An incomplete reconstruction of SMPRonpa: Survival of the Fittest, from surviving screenshots.

Notes are in italicized blockquotes. Fragments are separated by line breaks, and [...] indicates missing text in a scene.

Some parts may be out of order. It is hard to place out of context screenshots.

Chapter separations, with the exception of Ch4P4 and GOOD MORNING, COOPER, are guesses.


SMPRonpa: Survival of the Fittest

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE: LAST ONE STANDING

(Chapter complete!)

He wakes up splayed out on the floor.

His neck hurts.

Where was he?

...Skateboard. That's the first thing that fills his head. Weird.

He blinks himself awake more. The more he blinks, the more fuzzy his head feels.

He was in bed, he thinks. He was in bed and then he wakes up here.

That was what happened, right?

His thigh aches. Probably fell on it wrong.

He can remember his name at least. It's Cooper, he remembers this the best- or, the least fuzzy.

Cooper sits up, mind empty. He looks around, massaging his temples. The room is varying degrees of purple, with a carpeted floor. A few couches are placed around the room. He looks up, and a purple banner with an odd white logo is scribbled over in black.

What's odd though, is the boy that's staring at him from outside the room, head peaked from the corner.

"...Excuse me? Hey, where- do you know where I am?"

The boy quickly draws his head back. Cooper goes to stand up, but his head fills with more fuzz. He clutches his head and sits back down, groaning in
pain. The boy comes back, his head back from the
corner. He waves at Cooper. Cooper doesn't wave
back.

"You- You woke up here like me, yeah?" His voice is soft.

Cooper nods. He feels queasy. The fuzz is getting to his mouth. It's dry, so dry, so are his eyes. If he could describe his condition right now, it would be "ass".

"Um- Who are you, huh?" The boy asks.

"Cooper." He replies.

"Travis," he replies, finally stepping away from the corner, his full self in the entrance of the room, "it's Travis."

"Alright Travis, can you tell me where the hell I am?" Cooper grimaces.

"Um- Looks like a convention hall to me. A big one. Ya know those... convention thingies? Yeah."

"I know what a convention hall is, dipshit." He bites back.

Travis looks cross for a brief second, but goes back to his original neutral, spacy expression.

"Alright- well, uh, maybe we should look for other people, Cooper." Travis suggests.

Cooper agrees, standing up and scrunching his face up at the headache the comes with. He heads out of what he can deduce as a lounge room, following this Travis guy around in an empty convention hall.

Not creepy at all.

As he passes a closed room, from around the corner comes a group of three. Small boy in a white mask looks generally uncomfortable. Guy in a suit with a red tie looks like he's on the verge of tears. He's weirdly sweaty. Guy in a suit with a blue tie looks pissed off.

"Excuse- Excuse me, gentlemen, but uh, where the fuck are we?! Connor, we were just about to hit it big! That company needed us, and you just HAD to check out what was in the bushes!"

"Oh, don't blame me Schlatt, those guys probably hated us from the start. Probably sent the hitman after us."

"The hitman-?! Oh god, is he here too?!"

Cooper sighs.

"Can you both save the banter for later? God- My head hurts, I feel hungover, I'm in an empty convention hall with a bunch of fucking strangers, the last thing I need to hear is loud guy numbers one and two bickering about a fucking business deal!" Cooper hisses.

"Uh. What he said. You woke up here like us, right?" Travis asks.

Schlatt goes to open his mouth, but boy in mask stops him.

"Yeah. Funny thing is, they took three of us at the same time. From what I've seen, looks like everyone else got here separately. You can call me Ty. Schlatt," He gestures to red tie man, "and Connor," He gestures to blue tie man, "are Ultimate Businessman and Business Associate respectively. I'm the Ultimate Intern. I'm assuming you two have talents?"

"...What?" Cooper inquires, rubbing his temples again.

Despite the mask, Cooper can tell Ty is looking at him funny.

"Talents, dummy. The thing you're the best at. Schlatt Co. is a very successful organization that they run, and that earned them their own titles. I'm just their intern. I get a keychain and everything." Ty hums, taking from his hoodie pocket and jingling said keychain.

"Huh." Cooper furrows his brow.

The first thing he thought of was skateboard.

"...Um. Ultimate- Ultimate Skateboarder." Cooper stammers.

Travis thinks for a second, tongue pressed outside of his teeth as he stands hard in thought.

"...I dunno. Don't think I got one. Oh- right. I'm Travis, this is Cooper." He points to the blonde beside him.

"Pleasure meeting you two. Perhaps we can strike up a deal later when you aren't busy. Would you be interested in a sponsorship, Mr. Cooper?" Schlatt offers.

Before Cooper can answer, Schlatt and his party walk off, Schlatt moving at a relatively slower pace than his other lackeys.

Still in general confusion, The pair press forward. Rounding the corner, they come to another locked room. Peeking inside, Cooper finds that this looks to be a computer room, with several PCs lined up as if it was a computer lab of sorts.

Cooper steps back and tries to jostle the handle of the room, but upon touching the knob, a shock runs through his body. He draws back in pain and yelps loudly, Travis turning to look at him with concern.

"Are- Are you alright? That sounded like a bad shock." He asks, approaching the blonde.

Cooper grimaces and flexes his hand. Still functioning, at least.

"Damn thing shocked me."

"You should be careful, then." Rings a deeper voice from behind him.

Cooper spins around and looks up.

The man with dark hair and glasses smiles. Blonde hair with glasses shoves his hands into his tricolor jacket.

"Sorry- Didn't want to startle you, uh. I'm Ted. This is..?"

“Oh. Carson. I’m Carson. Yeah.” Other tall guy responds.

“Alright, cool. Say, you guys got those Ultimate things?” Cooper asks, and Ted perks up.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m the Ultimate Commentator. Carson’s the Ultimate Comedian.” Ted gestures to Carson.

"I am the funny man." Carson deadpans, and Travis laughs.

"Alright, well we're gonna go look around some more. How many people do you think there are?" Cooper asks.

"Well, there's those Schlatt Co. guys, uh, these two dudes named Ryan and Altrive, and...-"

Ted gets cut off by the sound of a speaker turning on, the convention hall buzzing with the static. Cooper's head starts hurting again.

"Will everyone report to the main hall. Immediately." The robotic voice hums.

The speakers shut off, and Carson looks hopeful, almost.

"That- that could be the cops. Come on." The blonde heads off.

Ted follows after Carson, followed by Cooper and Travis as they round the corner. After walking for what, to Cooper, felt like forever, Carson perks up and stares ahead.

"Hey- The others. That's... Definitely a bit of people."

