Chapter 3

Kieran pov

I turned behind.

“Damn, thank goodness those bastards are gone.”

I turned back to face the road, exhaling hard, but then I froze.

A huge red sign blinked in front of me: DEAD END.

“The fuck?” I muttered, my hand tightening on the steering wheel. My gut twisted. Something was wrong like the air itself changed. “Why do i go from one problem to another just why.“ i retorted weakly.

I slammed the brakes and the truck screeched to a halt. My heart thudded so loud I could hear it echo in my ears.

I puHed the door open and stepped out, my footstep echoed as i walked. The air was so cold. I took a few steps forward, squinting through the faint mist, and then.

“Holy shit…” I whispered.

The road literally ended at a goddamn cliff. I walked closer until the tips of my sneakers kissed the edge. When I looked down, I couldn’t even see the bottom. It was just darkness, stretching forever. My stomach flipped.

“What the hell is this?” I muttered. “Wait… isn’t the end of the road supposed to be the beginning of the game? Where the hell’s the fucking game?”

I look around, yelling into the night. “You’re playing games with me! I swear to God, show yourself!”

Nothing. Just the sound of the wind.

Then i heard footsteps coming from behind me.

My whole body went rigid. I turned fast, but before I could even see who the hell it was someone shoved me hard in the chest.

I screamed as i fell down the cliff.

“NOOOOOO!!!“

…………………………………………………………………….

A stabbing, burning pain across my chest, my head pounding like i was hit with a hammer. My body jerked, gasping for air. My lungs hutrs as I choked out a cough.

I blinked slightly trying to adjust to the light which my made me squirt my eyes.

Flickering, artificial light. The hum of electric fans. And unknown voices was all i could hear.

Wait, i wasn’t falling anymore. I was lying on something hard cold metal under a thin mattress. My fingers gripped the edge, trembling. My heart was still racing madly.

When I opened my eyes fully, I froze.

Rows of bunk beds. White painted walls. There is are screens glowing faint blue on the ceiling. Boys everywhere some whispering, some arguing.

“What the fuck…” I croaked.

A shadow moved in front of me. Then a boy’s face appeared, leaning close. he had dark long hair tied into two messy buns and his striking blue eyes staring at me intensely. He looked so feminine in appearance.

“Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” he said.

I flinched back. “Who the hell are you?”

He smirked, arms crossing. “Relax, sweetheart. Name’s Nova. You were out cold for almost an hour. Thought you weren’t gonna make it.”

I sat up fast, head spinning. “Where the hell am I? What is this place?”

Nova raised a brow. “You really don’t remember anything, huh?”

I frowned. “Last thing I remember, I got pushed off a fucking cliff. You telling me I’m not dead?”

That made a few boys nearby glance at me. One of them snorted. “We all thought that, dude.”

Nova sighed, crouching beside me. “Welcome to Zone 1 , darling. The Playground of the Damned.”

I blinked at him. “The what?”

He chuckled, though it wasn’t funny at all. “The Playground. Zone 1 . The system calls it Erevos. Fancy sci-fi name for a death trap, if you ask me.”

My chest tightened. “What the hell do you mean, system?”

He stood and pointed toward a massive screen glowing at the far end of the room. The light from it painted everyone’s faces in eerie blue.

“See that?” he said. “That’s the Overseer. The AI that runs this shitshow.”

I looked. The screen was showing data, codes, numbers flashing fast. Then a mechanical voice spoke overhead calmly.

“Welcome, new participant. ID: K-1087. Name: Kieran Wilson. Age: 23. Status: Alive. Game Phase: Initiation.”

My stomach dropped.

It said my name.

“How the fuck does it know who I am?” I muttered, my voice trembling.

Nova shrugged. “It knows everything. It pulled us all from different places, same way it pulled you. You die or think you die and then bam, you wake up here.”

I ran a hand through my hair, my palms clammy. “You’re kidding, right? This is some insane prank?”

He tilted Him head. “You think anyone here’s laughing? Well if you've watched that squid game movie this wouldn't be new to you.”

I looked around again. Some boys had that same lost, haunted look in their eyes. Some were whispering prayers. Some were pacing. One boy sat hugging His knees, rocking back and forth.

I swallowed hard. “So… what happens here?”

Nova smirked “You survive and find your lifeline key for your second chance life. That’s it.”

I frowned. “Survive what?”

Before He could answer, a loud beeping sound echoed through the room. Red lights flashed along the ceiling, and the giant screen flickered to black before displaying glowing white letters:

ROUND ONE COMMENCING IN 3 MINUTES.

