grave (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
graveexcitement) wrote2019-08-13 05:06 am
graveexcitement) wrote2019-08-13 05:06 am
Entry tags:
fic snippet: 9.5%
got inspired to start writing the Keiji timeloop idea i thought of a few days ago. i'm stuck between the impulse to post right away on ao3 for validation, and the rational position to not post anything yet since i'm bad at sticking to a project and i should wait until i've finished more of it. so i'll just post a snippet here instead.
fandom is Your Turn To Die; beware of spoilers. 1k words.
Press the switch.
All he had to do was step forward and press the switch. It was right there. Why couldn’t he move? She was kneeling, chained, right in front of him. She was saying something. She was chained. He had to move, or she’d die. The suspect was bleeding on the ground, right in front of him. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t let go of the gun --
“Keiji!” she shouted, and he jolted. She tried to smile at him, but it was more like a grimace. “Keiji, you’re not there, okay? Take -- take a deep breath for me.” He did so. “You can panic after we get through this, all right? Just press the switch and we can get out of here.”
He nodded, and took a shaky step forward, relieved that his legs worked after all. Another step, then one more, and his hand hovered above the switch.
“That’s it,” she said. “We’ll get through this. It’ll be okay.”
Why was he hesitating? He had to save her. She’d done so much for him, even if -- why hadn’t he pressed it yet? Her life was in his hands. He couldn’t freeze up now.
“Keiji?”
He forced his hand down and pressed the switch. Cold dread trickled down his spine. The chains unlocked and retracted from her, and she briefly sank to the ground, trembling. Then she stood once more and stepped away, just in time for the chains to violently retract into the walls. She stared for a long moment, and finally said, “Whoever did this is seriously fucked up.”
What was wrong with him? Why had it taken him so long to save her -- and why did he have the lingering thought
that he had made the wrong choice?
Megumi clapped a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You there, Keiji?”
Keiji jumped. He was still standing frozen, his hand on the switch. “Sorry, boss. I…” He looked away. “I don’t know what happened there.”
“We’re in a dangerous situation,” she said. “It’s frightening and overwhelming. And I know this must be bringing up bad memories. I -- Keiji,” she paused, and he looked back at her. “I don’t blame you for panicking, okay? I don’t blame you. But we’re not out of danger yet. So if it happens again, take deep breaths, and listen to what I say. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, boss.” Only after the words left his mouth did he realize he was still calling her ‘boss,’ even now.
Megumi smiled. “Great. Now let’s get out of this godforsaken room, all right?”
She led the way, and Keiji followed.
...
“It’ll be all right,” Megumi told the assembled group. “We’ll find a way out of here. We just need to stay calm, and work together.”
“Are you a policewoman?” a boy spoke up. He had cloudy white hair, and looked to be high-school age.
“Yes, that’s right. Why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Megumi Sasahara, and I’m a police officer. This is my partner, Keiji Shinogi.”
Keiji blinked. The lie had rolled off her tongue so effortlessly. But she was probably right; no need to bring up his dodgy past and make people nervous. “That’s me,” he said. “Your friendly policeman.”
“You’re not wearing a uniform, woof,” said a kid who looked like he was in elementary school.
“It was my day off,” Keiji said. “Or I guess it was. I don’t actually remember being kidnapped.”
“Me neither, meow,” said the kid.
After that, the others relaxed enough to introduce themselves. There were nine of them in all, including him and Megumi. Megumi, he thought, was the oldest one here. Two of the others seemed to be around his age: Q-taro Burgerburg, who was a burly man with bright red hair, and Reko Yabusame, a woman decked in punk attire. A few of the others were a bit younger, probably early twenties: Mai Tsurugi (a nervous woman in a large chef’s hat) and Shin Tsukimi (an easygoing man wearing a beanie and a scarf). Then there were two high school students, Sara Chidouin and Ranmaru Kageyama, and finally the elementary schooler, Gin Ibushi.
It was Gin’s presence that made him really wonder what kind of people had kidnapped them. Not that doing this shit to any of the rest of them would’ve been okay, but Gin was just a kid. Involving him was cruel.
Nine people. None of whom knew each other except him and Megumi. Which probably wasn’t a coincidence; their kidnappers must’ve known he and Megumi knew each other, or they wouldn’t have stuck them together for their First Trial. The kidnappees varied in age and occupation, but each reported the same thing: they didn’t remember being taken. They’d fallen asleep last night and remembered nothing between then and waking up here.
No matter how much Keiji searched his memory, nothing came. It meant they had probably all been drugged; there were certain sedatives that also blacked out recent memories. So none of them had any idea when they’d been taken, or from where exactly, or by whom.
They decided to split up to search the area. “No one wander off alone,” Megumi told them. “Everyone pick someone to search with, and stay with that person. If you’re worried, stick with me or Keiji.”
Even their brief conversations thus far had made it clear that the most anxious one in the group was Mai, the baker. She was clearly still shaken from her First Trial, though she hadn’t said what it was, and she’d stuck to Megumi’s side like a burr, ever since she had said she was a police officer. Keiji wasn’t surprised when she immediately opted to go with Megumi.
“Yell if you’re in trouble, and meet back here when we’re done,” Megumi instructed. And then she and Mai left, the group breaking apart in her wake until it was just him, Shin, and Gin. Keiji blinked after her, feeling oddly light.
“So where to, mister policeman?” Shin said.
He turned, scoping out the area. “No one went that way, so let’s check it out.”
