50 | banquet; children's unrest

A methodical knock on the door woke the slumbering people inside from their deep unconscious.

[The Story 'Sleeping Beauty' had opened!]

The announcement echoed distantly in the sleeping minds.

Lucas slowly parted his eyes, the sleepy white gaze staring into darkness, feeling a hard platform under his bed, and itchy fabric grazing over the top of his body. Frowning, he groggily pushed himself up, pulling off the ragged blanket.

His eyes adjusted to the room, making out a dozen beds laid out in two rows, facing each other. A large window at the end with a rounded top and regal designs stood, but they could see nothing through it.

As if it were blocked up by a cluster of thick... rope? He moved closer to the window, placing his fingertips on the glass.

No, they seemed to be prickly vines, layered over each other.

The knock comes again, in a more aggressive fashion, in three subsequent thuds. It makes the door creak loudly, filling up the room with soft breathing.

The small and curled up figures in the bed rose, blinking with both confusion and fear in their wide eyes. Some children trembled, shaking with horror as they swung their head to the man standing at the end of the shadowed room.

Lucas stared back, dressed in a loose-fitted white blouse and black pants, calmly raising a finger to his lips in warning.

In the darkness, he appeared as both a saviour and a demon.

Rome was the first to collect himself, having experienced several stories in the past. He pursed his lips as he looked around before asking, "Mister, should I open the door?"

The three orderly knocks rapped once more.

Whoever stood on the other side had no intention of leaving.

Lucas shook his head. "No, I'll open it. Stay in your beds and listen to my instructions carefully. Do not go anywhere alone—is that understood?"

In the bed closest to the door, a gloomy teenager roused from his sleep, glaring deeply at the adult standing at the end. He climbed out of bed, ruffling the hair of a particularly shaken boy, before nodding at Lucas.

Lucas and the youth shared another brief nod. "Has the Story been ongoing since before I arrived?"

After all, he was one of the last to enter the Story.

However, the gloomy and pale boy shook his head before hoarsely saying, "...I believe... there is a minimum... requirement to start..."

"I see. Then, I'll open the door. Be prepared to run or fight if you want to survive."

He noticed several churn at his words, eying him with wariness as if suspecting he could also be a ghost in the Story. That couldn't be helped—the children all knew each other from the hospital, but he was a mere stranger.

The youngest of the children seemed to range from 7 to 15, with the sickly teenager being the eldest of the group, aside from Lucas.

"Wahh...! N-no... no, I'm scared! I don't wanna!" screeched a brown-haired boy, wailing in complaint and terror after trying to bottle it up. He sobbed, snot dribbling profusely from his scrunched nose and mixing with blobs of tears.

His sudden outburst seemed to be a catalyst as several others welled up with tears, letting out intense, ugly cries.

Knock, knock, knock!

The wailing grew louder at the thumps on the door.

Lucas blinked slowly, before walking up to the boisterous blonde-haired boy who had cried first, face impassive. The gloomy teenager tensed, watching cautiously.

There were plenty of adults who hated crying children, resorting to violence or abuse to threaten them. Especially in a life or death game, the levels of patience would reach startling lows.

However, the adult didn't raise a hand or scold the boy, who continued to cry.

Lucas dropped to one knee, forcing the little boy to meet his clear eyes. The child wasn't sure why, but staring into the calm expression void of any impatience or panic made him also feel calm, his sobbing gradually subsiding.

"What's your name?"

The boy choked, smacking his lips together as he sniffled. "...Berry."

"Berry." repeated Lucas, once aloud and ten times more in his head so he wouldn't forget. "You want to go back to the hospital with all your big brothers and sisters here, don't you?"

"Mn..." The child nodded.

"Then, do you think crying will get you back?"

"...no."

"How about this? If you can be a good boy, then I will promise to help you all back to the hospital. You want that, don't you?"

The boy sniffled once again, but nodded quickly. Lucas' questions had made the child think and regain a sense of clarity, bringing him to the priority of escaping with all his friends from the hospital.

With a shaky and chubby hand, he held out a small pinky. "Pinky promise?"

"....." Lucas stared blankly, having never made a promise like this before. He blinked, then raised his own slender pinky and wrapped it around the other. "Pinky promise."

The boy giggled through his tears, smiling brightly. "Okay!"

Lucas nodded in satisfaction at the answer, prepared to turn around and answer the door. Most of the other children had listened into the conversation, their eyes changing from caution to great and sparkling dependence.

The quiet man's eyes dimmed slightly. The reason he'd promised to only help, but not to bring them all back, was because he couldn't be certain of the outcome.