The group approaches, entering the main hall.

The hall itself was large and empty, stretching from one end of eternity to the next. The large space swallowed Cooper, and the metal plates covering the glass ceiling made the boy feel trapped. Like a bird in a cage, rattling his bars, he scoffs at the closed off windows. He blinks himself back to Earth, where everyone continued to talk over each other.

"I'm guessing you woke up here, too."
"Bro, this sucks ass. I'm going home."
"All the doors shocked me! What kinda hospitality is this?"
"I'll call my lawyers, this isn't funny."
"This is kidnapping! Actual fucking kidnapping!"

"Cooper, you alright?" Travis stares into Cooper as the blonde unfurls his fingers from his hair.

"...Yeah. Sorry. Too noisy for me, man." He grimaces. Travis nods.

"I can see you're all wide awake."

The speakers crackle to life once more, and the bright bulbs lining the hall all flicker to a dim orange. Out in front of the group marches a small figure, its janky robotic movements feeling off putting. The lights come back up, and the small figure's personal speaker crackles to life.

"You may call me Gure-Ga. Your supervisor for this game."

The grey moth-like robot waves at the group, and a boy with black hair and a surgical mask pipes up.

"Dude, what the fuck do you think you're doing?! Is this a joke? Huh? I'm not fuckin' laughing you little- you little onion fuck! I'll dismantle you myself and hang your limbs up on my wall, you goblin!" Mask boy yelps.

The moth only chuckles, clapping its tiny robot hands together.

"I like this. You're funny. We always love the funny ones for these types of games." It replies.

Boy in blue hoodie speaks next, fists clenched.

"Stop calling this a game, you sick fuck! You kidnapped like, sixteen of us for a game? A game?! Might as well bust out the game board and play us some Monopoly, funny man! Why are we really here?"

The moth stops clapping and tilts its head.

"...Alright. I guess I can't make this sound fun, can I? Okay, then."

Cooper can swear he hears the smile in its voice as it bounces, arms spread wide as if presenting something.

"You're all here for one reason, and one reason only; you will all kill each other. There isn't any hope of escaping unless someone dies!"

Cooper's head goes fuzzy again. He hears Travis wretch, and more cries and outbursts from the small crowd.

He stumbles back, clutching for something, anything.

Ted catches him and clutches his shoulders.

"This- This has to be a joke. This can't be real, you're bluffing!" Carson cries out, and the moth puts a hand on its face.

"It's real, funny man! Want an example? Hoohoo!"

From the wall, A TV flickers on. On the TV is the afermath of a previous game, several people laid bloody at the foot of a podium. One person looks to be impaled through the heart.

Travis vomits on his own shoes. Cooper's mouth goes cry. Ted offers a wordless cry of shock, and the boy in the white mask, Ty, looks particularly shaken up.

"That's fake! That's fake!"
"Holy shit, I'm gonna be sick-"
"Is that..?"
"It's real... It's so real, oh my god..."

"Alright! Calm down! Jesus, you're all making it less fun! Maybe explaining the rules will make all you children stop whining! Bleh!" The moth beeps.

On the TV, a list of rules scroll past as Gure-ga reads, its dead, reflective red eyes piercing into Cooper as he chases away that uneasy twinge in his gut.

"Rule one! Killing is so totally legal, but you cannot kill more than two people! Leave the fun to other people, too! Rule two, no assaulting the convention host! That's me! Hurting me results in death! Rule three, after a death has occurred, we will host a trial! What's a trial? Weeeell, you gather evidence, and after a short amount of time, you piece the evidence together and find the killer! Rule four! I can add more rules when I want, how I want! Hoohoo! Any questions?"

The moth is met with a stunned silence, before A boy in a yellow hat pipes up.

"...What- What happens to the killer? Do they get to go home?"

Gure-Ga cackles.

"Sure they get to go home! In a body bag! If he killer gets caught, they get eeeexecuted! Hoohoo! If they don't get caught, and you all vote someone else..? Well, let's say only the killer gets outta here alive! Mohohoho!"

Yellow hat gasps.

"N-No way! It's a lose lose situation, huh? Someone has to die no matter what? You sick bastard!"

Gure-Ga wags a finger, soulless eyes reflecting in the light.

"You coooould always just live here forever! Because there's no getting out until you kill! Hoohoo!"

I'm sure you have questions for me. Why are we here? Who the hell are you? Blah, blah, bl-"

Cooper clutches his head. He can feel Ted still gripped onto him, though it feels too hard. He's
shaking.

"Any more questions, don't be afraid to ask me! Mohoho! After all, I'm always listening!"

The moth bounces, and a hole in the floor appears, sucking the robot down underneath the floor. Guy with the surgical mask jumps at the opportunity to get in it, but he falls on solid ground as the hole disappears. He groans and rolls onto his back.

"Poke, calm down-"

"No! No, Sneeg, I won't! Why the fuck do I have any reason to calm down?! You saw what was on that TV, dude! We're all gonna fucking die here!" Mask boy, Poke, squeals, holding himself close.

Cooper's head stops hurting for a bit at this.

They really are gonna die here, aren't they.


CHAPTER 001: [...]

"Yeah, I got a question for you!" Poke yells.

Joko turns to him with a smug expression.

"What the hell kind of a name is Gure-ga, you fucking weeb? That's scuffed as shit!"

The room is silent. Ted has to choke back a laugh.


"Oh- We doing this? Okay, Charlie, Ultimate Punmaster. I guess you could say being here is pretty… killer. Ahaha. God, I don't wanna be here." The short blonde with glasses wrings his hands nervously.

"Puns are fucking stupid."

"Can it, Poke."

"Wilbur Soot! Ultimate Guitarist. Real nice to meet you all." The guy in the beanie grins.


Schlatt stiffens, and turns to the voice slowly. Cooper could almost hear a stone grinding noise as he moved. Behind Ted stepped out a tall individual with a red cape, pink surgical mask donned as well. He looked geared up, ready to fight at an instance.

"You can call me Techno. Ultimate Hitman."

Schlatt screams, and rushes to hide behind the significantly shorter Ty.

"He followed us! He- T-T-The fucking hitman followed us, Connor! He's gonna get us! He's gonna fuckin' get us, Connor! I want him gone!" He yelps. Ty only offers a mumbled "There, there."

Techno rolls his eyes.

"Being a hitman in a killing game... That's suspicion from the start." Gold mumbles.

Techno nods sadly.

"Yeah, I get it, I get it. I promise I won't hurt anyone. I'm an honest man, ya know. I don't go around murdering for the hell of it. That's illegal."

"Being a hitman in general is illegal!" Schlatt remarks.

