💉  Chapter 8. The Roof Game

— So, what could have happened to you? — Dmitry thought for a moment. — Under certain circumstances you were left alone. Nicholas looks very bad, there is blood on his clothes, and many wounds on his head and hands. Perhaps he ran into a trap. Alina's not wearing anything like that. But judging by her pale and twitching fingers, she's frozen. And you can only freeze outside, because it's winter. She's been with Nicholas all this time, but he shows no signs of frostbite. This means that until today he was unconscious. Alina found Nicholas lying unconscious and tried to save him. Is that true?

They nodded.

— Good. Moving on. Nicholas isn't frozen, but there are traces of snow on his jacket. I don't think it fell on him from somewhere, since there are no places with a snow ceiling anywhere. That way, Nicholas was lying in the snow. Unlike Alina. But if he was initially buried, she wouldn't have seen him. Even if she had, she wouldn't have helped him alone, but would have called for the teacher. When Maxim and I ran after Yaroslav to the third floor, on the left wing of the second, I saw that one of the windows was broken. Apparently, it was on the second floor that Alina had found Nicholas, wounded, unconscious, caught in a trap. For some reason, perhaps because of the locked doors, she couldn't get down. Therefore, to save Nicholas, she jumped out the window with him. But as I can see, their legs aren't broken, so they ended up downstairs another way. But how? Did he have a rope ready for you?

Alina nodded.

— So, you are on the ground. If you had called emergency services, Nicholas would be in the hospital, not here. Despite that, you had your phone with you, because when you go somewhere, you always keep it in your hand. I think you tried calling «112», but for some reason that idea failed. Must have been a signal jammer. Am I right?

The girl nodded again.

— If no one helped you, your first goal was to escape from the lyceum area. Your only option was to drag Nicholas to the gate, which you did. Thanks to his short height, you were able to throw him over, then moved yourself. You could have gone out in public and asked for help, but you didn't. The reason is hardly because there wasn't any. It's something else. But what is it? That's it! He met you! When you were outside the lyceum, the masked man came for you. He put you to sleep and left you on the roof.

Alina and Nicholas neither nodded nor shook their heads.

— You don't tell me if I'm right or wrong, because you don't know. You yourself don't know what happened to you. This confirms that he did indeed put you to sleep, and everything I said is true. — Dmitry turned to the stranger.

He showed the screen of a phone with a timer running.

— Congratulations. You figured it out in three minutes.

The classmates breathed a sigh of relief.

— That's it? You're going to let them go?

— Sure, — the man took out a remote control and pressed two buttons. A needle extended from the backs of Alina and Nicholas's chairs, pierced their bodies, and the students lost consciousness.

— What's with them?

— Don't worry, it's just a sedative injected into their skin. They'll wake up soon and be able to leave.

— But why didn't you put Sigita and me to sleep?

— Their game, — he pointed to those who had fallen asleep. — Is over. But there is one more player. He'll be here soon, and we'll continue the game!

...

Nikita sat in the headmistress's office and tried to explain the reason why he hit Maxim.

— Wait, — she turned to the class counselor. — Where is Maxim himself? I told you to bring him in.

— When I came back, he was already gone. Nikita hit him hard, he needed medical attention.

— Okay, — the woman turned to Nikita. — Do you mean to say that Maxim, Yaroslav, and Maria — an excellent and active student with a good reputation, hit you, hid you in the closet, after lessons took you out, and you ran away, but Maxim chased you, wanted to hit you, and you, to defend yourself, hit him first?

— That's exactly what happened. You may not believe me, but I...

At that moment, the door opened and a masked man entered the office.

— Didn't they teach you to knock? — the headmistress was indignant. — If you can't see, we're having an important conversation!

— I've come to pick up a player.

— What player? For a masquerade party? — she laughed.

— Not quite.

He pulled out a dart gun and shot each one in turn with a tranquilizer gun.

...

There were now five chairs on the roof. The last one was occupied by Nikita, asleep in handcuffs. The masked man injected a sleep-inducing substance into his vein, and after a few seconds the student came to his senses. His mouth was covered with a cloth, taking away the ability to speak.

— Dmitry, in front of you are your friend Nikita and your beloved Sigita. One of them is lying to you. There are two possibilities. The first: Nikita is not your real friend, and he never liked you. The second: Sigita actually has mutual feelings for you. You need to realize that. In five minutes. If you don't, these two will die. The game has begun!

— Wait, but yesterday you made Sigita tell the truth whether she likes me or not! If she lied, you would have killed us!

