THE IMPOSTER AMONG US pt. 2

 THE IMPOSTER AMONG US

Note: The following story is the sequel to The Imposter Among Us pt. 1. If you haven't read the previous part click here to read it now:- https://poetryandstoriesforlife.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-imposter-among-us-pt-1.html. 
The following story is an original work inspired by the worldwide famous multiplayer videogame Among Us developed and published by American game studio InnerSloth. All the images are used for reference purposes only and have been taken from Google. For any query contact me- bindeswarstudent@gmail.com.

Black pressed the switch which opened the air-locked door and a high-pitched alarm rang up, deafening everyone. Blue kept a constant look at Red before he was sucked out of the exit bay into space. The airlocked closed. There was a pang of constant guilt flowing among them. Shortly afterward, Purple’s body was wrapped in a body bag. Orange looked at her deceased body with regretful eyes. “I could have saved her...” 

Brown patted his shoulder, “She was a good crewmate.”

I liked her, Orange said in his mind.

Thereafter everybody got back to their tasks. Red walked through the hallways with his hands at the back. He met Brown at the Shields. “Brown are you alright? You seem to be in hurry”

“Yeah, sure! I am good” he swallowed hard. “I can’t focus on my task after what happened”
“Don’t hesitate to take rest. You deserve it!” Brown nodded. When he went out of the room, Red looked around making sure no one was in the hallways. Then he knelt down and gingerly scanned the floor. Moving his hand around the corners, he discovered a door- some kind of trap door- and beneath it, there was a vault! He switched his torchlight to inspect.

“Captain! What are doing there?” Black appeared out of nowhere. Red let go of the covering of the vault, causing a metallic noise. He quickly sealed the vault and got up, “You shouldn’t be here?”

Black kept a constant stare at Red, his head slightly tilted towards right. “I was on my way to Navigation,” he said after a brief pause directing his head towards the other way. “I happen to see you with the flashlight.”

A strange feeling rose in the air.

Red clenched his fist when Black came closer, “You lost a ring or something.”

“Why do you care?” Red questioned. “Besides, you need to report back to your duty. I got to go,” saying thus Red paced away towards Storage. Black looked at Red, fading away with each pace, with doubtful eyes. He lingered around the corner where Red was previously kneeling down. He discovered the door of the vault and his eyes widen as he took a look into it. A chill ran through his spine. He quickly closed the door of the vault.

Red pranced towards the cafeteria, occasionally turning back to check if he is being followed. Brown sprinted to catch up with Red.

On seeing Red scurrying, White asked, “Captain, you don’t look good?”

“Come with me, there is no time,” he said.

“What’s the problem?”

“Just follow!”

Before they could enter the Cafeteria, the emergency alert system rang out loudly. All the lights of the ship turned red. They pause momentarily.

“WARNING! REACTOR CORE OVERHEATED” - announced the alert system.

“What’s going on, Captain?” questioned a baffled White.

“That bastard!” Red looked puzzled. “To the reactor now.”

They changed their direction and went to the reactor. “Code meltdown! Code meltdown!” Red warned as he passed through the hallways.

On reaching the reactor sector, Red was astonished to see Black standing next to Orange. They exchanged glances. A wave of suspicion went through their minds. Red was sweating and so was Black. The moment seemed to slow down and the mask of the tragedy was unfolding when Brown and Green all of a sudden entered the reactor room. “The reactor is melting. We got to act quickly!” shouted Brown.

“Captain, are you listening?” White shook Red.

“Oh, right!” he woke from his fear. “Green and Brown, go to the left. White come with me”

The two pairs went to the opposite sides.

“WARNING! REACTOR BREAKDOWN IN T-10 SECONDS”- announced the alert system.

“Initiating reactor meltdown contentment protocol” Red announced.

The two pairs placed their palm on the panels, and a red light scanned their fingerprints. This initiated reactor restarting proceed. Once the panel signaled green light, the alert system announced, “REACTOR MELTDOWN NEUTRALIZED. PROCESSING COOLDOWN IN T-30 SECONDS.

“Quick, Brown. Go to the Upper Engine room and fill the engines” instructed Orange. Upon filling the lower and upper engines, Orange started the reactor. The reactor startup initialization required the individual to input a code in the sequence it appears on the screen to the left. The individual needed to be careful about entering the code as it required exactitude. Once the reactor was turned on, Brown did away with ‘unlock manifold’ task where the individual needed to input numbers from 1 to 9 in sequence without interruption. Finally, the engines were aligned to match the direction of the movement of the spaceship.

“That was close, phew!” sighed Green.

“Had we waited for a few more seconds, we would have lost the reactor and that meant the end of us!” said White.

“Where is Black?” inquired Red, looking around with fear.

