Sho was still standing under the light with his little brother Hiroto in front of him. While they're not related by blood, the struggle, grief, and adversity they have been through have long ago strengthened their bond.
Sho took a couple of steps forward until he was by Hiroto's right shoulder. Hiroto seemed to be in mid-thought while Sho was walking up to him, but mainly his doll expression was apparent as ever. Hiroto was staring off toward the metal door the old couple had just left. His eyes are a little different, showing an almost unnoticeable killing intent. Only Sho could tell Hiroto's almost nonexistent emotions like a needle in a haystack.
Hiroto's clothes were wholly changed into red, utterly different from the original color that represented their class. Unlike everyone else, his shirt and shorts were in contact, keeping the appearance of the eight strips that started at his shoulder, intertwining their way down his clothes like a snake.
Hiroto's hair matches his clothes, only having a shade of dark dried red tint. It's unknown what his hair color truly looks like.
Hiroto's eyes, standing out against the red backdrop, were his most striking feature. The outer ring of his irises was a piercing diamond blue that gradually transitioned into a softer hue, reminiscent of the ocean and sky melding together. It was a truly breathtaking sight, one that could easily captivate and mesmerize anyone who gazed upon them.
It couldn't be said if he has any injuries or scars because his whole body was dyed differently. However, Sho knew that Hiroto should have a couple of fresh cuts on him and, without getting them treated, could run the risk of getting infected.
He seems to be a bit older than Sho, but his age is also the same, nine years.
"Hiroto, did you hear that? Tomorrow will be our last day if we pass!" Sho Youta repeated himself once more; however, he still did not receive a response.
Even though the old couple had addressed the entire class, only Sho Youta spoke up, his voice echoing throughout the deathly silence of the room. Despite there being over forty surviving children, not a single one dared to make a sound, making Sho's voice seem all the more solitary and isolated in the vast space.
The only one to really notice Sho's voice was Hiroto. As soon as Sho repeated himself, the killing intent in Hiroto's eyes went away immediately. All that was left was a doll that was only there to look pretty for its owner. He shook his head, yes, but there was no emotion toward his actions. He shook his head yes because he thought that it might please Sho.
Sho was a little unhappy with how Hiroto replied to his previous comment but didn't give it much thought. If it weren't for a couple of events, he would be like everyone else in this room.
"Ringggg!" The sound of a bell echoed throughout the room.
"Come on; it's time to eat." Sho grabs Hiroto's hand and runs to the front of the line that begins to form. Everyone in the room got in an orderly fashion line, even though some took longer than others. A number would be on the right side of their chest, and they stood from least to greatest.
Sho and Hiroto got in the front of the line. Hiroto's number was 0, which made him the first in line to get his food. Then came Sho, who had the number 1 on the right side but had lost it due to overtime. Then, using the number system, it would be 2, 3, 4, and so on. To determine how the line forms up.
A few years ago, a number would be located on the right side of their chest, and they stood from least to greatest. However, since some clothes are ripped to the point where numbers have been removed or changed due to putting on a different shirt, they continue the tradition by their original number.
Being in such a rush, Sho and Hiroto were the first to arrive in line; however, it didn't really matter much if they were to hurry. Hiroto and Sho were, no matter what they were going to be first; perhaps it was Sho's childish excitement.
Hiroto's number was still shown on his shirt, a zero as big as a fist, making him the first in line to get his food. Then came Sho, who had the number one on his chest, but he had long lost it due to time.
After Sho, Ken came next, the tallest kid with a bulky physique. He quickly stood out among the 40-plus kids lining up. Uncourtly, he has a significant number of cuts and rips, perhaps from his prominent figure, making him not as agile.
"Hiroto, do you still remember how we meant?" Sho asked with a worried look. Hiroto only shook his head yes once again. Then, a smile grew on Sho's face that's rarely seen in these kids.
"Good, I thought that you might have forgotten. It was on the fourth day that we decided to talk to you. Back then, we were all nervous and actually showed emotions, but from all that happened, you can't find it anymore. Back then, we had a pretty big group. Now we're all that's left! Only us two. It was after you lost Han..." Sho hurried and grabbed his mouth.