"So is running a glorified exit scam." He shoots back, deadpan. Schlatt silences himself.

Cooper zones out of the following bickering between Schlatt Co. and Techno, and instead looks at the TV still turned on. Instead of the foreboding rules, a map of the first floor of the convention hall was shown, wth a small moth indicating a typical 'YOU ARE HERE' point. In this case, the group was located in the center of the hall. Separate [...]


"Miss me with that gay happy shit, pinky! I can't trust any of you!" Poke yells.


Altrive waves. "Ryan and I made pasta if you want some."

Cooper can't help but crack a smile as he sits down next to Travis, currently jamming pasta into his mouth. They could actually live in peace, if he thought about it. They could all just get along. Carson cracking jokes across the table, Sneeg and Poke going on about something he can't quite hear, Wilbur talking to Schlatt about a new song idea. The joyful crackling of hope in the air just puts a smile on Cooper's face.


CHAPTER 001 PART 2: BODY DISCOVERY

Gold is pinned against the wall by the neck with two large kitchen knives jabbed through each side, blood splattering the wall and his clothes. The room is in shambles, nightstand knocked over, walls scratched.


CHAPTER 001 PART 3: TRIAL AND EXECUTION

[...]

POKE: Whoever killed Gold gets my foot up your ass!

[...]

CARSON: I can vouch for him. I watched him fling himself into bed.

SCHLATT: And what did you do afterwards, hm?

CARSON: I, uh, went to bed. As you do.

SCHLATT: All right, all right...

SCHLATT: And where's that tri-color jacket of yours, Carson?

CARSON: ...

COOPER: ...

[...]

TRAVIS: Wait, what's going on? I'm confused.

CONNOR: Carson murdered Gold.

CARSON: I did not!

CONNOR: Oh really?

CARSON: Yeah!

[...]

This- This isn't funny, knock it off-

(I believe this is Charlie, but I don't have anything to back it up besides context clues.)

ANGEL: ...Charlie, did Carson really go straight to his room last night?

CHARLIE: …

CHARLIE: …No, but-

ANGEL: I rest my case.

GURE-GA: Have you all finally come to an agreement? In that case, it's voting time!

CARSON: No- You guys- You guys are wrong! Stop it! Stop it!

[...]

A slot machine comes up from the center of the floor. As everyone submitted their votes into the electronic tablet installed into the face of the podium, the slot machine buzzed louder and louder. As Cooper finally submit his last vote, the slot machine spun and quickly landed on someone's face. Carson looked on in absolute horror as his face appeared in all three slots. He had done it. And he was going to die.

"...I- I can't believe it." He chokes out, a hand covering his mouth.

"Carson? Why did- Why did you do it?" Ryan stammers, white knuckling the podium. His remaining eye looks angry, on the verge of tears.

"I- I thought it would fix things. I just wanted to- to go home. I just wanted to go home! Why can't I fucking go home?!" He sobs.

"Carson…" Charlie starts.

"Save it. God damnit, I thought by- by killing someone, I could just try and end the game. Maybe this was a bluff. So I- I snuck into Gold's room. I grabbed a couple knives from the kitchen earlier. He- He put up a fight. Got me good. I got him to the ground, though. Rest is history." He stops for a shaky inhale. His face grows more red the more he continues, the closer he gets to breaking.

"Got a lot of blood on my jacket. Had to burn it. Then, I just- just went back to sleep. I don't know, I don't know..." He sniffles.

Cooper can't help but feel his throat close a little.

"Gee, what a heart wrenching story! Lucky for you all, I got a perfect execution for the Ultimate Comedian!"

[...]

Carson's breathing starts to pick up. He backs away from his podium slowly, arms closed in on himself.

"You- You can't- Please- Please, I don't wanna die! I don't! I don't deserve this, I don't want to die! Don't do this to me!" He hollers.

[...]

Gure-ga flaps its wings, and it disappears into the floor. Carson stands there, vulnerable and sobbing, scanning the faces of the rest of his peers. From the floor, a chain clamps it-self around Carson's ankles, He's tripped, and scrapes at the ground as he's dragged off. The TV turns on again, showcasing the scene.

Carson was being dragged through a hallway, dragged far until the light at the end of the tunnel opens to a stage. Carson is then dragged to the stage and stood up in front of a microphone. Several Gure-Ga robots sit there in silence. Carson peeks to his left. A neon sign blinks "COMEDY NIGHT" into the cold, desolate silence. Carson shakily pushes his glasses up and starts telling jokes.

Every joke he tells, the robots simply get more and more angry at him.

"Uh... Wood fired pizza? How will pizza get a job now?" He chuckles uneasily. The robots begin to boo him. They chuck tomatoes at him, the rotten fruits thankfully not hitting him. However, as they hit the floor, they release a tiny explosion. Bombs, Carson realizes. More and more bombs are pelted at him, and Carson begins to have to jump out of the way of some bombs.

From seemingly out of nowhere comes a giant tomato, lobbed from the ceiling. It approaches Carson at a fast rate, and the boy squeezes his eyes shut. The bomb hits and the entire scene is blown to pieces. The camera recording is destroyed, and the remaining participants are left with a blank static screen.


CHAPTER 002: DIZZYING SECRETS

The video displayed him, Travis, and Carson, along with the bearded man from his tape. They were laughing, having a fun time at what looked like a convention. Cooper points the camera at Travis. He flushes and bats at the camera. Carson cracks a joke, and the group cackles. The video cuts off, and the same red text is displayed.

[...]

"What'? No, no, it's okay man. It's not that bad. It- It was a home movie. It was me, 'nd my mom and my sister. We were out back and mom was filming me killing spiders. Not as bad as you would think, y'know. We- We were laughing and stuff, 'nd my sister said spiders were gross, and I threw my slides at her," He giggles.


He lays underneath the smothering comforter for a while, contemplating once more why exactly he had a hand in this. He had inadvertently murdered someone, someone who was forced to murder with the prospect of returning home. Carson just wanted to go home.

He just wanted to go home.


"Damn. Hey- how about after you shower, i show you something cool on the second floor. You'll like it, I promise!" He smiles. Despite lacking an eye, the one not covered by the patch is almost sparkling with excitement.


“Cooper! Cooper, guess what! Wilbur’s doing a concert!” He grins. Cooper lets go of the door.

“Huh?” He mumbles, and Travis pushes a paper into Cooper’s hands.

The paper itself is blue and decorated in fish stickers, with ‘WILBUR SOOT PRESENTS: SUPER COOL MUSIC CONCERT’ printed in the center in bold. On the bottom is ‘Location: Concert Hall, Tomorrow at 6pm.’ printed in loopy cursive. Cooper snorts. Wilbur really took advantage of that computer lab.

object [...] gaze goes back to Schlatt, smirk growing wider.

