"You know what, it's okay. Anyone who sees you crying right now would think that I've done something bad to you," Axel said with an irritated expression. He walked over to Ave and stood in front of her. "If you're scared, you can cling to me, but minimize the whisperings and stop staring at Lionel. He might start suspecting you sooner or later," he added with a serious yet frustrated expression.
"I understand. Sorry for being a burden. I promised not to be a burden from the start, and here I am. I'm just so sorry," said Ave, as she threw herself into Axels embrace but was being shrugged away.
"It's okay. I should have expected this. I mean, you're a lady after all," said Axel. "Can you tell me what issues you have with guys to make you call us dangerous and cruel?"
"That's a long story. I'm actually a married woman," said Ave, raising her head with her gaze now locked with Axel's. "But I killed my husband."
"Woah," Who would have thought that you're also dangerous but why are you behaving weak then? Asked Axel, as he folded his arms on his chest, with a disgusted look at Ave.
"We've only been married for a year. He promised to love me after marriage, only to end up mistreating me. Since the day I got married to him, we never had sex and he treated me like trash. He always beat me up at any slight opportunity he saw," said Ave, with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Not until recently, I found out he had another woman elsewhere with two kids. It means he was only after my father's property and didn't want to have kids with me. He was only there to dupe me."
"Wow. So you killed him after finding out that he has kids with another woman. He deserves it I must say. Those we trust always end up betraying us, said Axel with a smirk.
"I decided to confront him, hoping he would take responsibility for his actions and I could forgive him because I love him so much. But you know what he did?" said Ave, with a grin. "He said he doesn't care, he doesn't care if I'm hurt or not." That statement unleashed the demon in me, and before I knew it, I had stabbed him with a kitchen knife," she added, now weeping uncontrollably.
"It's okay! You'll be fine. You shouldn't give up, okay? You're a strong woman," Axel reassured her with a smile.
"Thank you, Axel! That night, I attempted to end my life by jumping into the ocean, only to find myself waking up in a game world. It feels like I'm being punished for my actions. Every time I see a player die, I can't help but think that it could easily be me. I'm so scared, Axel, scared of everyone," Ave said, with tears rolling down her cheeks but I feel much better sharing this secret with you. Thanks for listening to me," she added with a smile.
"You're welcome. Let's head back now, it's getting late. Just be yourself and don't be scared, you can do this," said Axel, as he scratched his head in frustration, already bored of Ave's topic. "I can't believe we spent the whole day outside the supermarket."
"We went on a date!" Ave exclaimed with laughter, but her expression quickly turned serious. "Promise to protect me. I can promise to stop staring at Lionel whereby he would get suspicious, but we should pretend to be dating so that others will think we're together, including Lionel. It will keep me safe until you reveal his true identity."
"You want to pretend to be my girlfriend in front of everyone?" Axel asked with a smirk.
They already think so, so why can't we just add a little spice and let them believe that we're dating? I promise to stop watching over Lionel," said Ave with a smile.
" Alright then. Deal! Now let's hurry back now ! Said Axel and the two of them quickly made their way back to the supermarket.
_
_
When they arrived, they were met with the stares of the other players as soon as they walked in.
"Arrrrgh... That crazy bitch," Livi cursed as soon as she saw Ave, watching her grin from ear to ear while holding onto Axel's arm.
You both spent the entire day out. We're already worried that something happened," said Logan, his voice full of concern.
"We're fine! Thanks for the concern, Logan," said Axel, with a smile as he patted Logan on the shoulder.
"Alright then, goodnight everyone!" said Logan to the other players who were already lying down on the floor.
Axel and Ave walked down to their bed and prepared it before laying down beside each other.
"Goodnight Axel," said Ave with a smile on her lips.
"Goodnight," replied Axel, and soon shut his eyes, ready for sleep to take over.
_
_
The next day arrived quickly, accompanied by heavy rainfall. The rain drummed against the window, creating a soothing white noise. The sky was a dull grey, with low-hanging, heavy clouds. The leaves on the trees were wet and dripping, and the streets were slick with water. Everything felt slow and sleepy, as if the world was holding its breath and waiting for the rain to stop. There was something calming about a rainy morning, a feeling of peace and quiet that was hard to find on other days. But for Axel and the other players, it wasn't a feeling of peace. Instead, they felt tension, nervousness, and danger.
"This is the second day. Our two days of rest will soon be over," said Livi, standing at the entrance and anxiously biting her fingernails.
"Why is time moving so quickly today? Can't it just slow down? I might have a heart attack if it keeps going like this," said Rosa, continuously checking the clock on the wall and letting out a frustrated sigh.
"I wonder what the fourth trial will be about. Each trial keeps getting harder. Oh my God, I'm so anxious," said Florence as she swallowed hard.
"Shouldn't we get some weapons to protect ourselves? Even though we don't know what the fourth trial will entail, we should be prepared by arming ourselves with dangerous tools," said Logan, frustration evident in his raised eyebrows.
"I agree! There's a shop down the street where we can get some weapons. We don't know who's going to die next. I've witnessed the death of other players, and I don't want to die too," said Livi as she stood up swiftly and walked up to Logan. "Let's go get some tools, darling. I'll follow you."
"No need for all that. If we're going to need weapons for this trial, then the system will provide them," said Axel, stopping Logan and Livi midway as they were about to pass through the exit.
"That's true. But I'm feeling incredibly restless right now. I can even hear my heartbeat. The system is driving me crazy, who knows what trial it's planning," said Livi angrily as she stormed her feet on the floor before sitting down beside Axel and the other players.
"The system isn't the one in charge of trials. The game masters are. The system just serves as our guidance," said Lionel, standing at the supermarket exit as the other players nodded in agreement.
_
_
It was exactly 12pm the next day. The players were gathered together, sitting in a circular position, waiting patiently for what was about to happen.
"The time is finally here," murmured Livi with a dejected expression. My heart is racing so fast.
Ding!
Wow, that notification really startled me," Livi exclaimed, trying to calm her racing heart.
(Welcome to the fourth trial, dear players.The fourth game starts in five minutes)
(A number of ten players are about to join you.)
Within five minutes, ten more players arrived at the supermarket, their faces filled with fear. There were five women and five men in total.
Ding!
(The players count is now complete.)
(The fourth trial begins now.)