We all nod, the weight of his words sinking in. Zane takes a deep breath and strides over to one of the chairs, sitting down with a determined expression.Across from him, a figure emerges from the shadows - Dale.The tension in the air is palpable as our opponents are revealed to be Dale's team, with Valarie as one of the players. I can feel my heart racing as I realise I may have to face off against my friend. "Well, well, if it isn't little Zane," Dale sneers, settling into the other chair. The two chess masters, Dale and Zane, are seated, each with a display screen that shows the players' positions on the board."I must say, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be too busy being a traitor to bother with a silly game like this."Zane's lips curl into a slight smile. "I'm full of surprises, Dale. And I intend to win this game, no matter what it takes."Zane directs us to the game board.The sheer scale of it strikes me. The playing field is massive, with towering structu
I follow Dale as he leads me away from the others, my mind racing with questions. What could he possibly want to talk to me about? We walk silently for a moment before Dale stops and turns to face me. He surveys me coolly, his gaze calculating. "You know, Andy, I'm impressed," he says finally. "You and your team put up a good fight out there." I resist the urge to react, instead keeping my gaze steady. "What are you saying, Dale?" I ask, already knowing the answer. "I sabotaged the game," he says bluntly, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "I had to make sure my team came out on top, you know. Nothing personal." I take a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. "I figured as much," I admit, my voice is calm and even. "But why, Dale? Why would you do something like that?" He shrugs, the casual gesture infuriating me. "This is a game of survival, Ande," he says, his voice low and serious. "And I'll do whatever it takes to come out on top." My hands clench into fists at my
In the meantime, I lie motionless on the bed, letting Ethan take care of me. Ethan kneels beside me, his brow furrowed as he gently checks my pulse."It's a little fast," he murmurs, his voice low and soothing. "You're dehydrated, that's all. Let me get you some water."I nod, smiling at him softly. Ethan hurries to the bathroom, returning with a glass of cool water. He helps me sit up slightly, guiding the glass to my lips. The refreshing liquid soothes my throat, and I gulp it down gratefully."There you go," Ethan says, reassuringly squeezing my shoulder. "Just take it easy, Okay?."I manage a faint smile, already feeling stronger. But my mind is still occupied, preoccupied with the events that led me here. Just then, the door to my room suddenly swings open, and my eyes snap towards the intruder. To my surprise, it's Zane striding in. "Zane?" I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.Zane nods, his expression unreadable. "Oh, you're awake now," he says.Beside me, Ethan stiff
Mrs. Baker raises a hand, silencing the room. "Please, remain calm. I assure you, this is a positive development. Our guest will arrive shortly, and I expect you all to be on your best behaviour."As the minutes tick by, the tension in the room becomes palpable.I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, my palms growing sweaty with anticipation. What could this mysterious visitor possibly want?Finally, the doors to the hall swing open, and a hush falls over the room.All eyes turn to the entrance as a tall, imposing figure strides in. "Good morning, everyone," he begins, his voice smooth and authoritative. "My name is Mr. Blackwood, and I will be serving as your new teacher, effective immediately."I can't help but notice the unsettling tone in his voice."As you may have realised, Mrs. Baker is no longer going to be in charge of you," he continues, gesturing to the silent woman beside him. "I am."He grins placidly at our weary expressions, revealing a row of pearly whites, "I'm sur
I knock firmly, and the door swings open to reveal Everett, a smug grin on her face. "Well, well, if it isn't our resident hero," she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Feeling any better, Ande?" I scowl at her, my anger bubbling to the surface. "Cut the crap, Everett. Everyone knows you're a spy, and the principal wants something from me. So, tell me, what is it they're after?" Everett laughs humorlessly as she steps aside, gesturing for me to enter. "Come on in, Ande. Let's talk." I hesitate momentarily, but my desire for answers overrides my caution. I push past her and step into the room, glaring at her. She shrugs and closes the door behind us, flopping onto her bed with an air of nonchalance that only serves to irritate me further "So, what is it?" I demand, my voice low and dangerous. "What is the principal after?" I pause, my eyes narrowing dangerously, "And lie to me, Everett and I promise I'll kill you first " Everett laughs, sitting up and fixing me with a ca
I lie awake that night, my mind racing with the weight of Everett's words. What could this "other side" she spoke of possibly entail?I don't want to entertain this cryptic Nonsense, unwilling to be drawn into another web of secrets and deception. With a sigh, I turn over, pulling the thin blanket tighter around me. All I can do is sleep.But even that isn't secured as a piercing alarm shatters the stillness of the night. I jolt upright, my heart pounding as Chris burst into the room, his face urgently etched."Ande, Get up! There's a blackout - we have to move, now!" he hisses, tossing me a flashlight. I blink rapidly, disoriented by the all-consuming darkness. "What's happening?" I ask, scrambling to my feet."I'll explain on the way," Chris says tersely, ushering me into the hall. "We need to stick together. This is no ordinary blackout."As we hurry through the pitch-black corridors, my mind races. A blackout? At this hour? Something isn't right here. I glance sideways at Ch
