Chapter 177: 176 - Christmas Party(Part 6)
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Ow, my head...I was so startled that, for a moment, I forgot that I was under a desk, and ended up hitting my head. And Katie had made the same mistake too, rubbing the top of her head gingerly. I could hear footsteps approaching, we need to move.
"We gotta get out of here, follow my lead to keep the cuffs from getting in the way," I whispered to Katie, who nodded in response.
We then swiftly sprang out from under the desk and rushed across to the left, nearly losing my balance thanks to the alcohol as I rushed out, just barely managing to stay upright.
As the person who burst into the room suddenly fired their water gun at me, I picked up a folder on the desk and used it to block the stream of water, before making a beeline for the doorway, Katie following after me.
But the seeker managed to jump into our way, before losing their balance and falling towards us with an alarmed yell. Oh, crap...it's Seila.
I...I can't dodge in time! She fell onto me, knocking me backwards before I could react. I flung my arms out to try and grab hold of something to stop my fall, but only ended up knocking down Katie with my left arm...she'd been behind me, she must have jumped out to the left to dodge when she saw me start to fall...sorry, my bad, don't mean to drag you down with me.
The three of us collapsed onto the ground, Seila on top of me and Katie under my left arm...huh, and something soft of squishy under my left hand. Uh-oh.
"H-hey, could you...?" Muttered Katie, tapping on my arm.
"Right, sorry!" I exclaimed, pulling my arm away, before stiffening as Seila tried to get up but, naturally, failed.
She fell onto me again, her boobs getting squished onto my chest as her thigh pressed into my-...crap, it's harder to distract myself when not sober, I was VERY aware of the immense softness that was on top of me. This is bad, at this rate-...!
"Come on, stand up," Sighed Katie, a clear look of exasperation on her face as she helped Seila up and sat her down on the couch...my arm keeps getting tugged thanks to the cuffs, but at least I can get up now.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I got on my feet, dusting myself off...before my eyes lit up as I spotted something on the floor, by my feet.
"Sorry, you two, I didn't mean to knock you down," She apologized in embarrassment.
"We know that, no need to apolo-...," Began Katie, before trailing off as she saw what I was upto.
"Uh...w-wait a second, Kilzachs, let's talk about this...," Stuttered Seila with a nervous smile...as I picked up her watergun and pointed it at her.
I was waiting for an opportunity to try this...steal a seeker's gun and tag them with it. The thought occurred to me back when Mitchell was explaining the rules and said that 'anything goes', though I didn't ask about it since I didn't want them making it an illegal move.
"Remember what Mitchell said; Anyone tagged with a watergun is out of the game. I highly doubt it was intentional on his part, but it sure was convenient that he worded it that way...because it means that I can do this," I smirked, before pulling the trigger.
"H-hey, s-stop it, that's cold!" She stuttered as I hit her forehead with a couple of streams of water, before letting out a slight giggle.
"You're the type that's easily ticklish, aren't you?" I remarked wryly.
"N-no, I'm not!"
"Heh, sure you're not. Okay, so according to the rules, you're out of the game now. But, like Mitchell said earlier, those that are out can still affect the game...he definitely meant that as in the paired hiders could slow down their partners if they wanted to, but since he didn't specify, it can apply to the seekers too. In other words, you could go warn the others about this," I surmised with a challenging smirk.
"Hm...nah, that's okay. This couch feels pretty comfy, so I think I'll relax here for a bit," She responded with a lazy smile.
Huh...this would probably have gone differently if we were sober. I see, so the consumption of alcohol and weed can be crucial factors in how this game plays out, how fascinating...
"Hey, I'm not sure what exactly you're thinking, but I get the feeling that you're reading too deeply into something," Remarked Katie, as she stared at my face from up close.
"Wha-...what are you, psychic or something?" I mumbled in response, before suggesting with a smirk, "So, hey, shall we move out? The hunters are about to become the hunted."
"Feel like you'd probably never say a cheesy line like that if you were sober," She replied, as we headed out of the room.
"Yeah, well, you'd probably not be this talkative if you were sober," I countered smugly, before meeting her gaze and recalling what happened under that desk, feeling my face heat up.
