short stories

it's punishment time!

     it was over. it was definitely over. for me, at least. they all knew it now, no doubt about it. i was the one who did it. i committed the crime.
"no! this can't be right! you can't be the culprit!" kiyotaka was almost screaming, tears running down his face. all i could do in response was look down at my podium and hold back my tears. it was heartbreaking to see him so devastated. he went up to me, "please, please! tell me it was a mistake to accuse you! tell me, tell them, that they're wrong!"
"i... i-i'm sorry, taka," was all i could get out of me. any more words and i'd be in as bad of a state as him.
"don't say that! you shouldn't be saying that! 'cause you're not it, right?" he was shaking me now, his hands on my shoulder, as if trying to awake me from some kind of hypnosis.
"bro, cut it out," mondo croaked out. "we're all shocked, we get it, but she murdered someone, we can't forgive that."
"yes, we can! she's our friend! we can't just leave her to die, nobody deserves to-"
"i said cut it out!"
"yeah! we still can't know for sure if she did it, anyways, we haven't voted yet," aoi said, trying have her own hopes and spirits up. she probably wanted to be wrong about this case. she'd rather die than have her close friend be a murderer.
"but... why...?" makoto, as shocked as everyone else, looked up at me. everyone had fallen silent, with taka's sobs and monokuma's giggles in the background, wanting to know why i had done it.
"okay, well..." i was trying to muster up what to say, trying to find the right words. "first of all, she's a bitch. i couldn't stand her talking crap about all of you in front of me." everyone stared at me as if they'd just seen something horrible, but also stupid, on the news.
"what...?" makoto said, he was a little confused. "that's it?"
"no, of course not. i knew her little secret too," i glanced over to monokuma. he seemed to perk up at my words, becoming wary about what i was about to say. "how i knew it, i'd rather not tell. but i couldn't have let her live, given her role in this game."
"what are you talking about? what is her secret?" celeste leaned onto her podium, getting as close as possible to hear what was about to roll out of my mouth.
"she-"
"i'm afraid we don't have much time left!" monokuma chimed in, preventing me from continuing.
     "no, wait! let me-"
     "now, who will be chosen as the blackened?"
     "let her speak, goddamnit!" celeste put her accessorized index finger up, looking really ticked off. she wanted to hear what i was about to say, but to her dismay, it wouldn't happen.
     monokuma completely ignored her, though, "will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?"
     "h-hold on! just wait! this has to have been a mistake!" taka's pleas could be heard throughout the court room.
     "don't make me come up there and shut you up myself!" mondo grew annoyed at monokuma. everyone were.
     "there's no choice but to ignore the information our murderer right here has." byakuya pushed up his glasses. you could tell he was very disappointed.
     "stop, i-" i tried to keep going, but i obviously had no say in what was going on. but i was cut off again.
     "what's it gonna be? what's it gonna be?!" monokuma continued. this was it. i was about to receive my punishment any time soon.
     i had no other choice, so i pulled the lever and locked my vote onto myself with a heavy sigh. nobody said a word during the voting, but it was almost like i could read their minds. all they thought about was the secret i was about to expose and them feeling sorry about what was about to happen.
     after everyone had voted, the general vote spun and stopped at me. the word guilty started flickering on and off underneath it, and underneath that, lot's of monokuma coins spilled out like a waterfall, but of coins.
     again, nobody said a word, nobody made any sounds. except for taka, who was still crying.
     "... you all are awfully quiet. what? did all your tongues get cut off? is that what happened?"
     "..." no response.
     "huh, okay then. anyways, good job! you got the culprit right!" he then turned to me, and all i could do was stare back, "i've prepared a very special punishment for you, the killer of junko enoshima! let's give it everything we've got! it's punishment time!"
     "that is totally fine," i responded. "as long as she's not amongst us anymore, i'm pretty sure your little game of murder you've got here will eventually need a backup plan. or at least go totally wrong."
and with that, i was being placed into my execution.