"I don't want to have my partners try and convince you. You can partner with me at any time, Cooper. Just say the word." Schlatt extends a hand but Cooper swats it away, a hand still on his towel.

"Listen, Gay Slut," Schlatt's mouth hangs open, ready to make an obscene comment, "I really do not want to go through this. Go bother Wilbur or something. You seem to like to bother him, at least."

"Rude! I'm not gay, I am not! I love gay people, Schlatt Co. fully endorses gay people! Right Connor?"

Connor nods.

"Yeah! See? Schlatt Co. loves the gays, but I'm not gay! Get outta here, Cooper." He flushes angrily and stomps off, adjusting his tie. Connor and Ty follow.

Cooper just sighs heavily and walks back to his room to actually get out of the towel.

Cooper steps out of his room ten minutes later in a pair of jeans and a striped shirt. Thumbs looped in his front belt loops, he shuffles about. He could meet [...]

He looks to his right and Ryan is leaning against the wall idly peeling at a bandaid on his cheek. He smiles.


CHAPTER 002 PART 2: BURIED DEEP

[...]

"Huh? Open the door, Trav." He groans. Travis utters an "oh right" and pushes the door open.


Sometimes the ticking helped him forget what he was missing


Wilbur begins playing a song about squids as Cooper stares at the man on stage. Travis bobs along to the music, and Cooper just smiles. The whole idea of this was just… a good idea to Cooper. Sure, not everyone would come, and sure, if it wasn't for Travis he wouldn't be here, but this concert was mostly just to get his mind off the game. The game was messing with his head, admittedly, and this was able to ground him. He felt… actually safe.

Wilbur finishes his song, and the small group in the concert hall applaud.

"Oh, ah, thank you! This next one-"

The lights in the concert hall flicker, then turn off entirely. The remaining participants gasp and complain in various manners, but Cooper falls silent. The noises lull, and a thump is heard before Gure-ga chimes in through the announcements.

"A body has been discovered!"


CHAPTER 002 PART 3: BODY DISCOVERY

[...] impossibly cold air blasting him and swirling into the kitchen. His teeth already start to chatter. Cooper looks in from behind, and the distant smell of rust hits the back of his throat. Someone really had killed again.

Charlie was propped up in the corner of the freezer, blue in the face and stiff. His hair had been frozen over with blood still in his hair, and his eyes had been frozen shut by, presumably, tears. He was laying there, laying cold like a rag doll in a blood stained light green hoodie. Clutched in a frozen hand, blackened with frostbite, is a flyer for Wilbur's show.

Travis takes a step back in shock, gasping. His breath comes out in quick fogs as he curls into himself for warmth.


CHAPTER 002 PART 4: TRIAL AND EXECUTION

[...]

Cooper takes a mental note as the podiums rise from the floor once again. Where Charlie once stood is a portrait of him, like Carson and Gold, crossed out with a bright red X. He feels a little nauseated looking at them. Three people dead, and if they get it right, soon to be four people.

And yet he still can't get that dream out of his head.


WILBUR: Uh- well, where as in- um-

SCHLATT: Wilbur, you, uh, you got something to share?

WILBUR: ...


[...] me.

WILBUR: So- So I thought he was running the place. I knocked him out with one of the guitars hanging on a rack in my talent room. I looked through the computer files, and... And-

GURE-GA: I'm gonna stop you there! Wilbur killed Charlie, he threw him into the freezer and refused to listen to his cries for help! Charlie died alone and afraid in that freezer, aaaaall thanks to Wilbur! No more about these files! Vote, vote, vote!

The same slot machine rises from the center of the floor, whirring as the votes were submitted. The slots click noisily as all three of them slide to Wilbur's face. The guitarist just looks

[...]

“Wilbur..?! Wilbur, god fucking damnit! You idiot! I can’t believe this! You- You-?! You fucking killed Charlie? You..?” His anger slowly fades to dismay, the sharp features on his face softening into one of complete hopelessness.

"I- I'm really sorry, Schlatt. I- I commited a crime for no reason. Guess I'm a… a dirty crime boy." He smiles sadly.


CHAPTER 003: WHO ARE YOU REALLY


CHAPTER 003 PART 2: [...]

[...]

Travis comes back with a mug of ho [...]
Cooper was currently eating beans.
[...] look, and the pair leave the room, ta [...]

(The screenshot this fragment is from is very cut off.)


CHAPTER 003 PART 3: [...]


CHAPTER 003 PART 4: [...]

(Assumed to be BODY DISCOVERY?)

[...]

"Who screamed?"

"That was Schlatt."

[...]

Ryan and Altrive together in front of a large, medieval modeled building

[...]

The screen is black when he looks back at it

[...]

Ryan just gives him a look

[...]

Travis comes back with a mug of hot (...)
Cooper was currently eating beans. (...)
look, and the pair leave the room.

[...]

Connor lets out a choked sob, unable to stand there any longer. The man reaches for the rope and wrestles it away from Ty's ankle, loosening it and making the boy fall to the floor. He reels back and gasps, and both him and Schlatt dive for the intern's body.

Schlatt picks him up and clutches him close, fighting back tears. Cooper almost feels bad.

"Which one of you motherfuckers killed him! How old is he, huh?! Sixteen? One a' you killed a kid!" He hisses.

[...]

“Schlatt…” Angel starts, resting a hand on his shoulder
“No! Don’t fucking touch me-!! I’m going back to bed,


Cooper hops off the stage, followed by Travis and Ted, headed to Sneeg, crouched on the floor and holding something.

"Right by the door. Check it out." He lifts up a walkie talkie, and a blue sneaker.

"The sneaker was jammed in the door to keep it open, and the walkie talkie was right there next to the door. Someone lured Ty in here, and they used the walkie talkie, bet." Sneeg explains.

"That backs up the two person job theory I had." Ted chimes in.

Sneeg's eyes widen in slight confusion.

"Two people..? Why would you need two people to kill a kid?" Poke questions.

"Maybe Ty was a fighter." Sneeg answers.

"I guess. Hey, if there's a walkie talkie here, there should be another one somewhere, right? I'm gonna turn ths on-"

Static churns over the intecom, and Gure-ga cackles.

"Alrighty! Everyone please head to the main hall for our third trial! Chop chop!"

Sneeg looks up and grimaces.

"That was quicker than expected." He hums, but leaves the concert hall anyways.