“We didn’t see him” Orange said. Red’s face was blanched. He gingerly paced out of the reactor room to get to security as soon as impossible.

“Is it just me or our captain is really acting crazy” Orange raised his brows.

“Don’t know what he is up to. I’m so full to think. After all those shit and Blue...” Brown paused and took a deep breath, “Wish I weren’t a part of this mission”. He walked out of the room slowly.

“Where is Pink? Didn’t see her in the reactor room” said Orange.

“Oh, she is in the MedBay. Taking rest. See ya!” White took his leave. Orange was alone in the room. He went over to the reactor panel to see the readings when the lower-left corner of the panel caught his eyes. He leaned forward to inquire the wirings with thoughtful eyes. He rubbed his cheeks and looked at the door.

Red entered the security room and hastily looked into the monitor, searching for Black. Black was found to enter MedBay, appearing from Cafeteria. No sooner did Red decided to call for an emergency meeting when the lights went out. Everything went as black as pitch. Red froze. Something is coming, he thought. I must warn everyone.

In the death the silence of the moment, Red heard a heavy sound- the one you hear when a heavy object is dragged over a thin sheet of tin. Following the direction of the faint sound, he discovered a metallic lid in the corner of the Security room beneath which there was a vault! He opened the lid and drew his ear close to it. There was a low, repeating thud coming from the vault. What is that noise? Is someone there? Red switched on his torch and gently went inside the vault. It was wide enough to let a person pass through it. As per his knowledge, the vault in the security room led to MedBay. With the torch fastened to his wrist by a thread, he dragged himself forward. His heart was beating terribly fast and the narrowness of the passage suffocated him. When he reached the other side, with much difficulty, he opened the lid as quietly as possible and pushed himself out of the vault. He looked around, recognizing the capsules and the body scanner. He had come to MedBay. All of a sudden he heard footsteps approaching. He hid behind one of the capsules- the huge tubular structure where the crewmates were sleeping- anticipating what happens next. Someone stood at the doorway of MedBay and scanned the area with the flashlight. Then, he left. Red couldn't make out who was it. He breathed a sense of relief. Shortly after he let his guard down, a strange sound of a heavy thing falling on the ground startled him. He abruptly switched his flashlight and pointed it forward. Under the broad beam of the light, he discovered it was Pink’s cat, Weeny, crawling on the floor and crying, “Meow!”

But things began to get strange when Red realized his jumpsuit was turning wet and sticky. A pungent smell hit his nose. Red was gripped by an unknown fear. He slowly turned back, moving his flashlight muscle by muscle until the whole scenario was revealed. The sight made him cringe several feet away. He clenched his teeth trying his best to subside his agony. In front of him lay Pink- cold and death- head smashed into the wall. He found difficulty in breathing and his stomach felt weak.

“I know you are the imposter, Captain” said someone in a heavy voice. Red looked at the door noticing Black standing with his flashlight. He approached Red slowly but stopped midway to throw a bundle of paper in front of him.

“I got those maps from your capsule. They have all the vault connection and wire fixing locations” Black said.

“Don’t try to hide. I know you are the imposter. You were the one to sabotage the electricals. You killed Purple. I saw the sword inside the vault at Shields” accused Red, he was shivering.

“That doesn’t prove anything. You are beating around the bush and playing with the minds of the crew”

“Am I? I’m the captain of The Skeld. The crew knows me well and I’m going to throw you out of my ship” Red threatened Black.

“Not if they find out that their captain is the real imposter” Black said.

“You are only making it complicated. Besides, you don’t hold any evidence to accuse me of killing my crewmates”

“Is it?” Black chuckled and took the bundle of maps and unfurled it. “The first death was in the MedBay followed by the death of Purple in the Navigation. Both the deaths took place near the vaults” he pointed out the markings on the map. The vault in the security led to MedBay and the vault to the MedBay led to Electricals. “You went to the Electricals, sabotaged the power, got back to MedBay, killed Yellow and then went back to Security”

Red’s mouth was dry. He swallowed hard. “I did no such thing. Brown was in the electricals. Had I gone there he would have said that”

“You were in the electricals, checking the calibrator. You said you were in the security but Brown didn’t see you entering the Electricals. Then how did you get there without meeting Brown in the hallway?”

“I actually-”

“You escaped through the vault in the MedBay and got in the electricals. Brown was a loose end because he found you suspicious when he first saw you in the electricals and to keep things tight you killed him”

“That’s enough Black! You don’t have the right to wrongly accuse me of the crime that you are a part of!” Red said.

“Then why were you never doing a task?” Black questioned.

“I’m the Captain and I had to keep an eye on the crewmembers” explained Red.

“Exactly! You kept yourself absolutely free so it was easy for you to time out and kill and escape. You faked your tasks and acted like you were surprised by all the incidents taking place in The Skeld.”

