Last hope.

I glanced around the room. Naima and Aoi were poised to attack, their eyes locked on me, ready to end it all. Ango and Keiko, however, stood frozen in fear. Feeling defeated, I sank to the floor and raised my hands in surrender.
“I give up,” I said, my voice empty of any fight. It felt like the end. Naima and Aoi stepped forward, preparing to strike with full force. But before they could move, Ango rushed in front of me, throwing himself between them and me.
“Stooooop!!” Ango’s cry echoed through the room. “There has to be another way! If you’re going to kill him, then kill me too!” His words hung in the air like a desperate plea.
Keiko, trembling but determined, joined Ango, standing protectively in front of me. “The same goes for me,” she added, her voice quivering.
Naima, her face twisted with frustration, let out a sigh. “Ugh, we can’t kill a 14-year-old kid, can we?” Her anger was palpable, but so was her reluctance. “So, what’s your plan? How are we getting out of this?”
“I don’t know yet,” Ango admitted, his voice strained. “But we’ve got 30 minutes left till Halloween ends. We still have time to figure it out.”
“And the gasoline is filling up the mansion,” Aoi interrupted, his tone sharp with irritation. “If we don’t finish this soon, any wrong step could blow us all to pieces.”
Naima crossed her arms, her eyes darting between us. “Not to mention, it could take 30 minutes just to find a way out of this place. We don’t have time to waste.”
Ango’s face hardened with resolve. “Then we have no choice,” he said suddenly. Grabbing my hand, he started pulling me toward the door. “Run!”
“Ango!” I yelled, trying to keep pace. “There’s nowhere to go! There’s nothing left for me!”
“Shut up, genius!” Ango shot back, not slowing down. “If you die now, I’ll kill myself right after. You’re the last reason I have to live!” His words hit me hard. I wanted to stop, to just give up and let it end, but I couldn’t do that to him. So, I pushed myself to run faster, matching his pace.
“We can’t run for the next 20 minutes!” I shouted, my lungs burning.
“I know!” Ango gasped, struggling to keep going. “I’m thinking! I just need more time!” But then, just as we rounded a corner, his foot caught on a broken piece of the floor, sending him crashing down.
“Ango!” I reached out for him, panic surging through me.
“I’m fine!” he grunted, trying to push himself up. But when he attempted to stand, he collapsed back to the floor, his face contorted in pain. “I-I think I broke my leg... I can’t believe it. At a time like this? I’m such a failure as a friend.”
“Shut up!” I snapped, cutting off his self-blame. “I know how we can get through this. It’s the only way—minimal pain for both of us.”
“Mark...” Ango’s voice trembled, his hope fading.
“Game master!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the crumbling mansion, hoping for a response. Naima, Aoi, and Keiko appeared, catching up to where Ango and I were.
“You know, activating the speakers could spark up the—” the voice began, before I cut him off.
“Let’s make a deal!” I said firmly, my tone unwavering. There was a moment of silence, but I pushed forward. “You can blow up the mansion and kill me and Ango together if you let Keiko, Naima, and ‘number 3 dude’ escape.”
“Hey, I’ve got a name,” Aoi muttered, clearly annoyed.
“Shut up! I’m not playing around anymore!” My plan was clear now. Ango and I would die together in the explosion, freeing the others. It was the best way for both of us—no pain, no regrets.
“How... interesting,” the voice replied, amused. “A sacrifice, is it? You know what, fine.” His agreement came suspiciously easily, but I didn’t question it. “Here’s how it will work: I’ll unlock the main entrance. The three will leave, and you two will stay behind. Got it?”
“Understood,” I replied. Naima, Aoi, and Keiko looked crushed, sadness written all over their faces. Slowly, I helped Ango to his feet, and we made our way to the room where Misaki’s body lay. The others, with heavy hearts, started toward the mansion’s main door.
Before they reached the exit, I turned back. “Keiko, wait.”
She stopped, tears already streaming down her face. “I promised you’d get out of here alive, right?” I said softly. She nodded, her shoulders trembling.
“M-Mark,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “T-Thank you. I’ll never forget you.” I smiled weakly and turned back to help Ango, but before I could take another step, Keiko ran over and hugged me tightly.
“I’m going to miss you,” she sobbed into my shoulder.
Naima stepped forward, her voice strong but filled with emotion. “Mark… you were a good detective. That’s my final word for you.”
Aoi shrugged, trying to stay cool. “Mark, you’re crazy. But I guess… that’s all I’ve got to say.” He smirked, though his eyes betrayed the seriousness of the situation.
With their final words said, Ango and I made our way to the room where Misaki had died. We locked ourselves inside, the weight of what was coming settling over us like a shroud.
“Doors opening,” the voice from the speakers announced, and the three left behind the mansion, running as fast as they could. They quickly realized they were nowhere near a neighborhood—they were in the middle of nowhere. But they didn’t stop. Midnight was only minutes away.
Inside the mansion, Ango and I sat on the floor, our hands intertwined.
“So, this is it?” Ango asked quietly.
“Yep, this is the end of our story,” I replied, my voice calm. “Hey, whatever happens after death, let’s promise to always stay with each other, okay?”
“That’s a promise,” Ango said with a small smile. We hugged, bracing ourselves for the inevitable.

