𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 / 𝐏...

"Ann, least you could do is give me a hand with this," Y/n called, motioning towards the chair. Ann seemed to give somewhat of a nod, bringing another chair over.

Y/n climbed up first, testing each step cautiously. It wasn't the most structually sound ladder, but it worked. The vent cover was hot to the touch, but she pushed through, managing to pry it open.

"What? Wait, we're going in there?" Ann spoke up, "it's boiling, we'll be burned."

"We don't have another choice, I already looked out the windows, there too much of a gap between this floor and the next, even if we were able to string bedding together and make a rope, there's nothing to hoist it up onto. Plus, there's nothing on the side of the building that we can use to grab onto." She explained quickly.

She panted, taking her black jacket off and putting it over her arms so that the hot metal of the vent didn't burn her so much. "The only hope we have is the stairs on the other side of the building. This vent is our only option!"

Ann seemed to look her up and down with a look that could only be explained as a mix of intrigue and suspicion.

"Are you coming or not!?" She shouted down to her with an extended hand to pull her up.

Ann's hand grasped her own. "If it's our only shot, I'm in." Y/n pulled her up and to the entrance of the vent.

"Get ready to climb, Ann," Y/n instructed as she hoisted herself into the vent. Ann followed suit, following behind Y/n as she crawled through the vents.

As they got further into the system. Y/n could hear the distant sounds of the fire below. The building was crumbling. The fact that the floors above the fire hadn't collapsed made y/n even more certain that the building was modified to host this game.

The heat was getting worse, but at least they were above the flames and not in them for now. Moving quickly, they reached an opening that led down into another room.

"This must be it," Y/n muttered as she dropped down into a dimly lit room. But as she started to move, the floor seemed to drop suddenly.

Ann was about to drop down, but Y/n quickly stopped her. "Dont! Ann, stay there!"

Y/n slid her foot across the stone floor, but as she shifted her weight, the floor crumbled more, dropping into the middle, where the both of them could see the fire had engulfed the lower level below them.

Y/n screamed a small bit as she almost fell into the middle. She grabbed a handle, pulling herself up to the edge of the room.

That's when she noticed. "Of course! Ann, the outside of the room has more strength, so it's less likely to break under our weight! Look, we just need to get around to there. " She gestured towards the metal door on the far side of the room.

Just as she finished, the floor gave way, crumbling down inwards, as the middle of the room became a sea of flames, reaching up from the floor below.

The vent started to heat up more as it started to creak, evidently going to fall soon. She thought for a minute. "I know this sounds crazy, but you need to jump."

"What do you mean, I'll drop right into the fire." She reasoned.

"You won't, I promise! If you stay up there, the vent will give way, and you'll die! Listen to me, when you drop, I need you to outstretch your hand towards me. You caught me, now it's my turn to catch you! Alright! Don't think about it too much, just do it!"

Ann took a deep breath before falling through the hole, out of the vent. Y/n had one hand around the handle on the wall, and one outstretched over the fire.

With both of their arms outstretched, their hands made contact, and they gripped onto each other with as much strength as they could muster.

Y/n was pulled down by Ann as she dangled above the fire, but she didn't let go. Securing her arm tightly around the beam before hoisting Ann up slowly.

Once she was up, on the small stretch of secure floor, they both leaned back into the wall, panting.

"I fucking hate spades." Ann breathed out.

"Just be careful and slowly edge around to the door, okay?" Y/n looked down at the fire that had only grown since first bursting into the room. "Maybe not too slowly if you don't mind."

After almost falling for the fifth time, they got to the door. It was a heavy metal and seemed fire-resistant. Ann went to open it but quickly retracted her hand as she felt how hot it was.

"How the hell can we open this thing!" She shouted.

Y/n looked around for anything that could help them open it. Spotting a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall, she grabbed it, thinking back to the earlier encounter with the businessman.