I don't need to be told twice. Adrenaline surging, I bolt through the darkness, weaving through the corridors; my heart was beating faster than a dog's; I could count the few seconds to the end of me. I had to stay alive even when I was out of breath and wanted to give up; I couldn't, I had to keep running. Despite my words of encouragement to myself I had to face my unfortunate reality, they were faster, their footsteps gaining on me. I can hear their jeers and taunts, spurred on by the thrill of a hunt, it's a matter of seconds before I meet my end. "Dammit!" I yelled as I picked up the pace. Suddenly, a figure looms out of the shadows, blocking my path. I skid to a halt, my breath catching in my throat. It's one of my classmates, a boy with green eyes and a shaped, twisted grin as he advances, a utensil knife glinting in his hand."End of the line, Ande," he sneers wickedly. "Time to die." This was it.I backpedal frantically, my heart pounding in my ears, as I scanned for an e
I observe the unfolding scene through the CCTV cameras, my eyes glinting with a sinister curiosity. The flickering images reveal a decrepit hallway, its blood-stained walls and dusty tiles bearing witness to years of neglect. On one of the screens, I see Ethan, a trembling figure standing outside a room. His haunted eyes dart around nervously as if searching for an escape from the feelings that consume him. "How pathetic," I chuckle. The events have taken a psychological toll on the boy. His cousin's demise must be weighing on him more than he thought. He jumps at even the slightest noises, constantly looking over his shoulder in fear. Ethan seems to shiver in the decrepit hallway, his hands clamping tightly over his ears as he mutters apologies under his breath. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. Please, I didn't want to cause any trouble!" Ethan whispers, his voice trembling. His shoulders shake, a few tears escaping his shut eyes. The guilt in
"We're not your enemies. We're students, too. We escaped the school just like you." I hesitated, my grip loosening. "Prove it," I demanded. "How do we know you're telling the truth?" At last they took off the mask from their faces, they looked nothing older than eighteen at most, but I wasn't going to be fooled, definitely not by their appearance especially. We pointed the guns at them, cold sweat dripped all over my face but that wasn't enough to make me tremble, at least I wouldn't allow myself to fall victim to such trickery. “No problem, no problem, I'll prove it, I'll show you that we mean no harm I swear,” the female of the group yelled. “Please, just back off with the gun a bit, that thing's dangerous and I doubt you even know how to hold them properly which makes it more dangerous.” Was she mocking us or what? I couldn't make due with it. I took a quick look at her and her colleagues behind us. They didn't seem to have any sort of weapon on them and they didn't retali
I could hardly believe my eyes at first, but that was the honest truth apparently, and just like that, we had finally escaped the school, but freedom felt like a distant memory as we trudged through the arid landscape. Where we would go from here, that was the next question. Amid the celebration and excitement from my classmates I looked around, something didn't feel right, not in the slightest, but what was it? Suddenly, it occurred to me to look ahead as if I surveyed the land. "Does anyone have a binocular?" I asked. "A binoculars? I think I got one while we were escaping, it was amongst the staff gadgets," someone said. At once it struck me. Why exactly would they need such in the first place? The more I puzzled about this uneasy feeling the more restless I felt. The girl handed over the device with a bothered look on her face. I grabbed hold of the device and peered through. Scanning- Scanning- The coast looked clear, crystal clear however, what was this cloud of dus
(Diego's POV)I dart through the shifting corridors of the maze, my heart pounding in my chest as I try not to lose sight of the others. The disorienting twists and turns of this twisted landscape make it difficult to keep my bearings.And I'm finding it harder and harder to keep on going.As I watch my classmates struggle to cross the swaying platforms, a seed of doubt begins to take root in my mind. Something about this whole scenario doesn't feel right. The way the walls shift and the floors move - it's almost as if it's an illusion, a trick of the mind.I take a step back, studying the maze around us more closely. The patterns on the walls seem to shimmer and distort, and the very air feels charged with an unnatural energy. Narrowing my eyes, I focus my senses, trying to pierce through the deception.Suddenly, a flicker of movement catches my eye, and I whirl around to see a shimmering figure in the distance. It's the teacher, I'm sure of it. A wild surge of anger rises within me
(Ande's POV)We wait patiently for Ethan in the game room, the few of us that are still free, trying to cross check if we have everything. It was almost….. peaceful.Alas, things were not meant to be, as the world around us suddenly shifts and distorts.I grip the railing as the building contorts before my eyes, the once familiar corridors and classrooms twisting and distorting like a kaleidoscope. The floors seem to shift beneath my feet, and I struggle to maintain my balance as the world around me turns upside down. "What's happening?" I shout, my voice laced with panic as I glance at my teammates. Ava clings to the wall, her eyes wide with terror, while Chris braces himself against a doorframe, his knuckles turning white.A sinister chuckle echoes through the disorienting space, and I feel a chill run down my spine. "Did you really think you could escape me so easily?" The teacher's voice, dripping with malice, surrounds us.I whirl around, searching for the source of the sound.
