The Queen of Spades (promise this is good)

Chapter 42-insanity

"I can hear your heart pound heavy."

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You were the assassin for that round, so it was pretty simple that all you needed was one vote. But, how were you going to get everybody else not to vote for you? 

*Vote for me, Akira. I'm the assassin.* you used sign-language to communicate with him. He nodded, asking you with sign language, *I can act like I'm the murderer so people will vote for me. Just watch.* 

You stood back up from your squatting position. "Banda, I'm the assassin. I got Akira to vote for me, and he says he can act as the murderer so the suspicions will rise for him and only one person will vote for me. This way, Akihiko will die."

"How pleasant for you to be the assassin, because I'm the murderer this round," Banda whispered, leaning his back against the wall. He looked at you, thinking of a strategy, until you decided to ask him a wild question that could change everything. "Are you planning to have nobody vote for you, so that everybody excluding you would die?"

He grinned from ear to ear. "That won't be fun. I want to watch and hear people's screams as they die, one by one," he responded, his smile growing wider. The way a serial killer like him loved watching people suffer ten times more than you did made you a little scared of him. Playing a game against him meant certain death, unless it was a spades game, where you had the upper hand.

You gulped down the lump of apprehension in your throat. "What should we do about Yaba, and that man in the hoodie? Apart from the king, those two look like the most dangerous. We should keep an eye on them," you explained. Banda looked down at the dusty ground with blood stains. 

"I once played with the man in the hoodie. He's just like the jack of hearts, only so innocent and shy until it all comes down to the last few players. He constantly likes to taunt people, and he's excellent at hearts games. But, he really gets on my nerves sometimes," he clenched his fists, his veins popping out of his skin.

You tilted your head in confusion. Was that a sign of a weakness? "I guess that emo boy could come of use to me if I need to provoke Banda," you took note of that. Noticing that he had a partner, a shy girl who had a habit of biting her nails in stressful situations, you chose to approach her in hopes of figuring something out.

"Hey! We can't find the murderer here, so do you mind telling me who it is?" You friendly approached her while she was eating at the snack bar alone. You grabbed a small box of sour gum drops, picking up a few and tossing them into your mouth. The sugary taste that coated the sweet dissolved in the contact of your warm saliva, the flavor giving you a hint of sour as your teeth bit into them. The sweet flavors of each gumdrop were the best.

"N-none of us is the murderer...I believe that this round, it should be one of you, maybe the kid. He hasn't been the murderer yet, has he? It's most likely him. Besides, I saw him talking to a few of those people so he could kill someone..." she prattled. Just then, there was a dark presence behind her.

Kyoto grabbed her hair and pulled her up. She squirmed in his grasp, but he was far too strong for her. "Didn't I tell you not to talk to these people? Especially the pink-haired one. You're so stupid!" He dragged her away her her hair, giving her a hard slap across her face.

You used one hand to hoist yourself across the table, grabbing his wrist tightly. "Now, that's not a very polite way to treat an innocent woman. Let go of her, or things are going to get messy," you warned him fiercely. He chortled, provoking you.

"Isn't that against the rules? I'm warning YOU not to intervene with our business, you busybody."

"The rules only restricted murder. So as long as you are living, I can torture you to my heart's content. Let. Her. Go." Despite the girl begging you not to make him angry, you ignored her and instead stood up for her. Kyoto let go of her hair, pulling a few strands out in the process. He cackled, before walking away. Good choice not to pick a fight, Kyoto.