— I didn't say I'd kill you. I said I'd release the gas. But whether I would release a soporific or poisonous gas in each case, I didn't specify.

— So there's a chance she loves me?

— You tell me, Dmitry. You tell me!

— Well... Who should I start with? Let's start with you, Nikita. You talk to me frequently, but I'm not your favourite interlocutor. Maybe you prefer to talk to others more than to me? I'm a good student, and you could use me to get good grades on test papers!

Nikita started shaking his head.

— On the other hand I saw sincerity in your voice, emotions, and my help wasn't one-sided, because you yourself sometimes helped me in other things. If you were friends with me for grades, the rest of the time you would avoid me. But that wasn't the case.

Dmitry turned to Sigita.

— You don't want him to kill both you and Nikita, do you? Then nod or shake your head while looking into my eyes. Do you love me?

...

The geography teacher was about to take the documents from her office desk. When she went inside, she was stunned to see the principal and her deputy — also the head of one senior class, lying unconscious on the floor. The teacher ran over to them and checked their pulse.

«Alive...» — she concluded and slapped them lightly on the face. Slowly they began to wake up.

— What a relief! Are you all right?

— Yes, I'm fine, — the headmistress replied sleepily. — Did you see a masked man?

— I was coming down from the third floor and saw a masked man going up there. He was carrying a student in his arms, but I didn't ask about it because I needed the documents urgently and couldn't waste a second.

The woman sprang to life.

— We need to find him right away!

— Can you at least tell me what happened?

— He broke into my office and fired a gun. I thought we were gonna die, but it was sleeping darts. If you hadn't come, we would have slept for a long time.

— You're lucky I needed those documents... Do you know who that man was carrying? I think it was a teenager.

— And you're right. This student, Nikita, hit his classmate too hard. We were talking to him, but suddenly this stranger burst in and Nikita disappeared. It must have been his friend who wanted to save him from punishment.

— Where could they have gone?

— You said you saw him somewhere on the third floor. Where would you hide a man on the third floor?

— There's a ladder leading up to the roof. But the hatch is locked.

— I had the key, — the headmistress checked her pockets. — I don't understand... It's not there. It's gone!

— So they're on the roof?

— Looks like.

— Is there a second key?

— Yeah, near the CCTV monitors, by the entrance.

— Get up there!

...

Sigita shook her head.

Dmitry felt a sharp weakness and depression, but kept himself in control. Sadness had to be left for later, after all, the price of the game was life. The student turned to the masked man:

— I'm ready to name the answer. I think I'm being deceived by...

Suddenly he interrupted Dmitry:

— Listen... But do you even need to tell me the answer?

— But if I don't, they'll die!

— You ordered Sigita to honestly answer the question of whether she likes you. She answered in the negative. Of course you resent her. And you don't show it, because you're strong and you want to accomplish the task, but I can see that you're heartbroken. You realize that you won't be together, you won't be a couple, you won't get married, that you have no future. Your dreams are shattered. So, maybe, you want to take revenge on her? All you have to do is keep quiet. She and Nikita will die, and you won't be under suspicion because the poison will kill them. Everyone will assume that your classmates were poisoned, and you'll live a peaceful life, knowing that Sigita won't get not only you, but no one else.

Dmitry looked at his friends and had no idea what he should do. He suspected that the masked man was right.

...

— Sharp's the word! — the headmistress was getting angry. — Why so slow? Open the damn hatch already!

The geography teacher was trying unsuccessfully to pick the lock, while the class counselor was thinking how to help her.

— Wait, wait... Something's jammed...

...

— Absolutely no guilt, Dmitry. You have a lot better friends than Nikita. The girl you'll find is prettier and smarter. You'll fall in love with her, and it'll be mutual. This one doesn't deserve you.

...

— I can't open it, I'm not strong enough!

— Maybe it's just the key that doesn't fit? Insert a different one!

...

— You don't have to save them! They're no use to you! Realize that and set yourself free!

...

— Got it! — the teacher pressed the hatch. The class counselor stood next to her and helped to lift it up.

The unknown man turned around.

— This wasn't supposed to happen...

— Surrender, — Dmitry smiled. — You can't escape.

— Can't I? — under surprised looks from the students, he reached the edge of the roof. — The game is not over yet! — took the remote, pressed a button and jumped off.

An infrared signal triggered the self-destruction. Micro-explosions erupted, turning the poision mechanisms to ash. All evidence of the game disappeared.

The hatch opened. Three adults crawled out and ran toward the students.