18 Shock Therapy

[Jacob rushed over with concern, but didn't know what he was supposed to do. He didn't know why Leah was vomiting blood, but the only real explanation was the cake. Jacob looked at the cake, which had a big bite taken out of it. And that bite revealed countless tiny little razor blades packed on the inside. Jacob turned to look at what Leah had vomited out, which consisted of quite a few tiny razor blades.]

Jacob: W-What is this?

[Leah was tearing up, and still choking, spitting still spitting out blood and tiny bits of cake. Her eyes were widened all the way, clearly showing how shocked she was. Jacob didn't know what to say. He reached out to Leah, but didn't end up touching her as he didn't think that would help.]

...This is messed up!

Jacob: S-Someone! Call an ambulance!

Jake: ...Our phones were confiscated before they let us in here.

Jacob: What? T-Then the staff here can hear us, right? There were razor blades in the cake, you have to send the people responsible for medical things!

[All of the other contestants also looked shaken up. They all looked between each other with ghastly expressions, as though wondering if someone else understood what was going on. In the middle of the silence Jacob began to panic harder.]

Jacob: Is this staff not watching? Hello? Is anyone even there?

Announcer: We've been here.

Jacob: T-Then you've sent someone, right?

Announcer: ...No, we haven't.

Jacob: What? Then hurry up! You put razor blades in the damn cake!

Announcer: Exactly. One of the cakes had a special surprise inside!

Huh.

Jacob: Special... surprise?

Announcer: Yes! After all, this is a very happy game, so of course there will be surprises to cheer you up!

[Jacob clenched his fists]

Jacob: You've got to be kidding me! That makes absolutely no sense! How could this cheer anyone up?

Announcer: Haha, of course it will! Just think about it, those razor blades cut up the interior of her mouth. The pain is bad now, but you have to remember to survive she has to both drink and eat! Even if she does recover, she will constantly have to suffer more pain, almost like the razor blades never left! It's quite the creative surprise if I do say so myself.

Jacob: You... You won't get away with this! When people see that it's broadcasted, you'll all be found out sooner or later!

Announcer: Hmm... is that so? Well, the only problem is that this is a private broadcast, with trusted viewers that know how to keep a secret.

Jacob: ...What? But I remember seeing this show on TV.

Announcer: Ah, you must be mistaking this for the other Very Happy Game hosted by Big Corporation Co.

Jacob: ...Is this not hosted by them?

Announcer: Of course not! It is hosted privately, for the sake of entertainment. All of you were texted since you seemed nearby, and from our record checks, few people would realize you were missing if you were taken away.

[All of the contestants froze up when they heard that. A girl with long brown hair spoke up.]

Girl: W-Wait, so we can't go back?

Announcer: You can go back!

Girl: T-Then, can I go back now?

Announcer: No.

What the, get your words right!

Girl: But you-

Announcer: After you finish the games, all of the remaining survivors will be let go!

Jacob: ...How many survivors will there be?

Announcer: Potentially everyone! This is a team game, after all.

[Jacob let out a small sigh. If it truly was a game where only one could come out victorious, then they would be forced to turn on each other, which was probably the worst outcome.]

Announcer: After all of you are nice and full, you can continue down further through the hallway to start our first happy game together!

[Jacob bit the bottom of his lip. After a considerable amount of hesitation, he lightly patted Leah on the back, though it was hard to tell if she even noticed given how much blood she was coughing up.]

Jacob: I-I'm sorry, I should've just taken the cake. Then you wouldn't have...

Jake: You were going to take the cake. She was the one that asked for it. You were just being kind. There is no fault with anyone here.

[His eyes narrowed]

Jake: ...After all, nobody knew the game show hosts were actually sadistic freaks that put razor blades in the cake.

Jacob: Y-Yeah...

[Jacob hung his head low as Leah continued to cry from the pain. It looked like she wanted to cry out, with her occasional weak groans, but it seemed to be quite painful whenever she tried to speak. Jake cast a glance at her, but his expression didn't change as he looked away once more.]

Jake: ...It appears that we are all on the same team, so it's probably best we get to know each other. If we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, we can better adapt to the situations presented.

[Nobody seemed to be against what he said. After a brief moment of silence, Jake spoke once more.]

Jake: My name is Jake. I won't be too good in any activities requiring physical strength, but I'm not too bad in... my studies.

[Next, a girl with long brown hair spoke up]

Girl: Um, My name is Katie! I um, like art, but I don't like spiders.

