C H A M P I O N O F D E A T H

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       LIGHTS OUT WAS GETTING CLOSER NOW WHICH MEANT ALL THE PLAYERS WERE ON EDGE MORE THEN EVER, AS THE PA ANNOUNCED THERE WAS ONLY TWO MINUTES LEFT. The players were heading to their selected beds in the massive room, the room tense and eerie as the only sound was coming from the ticking clock.

     The timer has thirty seconds left on the screen, and the ticking seemed to get more rapid as the time ran down to the final stretch. Unknown to the players, a bunch of guards were waiting behind the closed doors for the fights to start.

      "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six--"

      Sae-bom was half laying down on her bed beside her sister's, and across from where Player 50 was on his bed. She had her knees bent up, as she listened to the countdown with a calm expression on her face.

      She knew a lot of people would be coming for her and her group, so she didn't have time to panic nor act irrational. Her sister was counting on her, no matter how scared she was about the fact all the players wanted blood.

      One of her hands gripped Sae-byeok's necklace hidden under her jacket, and inhaled sharply to ground herself. Everything would be easier if she had her beloved beside her, and then maybe these games wouldn't be so hard.

      Yet, she had to stay strong, other wise her sister would crumble too seeing that her older sister who was normally strong in difficult situations, turned into someone who was afraid of everything. She couldn't let that happen.

      Just as the timer ends and the beep echoes around the quiet room to signal that, the lights all switch off with a rumble. The piggy-bank light also turned off, causing Sae-bom to gulp getting a feeling the ones in charge planned that.

      No one seemed to move when the light's turned off, but she knew different and had to use her other senses instead of her sight. She breathed in deeply, but quietly through her nose, and closed her eyes for a few seconds to block out everything but the noises she could faintly hear.

      She did pick up the sound of blanket's rustling, and people's heavy breathing. She didn't hear any footsteps near where her trio was stationed, but she did hear, if not everyone in the room, the shriek for help from Player 198.

      Sae-bom shot straight up from her bed upon that sound noise, and it was harder to hear now from all the players around her clamoring. It didn't help when the lights started to flicker and blink, making it harder for her to see what was happening.

     "Sae-byeok! Where--" The older Kang woman tried to yell over the player's screams, her hands fumbling around for the edge of her sister's bed, and managed to grasp the cool metal of a bedframe.

      She squinted her eyes trying to find her sister, but didn't see anyone in the bed. Her stomach dropped when Sae-byeok wasn't there, and heard loud crashing around her, as players were pushing down the bunk beds so other players didn't get the chance to hide.

      Through the flashing lights, she managed to jump down off her bed from two level's up before she was pushed off. She landed on the floor with a grunt, where she was instantly met with chaos.

      Sae-bom went to move to where the meeting place was, but suddenly felt a painful tug
at the back of her head. She yelped and stumbled back, as someone in the dark had grabbed her hair and was now pulling her towards the wall.

     "Yah! Let go--!" She fought against the male holding her, instantly spotting one of Player 101's minions, who grinned like a madman in the dark down at her, causing her stomach to twist with unease.

     The fist gripped her hair tightened it's hold, dragging her through the darkened room, her shoes scraping against the cold, blood-slicked floor.

      The overhead lights flickered in erratic strobes, illuminating flashes of chaos—bodies colliding, fists swinging, shadows twisting and writhing in a violent dance of survival. The sound of screaming, of skin meeting flesh, echoed around her like a nightmarish symphony.

      She struggled, hands clawing at the wrist of the man who held her, but his grip was iron. The air reeked of sweat, blood, and something sour she didn't want to place. When she twisted hard enough, he grunted and jerked her forward, shoving her against the rough concrete wall.

      Her stomach pressed against it, her breath knocked from her lungs. Then she felt it—his stomach pressing against her back, the disgusting heat of his breath ghosting along the side of her neck.

     "Stop moving, or I might think you're enjoying this." Over the cacophony of violence, his voice slithered into her ear, something vile, something meant to make her crumble.

