II

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classical music.

it's the first thing you hear when you wake up. at first you don't know what happened to you.

but it all makes sense when you remember what happened last night. you signed up to be here.

you sit up and get out of bed. there are people; hundreds of them. they are all wearing an identical teal tracksuit and white shoes. you are too.

the tracksuits have numbers on them. your number is 333. "at least i have an angel number." you think.

as you walk down the concrete stairs you see an old man-number 001 and a middle aged man-456 talking. they seem like an unlikely pair of friends.

"well, opposites attract i guess." their conversation is interesting, but the crowd in the middle of the room is more interesting.

you go on your tiptoes to see the middle of the circle, and see a man who looks like he's trouble-number 101 and a girl who doesn't look a day over 19-number 067.

101 is towering over 067 and yelling at her. all of a sudden, 456 rushes into the circle and grabs 067 by the jacket.

he looks at her neck and begins to shake her. "it's you! you're the damn pickpocket! my money, where is it?" he screams at her.

101 and 456 start to battle and 101 tries to hit 456. it's starting to get really crazy, but everyone is instantly shut up when the doors open.

the doors open and out come about 9 people. they're dressed in hot pink jumpsuits with black masks.

the masks have shapes on them-about 8 circles and 1 square. "must be some sort of ranking system" you think.

the square starts to speak.
"we would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you all. over the next six days, you will be participating in six different games. the winner of all those games will win a handsome cash prize." he says.

this is the part where you zone out. your eyes dart around the room for the first time. you see hundreds of bunk beds for everyone.

your eyes move to the guards. you're not sure if you're going crazy (which you wouldn't be surprised about at this point) or if the square guard is looking towards you.

you ultimately decide that you're crazy, he has no reason to be looking over at me, right?

you zone back in to 456 speaking. "if we win, just how much do we get?" he asked. the square says nothing and pushes a button on his remote.

a huge clear piggy bank descends from the ceiling. it emits a soft yellow glow into the room.

"your prize money will be accumulated in here. we will disclose the amount after the first game." the square announces.

the square then says "if anyone here does not wish to participate in the games, please let us know." the room is dead silent.

"please form lines in front of the workers in front of you to sign the consent forms."

you line up behind other players. when it is finally your turn, you see a figure come into your peripheral view.

you look up and it's the square manager. "what?" you question. you look from him to the circle worker, then mutter "whatever."

you read over the consent form:

Clause 1: A player may not stop playing.

Clause 2: If a player refuses to play, they will be eliminated.

Clause 3: If the majority agrees, the game can be terminated.

Signature:______________________

you hesitate for a moment, then sign your name. you shove the paper into the circles hands and walk away.

you sit on your bed and patiently await instructions. while sitting, a man, number 218, comes up to you.

"you need something?" you ask the man. "no..i uh, well..you looked lonely. so i came over here." he replies.

he sticks his hand out towards you. "sang woo." he says. you smile slightly and shake his hand. "y/n. nice to meet you."

you guys talk a little bit about yourselves until its announced that the next game is about to begin.

a nervous look comes across your face, and sang-woo sees it. he pulls you into a hug and says "you'll do great. i know it." you smile and say "you too. thanks."

as you're leaving the dorms, you pass by the square guard. his hands are not relaxed like the others, but are clenched into fists. you can feel his eyes on you.

you enter a weird hallway thing, there are stairs everywhere and its really trippy. the colors are really bright, it reminds you of the preschool you attended.

you line up in front of a camera, and its finally your turn.

"please look into the camera." the robotic voice says. you do as it says. "smile!" you give a tired looking smile and proceed up the stairs.

you enter the playing area. the first thing you can see is a creepy looking doll down the other end of the...you don't know what it is. you can't tell if this is just an illusion, or if you're actually outside.

the woman comes over the PA and makes an announcement.

"players, welcome to the first game. you will be playing red light, green light. you are allowed to move forward when "it" shouts out green light. stop when "it" shouts out red light. if your movement is detected afterwards, you will be eliminated. players who make it past the finish line within the 5 minute play time will pass this round. with that, let the game begin!"

"it" turns around and the timer begins.
"green light!" "it" shouts. everyone moves forward, but player 324 runs.

"red light!" "it" yells. 324 has trouble balancing, and the doll detects it. the woman comes back over the PA.

"player 324, eliminated." a bang rings out through the air and 324 falls to the ground. "what a drama queen." you think to yourself.

"green light!" "it" shouts. 250, the person who you assume it 324's friend, jogs forward towards him. "red light!" "it" shouts. 250 stops, hovering over his friend. he whispers something to him, and 324 opens his mouth. no words come out.

it's blood.

"oh y/n, what have you gotten yourself into?"

𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟯𝟯 (𝗿𝗲done); 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗺!𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿Where stories live. Discover now