Keiko’s point of view:

We had run far from the mansion, our feet pounding against the dirt road. How much longer until midnight? Suddenly, the sound of an explosion filled the air—BOOM! The shockwave hit us, sending the three of us flying forward. We lay on the ground, dazed, but safe.
The mansion had blown up, reduced to rubble and ash. We stood up, brushing ourselves off, and kept moving forward. Eventually, we reached an area with phone signal and called the police. It wasn’t long before they arrived with ambulances, whisking us away to the hospital.

***

Two weeks had passed since that horrific night. The three of us had been treated at the hospital and were discharged after a week. I was supposed to go back to school, but I stayed home to recover mentally. I hadn’t reached out to the others—Naima and Aoi—since we left the hospital. We hadn’t exchanged phone numbers, and it felt like we were all just moving on.
The explosion of the mansion had made headlines because the blast was so powerful, it started a forest fire that burned for nearly two days before the firefighters could extinguish it. Detectives were now investigating the cause of the explosion, their current theory being that a gas leak was to blame. This meant that the mastermind’s twisted plan had worked perfectly. I could tell the police what really happened that night, but without proof, they wouldn’t believe me. There was nothing I could do.
But the question that haunted me the most was why I felt so attached to Mark. He promised I would survive the night, and I did, but was that really it? I missed him deeply. Was it love? Did that even matter now? He was two years older than me... I hated these confusing feelings.
Needing clarity, I made my way to the city graveyard, where Mark’s gravestone was located. While I was still in the hospital, his funeral had been arranged, and now I visited his grave often. When I arrived, I sat down on the ground in front of his tombstone, clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and started to pray.
"I hope that wherever you are, you're having a good afterlife," I whispered, but another thought quickly entered my mind. There was no signal in the mansion that night—no Wi-Fi, no connection to the outside world. The speakers had to be wired directly to the mastermind. He must’ve been nearby. That meant there had to be a secret passage in the mansion, hidden somewhere. If I could find it, I could tell the police, and they could catch him.
But even if they found him, what would that solve? They’d arrest him, and he’d just go to prison. There’s no death penalty in this country. If he’s under 18, then the worst is just house arrest. I didn’t want him to just be punished—I wanted him dead.
“I’m going to find whoever the mastermind is,” I said aloud, my voice cold with determination, “and I’m going to kill him with my own hands.” That was my plan. I would avenge Mark.
I stood up, ready to leave the cemetery, when I suddenly heard a familiar female voice behind me.
“Saying things like that out loud isn’t a good idea,” Naima said calmly.
I spun around to face her. “What are you going to do? Arrest me?” I asked, almost defiantly.
“Of course not,” she replied, unfazed. “You’re not even old enough to be arrested. I could put you under house arrest, though.” She smirked slightly. “But that’s not what I’m here for. What I really want is your help.”
I stared at her, confused. “F-For what?”
“You probably figured out there’s a possible hideout, didn’t you?” Naima answered, her eyes gleaming with purpose. “I’m a real detective, and with access to classified information, I can help track down the mastermind from that night. Your mind, your insights, could be useful to me. And afterward, you can find him and kill him.”
The air around us seemed to thicken, the atmosphere growing dark and heavy with tension. I felt a twisted smile spread across my face. “That sounds like a plan,” I said, my voice low and dangerous, the madness slowly creeping back in.
Naima smiled back, just as coldly. Together, we now had a new goal. I would get my revenge. I would kill the man responsible for that night.

The investigation begins.

The end.

"New update: This is the end. I know this doesn't fulfill the requirements, but completing everything to meet them is too much of a hassle at the moment. I also have too many things on my hands, so this will be the final update for this novel."