Chapter 3
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Episode 1 - Stories from a circus train [3] ─────────────────────────────────
Sohel slowly rose from her seat as she walked down the stairs to reach the stage of the show.
I could see her swallow; ironically, she looked calm, but if I looked more closely, I noticed that her hands were sweating to the point of forming small beads.
Sohel glanced out of the corner of her eye right in my direction; our eyes met, but the next instant, she turned her gaze toward the host in the center of the stage.
'Why did she look at me?'
The host's mask wore a radiant smile; he brought the microphone to his mouth and said in a cheerful voice:
〖Ladies and gentlemen, we have a beautiful, brave lady here〗
Without saying a word, Sohel shifted her gaze toward the two prepared Anomalies, hanging from the ropes attached to the ceiling.
The host turned around and motioned for Sohel to position herself in the middle of the red circle with an X on the floor.
〖Let the show begin〗
---
The Anomaly above Sohel slowly descended, hanging, and extended abnormally long hands, the size of an average adult body.
It opened both hands and grabbed Sohel. At that instant, Sohel's feet left the ground as she watched herself rise over five meters.
The host and the audience watched as the Anomaly began to swing.
The red light from the fire covering the hoop reached her eyes as she swallowed; her hands were sweating even more, feeling she could slip at any moment.
The Anomaly, while swinging, seemed to signal that the time had come to release the participant.
'Here it comes.'
I nervously swallowed. The reason was very simple.
The first show only required two participants in total. Even if the first person died without crossing the flaming hoop, as long as the second one succeeded, the host wouldn't choose someone else at random.
'If she dies, there's a high chance I'll be next.'
It was then that the Anomaly released Sohel.
Sohel's body, for a moment, shot forward to cross the flaming hoop. I felt a great tension and noticed that all the people around me held their breath, waiting to see whether she would make it or not.
Sohel flew in an instant, passing through the flaming hoop without any issue.
"..."
I heard someone sigh in relief, followed by more sighs.
Then, the host played fake applause through a hidden speaker somewhere.
〖Incredible, the first launch was a complete success. Our audience thinks so too.〗
The host walked toward us; instinctively, we all applauded.
Claps. Claps. Claps.
The host seemed just as cheerful seeing us applaud.
〖Very well, let's continue〗
The chosen person had to pass through the flaming hoop twice. Once done, the show would be considered complete, and we would proceed to the final act.
When the host indicated they would continue, the second Anomaly that had caught Sohel began to swing.
The Anomaly, building momentum to release Sohel, readied itself, prepared to launch her.
I held my breath as the Anomaly was about to release Sohel, and just when it seemed it would be a perfect throw…
"Ah."
Someone let out a cry.
"..."
Suddenly, Sohel's left hand slipped, and the Anomaly made a poor throw.
Sohel, thrown with one hand and off-balance, approached the flaming hoop, and for a moment it seemed she wouldn't make it, but…
"Ah."
Someone sighed in relief. However, when the other Anomaly was supposed to catch her, Sohel's sweaty hand suddenly slipped from its grip.
'Shit…'
I held my breath for a second, but to my relief, Sohel grabbed the Anomaly's forearm and tried to climb, clinging to her tightly.
At that moment, as Sohel struggled not to fall and both swayed, the Anomaly let out a shriek and, suddenly, the arm Sohel was clinging to began to swell.
Boom!
The Anomaly's arm exploded as she screamed and fell. In that instant, using the momentum, Sohel managed to grab onto the rope the Anomaly had been holding.
"..."
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The faint sound of liquid dripping from the holes in the Anomaly's body was the only noise in the place.
The audience and the announcer watched the Anomaly, pierced by spikes and missing an arm, while I held my breath and Sohel hung from the rope, slowly descending.
Just when I thought the Anomaly would become aggressive, she unexpectedly turned around and looked at us with a wide smile.
〖Incredible, spectacular… this deserves a big, long round of applause.〗
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Once again, she sounded her fake applause, and going along with it, the spectators began to applaud unconsciously.
Of course, I did the same, though at the same time I was thinking intensely.
'What was that…? N-no, wait… what I just saw was a Supernatural Power that only Anomalies can use… Is she an Anomaly?'
As I pondered, Sohel had already returned to her seat. She was breathing heavily and sweating profusely.
Her entire shirt was soaked, and in the glare of the lights, her forehead covered in beads of sweat reflected the illumination.
〖Ladies and gentlemen, the first show is over. Unexpectedly, it ended very well and spectacularly. Now, it is time for the second and final show〗
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Suddenly, the lights went out for about five seconds.
The audience once again held their breath, perhaps anticipating the next danger awaiting them.
Then, the lights returned; however, there was a major difference compared to the previous stage.
It was as if we had been transported to another room, even though none of us had moved.
The new stage was like a fairground, inspired by a casino.
There was a circular table with two seats. On it, three cards and some dice in the center. Hanging directly above the table was a puppet, upside down, with both hands pointing towards the center.
Across from the round table were three roulette wheels with multiple spaces; on each were different symbols: a heart, a skull, some darts, a snake, etc.
'Here we go.'
This was the worst part of the second show on the second stage.
At that moment, I remembered what this show was about.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
| Record of Mysteries Exploration | Entry No. 20: "How to Survive the Second Show"
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
If you passed the first show, don't think you're safe now. The second show is presented by an Anomaly known as The Jester, and although it seems harmless, this show is far more dangerous than the previous one.
