🎲 Chapter 10. The Final Game
— May I ask? — Nikita spoke. — You gave me a game, in which through the glasses I saw on Maria's back poison in the form of the letter «A», and had to save her. But why when my friends put on the glasses, they did not see the letter? And why, after they beat me unconscious, did Maria stay alive? She should have been dead within minutes!
«In fact, there was no poison. The glasses were equipped to support augmented reality, and the letter was part of it. However, no one except you could see it, because they were scanning the wearer's eye color. Yours is gray, the rarest in among your classmates. Belongs to only three of them.»
— And I thought she was going to die, that I couldn't save her... — he ran his hands over his face. — Okay, let's get back to Michael! A year ago, at the time he disappeared, I saw the news that some teenager of fifteen years old living in our town had committed suicide.
Sigita joined the conversation:
— Do you think it's him? What school did he attend? — she turned to the headmistress. — If he studied at our lyceum, you should definitely know about it. Was it Michael?
— Yes, it was him, — the woman hesitated. — The media were curious about this case, but we didn't want to spoil the reputation of the lyceum, so we bribed them not to disclose the fact that he studied here.
— But Maxim told me that Michael moved to another country...
— It seems that he overestimated you, — Nikita noted.
— Why?
— Sigita, think! What Vienna? No one from our city will move there! Didn't you realize tha «Vienna» was said in a different sense?
— What was it?
— Yeah, now I've seen for myself that good grades don't affect intelligence...
— Did you mean to insult me?
Nikita got angry:
— Do you think I care about insults now? Vienna — is a homophone for the word «vein»! This city was chosen precisely because Michael cut his vein! I'm more than sure that Maxim didn't even tell you anything about Austria!
Sigita nodded shamefully.
— Maxim gave you the truth from the beginning. He hoped you would understand, but you never did. He was too smart for you.
— But why did you say our sisters are dead?
— Oh my God, use your brain! Why would a man who plays such cruel games ask about Michael? Because it's personal! He knew him, and he wants revenge!
— For what?
— You remember how we used to, let's say... prank him, don't you?
Dmitry grinned:
— What a word you picked up! Pranked... We were mocking him!
«That's right. You figured it out. Congratulations.»
— What does that mean? The game is over? — Nikita rejoiced.
«No, the game has just begun. Scan the QR code underneath your laptop.»
The headmistress raised her work laptop and saw a small note with a link. She logged into her account, opened a browser, typed the link into the address bar, and pressed «Enter». When the website loaded, the monitor displayed two windows of images from the live camera footage. While the others had no idea who they were showing, Sigita and Alina were at a loss for words.
— What do you want to do to them? — Sigita asked in a trembling voice, recognizing her older sister in the left window.
«In the walls of Sigita and Alina's sisters' rooms, there are poison gas valves. If you lose, they'll open up.»
— Why would you kill them? What did they do to you? — tears came to Alina's eyes.
«They didn't do anything to me. I'll kill them so you'll understand what it means to lose someone close to you. But they're not the only ones who will suffer.
**I've installed the same poison vapor valves in the desks of six random classes. Tomorrow lessons will begin, and while the students are peacefully writing down the lectures in their notebooks, the substance will slowly enter their lungs. They won't even realize they've received a lethal dose of poisoning.
This is a case I'll tell the media about. And then, headmistress, you will have to close the lyceum, because no one will want to study in an institution where hundreds of people have died!»
— Why do you want the lyceum to be closed? — the woman clarified.
«When Nicholas, Nikita, Alina, Sigita and the others were mocking Michael, he asked for your help. But you did nothing. You didn't care about his suffering. And now that the power is in my hands, you will play by my rules, otherwise your lyceum, and everyone you care about, will come to an end. This is our final game.»
— As I understand it, it's useless for us to call the police, — Dmitry guessed.
«Cell phone service is completely jammed.»
— How do we save them? What game do you want to play with us?
«The door is open. Go to your classroom. I'm in there. The next lesson is about to begin. By the end of it, you should figure out who I am.»
