Matthew should have felt relief when he finally met others in Death Land.
But instead, all he felt was dread.
The light around him twisted—warping like a heat haze—and when his vision cleared, he stood in the spotless white lobby of a strange glass building. Five people total.
Sora was beside him—her expression pale but focused, still gripping that battered notebook like a lifeline.
The others? People he'd only just met that night:
Rin, the guarded girl with a jagged streak of black-dyed hair, arms crossed like a shield. Luca, a nervous but kind-eyed boy who had offered them water just hours ago. Kaz, the quiet loner who hadn't said a word yet—only stared with those hollow eyes.
WELCOME TO THE GAME
GAME NAME: DEAD OR ALIVE
PLAYERS: 5
TYPE: SURVIVAL / DECISION
OBJECTIVE: PASS THROUGH EVERY ROOM BY CHOOSING THE CORRECT DOOR
TIME LIMIT: 10 SECONDS PER ROOM
ONE MISTAKE = INSTANT ELIMINATION
GAME BEGINS NOW
With a hiss of steam, the first hallway revealed itself—two doors:
[DEAD] on the left
[ALIVE] on the right
A glowing countdown appeared above them:
10… 9…
"Run!" Rin snapped, already moving.
They followed her toward the ALIVE door.
7… 6…
No one hesitated.
The door opened.
No explosion.
They were safe.
CORRECT. PROCEED.
Matthew looked around. "How many rooms?"
No answer.
Another room appeared—new doors. Timer reset.
10…
Luca bit his lip. "It's random. Just dumb luck."
8…
"No," Sora said. "Not random. The floor had scorch marks in the last one—beneath the wrong door."
Rin smirked faintly. "Smart girl."
They scanned both doors.
"Dead," Kaz muttered suddenly. "Left side smells like oil."
Sora nodded. "Right again."
They chose ALIVE. Correct.
THIRD ROOM.
Timer again.
This time, nothing obvious. The countdown ticked faster now in Matthew's head. Sweat poured down his back.
"Dead," Rin said, stepping forward.
Luca froze. "Wait—what if—"
3… 2…
They had to trust her.
They followed.
Correct again.
FOURTH ROOM.
Timer: 10…
But something was wrong.
The scorch marks were on both doors. No clues. No time.
6…
Luca backed away. "We should split. One of us try each—someone has to survive."
"NO!" Matthew shouted. "That's suicide!"
3… 2…
Sora looked at him. "Trust your gut."
"Left!" Matthew shouted.
He pulled the handle. They followed—
The door behind them slammed shut—
But Luca had hesitated.
He chose the right door instead.
There was a flash.
A snap of metal.
Then—
PLAYER ELIMINATED. 4 REMAIN.
Matthew froze. "Luca…"
Nothing but scorched floor remained.
Sora's hands trembled.
Kaz closed his eyes. "He died to give us a shot."
More rooms followed. Faster. Louder. More chaotic.
At the eighth room, Kaz stepped forward without speaking.
"Stop!" Rin warned.
He didn't.
Wrong door.
Gone.
PLAYER ELIMINATED. 3 REMAIN.
Final room.
One last pair of doors.
No clues. No smell. No markings.
Just a countdown.
10…
Matthew looked at Rin and Sora.
"We choose together," he said. "No more splitting. No guesses."
They stood still.
6… 5…
Then Sora stepped forward. "Left."
Rin exhaled. "Fine. Let's end this."
They opened the DEAD door—
And walked through.
Alive.
GAME CLEARED.
REMAINING: 3 PLAYERS.
TIME EXTENDED: 3 DAYS.
Matthew collapsed to his knees as the white room dissolved into shadow. The lobby was gone. The walls peeled back into the fractured city of Death Land.
He had met these people only hours ago.
And already, two were dead.
Sora touched his shoulder gently. "You made the right calls."
"No," he said quietly. "Just lucky."
Rin crouched beside them, serious.
"Next time," she said, "we better be more than lucky."
Because Death Land was just getting started.