He looked at Hiroto and saw that he twitched but still had a doll look to him. Sho was relieved that it didn't escalate the situation, but he was disappointed; he wished he had more of a response.
"Look, all I'm trying to say is that starting tomorrow, we won't be here any longer; we will leave this place. We must!" Sho and Hiroto grabbed their food and sat down.
A vent that barely had enough space for the tray and the food, every 90 seconds, sent the amount of food down for one person. The vent is particularly small enough that the tray barely fits alone, often smashing or leaving traces of food, making it not uncommon to have food traces of who knows how old. A kid's arm would barely fit into the vent, much less fit a whole body—the option to leave through the vent has long been debunked.
Sho led to his original spot where he would rest. A pile of clothes lay on top of each other, having an almost rainbow look. However, if the light were to flicker enough, the pile of clothes would definitely be bazaar from the hell red look. Not to mention the clothes that some of the shirts still had the original numbers, while some of the same colors had a different number of strips on them to diverge from each other.
"It looks like they were not lying. They gave us meat! The only time they do that is if there is a big event coming up." Sho was excited to see the meat; however, could it even be considered cooked? The meat still had plenty of blood, with no indication that it was cooked.
Sho grabbed the meat while blood drips fell to the floor; he couldn't help but have a slit grin. Taking the first bite, it felt like heaven, even though it was incredibly chewy. 'Maybe I should cook when I get out of here.'
Sho couldn't complain compared to other children who had little white maggots moving around their meat; his was in much better condition.
It was as if they were blind when they ate into the maggots with the meat. Luckily Sho and Hiroto meat had no maggots. Maybe one of the perks of being at the front of the line.
Hiroto casually ate the food with no particular expression. To be honest, food was more like a resource to survive; it didn't matter what it was. But Sho smiled with every bite as he slowly ate to savor the taste.
"Isn't this great, Hiroto? We get to eat good food and get released tomorrow. I just hope the final treatment isn't something we can't handle. Hiroto, when we get out of here, I want to see the beach and wildlife with you. Like actual trees and grass, and I want to see live animals! Hiroto, do you think we can do all this?" Sho's eyes got big as the stuff he said seemed impossible to him, but hearing Hiroto's voice was all he really wanted to hear. Just a sliver sound of his voice could make this day all so much better. It's been two years or so since he last talked.
But at last, it was too much to hope for, and the only response was to shake his head yes once again. It pains Sho's heart every time he sees it. It does not matter how many times he saw him shake his head, for it would bring pain to Sho's heart every time.
It didn't take long for Hiroto and Sho to finish their food, for there was only a fist full of meat on the tray. Sho was the last one to finish as he was the slowest eater in the room. Unlike everyone else, Sho liked to take his time and eat, for it was one of the things he could enjoy.
Finishing his food, he grabbed Hiroto's tray and walked to a corner in the wall; there was a perfect fit for a tray slip, which he slipped his tray into. Afterward, he came walking back; some steps sounded like he had stepped in a puddle, while on other steps, his foot felt sticky.
Both Hiroto and Sho lay on the numerous clothes stacked on each other for cushion, as other kids did in a similar fashion. Finally, Sho closed his eyes, "Hiroto, if I don't make it tomorrow, I want you to have feelings again and to speak again. I want you to be like your old self! So do this for me if I die tomorrow." And like before, all Hiroto did was shake his head yes...
⧗
"Wake up, kids. It's time for your big day." The old woman's rusted hinge voice came, hustling through the air; however, like a command, every kid still could move did so. Such a thing as to wake up by a whisper to the children was both metaphorical and physical child's play for them.
Sho slowly opened his eyes, entirely focusing away from his sleep on the old woman's voice.
'It is crusty as ever. I can't wait to stop hearing your voice, and that's one thing I'm going to be looking forward to when I get out!' Sho thought to himself as he put one arm in front of the other, pushing himself to a standing position. He was a little cold from waking up from his body thermoregulation. Still, there wasn't much circulation of cold air, so it should go away in a couple of minutes.