She went silent too, so I'm guessing she's thinking the same thing. Hm? I hear footsteps approaching from around the corner. I gestured to Katie to make as little noise as possible, as we slowly crept up towards the wall, right as someone appeared around the corner...and got blasted in the face with the watergun.
"H-huh!? What the-...!?" They sputtered, stumbling back in surprise, before Katie took a couple of quick steps towards them and snatched away their watergun.
"Guess you're out, Mitchell," I greeted him with a triumphant grin.
"Wait, what? But...how do you have a watergun?" He responded in bewilderment.
"Anything goes so long as we don't break the rules...that's what you said, right? And there's nothing in the rules that prevent a hider from turning the tables on a seeker, and you also said that 'anyone tagged with a watergun is out of the game'," I reminded him.
"...goddammit, I should have figured that you'd try to exploit any loopholes you could find, probably should've put more effort and detail into the rules," He sighed wistfully.
"That's for sure...and now, there's just one more seeker to hunt down...," I declared with a smirk.
———————————————————————————
Point-of-View: Suri Patel
———————————————————————————
This sucks, I so wanted to be paired up with Kilzachs! But instead, I get this bitch.
"How stupid are you!? We should've gone upstairs!" She hissed at me in a sharp whisper.
"Shut up, you bitch! And have some common sense, if everyone else went upstairs, then the seekers are more likely to search upstairs first!" I countered with a glare.
We'd ended up hiding inside one of the downstairs bathrooms, between the washing machine and dryer...not the best hiding spot, admittedly, but then, this is just a game, so it doesn't actually matter.
"If we're found before anyone else, that'll be on you!" She responded defiantly.
She's such a bitch...
"Maybe I should follow Kilzachs' example and just beat the shit out of you," I growled in reply.
"Hmph, go ahead and try," She dared me, refusing to back down.
"Why, you...!"
"I don't get your excessive hostility towards me...ohh, or maybe it's THAT; you're totally jealous of me because I happened to kiss Kilzachs, right? How immature, that was years ago, to think you're so hung up over such a small-," She began in an infuriatingly smug tone.
"My excessive hostility, you say?" I interrupted indignantly, "Are you kidding me!? Talk about hypocritical, you've been a total bitch to me for ages! Ohh, or maybe it's THAT; Kilzachs hates you, but you feel the opposite way, so in reality, you're the one jealous of me! Oh, and about the fact that you've kissed Kilzachs? Big freaking deal, because I've-...! Ahem, actually, never mind."
That was close, almost said a bit too much there.
"Wh-wha...? Hmph, you're totally full of it, as if! You're way off the mark about how I feel," She huffed in response, but...it kinda felt like she didn't actually mean it.
Does that mean...? Nah, I'm probably just overthinking it and-...suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, before the person who opened it flipped the light switch on and rushed in, locking his gaze onto us, watergun in hand. Crap, it's Taayin!
"Are you two even trying to hide? I could literally hear you arguing from a mile away," He remarked with a bored look on his face as he pulled the trigger, "Come on, at least try to make this a challenge!"
He'd aimed for Bytra as he fired the gun, but right before it could hit her, she suddenly grabbed my shoulders and pulled, getting me in the way and using me as a shield to block the stream of water.
"You...you goddamn bitch!" I snapped furiously, after taking a second to process what just happened.
"That's what you get for pissing me off," She declared smugly.
"Okay, that last move was kinda interesting...but I'm gonna go find someone else to shoot now," Sighed Taayin, walking away with a look of disinterest.
"Tch...somehow, that really annoys me. Right, then, I better go find another hiding place-...oof!" She began as she stood up, before I swiftly grabbed her ankle and tripped her, as she fell forward and just about managed to keep her face from hitting the ground by using her hands to blunt the fall.
"Damn it, so close...," I muttered to myself.
"Wh-what the hell!? I could've broken my nose!" She exclaimed in indignation.
"You're forgetting the rules...I don't have to cooperate with you. And since that's the case, I most certainly will not cooperate with you. In fact, on the contrary...," I smirked triumphantly, before taking in a deep breath and yelling at the top of my lungs, "OVER HERE! COME ON, GET OVER HERE, ANYONE WHO CAN HEAR-!"