     A shudder of revulsion ran through her, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to let fear take root. But the only thing in her head was her sister. She had to find her. She had to fight.

     More figures surrounded them, their laughter slicing through the darkness. The weight of her twisted arm behind her made escape seem impossible, but impossibility had never stopped her before. They laughed again. Amused by her struggle.

     But Sae-bom suddenly laughed too.

     The sound was sharp, cutting through the tension in the air, and for a moment, they hesitated. She tilted her head, smirking despite her position, letting her amusement settle in the air like venom.

     "I hope you all had your fun," She sneered, flashing her white teeth at the disgusting male's around her.

      Then, before anyone could react, she threw her head back, slamming it into the man's face with a powerful force behind it.

     A sickening crunch followed.

      He howled, stumbling back, clutching his nose as blood spurted between his fingers. The others hesitated for only a second, but she didn't waste it. Whipping around, she dropped into a fighting stance, her shoulders rolling back as if this was nothing more than a warm-up.

      Then they lunged.

     The first man she met with a brutal kick to the stomach, sending him crashing onto his back. The second she caught by the wrist, twisting until his arm bent at an unnatural angle before shoving him away. Someone screamed, but it wasn't her.

     A sharp pain split across her cheek as a stray hit connected, but she barely registered it.

     The third rushed at her, but she spun, her fist colliding with his jaw. His head snapped to the side, and he crumpled, unconscious before he hit the floor.

      Her breaths came in ragged gasps, her heart a war drum pounding in her chest. Sweat and blood slicked her skin, but she was still standing. Her knuckles throbbed, but she ignored it.

      Then she saw him—a shadow darting through the chaos, escaping her wrath.

       No. Not a chance.

      With fury surging through her veins, she launched forward, chasing him into the flickering darkness, through the carnage, and all the way to where she located another fight going on.

      Still in the fighting mood, she didn't hesitate to grab the back of Player's 101's head, who was attacking Sae-byeok and slammed it against the bed frame, where a sickening thump was heard when it made contact.

     "Stay the fuck away from Sae-byeok!" She yelled in a fit of rage at the groaning male, who she still had a grip on his head as he was on the floor trying to get back up, "Your minions were weak, just like the way you are."

     Sae-bom always hated when she got like this, but it had to be done if she wanted to survive the games and protect her sister. With a sneer, she shoved the male away from her and moved towards her sister spotting more of hungry players around them.

     Her breaths came in sharp gasps as she stood protectively in front of her sister, her arms spread wide. Sae-byeok was on the ground behind her, coughing, her voice raw and weak from the chokehold she'd barely escaped.

    The attacker loomed over them, eyes filled with something cruel, his stance poised to strike. Sae-bom refused to let that happen.

     She lunged forward first, landing a blow to his ribs, her knuckles aching from the force. He stumbled back but recovered fast, grabbing her by the wrist before she could land another hit nor have time to react.

      With a vicious yank, he pulled her closer, twisting her arm painfully. She bit back a cry, her body screaming from exhaustion, but she didn't stop fighting.

    "Sae-bom!" Sae-byeok's hoarse voice broke through the chaos, desperate and strained.

     She barely had time to process the warning before she felt movement behind her. A presence creeping too close. Too quiet.

     But before the attack could reach her—before she even had time to turn—there was a nauseating crack.

     A fist collided with the attacker's face, sending him stumbling to the side with a groan. Sae-bom's head snapped around, her eyes wide in shock.

    Player 50.

      He stood there, fist clenched, shoulders tense from the force of his punch. The man he'd struck lay groaning on the ground, clutching his face, too dazed to react. For a moment, no one said anything.

     Then Player 50 exhaled sharply, his gaze wild and flickering from every spot around them in the dark, "We need to get to cover."

     Sae-bom barely registered his words before she felt his hand at her waist, firm but steady, pulling her up before she could protest. There was no time for hesitation. She let him guide her, her legs moving instinctively as they rushed toward Sae-byeok.

     Her sister was still on the floor, struggling to breathe, her face pale from the attack. Without a word, Sae-bom dropped to her knees beside her, and Player 50 followed suit. Together, they hooked their arms under Sae-byeok's shoulders, lifting her gently but quickly.

