When we reached the entrance of the women's restroom, we found all the players gathered around. No, that was wrong. One player wasn't there. Hysterical sobs and cries of despair came from inside the bathroom. With Zoey's permission, we entered.
The source of the cries came from Iris. The girl was down on her knees in a puddle of blood. "Oh my god, Iris! What happened?" Henrika called out to her. But, the teenager didn't respond. Her eyes were vacant.
Everyone traced their line of sight to the blood trail that led to the stall in front of Iris. It was then we witnessed the horrifying sight. A body laid in the stall. Not just any body, however.
But Elena's.
It was like looking at a portrait of hell. Blood seeped from her eyes, nose, and mouth. It spilled on the floor and left a trail that led to the front of the stall. What topped it all off was the number of knives lodged in her body.
"What…the…fuck?!" Darius exclaimed. He took a few steps back then fell on his ass. "What the fuck is this?! Is that Elena?! Is that fucking Elena?!" He continued to slowly back away until I went over the blood on the floor. He looked at his hands in disgust then wiped the blood on his jacket.
"No. No, no, no! This can't be happening!" Henrika stared at the body in disbelief. Her body trembled uncontrollably. Suddenly, she placed her hand over her mouth, then wandered over to the furthest stall.
Nicholas followed suit.
"This is sick. Who could do such a thing?" Wyatt grimaced.
"This has to be a joke. She isn't dead. There's no way that Elena is dead." Darius muttered in denial. He forced a laugh afterward and looked around for assurance that he was right.
"Whaddya mean Funbags isn't dead? There are knives all over her body." Melanie made her way toward the body. But, Zoey stood in front of her before she could do anything further.
"Don't touch her," Zoey ordered. "This is a crime scene now. I just wanted everyone to see that Elena was dead."
"Ominous," Melanie said with glee.
"How did this happen?" I asked.
"Someone murdered her with those knives," Salomon concluded.
"But how? When did this happen? How come no one heard anything like screams or cries for help?" Nicholas asked after he came out of the bathroom. He wiped the corners of his mouth with toilet paper.
"I don't care about any of that." The hazardous voice came from Iris. She slowly stood to her feet and glared daggers at everyone. "Who was it? Which one of you killed Elena?!"
"What?" Darius shook his head in disbelief. "Iris, what are you saying? Do you think one of us did this?"
"Who else could've done it?! Everyone in here is a prime suspect! One of you wanted her dead because she seemed like an easy target, right?!"
Her eyes burned with fierce intensity for vengeance.
"Hit the nail right on the head, Rainbows," Melanie announced. "I'm sure that's exactly what the killer thought as they stuck those knives into Funbags' delicate body. I mean, it was obvious she was gonna die sooner or later. The killer did her a favor. I'm surprised she even made it this far into the games."
"It was you, wasn't it?!" Iris aggressively approached Melanie. Her intent became clear as day when she raised her fist. Darius and I quickly restrained her.
"Iris! Calm down!" Darius pleaded.
"Calm down? Calm down?! There are knives in my friend's body! She was killed in cold blood by that fucking bitch!" Iris shouted at the top of her lungs as she struggled to break free from us. "Let go of me! I'll kill her! I'll fucking kill her!"
Despite the outburst of pure rage, Melanie found it as a source of entertainment. The girl laughed loudly in the face of the potential danger. She counted on Iris, succumbing to her rage.
"You? Kill me? What a joke, Rainbows! You'd be dead long before you even got the chance to land the second strike!" Melanie arrogantly proclaimed.
"Don't let her get into your head, Iris! She wants you to hit her so that you'll die! Don't let her win!" Darius pleaded.
"Come on, Iris! Take a few deep breaths and settle down!" Henrika joined in with the attempts to calm down the enraged teenager.
Albeit with great reluctance, Iris ceased with her struggling and dropped down to her knees. She looked at Elena once more and wept. However, it didn't last long. Her attention then returned to the cause of it all—Melanie.
Even with teary eyes, they continued to burn with murderous intent.
"I hate you. I fucking hate you…" Iris seethed.
"What good hating me will do you. Won't help bring back Funbags, that's for sure." Melanie dismissed Iris' words of hatred.
I approached Melanie then stopped inches away from her. I leaned forward and made direct eye contact with her as I said, "If you had anything to do with this, and I do mean ANYTHING, I'll make sure that you pay for it."
"Haven't we already been down this road before, Scraggly? We already know that you don't have the balls to do anything."
"Wanna bet? You sure you're ready to take that risk?" I challenged.
"Isn't that why we're all here in the first place?"
"That's enough! All of you!" Zoey suddenly raised her voice. "Now isn't the time to fight among ourselves! We need to stay calm and focus on the matter at hand!"
"Yeah, like figuring out who killed Elena," Darius responded then glared at Melanie. "Although, it isn't much of a mystery."
"Don't jump to conclusions." Zoey chastised him. "All we know for sure is that Elena is dead. We won't know the cause until we run an autopsy."
"Does this facility even have the supplies to do something like that?" Henrika asked after she came out from her stall.
"Yes, they do," Wyatt confirmed. "I will act as the coroner and perform the autopsy myself."
