Jean woke up lying in soft grass, the warmth of the blinding sun beating down on his face. The cool earth felt as if it was pulsing as his heart raced, his eyes stung with tears. He slowly rose up, his head throbbing, as he looked around. A blur of unfamiliar faces, were also waking up around him, all confused and afraid. Some muttered to themselves, while others called out names, but no one answered. The smell of grass intertwined with a distant scent of something.. wrong. Something he couldn't quite think of.
It was an endless sea of grass, no landmarks, no sign of civilization as far as the eye could see. The wind barely felt as if it was moving, like this was some sort of room they had been trapped in. People began to wander off into the distance, hoping to find a road or something of the sort. As they set out one foot in front of the other, the landscape kept on repeating itself. Every path they took led them right back to the center of the field. Frustration set in. Some people began to shout, while others dropped to their knees and prayed, convinced this was some sort of divine punishment.
"What the hell? Where are the cameras? This has to be a prank!" a man yelled in frustration, running a hand through his thinning hair.
"We're trapped!" a woman screamed. "It's like some goddamn loop!"
Everyone was still disoriented, struggling to comprehend where they even were. Then, amid the fear, a yell rang out. Everyone's heads turned towards a young man, but their gaze shifted for what was behind the man seemed rather strange. A black door, floating no more than a foot off the ground. It wasn't attached to a wall, not a frame. Just... there. Its surface so glossy, you could almost see a reflection of oneself. Everyone approached door, the air felt cold as they circled around it. No one dared to speak until a nasally voice rang.
"No way I'm touching that after seeing people teleport," a young woman snapped as she jumped back into the crowd. "Someone else can do it."
"So what? We stay here forever?" a man named Erik scoffed.
Erik, a tall and confident-looking man, took the first step. He reached out for the doorknob, hesitated for a moment, then pulled the door open. Jean moved closer, trying to get a better look. Beyond the door stretched a long, dark, narrow hallway, disappearing into the distance. The dim glow of torches mounted on stone walls barely illuminated the space. A group began to form, staring in uncertainty at the eerie passageway.
"Oh shit," Jean muttered under his breath as his stomach clenched. He felt nauseous at the sight of the labyrinth-like hallway.
"Nothing about this is right," Lydia, a sharp-eyed woman, responded.
After a short discussion, a group of volunteers stepped forward to investigate. Erik and his team entered first, leaving the door open behind them. Hours passed with no word from them. Some people groaned about hunger.
Worry turned into fear. The heat of the scorching sun burned Jean's skin, and he felt as if his only option was to follow them. "I'm going to die of heat stroke at this rate."
"They'll come back soon, right?" someone asked, biting their nails. "Unless—"
"Unless they found an exit," another person interrupted, trying to suppress the dreadful possibility they all feared.
A second group decided to go in after Erik's team. They offered Jean a spot, but he declined, still trying to make sense of the situation. More time passed, yet neither group returned. Jean wondered "What kind of sick fuck would put us here?" as he looked around, noticing everyone was severely nervous.
A third team entered, but by now, most people were too afraid to follow. The black door remained, waiting—yet no one else dared to step through.
Jean spent several hours speaking with others, similar to him, trying to devise some sort of plan, though every suggestion seemed as useless as the last. Lydia, the sharp-eyed woman, had her doubts about the whole situation, constantly questioning whether this was even earth. Ronan, eager and brash, insisted they leave now or just wait for their death to come. Callum, the older gentleman, was quieter, almost always listening, but when he spoke, everyone listened. And then there was Elise, the shy young girl, who was quite intelligent, she made sure to be respected. An awkward group that didn't specialize in anything.
"So, what's the plan?" Ronan asked, frustration lacing his voice. "Are we just going to sit here and starve to death?"
"We need a plan, idiot," Lydia shot back, irritated. "If no one's come back, what do you think's going to happen if we do the same damn thing?"
Jean hesitated. "Or we wait a little longer. Maybe they'll—"
"They left us," Elise said bluntly. "We can't stay here forever." Jean thought really hardly when he heard those words come from Elise's mouth.
As their second night fell, they knew they couldn't wait any longer. They had to enter that door, or they would starve.
Callum went first to check if it was safe, then waved the others inside.
The moment they stepped through, the air turned frigid. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, and their footsteps echoed against the stone walls. The deeper they ventured, the quieter everything became.
Shoov! A stone slab beneath Jean's foot shifted. A clicking noise echoed from the wall.
"Traps?" Callum muttered as he grabbed everyone, shoving them against the wall for safety. Jean was absolutely terrified when he heard the word "traps," what if he died here.