ALL PARTICIPANTS REPORT TO THE HALL.

The entire room went silent. Then chaos.

Everyone jumped off bunks, grabbing boots, jackets, anything they could. Some started crying. Others moved like they’d done this before so fast.

“What the hell’s happening?” I asked, standing up.

Nova grabbed my wrist. “You’re about to find out, newbie. Don’t fall behind.”

He pulled me toward a wide steel door at the far end of the room. I stumbled after Him, my heart pounding again at this rate my heart will so start to fail.

The hallway outside was even worse endless metal corridors, blinking red lights, more screens showing countdowns. Everywhere vibrated with loud alarms.

I caught a reflection in one of the panels and froze. My clothes were different black uniform, matching boots, a barcode tattoo glowing faintly on my forearm.

“What the hell is this?!” I gasped, rubbing it.

Nova looked over. “Tracker. Don’t bother trying to remove it. It’s linked to your heartbeat.”

I stared at Him. “And if I die?”

He grinned darkly. “It shuts off.”

We entered a massive chamber where at least fifty other boys stood in lines. Some had cuts on their faces. Some had that dead-eyed soldier stare. I was the only one still looking like I wanted to scream.

“Everyone here came the same way you did,” Nova whispered beside me. “We all fell. We all woke up. Some call it hell. I call it the Game.”

“Why are we even here?” I hissed.

Before He could answer, that same cold robotic voice filled the air again.

“Welcome, participants, to Erevos System – Zone 1 . This is your new reality. You have been selected based on your choices, sins, and survival potential.”

I felt my stomach churn.

“In each round, tasks will be assigned. Completion leads to progression. Failure leads to elimination.”

“Elimination?” I repeated.

Nova whispered, “It means death, sweetheart.”

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. The screen flashed again, showing symbols, maps, and glowing red sectors.

“Round One: Orientation Phase – Trial of Fear.”

“Objective: Escape the Maze alive.”

The floor beneath us rumbled. A huge section of the wall slid open, revealing a dark tunnel lined with flickering lights. A low mechanical growl echoed from inside it.

“Holy fuck,” I breathed.

Nova smirked beside me, cracking His knuckles. “Welcome to Erevos, Kieran. Hope you run fast.”

“Run from what?” I whispered.

A scream came from somewhere deep in the tunnel, sharp and bloodcurdling.

Nova didn’t even flinch. “That.”

The countdown on the screen hit zero.

“Round One – Begin.”

The door slammed shut behind us, trapping everyone inside the tunnel. The lights dimmed, leaving only the red glow from the walls.

The sound of metal grinding filled the air, followed by heavy, slow footsteps echoing closer and closer.

I pressed my back to the wall, my pulse racing. “What the fuck is that?”

Nova grinned like a maniac. “Your first test.”

Something moved in the dark massive, mechanical, dragging chains. The air filled with the smell of rust and oil.

I stumbled backward. “No, no, no, this can’t be real.”

“Oh, it’s real, baby,” Nova said. “Rule number one in Erevos if you can still scream, you’re still alive.”

Then He ran.

I had no choice but to follow.

The tunnel twisted and split in different directions, the floor shaking under our feet. I could hear people screaming and yelling behind me, the sound of something tearing, something roaring. My lungs was running out of breath. My legs felt like jelly.

“Left!” Nova yelled.

I turned the corner just as a huge metal claw slammed into the wall behind me, sparks flying. I screamed, ducking low.

“What the fuck is that thing!?” I yelled.

Nova laughed breathlessly. “They call it the devil's slammer! It hunts the slow ones!”

“Fucking great!” I gasped, sprinting harder.

We ran until the tunnel opened into a huge circular chamber lit by glowing lines across the floor. I bent over, gasping for air, sweat dripping down my face.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. “Is this ”

Nova nodded. “Checkpoint One. We made it.”

I stared at Him, heart still racing. “How long have you been here?”

He shrugged. “Long enough, I'm supposed to be in zone 3 but something happened but instead of death we where placed back to start from zone 1 again.”

I stared at the glowing walls, at the digital timer ticking down again. My head throbbed. My chest ached.

“So what happens if we beat it?” I asked quietly.

Nova looked at me, His smirk fading. “Then you move to the next level. But trust me, sweetheart each level’s worse than the last.”

I swallowed, staring at the countdown as it reset.

Erevos System – Zone 1.

Round One: Complete.