#rrremotive

The day has been filled with emotions and moments of all kinds. Anger. Awkwardness. Sadness. Cheer. All flavours mixed in with the overwhelming sense of confusion. Still, nothing bad’s happened so you wonder if it’s not fine to drop your guard a little. Some of you likely had their guard down from the start. Others, probably began feeling the comfort in the presence of others... and perhaps some of you are still feeling that tingle of anxiety. Like something isn’t quite right.

Perhaps that’s about to be changed; for better or for worse.

Your phone rumbles with life and you stop what you’re doing to take a gander at the activity. Another message... judging by the style, it must be from Monomi again.

“Gewd day evewywun! Are you all making fwends? Wonderfwul! Why don’t you awl come on back? There’s a supwise waiting and I can’t wuin the supwise!”

Perhaps some of you sigh at that particular message. Nonetheless, you figure there might be something useful in going back to check on Monomi so back to the hotel you go, some in groups, some solo. It takes a few minutes for everyone to arrive but soon there they all are, exactly where they started.

“Ufufufu~ wook at that! All that bonding’s done a wowld of good! Your teacher is vewwy, vewwy proud! Now wet’s all come together here... join hands... and--”

Ka-pow!

“Too long! Five words or less.”

“Awawawawa!”

What... what kind of ridiculous puppet show is this supposed to be? You blink and wonder if you’ve missed something. Okay... if you rewind it in your mind... a silhouette appeared from behind the desk... and it’d lurched forward, jabbing the rabbit into the sky, with it landing with a squeak onto the floor. The bear, half-white and half-black with a sharp red eye turns its attention to you...

You immediately straighten, a little taken aback.

“Ahhh! Feel so much better now! Nothing beats physical therapy, am I right? Upupupu!

...

Now then. You can call me Monobear, or, if you’re feeling like a suck-up, Monobear the Great and Mighty. That’ll do just fine.”

He takes a deep breath, as if finally content before he begins to pace up and down the desk top.

“Actually I came here to tell you something really important. Guess what?”

Is... he pausing for effect? The silence goes on for so long that somebody actually opts to ask. Yet the second they open they mouth, the bear just goes and talks over them. Talk about rude.

“You bastards aren’t going to be receiving help from anybody! Been on your mind for a while, right? ‘Just wait until daddy dearest hears about this’... ‘police will be here in no time’... sorry to say it, but I think they’ve got their hands full with their own problems!”

Their... own problems?

“Something something teeny tiny apocalypse keeps the whole world busy. Anyhoo. You know how it is. But hey, you’re pretty safe here. That’s something. My air purifiers are state of the art, you know. The outside world may be screwed but you bastards and you alone are safe here! Always trust in the Monobear seal of quality!“

He seems to look elsewhere, as if attempting to mug for the camera.

“So what’s this all about, I bet you’re asking. Well good thing you asked, upupupu! This is all about murder! That’s right, I’m talkin’ poison and pills! Blades and bludgeons! Trust and betrayal! I’m talking a fun bonding exercise with a crazy body count! I’m talking... mutual killing! That’s right, you bastards! The only way any of you are going to get out is by killing one of your classmates!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Before you all mewl and whine about how it’s so sad and impossible, listen to the whole speech. Kids these days, think they can interrupt anyone... you know, back in my day...

... Never mind, you don’t want to hear it.

Anyway, don’t worry, I’ve got the perfect thing to kickstart all this. I know you’re thinking how impossible it is to betray your friends and all that but... we’ll see how you feel when the air purifiers begin turning off. Upupupu! Thaaat’s right! One by one, I’ll turn ‘em all off. And then you’d all die. And then wouldn’t that be awkward? Just picture it. Everyone swears not to kill for some nicey-nice justice-y thing and then you all die anyway. Not much of an ending, upupu. But I’m somehow doubting all of you are so altruistic anyway. Have a look around you. Are you sure you can trust your classmates? I’ll bet someone’s already making a plan, upupupupu!”

You’re stunned into silence. Maybe that contributes as to why you’d forgotten Monomi was in the room. That is, until, she gets to her feet and speaks up herself.

“Awawawawa! How tewwible! Just when you’re all becoming such good fwends too... this should never ever have happened...!

But...

It’s not wike you have much of a choice, wight? It’s just one person, you can go back to explowing and making fwends again after! I’ll be cheewing for you! Wuvwuv!”

[Motive 1 - If no one kills, the air purifiers will be shut off.]