Zodiac Squid Game

4

It was a new day, Aries thought to himself. A new near-death game awaited him after breakfast, and this time around, he wasn't loving his chances. Aries had always been competitive. It was what drove him. His fuel. His own personal magazine of bullets. In his field of work, he'd always had competition, rival hitmen who did more for less money, who promised they wouldn't miss.

Aries had called the crap years ago. They were all flash and no substance, roaming the streets in their fancy vests, carrying their top-grade rifles for simple hit and run briefs. Aries had always preferred his hand pistol. Simple, trustworthy and easily concealable.

Turned out his pistol wasn't as trustworthy as he thought.

Someone had stolen it to murder his boss, and, seeing the signature grip on the pistol, all fingers had been pointed at him.

Perhaps competition wasn't always the best thing.

Especially not in these circumstances.

"Hello," Gemini called, swinging on the lattice of Aries' bed. She hung from the top of the frame, legs hooked as her hands dangled downward, her hair tumbling. "How are we, sweetheart?" She grabbed Aries' hands, taking a tumble onto his bed.

Damn it, the girl was smooth.

"What do you want?" Aries asked, annoyed, even though he knew he shouldn't have been. Gemini had saved his life - all of their lives - yesterday. She was crazy, incredibly crazy, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. She wasn't afraid of death. Of murder.

Aries understood the way she saw her competitors. Lives were just that - lives. What defined a person was their power. What they were worth. Every life Aries had taken, every so-called 'beautiful soul' he'd killed, had made him richer. Lives in exchange for money. In exchange for clout.

It made sense.

But after he'd spent every day fearing for his own life, things had changed. Life was not as expendable as Aries had once thought it was. 

"You're awfully quiet, sweetheart," Gemini chided, inches away from his face. 

"Leave me alone," Aries growled, turning away.

"Wait."

"What?"

"I just wanted to tell you... I've got your back for the next game."

"Empty words."

"Say what you want. I have your back, and I hope you'll have mine."

Aries turned around, ready to strangle Gemini...

But she wasn't there.

He looked down and saw her, hanging off a pole. "It's okay, sweetheart!" she yelled. "Our next date is after the next game."

Across from Aries, Cancer turned around, smirking. "You got yourself a wild one."

"You seem like you've got some idea 'bout it, man."

"You don't know the half of it." 

Cancer was lying. Aries didn't even know the tenth of it.

Ariane had been a breath of fresh air. She was mad. Barking mad. Being with her was like being on a constant high. He remembered the way her hair toyed with the wind as she rode her motorcycle around, smiling as he struggled to keep up with her. He remembered the time they'd snuck into a countryside manor at midnight. She'd jumped into the pool, no hesitation whatsoever, and he'd followed blindly, a fool to her. She kissed him and he fell in love. 

He also remembered the day she'd gone too far. Let's have some fun, she'd told him. She stole a sports car. A Lamborghini. And then she drove it.