The countdown continued ticking, each second pressing against the survivors like a weight they couldn't shake. The uneasy silence lingered as they finished their meager meal, the atmosphere charged with tension. They all knew what was coming — another trial, another test designed to break them.
Mark glanced at his screen, frowning. "Thirty minutes left."
Jake barely heard him. His mind was still clouded by the past, by the memories that sleep had so cruelly dredged up. He forced himself to focus. There was no room for weakness here.
Zack, ever the observant one, shot him a look. "Are you sure you're good?"
Jake exhaled slowly. "I'm fine."
He didn't look convinced, but he didn't push it either. Instead, his attention shifted to Arya, who had been unusually quiet.
"I don't like this," Arya muttered, eyes locked on the glowing numbers counting down on her screen. "The system is deliberately keeping us in the dark."
"It always does," Ellie pointed out. "We're not meant to prepare. We're meant to react."
Zack sighed. "Yeah, well, screw that. We prepare anyway."
The group exchanged glances. There was only so much they could do when they didn't know what was coming, but having a plan was better than nothing.
Mark broke the silence, "It's a good thing, you discovered how to access our screens. At least now, we could purchase weapons and any other stuff we need whenever we want," he said with a small grin in his face, while scrolling through the inventory store.
"But, how do we know that accessing the system won't put us in trouble? Like maybe they'd punish us for this or something," Ellie asked, her voice full of concern.
"Come on…This system.." Nicole paused. "This world we are in right now is punishment enough, what's the worst thing that could happen?" she said, letting out a bitter laugh.
"Right…And, if the system doesn't want us to access our screens, they wouldn't have given Arya that kind of ability," Zack said, his arms crossed.
"So, we were meant to figured that out. It was a matter of time before someone else does. Or, maybe other survivors already figured it out," he continued.
The others nodded, trying to grasp everything they can to understand it.
Ellie frowned. "If other survivors knew, wouldn't we have heard about it by now?"
"Not necessarily," Arya said. "Some might keep that kind of advantage to themselves. This place isn't exactly built on trust."
Mark scrolled through his inventory with a thoughtful expression. "At least this gives us a fighting chance. We can buy anything from this inventory store. If the system wants us to struggle, then we need to do whatever we can to get ahead of it."
Jake was only half-listening. His mind kept drifting to what the next trial is going to be. 'I had faced death in my life more times than I could count, even more in this game. This system is not all about fighting or killing things, but it can also really fuck you up mentally.'
Meanwhile, Zack was just staring at his screen, thinking. "I had seen people break, some losing their minds, others their lives, but nothing could really prepare us for what the system would throw at us next. No amount of training or survival instinct could shield someone from the unknown horrors lurking in these trials,' he thought.
The room was silent. Everyone was lost in their thoughts, trying to brace themselves for what was to come.
Then, Arya glanced at the countdown.
[The Next Trial will commence in…]
[00:20:00…00:19:59…00:19:58…]
'Damn, Why is it that the more you wait, the slower time seems to pass?' Arya said.
Then, without warning, the ground trembled beneath them.
The air shifted. A faint hum filled the room, growing louder, sharper, until the very walls seemed to vibrate with it.
And then from the corner of the room. Something appeared. Everyone stood up abruptly, bracing themselves for something. Each of them pulling out their weapons.
Then….A blinding light.
Everyone covered their eyes instinctively, the searing brightness cutting through the dim space like a blade. A low, mechanical whir followed, the sound resonating deep in their bones.
As the light began to dim, a shape materialized in the corner of the room — an arching portal, its edges rippling like the surface of disturbed water. It pulsed with an eerie glow, casting unnatural shadows against the walls, forcing them to draw their gazes towards it.
The moment it appeared, every screen in the room updated simultaneously.
[The venue for the next trial is waiting for you.]
A chilling stillness settled over the group.
"So, is this our way in?" Mark asked, his voice tight.
No answer came. The system wasn't going to explain itself. It never did.
Jake felt something cold settle in his gut. Fear. Not from the trial itself — but from what it could mean. What it could force them to face.
Nicole was the first to move, stepping cautiously towards the portal, eyes scanning it for any clue as to what awaited them inside. "We have no choice," she said. "The clock's still ticking."
15 minutes remaining.
They had time, but not much. And none of them wanted to spend it standing around, waiting for whatever nightmare the system had prepared.
Jake took a deep breath, steadying himself. Whatever awaited them beyond that portal, there was no turning back now. They had survived this long — not by choice, but by sheer will. And this trial would be no different.
Nicole was the first to step forward, vanishing into the swirling abyss without hesitation. Clark followed close behind, his expression unreadable.
Ellie hesitated, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face before she exhaled sharply and stepped through, 'Fuck it, as if I have a choice.'
Mark was next, moving with grim determination. Then Arya, her sharp eyes scanning the portal as if trying to decipher its secrets before she disappeared into it.
Jake squared his shoulders and followed, the charged air crackling around him as he stepped through.
Zack was the last to go. He lingered for just a moment, his gaze sweeping over the stock room before he, too, stepped forward — into whatever nightmare awaited them on the other side.
As they stepped through the portal, a sensation they had experience before tore through them. Same as the one they felt when they entered 'The Pentagon'.
It was like free-falling through endless space, their stomachs lurching as if they had just leaped off a cliff. Their arms flailed instinctively, but there was nothing to grab onto — only empty air rushing past them. A weightless feeling settled in, like they were suspended in water, drifting without control.
Then, without warning, they were yanked forward. Their feet hit solid ground with a jarring force, knees buckling as they stumbled.
The weightless feeling vanished, replaced by the familiar pull of gravity. As they caught their breath and steadied themselves, they took in their new surroundings.
"Fuck, that made me dizzy as hell!" Clark said irritatingly, rubbing his temples.
Before anyone could respond, the mechanical voice echoed through the room.
[Welcome to the Fear Chambers, Survivors.]
[The trial will commence in 5 minutes.]
[00:05:00…00:04:59…00:04:58…]
[Goodluck.]