The voting commenced.
Fingers were raised. Some hesitated—but not as many as I expected.
When the count came in, the room held its breath.
8 votes for Selene Montgomery.
3 undecided.
The screen flickered. A hollow chime echoed through the air.
"Selene Montgomery: Role Revealed – HOSTESS."
The room erupted into stunned whispers.
But before anyone could breathe relief, the announcer's voice returned. This time, colder. More mechanical.
"A new rule has been implemented.
From this point forward, undecided votes will no longer be tolerated.
Any player who abstains will be subjected to a random vote on their behalf.
Let this serve as a warning.
That is all."
Then, silence.
It was done.
Selene Montgomery stood frozen. Her face drained of color. Her lips trembled—but no words came. Only her wide, furious eyes darted toward each of us.
And then, she snapped.
"Why?! WHO VOTED ME?!" she screamed, her voice ragged with betrayal and fear.
Her body whipped toward Damien. "It was YOU! I KNOW IT WAS YOU!" She grabbed his collar, shaking him. Damien didn't respond. His expression stayed blank, unreadable.
The others flinched at her outburst.
"You traitor—I protected you! I covered for you! You backstabbing piece of—"
She was unhinged now. The composed mask shattered. She let out a broken scream and bolted toward the main entrance, eyes wild, mouth foaming with rage and fear.
"I WON'T DIE LIKE THIS—"
And then—
A single crack of a gunshot echoed through the room.
Her body jerked mid-run. The back of her skull exploded like a shattered glass bulb. She crumpled face-first into the marble floor. Blood pooled, and her limbs twitched once.
Then nothing.
Silence returned.
People stared at the body. Some gasped. Others turned away. One threw up.
But my eyes weren't on the corpse.
They were on the reactions.
And that's when Iris spoke.
Her voice cut through the silence, cold and sharp like the very bullet that killed Selene.
"We should vote Leira Vaughn next."
All heads turned.
Leira—the one with soft eyes and a strange calmness—blinked slowly, as if she didn't hear it at first.
"What did you just say?" Desmond stood up, his voice tense.
Iris didn't flinch. She pointed a finger toward Leira again. "She's one of the mafia. She tried to kill me."
Desmond's jaw clenched. "No. No, you're wrong. She's not like that. She's quiet, but she's not dangerous."
Iris narrowed her eyes. "You've been following her like a lost dog. Can't you see it? She hasn't spoken much this entire time—and when she does, it's vague, indirect. That's not civilian behavior. That's cover."
Leira stayed silent.
Her eyes flickered—not with fear—but something else.
A smirk?
No.
A mask.
Desmond stepped forward, voice raised. "You're accusing her based on intuition. On bias. We already voted one girl out and killed her. You want to keep throwing lives around until no one's left?!"
"She's not one of us," Iris snapped. "The people who are dying are the ones trying to do something about this game—and she's never lifted a finger to help."
"Maybe she's scared!" Desmond shouted back.
"Maybe you're too close to see the truth," Iris countered.
The room tensed.
Some looked at Leira, others at Desmond. But no one moved.
So I stepped in.
I walked forward and placed my hand on Desmond's shoulder—not aggressive, but firm.
He turned sharply to me, eyes burning.
But I didn't flinch.
"Desmond," I said, calm but cutting, "I know you want to believe she's innocent. I get it. But you've seen how this game works. How many times do people play innocent right until the knife's already in your back?"
"I've talked to her," he muttered. "She's kind."
"So was Selene," I said.
He fell silent.
I turned to the rest of the group. "Listen. Iris may not have a role that lets her kill or defend, but she's been observing everything. I trust her gut."
Leira tilted her head, smile faint. "So… you're voting me next?"
I stared into her eyes. Cold. Unblinking.
"If you're on of the mafia," I said slowly, "then this will be the last vote you ever see."
She didn't blink.
"And if I'm not?"
"Then the real Witch will make a mistake by surviving one more night," I replied. "And I'll find them either way."
The room swayed.
All eyes shifted between the three of us.
A tension so thick it hummed in the air.
Because now… it was Leira Vaughn's life on the line.
And once the next vote came, the balance would shift again. But before that all civilian should survived this passing night.
Then I saw it a glimpse for a second she smiled… Leira Vaughn smiled.
The game wasn't over.