Everyone was tired after the maze. Steve sat on the floor, his chest moving fast, sweat rolling down his face. The others were quiet, their eyes looking around the dark hall. The walls looked old and broken, the lights above them flickered.
"Before the next game starts," Steve said slowly, "we should escape. This place… it's not a mansion. It's the same cursed door where students went missing."
The group looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Maya asked, holding her arms.
Steve pointed at the big front door at the end of the hall. "I saw it in my dream. The same wood, the same marks. Now I understand. We are trapped inside it."
Airan stepped forward. His voice was heavy. "If this is that door, then maybe those missing students are here. Maybe alive."
Maya shook her head fast. "No, it's too dangerous. What if it's a trap?"
Alissa looked at the ground, then raised her eyes. "Trap or not, we should try once. If even one student is alive, we can't leave them behind."
Everyone went quiet. Only the sound of water dripping somewhere far away filled the hall.
Finally Steve nodded. "Alright. Then we search."
They walked down the long hall. The smell got worse—like old blood. At the end they stopped.
Six doors stood in a row. Each one had red marks on it. The stains looked like hands pressed in blood.
"God…" Maya said, her voice shaking.
Tom clenched his teeth. "We can't open them all. We split into two teams."
No one liked the idea, but there was no choice.
Steve, Alissa, and Tom went left. Liam, Maya, and Airan went right.
Steve's team
The black door creaked when Steve pushed it open. Cold air rushed out. The room inside was empty and wet. Their steps echoed too loud.
"Something is off," Tom muttered.
Steve knocked on the walls. Then he stopped. "Wait. I hear breathing."
He kicked the wall hard. Wood cracked. He kicked again and again until the boards broke. Behind the wall, three students were lying on the floor. Their faces were pale, their lips dry, but they were still alive.
Alissa gasped. "They're alive! We found them!"
Steve pulled them out. The rescued students shivered, too weak to talk.
Then a deep voice came from nowhere. Slow. Heavy.
"I… see you…"
The walls shook. A black door appeared in the corner. Two red eyes were carved on it, glowing faint.
The voice came again, louder. "I SEE YOU."
The lights went out. Darkness filled the room.
Liam's team
Liam pushed open the other door. Glass cracked under their shoes. The room was full of broken mirrors.
Maya lifted her small torch. The mirrors showed faces that didn't look like theirs.
Then they saw a boy. He stood in the middle, his back to them. His shoulders moved like he was crying.
"Save me…" the boy said softly.
Maya stepped closer. "It's okay, we'll help you—"
But Liam pulled her back. His eyes went to the mirror. The boy had no reflection.
"That's not human," Airan said.
The boy's head turned around too far. His mouth stretched into a wide smile. His eyes were black holes.
The mirrors cracked louder.
"Run!" Liam shouted.
They ran back, the boy screaming behind them.
Back in the hall
Both teams rushed out almost at the same time. Steve's team had three rescued students. Liam's team looked pale and scared.
"What happened?" Steve asked.
"Not human," Liam said, breathing hard. "A spirit. It tried to trick us."
Before they could talk more, the black door at the end of the hall glowed. A heavy voice came again.
"I SEE YOU."
The whole hall shook. Dust fell from the roof. The rescued students screamed in fear.
The door pulsed like a heartbeat, waiting to open.
And then it ended there.