     Sae-bom could feel the tremors in her sister's body, but she held her tighter, "I've got you," She whispered, voice rough but sure.

    Player 50 nodded once, eyes scanning their surroundings, as he spotted many other players on the floor either dead or getting attacked, "Move now."

      And with that, the three of them pushed forward, disappearing into the chaos, moving toward whatever safety they could find which was where Gi-hun and the others were.

      Sae-bom's stomach dropped drastically upon the scene they were met with. So many players were turning against each other, blood coating their clothes and bodies. It looked like a massacre, which is exactly what she predicated would happen.

      She squeezed her sister's arm more, as the three ran towards where they saw the others at the meeting spot. She had to kick away another player who tried to attack them, so it left Player 50 to hold up her sister.

     "Gi-hun!" The young adult called over the yelling, the trio finally making it up to where her group was as she stood in front of the said male, and the other two behind her, "I found my sister and this other player who can be trusted. He protected us."

     Her voice lowered so only he could hear the last part, heavy breaths leaving them both as he nods his head and grasped both her elbows gently. He knew she only trusted him with the knowledge of her sister, so he wouldn't tell anyone.

    "That's good, I'm glad you are here and all safe." He breathed out, squeezing her arms comfortingly and frowned upon noticing the blood over her cheeks, which looked fresh. His fatherly instincts kicked in instantly.

     However, he didn't have time to question what happened, as over her shoulder he saw an angry looking Player 101, whose feral gaze was locked onto her ready to attack.

     Before he could lunge at her, Gi-hun swiftly grabbed both Kang sister's, pushing them behind him protectively and shockingly Player 50 was the one the deal with the attacker. Both men fell to the floor with a grunt, but Player 50 didn't give up and punched him right in the jaw.

      More of Player 101's followers joined the fight, the ones that Sae-bom had beaten up and they were all gunning for the woman, who was holding her sister securely while kicking away people who wanted to hurt them.

      Sang-woo was using the beam he had found to hit a few players, but he was thrown back to where Sae-bom was standing with her sister, making her cry out in surprise. She worried for all the men on her side, especially Player 50 who was still fighting against Player 101.

      She was also worried about the old man in their group, as she hasn't seen him since their last meeting. She dearly hoped he was just hiding, and not injured somewhere in the chaos because of one of the players.

      All of a sudden, Ali comes running down from in between the bed frame's holding a larger beam, and stands in front of his friends. He swings it from left to right, protecting them all from the vicious player who wanted to kill them.

     Player 101 and the rest of his gang didn't move from their spot now, but still held their weapons in their hands a they looked the most covered in blood out of everyone.

      Sae-bom kept her arm tightly around her sister's arm, and felt Player 50 come up beside her in a protective stance upon seeing Player 101's intense stare on her figure in between all the males in their team.

    "You know, if you weren't in that weakling group already I would of taken you for myself." Player 101's smug voice was heard, him talking to Sae-bom as he flashed her a crooked grin, one that made her skin crawl uneasy.

      She scoffed with a smug smirk of her own, as her stance was more casual then his tensed one, "Says the one who got beaten up by not one, but two girls." She reminded coolly, and smirked more at his glaring reaction, "And not to mention how I kicked all your group's asses. Who's the weak one's now, huh?"

      Player 101 sneered at her hearing the reply he got, going to take a step forward by Ali's warning swing and Player 50's scowl made him stop, "Hey, Ssangmun-dong, what are you doing? We're just helping cull the herd."

     Gi-hun, knowing this was directed at him, taking a daring step forward in front of the sister's, and Player 50, "They're our teammates, you got that?"

      Sae-bom felt her sister tense inside her arms, and she knew that was hard for her to hear, as she wasn't use to letting people in nor relying on someone other then her sister. The older one just squeezed her tighter, and glared at Player 101.

       "All of you, stop this!"

