*Sorry, Youji--it was a nice try. Even as he avoids burdening the kid, though, Danny's thoughts have already turned in a similar direction: maybe there really are helpless people being called. Danny's face, already twisted with a grimace and the growing pressure of lying, darkens a shade further. Maybe whoever's behind all this is playing a sick game, trying to see who survives and who doesn't. He's seen things like that before--not identical, but similar.*

Yeah. hopefully. *Doesn't sound very optimistic. In fact, by now he looks more pessimistic than anything else.*

Then again, these week-long crazy things didn't always used to happen. Maybe we're nearing some kind of deadline, and the closer we get, the crazier things go.