CHAPTER 003 PART 5

CHAPTER 003 PART 5: TRIAL AND EXECUTIONS

[...]

GURE-GA: Altrive will be executed for the murder of Ty, but you will get to decide whether or not Ryan dies!


Ryan slips, and crashes through the support beams. Down he goes, crashing through wood and falling into a seemingly endless oblivion. Ryan tumbles to the ground below, and a sickening crash is heard as he hits the ground.

[...]

"Ohoho, I did say that he would live, didn't I? He's alive! He'll get here eventually, though.


CHAPTER 004: [...]

[...]

"Altrive. Where is he." He sniffles, staring hard into Cooper.

"A-Altrive? Ryan, he- Altrive was executed." Travis stands up and chimes in.

"What? B-But- I just saw him fall, I didn't- I didn't see him die. Did he get the same treatment as me? Did he? He- He can't be dead." He rambles, voice wavering.


CHAPTER 004 PART 2: GENESIS 3:5


CHAPTER 004 PART 3: [...]


CHAPTER 004 PART 4: BODY DISCOVERY

Cooper rushes downstairs to the bedroom hallway, nearly tripping on his own feet as he descends.

When he gets to the bottom, he’s surprised to find that he’s the first person to be there. No surprise, considering everyone would probably still be asleep this early.

He looks around and knocks on doors frantically, panting and shaking.

CHAPTER 004 PART 5: TRIAL AND EXECUTION

[...]

Cooper sighs, and walks ahead of the group. He can hear Travis from behind him, but continues forward.

"Coop! Cooper, are you alright? D-Don't worry about what was in Connor's hand, I'm sure it was just planted evidence! You- You do have an alibi, right?" Travis smiles.

"Uh… Well, I- I was out of my room. In the bathroom. I walk back, there's a body." He lies.

Travis' smile falters, but he nods.

"I believe you, Coop."


SCHLATT: …

SNEEG: Stop smilin', you piece of shit con artist.

[...]

TRAVIS: …

TRAVIS: …..

SCHLATT: Spit it out, Travis.

SCHLATT: After all,

SCHLATT: You know what you did.

COOPER: What…?

SCHLATT: Heh.

SCHLATT: You all thought I was /that/ upset about Connor?

[...]

SCHLATT: No it didn't, you ape.

SCHLATT: You're dying for my gain. Isn't that funny? Your skull's so thick, but you actually listened to me. Ha!

TED: You- You're bluffing. Travis would never do this!

SCHLATT: Oh, but he would. Last night, he and I made a deal. I told him Connor was forcing me to work for him. I cried and everything. He felt so bad, Cooper, you should have seen his face, he was crying and everything-

COOPER: You BASTARD!

SCHLATT: I told him that to end the game, Travis had to kill the mastermind. So, he did just that. I got the hair from Charlie's corpse. Did you know that poor bastard is still in the freezer?

COOPER: You're sick-!! You're sick!

SCHLATT: But I'm not getting punished. I'm a special case, unlike poor Ryan.

RYAN: Don't compare me to you! I- I hurt the kid, but at least I didn't pull some strings to get what I wanted!

SCHLATT: I didn't lay a hand on the victim, unlike you. Who was the one that slashed his arms? Who wrestled him to the ground? Who plotted the whole thing?

RYAN: ...

SCHLATT: I saw everything, Ryan. You're lucky the infirmary has a lock.

SCHLATT: Anyways, to the point.

SCHLATT: Traaaavis, poor Travis. He's dying for no reason! And he thought he was so noble!

TRAVIS: ...

SCHLATT: Cast your votes, you sorry sons of bitches. Look at what I can do to all of you. I'm at the top of the totem pole here. Don't you fucking forget it.

The votes came in slowly at Schlatt's command, the businessman standing tall at his podium.

Cooper could hardly breathe. Travis? Out of everyone, the one connection he has to the outside world, the boy he's been with since the beginning...

A man with blood on his hands.

His vision swims even as he casts his vote.

The slot machine slowly ticks to Travis' face, and the boy just hugs himself tight, sniffling.

Ted's staring daggers into Schlatt as the taller man circles Travis like a shark, grinning eerily.

"What a shame, Travis. You almost got out of here alive. But no, you had to step in and save Cooper. I thought you were smarter than that." He cackles.

"C-Cooper. Cooper, I'm so so-sorry, I'm sorry, pl-please- please don't me angry at me." He mumbles between heavy sobs.

"Trav-Travis, Trav, you- you stupid monkey, you s-stupid cro magnon, don't leave me like this." He heaves.

Travis says nothing, but grabs tight onto Cooper and bawls into his hoodie.

"Promise- Promise me you aren't gonna cry when I gotta go, okay Coop…?" Travis asks shakily.

Cooper nods into Travis' shoulder.


Both Cooper and Travis find themselves in a faux jungle-like setting. Travis was already dragged further into the bush, and by the time Cooper got out to the other side, Travis was already out of his sight.

"Travis! Travis?!" Cooper hollers, and rushes further into the jungle.

Travis lands in the middle of the jungle setting, the dirt and mulch scratching his knees and he shakily gets up. He looks around, and can faintly hear Cooper from the entrance. He must be further away. Before getting the chance to move, Travis can spot movement in the bushes.

A small robotic monkey hops out of the underbrush.

Cooper continues to rush into the plantscape, scratched by branches and sharp leaves.

"Travis! Travis, can you hear me?! Travis!"

Travis waves at the monkey. The robot growls and bares its teeth, hissing and jumping towards Travis. It stops at his ankles, and opens its mouth. A deafening screech sounds, and Travis covers his ears. He can spot more monkeys flooding into the dirt clearing.

Cooper can hear the screech as it bounces off of the trees and walls. He whips his head around and trudges forward to where he thinks the sound came from.

Robotic monkeys clocking in at the hundreds soon enter the clearing, some climbing on top of each other, some falling from the trees. Either way, Travis was surrounded. He whimpers, and the monkey at his feet makes the first move, sinking its teeth into Travis' leg. He yelps in pain, and the monkeys make their move.

Cooper hears Travis yell and breaks into a full blown sprint. He can start to hear monkeys howling and screeching.

Monkeys begin to scratch at Travis, clawing at his back and biting hard into his arms. He shakes a few off, but for every few he gets off of them, ten more appear to maim him. He sobs as one bites into his side.

"C-Cooper-!!"

Cooper couldn't be running faster. The noises are closer.

Travis can spot someone barreling towards him.

Cooper finally makes it into the clearing, and punts a monkey out of his way. It goes flying. Cooper makes eye contact with Travis and he smiles, before picking up and throwing monkeys. Travis attempts to do the same, but he trips and falls into a particularly loud group of robots.