      Upon hearing the familiar voice, the group's heads turned towards where it was coming from, and Sae-bom felt her heart ache seeing the older man, Player 01, standing up on the highest bed yelling at everyone to stop.

      "I'm.... I... I'm scared! We are all gonna die in here! Everyone, every single one of us is going to die!" He continued on his wailing yells, which did manage to make everyone stop their fights and listen to his pleas, "Please. I'm so scared. Stop this madness! If you keep doing this, then we're all going to die in here!"

      Sae-bom decided to turn her blurry gaze to the camera, where she just saw the red lense trained on her figure. Not even a few seconds later, the lights all switched back on like nothing happened. It's if her fearful gaze made them turn back on.

      The main door leading into the room, where all the guards were stationed suddenly opened also with a loud clang. Gunfire instantly was shot, causing the players who were still alive to scream in fright.

      The guards went around to each dead body, checking if they were alive or not, and it made the player number amount drop drastically. The other guards were going around to stop the rest of the players from harming one another, and threatened them with their gun if they didn't stand back.

     Sae-bom had no choice but to place her hands up above her head, but it made her head tilt when the three guards around her group never once aimed a gun at her. She kept close to Sae-byeok and slowly turned around, the others following her lead.

     She turned her head to throw Player 101 the bird, seeing he was getting patted down for weapons, and she gained a scowl back, causing her to smirk widely and smugly.

     Her attention was taking away by the PA announcing all the players that died, and it had her jaw clenching, not realising how many people did suffer at the hands of others.

      "Player 227, eliminated. Player 74, eliminated--"

    One of the square guards, who was staring intently at Sae-bom had came up behind her, and she flinched a bit surprised seeing the figure so close to her.

      Nothing was said between them, her eyes wide and expression curious, as she knew his gaze was scanning her figure for some reason. Maybe he was checking if she was hurt? Maybe it was--

      "Player 456." The masked male suddenly talked to Gi-hun, who blinked in shock also, as his next words made Sae-bom's breath hitch, "Is there a man named Hwang In-ho here?"

     Gi-hun shared a look with Sae-bom, who's face had gone even more paler then usual, "We don't use our names in this place." He answered a bit hesitant, as the beeping noises and PA continues around them.

     When he said that, the guard froze for a few seconds before walking away, but not after throwing Sae-bom a small nod. Her suspicious were answered, and she knew that only one other person knew her beloved's name and that he would be inside the games.

     Jun-ho. And now he was a masked guard, which would come in handy later on. It did make her feel better knowing he was safe and she wasn't alone with the task anymore.

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      AFTER ALL THE GUARDS TOOK AWAY THE DEAD BODIES OF THE PLAYERS, THE REMAINING ONES WERE SITTING DOWN IN THEIR SECTIONS OF THE ONCE NIGHTMARE OF A ROOM. It was quiet once again, not a sound to be heard expect for the occasional whispers from players that were loud enough fo the others to hear.

     A soft sight escaped Player 01's mouth, him sitting down on the stairs with the rest of the group around him, as they sat in silence to take in everything that just happened.

     "Are you alright?" Gi-hun was the first to break the silence, and asked the old man who hummed in response, "All of the... That was dangerous. When did you get up there?"

     Sae-bom looked up from cleaning her face of the blood, her figure in between her sister and Player 50's, who had taken off his jacket to place it over their legs, which she was thankful for the extra comfort.

      "We were worried about you, sir," Ali voiced his concerned next, leaning against one of the bed's and sat next to Sang-woo on the floor, "when you disappeared."

     "Nobody here got hurt so that's good." Sang-woo added on after Ali finished, his face also covered in a few splats of blood and his eyes caught Sae-bom's for a few seconds, before glancing away.

      Gi-hun nodded his head in agreement, and placed his elbows against his knees, "Uh, well, at this point, we should know what to call each other." He comments, eyes trailing on each member of the group, "Why don't we go around and tell each other our names now."

     "I know your name already, though." Ali beamed at Gi-hun, his voice cheery like it usual was, and it made Sae-bom smile softly at the pure male, "Ssangmun-dong."

