Noel looked at her pictures with bewilderment. She sifted from one to the other, back and forth only to then look at the actual scene before going back to the pictures. She strained her eyes, reassuring herself at every moment. She was barely listening to the others as she was completely lost in thought.
She was certain that something was off about these pictures.
It was impossible to make out on the crime scene currently, as everyone had shuffled around, but her pictures showed one thing everyone had missed in the dim lighting. The ground here had left some very easily distinguishable footprints. Of course, these footprints had long faded as people shuffled around. But that was exactly why she took pictures in the first place. Only she now had access to the crime scene as it was found, completely untouched.
But it still didn’t add up.
No matter how well she looked, she could only see two pairs of footprints. But how could that be? The murderer definitely couldn’t have erased their own footprints without affecting the other pair, so did that mean only two people had been here? That wasn’t impossible, but that would have very grim implications for a certain musician…
One glance at a picture from Krista, who had long gone to lie down, showed one of these pairs indeed belonged to her. Krista’s shoes were rather unique, and not easily confused with anyone else’s. Noel looked at the other pair, certain to find that the pair would perfectly match Mondatta’s feet.
… But they didn’t?
It was impossible. Even from this picture, Noel could easily tell that the other pair of footprints could possibly belong to Mondatta. The footprints in the picture were significantly smaller than Mondatta’s feet. Did Mondatta’s suit have an option to adjust foot size? The reporter honestly doubted it. But that meant these footprints could only belong to one person! Noel had the scoop in her hands! She could now unveil the murderer in one fell swoop.
”NEWSFLASH!” The reporter exclaimed with pride and joy.
”Listen everyone! I know how to find the murderer, we just have to-“Before she could finish that sentence, she was rudely interrupted by a very poorly timed announcement.
Monokuma made another appearance on every monitor in the hospital. “Okay, I think that was enough time.” The bear sighed and hung his head. “I'm so sorry about the Monokuma file. Usually I'll do all the forensic stuff for you guys but there just wasn't anything to find. There's no body, no blood. I'm honestly wondering if you guys will be able to pull this off.” Killgood lifted his head up. “I'm just glad I'm not in your shoes!” The monitors all displayed the the gates to the court of carnage. “Head on over here, pronto. Don't force the nurse staff to drag you out. It could be... unsightly.”
“Never fear! Your queen is here!” Alexandria rode in on horseback, trampling all over the crime scene. She nearly hit Mondata's body with her lance. “Alright, time to get your disheveled lot into the court of carnage. Don't dawdle, I haven't seen any blood yet, and I'm looking for an excuse to change that.” No one had any objections, at least not ones that would be headed. Everyone would be escorted outside in front of the gate.
No one could hide from the carnage sisters. Nariko had found Krista and was carrying her over to the gate. The vertigo had mostly gone away, and the bleeding had stopped entirely. Of course the samurai took it upon herself to bandage the violinist up. She used way too many bandages, and even taped over one of her eyelids. Though Krista looked damn near impervious to head injuries now. Even Aleecia, Isaiah, and Calvin couldn't hide in their rooms forever. Eventually Geina ousted them and got them ready.
“But we weren't involved with it!” Aleecia was holding onto Isaiah's arm. “We didn't even hunt for clues, we wouldn't be any help in the court.”
“I don't give a fuck about any of that! Look at your E-handbook!” Geina was as gruff as ever. “Not participating is not an option. Just because you didn't want to help with the investigation doesn't mean shit. Buckle up buttercup, you're all goin' for a ride.”
“This is horrible, I can't even see...”
Isaiah and Calvin were quiet. Perhaps they knew there was no way to argue their way out of it. Though Calvin did pipe up to say one thing. “Let's just get this shit over with.”
And so the gates to the court of carnage swung open, and everyone walked inside.
No doubt all of the infinites had heard about the wild roller coaster ride called tower of carnage. Allegedly it was the “fourth” tower that made up Axis Mundi. It was between the other three towers, and even taller than the rest of the hospital. Originally it was going to be a slower educational ride, but there were difficulties building the hospital in such a way that the ride would have access to all of the noteworthy facilities. So they decided to build an enclosed roller coaster with a lot of extreme dives and climbs. There were debates about the name being too scary and too difficult to say for children. But the wild ride the tower of carnage provided wasn't intended for the young anyway. They even barred people who weren't physically fit from riding the tower of carnage. But the bear didn't seem to think much of the regulations.
The roller coaster had clearly been modified, as evident by the black and white paint job. All of the lights were off, save for the dock lights around the roller coaster train. It was clearly an intense ride, if the large overhead restraints were anything to go by. The track itself couldn't be seen, as it was completely cloaked in shadow. Even the walls were obscured by darkness. The bear was already seated in the front most train.
