Battle Royale: Yet to End

Ni-Ju-Ichi

   Oh no. Jin thought. Its Daisuke. I don't like the way he goes around in class. He's so arrogant like his equal partner, Jiro Shimeji (Male Student No. 9). Not now... not now... I don't want to die yet. No, no, no. I have to run away. But of course I won't leave Dai and Chizuru. Oh... Eriko's dead, just a minute ago. And behind me is Akahana's hanging corpse. 

  She wondered how Akahana got there. She hypothesized she hung herself and she can't afford thinking anymore theories because Daisuke was now pointing his gun at them. She grabbed Dai's wrist and turned around to run. Dai and Chizuru slowly followed her but at the sound of the gun's pop, they ran for it like a race. The bullet didn't hit any of them so getting a head start on running away was good, but of course their assailant would follow them, especially for this type of person who already killed two people mercilessly when the game started. The three of them ran for the thicket and with Dai in front of them, she said as she tried to keep calm, "The mine shaft is near here. We can hide there!" Chizuru and Jin nodded quickly as another pop went off. Daisuke, before actually chasing them, picked up Eriko's bag.

   Running around in the thicket was rather hard. They either tripped on rocks and branches or leaves and branches slapped their faces occasionally. They were still on the mountain's slope so they slid down accidentally a few times. The heavy footsteps of Daisuke followed them, couple by some gunshots.

    A pop went off and barely bore itself on Chizuru's right shoulder. Fortunately, it was just a scratch. Chizuru yelped as she put her hand on the wound. Her sailor cut collar was now stained with blood.

    Jin said as she panted, "Chizuru! Are you okay!?"

    "Y-yeah. I'm okay... For now," Chizuru replied wearily.

    Dai made a sharp turn to their left, which turned out to be a small sloped going down. A hole flanked by dozens of boulders and rocks covered the entrance by a third. This must be the mine shaft as there was a small railway coming out of the pile of rocks, making its way towards the thicket to the right. Dai squeeze herself between the narrow gap of the entrance and disappeared within. Chizuru and Jin followed. 

    Upon climbing down, they found themselves bathed in darkness, except for the dim moonlight coming through the entrance and Dai's flashlight. The railway for the mining carts made its way beyond Dai and into the darkness.

    Out of curiosity, Jin asked, "What's beyond this entrance?"

    Dai aimed the light behind her, lighting up a wall made up of a pile of rocks. It reached from floor to ceiling. It only meant that the path beyond their location was blocked by the wall. Basically, they were trapped if Daisuke finds out about this place. That's when Jin caught a whiff of a rather strong and chemical-like smell. She asked Dai, "What's that smell?"

   Dai then aimed the light towards her and moved it to her left and right. Jin saw rows of oil tanks lining up the sides of the mine shaft.

   Dai replied after that, "Some of these tanks have holes on top so you smell the oil. We just found out why before leaving."

   Jin thought that the smell of the tanks can send Daisuke away. They just have to endure it until the coast is clear for them to move out again. Somehow the mine shaft did prove some purpose for a hiding place. The awful smell can send anyone away. No one would think of hiding in some place like this.

   BANG!

   They all shifted their head to the entrance. Daisuke was there with his gun pointed at them. How did he...?

    Dai put out her flashlight as she rummaged through her bag. She pulled out something Jin couldn't make out but she could only tell it was rather long.