"Damn you, shut the hell up!" Snapped Bytra in alarm, inadvertently raising her own voice as a result.
"Try and make me," I retorted, about to yell again, when a sudden cry of surprise came from outside...that sounded like Taayin.
What just happened?
I could hear footsteps approaching, but it doesn't matter to me since I'm already out...but if nothing else, I can make sure that whoever's coming will definitely eliminate her too...!
Someone then appeared in the doorway, Bytra began to try and run away, but with me firmly planted on the floor, she wasn't going anywhere. And a second later, a stream of water struck the side of her head, meaning that she was out too.
Heh, sweet, she might have gotten me eliminated first, but I get the last laugh. I then looked at the person who'd shot her, my eyes widening in surprise...it was Kilzachs, with Katie behind him, both of them linked up with the handcuffs. And most notably, both of them were holding waterguns.
"Okay, not gonna lie, that was pretty satisfying," He remarked with a smirk, before firing a few more shots at her face in amusement.
"S-stop, that's really cold!" She sputtered, using her hands to deflect the water.
"I think, with that, only Zoya and Lin aren't eliminated yet," Said Katie, after glancing at me and seeing that I'd already been shot.
Wait a sec, they're both supposed to be hiding, right? Why do they have waterguns? And when she said that 'only Zoya and Lin aren't eliminated yet', it definitely felt like she way implying that the seekers had been eliminated. Huh? Are we still playing the same game? Did I miss something...?
_____________________________________________
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!
Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.
Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:
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Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Ow, my head...I was so startled that, for a moment, I forgot that I was under a desk, and ended up hitting my head. And Katie had made the same mistake too, rubbing the top of her head gingerly. I could hear footsteps approaching, we need to move.
"We gotta get out of here, follow my lead to keep the cuffs from getting in the way," I whispered to Katie, who nodded in response.
We then swiftly sprang out from under the desk and rushed across to the left, nearly losing my balance thanks to the alcohol as I rushed out, just barely managing to stay upright.
As the person who burst into the room suddenly fired their water gun at me, I picked up a folder on the desk and used it to block the stream of water, before making a beeline for the doorway, Katie following after me.
But the seeker managed to jump into our way, before losing their balance and falling towards us with an alarmed yell. Oh, crap...it's Seila.
I...I can't dodge in time! She fell onto me, knocking me backwards before I could react. I flung my arms out to try and grab hold of something to stop my fall, but only ended up knocking down Katie with my left arm...she'd been behind me, she must have jumped out to the left to dodge when she saw me start to fall...sorry, my bad, don't mean to drag you down with me.
The three of us collapsed onto the ground, Seila on top of me and Katie under my left arm...huh, and something soft of squishy under my left hand. Uh-oh.
"H-hey, could you...?" Muttered Katie, tapping on my arm.
"Right, sorry!" I exclaimed, pulling my arm away, before stiffening as Seila tried to get up but, naturally, failed.
She fell onto me again, her boobs getting squished onto my chest as her thigh pressed into my-...crap, it's harder to distract myself when not sober, I was VERY aware of the immense softness that was on top of me. This is bad, at this rate-...!
"Come on, stand up," Sighed Katie, a clear look of exasperation on her face as she helped Seila up and sat her down on the couch...my arm keeps getting tugged thanks to the cuffs, but at least I can get up now.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I got on my feet, dusting myself off...before my eyes lit up as I spotted something on the floor, by my feet.
"Sorry, you two, I didn't mean to knock you down," She apologized in embarrassment.
"We know that, no need to apolo-...," Began Katie, before trailing off as she saw what I was upto.
"Uh...w-wait a second, Kilzachs, let's talk about this...," Stuttered Seila with a nervous smile...as I picked up her watergun and pointed it at her.
I was waiting for an opportunity to try this...steal a seeker's gun and tag them with it. The thought occurred to me back when Mitchell was explaining the rules and said that 'anything goes', though I didn't ask about it since I didn't want them making it an illegal move.
"Remember what Mitchell said; Anyone tagged with a watergun is out of the game. I highly doubt it was intentional on his part, but it sure was convenient that he worded it that way...because it means that I can do this," I smirked, before pulling the trigger.