[Then, a middle aged man with black hair and a beard spoke up]

Man: My name is Daylin. I still work out, so I have a decent bit of muscle. Though, I can't understand technology for the life of me.

[A young man with short blonde hair that looked like a "pretty boy" spoke up next]

Man: My name is Evian. I specialize in fashion, including hair styling, clothes, and cosmetics. I refuse to go near anything nasty.

[A teenage girl with short black hair spoke next]

Girl: My name is Dizzy! I'm a little clumsy, but I'm always really passionate!

[Then, was a woman with long blonde hair bunched up in a ponytail]

Woman: My name is Lanae. I have a degree in business, and I'm not the kind that gets my hands dirty.

[Next was a man that looked rather old, though he didn't look feeble in anyway]

Man: My name's Gerald. Back in my day, I drove a lot. Though, my old bones may not take me far if we have to run.

[Finally, was another young woman. She had hair that was clearly dyed to be bright red, and had her arms crossed]

Woman: My name is Pepper. I played a lot of sports, so I can help ya with that. Definitely not the smartest though.

[Then, came Jacob's turn]

Jacob: Uh, I'm Jacob. And... I'm not particularly good at anything. As for this girl, her name is Leah. I'm sure you all can understand that she can't speak right now.

[Everyone felt a little awkward]

Jacob: So, Leah, Jake, Katie, Daylin, Evian, Dizzy, Lanae, Gerald, Pepper.

Lanae: Though you may be incompetent, could you tell us about the strengths of your friend there?

[Jacob blinked a few times, pretending he hadn't heard that comment]

Jacob: ...I'm not so sure. I only met her two days ago because we were both contestants.

Lanae: Hmph. Well, we should hear from her mouth then, no?

Jacob: But... she obviously can't talk right now!

Lanae: If we are going to work as a team, we have to know what to expect from one another. A little bit of pain doesn't matter.

Jacob: But-

Lanae: Are you trying to say I'm wrong? If you're going to be useless, at least don't be a burden.

[Jacob fell silent, deciding not to talk back. Jake let out a long sigh after hearing that exchange.]

Jake: We can have her explain it all after she recovers. It's not like saying your strength will matter that much anyway, it's just to get an expectation. Once we actually get into the action, then it will matter.

Lanae: ...Whatever.

Jake: Leah, do you think you'll be ready after a ten minute break? Just nod or shake your head a little.

[Leah clearly hesitated. She had a hand over her mouth, but blood still spilled out of it anyway. After a moment of deliberation, she nodded.]

Damn, ten minutes of rest for someone that got cut up by razor blades in their mouth.

Jacob: ...Isn't ten minutes too short for someone that got cut up by razor blades in their mouth?

[The rest of the group looked a little awkward when hearing that. It wasn't as though they didn't think it was reasonable, but it seemed that they didn't really want to wait all that long.]

Jake: She agreed... Maybe it's not as bad as you think.

[Though he said that, it didn't sound like he was convinced by his own words. After all, the amount of blood on the floor was quite a big giveaway that it wasn't any light wound. But at the same time, Jake felt that these strangers weren't all that empathic, so he couldn't give her too much time.]

Jacob: ...Alright.

[Roughly ten minutes had passed, and then the group set off. As they walked over the crest of the hill, they saw a strange booth-like place. It was arranged to be in a circle, with ten seats for all of them. There were clear divisions between each of those seats so that people couldn't see what the other was doing, and there was also a strange metal coil sticking out of one side.]

Announcer: Alright! It seems our contestants are now ready for the first game, Shock Therapy! I will now describe the rules.

Gerald: ...I don't like how this sounds.

Announcer: Everyone will take a seat in the booth. Once everyone has seated, a timer will pop up. Every five minutes, a shock will be sent to a random wire in a person's booth. It will hurt a little, but it won't kill you.

Jacob: What the hell is this? Just a game where we get shocked?

Announcer: Haha, nice eye there Jacob. Obviously it isn't so simple! You will only get shocked if you choose to grab onto your specific wire. You can also choose to pass, and let go of it entirely. However, if you do that, then the shock intensity will increase, as will its duration. Also, it will be split to another person as well! The more people that pass, the bigger the number.

Jake: ...So it's that kind of game.

Announcer: But here's the catch! If everyone but one person passes, then instead that person will be electrocuted until they eventually die. If everybody decides to pass, then everyone will be electrocuted to death!

Jacob: W-What is this...

[Loading choices...]

[1 - Grab the Wire]

[2 - Pass]

I-I mean we have to grab the wire, right? Logically speaking, it will just be bad overall if everyone passes...