Project: Death for Classroom Zero

Chapter 49: Numbers

“What’s happening?” the panic was surging towards the face of every members of Tristan’s group.

Aside from the fact that they were confused about the mechanics of the game, their panic skyrocketed when Seven started screaming. Through his scream, there they can trace that it was because of horrifying pain. His eyes are wide open and his face are distorted with a terrified expression. Seconds after, he made a guttural growl which if it was Tristan who will do it, would surely have a damaged vocal chords. From that growl, Tristan somehow assessed that it was Seven’s way in controlling the surging pain that has devoured his body.

“W—We need to help Seven,” said Tammy. Seeing Seven suffering like this, she could not help but cry. She wants to help him, but she has no idea how will she be able to do it.

Neither of them has no idea how to help him. Or … more so … don’t dare to help him with his suffering. Seven Lanford has literally become the red player of the game. While screaming and growling because of uneasy pain, his body was glowing in bright red light. It was as if he wore a laminated red light suit while he frantically rolls on the ancient-like floor.

Being the white player (whatever it is), Tristan decided to sit on the ground, and hold Seven’s shoulder. Gripping hard, he tried to wake their semi-hallucinating group member.

“Seven, hey, come on, you can hold this. You’re tough,” he said, trying to calm him down.

Seven gave him a look, but the way how he has thrown his gaze has made Tristan a spine-chilling sensation. He was gazing at him as if he was drunk; like a blank slate; but at the same time, there was bloodlust; there were traces of something evil which Tristan never thought he would see on a man like him. Like a mad killer who was about to execute his hundredth victim.

However, Tristan does not want to believe that the side of evil Seven was existing. He refused to believe. That is why, he remained holding onto his shoulders, thinking that if only he could share the unbearable pain he was suffering, he would have done.

Now, to add more peculiarity, the ancient floor started glowing in bright red as well. It was as bright and as red as the light of covering Seven’s body, that is why it was not almost seen.

Tristan assessed what was happening. He wondered what could that red light erupting from the floor means. He knew it was related to this quiz. It should be. However, in what way was it connected to?

“You know what, I don’t feel anything good about this,” said Timmy. Just like everyone she too was panicking.

“Yeah, girl. This is bringing me something … some kind of feel like I was inside hell. Oh my freaking gosh,” Amara uttered.

Observing the place that was now dominated with red light, everyone’s attention flew to a certain space when something has changed. Looking at that change, a certain section of the chessboard-like floor was glowing in bright white. It is the only section on the whole floor that was glowing in bright white glimmer.

From this, there was a set of numbers that was encrypted on that certain section which is being highlighted.

“4,4” Tristan read. “Was that a clue?” he asked himself.

Seconds after, the white glimmer of light disappeared. However, shortly after the disappearing of the light from the 4,4 section, another white light erupted. This time, it was on the section which the encrypted number was 2,3. Soon, it disappeared once again, and then it re-appeared on the section of 1,5.

“Tristan, get up on there,” Blaze suggested. “I think that was the message that you need to decipher. Leave Seven, and we’ll be the one who will attend to him. What you need to do is to solve the problem really-quick. Or else someone will die inside this room.” He looked at Seven with both sympathy and fear.

Astounded with the thought, Tristan has spaced out for minute. When he has sooner regain his composure, he patted Seven’s shoulder to comfort him. “I’ll surely save you dude from this mess,” he said.

Now, he stood up and nodded to everyone. “I’ll solve it quickly.”

“Yeah, man, we’re trusting you with that,” Timmy said as she gives Tristan a thumbs up.

“Tristan,” Rain then called him. “I want you to promise me that whatever happens, you wouldn’t be distracted from you solving the hidden message.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Rain stared straight through him. Once again, Tristan was able to look at the blank, ashen window of her soul.

“No matter how many screams, no matter who growled or whimper while you’re solving the message. You shouldn’t be distracted. You must continue thinking.”

“I—I don’t get you.”

“Promise me.”

“No, I can’t promise the thing that I don’t ge—”

“Promise me!” Rain’s unanticipated scream echoed through the enclosed four-cornered room.

Everyone was shocked from that scream. Everyone has not thought that Rain would shout right in the middle of a constricting game.

“I—I … I will,” out of shock, Tristan said. He doesn’t know why Rain was letting him promise that absurdity, but he knows that Rain wouldn’t do it without any chasmic reason. Hearing that from Rain, he know that there was something unacceptable that will happen. He had no idea what it was, but he was sure that it will gravely affect him as he try to decipher the message inside this whole setup.

“Good,” Rain said with a thrifty smile. “Now, you may have missed it, but the white light went to the section 2,5 already.”

Tristan looked at it, and noticed that it was indeed already in the section 2,5.

“Right, thanks.” He once again looked at them. Seeing their faces, Tristan saw how much they were yearning for him to quickly finish solving the problem. One of his hands were rested on his pocket. Out of pressure, he balled it into a pressured fist.

“I’ll solve it real quick,” he said.

He looked back to the luminescence of the white light. He saw it shifting from section to 2,5 to section 2,4.