The parents were divided.
Kai, Logan, Ethan, Sara, and Finn were chained arms and legs bound to steel poles, metal cuffs biting into their skin. Every movement rattled against cold iron. Their eyes burned with fear and fury, though none dared to cry out.
The others Jinni, Rose, Zoya, Annie, and Eli were seated apart, forced to watch. The Masked Man turned his head toward them, voice dripping with cruel calm.
"Enjoy the show."
Above them, a massive screen flickered to life. The parents gasped. One by one, their children appeared Maya, Anya, Milo, Leo, little Nisha sitting at tables in another bright room. The old man stood before them, smiling as though he were a gentle teacher about to begin class.
"Children," he said warmly, "today's game is simple. A puzzle of numbers. A test of your clever minds." He leaned closer, eyes twinkling. "Are you ready to play?"
The kids, unaware of the nightmare unfolding, nodded eagerly.
"Yes!" they chirped together.
The parents choked on their tears.
The old man gestured to the grids placed before the children.
"This game is called Sudoku. You must fill the empty boxes with the correct numbers. Remember, no number may repeat."
He paced slowly, hands behind his back, his smile soft but words sharp.
"You have ten minutes. In that time, you can make only three mistakes. More than three, or failing to finish…" His smile widened faintly. "…you will lose."
The parents stiffened.
The Masked Man stepped forward now, his distorted voice cutting through the silence.
"But let me explain the true punishment is not for them." He turned, looking at the bound parents. "It is for you."
His gloved hand gestured casually to their restraints.
"Every mistake equals suffering. First mistake, an electric shock. Second, stronger. Third…" He let the pause drag, savoring it. "…you lose a finger. Left hand, right hand, or foot the choice will be yours."
Sara broke down in sobs, shaking uncontrollably. Eli lurched forward, shouting with all his strength.
"I'll take it! Please, don't hurt her punish me instead!"
The Masked Man's head tilted, amused. His voice was calm, almost mocking.
"No. Only the chosen one can have this enjoyment."
Eli shouted again, struggling against his restraints. "Then take me! I said take me!"
The guards moved instantly. Two of them slammed him to the ground, boots pressing into his back as he thrashed. Eli's voice cracked, raw with desperation. "Cowards! If you want suffering, then break me—leave her alone!"
The Masked Man ignored him, his head turning back toward Sara's trembling body, as if Eli's pleas were no more than background noise.
"Start," the Masked Man ordered.
The timer flashed on the screen. Ten minutes.
At first, silence. The children bent over their puzzles, small brows furrowed, pencils scratching. Parents held their breath, straining forward as if they could whisper the answers across the hall.
One minute passed. Nothing happened.
Then Anya hesitated, fumbled a number.
Logan convulsed as electricity surged through his chains. His scream tore through the hall.
"AHHHHHH!" His body shook violently, veins straining against his skin.
"Logan!" Rose cried, her face pale with horror.
The Masked Man's voice cut through Logan's screams, low and sharp:
"Endure it. Show me you're not just a father in words, but a fortress in pain. If you break here, your daughter will learn what you really are."
Logan spat blood, snarling even as his body writhed, refusing to give the man the satisfaction of surrender.
The children, oblivious, giggled nervously, still focused on their puzzles. To them, it was only a game. To their parents, it was hell.
Three minutes in the metal plates beneath the bound parents began to glow faintly red. Heat radiated upward. Skin began to burn. They cried out, writhing, trying to lift themselves off the searing plates, but the cuffs held them down.
Milo stumbled, scratching the wrong number.
Ethan's body jerked violently as the shock coursed through him. His scream ripped through the silence. He bit down so hard on his lip blood trickled from his mouth. Annie screamed from the sidelines, her voice breaking. "Ethan! Please, no!"
Another mistake. Nisha.
Sara's body arched in agony as the current surged. Her scream shattered the hall. Eli, still on the floor, tried to crawl forward, only for guards to kick him back down. "STOP! She can't take this! You'll kill her!"
Sara's cries echoed, raw and broken, as the smell of scorched flesh filled the air.
Five minutes remained on the clock. The children scribbled anxiously, erasing, correcting, unaware of the storm their mistakes unleashed.
Finn hung limply against his chains, trembling, his lips murmuring silent prayers.
And then another slip of a pencil.
The screen buzzed red. The second mistake had been made.
Somewhere in the hall, another scream was about to begin.
To be continued…