Welcome to the Games
From Erwin Wickison
I never asked to be here. One moment I was living my life, and the next I was dragged—along with millions of others—into a place ruled by a system that treats us like pieces on a board.
Every Game is built to break something, whether it’s a body, a mind, or the small parts of myself I keep pretending are “good.”
I’ve watched people die. I’ve watched people change. And I know I’m changing too.
I just hope there’s something human left in me by the end… if there’s even an end.
WARNING.
This book contains smut, psychological decay, moral collapse, human intimacy twisted into survival, and a variety of horrors that do not wait for your permission before sinking into your mind.
It will not hold your hand.
It will not apologize.
And it will not stop once you open it.
If you continue, you’re choosing to step into a sequence of events designed to peel apart the comfortable assumptions you rely on to feel “safe.”
Some of you will be fascinated.
Some of you will be disturbed.
Most of you will not remain the same.
I’m not here to reassure you.
I’m only here to tell you one thing:
Whatever you think this is, whatever you think you know… you don’t.
And once you begin, you can’t go back.
— Welcome to the Games
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Chapter: DescentAs soon as the numbers appeared, the room went quiet in a way that felt heavier than before, the system voice mocking as ever:Former participant count: 640,472,120Current participant count: 640,214,315257,805 participants have been terminated.Congratulations. You have successfully advanced to the next phase of the Games.Please proceed through your assigned door.The system congratulated us like that number meant nothing. Like those people were just… a statistic. And maybe now they were.I barely heard the rest as the doors materialised. Mine appeared the same as before, simple and silent, waiting.Laura stepped forward beside me and I followed, but before I crossed the threshold, my eyes drifted—not intentionally, just pulled—to Catherine.She was still standing where the game had ended, trembling while she tried to swallow sobs and breathe normally. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder, but it didn't stop the way her body shook.I looked away before she noticed me staring and s
Last Updated: 2025-12-18
Chapter: The ShiftI picked up the next card with my fingers still shaking. The words swam for a second before settling into place, and the moment I understood them, something inside me sank. I didn't want this—not for her, not for me—but the memory of that shock was still ripping through my nerves, and I knew I couldn't take it again. So I read it."Blue to tell Red to… moan their name three times within the next ten seconds. Loud enough for Blue to hear. If done right, the timer will stop."The box lit up, the timer already beginning its slow, merciless descent.Catherine froze. Her hands clenched on her lap, her shoulders curling in as if she was trying to fold herself smaller. For a moment I thought she'd refuse, and a part of me almost hoped she would, even though I had no mercy left. She lifted her eyes to mine—wide, wounded, scared—and I felt something twist in my chest.The timer hit eight seconds.She swallowed, trembling and looked away.Seven seconds.Her voice came out soft at first, barely
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
Chapter: Shaken to the CoreA timer lit up onto the booth's small screen—ten seconds.Catherine's eyes met mine, wide, like she was saying without words that we both knew what this meant. The shocker button on her seat turned on. Ten seconds for her to decide if she'd hurt me or not.If she pressed it, she'd still have all three mercies intact. If she didn't… then we'd both be down to only two mercies. And the game had barely even begun.We didn't move. We didn't speak, still I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as the seconds ticked by slowly... painfully.10… 9… 8…Her fingers hovered over the button. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but didn't.5… 4… 3…I tried to steady my shaking hands, tried to act calm, tried to think, tried not to look at her trembling fingers.2… 1… 0.The button went dark. Nothing happened.We just sat there for a moment, catching our breaths, staring at each other. The first test was over. But I knew this wasn't going to get easier.The box lit up immediately,
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
Chapter: Blue and RedAs soon as the timer hit 00:00:00, the whole room stopped. A sharp chime rang out, and the system's voice filled the air like it was standing right beside us."Participants. Your alignment period has ended."The room shook once, and then the voice continued:"Welcome to Game Two."The floor ahead of us split open with a heavy metallic grind. One after another, tall booths rose from the ground, forming a circle around us. Each one had a door, two chairs facing each other, and just enough space to stand or move a little. The system didn't pause."This Game is simple. Each booth will host one Participant from Red… and one Participant from Blue."A cold rush ran down my spine. Not just mine—Laura's grip on my arm tightened, Jude's jaw clenched, Blaire's eyes went wide. Everyone who had followed me to the Blue side froze for a second.We had all thought… that this would be about teamwork, about sticking together, maybe even surviving by helping each other. And now this.One-on-one. Face-t
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
Chapter: The SplitAfter the dumbbell incident, everyone in the building became a lot more careful. People watched each other differently. Eyes stayed sharp. Nobody wanted to be the next idiot who got his head cracked open. But that tension didn't last. Time kept moving, slow at first… and then suddenly fast. Before I even realized it, the 48 hours were gone. That morning, the TV in our room turned on by itself. A loud beep hit first, then a screen lit up with a cold blue glow. A countdown sat right in the middle: 00:29:59 Under it, a line of instructions appeared: ALL PARTICIPANTS — REPORT TO THE LOBBY BEFORE 00:00:00 My stomach twisted. Breakfast wasn't even an option. I couldn't eat. Laura didn't eat either. She just sat across from me, biting her lip hard, fingers fidgeting nonstop. She finally looked at me. "Erwin… what do you think the next game's gonna be?" I held her stare. She was scared, really scared. I could see it in how she kept rubbing her thumbs together like she was trying t
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
Chapter: No Guardrails I was running. I didn't know from what, only that every direction was wrong. Bodies littered the ground in impossible numbers, torn apart, soaked into the dirt, twisted into shapes no human should ever make. Faces I didn't recognize stared back at me with empty sockets. Some still moved, twitching like they hadn't accepted they were dead. "Keep going," someone whispered behind me. I spun around, but no one was there, just more corpses, and then the earth cracked beneath my feet. When I tried to back away, the ground caved completely, and I dropped into a black pit lined with metal spikes. It was a cold, inevitable death but then— I jolted awake, gasping so violently it hurt. My shirt stuck to my skin, soaked with sweat. My heart raced as if it was still trying to outrun something that wasn't there. It took me a second to realize I was still in the room. Still alive. Still in the Games. I turned to look beside me and the bed was empty. The sheets were still faintly warm and creas
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