A monkey hops up Cooper's back and drags its claws across his face. Cooper screams and shakes the monkey off.

Blood drips into Travis' eyes as monkeys start tearing the skin from his forehead. He shrieks in pain. He can barely feel his own tears on his face.

Cooper stomps through the monkeys, and Travis' desperate cries begin to slowly die down. The monkeys begin to slowly thin out as Cooper approaches, and when the blonde gets to Travis, he quickly hoists the boy up.

"Tr- Travis, Trav, c-c'mon, we need to go-! You're okay, let's go, let's-"

"C-Cooper."

Travis gurgles with his dying breath as blood fills his mouth. With shaky legs, he slips out of Cooper's grip and onto his knees. Looking up at Cooper with tears and blood in his eyes, he smiles.

A monkey had clamped down onto his neck, ripping out his jugular.

Travis collapses to the ground, twitching and gurgling, before dying with a small smile on his face.

The monkeys completely dissipate as Cooper begins to wail.


CHAPTER 005: DARKER AND DARKER


CHAPTER 005 PART 2: [...]


CHAPTER 005 PART 3: [...]

(BODY DISCOVERY, perhaps?)

[...]

"You know where Techno went?

"Oh, he's in the cafeteria. He wanted coffee,"

[...]

After all, taking down a hitman is a hard thing to do.

Because here Techno is, the hitman slouched over on top of the table. A belt was left looped tightly around his neck, his face blue and pale. On his back, a large dusty footprint. Clutched in his hand, an empty coffee cup. A small plate was shattered on the ground, and the coffee was spilled out onto the table and floor. A clean knife hung loosely in his other hand.

Cooper feels sick.

[...]

"He was bound to die. The strongest always fall. They can never keep themselves up forever, you know. Maybe he let himself die." Schlatt remarks.


CHAPTER 005 PART 4: [...]

[...]

Schlatt's blood staining his hands. He had punched hard into Schlatt's nose. He could hear a satysfying crunch as his fist made an impact.

[...]

"Cooper, what in the actual FUCK are you doing-?!"

[...]

"Cooper, you can't do things like this. Your friend died, we've all lost someone here at some point. You- You need to cope with this shit in a healthy manner. Strangling people isn't the fucking answer, dude." Ted laments bitterly.

"Tell that to Schlatt. His intern died, and all the sudden he's gone batshit evil bitch mode." Cooper scoffs.


"Oh… It felt awful. I- I hurt someone. I don't ever want to do that again. I- I caused two deaths. I felt so guilty, Cooper. I was so close to dying. Falling through that… I- I can still feel the breaking of my- of my bones. I don't- I just don't want to get hurt again. I don't want anyone to get hurt anymore." His voice shakes

[...]

Something pushes Cooper out of his bed, scratching wildly at the stitched cut under his nose. The blood was under his fingers now. Unclean. Filthy.

Ryan looks at him in confusion. He says something. Cooper can't hear him. There's blood rushing in his ears.

Something itches in him to stop what he was going to do, but a stronger force pushed his hands towards Ryan. Something pushed his hands around Ryan's neck. He couldn't even react.

Was this despair? Pure, unfiltered delusion? He couldn't tell anymore.

All he could tell was that Ryan was struggling to breathe now.

[...]

"Listen, Cooper, Ryan may be fuckin' crippled, but you're off the fucking goop. Until you calm down from being batshit crazy, you're gonna hang in here. No exploring, no looking for answers, no nothing. You're staying right here." Ted explains, and Cooper rolls his eyes.

"Sure, dad." He mumbles.

Ted opens his mouth to argue, but he stops, pressing his lips together as his cheeks flush slightly.

[...]

"I-It's fine, Cooper. I understand why you would be that emotionally distraught. And- And I know you won't do it again. Right?" He smiles weakly.

"Yeah... I- I don't want to do that again." He nods.


[we're almost to the end guys! about 5 more chapters to go!!! tysm for 6k reads and #1 in tednivison! the fact that theres genuine interest in this story means so so much to me <333 remember to vote!!]

49 20 53 45 45 20 59 4f 55 2e 20 59 4f 55 52 45 20 53 4d 41 52 54 2e 20 49 42 43 4f 52 52 45 43 54 2c 20 42 55 54 20 53 4d 41 52 54 2e 20 3a 2d 29 2e 20 53 45 45 20 59 4f 55 20 53 4f 4f 4e 2e


CHAPTER 005 PART 5: TRIAL AND EXECUTION

[...]

POKE: If you even think about suspecting me, I have an alibi. I was showering before I came down here.

SNEEG: I can vouch for him. I kinda accidentally walked in on him. This bastard squealed like a little girl.

POKE: You shut your mouth!


CHAPTER 006: [...]

'WE EXPECTED YOU, COOPER.'
'THANK YOU FOR VIEWING.'
'TELL ME, COOPER,'
'WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?'

[...]

(Unreplicatable glitch text from the original story has been replaced with REDACTED)

It's funny, how things change so quickly.

Because here he is, driving down a highway with his friends. With Twitchcon being right at their heels, they were all reasonably abuzz. [REDACTED] being at wheel going off about something, himself in the front seat with his head resting wordlessly on the windowsill of the car, [REDACTED], [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] all generally enjoying themselves in the backseat. [REDACTED] cracks a joke. He breaks into a smile as he yawns.

The soft humming of the road beneath them and the reflective white lines on the asphalt hypnotise him into a half-sleep, despite the noises coming from the three in the back.

[REDACTED] says something. He doesn't hear him. The humming gets louder in his ears.

He can hear the noise quiet down in the back. The car pulls to the side and slows. [REDACTED] gets out.

He can hear him screaming, a deep "holy shit, that's a body!" coming from outside.

[REDACTED] nudges him out of his half-sleep. He blinks himself to consciousness

[...]

'YOU'RE SMART,'
'I LIKE THAT.'


CHAPTER 006 PART 2: THE THANATOS DRIVE

The mastermind himself grins widely, and the survivors stare him down with mixes of anger and fear.

Schlatt goes to say something, but ultimately doesn't in the presence of his superior.

[...]

Sneeg bends down and pulls his pant leg up. There, in his sock, is a bulky object. Pulling it out reveals a sheathed switchblade. Sneeg flips the blade around and jabs it towards Schlatt.

“See you in hell, you slimy motherfucker.”

With that, Sneeg rushes for Schlatt, knife clutched in hand.

Nobody attempts to stop him, and Schlatt simply stands there, blanched.

Sneeg’s rushed right in front of him, and is about to swing the blade down right into Schlatt’s shoulder when a shot rings out. Angel shrieks.

