The next morning, Aaron woke up in a cold steel bunk. The "sleeping quarters" were just another part of the warehouse—cameras in every corner, no windows, and numbers painted on every wall.
*Only 34 players remained.*
Everyone was quiet, broken by what they saw the day before. No one joked. No one talked.
A screen lit up above them.
*"Game Two begins in 10 minutes. Choose a partner."*
People looked around. No more instructions. Just the demand: *Choose someone. Now.*
Aaron's heart sank. What kind of game needed partners?
A nervous voice behind him said, "Want to team up?"
It was *Player 29*, a woman named *Lia*, maybe in her mid-twenties. She looked scared, but alert. Aaron nodded. "Yeah. Let's survive this."
They were taken into a dark room with 17 small stations — one for each pair.
*On the table:* a deck of black and red cards. A button. And a clock counting down from 15 minutes.
A speaker clicked on.
*"Game Two: Memory & Betrayal."*
"Each pair has 15 minutes to match all 10 card pairs. But be warned: only one of you will advance."
Gasps filled the room.
Lia stared at Aaron. "What the hell? It said *choose a partner*…"
Aaron felt cold. "It's another trick. It's not partnership — it's a trap."
The clock ticked.
They started flipping cards, trying to match them — hearts, spades, diamonds — one after another. Hands shaking. Minds racing.
After 9 minutes, they matched the final pair.
Silence.
The screen turned red.
*"Now… choose who survives. One of you must press the button for the other to be eliminated. If neither presses it… both die."*
Aaron and Lia froze.
Tension like a blade between them.
Lia whispered, "I… I don't want to die."
Aaron looked at the button. "Me neither."
A minute passed.
Lia stepped back, crying. "Please… I have a brother. He's sick. I entered this game to save him."
Aaron stared at her… and then at the button.
He sighed. "I don't believe in luck."
Then — he pressed it.
*But nothing happened.*
The screen flashed again:
*"Trust earned. Both players advance."*
The door opened. They were safe.
Aaron smiled weakly. "Guess this one was a test."
Lia wiped her tears. "That was close."
But in the other rooms, screams echoed.
Trust hadn't been so lucky for everyone else.
*Only 12 players remained.*
---
*Want Chapter 4—the final one?* It'll bring the game to its brutal END....
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