I stared at the clock. 9:15 PM.
If I was going to do this, I had to do it right.
I picked up my phone and opened a group chat with Cassie, Ken, and Val.
I typed:
"Hey guys... I'm gonna be away for a few months. Please don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just need some time to figure things out."
I sent the message before I could chicken out.
Then, separately, I texted Ken:
"Bro, I left my car and stuff at the hostel. Can you pick it up for me tomorrow? I owe you."
I added the hostel's address.
Once I hit send, I stared at the screen for a second longer, feeling like I was closing a door behind me.
No turning back now.
I shoved my phone deep into the bedside drawer just like the instructions said.
No phone. No bags. No nothing.
I threw on a black hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, took a deep breath, and left the room.
The night air slapped me in the face as I stepped outside the hotel.
The street was quiet, just the occasional car passing by, a few people walking in the distance.
I stood there...
and waited.
At first, the adrenaline kept me awake, buzzing in my veins.
But after thirty minutes of standing around, shifting from foot to foot, the fear started to slip into frustration.
Maybe this was a scam.
Maybe it was a test.
Maybe I was just a desperate idiot standing outside a hotel like a clown.
I checked the time again. 10:47 PM.
I cursed under my breath, deciding maybe it was a sign.
Maybe I should just go back upstairs, call Val, apologize to my old man, and pretend none of this ever happened.
I was just about to turn around and head back in when the headlights cut through the street.
A black, sleek car rolled silently up the street and parked right in front of me.
The windows were tinted. I couldn't see who was inside.
The passenger door opened, and a man stepped out.
Tall.
Black suit.
Black gloves.
Expressionless.
He stared at me for a second, like he was making sure I was the right guy.
Then he spoke, voice low and sharp:
"Mr. Vincent Aston?"
I swallowed and nodded.
He gave a small nod back, almost like approval.
Before I could react, another man appeared behind me.
A sharp sting hit my face a spray of something cold and chemical.
I gasped.
My knees buckled.
The world spun violently around me.
I tried to fight it, to stay conscious, but it was useless.
The last thing I saw was the shiny black car door swinging open...
and a hand grabbing me roughly by the arm.
My vision blurred instantly.
Then everything went black.
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the smell ,sterile, metallic, like a hospital that had been abandoned for years.
My head was aching.
A deep, throbbing ache behind my eyes like someone had cracked a bat across my skull.
A blinding white light pierced through my eyelids, dragging me painfully out of unconsciousness.
Everything around me felt... wrong.
Slowly, I forced my eyes open against the harsh, blinding light.My mouth was dry, and my body felt heavy, weighed down like I had been drugged.
Everything around me was white.
The walls, the ceiling, the floor was perfectly smooth and white.
I sat up with a groan, my body heavy, my hands trembling.
I wasn't in the hotel anymore.
I wasn't anywhere normal.
I looked down at myself
I was wearing a plain, loose gray uniform. Scratchy material against my skin.
On my chest, a tag was stitched neatly
VINCENT#001
My heart started hammering in my chest.
Where the hell am I?
I stumbled to my feet, feeling like the room itself was tilting.
Around me, other people were starting to wake up too.
There were about thirty to forty of us, maybe more scattered across the wide, windowless room.
The walls were so white it hurt to look at them for too long. Some were just waking up, blinking in confusion, others already sitting up, looking around like caged animals.
Men, women, all different ages some looked like they couldn't be older than their twenties, others seemed well into their forties.
Everyone was dressed the same way gray uniforms, names and numbers stitched across their chests.
Some numbers were low, some were as high as forty.
I was #001.
Some were groaning, others rubbing their faces in confusion, a few already freaking out.
One guy was banging on the door.
Another girl sat in the corner, hugging her knees, quietly crying.
Another guy with tattoos running down both arms was already on his feet, fists clenched, glaring at the walls like he was ready to punch his way out.
I scanned the room.
There were no windows.
No visible cameras.
It felt like we had been dumped.
What was this place?
How long had I been out?
And then suddenly a voice crackled from hidden speakers.
"Welcome, contestants.
You have been selected to participate in the Trials."
Everyone froze.
I looked around, trying to make sense of the insanity.
The voice continued
"Rules will be explained shortly.
Cooperation is advised.
Failure to comply... will result in elimination."
There was a silence after that word.
Elimination.
Something about the way the voice said it made my blood run cold.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm.
That man in the black suit...
The card...
The deal for the money...
What the hell had I signed up for?
A loud buzz echoed through the room.
The only door a huge metal door at the far end clicked and slowly slid open.
Two figures stepped inside dressed head to toe in black tactical uniforms.They had face masks, black gloves, even black boots that didn't make a sound as they moved.
No skin exposed.
They pointed to us silently to get up and move.
No one dared say a word.
One by one, we shuffled toward the door like prisoners walking toward a firing squad.
Nobody dared to argue.
The only sound was our bare footsteps echoing.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to turn and run
But there was nowhere to go.
I was in their world now.
And there was no escape.