Sneeg stops and drops the knife, shaking. A hand flies to his chest, already soaking with rusted red.

He chokes once, twice, and falls to his knees.

“See- you in h-hell.” He gurgles, the falls flat on his face in front of Schlatt’s feet.

Sneeg had been shot through the heart.

The odd thing is though, Cooper can’t locate where it came from. He looks around, and Ted seems to think the same thing.

[...]

"I'd like to first congratulate you on making it this far. Truly, according to the script, I didn't expect Schlatt to survive, but hey, going off book isn't always a bad thing."

"Ah well. You'll have questions for me, I'm sure. You must be dying to see me. After all... 'Til death do us part, Cooper."

The man winks, and the TV shuts off.

Cooper can hear walking from behind him, and the group turns to look behind them.

There, at the staircase...

Joko.


CHAPTER 006 PART 3

CHAPTER 006 PART 3: GOOD MORNING, COOPER

The moths here prior are not wheeling in a screen of Ryan. Instead, Cooper can spot Ryan clutching onto a wheelchair for dear life as the moths bump him down the stairs. No ramp, no elevator, nothing. Just the moths wheeling him down while the construction planner seated in there has a religious experience. It's almost comedic.

[...]

"Well? What more do you want from me, huh? You cracked the case, Cooper! Woo hoo, great for you! You little shit, you saw right through me! I bet it was those tapes, huh? Those idiots don't know how to cut footage, do they? Pheh! How ironic, considering y-"

A gunshot.

Blood seeps through Joko's shirt. He rocks a bit in his place before falling onto his side.

Behind him, someone steps out from the darkness. Cooper's stomach drops. He can hear Ted gasp.

It's them. The real mastermind.

And finally, the show can begin.

[VIDEO LINK - "good morning"]

(The video freezes at the end. As far as I'm aware, there is no existing version of the video that does not freeze. The only other surviving copy is cut off where it freezes.)


"C-Carson-?!" Cooper hollers.

"Holy shit... You- You fuckin' madman..." Ted refuses to look into Carson's eyes.

"Carson- You- Carson, your fuckin' face- did th-"

"The bomb? Yeah, you didn't think I got away completely unharmed, did you? That bomb really went off, you know! Obliterated the whole studio, too... And poor old me, the side of my face! Gyehah!" The mastermind cackles, clutching the scarred side of his face.

[...]

"...Prince Zuko lookin' headass." Poke mumbles.

"What was that?"

"I said, Prince Zuko lookin' ass! You expect


“Just what in the hell are you going on about!” Ted yells, now staring down Carson with a darkened expression.

“I mean… That I’m just the accomplice.”

"Cooper's the mastermind you're looking for. I'm just his right hand man in this project."


Come here, Cooper."

"You can't- You can't do that to me! You can't!"

"Of course I can! After all, we both go down together with this. 'Til death do us part! Oh, don't give me that look."

"You can't, stop it, stop it-!!

"Hold still."

The TV buzzes to a stop and shuts off.

Everyone turns to look at Cooper with varying degrees of shock, sadness, and rage.


CHAPTER 006 PART 4: [...]

[...]

"Tell your sob story to the audience and see how they feel." He winks.

Ted looks down at his podium, to Cooper, to Carson, to the TV, and back to his podium in confusion.

"So- So these fans are voting, too?" He asks.

"Yeah! I figured 'cause they adore you and all, they would love to decide who gets to die! Isn't that something?"

Cooper only hopes that his case didn't entirely go unheard.


YOU HAVE 24 HOURS TO VOTE. YOU HAVE UNTIL NOV. 16TH, 11PM EST TO VOTE. THIS WILL DETERMINE HOW THE STORY ENDS. http://www.strawpoll.me/18948811


BLACK ENDING

[...] confusion. Cooper looks to the mastermind, then up at the TVs.

[...] A thousand votes. And almost all of them black.

They really did listen

He exhales a sigh of relief, and as he looks back at the survivors he feels Carson’s red hot gaze against his neck.

“You… They really believed you? Huh? They want me to die after all, pheheh…”

His eyes trail to the floor. He looks almost defeated. Upset.

Quickly, his expression changed, and he jolts back up, hands on his hips and a sick grin plastered on his face like before.

“Huahahaha! You idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot! You can’t kill me that easily! Wrong fuckin’ choice! Hahaha! You seem to forget Schlatt works for me! He has to! Gyehahaha!”

The mastermind points at Schlatt, who just grimaced, lips pulled back in an angry snarl.

“Hehaha! I had him vote against you! I had him vote for your death! He has to! He fucking has to, the damn grunt! Noooow, you get to die! Hehaha! The lowly protagonist finally gets karma back at him! What a champ! What a show!”

[...]

Ryan looks at the screen, and then back at Carson. He smirks.

"...You might want to check again."

Carson does a double take and looks at the screen. His eyes widen.

"What... the fuck."

"...At least I did one good thing before I have to go out." Schlatt growls.

All of the votes were for black.

Schlatt didn't vote for Cooper.

They win.

Carson stares at the TV in dismay, deflated and full of rage.


[...] what I did? I avoided the fate you wanted most for us, Carson. I stopped you. I threw myself under the bus to keep you from hurting anyone anymore. You’re powerless.” Schlatt stalks forward, but stops to look at Cooper.

“Cooper. The exit to this game is through the morgue. There’s an entrance under the freezer that nobody ever seemed to find. If you feel around, there’s a lever. Open it, go into the morgue, and there should be a tunnel. Go into the tunnel, make a right, and leave. Do not look back.” He instructs.

“The freezer..? Charlie’s still in there, you know.” Poke mumbles. Schlatt nods quietly.

“I’m going to say this once. I’m sorry, everyone. You don’t need to forgive me for the things I’ve done.” Schlatt stares down the survivors cooly, calmly.

Schlatt then turns to Carson with an expression one can only describe as a feeling of raw hate. Of someone so enraged, they’re willing to die to get back at someone. And that’s exactly what he’s doing.

“Game over, Carson King.” Schlatt throws a punch right into Carson as the wall opens up behind them, a chain shooting out to grab their ankles. The pair are dragged off, Carson with a shriek and Schlatt with a powerful yell.

The TVs flicker on, and Carson, ironically is found back on the same stage he supposedly died on. [...]


Everything Schlatt has ever done here felt connected, cold and calculated. The Schlatt that these people wanted him to be. In his last moments, Cooper feels, he can see what he was. Under all of that precise sadism that was reprogrammed into his head, Cooper sees the courageous and selfless aspects. A man that just wanted to help everyone the only way he knew how.

