The fire cackled, snaking above the burning logs. Forty rebels, two generals, and one leader gathered by the fire as they conspired together. They shivered in unison, as their heart sped.
“Today's the revolution.” Birdi leaned forward, tossing another branch into the fire pit.
The fire shimmered, dancing against the night. Unlike the previous meetings, it produced a glow brighter than the sun.
They tensed their knuckles in unison- in fact, they all knew. Today is the revolution. Not just any revolution, but a rebellion against the Mystery Casino.
Vienna quickly threw a thin into the fire.
Pop! The fire swallowed the stick, then shrinking rapidly. Mira fidgeted, gently tossing in a small stick.
“Everyone follow,” Birdi chanted.
“Everyone follow!”
Birdi marched forward, displaying her arm above the roaring fire. She fiddled in her pocket, grabbing a small dagger.
She took a deep breath and hesitated.
SCRATCH!
Drip. Drip.
A heavy cut pierced her arm. Gritting her teeth, Birdi tensed her muscles, as if that would ease the pain.
“Today, we offer a sample of our blood to proclaim our loyalty.” Their leader declared, as her jade-coloured hair whipped.
One by one, the rebels took a sample of their blood. The fire crackled louder, louder than a volcano.
“Today, my rebels,” Vienna rose, smirking. “We will ambush the mystery casino with our plan!”
“Yes!” Mira cried. “After all of this, there will be peace.”
The alliances we've made will help us for sure. After all, we’re prepared, more than prepared.
–
The rebels crept through the forest, each carrying a torch. Their footsteps were lighter than air.
“Summer has infiltrated the casino by pouring gasoline all over,” Birdi said.
The laughter from the mystery casino bellowed.
“But their arrogance will be their downfall.”
The rebels studied the casino. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a simple black building that blended into its surroundings.
And this was the Mystery Casino.
Birdi leaned closer. The mystery casino was scraped in burn marks. Creeping closer, the rebel spaced out five meters apart. They crouched against the dark bushes.
Holding their walkie-talkies tight, the rebels slowed their movements, carefully listening to each word.
Birdi’s heartbeat echoed. Her skin tightened and her eyes widened, taking in every little detail in the present.
“When I say fire,” Birdi pulsated. “We'll-we'll burn the casino.”
“Yes, leader!” They whispered, making sure the gamblers didn’t eavesdrop.
“And-and don't do anything until I say so.”
“Yes, leader!”
The lights from the window danced and the faint silhouettes shifted. The gamblers shared light-hearted chuckles, carelessly gambling their chips over.
And little did they know, they were gambling their life over.
Only three people patrolled the casino: Yuna, Sana, and Alyelle.
Birdi froze, as she observed their respective locations. Summer, Poem, and Milkia clustered by the top floor. Their silhouettes were different from the gamblers, mainly in the hat shape. Of course, unlike the rebels, the chess masters’ body language was relaxed, and they roamed freely. In fact, the chess masters and the gamblers were healthy rivals, cheering each other on, until now.
Birdi advanced her torch, calculating the locations of each mystery camper. The building suffered many scrapes and uneven sides. The gamblers turned their heads away from the window, chattering about. Birdi sighed, tightening her grip.
A complete silhouette stood directly in Birdi's view.
She froze, swiping her torch over her shoulders. After a few seconds, the camper turned its head, sprinting down the stairwell.
Shoot, that Mystery Camper, they saw me, they saw me for sure!
Her hand wobbled, and as she fiddled through her pockets, Birdi pressed the nearest button.
Her heart thumped. Don’t worry, I’m the one under control.
“Hello, rebels,”
“Birdi?”
“Ad-advance thirty units forward.”
“Thirty units?”
Thump. A hesitation.
“Thirty units. W-we need to get closer to the building. Press the button on your walkie talkie when you're done.”
Nothing was going to go wrong. Nothing.
One after another, the signals from the walkie-talkie arrived.
Yet from one, the walkie talkie remained dead silent.
“Vienna, are you there?”
“Yes,”
“Have you received any distress signals from group Eleven, from Hatt and Scarlett?”
The chattering wind swept across the bush, howling at the rebels.
“No.” Vienna reported.
A sound brushed Birdi's ears, and she tightly grasped the walkie talkie.
ERROR. NO SIGNAL FROM GROUP ELEVEN. ERROR. NO SIGNAL FROM GROUP ELEVEN.
A scream.
Thump.
That same scream from horror cabin.
No, Hatt and Scarlett. They've been captured-
And the silhouettes shifted, advancing toward the door. Her hands fidgeted. They felt emptier than ghosts.
After a brief rebuttal, she grabbed a pale lighter box.
Was I going to fire?
Grabbing her flimsy pack of matches, Birdi took out one. Small, simply enough to fit in her hand.
Yet just a small thing could cause a large disaster.
She pressed the ignition button. A small teardrop danced against the night. Small, yet all the fire from the match shone brightest.
