No way, I'm not ready yet. You're rushing us, you want to kill us that badly and receive the cash prize?"

Taro tried to reason with him, his voice calm and measured. "We can just agree on a move, let's wait for the other groups. We'll go last."

But Kaito was insistent. "We can't wait, we have to act now. We can't trust anyone else to make the right move."

The argument continued, with the bullies shouting over each other. Akane's voice rose above the din, her eyes blazing with determination.

"We need to think about our own wishes," Akane said. "We can't just let Kaida's group get all the rewards."

Kaida, the class representative, called her group forward, including Shin. "Okay, guys, so I'll do paper. If you want all of us to survive, I suggest you guys also do paper."

Shin and the others nodded in agreement, their faces pale with fear.

Death, who had been watching from the sidelines, sidled up to Shin. "Round 2, this is going to be good, Shin. Of course, I don't have to tell you that choosing paper is a wrong idea, right?"

Shin's face sweated, and his body trembled as he replied, "I'll also do paper."

Death's voice was laced with disappointment. "Then you're going to die, Shin. I guess I'll have to start thinking of a new form of entertainment."

The song began, "Rock, paper, scissors..." The tension in the classroom was palpable as the students waited for the song to end.

Kaito, Ryota, Taro, Akane, and Sora looked at Kaida's group, their eyes filled with a mix of fear and desperation.

The song stopped, signaling the students to reveal their choices. Shin thought to himself, "Why should I care if Kaida and the others survive? I need to survive."

But then he thought about Kaida, the only person who had ever shown him kindness. With a shivering voice, he shouted, "I choose paper!"

He opened his eyes to see his hand in the paper position. He looked at Kaida's hand, and it was also paper. The other members of the group had also chosen paper.

The group erupted in cheers, relieved that they had all chosen the same move. Kaida jumped into Shin's arms, tears of joy streaming down her face. "Thank you, Shin, for believing in me!"

Shin blushed, looking aside. "No problem, Kaida."

The other group members congratulated each other, relieved that they had survived the round.

But their joy was short-lived. The voice spoke again, its tone cold and detached. "Congratulations to all the members of Kaida's group. You have survived, but since it was a draw, none of you get a reward."

The classroom fell silent, with one student from Kaida's team whispering, "Surviving is enough for us."

The voice continued, "Kaida, since you forced a draw and are the leader of this group, I shall grant you one wish. What is it that you want?"

Kaida thought for a moment before shouting, "I want the games to stop!"

Akane's voice rose above the din, her eyes blazing with determination. "We also want our wishes granted! It's not fair that only Kaida's group and Cole gets to make wishes."

The classroom erupted into chaos, with students shouting and arguing. The voice warned, "Please don't disturb us. This is your last warning."

Kaida's face fell, and she looked at Akane with tears in her eyes. "I wasn't thinking of myself, Akane. I just wanted to save everyone."

The voice replied, "Sorry, Kaida, but your wish is not humanly possible. So, I can't grant it. Is there any other wish that you might have?"

Kaida thought again before asking, "Okay, I want information. Why are we playing these games, and how can we stop them?"

The voice replied, "You are playing these games because my master chose you guys as the ones to play them. And the only way to stop the games is by winning them... or you can just kill my master, who I cannot reveal his details."

Kaito whispered to the other bullies, "So, they're just forcing us to play their dumb games."

Shin looked worried, his eyes fixed on the floor. Death appeared beside him, its voice dripping with malice. "So, master, are you enjoying the games so far?"

The voice replied, "The remaining 2 groups, please note you have 1 minute left."

The classroom erupted into chaos once again, with students shouting and screaming at each other. The tension was palpable, and the students were running out of time.

Akane's eyes locked onto Kaida's, her gaze cold and calculating. "You're not the only one who gets to make wishes, Kaida. We'll make our own wishes, and we'll make sure we get what we want."

Kaida's face fell, and she looked away, tears streaming down her face. Shin's eyes met hers, and he felt a pang of guilt and regret.

The voice sliced through the air, its tone dripping with malice. "I repeat, the remaining groups... please note that time is running out. You have ONLY ONE MINUTE LEFT. If you don't start your games RIGHT NOW, I will take it as a forfeit... and YOU WILL ALL DIE."

The classroom fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the terrified students. And then, Death's menacing laughter echoed through the room as wind but where the wind was coming from was unclear, sending chilills down the spines of everyone present... "HAHAHAHAHA!"