“Admission is free everyone! Just make sure you've got your restraints on.” The bear giggled. “ Of course your fellow nurses will be hear to ease you into your seats. So just make sure you keep all paws and tails inside the train at all times.”
The infinites were escorted and assisted into the train in this order behind Dr. kill good: Davis, Isaiah, Krista, Felix, Aleecia, Cyrus, Daimyon, Shaun, Mary, Caora, Calvin, Bliss, Lucas, Noel, Marianne, Alice. The infinites could hear the auto-locking systems click as the restraints were lowered into place. Krista's bandaged head almost didn't clear the restraints.
“Alright, court is in session! Try not to lose your lunch!”
That was all the warning anyone got before the roller coaster kicked off at full speed. There was nothing to see. The only thing the infinites could do is brace as the roller coaster took unexpected twists and dives. There were even a few corkscrews tossed in for added vertigo. As intense as it was, the ride was slowing down rather quickly. All of the carts rotated ninety degrees to face inward. The infinites could see that they were in a circle now. The lights kicked on, and the carts appeared to be in a large room. The walls were covered with velvet drapes, and the floor had the bear's favorite black and white checker pattern on it. Everyone's restraints released at the same time, allowing them to stand. Before everyone was a wooden podium, where they could rest their arms or place their E-handbooks. For obvious reasons, everyone was a little shaken. Their lives depended on this court case, and they had just gone on a rough roller coaster ride to get here. Krista had to touch the back of her head to make sure it wasn't bleeding again. (it wasn't) But not Davis. While everyone was dazed and confused like a flock of sheep, Davis was the lion looking for his prey.
“Um, Davis?” Bliss inquired. “What's with the carry look.”
Davis opened his hands and placed them on the podium before him. “You little shit.” He said in a mocking tone. “You stupid little shit...”
Bliss continued to eye Davis, unsure of who he was talking to. “Excuse me?”
Davis stood upright. “I'm not even going to question your motive. I don't really give a shit what you'd want a fuckin' phone call for.” He scoffed and smiled. “Hell, freedom is a good enough reason to get out of here right? All you have to do is kill someone. But why Mondatta?” Davis smile quickly turned into a sneer. “Why kill someone who had faith in you? In everyone? I'll tell you who you should have killed...” Davis slammed his hands down on the podium so hard, everyone could feel the vibration. “You should have killed me! I'm the reason everyone is here! Everyone who dies here is a direct result of something I did. And even if you don't care about justice, you know what my talent is, right?” Davis laughed like a hyaena. His head tipped further to the side as his deranged laugh carried on. “That was a mistake, a BIG fucking mistake I'll add at that! Now you're going to have freedom snatched right out from under your nose...” Davis's voice was getting louder. It was becoming more like a yell. “My talent is infinite conquest. My gift is literally winning. And you've made the serious mistake of stepping into an arena with me.” He threw his hands out to his sides. “You probably see this place as just a court room huh? But it is an arena. This round room is a Colosseum to me. It is only a court room in the sense that I will judge and execute you here.” Davis reached into his cart and drew out the golden gladius Felix made the mistake of giving him several days ago. “It's just you and me now!”
TRIAL IS IN SESSION
ALL RISE
Monokuma cleared his throat. "Alright, let's... go over the basics one more time. If the blackened is exposed during the trial, they alone be punished. But if they aren't exposed, everyone besides the blackened will be punished." The bear laughed devilishly. "So without further ado..." Before the bear could say another word, Davis pulled a lever at his station. "Excuse me, what are you doing."
"I just voted for the blackened." Davis was still holding the gladius in one hand. "That's how this game works right? If everyone votes for the blackened."
"Y-yea but..." Monokuma looked a little worried. "Don't you at least want to hear what everyone found first? Maybe you missed an important detail."
"You've been underestimating my talent since Shona died. Maybe now you'll start taking me more seriously."
"You're just fishing for hints!" Monokuma folded his arms and looked away. "And that's cheating! Also, I'm going to disable everyone else's levers until you've all come to an agreement."
Bliss was the one to talk to Davis again. "Do you really know who did it?"
"Of course." Davis spun his sword in his hand. "Without a shadow of doubt."
"Well, who do you think did it?"
Davis didn't answer right away. He just looked around the room at everyone. "Well, there's a lot of evidence that implicates Krista, isn't there?"
Bliss folded her arms. "Really? You think Krista did it?"
"I'm just saying, she was the only one present at the crime scene." Davis grinned to himself. "Surely I'm not the only one who sees the evidence."
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