[Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is your host, #11892 of the Nightmare Broadcasting Service. You're watching channel 10:4004. Tonight, we bring you the thrilling game of Duck, Duck, Goose! A fun and classic game that is beloved by many. For tonight's event, our participants will be some new faces that have never been featured on the show before. ]
[Please give it up for the brand-new rising stars of the Nightmare Broadcasting Service!]
The jubilant, static-laced voice of the host echoed through the air, followed by raucous cheers and applause.
All the noise fell on the ears of the ten duck mascots seated in a circle of chairs. Their oversized cartoon heads twisted and turned in confusion, mimicking the cluelessness of actual ducks. Fear gripped their hearts as the unsettling situation dawned on them.
As if to make matters worse, all of them realized that they couldn't move their mouths and lower bodies at all.
No matter how much they struggled, it was all but a futile attempt.
Aster was one of the clueless mascots sitting in one of the chairs.
Before he found himself here, he found a mysterious red envelope in his bed. The envelope was sealed with a red badge that depicted the number '10' on it. Inside the envelope, there was a letter congratulating and inviting him to the show called the Nightmare Broadcasting Service.
He had treated it as a joke. But now, faced with this bizarre and terrifying reality, he realized just how wrong he'd been.
All he could do now was observe his surroundings as the host's rambling echoed through the pitch-black room, which was being illuminated by a mysterious white light.
Nine others were dressed in the same oversized, cartoonish duck mascot suits. They were all seated in chairs, with gaps separating them. The chairs were arranged in a circular pattern, leaving space in the middle between all of them.
The only way to tell the mascots apart was by the numbers branded on their chests and the colors of their suits.
Aster bore the number 3 as his mascot was that of a purple duck.
Only a few minutes had passed before the cheers of the audience had finally died down.
The host, seeing as the loud cheers of the audience had ended, seized the chance to continue. Its static-laced voice echoed once again through the pitch-black room.
[Since all our contestants are new, why don't we help them get familiar with the game?]
[The name of the game is Duck, Duck, Goose! All of you are currently 'ducks'. But soon, the audience will cast a vote to randomly select a 'farmer'. Whoever is chosen will transform from their lovely duck mascot into a farmer mascot.]
[The farmer's role is to select one of the remaining ducks to become the 'goose'. That chosen duck will then transform into a goose mascot.]
[Once both the farmer and the goose are selected, they will be sent to the Farm. There, the farmer will have 10 minutes to capture the goose. If the goose is not caught within the time frame, the punishment will fall on the farmer. But if the goose is caught before time runs out, then the punishment goes to the goose instead.]
[This process will repeat until all 5 rounds have been completed.]
Hearing the rules of the game, Aster was quite surprised.
He thought that the host would be forcing them to play some twisted death game. But it was just Duck, Duck, Goose. The rules were quite familiar to him as he used to play it with many others as a kid.
But he couldn't help but notice that whenever the host mentioned the word 'punishment', its voice got deeper while the audience's cheer grew louder.
[Now, is there anybody with any questions left?]
Although the host asked, it was obvious the question wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Evident by the fact that all of the duck mascots lost the ability to move their arms instantly.
They had already lost the ability to speak or move their lower body, and now, with their arms immobilized too, raising any questions had become impossible.
[Wow! The contestants sure are clever, already grasping the rules of the game. Truly befitting the qualities of rising stars.]
[Now then, dear audience, it's time to cast your votes. Which of our lovely ducks will be the first to take on the role of the Farmer?]
With the host's joyous announcement, glowing numbers appeared above each mascot's head. As the votes poured in, the numbers steadily climbed.
A few minutes later, it became clear that the choice would come down to either duck number 7 or duck number 8. Duck number 7 was a green duck with 1,086 votes above his head, while duck number 8 was an orange duck that was close behind with 987 votes above his head.
They were, by far, the two most voted for among all the other ducks.
It didn't take long for the farmer to be chosen, as duck number 8's number of votes eventually overcame the lead that duck number 7 had.
[Wow! What a twist! It ended up being contestant 8 instead of contestant 7! Let's have a round of applause for contestant 8, our very first farmer!]
Following the host's enthusiastic voice, the sound of the audience's applause echoed through the room.
Amid the roaring applause, the orange duck mascot began to transform. The orange duck mascot magically transformed into that of a farmer's mascot. The new outfit featured bright orange overalls with the number 8 boldly displayed on the chest. Atop its head sat a straw hat, and its face wore a wide, cartoonish grin.
[Now then, I wonder who contestant 8 will choose as the goose?]
The farmer rose from his chair in a slow, almost mechanical motion. Step by step, he began to walk behind the circle of seated ducks. Every time he passed behind Aster, a cold sweat broke out down Aster's back.