Red clenched his fist and prepared for the worst. Black came closer and they knew what was coming.

“Mind games are toxic but what hurts is when you realize you were trusting the wrong guy all the time. Brown knew something was brewing in your head. He mentioned it to me. But I didn’t believe him until I found you hiding your weapons inside the vault in the Shields section. And under the impression that your cover was gone, you killed Brown and hid his body in the security room!” The last statement shocked Red. “I didn’t kill Brown!”

“How you are going to prove yourself innocent?” Brown gave a sarcastic smile.

“You bastard! I will mince you into pieces and throw you not of my ship “

“After all the evidence I have against you? Trust me your crewmembers will mince when they hear that their beloved captain was the imposter” Black gave a hysteric laugh.

“I’m not the imposter and I didn’t betray my people. You were the one to do so”

Just then Weeny, Pink’s pet cat gave out a cry, “Meow!”

Black was stuttered for a moment until his flashlight discovered the green sluggish creature by the side of Red’s feet. It was at that moment, Black noticed the dry blood on the floor. His flashlight followed the trail of blood. He angled himself to take a look, his flashlight tracing the trail goes, and to his horror, he discovered the deformed body of Pink. His eyes dilated with fear.

“So, you really are the imposter!” Black said. “I wasn’t accusing you of nothing!”

“Don’t try to act smart. I know you killed her and waited for me to step into your trap. Your time for deception is over!”

Black went back till he was near the opening of the vault. “Surrender and we can talk about it,” Red said.

“You think I’m the imposter?” Black retorted. “I doubted Blue for being the imposter but who could possibly know about your filthy intentions!”

At that very moment, when the mask of the thief was being unfolded, two hands crept out of the vault and gripped Black by his feet. Before he could act, he was pulled down into the vault. Red rushed in to rescue, throwing himself into the vault. He got stuck midway.

“Captain! Captain!” White heard the noise and came in to rescue. Orange and Green followed him. Together they dragged Red out of the vault.

“The imposter! The imposter-” he paused to catch his breath, “the imposter took Black away. The trio looked confused.

“Guys!” Orange sounded petrified. All of them turned around to see the horrible carcass of Pink. Their blood went cold. “The imposter! He escaped through the vault. But I know where he will go. Orange and Green go to the Electricals. White follows me to the security”

The three of them looked at each other and remained silent. “What happened?” Red asked.

“We saw Brown’s body in the security room and now this!” White said fearfully. Red tried to explain but it made the situation worst.

“Sorry but we have to do the needful” said Green. And the next moment Orange punched Red in the face and knocked him down. When Red opened his eyes, he found himself in the exit bay, the place where Blue was kept before he was ejected into space. Red got up gingerly and looked through the glass of the thick airtight gate. Orange arranged the three dead bodies of the crew members- Black, Brown, and Pink.

Green was sobbing silently. White was sitting by the side of Pink. The sudden change of the situation at The Skeld was too much to be handled by anyone. Tears built up in the eyes of Red. A broken team is weaker than a fool’s team. Red called out. Knocking at the glass shield, he drew the attention of White. Green tightened his fist. Rage got him by the nerves and he found it difficult to bear it.

“This is not how it is supposed to end. We are in this together! Let me in. Let me take charge of the ship. The imposter is still hiding, we can catch him and save ourselves. Trust me!” Red consolidated.

Green’s head ached. Had it been any part of the ship that is broken, it could be fixed easily. But when trust is broken, nobody can do away with it. White was too full to put forward any opinion. Orange was baffled.

“White, I’m sorry for what had happened! Please trust me. The imposter wants us to be weakened. He is playing mind games-“

“Just like the way you played with us, Captain” Orange said, “the reactor was sabotaged and before me, you were alone in the reactor room. Black told us about your nasty deeds. About how you tortured Brown and then-you took down Pink as well. Why, why captain? Why!” Orange broke down. He felt despised, betrayed,, and weak.

“I didn’t sabotage anything. I have sacrificed my life for this mission, to be a good leader and help my crewmates to bear with difficult times. I sincerely regret my inefficiency of not being able to save Pink or any of the crewmembers, including blue. I-” Red was explaining when Green got up hastily and charged towards the door of the exit bay.

“You don’t deserve to stay in this ship. You inhuman, psychopath. You aren’t allowed to screw our minds” Green screamed.

“Green calm down. I’m not the imposter and I didn’t betray my crewmates. Please try to understand…”

Green drew his face closer to the glass shield and said, “Fuck you!” He pressed the switch beside the door and the door of the exit bay opened with a high-pitched alarm ringing out loudly. Red cast a last glance on Green before he was sucked out into space. Green closed the door and wiped like a baby- sobbing and sniffing.

