wash || alice in borderland

i. king of spades

"none of the games have started yet."

reiko looked towards arisu. she was surprised he managed to stay so calm, as he usually got a bit frantic before the games.

"maybe we still have time." usagi suggested.

"or they forgot to push the big red start button." chishiya spoke sarcastically, causing reiko to poke him in the arm.

kuina sighed from where she sat in the middle of the street. "they didn't even tell us about the rules for this one."

usagi looked around, confusion covering her face.

"what is it?" kuina asked.

"i hear something." usagi swiftly walked past chishiya and reiko, causing kuina and arisu to also take a few steps toward her.

the five of them stared ahead, a low rumbling sound could be heard getting closer. the sound kept approaching until a bunch of cars came into their vision, driving into the street and loosely surrounding them.

"they're alive. beach people."

reiko huffed quietly before swinging her backpack over her shoulder. rifling through, she felt around for her walkman. making a noise of triumph, she grabbed her walkman and headphones out of her bag before zipping it and swinging it back over her shoulder. chishiya side-eyed the girl who was putting her headphones on and slipping her walkman into her pocket.

"are you sure that's a good idea, reiko?" he whispered in her ear, his head leaning down slightly.

reiko smiled and nodded in return. "i haven't heard good music in so long, i think now is the perfect time!" she reached into her pocket to turn the music up.

chishiya shook his head at the girls' antics, thinking of the first time they met. "just be safe." he whispered, though the shorter girl couldn't hear him over the music blaring into her ears.

the sounds of the engines came to a stop as cautious players exited the cars. arisu stepped up to approach one of them.

"what is this? what are you doing here?"

a tall man with a cardigan was the one to answer him. "we saw the blimps show up. there are rumors that the next stage is starting."

"right." arisu turned around to look at the sky before looking back at the man. "here's the thing-"

suddenly, a loud explosion rang through the crowd. reiko looked over curiously, the sound being muffled by her music. she stared with wide eyes when she saw the body of the man, his head completely blown apart and scattered on the street.

another explosion fired and killed the woman next to him, causing the people around to start screaming in fear. reiko stepped to the side as another person flew back, their blood splattering across those around them.

"oh my." she cocked her head in thought.

"a rifle." chishiya whispered in slight horror. he grabbed reiko's hand to drag her along with the rest of their friends that had started to run. "that thing's an anti-tank rifle." the two flinched as a bullet hit the car a few feet away from them. "so i'd forget about hiding behind a car." he nudged reiko somewhat playfully.

reiko smiled as the song continued to play, not incredibly bothered with the situation before her. it was just like the first game she had played!

"come on neko-san!" she tugged on his arm as they entered a light jog to both keep up with their friends and to avoid the bullets. "this is fun!" reiko nodded her head to the music as they hid behind a metal building.