(Ande's POV)After washing out the blood from my clothes, I looked down with a heavy sigh of disbelief, I could not believe that this was what I had been reduced to. A monster, perhaps. "We have to go," Chris said to me, his hand upon my shoulder. Yes, there was somewhere we had to be and I refused to let anything come in the way of my freedom, not even myself. Chris and I rejoin the others. The students from the lab are gathered, their faces etched with a mixture of fear and anticipation. They couldn't possibly reject me and I knew that, I was one of them and they were just like me, we had the same substance or whatever it was that was put in me running through their veins, they couldn't possibly bail on me. "Ande," one of them says, her voice tinged with relief. "We've been trying to make sense of what happened back there."As I explain what I found in the lab and the chip I retrieved, their expressions shift from confusion to horror."So they were trying to turn us into desti
(Ande's POV)I shake my head, refusing to believe what they're telling me. "No, I can't have done this. There must be some mistake." I couldn't accept that in the slightest bit, how could everything turn out this way, we had come so far and yet this was supposed to be the result?No, it couldn't possibly be this way. "Ande, listen to us," Ethan says, his tone urgent however I looked away from him, the last thing I wanted on my plate was someone to interfere with how I felt but he was persistent an attribute that I had hated for quite a while now. "We all felt... different, after what happened in the lab. And now, with what's happened here... we can't risk staying any longer. For our own safety, and for yours."I want to protest, to demand answers, but the fear in their eyes gives me pause. I took a deep sigh, surely this wasn't the end of everything, I knew there had to be some sort of way but the opportunity seemed difficult to come by. "I understand but I'm sure there's a cure
(Ande's POV)Ethan's head snaps up, his eyes wide with fear. "No, please, Ande! I swear, I won't do anything like that again. I'm with you, all the way. You can trust me, I promise.," he said, while desperately leaning to us for trust. I hold his gaze, searching for any hint of doubt or deception. After a long moment, I nod slowly. "Alright, Ethan. I'm going to hold you to that promise. We can't afford any more risks, not when we're so close to freedom."Ethan nods, his shoulders slumping with relief. "I understand, Ande. I won't let you down, I swear it."Before I can say more, Jay suddenly interrupts us, his gaze strangely vacant as he clutches the sleeve of my shirt. "Ande," he says, "Ande…""Jay, what's wrong?" I ask, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You seem... different."Jay turns to me, his eyes clouded with an almost otherworldly intensity. "We need to go back to the school," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's important, Ande. We have to leave go back now."I'
I'm in my office when a guard bursts into my office, breathless and wide-eyed. "Sir, there's an urgent joint summit being called. You're expected to attend immediately."I let out a frustrated sigh. These summits always mean more demands and red tape to deal with. "Can't they handle this without me for once?" I grumble.The guard shakes his head. "I'm afraid not, sir. They've specifically requested your presence."I groan in frustration, slamming the files shut. The benefactors - those stupidity wealthy elites who oversee the Games - are the bane of my existence. "Unbelievable. Can't they see I'm up to my neck in work here? We're still recovering from the disastrous events of the last Games."The guard shifts nervously. "I'm afraid they won't take no for an answer, sir. They said it's non-negotiable."I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a migraine coming on. "Fine, fine. Tell them I'll be there momentarily." As the guard scurries off, I mutter a string of curses under my breath.
There is a dismembered hand lying on the floor, partially obscured by the doorway. My stomach lurches at the gruesome sight, bile rising in my throat.The skin is pale, the fingers contorted, and there's still fresh blood pooling around it. I freeze, my eyes fixed on the grisly scene.Ethan and the others hadn't noticed it by the looks of things, their focus probably only on getting into the school undetected. But I can't tear my gaze away. Something about the hand catches my eye - it appears to be clutching a small electronic device, a tablet of some kind. Swallowing hard, I slowly approach the severed limb. I need to get a closer look. Crouching down, I carefully pry the fingers open and retrieve the tablet, wincing at the sticky, warm sensation of the blood on my skin. My heart is pounding as I examine the device, realizing it's emitting some kind of frequency. An idea struck. Quickly, I pull out my jammer and connect it to the tablet, grinning as I gain access to the video.