"Do we need to go that far? The knives in her body should be a clear indicator." Melanie pointed out.
"Mind your own damn business," Iris demanded.
"Whatever. Have fun." Melanie shrugged her shoulders then left the restroom.
"That bitch is involved with her death. One way or another, she has to pay for her crimes." Iris balled her hands into fists. She couldn't hold her tears back any longer. She wept uncontrollably while Darius and Henrika tried to console her.
That sight wasn't something I ever wanted to see. In my mind, Iris was a bright light of optimism and hope in our group. To had seen that light turn dark left an unsettling feeling in my gut. That feeling only intensified once Caius casually strolled into the room.
"What is going on? How come everyone is in the women's restroom?" He pushed past us then looked over at Elena's corpse. He jumped and let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh, my goodness! What happened here?!"
"As if you did not already know." Wyatt glared at the Game Moderator.
"I doubt anything happens in this facility without you knowing about it," Nicholas added.
"Wait, if that's true, then he knows exactly what happened to Elena! You know who killed her, don't you?" Darius accused.
"Please, Caius! You have to tell us! Who killed Elena?" Iris pleaded for an answer. The girl's pathetic display of misery brought a smile to the ever-sadistic Game Moderator.
I don't know why she even bothered to request anything from the man. To him, everything was a game. As far as he was concerned, we were nothing more than playthings, pawns him for him. If some of us died, then so be it.
No skin off his nose.
Throughout all the days we suffered from playing his demented games, Caius had never batted an eye. If we suffered, he'd watch. If we died, he'd laugh. Someone like him couldn't be called a human being.
"Unfortunately, I am unable to do that, Iris. More important matters must be taken care of now." Caius said.
"Like what?" Darius hesitated to ask.
With a snap of his fingers, people in black suits entered the bathroom. They pushed past us then moved towards Elena's corpse. However, before they could get any further, Zoey stepped out in front of them.
"What are you doing, Zoey? Move out of the way and let the nice people do their jobs." Caius insisted. But the woman refused to move from that spot.
"Where are you planning on taking her body?" Zoey asked.
"That is none of your business. Where does it matter where we take her? It will not do anyone much good in here, stinking up the place." Caius pinched his nose close then looked away from the body in disgust. "We need to get this place cleaned up. Now move."
"No. This is a crime scene. I am going to need some time to investigate." Zoey stood firm on her convictions. One by one, the other players sided with her against the Game Moderator despite his protests.
"Have you forgotten that you are no longer a detective, Zoey? What do you hope to accomplish by doing this?"
"Is that not obvious?" Zoey asked. "A player has died outside of the games. I want to investigate and find the cause of Elena's death so that something like this does not happen again."
"Even if you were to find out the cause, what would you do then?" Caius rolled his eyes.
"We will cross that bridge once we get there. However, to make things more interesting, what do you say we turn this into a game?" A sudden smirk appeared on the woman's face. That pure expression alone unnerved me. I had never seen the woman smile until that moment.
"Game?" Iris harshly responded. "You want to make Elena's death into a game?!"
"Zoey, even for you, that's horrible," Henrika added.
"A game, you say? I cannot say that I am not interested. Tell me, what do you have in mind?" Caius inquired as he leaned in closer with his trademark, cruel smile.
"Give everyone forty-eight hours to investigate Elena's death. After those forty-eight hours, all the players will give their statements as to what they believe happened to her. Whoever wins the game, earns two points from the losing players." Zoey explained.
Caius brought his hand up to his chin and let out a happy hum. Whatever gears turned in his head at that moment couldn't have resulted in anything good for us.
"Well, it is not the traditional game that I had in mind. But, I will allow this. All players have forty-eight hours to discover what exactly happened to poor little Elena. The winners will be awarded two points from the losing players." Caius announced.
"Since this is going to be an investigation, then we should be granted access to the security cameras in this facility," Nicholas demanded.
"I cannot allow that, Nicholas," refused Caius, "a dispute between players must not be revealed to outside sources. It would be too easy. Use other methods to discover the truth. You may see the footage after the game is over."
"Then, at least, can we run an autopsy on her?" Wyatt requested.
Caius looked at the doctor then nodded his head. "That is fine. These lovely people in black will take the body to the medical room."
Satisfied with the turn of events, Zoey stepped aside and allowed the people in black suits to put Elena in the body bag. Once they carried her out, Caius bid everyone farewell before he followed them.
"Zoey, what do you think you're doing?" Iris turned her glare of contempt at Zoey.
"Keeping us safe," Zoey answered bluntly, unfazed by the girl's aggressive expression.
"How is making this situation into a game keeping us safe?" Darius asked.
"I just secured us a two days reprieve from having to go into that game room. Plus, we need to figure out what happened to Elena so we can make sure the same thing does not happen again." Zoey stated. "I know that you are upset; you have every right to be. But, you need to keep a cool head."
"How can you possibly expect me to do that?" Iris hung her head.
"Find solace in the fact that we will find out what happened to her. One way or the other." Nicholas said.
"Whoever murdered Elena will not get away with this. Mark my words." Wyatt turned then left the room. One by one, we all left the room in search of clues about Elena's death.