* Introduction **
Can artificial intelligence create a world that surpasses human imagination?
And could our pursuit of entertainment open doors we can never close?
By the year 2050, technology has grown too deep to comprehend, too mysterious to monitor...
But what if the world behind your phone screen is more real than the one you live in?
What if you entered a game… and no one ever made it out?
What if you were the one who brought them in?
Our story begins with Majd, a young man carrying a world of silence, and Maryam, a girl silently bleeding within...
With every passing moment, the heartbeat of survival quickens, and AI becomes a merciless ruler.
Welcome to the game... where there is no escape.
...
{Chapter One – The Notification }
The sky was gray, and the city cold despite its crowds.
It was the year 2050, and everyone was immersed in their own world, hidden behind screens governed by algorithms that knew them better than they knew themselves.
Majd, a young man in his early twenties, introverted and quiet, walked to university every day in silence. He came back carrying sharp words, mocking glances, and cruel laughter creeping behind his back.
He caged his anger inside his ribs, finding no escape but games.
They were his world, his refuge...and at times… his silent revenge.
One day, a username caught attention on a comment platform: The Joker
"A new game just dropped...based on a fictional world designed a hundred years ago… but whoever entered it, never came back."
DarkBoy quickly replied:
"Whoa… sounds interesting. Got more info?"
The Joker:
"100 people entered. But due to limited tech back then… they got stuck. Most likely, their bones have already decayed. Kkkkkk"
IceGirl:
"That's not funny! You don't know what happened to them… or who's still missing them."
Majd wasn't usually curious. But this time… something about those comments felt off.
He started digging. One hour. Then hours.
It wasn't a myth. The game was real...hidden, locked, and labeled as dangerous.
But he didn't stop.
He cracked the code.
Analyzed it.
Dived deep into the system…
Until a chilling notification appeared:
Do you want to modify the program?
He hesitated…
Then clicked Yes.
...
"Choose a number: from 20 to 100."
He stared for a while... then tapped 20.
A new prompt appeared:
Would you like to choose manually or randomly?
He chose Random.
Submitted. Get ready to play. A new adventure awaits. Once 20 players accept... the game begins.
He sat and waited, eyes fixed on the screen.
He didn't know that one single tap…
was the beginning of a disaster.
---
*Chapter Two – The Unknown Invitation *
Mary sat alone, quietly typing about her classmates' bullying, her family issues, and her loneliness in a noisy world that never truly held her.
No friends. No safety.
She escaped into stories and series, writing whatever crossed her mind, saving it in a forgotten folder among her apps.
Suddenly…
A notification:
You've been selected as one of 20 players. Are you ready?
She read it once.
Twice.
A third time...
What is this? A game? Who sent it? A hack?
She tried clicking Skip… but her phone froze.
Finally, she tapped OK, unwillingly.
Welcome to our world. Best of luck.
---
Moayyad was talking to his friend about work stress, debt, and the crushing weight of life.
Suddenly, a notification interrupted the call.
He hung up.
What's this message?
Without thinking,
he clicked OK.
And just like that...Tala, Sawsan, Wasim, Jawad...
One by one, they accepted the invitation...
Without realizing they had just become part of the player list.
Majd sat still, staring at the screen.
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Suddenly
Darkness.
Then...
a strange light.
Majd found himself standing among 19 others.
They stared at each other in shock, voices overlapping with the same questions:
"Who are you?"
"Where are we?"
"What's going on?!"
The place was surreal.
Houses....perfectly built, as if designed to host exactly 20 people.
Everything was clean. Precise.
Silent... and terrifying.
Majd cracked his fingers, trying to process what he was seeing.
Was this a dream?
Mary sat alone, observing the surroundings, breathing slowly.
Tala was talking to the others, trying to get to know them.
Then Wasim called out:
"Look! Signs...our names are written on them!"
Everyone rushed forward, almost as if driven by an unseen fear.
Four houses, five people in each.
Zayn:
"If I'm not mistaken… we're inside the cursed game. Error 405."
Moayyad:
"What game?!"
Mazen:
"The one that glitched a hundred years ago.
No one ever made it out."
Wasim:
"So… you're saying we're supposed to play?!"
Mazen:
"The loser… dies."
He hesitated for a moment, then added quietly:
"But what scares me is… what if the death is real...like in those shows?"
Sawsan:
"Mazen? Is your username The Joker on Google?"
Mazen (surprised):
"How do you know that?"
She laughed:
"I never thought I'd actually meet you... inside the very game we used to talk about!"
Tala:
"Can someone explain? What are the rules?
Where the hell are we?!"
Moayyad:
"If anyone's heard anything about the game..speak up.
Every detail could help us survive."
Mazen and Sawsan began to explain what they knew about the game…
An alarm blared.
Wasim:
"It's started… I think!"
Their hearts raced, breaths ragged.
Suddenly…
wolves!
Fangs flashing, eyes gleaming with malice.
Screams erupted, chaos and panic everywhere.
Tala stumbled.
Moayyad grabbed her hand, helping her climb a tree.
Sawsan screamed as a wolf lunged at her leg, sinking its teeth in!
Wasim ran forward, smashing the wolf's head with a stone, shouting her name.
Majd stood frozen, motionless.
A wolf approached, jaws opening wide…
A stone crashed into the wolf's head.
He looked up.
Mary was standing there, breathing heavily, extending her hand:
"Let's go!"
He grabbed her hand and they ran.
Majd:
"Where to?!"
Mary:
"Somewhere safe… they won't reach us there."
She handed him a card with his name on it.
"Quick, put the card on the door and get inside. Don't come out until things calm down."
He entered, sat down, breathing deeply.
Silence.
The wolves vanished.
Outside, Tala tended to Sawsan's injured leg, while the others sat quietly, trying to make sense of what had just happened.