The classmates and the headmistress with laptop in hand ran into the classroom.
— Oh my God... — from surprise the woman almost dropped the laptop, but at the last moment managed to come to her senses and grab it.
The teacher was sitting on the chair, motionless, with her upper body lying on the table, and the students were sitting at their desks. Their hands were tied with rope to the backs of the chairs. And every, absolutely every student was wearing that mask. The game maker's mask. They were gagged underneath, which took away their ability to speak. On the electronic board, a big red sign stood out:
«Find me.»
The headmistress put the laptop on the desk with the side facing them so the monitor was in view:
— Who could that be? You're the one studying with him, not me!
— Dmitry, — Nicholas addressed him. — Yesterday you sent me a message in which you said that if you met the game maker, you would break his nose.
— That's right, I remember! He was wearing a mask. When I was ready to fall, I hit him with all the strength I had left. His nose must be broken.
— Let's examine their noses.
The friends split up and started taking off their classmates' masks.
— His nose is broken! — Dmitry exclaimed. — It's Yaroslav!
Everyone moved over to the student. He was desperately trying to say something, but the gag was in the way.
— Have we checked all the students? — Sigita asked.
— Yes, all of them have normal noses, — Nikita assured. — So the game was arranged by Yaroslav? Dmitry, take that gag off him already! He wants to say something!
As soon his mouth was released, Yaroslav, panting, quickly spoke:
— It's not me! Dmitry, you broke my nose before you met the masked man! Broke it because I realized that you liked Sigita!
— I don't remember such a thing.
— He erased your memory! Sigita and Maxim can confirm!
— Maxim is among the victims, he's also gagged. But Sigita is with us. Sigita, is he telling the truth?
— I can't say... I don't remember...
— Damn it, are you completely dumb? All right, then let Maxim say! What if he remembers?
Dmitry strode over to Maxim and asked:
— Maxim, do you remember? Did I break Yaroslav's nose for guessing about me and Sigita?
He nodded.
— See? My nose was broken before the game! You're looking for someone else!
— Dmitry, — Nikita called out to him. — You were standing a few centimeters apart! I'm sure there was some distinguishing feature about him! You must remember it! Everything depends on you! Remember!
And suddenly hit his friend in the face with his palm. Dmitry was instantly transported back to yesterday.
...
— We'll die? — he asked quietly.
The masked man slowly approached him.
— No, no, why do you think that? You won. It's just a sleeping gas. Everyone here will forget my face, but will remember the events of this day for a long time.
— I can't make out your face, but I feel like I know it. You study with us. You're our classmate!
— That's right. Unfortunately, you'll soon fall asleep and forget it.
— Please lean towards me, — his eyes were slipping, his legs were failing, his words were jumbled in his head, but Dmitry held on. — I want to recognise you before I fall asleep and forget.
— All right, — the man leaned in. — Their faces were only centimetres apart. — I can't stand. Give me your hand, — Dmitry wheezed.
...
— I remember.
— What? Speak!
— He was wearing a gas mask, so I couldn't see the color of his eyes. But could see his shirt. It was gray.
— We have only two students with gray shirts, — the headmistress said. — Yaroslav and Maxim.
Nikita scrutinized the classmates' clothes.
— They are identical.
— If it's not Yaroslav, that leaves only Maxim, — Sigita concluded. — But there must be something else that proves his guilt?
— Yes, and I know what will. Sigita, Alina, he could only have gotten to your sisters by knowing your addresses. Any idea how he could have accomplished that?
Alina shrugged her shoulders. Sigita nodded in agreement.
— Alina told me the story of how you met Maxim. He showed you a clever way of cheating in math, and afterwards gave you copies of special glasses and pens.
— That's right, but what does that have to do with it?
— Here's how: they were bugged. You put the glasses and pens in your bags. Maxim tracked all your movements, sometimes even drove up to your houses and studied the possibility of breaking into them. He found the perfect moment when no one would be home, broke down the doors and installed mechanisms in the rooms.
