"What does that even mean?" Rumi asked, baffled.
The others were in the same dilemma.
Why was there some cryptic nonsense instead of a game?
"Who knows?" Ace muttered, and pressed the button again, his fingers lingering over it.
The words on the screen faded, replaced by a new set glowing in the center of the screen.
The Last Toll
PRESS PLAY AT YOUR OWN RISK
Everyone in the attic exchanged uneasy glances. Met with Blake's uncertain gaze, Ren sneered cockily, "Don't tell me the great leader of Coffee & Saccharine is scared by a silly warning."
"We don't even know what kind of game this is. And dear brother, we don't even have joysticks here. What do you expect us to play with, your useless mouth?" Rumi shot back, defending her leader.
"That's right. Without a joystick how should we play?" Jamie asked, a little disappointed he couldn't play this nameless game today.
"There is nothing wrong in checking what game it is," Nina said, her words as straight as her hair.
"Nina is right," Kai silently backed her up.
Jason frowned, his eyes shifting toward his leader. "It's better not to touch anything. Not to mention there were several warnings."
Blake nodded in agreement. "We should continue with our previous game. We've delayed enough." His tone carried the weight of a battlefield general, as though the fate of world peace depended on his decision.
"Oh come on, Blakey. What's life without a little risk? Moreover, it's just a game, not some creepy video tape from a horror movie. You won't get sucked into it, don't worry." Ren smirked as he patted Blake's shoulder, consoling him like a child afraid of touching fire for the first time.
Blake's eyes narrowed at the hand resting on his shoulder but he didn't take any efforts to shrug it off "You can take the risk. My people will not be invol…"
Before he could finish, Jamie, who had crouched beside the tv, suddenly pressed his fingers down over Ace's hand, which had been hovering above the button.
"-_-"
"Oopsie… hehehehe… a small mistake. My hands might have thoughts of their own," Jamie said with a sheepish shrug.
Blake glared at him.
The room descended into absolute silence. The words on the screen vanished once more, replaced by the endless mosquito dots, crackling softly.
"See? Told ya. It's nothing seri—" Ren's words were cut short as a sudden flash of blinding white light burst from the small TV. The attic was swallowed by its brightness, so fierce that nothing around them could be seen.
The teenagers squeezed their eyes shut, shielding themselves from possible blindness. The air inside the attic shifted violently, then, in a single swift moment, the group of teenagers who had trespassed into the empty house of some old candy selling grandma, vanished without a trace.
Time shattered, a violent suction dragged them in. The world rushed past them, plummeting through an endless tunnel of blinding light.
AHHHHHHHHHH!
Their chorus screams echoed in unison, yet the sound seemed trapped, unable to escape through the vast current of lights. The colours bled and fractured like a liquid, blue arcs of energy sparked like an oceanic spray.
Blake shut his eyes tight, caught between freefall and flight, his body spun weightlessly.
Finally, the light spat them out like it tasted the worst dish in its entire life. They popped out like dirty laundry from the washing machine and smacked flat against the earth like wall stickers.
"Ugh—get off me, dumbass! Do you think my perfect face is your landing cushion?" Ace groaned under Jamie's weight.
Jamie snorted, still sprawled over him. "Perfect? Please.I just got an up-close look at your collection of whiteheads."
"Both of you, shut up and stop moving. I'm stuck!" Rumi snapped, trying to untangle her hair that had somehow hooked onto Ace's belt.
Jamie grinned, his cheek still pressed against Ace's chest. "See? This is called friendship bonding."
Ace glared at him. "If you don't move away now, I will show you what fist bonding is."
Finally, Nina, whose fall had been cushioned by a big pillow called Kai, moved over to them and helped Rumi untangle her hair. Once the hair was freed, she pulled Jamie to his feet and obediently tangled Rumi's hair back onto Ace's belt as it was before.
Ace: "-_-"
Rumi: "-_-"
Yes, she is petty. Nina gave them her signature grim look and returned to their team leader, whose tangle is much more complicated than Rumi's.