The amount of bloodshed in most Stories was beyond imaginable. The last Story had been lucky, with only three participants that all survived.

Gloominess clouded his face. If he failed to protect all the children... well, there was nothing he could do, except be more careful, and to not act recklessly.

Then, when he turned, a small hand clung to his clothes.

Lucas looked down at the tight, relentless grip. "....."

The boy looked up with shining eyes, stretching his arms wide. "Can you carry me, big mister?"

"......"

Had he ever carried a little child before? No, not really. He'd spoken to kids before, and observed how parents taught their children, which allowed for basic interaction.

But carrying? That was something beyond his knowledge.

He suddenly felt a crisis more alarming than the knocks coming from the door. If he didn't agree, would the child start crying again?

What would that doctor, Kane, do?

He seemed to be good with little children, considering he was a doctor that cared for them. If he had a little brother, he'd probably be the doting sort of older sibling.

Lucas fell into a distracted daze at his wandering thoughts.

Finally, the teenager moved towards Berry, lifting the boy up with bony limbs, rubbing the child's hair. "I'll... carry you for now... Berry."

Berry peered at Lucas with some reluctance, before deciding he liked this older teenager too, and wrapped himself around the older boy like a clingy koala.

Lucas let out a hidden sigh of relief, walking over to the door.

His hand rested over the handle just as three more knocks pounded, growing louder each time, but never losing its meticulous beat. There was nothing in the room that could be used as a weapon.

However, he could open a peeking crack and slam it closed if anything terrifying waited behind. His reflexes should be fast enough... it was a matter of what they should do if they were unable to leave the room.

Glancing back at the empty room lined neatly with beds, he didn't think there were any clues inside. Not to mention, the Story's announcements hadn't fully arrived yet.

Perhaps they had to leave the room for the objective to be revealed?

Thinking about that, Lucas twisted the handle decisively. Through the dark and narrow slit that opened, half a white face appeared. Lucas' grip tightened, prepared to slam the door before the face spoke.

"Please make your way to the dining room."

The voice robotic and dull, without a trace of vitality. Lucas stared deeply, dragging the door wider. Momentarily stunned by the ghastly appearance of the butler, with skin flaking and as white as a sheet, blue veins vivid under thin skin.

Dark bags hung under sunken eyes that didn't reflect any light. The butler's posture was already abnormally straight and stiff, like he'd been arranged into that position.

"Please take a step back. You're in my personal space." He said bluntly, watching as the corpse-like butler obediently heeded his words.

The butler repeated statically, "Please make your way to the dining room."

"You're ugly. Are you dead?"

"Please make your way to the dining room."

"If I beat you up, will I face repercussions?"

"Please make your way to the dining room."

Lucas itched to test out his theory, beating up this corpse-like figure to see if that forced the objective to be announced, or to confirm whether this man was alive or dead.

Unfortunately, there were 11 children staring at the adult standing at the door with wide, watching eyes. It wouldn't be good to influence violence into naturally chaotic children... Lucas sighed as he held himself back, remaining impassive.

Pausing, he noticed something. All the children here were male, when he'd definitely seen some little girls in the same creepy, smiling state.

Were they located in another room?

He glanced over at the teenager. "We'll leave in a group. I'll stay in the front, and you monitor the back. Shout if anything happens."

With a sluggish and gloomy glance, the teenager nodded.

Lucas considered staying in the back of the group to watch over the children, but temporarily, the butler was the most suspicious. While he believed in his ability, he couldn't break through the gathering of children before the butler could kill somebody.

The teenager nodded again sluggishly. "...name is... Will."

"My name is Lucas." replied the man out of courtesy as he swung the door wide open and took a step down the bleak hallway.

Rome hurried to the front of the group, standing beside Lucas with an alert vision, similar to a little puppy following his owner around. Lucas glanced sideways at Rome's eyes lit up despite his calm expression.

"....."

He really didn't remember doing anything to make this child that attached to him. Regardless, it was good if the children listened to him obediently.

The flickering flame held out by the butler was the only source of light, illuminating the small space around him. Cobwebs lined the corners, and the wallpaper was worn and peeling.

Outside, the trees creaked and creatures of the night howled in the whistling wind. The crescent moon hung low in the sky, dim from the clustered clouds.

The sinister and empty atmosphere made one's heart naturally beat faster, frosted with a chill that couldn't be warmed. The shuffling footsteps filled the soundless air, mixed with the occasional sniffle or sob from the children.