There's no choice.
She pressed the last button.
“Listen, everyone. Advance ten more units, and when I say fire, fire.”
The signals were unanimous.
“And if our connection is intercepted by horror's haven or fantasy's kingdom, or the mystery casino, then fire.”
Thump. Thump.
Adrenaline rushed through Birdi's blood. Her flinching fingers were solidified.
This is the right choice.
Thump. Thump.
By this point, Mystery sure knows. Yet what's the point of holding back?
Without hesitation, Birdi pressed the last button. With a smirk all over her face, she ushered those last words. “Fire.”
And soon, a layer of gasoline overshadowed the mystery casino.
Each rebel stepped forward. Their clanking filled the air.
It happened so quickly.
The spark sizzled, swelling as it absorbed the energy. Slithering quicker and quicker against the concrete, the fire only grew and grew, absorbing the entirety.
And Birdi froze, as the red energy ate away each particle, washed away each of the gambler's smiles, until the laughter had drowned.
“That was surprisingly deliberate,” Birdi whispered.
What could she do, laugh it off?
Only few mystery gamblers crept out, standing with Alyelle, Yuna and Sana.
But the rest of the gamblers will turn into dust. And the fire had continued its purge, spreading like a virus.
Milkia, Poem, and Summer swivelled from the corner.
“Come on! Birdi, your rebels have to run! The fire's spreading. If you don't, all of them will burn into dust!”
Birdi rapidly pressed those buttons as her hand shook. The text was so blurry and faint, that she could only make out basic shapes.
“H-hello, rebels….”Birdi muttered.
Her footsteps dragged through the grass, and she limped.
Deafening silence.
N-no… signal.
“No..” she muttered. They lost signal, they lost signal, they lost signal…
So what have I done?
“Birdi, run! The rebels, they will know to run! You must run, you must run!”
And without a single thought, she sprinted, flapping her feet high.
Crunch.
What if my rebels aren't safe?
Crunch.
What if they're in the fire?
Crunch.
What if… they're all dead?
Birdi stopped abruptly, as a tight grip pushed her shoulder. She huffed, as cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
“Birdi, we won't let you go after you what you did to our ally. You're coming with us.” Pi frowned.
Her surroundings blurred. Only brief shades crashed together.
“Please tell me they're safe… please tell me they're safe….” she huffed.
“Your rebels?” Cara smirked. “Of course they're fine. They're with us.”
Cara turned Birdi toward the monstrous fire. “But look what you've done, Birdi. Look at what you're rebels done.”
Birdi stared down and a dizziness struck her forehead. The colors were simply blurs.
It’s not their fault. Not mystery’s fault. Not Cara or Pi’s fault. Not Vienna or Mira’s fault.
“This is all my fault,” she muttered.
Alba sighed, stepping between them. She bit her lip, stretching her dandelion shirt. “I didn't expect the simple rivalry to turn like this, and to be fair, this was all revenge.”
“But we need to get out- fast. SWC can't end from this. I'll evacuate everyone.”
A pause. Birdi’s eyes skimmed the floor. She slumped, and her jaws sagged loose.
“And run, run as fast as you can, away from this fire.”
And Birdi ran- ran as fast as she could, skipping through the clinking branches.
Crunch.
Maybe the corpses will burn to dust.
Crunch.
Maybe the people, they'll turn to fragile skulls.
Crunch.
Maybe we'll all burn tonight.
Crunch.
But, NEVER LOOK BACK!
CRUNCH.
Her footsteps hammered like beats to a thunderstorm. The trees, branches, bushes, all swiped past before her eyes.
Huff.
Keep moving, Birdi, keep moving.
Huff.
You've already done it.
Huff.
The steps halted, as the crunches faded.
So what's stopping you, stopping you from moving?
Birdi's boots scraped the dirt. Heavy smoke clouds replaced the forest fire. Together, Alba, Icy, Sini, Li, carried fainted bodies. Blood smeared all over the gamblers’ faces. Distorted features, lead colored hair, spiritless faces, they're simply unrecognizable .
The hosts rushed toward the hills, as all leaders watched the destruction of the building unfold. No one knew how a simple rivalry would turn out. No one.
Yet deep down, Birdi knew the casino would turn thinner than sand grains. Their corpses will decompose, maybe their bones will break and she knew all along she would have caused the forest fire.
She knew.
Birdi stood there, swaying from side to side.
Funerals will be paid, corpses will be buried.
We’ll savor the victory, yet victory will be bland.
Pay as much as you want but no price can undo.
Hide in the facade.
Revenge may seem sweet, but the aftertaste will be bitter.

okay, this is awesome!! xDD yess this should be like some kind of official thing

your writing is exquisite oml-

nerdi-girl wrote:

okay, this is awesome!! xDD yess this should be like some kind of official thing

Violet-- wrote:

your writing is exquisite oml-

ty :00

sorry im mildly cringing

Cherrie_Tree wrote:

sorry im mildly cringing

It is very good. I am glad it won