Fully coming to his standing position, he already saw Hiroto standing under the blinking light. 'How does Hiroto do that? It's as if he doesn't sleep?'
Sho couldn't help but think this to himself. Whenever the old couple woke them up, Hiroto would already be waiting for them. It's also not like they can keep time in the room, even if they could; the old couple comes to wake them up or move them at various times without a pattern.
Saying it this far, it took Sho and the several other kids less than a minute to get up and line themselves from their original numbers. At the same time, the ones who were dragging or limping themselves into line took a bit longer.
"Alright, kids, get in line, and let's head to our final treatment. Oh, I can't wait to see you all in your last treatment. But you kiddos got to do good for your last one, ok. For this old grandma's sake." The grandma's voice sounds sweet as ever, but dark and evil thoughts are hidden behind her words. With the wicked mask she wears, the pearly white teeth to show.
Sho also took notice of the grandma's bright blue dress as if she had saved it when she was younger from her size being rather tight. A capturing dress only made her grey hair stand out, almost like a reminder that time is a blink of an eye, and youth follows along with time.
'I never seen her wear anything besides a lab coat?' Thinking about it further, Sho curves his head to the right, lost in thought over the fact that he hasn't seen her wear anything else.
"All right! Follow me now and don't fall behind, be a shame if you were to get lost."
Snapping out of the thought, Sho couldn't help feeling that her cruel joke went a little too far because he had lived in this cursive place as far as he could remember. How could he possibly not know each corner, each room that he has committed mass murders in, the pain that lives in this place that he calls home? His face showed a hint of emotion, and without looking back, the grandma's smile grew that much more.
Leading the way, the grandma's slow pace easily made were each kid keep up regardless of their injury. "Mhhh, Mhhhh, ohhh, what a day! For sweet little sheep's clump together. Jump, toward inedible gory nether, to never be seen. For hopefully, they might know the wintergreen with their unseen history. As the history is but full of mystery and misery."
With a bunch of little kids following her as if she was leading a bunch of elementary kids on a field trip, she started to sing, with her mood being so happy. Like a lullaby to put a kid's heart at ease, however, it held such a dark meaning, but while she sang, no one said anything. Instead, they already knew this song from the numerous times she would sing it.
Even though they could all be qualified to be elementary kids by age, that was not the case. Being fully developed by the glimmer's hallway lights had the opposite effect on the kids. Under the light, like a moving crime scene, the kids were drenched in red. The smell of death followed as each step they took, some with bare feet and others wearing what was left of their shoe, had an ever-lasting imprint on the reflecting floor.
Scars, cuts, missing arms, eyes, and even untreated injuries that seem from medieval times all showed with these kids. Yet, 48 pairs of assertive red steps were freshly made with each step the grandma took, all following right behind her. A group that seemed as if they had already parted with the world devoid away from the concept of what makes a human.
It's funny how steps can represent a person. For example, if a woman wearing, high heels makes clicking sounds, men seem to make cumbersome steps, and older people have slight gaps of time before you hear their steps. In this instant, the children's vast hallway, echo-like taps became more like war trumpets, with their feet taking quick steps to keep up with the older woman matching their small frame.
As they progress through the almost limitless hallway, changes seem to emerge; the metal doors that separate each other start from having their characters. Appearing as some were broken, almost hanging by the last bolt, others matching the hells metal door that these devilish kids came out of. Some of the doors didn't even look like anyone ever touched them, while others were dyed red, maybe just as dark as Hiroto's shirt or a little less.
Handprints just as the room the kids started in began to appear. Some were much smaller matching who knows how young, others seemed to be as big as an adult's hand. The lights covering each corner turned more sloppy, leaving some areas dark. Finally, however, the floors seemed as if it was never touched, as if the floor was a haven and everything else was hell. The surroundings of the floor were getting engulfed by murders, and corrupt, limitless odor taking every known space the hall gave. While the kids were the final turning point of the floor, corrupting the spotless reflecting white that it managed to save.
.....