The stage changes to a fairground inspired by a casino, with a table and three roulette wheels of three colors. The Jester will force you to participate in a game called
The selection method is the same: the announcer turns off the lights, turns them on, and two spotlights point to the "chosen ones."
Survival Rate: 8%
Note: The game consists of advancing across the board by choosing a card (Red, Black, or Gold). The dice decide how many spaces you advance, and each space has a random effect that can injure you, trap you, or kill you instantly. If one dies, the entire duo dies.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Ting. Ting. Ting.
As footsteps taking long strides could be heard, the sound of ringing bells grew increasingly louder.
From a corner, there was a door with a jester's image printed at its center. That door was tall.
Creak!
The door slowly opened. Both the people around me and I nervously swallowed.
From the door emerged a long hand, followed by feet, and then a head with a radiant smile.
The Anomaly, with long limbs, dressed in a jester's suit and a two-pointed cap with a bell on each end.
It walked to the center of the stage, right beside the host, and suddenly bowed in greeting.
The onlookers, including myself, instinctively wanted to turn our heads and run away.
My heart was pounding fiercely, my body was drenched in sweat; my breath was ragged, and I couldn't tear my gaze away from the jester.
It was as if something was preventing it, and most likely, that was the supernatural power of the Anomaly in front of everyone.
At that moment, the host's voice resonated strongly as he calmly said:
〖Let the second show begin〗
***
The fake sound of applause was heard once again as the host began to speak.
〖Ladies and gentlemen, the second show is about a paired game. The game is called "Path of Luck." I will now explain the details.〗
The host turned around and pointed to the three cards on the table.
〖Do you see those three cards of different colors? You only need to choose one. The red card triggers a possible event regardless of which symbol it lands on in the roulette. The symbol on the red card is an inverted Heart; the black card has a Skull, and the gold card has a Brain.〗
The host paused as he looked back at us.
〖And what kind of events do these cards trigger? In short: if you choose the Black card, you could die instantly or survive until the end of the game without a single scratch. On the other hand, if you choose the Red card, you will suffer severe physical harm. The Gold card affects your mind; you could die from a stroke if you're unlucky.〗
He then pointed toward the roulette wheels at the back and added:
〖Once the card is chosen, the puppet will roll the dice, and depending on the number rolled, the roulette will spin that many times. Afterward, the roulette corresponding to the chosen card will be revealed. The way to win is simple: just reach the tenth square.〗
The host seemed to have finished the explanation. He clapped once and said cheerfully:
〖Very well, let's begin.〗
The host pressed the red button on the device in his hand, and the lights flickered.
'Not me, not me, not me…'
I wasn't prepared to be chosen; in the worst case, being chosen gave a high chance of death.
However, perhaps it was my lucky day.
When the lights went out, they turned back on and pointed at two people.
A man and a woman.
〖Please come up to the stage.〗
Remembering that they couldn't refuse, just like that man in the first show.
The pair stood up trembling, forced themselves to walk to the table, and looked at the three cards in the center.
〖Please choose a card.〗
The woman chose the red card, while the man chose the black card.
'He thinks he can get lucky.'
If the dice lands on two, the man would advance two squares, where there was a skull, meaning instant death on the black roulette.
'Square number five, which has a heart, would ensure his life, and he could finish the game…'
However, if the woman died, the man would also die. The game forces both to survive until the end; if one dies midway or at the start, the other falls as well.
〖Please roll the dice.〗
The puppet stretched out its hand and grabbed both dice. It shook its hand for about two seconds and then threw them.
The first person to move forward was, of course, the man; whoever chooses the black card moves first.
The dice landed on the table, revealing the number one on the first die and on the second…
'You've had bad luck.'
The second die also showed the number one.
〖Oh dear, how unlucky.〗
The host sounded sad. The puppet then spun the black roulette wheel to space number two, landing on the symbol of a skull.
The man, who had been dazed moments before, looked at the jester, who wore a radiant smile.
The jester approached the man, and suddenly, the jester's mouth opened. However, it wasn't just his mouth: from his mouth down to his abdomen, the jester's body split open, revealing an ulcer-like cavity filled with teeth.
It looked as though his entire body was a single mouth.
The man stood up and tried to run; however, the jester raised its hand, grabbed him, and pulled him close.
In an instant, the man was engulfed by the jester's teeth and swallowed immediately.
The woman, seeing her companion devoured so easily, screamed in terror, tears streaming down her face, and tried to flee. But the same thing happened: she was swallowed in just a second.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence fell like a thunderclap.
'This… only three of us are left.'
I looked at Sohel and, near her, there was another person. Counting myself, there were only three of us.
I swallowed nervously. At the same time, the host smiled sadly and said:
〖That was unfortunate〗
'No, it wasn't.'
〖Well, there's nothing we can do. In that case, we'll choose the next pair〗
The host pressed the red button.
The lights went out, and when they came back on, they illuminated two people.
"..."
"..."
I could only curse my bad luck internally as I saw the light shining on my face. I also noticed Sohel wore an expression identical to mine.
〖Oh my, the beautiful lady from before and a fine gentleman have been chosen. Very well, please come up to the stage.〗
Come to think of it, I've never had good luck… but still, I wanted to cling to it until the very last minute.
'I'm screwed.'