I remember the moment I came here. Perhaps it is the only thing I remember. What happened before is a mystery.
The sky was normal in every way. Maybe it was the last thing that was normal, as far as I can remember.
I looked outside and thought about my messy life for just a second. Even waking up from bed feels hard now. It was already noon. I still wouldn't have woken up if the birds outside hadn't started singing by then.
I didn't know what I was supposed to do—thank them for waking me up, or curse them for disturbing my sleep.
Yeah. That's me. I never know what to do. Always afraid to make decisions on Then I saw a notification on my phone about a scholarship opportunity abroad. I opened my computer and checked the email. It came from a company overseas. They had also attached an appointment letter—or something like that—to fill out.
That's it. That was the last thing I could remember before coming here.
My head felt dizzy, as if I had just fallen from the sky and landed on it. Everything had changed. I couldn't see my home, my family, my phone—nothing. I was inside a stadium. Empty.
I was afraid. Maybe I was daydreaming.
What was this? Why was I here? How did I get here? Was there anybody else… or just me?
Suddenly, I saw someone. He looked Asian—just like me. Maybe he was also from my home, Bangladesh.
Just as I was thinking that, he started running toward me.
That was it. That was enough to scare the hell out of me.
What was I supposed to do? Run?
He was tall and black and before I could even move my body, he was already right beside me.
"You got any Idea what is going on here?" He asked.
"No" I said.
-I don't think this place is any good.
-Yeah!
-I heard a girl scream.
-Yeah! (What is he trying to do? He was already scary by looks and now he is talking about a creepy girl)
-You have anything else to say or just "YEAH"?
-Yeah.
-And what is it?
-What is what?
-That something you want to talk about except "YEAH".
-Oh! Yeah. (What should I say now, It's hard for an introvert to start a conversation and it's even harder to keep it going on)
-Again "YEAH"!
-Ah! I was going to ask about your name.
-I'm Omar. Don't mind me but you are the second creepiest thing happened to me after coming here.
-(Like If I would care) I am Mahmood by the way.
-You saw anyone else? Or heard anything?
-No!
-So, what are we going to do now?
-I don't know. (I nodded)
-What do you think, how much chance is there that it could be a dream?
-Zero.(I said, slightly after slapping him the hardest)
-You didn't have to do that. At least ask before doing anything.
-Whatever. Let's move on. I don't see anyone here.
I had no choice but to walk behind him. He looked creepy. He talked creepy. Why would I take the same road as a creepy dude?
I was trying to stay with him for some time—at least until I could reach somewhere safe. The situation was creepy and so was the guy I was walking behind, but he was just as unaware of what was happening as I was.
I needed to rely on someone here. I didn't know what to do—as always.
Just as we walked through the doors of the stadium, a girl approached us immediately.
Azrael took my soul, held it for a second and gave it back. I almost jumped—it was so sudden.
She smiled right after seeing us.
SUSPICIOUSLY
Before I could say anything, Omar started the conversation.
-Who are you? Where did you come from?
-I'm Anita. I am from Nepal. It's my first time being here.
-It's our first time too. I'm Omar and this is Mahmood. I am from India.
(Indian? I thought he is from my home country, whatever. At least he is not Hindu)
-At least I'm not alone. I've been searching for humans—or any living being. I heard a girl scream and came here running.
-I heard It too. We should go and check if anyone got hurt. Come on, let's move.
That is exactly why I hate this guy. Let it be in its way, why would you try and check what happened. Blud is being that one guy in every horror who tries to play with the ghost and dies first.
Whatever, at this point I had no choice but to follow him. Anita on the other hand gave me suspicious looks. She is probably wondering why I didn't say anything throughout their conversation. And I don't care about it though. But for some reason I talked. As If I am trying to be involved here.
"I am from Bangladesh," I said. (It was the only information that had been left out in that conversation)
"Oh!" she replied.
"Look, someone is there." Omar said all of a sudden. "Who is this girl? Let's go help her out!"
Maybe she was the same girl who screamed. She had fallen into a well and was trapped there. Her eyes were closed. She was unconscious. (Skill Issue)
Omar quickly leaned forward to look. Holding my hand tightly, he climbed down, lifted the girl carefully and brought her out of the dark hole.
The truth was, he was incredibly strong. I couldn't ignore it. He lifted the girl with just one hand. His muscles were large and he looked fit in every way.
(At that moment, I knew one thing for sure—I was not fighting this guy. I liked being alive)
The girl slowly came to her senses, blinking in shock. Omar helped her sit down by the edge of the well.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked gently. "I'm Omar, this is Mahmood and she is Anita… and you are?"
"I… I'm Geeta," she whispered, still catching her breath.
"What happened? How did you end up here?" Omar asked, his voice calm but concerned.
"I came here tripped and fell over", she replied.
-Did you scream?
-Yes! I did.
Anita and Omar exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them—both remembering the scream they had heard earlier. (I guess, I didn't hear anything)
Suddenly, A sound came from behind. It was another girl.
"You're stuck here too?" she asked, glancing at us. Then, as if remembering, she smiled faintly. "Oh, I should introduce myself first… I'm Thiri. And you don't have to tell I heard it", she improvised.
I had never heard that name before. Where was she even from? She looked Asian, but I couldn't tell which country. She carried herself with the same calm confidence as Omar.
Guiding everyone, she said, "I saw a plane out there. Let's go check it out."
Omar followed her without hesitation. I, along with the other girls, started following too. Geeta grabbed my arm. I had no choice but to stay still and help her. What else could I do? She had been unconscious just a minute ago. (Skill Issue)
Typical introvert problem—I felt trapped by society's rules. I had to act like I cared, like I was doing the "right thing," or people wouldn't accept me. Total nonsense. Everyone probably knew I didn't care, but still… I had to play the part.
Thiri stopped. Omar stopped. We all froze, our eyes drawn upward.
The plane hovered in the sky, motionless. Like it was carved out of the darkness itself. Dangling beneath it was a glowing screen, the only source of light in the dim pre-dawn hour. Around us, everything was silent—eerily silent—and dark, the kind of dark that swallowed the world whole.
(Eerily silent means a kind of silence that feels strange, creepy, or unsettling)
On the screen were rules—and names, each paired with information. My heart pounded as I leaned closer to read it clearly. It said…
Welcome to World XXXIX
Everything here tests you and only those who keep going can stay alive.
Rules are simple:
⫒The game takes place inside a closed area.
⫒All players are brought into the game against their will.
⫒Leaving the arena is not allowed unless certain conditions are met.
⫒Killing may or may not be required—you decide.
⫒Players may start unarmed and receive random weapons later.
⫒Weapons can break, vanish, or even backfire.
⫒Eliminated players will be removed by the end.
Players:
1st~Omar Faruk16 years oldMaleFrom Delhi, IndiaAsian
2nd~Mahmood Billah14 years oldMaleFrom Dhaka, BangladeshAsian
3rd~Anita Shrestha14 years oldFemaleFrom Kathmandu, NepalAsian
4th~Geeta Choki15 years oldFemaleFrom Thimphu, BhutanAsian
5th~Thiri Myat15 years oldFemaleFrom Naypyidaw, MyanmarAsian
The stadium has been chosen to be the game arena. The game is about to begin. Please proceed to the stadium immediately. Failure to arrive within the allotted time will result elimination. A player will be eliminated if he loses fight or breaks any rules.
Arena: Stadium
Status: Active
Players: 5
Countdown: 5 min.
1 min. per player