Seeing the changes in the courtyard outside, seeing how the lively, bustling wedding banquet had been reduced to a single table of living people in the main hall and the sinister old ghost butler waiting nearby, one of the people present finally spoke. He looked terribly haggard, with a scruffy beard, as if he hadn't slept or eaten properly in days.
"Everyone..."
"I don't know how you came here, and I don't care how long you've been here, because that doesn't matter anymore!"
"What matters now is how we can survive."
"You might not believe this, but I used to be an agent with the Contamination Control Bureau. I've been here for more than a month..."
"During that time, I've tried all kinds of things and searched for a way out. I still haven't found one, but I do know that if we want to live, we have to eat the food on this banquet table tonight, no matter what!"
"Eat, and there's a chance you'll survive..."
"Don't eat, and you're as good as dead!"
He paused, then continued in a low, weary voice:
"But..."
"Based on my experience surviving here for the past month, at least half the dishes are normal food, while the other half aren't!"
"Half of the abnormal food will kill you!"
"The other half will make you wish you were dead!"
As he spoke, he looked at the pale faces of his fellow sufferers, then at Annie, who looked perfectly normal and seemed both fascinated and curious. He continued:
"So..."
"Same rules as always. There are seven of us here, and fourteen dishes. We each pick two, and then we take our chances. We have to close our eyes and eat them, no matter what..."
"Afterward, those who ate normal food will most likely make