Among Us (Preview)

It wasn't what he had expected. Lee didn't find a chamber linked to the adjacent doors but instead, an office.

The piece was dimly lit. The walls were windowless, and the only light source present was a ceiling lamp glowing ominously on the ghastly paint and a pair of glass that was staring at the newcomer. They belonged to a man, sitting behind a desk, his arms lazily crossed on his chest.

Lee fought back the stuffiness of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Examinee Chang-Lee?" He nodded at the dark-haired man query. "I'm Mr. you don't have to know, and I'll be the one to put you through the first test of this year examination. The test is simple. I'll ask you a question and you will answer. Depending on your reply, you'll go through one of the two doors at my sides. With luck, you will take the one leading to the next phase. Those are the rules. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Here is the question. A serial murderer had broken into your house, killed your father and abducted your mother with your little sister. In his perverse pleasure he asks you to choose who he should kill next and promises to set the other free. Any actions other than answering will get their throats slit. You can only save one. What is your response?"

Lee processed the question and stopped his lips from morphing into a smile, a very, very, happy smile. He knew about the question as he had read the manga and watched the anime. Neither Mother, nor sister were to be chosen, the question was a trap. Its only purpose was to test the examinees' mentality, and those who made a choice, a sacrifice, were disqualified, judged to lack moral values any Hunters should have. Lee knew there was only one way to answer the question and it was, silence.

He stayed quiet.

Three minutes passed before the man reacted. "I've waited enough, tell me, who will live?"

Lee didn't utter a word. The examiner studied his form and expression, visibly relaxed, and came to realize the teen wasn't stuck in deep cogitations. The silence was deliberate. "I'm waiting for your choice, examinee Lee." He reminded, "I explained it to you that you had to answer."

Lee cleared his throat. "I choose neither. I won't forsake my mother nor my little sister. That's my answer, sir." He spoke, strong and confident, with a hint of a smile.

The man wasn't smiling. He sat there, quiet. "You seem to not understand who you are dealing with, Mr. Lee." The tense silence broke as he leaned on the desk, his clasped hands covering his lower face and any thoughts he might have had. His glasses, though, fixed Lee. "I'm what you call a screener." He said.

"Every year, thousands upon thousands of hopeful desirous of a Hunter license leave their homes to take part in the exam. However, the committee in charge of the organization can't manage such a volume. Hunters are scarce and busy individuals. The association has already a hard time assembling the few who will oversee the main tests and they shouldn't have to deal with all this mob."

The man pushed his glasses up his nose, revealing his brown eyes from the reflected light. "It takes to people like me to trim the number down." He declared. "That's my role, to screen the wastes of time. In other words, I have the authority to fail whoever I want with little to no explanations. Now, as you seem to understand my functions during this examination, we will get back to the test. I'll ask you a question, you will answer. Don't waste my time."

The screener gave the same setting. The same murderer, the same dead father, the same choice, the same words. "Who will live?"

Lee's brows moistened.

***

AN: Sorry for not updating this long. Febuary had been hectic and I didn't have much time to write. Now that I have some free time, I will get you those chaps! Here, have this little preview while I finish writing the chapter.