"Ann, brace yourself," Y/n said, swinging the fire extinguisher against the door's lock. After a few forceful strikes, the lock gave way, clattering down the wall and into the fire, and they pushed the door open.

They were met with another case of stairs. Looking down, there was a pit of fire underneath them, and also behind them as it spread through the room they were previously in.

"No time for dawdling now. Let's go!" Ann panted as she ran up the stairs, y/n following quickly behind. As soon as they got to the top, they burst the door open, and the rooftop greeted them with a rush of cool air.

As they stepped onto the rooftop, Y/n noticed a control panel near the edge. Approaching it, she saw a large red button.

"Is this it?" Ann questioned as Y/n looked at her. It did feel kinda stupid.

"You think?" She looked at it with a small amount of sarcasm in her voice. "Well, go on, press it."

Ann nodded, pushing down on the button as the building felt like it began to shift.

A few seconds went by before the electronic voice declared, "Game complete. Congratulations, players."

Y/n's POV:

"Shouldn't I feel good about this?" I questioned Ann, it felt like I had won, but I had still lost in a way.

"Don't worry, nobody ever does." She sat, getting back her breath. I sat next to her regaining my own breath aswell.

As I caught my breath, I looked back at the door. "Where are the others?" I asked Anne, I felt like somehow I already knew the answer.

"Sorry." Was the simple reply from Ann, but that was all that was needed. I understood.

Ann looked at me and sighed. "Don't beat yourself up about it. there are more losers in this game than winners."

She sighed. "Some people think of this place as freedom. Others think it's more like a prison, some sort of messed up hell."

"Y/n," I blurted out as a response to Ann's sudden introduction much earlier. "I'm Y/n." I smiled, it felt weird, I hadn't introduced myself to someone in years, I hadn't even talked to someone new in years.

"Well, you're pretty talented for a kit, Y/n," Ann remarked. "What number was this?"

"Number?" I replied. "You mean the game? Um... Seven of spades, I think."

"Great, so another week on our visas," She stated nonchalantly as if it was common knowledge.

"Visas?" I questioned. "Like, passport-type visas?"

"No, no," she chuckled, removing her sunglasses, which she surprisingly still had and placing them in her pocket. "Visas are the number of days before we have to complete another game. Or we die."

"So... we can die outside of the games as well?" She nodded.

"Check out your phone. It should still have your ID on it." She leaned over.

I pulled out the phone from my back pocket. Honestly, I had forgotten about it up until now and was shocked it hadn't broken or fallen out.

I clicked it on, and it lit up with a home screen. There were two icons in the upper left corner, 'Game' and 'Visa'. Along the bottom, it also seemed to have some sort of news info button, a clock icon, a settings icon, and a camera.

"There, in the corner." She pointed to an icon that simply stated 'Visa'. I pressed it, and another screen lit up. 'Player 1000255, you now have 7 days on your visa.'

"Wow, I guess you got in the game just in time. Otherwise, you would've been killed. " She sighed.

"Killed. But I've only been here a day, I had no idea about any of this stuff. How is that even fair!"

"It isn't, none of it is. And it never will be! Deal with it kit." She seemed spiteful, and there was a moment of silence.

"So... the number of the game correlates to the number of days the visa extends by?" I tried not to pry as It seemed like I had made her mad.

"It also correlates to the difficulty of the game. Though that's subjective, I've been in fours and fives harder than this.

'Yea, that was because I saved your ass... twice! And you did nothing but stand there watching me. Weirdo.' I thought to myself but decided against voicing it.

"So... what does the suit mean? If the number has a meaning... so does the suit, right?"

She nodded. "The suit correlates to the-"

Just then, more rumbling sounds rang out from beneath them as the whole building started to tilt forward. It seemed to be collapsing under its own weight. With Y/n and Ann going down with it.

"Shit! Hold on!" She screamed.

⁺˚*•✩•*˚⁺‧⁺˚*•═┈∘*◦○◦*∘┈═•*˚⁺‧⁺˚*•✩•*˚⁺

1683 words.