"*This...this is a joke right? Some twisted prank. Hidden cameras or something?*" Jesse stammered, backing into the wall.
"*You think a prank kills someone?*" Miles barked, eyes locked on the bloodied scene below. His voice wasn't angry—it was afraid.
Renny sat down, hands buried in his hair. "*What kind of game kills people... for votes?*"
Sal turned to Jesse, her voice low. "*You saw his face before he jumped... that wasn't him. Something took over. Like he wasn't in control.*"
Jesse nodded slowly, lips trembling. "*He just froze. Like his mind blacked out. And then he...*" She couldn't finish.
Blake clenched his fists. "*No. We're not letting this go on. We're finding whoever set this up, and we're ending it.*"
Ryan scoffed. "*Yeah? And do what, genius? Call the police? Tell them a phone app made a kid kill himself?*"
"*Then what, we just sit here and die one after the other?*" Reth snapped.
"*We figure out the rules. Fast. And then we play.*" Mao said, stepping forward, calm and deadly serious. "*Until we know who's behind this... survival comes first.*"
Everyone looked at her. For the first time, she seemed different. Stronger.
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "*You sound like you've done this before.*"
"*No. But I know what fear does to people. And right now, if we don't think clearly, we'll be dead by morning.*"
The speaker buzzed back on.
> **"First vote completed.
> Next vote — 24 hours.
> Reminder: there are still Emperors among you."*
> *"Sleep well."*
The lights on the third floor dimmed, and a chime rang eerily through the hall like a twisted lullaby.
Silence.
Until Miles muttered, "*We're all just pawns in someone's sick-ass game.*"
*And the game had only just begun.*
*DAY 3 – 7:04 AM*
*Dorm Room 4 – Girls' Side*
Sal's fingers trembled as she tightened her grip on the phone. The morning sun poured in from the half-open blinds, but nothing about the day felt normal.
"*It wasn't a dream...*" she whispered, the app screen still glowing in her hand.
Across from her, Resse jolted awake like she'd come out of a nightmare. Sweat drenched her collar, her eyes wide with fear. "*Aster…*" she whispered. She scanned the room, disoriented. "*He..he really died, didn't he?*"
Sal stood beside her bed now, eyes hard. "*Yeah. And we just woke up here like nothing happened. They moved us. Like dolls.*"
Jesse stumbled out of bed and reached for Sal. The hug came tight and desperate.
"*Thank God you're okay.*"
The moment shattered.
> *BZZZZT.*
> The speaker crackled. Then a voice—flat, emotionless.
**"During the night, Joel was eliminated by an Emperor.
Joel was a Villager.
Find the Emperors. Pick your votes."**
Sal's face drained of color.
"*Joel too...? They're killing off villagers. One by one.*"
Jesse stepped back slowly, covering her mouth. "*This is insane. We're gonna die if we don't figure this out.*"
Sal nodded, already throwing on her hoodie. "*Come on_we're going to see Rim. If anyone's already thinking ahead, it's her.*"
They shoved open the dorm door and stepped into the hallway--dimly lit, strangely quiet again. But from other doors, soft creaks and footsteps were beginning to stir. The others were waking too.
The game wasn't over.
It had just begun a new round.
*7:18 AM*
*Dorm Halls – Floor 2*
The hallways slowly filled with students_faces pale, eyes sunken. The tension was thick, like everyone had woken up with the same unspoken knowledge: *what happened last night was real.*
Sal and Jesse made their way to Dorm 3 where Rim stayed. They knocked twice—sharp and quick.
"Open up, Rim, it's Sal."
The door creaked open. Rim stood there, already dressed, her hair pulled into a tight bun, eyes sharp with tension.
"*You saw the notification too.*" Rim said. It wasn't a question.
"*Joel's dead.*" Sal said, stepping in.
"*I heard.*" Rim nodded.
Rim sat on the edge of the bed. "*So this is it? A death game? Like in movies or something? Villagers, emperors—are we seriously doing this?*"
"*Apparently. And whoever's running this knows what they're doing.*" Rim pulled up the app again. "We have until midnight to vote again."
Sal rubbed her temples. "*But we voted wrong last time. Aster was innocent. And now Joel's gone too... this is psychological warfare.*"
"*Then we stop voting blind.*" Rim said firmly. "We need to start keeping track. Of who says what. Who reacts how. Emperors will slip eventually—if we pay attention."
A knock hit the door again. It was *Ken*, standing with *Reth* and *Blake*.
"*You guys all remember it too, right?*" Ken asked. "We thought we were losing our minds."
"*It's real. Two are already dead. One by our vote. One by the enemy,amongst us.*" Jesse replied. "We can't afford to mess this up again."
They all sat, a quiet war room forming inside the dorm.
Then Blake spoke up, voice tight. "*So who do we vote next? We have to pick someone. Or we'll die just like them.*"
Everyone exchanged glances.
No one wanted to say the truth out loud.
*Anyone could be the Emperor.*
But someone had to go.
And the clock was already ticking.
*Dorm Corridor – 10:02 AM*
*Ken and Sal*
The hall had cleared out. Most students had scattered after the announcement, some paranoid.
He walked beside Sal, who was holding her phone tightly, scrolling through the app's useless menus like something would magically change.
"You good?" Ken asked, keeping his tone casual.
Sal gave a half-nod. "As good as anyone can be when classmates are dying one by one."
Ken offered a weak smile. "Still got that edge in your words. At least some things haven't changed."
She glanced at him. "I'm not trying to be edgy. Just honest."
"I know," Ken replied."That's kinda what I like about you."
"That's… random."
Ken chuckled.
"Yeah. it's hard to say things in this place, y'know? Especially when you don't know if there's a tomorrow."