As they headed towards a pair of double doors, Gin running ahead and Shin reminding him not to go too far, Keiji realized that the tension he’d felt earlier was finally leaving his body. His head felt clearer, his body lighter. He wasn’t sure why; the severity of the situation hadn’t changed. Maybe he felt better now that they could actually get moving and investigate. Or…
Maybe he just felt more relaxed now that he was apart from Megumi.
fandom is Your Turn To Die; beware of spoilers. 1k words.
Press the switch.
All he had to do was step forward and press the switch. It was right there. Why couldn’t he move? She was kneeling, chained, right in front of him. She was saying something. She was chained. He had to move, or she’d die. The suspect was bleeding on the ground, right in front of him. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t let go of the gun --
“Keiji!” she shouted, and he jolted. She tried to smile at him, but it was more like a grimace. “Keiji, you’re not there, okay? Take -- take a deep breath for me.” He did so. “You can panic after we get through this, all right? Just press the switch and we can get out of here.”
He nodded, and took a shaky step forward, relieved that his legs worked after all. Another step, then one more, and his hand hovered above the switch.
“That’s it,” she said. “We’ll get through this. It’ll be okay.”
Why was he hesitating? He had to save her. She’d done so much for him, even if -- why hadn’t he pressed it yet? Her life was in his hands. He couldn’t freeze up now.
“Keiji?”
He forced his hand down and pressed the switch. Cold dread trickled down his spine. The chains unlocked and retracted from her, and she briefly sank to the ground, trembling. Then she stood once more and stepped away, just in time for the chains to violently retract into the walls. She stared for a long moment, and finally said, “Whoever did this is seriously fucked up.”
What was wrong with him? Why had it taken him so long to save her -- and why did he have the lingering thought
that he had made the wrong choice?
Megumi clapped a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You there, Keiji?”
Keiji jumped. He was still standing frozen, his hand on the switch. “Sorry, boss. I…” He looked away. “I don’t know what happened there.”
“We’re in a dangerous situation,” she said. “It’s frightening and overwhelming. And I know this must be bringing up bad memories. I -- Keiji,” she paused, and he looked back at her. “I don’t blame you for panicking, okay? I don’t blame you. But we’re not out of danger yet. So if it happens again, take deep breaths, and listen to what I say. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, boss.” Only after the words left his mouth did he realize he was still calling her ‘boss,’ even now.
Megumi smiled. “Great. Now let’s get out of this godforsaken room, all right?”
She led the way, and Keiji followed.
“It’ll be all right,” Megumi told the assembled group. “We’ll find a way out of here. We just need to stay calm, and work together.”
“Are you a policewoman?” a boy spoke up. He had cloudy white hair, and looked to be high-school age.
“Yes, that’s right. Why don’t we introduce ourselves? I’m Megumi Sasahara, and I’m a police officer. This is my partner, Keiji Shinogi.”
Keiji blinked. The lie had rolled off her tongue so effortlessly. But she was probably right; no need to bring up his dodgy past and make people nervous. “That’s me,” he said. “Your friendly policeman.”
“You’re not wearing a uniform, woof,” said a kid who looked like he was in elementary school.
“It was my day off,” Keiji said. “Or I guess it was. I don’t actually remember being kidnapped.”
“Me neither, meow,” said the kid.
After that, the others relaxed enough to introduce themselves. There were nine of them in all, including him and Megumi. Megumi, he thought, was the oldest one here. Two of the others seemed to be around his age: Q-taro Burgerburg, who was a burly man with bright red hair, and Reko Yabusame, a woman decked in punk attire. A few of the others were a bit younger, probably early twenties: Mai Tsurugi (a nervous woman in a large chef’s hat) and Shin Tsukimi (an easygoing man wearing a beanie and a scarf). Then there were two high school students, Sara Chidouin and Ranmaru Kageyama, and finally the elementary schooler, Gin Ibushi.
It was Gin’s presence that made him really wonder what kind of people had kidnapped them. Not that doing this shit to any of the rest of them would’ve been okay, but Gin was just a kid. Involving him was cruel.
Nine people. None of whom knew each other except him and Megumi. Which probably wasn’t a coincidence; their kidnappers must’ve known he and Megumi knew each other, or they wouldn’t have stuck them together for their First Trial. The kidnappees varied in age and occupation, but each reported the same thing: they didn’t remember being taken. They’d fallen asleep last night and remembered nothing between then and waking up here.
No matter how much Keiji searched his memory, nothing came. It meant they had probably all been drugged; there were certain sedatives that also blacked out recent memories. So none of them had any idea when they’d been taken, or from where exactly, or by whom.
They decided to split up to search the area. “No one wander off alone,” Megumi told them. “Everyone pick someone to search with, and stay with that person. If you’re worried, stick with me or Keiji.”
Even their brief conversations thus far had made it clear that the most anxious one in the group was Mai, the baker. She was clearly still shaken from her First Trial, though she hadn’t said what it was, and she’d stuck to Megumi’s side like a burr, ever since she had said she was a police officer. Keiji wasn’t surprised when she immediately opted to go with Megumi.
“Yell if you’re in trouble, and meet back here when we’re done,” Megumi instructed. And then she and Mai left, the group breaking apart in her wake until it was just him, Shin, and Gin. Keiji blinked after her, feeling oddly light.
“So where to, mister policeman?” Shin said.
He turned, scoping out the area. “No one went that way, so let’s check it out.”
As they headed towards a pair of double doors, Gin running ahead and Shin reminding him not to go too far, Keiji realized that the tension he’d felt earlier was finally leaving his body. His head felt clearer, his body lighter. He wasn’t sure why; the severity of the situation hadn’t changed. Maybe he felt better now that they could actually get moving and investigate. Or…
Maybe he just felt more relaxed now that he was apart from Megumi.