Their bare feet crossed the dry oaken floors, wearing similar sleepwear that comprised a loose, long-sleeved blouse and black pants.

Before a tall set of doors, the butler stopped. He raised the flame, gesturing to the ringed black handles. "You may enter."

Lucas watched as the butler stepped to the side, moving his unblinking stare to a faraway distance. No matter how he waved his hand or moved, the butler didn't flinch. Therefore, he gave up and directly tugged at the heavy ring on the door.

A gust of freezing wind blew past them as both doors opened on command, beholding a giant and old dining table filled to the brim with a buffet of food and dim candlelights.

At the very end, a tall and skinny woman sat with sunken, wide eyes. She waved a bony and pale hand. "Please, take a seat."

Her words flowed like an alluring command, snaking into one's ears. As if they were alive, the chairs screeched against the ground, pulling away from the table to welcome the guests.

Lucas tensed involuntarily as the woman smiled without blinking, lips fresh with a bloody hue. His stomach lurched with rolling waves, a heavy stone dropping in his guts.

In reality, she would be considered incredibly beautiful, a once in the lifetime wonder that would naturally attract many stares. However, coupled with her unchanging smile and the dark gloom in the room, she appeared eerie and frightening.

Lucas couldn't look away from her eyes; her two green pupils stood stark against the white of her skin.

She repeated once again in a chilling and sweet voice, "Please, take a seat."

Shadows scattered on the ground, deformed shapes scampering away and rustling under the dragging tablecloth.

Compelled by the lure of her command, the children trailed into the room one by one and sat on one half of the spread. When they touched the chair, it shoved them forwards automatically, locking them close to the table.

"Wha—!"

"Ah!"

Berry shivered and shook like a leaf, sitting directly to the left of the eerie woman. Tears welled up in his eyes again, and he looked prepared to start his piercing sobs.

His breath quickened, letting out slivers of panicked sniffles as his body curved away in avoidance.

Lucas stalked forwards in an instant, picking the boy up by the armpits and plopping him down in an empty seat while the woman's neck creaked, turning to stare at his actions.

Ignoring the prodding glare that crept up his body like the tip of a nail running along his skin, he forcefully dragged the chair out and sat down firmly.

The entire room fell silent; it's heinous and mysterious atmosphere disturbed.

Turning his head, he explained in a deadpan voice. "I can't see you very well from far away."

The shadows from the poor lighting cast harsh lines on the skeleton of her face, making her appear more sinister at the angle. Her smile remained unchanged, but he sensed an air of irritation and protest in her posture.

Kindly, he explained further. "I'm near-sighted."

Then he smiled a faint smile, filled with a troublemaker's love. "And of course, I want to see you clearly."

In the middle of the row, Rome's eyes lit up with delight. There it was, his senior's incredible acting and nonsense that didn't match his dull expression!

The woman twisted her neck back to the door, dismissing Lucas' words.

During the exchange, a child's eyes gleamed at the wide spread of food, where he sat in the center of the left side. A trickle of drool hung at the corner of his lips as he lost all sense of fear, smelling the delicious aroma.

The boy wasn't daunted—too young to appreciate fear's warnings. He eagerly gulped as he stretched out a stubby finger towards the roasted chicken, dripping with juices and spice.

The woman's smile stretched wider.

Lucas frowned before realizing something was amiss, snapping his head and yelling hastily, "Stop!"

"Ah!"

The child's body jolted, flinching back from the meat in surprise and fear. Just as he moved, a chef's knife slammed down where his fingers were originally, cutting through the cloth and sending splintering wood in the air.

It broke the tip of the boy's nail that had been near, blood splattering on the table as he screeched.

Lucas almost slammed up from the table, turning his head. The beautiful and smiling woman was looking straight at him.

He swallowed back his instinct, staying seated in the chair. The consequences of leaving the table at this point were too uncertain for him to take the risk. He closed his eyes as the child continued to wail, causing the children sitting next to him to shiver and sob.

The door creaked open, and the woman repeated familiar words.

"Please, take a seat."

Lucas frowned, cracking open his eyes as he turned to the door. Another dozen little girls peeked inside, dressed in white nightdresses, with fearful gazes and bodies that seemed to curl in with terror.

In the front, Wren, dressed in the same fashion, crossed her arms with her feet planted on the ground, and snickered. "Ha—? What sort of lovely game is this?"

However, she gestured for the children to hurry and take a seat, casting a brief glance over at Lucas before taking a seat on the woman's right side. The broad doors slammed shut, sealed by invisible hands.

When the woman opened her mouth again, the voice no longer came from her body.