Eventually, it ended when the farmer stopped at duck number 5. Duck number 5 was a blue duck. Inside the suit was a middle-aged man who was slowly losing what little thread of hair he had on his head, not to mention that he was quite out of shape.
He silently prayed for the farmer to move on, but his hopes were crushed the moment a hand rested firmly on his shoulder.
He watched in helpless silence as his suit shifted from a blue duck to a blue goose. The transformation mirrored the same cartoonish style, only now it was a blue goose, with the number 5 boldly displayed on its chest.
[And there we have it!]
[For the very first round, it's contestant 8 versus contestant 5. Who will come out on top? Let's find out.]
Amid the cheers of the host and audience, a table rose from the center of the circle. Atop it sat a detailed miniature model of a farm.
At the center stood a red barn. To the east was a pig pen, crowded with miniature pigs. North of the barn stretched a field of crops, with half the crops growing vibrantly while half of the field was dying. To the south sat a decrepit shack surrounded by scattered logs. And to the west loomed a giant doghouse, with the words "Keep Out!" boldly painted in red across the front.
[Now then, shall the games begin?]
With the host's lively announcement, both contestants were suddenly and seamlessly transported into the miniature farm they had just seen.
Contestant 8 appeared in the pig pen to the east, while contestant 5 found himself inside the red barn.
It wasn't until the sharp ticking of a clock echoed through the air that they realized the game had officially begun. Above them, a bright red timer materialized in the sky, counting down from 10 minutes, each second flashing like a warning.
For the first 2 minutes of the game, contestant 8 spent time looking around the pig pen but eventually found nothing. While contestant 5 simply sat inside the second floor of the barn, cautiously peeking through the windows to look for the cartoonish farmer.
With only five minutes remaining in the game, contestant 8 finally decided to head north, where the barn was. He had already inspected the shack, but found nothing more than dirty farming tools and scattered logs.
...
The farmer's mascot stood outside the barn, his eyes carefully scanning every corner before stepping inside. The barn was brightly lit by numerous lights hanging from the ceiling.
He thoroughly searched the barn's first floor, careful not to miss anything. Finding nothing, he decided to ascend the wooden stairs. With each step, the stairs groaned beneath him. Just as he neared the top, he heard a sudden sound.
A loud thump echoed outside the barn.
It was the sound of something falling from a great height.
With great haste, he rushed up the stairs to the second floor. There, he found nothing but a vast open space scattered with hay bales and a large open window.
Approaching the window, he looked outside and saw a massive blue goose mascot frantically running away from the barn.
Finally spotting his target, he leapt through the window, performing a somersault before landing cleanly on the ground. Before being transported to this bizarre place, he had been a fit and athletic man. To him, jumping from a second-story building wasn't much of a challenge, especially when the height wasn't that great.
Wasting no time, he sprinted toward the blue mascot. The oversized goose costume stood out like a beacon in the night. It was simply impossible to miss it.
Although his target had a head start, he quickly began closing the distance. It was clear the goose was out of shape. As its pace was slowing with every step, he steadily got closer to it.
It wasn't until there were a few minutes left in the game that he finally caught up to the goose.
The goose tried to make a last-ditch effort to escape, but exhaustion had already taken its toll. With minimal effort, the farmer dove forward, firmly grasping it with both his arms.
With the capture of the goose, the clock had finally stopped ticking down.
There were only 2 minutes and 34 seconds left of the game. Luckily, he captured it before time ran out.
...
With the capture of the goose, the two contestants were swiftly transported back into their seats.
[Congratulations to contestant 8 for winning the first round of Duck, Duck, Goose. With only a few minutes left on the clock, he skillfully captured contestant 5 and came out on top.]
[Now then, shall the punishment begin?]
With the ominous voice of the host, everyone in the room found the blue goose thrashing in his seat. As the wings of the mascot were soon dyed crimson, with an unknown red liquid seeping out of them.
No one could see what was happening inside, but the truth was quite horrifying. The middle-aged man's arms were being crushed. His flesh, skin, and bones were pulverized and mashed together. Eventually turning his arms into fleshly pulps.
The pain was unimaginable. He tried to scream, beg, and curse, but his mouth sealed shut. The only thing that he could do was suffer in silent agony.
...
Aster watched in grim silence as the blue goose thrashed in agony. He wanted to know what was happening inside the suit. What was the punishment?
Unfortunately, his curiosity wouldn't be satisfied as the cheerful and unbothered voice of the host echoed through the darkness.
[While contestant 5 endures his punishment, the second round of the game shall now begin.]
[Dear audience, please cast your votes once more for who will take on the role of the next farmer?]
Before anyone could collect their thoughts, bright numbers began to display above their heads again. This time, the numbers flashed more violently, reflecting the frenzied mood of the crowd.