— Wait! — Sigita stopped him. — What if it's Yaroslav after all? Sometimes, before math class, the teacher says to air out the classroom, and we all go out for a while, leaving our bags unattended. At one such moment, Yaroslav could linger, wait for everyone to leave, and, while no one was watching, plant the bugs!
— It's a stretch, — Nikita objected. — You just like Maxim! He made a good impression on you and clouded your judgment! That's why you don't suspect him!
— Are you an idiot? — Alina defended he friend. — Dmitry broke the game maker's nose, and Maxim's is normal!
— But then why did Maxim agree that Dmitry had broken Yaroslav's nose before the game? Maxim was with Yaroslav! If the masked man had been Yaroslav, Dmitry wouldn't have broken his nose, but Maxim said he did! And do you know why? To distract us! It's the same game that only amuses him!
— It still doesn't explain why Maxim's nose isn't broken.
— I don't understand anything! – Sigita exhaled. — Nothing points to either Yaroslav or Maxim! The arguments against both contradict each other!
— How confusing everything is! — Nikita began pacing around the classroom in confusion.
Sigita walked over to the laptop:
— Fifteen minutes left! We have to think faster! Our sisters could die!
Her words angered Nikita:
— You think I don't want to help them myself? You think I don't know what will happen if we don't make it in time? The end of your sisters, and the lyceum, and the headmistress! She could be sued for poisonous gas, and she doesn't even know which desks have it inside! I unbearably want to find out this moron, but I don't know how!
Finishing the last word, he slammed the teacher's desk with all his might, so much so that everyone got chills. Feeling guilty, Sigita stopped talking and stepped away from the laptop. Nikita walked over to Dmitry.
— There was definitely something else besides the shirt! It was either Yaroslav or Maxim, just two possibilities! I'm begging you, remember!
Dmitry closed his eyes and once again sank back into his memories.
...
— Please lean towards me, — his eyes were slipping, his legs were failing, his words were jumbled in his head, but Dmitry held on. — I want to recognise you before I fall asleep and forget.
— All right, — the man leaned in. — Their faces were only centimetres apart. — I can't stand. Give me your hand, — Dmitry wheezed.
The man held out his hand. The student took it with his right hand, and prepared a fist in his left. Having got the support, hit the stranger in the face with the last of his strength. A crunch was heard.
From pain and surprise the stranger pulled back and grabbed his nose.
...
— When I broke his nose, I heard a crunch. If it had been Yaroslav with an already broken nose, it wouldn't have sounded like that again. The masked man's nose was normal.
Nikita approached Maxim:
— Then, it turns out, it's him! But look at his nose: it's perfectly fine! Look, I'll squeeze it!
With his fingers he was about to grasp Maxim's nose, but as he touched, he felt a strange unnaturalness.
— I don't understand...
From the outside, the nose looked normal. No blood. No curves. But when Nikita pressed it, he got the feeling that it was a little displaced. To be sure, the student touched his nose. This sensation didn't appear.
And only now, looking closely at Maxim's nose, he saw a thin layer of false skin. With his thumb and forefinger Nikita gently groped this layer, picked it up, and removed. Underneath, he saw a broken and bandaged, real nose, sealed with plaster.
Maxim slowly pulled his free hands out from behind him, removed the gag, and smiled widely.
— Congratulations, you've won!
...
February 10, 2021. 1 year ago
«Instagram»
— I can't take it anymore. I'm sorry...
— What are you talking about?
— We'll never see each other again. I can't take it.
— Why not? You've been through so much! There's only a little more to go! I believe in you! We'll figure something out!
— There's nothing we can do. Goodbye.
— What do you mean, goodbye? What do you want to do?
He never contacted again.
In the evening, his parents came home from work, went into the house and thinking their son was asleep, did not check his room. The next day they still hadn't seen him, which was unusual. The parents tried to enter but the door was locked with a latch. Suspecting something was wrong, they knocked it off.
He was lying on the floor with a blade in his right hand. His left arm was severely cut in the vein area. The blood had already stopped flowing, but it left a very large mark that formed the shape of one word...
«Classmates.»