The holographic screen vanished as soon as the message ended.
We all stood there, beyond stunned.
"What the hell was that?"
Ife's voice echoed in the gnawing silence of the room.
I stared blankly at her, still unable to find words.
System? Points? Ranking? Task?
…What in God's name is going on here?
This place…
I glanced cautiously around.
Where on Earth are we?
More importantly...how did we end up here?
Why can't I remember anything?
Argh. This is so frustrating.
"Maybe it's a game," Kelvin said, uncertain.
"I mean… one of those dumb pranks, you know like a game reality show or something. There are probably some hidden cameras around."
He scanned the room, searching for cameras.
When he didn't find any, he started yelling at the walls, calling out to some invisible producer behind the scenes, telling them we were onto their prank and they could end it now.
I stared at him. Blankly.
Honestly, he had a point.
This place did seem like some kind of game system—a really advanced one.
The voice message. The holographic screen. The stats…
It all made that obvious.
Years ago, I used to be a vicious gamer. So all of this? It felt strangely familiar.
But no reality TV show would take it this far. And I sure as hell didn't remember signing up for one.
Besides…
"What did it mean by Task penalty: death?" I asked wearily.
My words sent a nerve-chilling pulse through the room.
Ife looked like she wanted to respond but held herself back.
Even Kelvin, ever obnoxious, went silent.
"It means exactly that."
We all turned in the direction of the voice.
It was the boy Kelvin had earlier called Pastor.
With everything happening, I'd almost forgotten he was even here.
Now he was on his feet, glaring at us.
"Didn't any of you morons pay attention to that demonic voice?" he snapped.
My face curved into a frown.
I'd pegged him as the quiet, religious type.
Looks like I was wrong.
He's even worse than Kelvin.
"Who are you calling a moron?" Kelvin snapped back, lunging forward.
But Ife stepped in, blocking him with her arm, though her twitching eyes made it clear she was annoyed too.
The annoying kid pressed on, undeterred.
"Based on the voice we all heard, this world is basically structured like a game. Think about it, we were called players, and we were given a task called 'Escape Room' with a time limit. The task had clear instructions, a rating, and even a reward."
He folded his arms.
"I'm not really a fan of games… they rot the brain. But even I can tell this is a game."
As annoying as he was, that was actually a clear assessment.
He didn't look like much, but maybe he was smarter than he let on.
The boy smirked in a smug and irritating way.
"From my little knowledge of games, I know they usually have rewards and penalties. And according to that demonic voice, the reward for completing this task…this game was one million points, whatever that means. And the penalty for failure…"
His eyes darkened.
"Death."
There was a cold edge in his voice that sent chills down my spine.
He was right again.
Failure meant death.
My heart skipped a beat.
What the hell is this place?
Kelvin snorted and folded his arms. "Lies. I don't believe you."
The boy shrugged. "That's your problem. Doesn't change the fact that my assessment is correct. According to my calculation, we have less than a minute before the game starts. And we're basically stuck here. Here being hell, of course."
"Hell?" Kelvin scoffed, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
The boy frowned. "Yes, hell. Though purgatory might be a more accurate term. Isn't it obvious? We probably died and were sent to purgatory to be cleansed of our impurities before entering heaven. I suggest we all get on our knees and beg for mercy."
Kelvin burst into hysterical laughter.
Honestly, I had to stop myself from joining him.
Ife shot the boy a look that screamed You're insane.
I was wrong.
This kid wasn't smart after all.
He was an idiot.
He frowned, clenching his fists. "Laugh all you want, but—"
---
Task commences in 30 seconds.
The voice returned.
A heavy silence fell across the room.
The holographic screen flickered back to life.
---
Recap of Task Details:
Task Title: Escape Room
Task Description: Players are to escape the room within the stipulated time.
Task Duration: 20 minutes
Task Rank: A
Task Reward: 1,000,000 points
Task Penalty: Death.
Countdown to task commencement:
10…
9…
8…
With each count, my heart pounded faster.
My breathing quickened.
---
3… 2… 1…
Game Start!
The AI voice fell silent.
The silence that followed was more terrifying than the countdown itself.
My body trembled.
Then—
Creak…
The door opened.