Orange disposed of off of the bodies through the garbage vault. White stopped him when he picked Pink. White looked at Pink’s deformed face before letting go of her. He was emotionally unstable. Orange went near Green and patted his shoulder. Green reacted violently shoving himself away, “GET OFF ME!”

“Easy pal, I’m trying to help” Orange explained.

“Stay away from me!” Green punched Orange. “I don’t trust anyone of you”

“Hey, you are overdoing it!” White went to Green and forcibly caught him by his shoulders. “No, I don’t need this” Green was struggling in his grip. He kicked White in his knees. White flinched. Taking the opportunity, White opened the door of the exit bay, flung him into the airtight room,, and secured the door.

“What are you doing?” Orange stood up.

“Stay right there!” Green commanded.

“Get him out of there!” Orange demanded.

“SHUT UP!” yelled Green.

“You don’t decide who should stay or leave!”

“SHUT UP!”

“I’m not letting you get us killed!”

“I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!” he charged at Orange and grabbed his neck.

White shrieked, “Green, hold yourself. Let him go!” White banged at the thick circular glass shield of the airtight room.

Green tightened his fist, “I will kill everyone” He had completely lost himself. He didn’t believe in his crewmates anymore. “I will not let the imposter kill me!” And hence Green’s fist tightened more. White continued punching the glass shield screaming curses.

Orange was slowly losing his breath when Green stopped abruptly. He started bleeding through his mouth, straining his jumpsuit. He gurgled and retreated leaving Orange and held his stomach. White was confused by his strange actions. On looking down, Green noticed a clean cut on his tummy as wide as his stomach. A clean slit! Green lifted his head in disbelieve and he held a glimpse of Orange holding a sharp ten-inch blade, blood dripping from the edge. Green fell to his knees and he struggled to keep hold of his intestines which were flowing out of his belly. He gave a sharp cry and continued to howl and shout.

“What a pity!” Orange exhaled. White couldn’t believe anything happening in front of his eyes. He swallowed hard. Orange approached the exit bay and rested his forehead on the glass shield. “Sorry, you had to see this! I didn’t plan it this way. He wiped the blade on his jumpsuit. White was shivering, his mouth was dry, “Orange, why-why…” he trembled.

“Sometimes it’s okay not to explain yourself for the actions you take. My friend, you will be missed” saying so he approached the switch.

“No, please! No! Oh, Jesus! Orange please spare me. Oh, God” he cried. He banged the glass shield, scratched it, and shrieked. “Let me out. Let me out…I don’t want to die…” Orange looked at him and pressed the switch. Thus, White was sucked out into space. Orange took a deep breath and closed the main gates. He rubbed his hands.

Green was immobilized by the pain. He didn’t have the courage to move a muscle. He was sniffing softly, hugging his intestines. His head was blank. Orange approached him and gently sat by his side. Green slowly lifted his head. His sniffs were more like hiccups.

“It wasn’t easy to kill everyone, you know...especially going through the vaults and swinging your swords and immediately escape! Whoosh!” he chuckled. “I’m Beck by the way. That’s what I was called when I was on Earth” Green gave a little cry from pain.

“Oh, you poor kid! Allow me to deliver you from your pain” and Orange lifted his sword. “Since you are the last one to go, I grant you a wish. Come on, make it.”

Green mumbled. “Pardon” Orange didn’t hear it and drew his ear close to Green’s mouth. “Fuck you” Green whispered and loosened his body. Dead.

Orange gently pushed his sword into his head. Orange sat in the silence for about a minute or so before bursting out into hysteric laughter. He got rid of the remains of Green and cleaned the cafeteria. After doing the remaining tasks of The Skeld, he sat in the navigation holding Weeny, Pink’s cat in his arms. “You little thing. Sorry if I bothered you”

“Meow” cried Weeny.

Next, he sent an encrypted S.O.S signal to HQ on planet earth:

The Skeld is in perfect shape. All crewmembers are doing great. All status clear. Ready for the second round of hypersleep. Would send the next update after four years. Captain Red over and out.  

That was the last message from The Skeld. No further S.O.S was inferred by it in the next thirty years before HQ officially declared it lost.

Copywrite: Everything you read has been created by me (Bindeswar Saha) unless stated otherwise. The pictures have been taken from Google and has been used only for reference purpose. All rights are reserved. Please do not use any content without first asking my permission at bindeswarstudent@gmail.com. 

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About the game: Among Us is an online multiplayer social deduction game developed and published by American game studio InnerSloth and released on June 15, 2018. The game takes place in a space-themed setting, in which players each take on one of two roles, most being Crewmates, and a predetermined number being Impostors. (Source: Wikipedia)

Buy  the game at https://store.steampowered.com/app/945360/Among_Us/ (for pc)

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