"H-hey, s-stop it, that's cold!" She stuttered as I hit her forehead with a couple of streams of water, before letting out a slight giggle.
"You're the type that's easily ticklish, aren't you?" I remarked wryly.
"N-no, I'm not!"
"Heh, sure you're not. Okay, so according to the rules, you're out of the game now. But, like Mitchell said earlier, those that are out can still affect the game...he definitely meant that as in the paired hiders could slow down their partners if they wanted to, but since he didn't specify, it can apply to the seekers too. In other words, you could go warn the others about this," I surmised with a challenging smirk.
"Hm...nah, that's okay. This couch feels pretty comfy, so I think I'll relax here for a bit," She responded with a lazy smile.
Huh...this would probably have gone differently if we were sober. I see, so the consumption of alcohol and weed can be crucial factors in how this game plays out, how fascinating...
"Hey, I'm not sure what exactly you're thinking, but I get the feeling that you're reading too deeply into something," Remarked Katie, as she stared at my face from up close.
"Wha-...what are you, psychic or something?" I mumbled in response, before suggesting with a smirk, "So, hey, shall we move out? The hunters are about to become the hunted."
"Feel like you'd probably never say a cheesy line like that if you were sober," She replied, as we headed out of the room.
"Yeah, well, you'd probably not be this talkative if you were sober," I countered smugly, before meeting her gaze and recalling what happened under that desk, feeling my face heat up.
She went silent too, so I'm guessing she's thinking the same thing. Hm? I hear footsteps approaching from around the corner. I gestured to Katie to make as little noise as possible, as we slowly crept up towards the wall, right as someone appeared around the corner...and got blasted in the face with the watergun.
"H-huh!? What the-...!?" They sputtered, stumbling back in surprise, before Katie took a couple of quick steps towards them and snatched away their watergun.
"Guess you're out, Mitchell," I greeted him with a triumphant grin.
"Wait, what? But...how do you have a watergun?" He responded in bewilderment.
"Anything goes so long as we don't break the rules...that's what you said, right? And there's nothing in the rules that prevent a hider from turning the tables on a seeker, and you also said that 'anyone tagged with a watergun is out of the game'," I reminded him.
"...goddammit, I should have figured that you'd try to exploit any loopholes you could find, probably should've put more effort and detail into the rules," He sighed wistfully.
"That's for sure...and now, there's just one more seeker to hunt down...," I declared with a smirk.
———————————————————————————
Point-of-View: Suri Patel
———————————————————————————
This sucks, I so wanted to be paired up with Kilzachs! But instead, I get this bitch.
"How stupid are you!? We should've gone upstairs!" She hissed at me in a sharp whisper.
"Shut up, you bitch! And have some common sense, if everyone else went upstairs, then the seekers are more likely to search upstairs first!" I countered with a glare.
We'd ended up hiding inside one of the downstairs bathrooms, between the washing machine and dryer...not the best hiding spot, admittedly, but then, this is just a game, so it doesn't actually matter.
"If we're found before anyone else, that'll be on you!" She responded defiantly.
She's such a bitch...
"Maybe I should follow Kilzachs' example and just beat the shit out of you," I growled in reply.
"Hmph, go ahead and try," She dared me, refusing to back down.
"Why, you...!"
"I don't get your excessive hostility towards me...ohh, or maybe it's THAT; you're totally jealous of me because I happened to kiss Kilzachs, right? How immature, that was years ago, to think you're so hung up over such a small-," She began in an infuriatingly smug tone.
"My excessive hostility, you say?" I interrupted indignantly, "Are you kidding me!? Talk about hypocritical, you've been a total bitch to me for ages! Ohh, or maybe it's THAT; Kilzachs hates you, but you feel the opposite way, so in reality, you're the one jealous of me! Oh, and about the fact that you've kissed Kilzachs? Big freaking deal, because I've-...! Ahem, actually, never mind."
That was close, almost said a bit too much there.
"Wh-wha...? Hmph, you're totally full of it, as if! You're way off the mark about how I feel," She huffed in response, but...it kinda felt like she didn't actually mean it.