[...]

Schlatt shuts his eyes again and straightens his posture, sighing. Dignity. He goes out with dignity.

[...]

[...] fourth sandbag drops, the rope tightens around his ankle. Carson’s dragged back and up quickly, and is suspended above the stage by his ankles. His arms flail, looking around. In the back row of the audience, Carson spots several tomatoes. Is this it? A callback to his fake out? Great..

“...If you’re going to kill me, take me out in one shot. Overkill is for cowards.” Schlatt calls out. Nobody answers. A sharp pain comes from his thigh. He looks down, and a small spike had jutted out from the wall and impaled his thigh. So that’s what the dots are for.

Carson yells in frustration as the first tomato hits. Not a bomb, but just as humiliating. The tomatoes hit him at a fast pace, and he spits out juice as one hits him square in the mouth. Disgusting. He blinks tomatoes out of his eye and groans. He can hear rustling behind the curtain.

More spiles behind to impale Schlatt in nonfatal areas, the traitor so much as not uttering a word. A spike goes through his hand. He says nothing but grunts in pain.

The tomatoes stopped hitting him, thankfully, but Carson arches his head to spot what was happening. The curtains behind him rustle.
Without warning.

A spike pierces Schlatt’s chest.

A large object comes from behind and pierces Carson’s stomach, going through and skewering him.


His head swims as he pops in Carson’s tape, and is only met with distorted footage. The tape ejects itself, oddly enough. The same with


EPILOGUE [BLACK]

He smiles, and points upwards again. The TVs switch on. On the screen, several posts began to scroll across the TV. All over, posts praising the game would pop up. Remarkably, they would be accumulated in mostly on one website, with posts ranging in the hundreds supporting the game and the survivors.

[...]

"Yeah. Through that door, I can assume." Angel points off to the wall.

A large black door is propped open with a door stopper, and inside is a dimly lit hallway.

Cooper can hear a door open from behind him and he whips around, fist raised. Ted turns around, wary of Charlie, and Poke and Angel start to yell threats to whatever, or whoever was coming out from a wooden door placed under the staircase.

"Whoa-! I- I wasn't expecting visitors, uh, so soon, too. The game's over, right?"

There in the doorway, swaddled in a large white lab coat, wringing a pair of robotic appendages nervously, is Charlie.

Charlie, the man previously thought to have died in the freezer.

Cooper almost faints on the spot.

"Ch-Charlie?! Holy shit, we- we thought you were dead!" Angel yells. "Yeah! Wait- you aren't- this isn't like what Carson pulled, right? You aren't some big bad mastermind, right?" Ted squints.

"Huh? No, actually. Sure, I- I kinda sold out to Carson, but I didn't want to, you know! The first night I was here, he just kinda showed up in my room and went 'okay, get information on these people or I'll kill you. now fake your death.' Crazy, right?" He chuckles, anxiety dripping from every word he spoke.

"I… Well, can you at least explain yourself?" Cooper asks.

"Oh, gladly. So, uh, I almost died from hypothermia. That's not- uh- not a good thing. I guess because Carson wanted me to work for him, he saved me..? My hands were all fucked, though. Like, no saving them. He got rid of them, because they were so frostbitten. Now I got sick ass robot hands. I'm like the Terminator, dude!"

"...Can we put him back in the freezer." Poke deadpans.

"Jeez, no need to be so cold." Charle pouts. Cooper almost chuckles.

"Great. So you've been hiding out here?" Ryan asks.


He smiles.

"We did it, Travis. We finally got the mastermind. It's over, dude. I- We- Y- We can finally go."

His chin quivers.

[...]

"I need to go, Travis, but- but I'm never going to forget you. Never, not anymore. Nobody will be in my head anymore, and nobody's gonna make me forget you."

"I'll see you sometime, Trav."

Cooper pushes the body tray back in, and straightens his back, he heads to the door and slowly steps foot into the hallway. About ten feet ahead is the rest of the survivors, including Charlie, waiting.

Cooper gives a smile and clears his throat.

"Let's get a move on."

The group move down the hallway, and Cooper follows after. Charlie says a pun, and the group ripples with laughter.

Cooper's further down the hallway when he turns around to look at that place of demise one last time.

He swears, he swears he can see someone with curly hair looking back at him, giving a small little wave as he leaves.

He waves back this time.


WHITE ENDING

"...Because nothing you think is real. What you believe yourself to be is not real. All you really are is something people want you to be."

[...]

"What if these warped version of yourself... Were yourself? I spiraled, tried to figure this out myself. Well, I had done it, after months of planning. What better way to put a personality in someone's head then to take what's been given by fans and put it in your head? It took a while to perfect, but I had managed to wipe almost any traces of your former self, and instead twist yourself around to a point where you're almost someone else entirely! The fans love you!" Carson stops to breathe, inhaling sharply and laughing.


Travis... He was so hopeful. He was accepting of his fate, he was worried, he wanted Cooper, he wanted him to come save him. It was almost pathetic. It felt forced, how close he was to him. It felt forced upon him, but he can't help but let hot tears roll down and off his face at the thought of seeing the last bit of warmth drain from his eyes.

Carson, on the other hand. Carson felt so... angry. A once kind and gentle man spiraled into appeasing a fanbase. That could've been any of them, Cooper thinks. Carson was angry, he was angry and sad and driven to madness with trying to please a crowd. Desperate. This isn't the real Carson, Cooper thinks. The real Carson was still there, but buried. Maybe they had a chance to save that...


[...] behind the curtain, and Carson’s breath hitches. He looks down. A harpoon. He’d been harpooned.

He looks back up at the camera with an intense fire behind his eyes. Blood dribbles out from the side of his mouth. He squeezes his mouth shut, and then vomits out blood. His collar starts beeping quickly, before the light turns red.

“Goodnight, Cooper”

The collar tightens, and Cooper can hear metal unsheathing from it. Spikes. Spikes in the collar. Carson’s neck had been impaled, and he shakily falls to his knees before keeling over to the side.

Cooper’s eyes widen. He lets out a scream, a raw scream filled with fear as his collar begins to beep. The light turns red.

Sharp, burning pain from everywhere. He can’t breathe.

He can’t breathe.

He lets out a pathetic squeal as the last of his air leaves his lungs, eyes spilling over warm tears.

Blood fills his mouth, fills his nose and drips down his face. Blood gurgles out of his mouth, and he holds his head high before going limp.

Everything goes spotty, before Cooper’s vision finally goes black.

Edit

Pub: 24 Aug 2021 04:03 UTC

Edit: 29 Aug 2021 23:09 UTC

Views: 1007