Chapter 004

I blinked as my eyes fixed on the most handsome man I had ever seen. A nice jawline with a small beard, attractive lips, and shiny, thick black hair.

He was so good‑looking!

Could this beauty even exist?

From the smirk on his face and the mischievous glare, you could tell he wasn't a good guy.

A sound echoed from everywhere, snapping me back and making me freeze in place.

[Welcome to the Survival Game.]

The bus’s front glass turned into a black screen with the same sentence written in red.

What the fuck was that? A bad joke?

The rusty door of the bus cracked shut. I rushed to it, trying to open it, but it was tightly locked.

I rounded myself. The cold eyes of the strange passengers stared back at me, but no one said anything. They looked somehow scary.

I snapped, “Who are you? What the heck am I doing here?!”

No one answered.

Just silence.

The bus started moving and I panicked. I rushed to the windows, stepping over an old woman's foot.

I stumbled and murmured, “Sorry!” but she ignored me like she didn’t even notice.

I tried to look out of the windows, maybe I could recognize the place, but they were fogged.

“Are you kidnapping me?” I screamed. My heart raced like I was in a marathon.

No one answered.

Again. Just silence.

“Did Wren send you to finish me? How much did he pay? I can pay you double,” I said, even though I didn’t have any money left.

But I could sell the villa—it's mine.

I heard a mocking laugh.

And that was all. No one talked.

The front screen lit again and a running red font appeared simultaneously with the sound from earlier:

[Congratulations! You have been selected for the Survival Game. Make sure you entertain your audience to get extra hearts.]

A chill ran down my spine. Adrenaline peaked to its climax and my body trembled.

“Extra what?” I snapped. But it seemed nobody cared to answer.

Suddenly, the masked handsome man appeared from the dark back of the bus.

He smiled coldly. “Welcome to the dead world!”

“Dead?!” I chuckled humorlessly. I jumped in place and turned around. “I see that I am very alive!”

The masked man raised a brow, looking bored, as if he had seen this scene thousands of times.

“You. Are. So. Dead, little ghost!” he drawled. “But don't worry! Dying is the first step.”

Dead?

My blood ran cold.

He smirked. “Just don’t do it again.”

“This is nonsense. I refuse to listen. Let me out of this fucking insane bus,” I yelled, hitting the metal ground with my right foot.

The man was too cold. Too cold to the point you could not look into his eyes for too long. As if he was a grim reaper.

“It’s too late. The game has already been activated, and you have been registered as a player.” His voice was too quiet. Too hazardous.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I refuse to play then.”

Laughter echoed around me as if I had just said the funniest joke ever.

“Then you lose,” an old man mumbled, as if he was enjoying the scene before him.

I sniffed. “And if I lose? I don’t care. I already lost my money, my relationship, and everything…”

“If you lose… believe me… you don’t wanna know, little ghost.”

“But if you win, you'll be rewarded with a second chance at life,” the masked man concluded.

The lights on the bus flickered on and off. The dark front screen lit again with the same red font as the voice echoed:

[Approaching the next stop. All players, get ready.]

“Does that mean all of you are dead?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

I could not process or believe any of this.

Death means the end. That was how we grew up believing death was.

The masked man nodded. “You’re all dead! You’re lucky to be invited to the survival game and have the opportunity to win a second chance at life.

Invitations are rare, as seats are limited.”

I held my head between my hands as a wave of headache took over me. I squatted on my knees.

What had I done to deserve this destiny? This pitiful death?

Work like a mule. Stole my effort and work. Got cheated on. Stole my money. And then die at just 22 years old!

Not like every peaceful death, though. I had to fight and entertain the audience while dying again, because I believed I could not survive here.

I didn’t survive in the living people’s world, would I survive in the world of the dead?

‘What a pathetic, tragic death, Elara!’ my inner voice mocked me.

“You have to sit in your seat,” the masked man commanded.

I wanted to yell at him and tell him to fuck himself.

But instead, I just stood up and scanned the seats with my eyes. All of them were occupied.

I asked, “Which seat?”

“Number 013.” He gestured with his head to the back of the bus, where it was very dark.

I swallowed hard and started walking. The more I walked, the darker and colder the bus got. But I could still feel the cold eyes of the passengers on me.

I just sat there. For how long… I didn’t know.

The screen lit up again, and the voice echoed:

[Next station arrived: Carnival.]

“You’re kidding me!” I snapped.

[Players chosen for this round:

Player 09. Player 013.

Survive until dawn.

Use any weapon.

Try not to die, again!]

I snapped my eyes at the seat number above my head. It was 013.

The blood drained from my body. I became like a dead human. A ghost.

Maybe I was both now!

A laughter echoed from the driver’s seat, even though there wasn’t any driver; the bus was moving on its own.

[Entertainment quota to get the extra hearts:

1 scream.

Kill two clowns: not less, not more.]

What the fuck?!