I don't know where to hide. All I knew was I had to save Thomas. I don't know what I have to do to get back to my world. Maybe saving Thomas was the way home. Maybe not? I was not sure. We didn’t talk as we hurried through the quiet hallways. I could sense his fears. Thomas was scared but so was I. I have no knowledge about the world I was in except for the mission of the system game to me.I could still hear the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead and the scuff of our shoes on polished tiles. It was too calm. That always came before the storm. Sixty minutes until Phase One. We didn’t know what the phase was, where it would happen, or who else was involved. All we knew was that Thomas had been marked—and I was the only line between him and oblivion.“Where are we going?” Thomas asked at last.I glanced at the wall clock as we passed the admin office. “Somewhere the system won’t expect. Somewhere we can think.”“You mean hide?”“Think,” I repeated. “Because no one survives thi

The hallway seemed to grow longer with every step we took. The flickering lights cast jagged shadows on the tiled floor, and that shimmer—whatever it was—pulsed brighter now, almost like it was alive. I clutched my phone tighter, the message still glowing on the cracked screen. [3 minutes. Save him or never return.] Save him how? “What do we do?” Thomas whispered, his voice hoarse. “Is that thing… Is it our way out?” I didn’t answer immediately. My mind was racing. The system has only given the instructions to save him. I had just managed to help him escape the first trial. "We need to get you somewhere safer, Thomas. I don't think we are safe here." I said, looking at his face. "Somewhere safer?" Thomas's voice cracked as he ran his hands through his brown hair. "Is there anywhere safe in here?" I looked at him and sighed. "I don't think so. But we can just hide for now and wait it out. We might be lucky and survive this. That way I can go back into my world." I replied, look

The greenhouse door creaked louder than I expected as we pushed out, the wind carrying the smell of soil and decay with it. Somewhere behind us, the metallic clanking was getting louder—closer. Whatever was coming, it was hunting, and we were its prey.We crept along the back path that curved around the greenhouse, making our way toward the woods beyond the orchard. The map in my head, a flicker of memory from before the game, guided us like instinct. I hadn’t been here before—not physically—but something told me where to step and where not to. Maybe this wasn’t the first time I’d played this level. Maybe my “past me” already had.“Jason,” Thomas whispered, his voice tight with fear. “Do you think this... quest thing… It’s a trap?”“Everything here is a trap,” I replied. “But sometimes, the only way out is to walk straight through one.”If all the time I had been playing the game, there was only one thing I always had in mind. Every level, every task was just a trap, and at the end

Jason’s eyes searched mine with something I hadn’t seen in them in a long time—hope. It wasn’t loud or bright, but a flicker buried deep beneath the layers of pain, insecurity, and betrayal that had defined our younger days.“What type of life are we living in the future?”I wanted to smile, but something in his voice stopped me. It wasn’t curiosity that drove his question—it was desperation. He wasn’t just looking for answers. He was looking for a reason to keep going.I placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly.“We live the life we used to dream of,” I said quietly. “A penthouse in the city. Money in places we didn’t even know money could hide. Cars, women, power—”Jason’s eyes widened, but I wasn’t finished.“—But none of that matters now, because all of it came with a cost. A system that gave us what we wanted but turned our world into a goddamn battlefield.”He blinked. “A battlefield?”I nodded. “Imagine this: every wish you ever had, granted. Every person who ever loo

The gunshot was the last thing I heard before I opened my eyes. I stared around to see where I was, and I could see Mrs. Tracy seated at the car end of the bed. She was a little stressed, and I could see that she was looking worried. I could feel my head bang like there was a drum being beaten right inside of it. I let out a gentle sigh, and she opened her eyes. "Jason?" She called out slowly as she got off the couch she was sitting on. "Are you really awake?" I nodded and let out a smile as she walked closer to me. "Oh my god, I thought I had lost you." Mrs. Tracy said, crouching beside my bed. "I am sorry I bothered you. It was not my intention." I said, trying to sit up. [ coughed ]"Should I get you a cup of water?" Mrs. Tracy asked. "No, I will be fine. Since when have I..." I coughed slightly, and that was it. She ran out of the room immediately to get me a cup of water. It feels so unreal. I don't know how long I have been out for. Or how long I had stayed in the past fo