Does that mean...? Nah, I'm probably just overthinking it and-...suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, before the person who opened it flipped the light switch on and rushed in, locking his gaze onto us, watergun in hand. Crap, it's Taayin!
"Are you two even trying to hide? I could literally hear you arguing from a mile away," He remarked with a bored look on his face as he pulled the trigger, "Come on, at least try to make this a challenge!"
He'd aimed for Bytra as he fired the gun, but right before it could hit her, she suddenly grabbed my shoulders and pulled, getting me in the way and using me as a shield to block the stream of water.
"You...you goddamn bitch!" I snapped furiously, after taking a second to process what just happened.
"That's what you get for pissing me off," She declared smugly.
"Okay, that last move was kinda interesting...but I'm gonna go find someone else to shoot now," Sighed Taayin, walking away with a look of disinterest.
"Tch...somehow, that really annoys me. Right, then, I better go find another hiding place-...oof!" She began as she stood up, before I swiftly grabbed her ankle and tripped her, as she fell forward and just about managed to keep her face from hitting the ground by using her hands to blunt the fall.
"Damn it, so close...," I muttered to myself.
"Wh-what the hell!? I could've broken my nose!" She exclaimed in indignation.
"You're forgetting the rules...I don't have to cooperate with you. And since that's the case, I most certainly will not cooperate with you. In fact, on the contrary...," I smirked triumphantly, before taking in a deep breath and yelling at the top of my lungs, "OVER HERE! COME ON, GET OVER HERE, ANYONE WHO CAN HEAR-!"
"Damn you, shut the hell up!" Snapped Bytra in alarm, inadvertently raising her own voice as a result.
"Try and make me," I retorted, about to yell again, when a sudden cry of surprise came from outside...that sounded like Taayin.
What just happened?
I could hear footsteps approaching, but it doesn't matter to me since I'm already out...but if nothing else, I can make sure that whoever's coming will definitely eliminate her too...!
Someone then appeared in the doorway, Bytra began to try and run away, but with me firmly planted on the floor, she wasn't going anywhere. And a second later, a stream of water struck the side of her head, meaning that she was out too.
Heh, sweet, she might have gotten me eliminated first, but I get the last laugh. I then looked at the person who'd shot her, my eyes widening in surprise...it was Kilzachs, with Katie behind him, both of them linked up with the handcuffs. And most notably, both of them were holding waterguns.
"Okay, not gonna lie, that was pretty satisfying," He remarked with a smirk, before firing a few more shots at her face in amusement.
"S-stop, that's really cold!" She sputtered, using her hands to deflect the water.
"I think, with that, only Zoya and Lin aren't eliminated yet," Said Katie, after glancing at me and seeing that I'd already been shot.
Wait a sec, they're both supposed to be hiding, right? Why do they have waterguns? And when she said that 'only Zoya and Lin aren't eliminated yet', it definitely felt like she way implying that the seekers had been eliminated. Huh? Are we still playing the same game? Did I miss something...?
_____________________________________________
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!
Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.
Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:
https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP
Ow, my head...I was so startled that, for a moment, I forgot that I was under a desk, and ended up hitting my head. And Katie had made the same mistake too, rubbing the top of her head gingerly. I could hear footsteps approaching, we need to move."We gotta get out of here, follow my lead to keep the cuffs from getting in the way," I whispered to Katie, who nodded in response.We then swiftly sprang out from under the desk and rushed across to the left, nearly losing my balance thanks to the alcohol as I rushed out, just barely managing to stay upright.As the person who burst into the room suddenly fired their water gun at me, I picked up a folder on the desk and used it to block the stream of water, before making a beeline for the doorway, Katie following after me.But the seeker managed to jump into our way, before losing their balance and falling towards us with an alarmed yell. Oh, crap...it's Seila.I...I can't dodge in time! She fell onto me, knocking me backwards before I could react. I flung my arms out to try and grab hold of something to stop my fall, but only ended up knocking down Katie with my left arm...she'd been behind me, she must have jumped out to the left to dodge when she saw me start to fall...sorry, my bad, don't mean to drag you down with me.The three of us collapsed onto the ground, Seila on top of me and Katie under my left arm...huh, and something soft of squishy under my left hand. Uh-oh."H-hey, could you...?" Muttered Katie, tapping on my arm."Right, sorry!" I exclaimed, pulling my arm away, before stiffening as Seila tried to get up but, naturally, failed.She fell onto me again, her boobs getting squished onto my chest as her thigh pressed into my-...crap, it's harder to distract myself when not sober, I was VERY aware of the immense softness that was on top of me. This is bad, at this rate-...!"Come on, stand up," Sighed Katie, a clear look of exasperation on her face as she helped Seila up and sat her down on the couch...my arm keeps getting tugged thanks to the cuffs, but at least I can get up now.I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I got on my feet, dusting myself off...before my eyes lit up as I spotted something on the floor, by my feet."Sorry, you two, I didn't mean to knock you down," She apologized in embarrassment."We know that, no need to apolo-...," Began Katie, before trailing off as she saw what I was upto."Uh...w-wait a second, Kilzachs, let's talk about this...," Stuttered Seila with a nervous smile...as I picked up her watergun and pointed it at her.I was waiting for an opportunity to try this...steal a seeker's gun and tag them with it. The thought occurred to me back when Mitchell was explaining the rules and said that 'anything goes', though I didn't ask about it since I didn't want them making it an illegal move."Remember what Mitchell said; Anyone tagged with a watergun is out of the game. I highly doubt it was intentional on his part, but it sure was convenient that he worded it that way...because it means that I can do this," I smirked, before pulling the trigger."H-hey, s-stop it, that's cold!" She stuttered as I hit her forehead with a couple of streams of water, before letting out a slight giggle."You're the type that's easily ticklish, aren't you?" I remarked wryly."N-no, I'm not!""Heh, sure you're not. Okay, so according to the rules, you're out of the game now. But, like Mitchell said earlier, those that are out can still affect the game...he definitely meant that as in the paired hiders could slow down their partners if they wanted to, but since he didn't specify, it can apply to the seekers too. In other words, you could go warn the others about this," I surmised with a challenging smirk."Hm...nah, that's okay. This couch feels pretty comfy, so I think I'll relax here for a bit," She responded with a lazy smile.Huh...this would probably have gone differently if we were sober. I see, so the consumption of alcohol and weed can be crucial factors in how this game plays out, how fascinating..."Hey, I'm not sure what exactly you're thinking, but I get the feeling that you're reading too deeply into something," Remarked Katie, as she stared at my face from up close."Wha-...what are you, psychic or something?" I mumbled in response, before suggesting with a smirk, "So, hey, shall we move out? The hunters are about to become the hunted.""Feel like you'd probably never say a cheesy line like that if you were sober," She replied, as we headed out of the room."Yeah, well, you'd probably not be this talkative if you were sober," I countered smugly, before meeting her gaze and recalling what happened under that desk, feeling my face heat up.She went silent too, so I'm guessing she's thinking the same thing. Hm? I hear footsteps approaching from around the corner. I gestured to Katie to make as little noise as possible, as we slowly crept up towards the wall, right as someone appeared around the corner...and got blasted in the face with the watergun."H-huh!? What the-...!?" They sputtered, stumbling back in surprise, before Katie took a couple of quick steps towards them and snatched away their watergun."Guess you're out, Mitchell," I greeted him with a triumphant grin."Wait, what? But...how do you have a watergun?" He responded in bewilderment."Anything goes so long as we don't break the rules...that's what you said, right? And there's nothing in the rules that prevent a hider from turning the tables on a seeker, and you also said that 'anyone tagged with a watergun is out of the game'," I reminded him."