As soon as it disappeared, panicked screams erupted from around. Exchanging worried stares with the others, I wondered what was going on. The only idea I had was that the appearance of the dead student on the screen must have reminded the other students that this was a death trap. “Shit,” I mumbled beneath my breath. It wasn’t the first death and wasn’t going to be the last. However, I thought that if we had a plan, we could lessen the number of deaths. It seemed hopeless now. I turned to the others. “Let’s go.” The screams didn’t still stop, making me wonder if I was just wrong and, perhaps there was an annihilation somewhere, which was impossible. The old geezer would rather we fought amongst ourselves, but it didn’t make sense for the former to happen since we still had time left. I needed to stop overthinking. As we turned a corner, three students stood in the middle of the road, having a discussion. Upon hearing our footsteps, they turned with panic-stricken expressions, which
We began running, with Zane and me in the lead while the others were behind. Before us was a right corner, and just as we turned, we saw a horrifying scene. A loud gasp sounded behind me. Perhaps one of the girls. On the ground was a boy whose neck was turned at an abnormal degree as if he had been looking backwards when he fell. Even his legs were broken. It was a sight that almost made me scream, but there was no use to it. “Let’s just go,” Zane called out, and reluctantly, the others began to run. I didn’t turn back; I focused more on the timer on the screen. We had two minutes and thirty seconds remaining. If we got locked in the maze, I wasn’t sure of what could happen next. There’s another fork in front of us, and glancing at Zane, he gestured to the right. Just as we veered in that direction, I heard my name. “Ande!” Turning, I saw Austin running towards us, his face streaked with sweat. Naturally, he didn’t look fit, but I was impressed he already came this far. “Where’s
His eyes narrowed, and I guessed he couldn’t see my features because I wasn’t facing the moonlight. I decided to use that to my advantage. “Where are you going?” “What’s it to you? Are you stalking me?” “It’s late. You shouldn’t be out wandering the hallways.” He crossed his arms. “And what are you doing?” Touche. I quickly thought of something to say. “I wanted to pee.” “I also want to do the same.” “You’re going the wrong way. The restroom is behind us.” At that moment, I suddenly realised I placed my foot into my mouth. The boy’s stance shifted as if weighing a decision, and just as I opened my mouth, he turned around and bolted. “Wait—” My voice caught in my throat as I realised I couldn't shout in the hallway. People could wake up. Quickly, I took off after him, footsteps making sounds against the floor. Despite the boy’s size, he was fast, like a missile. Whenever I thought I’d catch up, the gap will only increase. His running only confirmed my suspicions. Something wa
My suspicions were confirmed as some of my mates rushed to gather around her. “Were you able to do it?” one asked, and she nodded. “The tracker is on the hem of his trousers. He won’t easily notice it.” From what the guys and I gathered, Eliza and some people had teamed up to find a way to find out what the teachers were hiding. They had tried it out on the other teachers, but it was a dead end. It was either the small device had slipped off roughly, or the teachers hadn’t done any suspicious thing or revealed secrets that could help. The only good thing was that none had been noticed yet, so the trials continued. Just like before, the students were excited about the prospect of getting something new, especially since the teacher dealt with weaponry, which was pretty serious. “I’ve got the tracker on sight.” The voice was from Miguel, who had his device in his hands, which he stared into. We all moved as one, though three people went to guard the door in case someone came in. Et
A word I was now used to and didn’t seem like I would avoid. I also thought it was a word that brought isolation, especially in a case I could quickly solve if I told people, but I had been threatened with being punished if I broke the deal. Also, I couldn’t risk it because I didn’t know if the punishment would only affect me or other innocent people. I couldn’t bear it if I placed them in that spot. So, I needed to solve the riddle quickly. Throughout the night, I did that as I lay on my bed. A face was round, but there was a mouth so it could feed. I thought about a coin, a plate, and even a steering wheel, but it didn’t feel like that was the answer. Was it something mechanical? Or something wooden? Or perhaps it was a metaphor?Or a description of a person? Maybe someone with empty hands, offering no treats because they didn’t have any? I wasn’t sure the riddle was that simple. Finally, I slept on it. The following day, after breakfast, the bell rang, and we went to class. As w
If there wasn’t a sign that they were watching us, the destruction of Miguel’s tablet, our former hope, was it. After the incident, the students dissolved into small groups, talking amongst themselves, and I perceived they were now realising that things wouldn’t be that easy. If not for the riddle, I would have mentioned it, and though I wasn’t happy about Miguel’s tablet because that would have helped if it hadn’t been destroyed, I was glad everyone was beginning to see the gravity of it all. We had been lucky to find the wall and the hidden door, but I didn’t think we would be allowed to see further things. I felt they were only giving us a glimpse of the workings of the building. Now, we have five days more to the next day and one more day to my riddle. If I couldn’t get the answer today, that would be it. I was so desperate that I had even gone to the library, searching through books, hoping to glean something or come across a hint, but my efforts had been futile. Still, that w
“What will happen next?” It was a question on people’s lips; people living far away from the building, their whole lives now filled with watching the show and their money on their favorite players. Each day the show ended, they would break into different groups, talking, speculating, and arguing about what might happen next. For the last one, the fervent watchers believed that Everett’s plan might work, given that she was smart and some of her plans had been successful. They were confident in their thinking until someone mentioned how Ande had looked at her suspiciously. Some believed that he was only jealous he hadn’t thought about the plan first, and others thought his suspicions were natural, given that the idea seemed risky. How would the students survive if they were to pollute the air? It was a question no one had an answer to and were eager to know. Something that also kept them on their toes, eager to watch the next scene, was Ande’s riddle. When he was given it, some vie
There was no sleep for me that night. Not when the other students began working on Everett’s plan, just as it fell off her lips. A sudden wave of excitement and strength moved over them, and I didn’t think they would heed any logical advice. Everett’s group, overseeing everything, began fleshing out the idea, working on the loopholes, and finding solutions. They also grouped the students so that everyone could have a task. The goal was to have the coup that night, which was too fast for me, but I kept my thoughts to myself before I got lynched for having a different thought. Their excitement was contagious, except that I had mixed feelings about it. I had nothing against Everett or her attitude toward always wanting her idea chosen. It was fine as long as it worked in my favor. All I wanted now was to survive. The only issue I had about the whole thing was how rushed it was. It was great they considered the next game, but I wished we had more time. I’ve had experience with things