The Judgment Chamber

"Who exactly are you? What's your role here? What else do you know? Are you the one who lied?" I asked relentlessly.

The more I pressed Oliver, the more he panicked. He snapped like a cornered dog, lashing out at anyone he could.

Every person in the room turned suspicious eyes on him.

The overhead speakers crackled again. "Players, please hurry. You have one minute remaining before the voting round begins."

I raised my voice. "Let's vote him out first. He's the most suspicious."

"It's not me. It's not me! You damn loser, you're trying to kill me. You're trying to kill me!" Oliver yelled.

The speakers rang out. "Thirty seconds remaining. Please hurry."

As the countdown began, the water tanks that had stopped filling suddenly resumed.

Cheryl stared at the wall in terror, tears streaking her cheeks. "We don't have time. Vote him out first, or we're all dead!"

At the word "dead", Dwayne lost control. "Yes! We have to vote. Let's vote him out!"

Everyone quickly aligned against Oliver.

He turned to Rebecca for help, but Rebecca looked down at her belly and whispered, "I'm sorry. I want to live."

Oliver collapsed, as if the strength had drained out of him.

Every hand pointed toward him.

"Time's up. Players, cast your votes."

Oliver's eyes went vacant, his whole body limp.

"Oliver Carlson is eliminated."

As soon as the announcement ended, Oliver suddenly jolted upright and began thrashing wildly.

He slammed his palms against the glass over and over while gasping for air. His veins bulged across his neck, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The air inside his water tank was being sucked out.

Oliver flailed like a fish left on dry land, his mouth gaping and his features warping in pain. His nails split and snapped one by one.

I turned my head away, refusing to watch.

A second later, a loud bang echoed through the chamber.

Oliver's head exploded.

Pieces of skull and flesh splattered across the glass, sliding downward in thick, nauseating streaks.

"Aaaaah!" Cheryl let out a piercing scream.

The speakers crackled again. "Unfortunately, players, the game continues."

If Oliver hadn't been the liar, then who was?

Before I could think, Dwayne kicked me hard. His reddened eyes were terrifying. "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who lied!"

I shook my head quickly, signaling that I knew nothing.

Helen's gaze changed, too. The gratitude she showed earlier disappeared, replaced by fear. In an instant, I became the target of everyone's suspicion.

I finally understood Oliver's situation.

"It wasn't me," I tried to reason. "It really wasn't…"

Cheryl's carefully done makeup had run down her cheeks in thick black streaks, making her look almost monstrous.

"It has to be you! You were the one who said Oliver was the killer, so we voted him out. It has to be you. We're voting you out next!"

Just when I had nowhere to turn, the broadcast sounded again.

"Since all of you seem eager to survive, we will share one more detail. To increase the excitement of the game, we placed an undercover agent among you. The undercover agent's mission is to eliminate you and make you lose. There is one way to survive: find the undercover agent and vote them out."

The one who lied earlier was the undercover agent.

So who was it?

Everyone began looking around, suspicion rising all over again.

The undercover agent's task was to kill us and sabotage the game.

"It's you. Let's vote you out first!"

Dwayne pointed straight at me.