So now, we were all together.
The two brothers were there. I already knew their names from the screen. To avoid confusion, I just called them Zhou. It was easier that way.
But one name stayed in my mind. Melissa.
I hadn't seen her yet. The names in this place were strange anyway. Nothing here felt normal, so I didn't think too much about it.
Omar led the way. We walked in silence, and after some time, we finally reached the gas station.
It was empty. No cars. No people. Just the quiet sound of wind.
I felt uneasy. The next game was coming. I stayed a little behind everyone. If something happened, I wanted to see it first.
But something did happen.
From BEHIND. (My Luck)
I felt something touch my back. A hand.
My whole body froze.
Before I could even think, I swung my bat in the air. My eyes closed on their own. I didn't know where it would land.
It hit someone.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a girl on the ground.
My heart dropped.
I knew right away.
It was Melissa.
"What is wrong with you?" Omar shouted. He was angry.
The Zhou brothers helped her stand up. She brushed the dirt off her clothes and looked at me. I felt ashamed.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly.
"It's okay," she said softly. "It was my fault. I came from behind."
Then she added, "I'm Melissa."
Omar looked at her. "Have you played the games before?"
"Yes," Melissa replied. (She isn't shouting. You know what I am talking about)
"We have too," the Zhou brothers said.
I looked at all of them.
Different people. Different pasts. But now, we were in the same place.
Omar asked them about the games they had played before.
The Zhou brothers spoke first.
"Our game was a guessing game," one of them said. "We played together. There were three rounds, and we guessed right every time."
"That's lucky," Omar said.
Then he asked, "Was anyone else playing with you?"
Zhou nodded. "Yes. We came to a house with three doors. We chose one door. The others chose different doors."
He paused for a moment.
"When we came out of the third door, the other three players were gone. We didn't hear anything. The game started so fast that we couldn't even talk to them."
The words made the place feel quieter.
Omar then turned to Melissa.
"What about you?" he asked.
"Oh, I played too," Melissa said. "It was in a long hallway. The system told us what to do. There were five of us and five different doors."
"We had to choose our luck," she continued. "I chose the fourth door. It was easy for me. Just some simple but tricky questions. I solved the puzzles and got out."
She looked around the empty gas station.
"And then… I came here."
No one spoke for a moment.
Different paths. But all of them led to the same place.
Strange, Isn't it. Whatever.
No one said anything after that.
We all stood there at the gas station. each lost in our own thoughts. The wind moved through the empty place.
Everyone was thinking the same thing. What would the next game be?
We didn't know the rules yet. We didn't know what we would have to face. All we could do was wait.
So, we waited quietly. Waiting for the system to speak again.