     "Ssangmun-dong is just my hometown." Gi-hun chuckled amused, and flashed a grin at Ali while he pointed to himself, "The name is Seong Gi-hun. Seong Gi-hun of Ssangmun-dong."

     Sang-woo gently hit the side of Ali's shoulder, brining the attention back to himself and his new friend, and asked, "So then, what about your name?"

      "Ali." He introduced himself next with that bright smile still plastered, him being one of the most happiest male's Sae-bom has ever met, "Ali Adul. I'm from Pakistan."

     "Pakistan? Where is that?" Gi-hun questioned curiously, not really knowing his states nor countries very well which gained an eye roll from the woman behind him listening.

     "North of India." Sang-woo told him, and Ali nodded his head in agreement.

     Gi-hun was going to say something, but Sang-woo spoke first and introduced himself next to the others. Now it was Player 50's turn, who straightened up beside Sae-bom casually leaning against the stairs.

     "My name is Na Soo-min." His normal charming smile appeared across his face, dark hair messy all over his forehead as his eyes scanned the group before meeting Sae-bom's gaze, "Nice to meet you all."

      Her cheeks suddenly felt warm under his strange stare, and she snapped her head away from him with a huff, "Sae-bom." She told the few who didn't know her name, not ready to expose her last name yet just in case.

     Gi-hun smiled widely at the two, before turning to the quiet Sae-byeok beside her sister, awaiting her introduction. But the young girl wasn't happy with the idea and raised her brows at her sister and the male.

     "Come on, really?" She complained in a grumble, not truly believing her sister was about to force her to reveal her name to a bunch of strangers. She loved her sister, but she trusted too easily sometimes.

      Sae-bom clicked her tongue, and crossed her feet together against the stairs, "I know you don't want to, but we are all teammates here now." She softly remained her sister, and nudged her shoulder, "Do it for me, kid."

      Sae-byeok groaned annoyed, but eventually sighed in defeat and glanced to the others in their group, "Kang Sae-byeok." She mumbled, avoiding eye contact as she said her name.

      Gi-hun repeated her name, and nodded his head in approval, "That's a pretty name." He complimented, before adding something on that backfired, "Though I'm not sure how well it fits."

      Sae-bom gaped at her friend, and used the heel of her shoe to kick the bottom of his leg, which made him only chuckle amused at her protecting her sister. He was lucky she wasn't really trying to hurt him, otherwise he wouldn't be laughing.

      "And what is your name, sir?" Ali directed his question at the old man, who has been silent through the entire name's exchange between the group members, "If you don't mind."

     Player 01, seemed to knock out of the daze he was in, and blinked slowly like he didn't understand what was being asked, "What? My name? O-oh. It's--"

      Everyone looked at him, and could see how he was struggling to remember his own name. It made Sae-bom's heart clench in sympathy for him, and frowned sadly when he kept stumbling over his words, his name not coming to his mind.

      Gi-hun cleared his throat, and decided to step in as he chuckles nervously, "It's okay. Hey, old man, you must be really shook up today." He pats Player 01's shoulder gently, and glanced back at the quiet group, "You know when I'm stressed, my home address slips right out of my head. Along with my social security. It'll be okay once you get some rest."

     As his words finished, Sae-bom shared a knowing look with Soo-min, both of them having a feeling rest would only help the old man a small amount. But it didn't matter, he was still apart of their team, and it would remain that way.

     They had other issues to worry about, like how the third game was about to start soon, and Sae-bom was nervous beyond all not knowing what to expect.

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❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 4145
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
okayyy i know not much really happened this chap but i promise you it WILL get good very soon as soon as i get past more of the games and into s1. in-ho might make an appearance soon, but not in the way you all will probably think because he will still have his mask on sadly BUTT i have so much planned for sae-bom and him even before s2 so im very excited for that 😼

now you all have seen how badass sae-bom can get even though sometimes she does come out second best LMAOAO she never gives up nor turns down from a fight which will be interesting in s2 when in-ho officially comes in as himself

anywaysss you all know the drill, vote,
comment, ect (if you want) mwah <33