'Of course, there's another aspect –'
The rest of Aron's words were interrupted by a loud, sudden wailing noise from the corridor outside.
He and I exchanged quick a glance before racing to the door and throwing it open.
The piercing trio stood a little farther away, in front of the open entrance to one of the other rooms.
Howling on the floor, hugging John's legs tightly, was another teenage boy.
With tears and snot running down his face, he cried loudly, 'You have to help me! You have to! I never asked to be here! I don't want to be here!'
Very obviously, this was the third newbie.
'Quiet!' Mason hissed, his head whipping up at the sound of the door. He seemed relieved to see that it was only us.
However, through the opened door of the room nearby, I could see two other guys looking curiously at the scene outside.
There was an odd, blank look on their faces.
I didn't like the look in their eyes.
'This dumbass has lost his mind, holy shit!' Sheila exclaimed. She reached down to try and pull the newbie off of her companion.
'Please, no! Please! I'm scared! I'm so scared!' the guy yelled hoarsely.
His grip around John's legs tightened, nearly making him lose his balance and fall over.
'We all are.' Mason said. 'Listen to me. You need to calm the fuck down.'
'Please! No! You-you've been out investigating all day! I heard you weren't in class from one of the other guys! I know what that means! You're going to leave!' the newbie wailed. 'You're going to leave this hellhole tonight, and you'll leave me behind! I know it! Don't leave me behind - mmpf!'
Mason quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, covering it and cutting off his words.
I looked up, and was startled to see that the newbie's two NPC roommates had already made it to the entrance of their room.
They were standing still in the doorway, looking at the commotion dispassionately.
From the angle at which I stood, I could see that one of them was dragging a heavy-looking baseball bat behind his back
Aron rushed past me to go help the piercing trio out.
He grabbed the back of the newbie's collar, yanking him off John with one powerful, deft motion. Mason quickly stepped in, covering the sobbing guy's mouth again and dragging him towards one of the other rooms even as he kicked and struggled.
Sheila ran ahead to open the door, while Aron supported John, who seemed to be experiencing some discomfort around where his legs had been held in a vice-like grip.
Everyone wanted to quickly move this discussion to a more private space.
As I slowly followed after them, I had to walk past the two NPC students in the doorway.
I could feel their eyes fixed on me.
Sighing, I half-turned to look at them.
I then shrugged a shoulder.
'You should look after your roommate better,' I drawled. 'If he goes crazy again at night, isn't that going to bite us all in the ass? We're all in this together, aren't we?'
One of them blinked.
'Seriously,' I added, muttering and rolling my eyes annoyedly. 'Look at us having to clean up your mess. Do better.'
There was a pause.
Then, I saw the guy with the bat slowly nod.
Good enough.
I didn't pay them any more attention, nor did I wait around any longer.
I followed after the others and entered the room.
The moment I did, Aron slammed the door shut behind me.
John was sitting on the floor by the wall, massaging his calves.
'That fucker grips like a boa constrictor,' he growled.
Meanwhile, the newbie had been pushed down into a chair, with Sheila standing behind him.
It took me a moment to realize she was holding a small switchblade up to the side of his neck.
'- and if you do that again, I'll butcher you myself, so help me,' Mason was threatening in a low, angry voice.
The newbie shook like a leaf, his large eyes flitting between him and the hand holding the knife.
'I-I-I'm s-sorry,' he stammered, lips trembling. 'I'm just so scared. I'm so, so scared. I just want to go back home. Please don't leave me here. Please. Please!'
As his voice grew louder, Sheila pressed the blade harder into his skin. It dented around the metal, but somehow still didn't break and bleed.
Doing that probably took insane precision and control of strength.
The newbie whimpered, then lowered his voice again, 'S-sorry. Sorry. Please. I'm sorry. I won't yell again. Please.' A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his temple.
Mason ran a hand down his face frustratedly.
'Please,' the newbie whispered again. He licked his trembling lips. 'Please…'
'I'll knock him out if he does,' Aron said suddenly. 'And lock him alone in one of these room, to fend for himself when he wakes up.'
The guy's eyes widened fearfully. 'I must've lost my mind,' he whispered. 'I swear I won't do that again. I swear.'
There was silence. Then, Mason nodded at Sheila.
She put the blade down and stepped away from the chair immediately.
The newbie sighed and sagged back into his seat, breathing deeply.
'Never again,' he babbled. 'I-I'll be careful with my words. I won't do that ever again. B-but please. Please don't leave me here.'
'Have we not helped you enough already?' John asked, still massaging his legs. 'We've already told you how messed up these worlds are. You haven't contributed one bit. Why should we handhold you to the end? What if you freak out and mess things up again, huh?'
'I won't! I won't!' The newbie shook his head. 'I promise.'
Tears started pooling in his eyes. 'It's just…' He paused, and sucked in a deep breath, his pleading gaze moving from face to face in the room, including my own.
'I'm not - I'm not meant for these kinds of things. You told me I can opt out of this after my… my testing phase. I'll opt out, and the system will make me forget all about it, and you'll never have to deal with me again. Ok?'
'S-so just for now. Just this once. Please help me out. Please. I-I have family. They're waiting for me back home. They're c-counting on me.'
I watched silently from my corner.
Aron didn't say anything either. He was frowning at Mason, who was clenching and unclenching his jaw.
'Stay in your room quietly for tonight,' he said at last. 'We still have a ways to go before solving this instance. If we're able to end things, and find the portal, we'll come get you- '
'No, no, no, please!' The newbie shook his head frenziedly. 'Please, please! I'll die if I stay there tonight. Those guys have been acting strange all day. They're suspicious of me already. And especially after what happened just now? I'll get killed!'
'And whose fault was that, fucker?' John barked.
'Just shut up and stay in another room if you're so worried,' Sheila added.
'But the nighttime creature -!'
'Enough. If you won't stay put yourself, we'll knock you out and put you up in one of our own beds. We'll tell our NPC roommates you fainted, and we couldn't be bothered with dragging you back to your own space,' Mason said firmly. 'If you wait for us quietly, we'll come get you. We're doing nothing more for you. That's final.'
Before Aron and I left, I heard him mutter softly to Mason.
'You're still too damn soft. This won't end well.'
Mason glared daggers at him, whispering back, 'Fuck off. And… Thanks for your help just now.'
Aron nodded, but even as we walked to our room, I could tell he was in a bad mood.
'Worried that newbie'll drag us down?' I asked.
My bunkmate shook his head, then nodded with a shrug.
'That fool acts all tough, but is stupidly easy to take advantage of,' he groused, referring to Mason. 'I'm surprised he's even made it past his third instance.'
Oh?
'How about you?' I asked after a beat.
'Sorry?'
'What number is this for you?'
Aron's face relaxed back into his familiar smile. 'Curious?'
'– 's why I asked.'
'Fourth. I've made it through three, excluding the passing of my testing phase.'
I raised my brows. 'Fourth? Damn. And how many left to go?'
Aron laughed. 'If I told you that, you'd probably be able to make a guess about the kind of wish I have. Some things are better kept secret.'
We'd reached the door to our own room.
There were faint voices coming through the door. Our NPC roommates had returned.
Before we opened it, my bunkmate leaned in closer and repeated in a whisper, 'Some things are better kept secret. Things such as why you're here. And unless it is among trustworthy teammates, even things such as who you really are out in the real world, Neil.'