They pressed forward cautiously, hugging the walls as they moved. They passed spears embedded in the stone and pitfalls leading to jagged spikes below.
As they hugged a wall Callum pressed a button on the wall, the walls let out a deep groan.
Jean's instincts kicked in, "Run you idiots!" he shoved Elise forwards as they ran, the walls began to jerk inwards. A thunderous slam had echoed behind them, the path behind them had been closed. There was no way to get back to the original area they where at, unless someone somehow reset the trap.
"What the hell!" Ronan gasped in disbelief trying to catch his breath. "I guess I understand why group 1, 2, and 3 didn't return." Jean just looked at him wondering if he was either an asshole, or just an idiot trying to make a joke.
As the group started to regain composure Lydia noticed the walls where oddly flat, along with several blood stains. "Uh, guys I think we should run again." The walls rumbled again, as the walls grinded inwards almost closing on them. They ran as fast as they could, Callum was slower due to his age but luckily he made it.
Their exploration eventually came to an end as they met a pitfall, around 20 feet deep. "That's pretty deep," Jean thought to himself as he looked down trying to keep a safe distance.
Jean brushed his hand against the right wall, his heart pounding as he looked down to impending doom. For a moment, he wondered if the wall would give out under his weight. He calmed himself and called out, "I think I found our way across, but we need to be careful." They all slowly began to climb along the wall slowly but as safe as can be.
"Ugh," everyone in the group sighed from fatigue.
After what felt like hours of climbing and running, they finally reached another black door. Jean's stomach rumbled as he glanced at his companions.
"Anyone wanna guess what's behind this one?" Ronan muttered.
"Not really," Lydia said, pushing it open.
Beyond the second black door, they found the missing groups—standing in another grass field. The door vanished behind them as they stepped through.
The first group looked battered—cuts, bruises, even arrows lodged in their limbs. The second group had minor injuries, while the third was almost unharmed.
"I guess we know who triggered all the traps," Ronan snickered.
Jean nodded grimly. Whoever had put them here wanted them to struggle—but not die outright. It was as if this was a test.
Something was different about this field. Small buildings had appeared, ones that hadn't been there before. They were simple, box-like structures, but large enough to house everyone. Inside, they found individual living quarters. It wasn't much, but compared to sleeping outside, it was a godsend.
"That wasn't here before," Jean thought to himself.
"This wasn't in the last area we were in," Elise murmured, running a hand along the walls. "These houses just appeared."
"Just like the doors," Jean said. "Seriously, where the hell are we?"
Relieved, they cautiously stepped inside. The interior was simple yet cozy. Nothing luxurious, but at least they had shelter.
Jean exhaled. "Better than the ground, at least."
A new problem arose—hunger.
Everyone gathered, stomachs growling in unison.
"What are we supposed to eat? Grass?" Ronan asked sarcastically. "Okay, seriously though, what are we gonna do?"
"Everyone, split up and search for food. Report to me once you find something," Erik ordered, naturally assuming the role of leader.
As they searched, another building suddenly appeared near the shelter. Inside, it was stocked with food—enough for everyone.
"Again? Why do things we need keep appearing?"
"Hey, someone call Erik! I think we found something!" Jean shouted, grabbing food and shoving it into his mouth.
He picked up a bottle, turning it over in his hand. The label was blank—no brand, no markings, just water. He swallowed hard, drinking as much as he could.
"This isn't natural. Someone's controlling all of this."
Despite his unease, hunger won out. As everyone ate, Jean couldn't shake the question that loomed over him.
As if the situation couldn't get any worse, another black door materialized before the groups. The air around it almost felt as if it was whispering, telling them to enter. Jeans heart sank. What was the purpose of this door? Is this the same as the last, or could it be even deadlier. All he could feel was the haunting feeling that none of them were in control.
"Did they give us an exit or something?" Ronan asked hopefully.
"No, you idiot!" Elise snapped.
"I've got a bad feeling this isn't over," Jean muttered, stuffing his face with food. He glanced at Erik, who was gathering the others.
"Okay, I know everyone is worried about the door appearing again," Erik announced, motioning toward it. "Group one has already opened the door. Sadly, it's not an exit. It leads to another hallway—probably filled with more traps."
Jean raised his hand from the crowd. "So, what's the plan? Are we going to take turns making sure it's safe?"
Erik nodded. "Yes. We need to minimize casualties. The least harmed groups will go first to clear the way. Group four—you leave at dawn." He then pointed at Jean's group.