...goddammit, I should have figured that you'd try to exploit any loopholes you could find, probably should've put more effort and detail into the rules," He sighed wistfully."That's for sure...and now, there's just one more seeker to hunt down...," I declared with a smirk.Point-of-View: Suri PatelThis sucks, I so wanted to be paired up with Kilzachs! But instead, I get this bitch."How stupid are you!? We should've gone upstairs!" She hissed at me in a sharp whisper."Shut up, you bitch! And have some common sense, if everyone else went upstairs, then the seekers are more likely to search upstairs first!" I countered with a glare.We'd ended up hiding inside one of the downstairs bathrooms, between the washing machine and dryer...not the best hiding spot, admittedly, but then, this is just a game, so it doesn't actually matter."If we're found before anyone else, that'll be on you!" She responded defiantly.She's such a bitch..."Maybe I should follow Kilzachs' example and just beat the shit out of you," I growled in reply."Hmph, go ahead and try," She dared me, refusing to back down."Why, you...!""I don't get your excessive hostility towards me...ohh, or maybe it's THAT; you're totally jealous of me because I happened to kiss Kilzachs, right? How immature, that was years ago, to think you're so hung up over such a small-," She began in an infuriatingly smug tone."My excessive hostility, you say?" I interrupted indignantly, "Are you kidding me!? Talk about hypocritical, you've been a total bitch to me for ages! Ohh, or maybe it's THAT; Kilzachs hates you, but you feel the opposite way, so in reality, you're the one jealous of me! Oh, and about the fact that you've kissed Kilzachs? Big freaking deal, because I've-...! Ahem, actually, never mind."That was close, almost said a bit too much there."Wh-wha...? Hmph, you're totally full of it, as if! You're way off the mark about how I feel," She huffed in response, but...it kinda felt like she didn't actually mean it.Does that mean...? Nah, I'm probably just overthinking it and-...suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, before the person who opened it flipped the light switch on and rushed in, locking his gaze onto us, watergun in hand. Crap, it's Taayin!"Are you two even trying to hide? I could literally hear you arguing from a mile away," He remarked with a bored look on his face as he pulled the trigger, "Come on, at least try to make this a challenge!"He'd aimed for Bytra as he fired the gun, but right before it could hit her, she suddenly grabbed my shoulders and pulled, getting me in the way and using me as a shield to block the stream of water."You...you goddamn bitch!" I snapped furiously, after taking a second to process what just happened."That's what you get for pissing me off," She declared smugly."Okay, that last move was kinda interesting...but I'm gonna go find someone else to shoot now," Sighed Taayin, walking away with a look of disinterest."Tch...somehow, that really annoys me. Right, then, I better go find another hiding place-...oof!" She began as she stood up, before I swiftly grabbed her ankle and tripped her, as she fell forward and just about managed to keep her face from hitting the ground by using her hands to blunt the fall."Damn it, so close...," I muttered to myself."Wh-what the hell!? I could've broken my nose!" She exclaimed in indignation."You're forgetting the rules...I don't have to cooperate with you. And since that's the case, I most certainly will not cooperate with you. In fact, on the contrary...," I smirked triumphantly, before taking in a deep breath and yelling at the top of my lungs, "OVER HERE! COME ON, GET OVER HERE, ANYONE WHO CAN HEAR-!""Damn you, shut the hell up!" Snapped Bytra in alarm, inadvertently raising her own voice as a result."Try and make me," I retorted, about to yell again, when a sudden cry of surprise came from outside...that sounded like Taayin.What just happened?I could hear footsteps approaching, but it doesn't matter to me since I'm already out...but if nothing else, I can make sure that whoever's coming will definitely eliminate her too...!Someone then appeared in the doorway, Bytra began to try and run away, but with me firmly planted on the floor, she wasn't going anywhere. And a second later, a stream of water struck the side of her head, meaning that she was out too.Heh, sweet, she might have gotten me eliminated first, but I get the last laugh. I then looked at the person who'd shot her, my eyes widening in surprise...it was Kilzachs, with Katie behind him, both of them linked up with the handcuffs. And most notably, both of them were holding waterguns."Okay, not gonna lie, that was pretty satisfying," He remarked with a smirk, before firing a few more shots at her face in amusement."S-stop, that's really cold!" She sputtered, using her hands to deflect the water."I think, with that, only Zoya and Lin aren't eliminated yet," Said Katie, after glancing at me and seeing that I'd already been shot.Wait a sec, they're both supposed to be hiding, right? Why do they have waterguns? And when she said that 'only Zoya and Lin aren't eliminated yet', it definitely felt like she way implying that the seekers had been eliminated. Huh? Are we still playing the same game? Did I miss something...?_____________________________________________Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP
