Episode 1

* Putting this here since as more chapters come out, things may get confusing. With this novel there will be the main series, listed as "Episodes". There will also be separate chapters dedicated to revealing characters backstories, which will be listed as "# story". There isn't going to be a "right" way to progress through the story, but I do have a recommendation. For the best reading experience, I would read Episode 1 -----> All character backstories (not finished) -------> Episode 2 (Unreleased). Obviously this story still has a long way to go and this is subject to change. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this story and hope you enjoy! :) *

The chilling air and sounds of footsteps moved throughout my body. I was moving in and out of consciousness and was struggling to open my eyes. I could feel multiple hands on my body, accompanied by the sounds of footsteps.

Was I being carried? I tried to open my eyes but for some reason, they seemed to feel extremely heavy. Could this have been the effect of lack of sleep? Or drugs? My mind couldn't process anything that was happening in these moments. I finally managed to open my eyes slightly, but could only see a long, narrow halfway ahead of me. This would be my final peek before waking up.

When I awoke, I was curled up in the corner of a cold room. As I get ready to stand up, I notice handcuffs around my hands. It seems as though they were cut in the middle to allow me free use of my hands. When I look over to my left I notice that there is a giant window, with an electronic door beside it. Throughout this room, there is also a bed, bathroom, and sink.

I decide to head towards the sink first, and that's when I notice a large metal collar around my neck. I try to get it off but quickly realize there's no point. Like the door, it seems to be something controlled electronically. It doesn't seem to restrict my ability to breathe, so I will just leave it be for now. I notice that my face looks slightly dehydrated.

I wonder how long I was out. The more I try to think of my past, the more my head begins to hurt. I seem to have no recollection of anything outside of that hallway and this room.

I look outside the mirror to try to gather information. I can see across the hallway and slightly to the sides and can tell that there are other rooms just like mine. I cannot see anything when looking at the windows of the other rooms.

Maybe they were designed this way for privacy?

Or there could be some underlying purpose? There are so many things that I want to confirm, but for now, all I can do is wait.

After some time passes by, I hear a voice speak directly into my room.

"Hello, wonderful guests! I hope you have been able to make yourselves comfortable!"

The voice sounded masculine, but I couldn't quite tell where the sound originate from. That's when I noticed a small speaker placed on the ceiling in the corner of the room. There was most likely going to be a hidden camera somewhere within the speaker as well.

That's when I heard someone yelling from throughout the hallway. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but they didn't sound too happy.

"Don't get too excited now! You haven't even gotten to enjoy the full experience yet!" the person from the speaker shouted.

"Full experience huh?" I mumbled. What could they mean by that?

"You all should have noticed the chains around your hands by now, and I would like to apologize. Getting you all here comes with some risk y'know, so we had to take necessary precautions. Once we moved everyone in, I felt like the handcuffs + the collars + the situation all worked together so we decided to just cut the chain in between and leave them on."

"Speaking of collars, the ones you have on serve a very special purpose. They are not the typical collars you would expect, as they have more than one use. As they are electronically controlled, we have made some adjustments to them. While we have remote control of the collar itself, it also has some perks for you individually. If you look into your mirror, you may see a small scanner on the left side of it."

As I looked at my reflection, I did notice the scanner the voice had mentioned.

"If you put your thumb onto the scanner, you will have a chip inserted into the back of your neck. If you choose not to do this, however, there will be deadly repercussions."

Why would they need to implant a chip in us? Why are they making us do it to ourselves?

At that moment, numerous loud bangs could be heard throughout the hallway.

Gunshots? I thought to myself. Is this the repercussion they were talking about?

"As you all just heard, bad things happen when you don't listen to us, so please complete the procedure in 30 seconds."

As much as I hate to put a foreign object into my body, it seems that I have no choice if I want to stay alive. I stare into the mirror and put my thumb onto the scanner. After a few seconds, I feel something shoot into the back of my neck, since it came from the area covered by the collar, I couldn't feel the area to check it out. I did, however, feel a small amount of blood dripping down.

After about a minute had passed, no gunshots were heard and the voice returned.

"Now that everyone has planted the chip within them, allow me to tell you what it does. These chips allow you to use your mind to control a secret menu that is only visible to you. The chip can connect to your nervous system through your spine, but then be displayed to you through your eyes."

At that moment I saw a blue screen appear in front of me, It seemed almost like a detailed hologram. I reached out to touch it and realized I couldn't. As I scanned the screen, I saw that it contained some of my basic information such as my date of birth and where I'm from. It did not show my name, however. Instead, it just said number 12.

This could be used to protect our identities or to make us easily identifiable. I'll have to pay attention to figure that out.

This screen seemed pretty generic, but I noticed that there were different tabs available, some of which were locked. The very next tab was rather empty, there was a long section in the middle dividing two other boxes.

Almost seems like it's meant to separate something. Since the other tabs are locked, I'm sure more information will be added here over time.

"Now that you have noticed the screen, it's time for the game to begin."

Game?

"I would like everyone to move to the second tab."

As the voice said that I noticed numbers being added to the middle section of the screen.

"You will now be randomly sorted into teams, these teams will be crucial for your success here."

I watched as numbers were being pulled in either direction. It didn't take long before my number (12) was sorted into the right column. Above the long list of names was the color black, most likely meaning that we were the black team.

"Now that teams have been sorted, my work here is nearly done for the time being. Shortly, you will be released from your rooms and allowed to interact with the other people here. I hope you make the most of your free time as it won't be long before we move forward."

Those were the last words that we heard from the voice. I decide to take a closer look at the teams.

BLUE BLACK

NO. 2 NO. 1

NO. 3 NO. 5

NO. 4 NO. 6

NO. 7 NO. 8

NO. 9 NO. 11

NO. 10 NO. 12

NO. 13 NO. 14

As I see the numbers of my new teammates, I hear an electronic click near the door to my room, as the door slides open. As I step out I can see the others exiting their rooms. On the floor, there is an arrow pointing to the right, so I decided to start heading down that path.

Everyone seems to be minding their business while they walk. Many are probably feeling very anxious and confused right now. Or so I thought until I heard some commotion from behind me. I turned around quickly as I didn't want to bring much attention to myself and saw two guys chatting.

The slightly taller man had his arm wrapped around the shorter man as they laughed and walked. This wasn't the type of behavior of random individuals.

I ignored their behavior and proceeded down the hallway. Once I reached the end of the hallway, a long table stood before us. There were plates on the table where our seats were that had our numbers displayed on them.

They were having each team sit on their assigned side of the table in order. As I took my seat and looked around, I noticed that the two boys who seemed to know each other were separated by the team selection.

Once everyone was seated there was a sort of awkward silence. No one had any idea what to do in this situation, or why we were even here.

"I hope it's not too much to ask, but does anyone here remember how we got here?"

From across the table, a male around the same age as me asked the question that I had struggled to answer when I first woke up.

Number 9

His build looks as though he didn't participate heavily in sports. He has semi-long brown hair that almost reaches his blue eyes. One of the more interesting things about him is that he doesn't seem to be showing as many signs of nervousness as the others. I'm sure I'll find out more about him later.

"I've tried, but I still can't remember anything."

This time, it was a woman's voice that spoke. As I looked down my side of the table, I struggled to get a good view of who spoke, but I did see the number 1.

Number 1

Being picked as number 1 could have some sort of meaning, which will be worth looking into later. From what I saw she had long dark hair that flowed down her back and was wearing rather expensive-looking clothing. She also look to be in her late 20's. That's all I've been able to gather so far.

Wait, if no one can remember their past, then why did the two boys act so friendly earlier? It wouldn't be smart to make a scene about it now, especially as they are on my team. I'll wait until the right moment.

"Number 12, you seem to be deep in thought there. Come up with any memories yet?"

I was caught off guard by the sudden questioning. I didn't expect someone to specifically call me out for a question. As I looked up I saw a guy with wavy blonde hair smiling towards me. Unlike number 9, this guy had the physique of someone who trained daily.

Number 8

The most athletic-looking person out of everyone. Seems to have a nice demeanor towards others, and will probably get along with them most easily.

"No, just like her no matter how hard I try nothing comes to mind," I reply.

Number 12

Has a two-block haircut, with dyed blonde hair on top. ???

"Well, then let's switch the question. Does anyone have any guesses as to what this place is and what the goal is?" Number 3 asked.

"Who cares about why we are here? I need to get back to my work before I get fired!"

Everyone jumped when they heard the man yelling unexpectedly. Number 10 appeared to be a slightly older man in a suit with glasses.

"Who knows how long we have been here, but the longer I sit here and do nothing, the more likely I am to lose everything!"

Number 10

Appears to work some type of office job, has a short temper, and is rather unstable.

As he says that, he gets up and throws his chair against a window within the room. He repeatedly attempts to break the glass before the voice returns from the speakers.

"I see someone's excited to be here," the voice says mockingly.

"What the hell do you want from us?"

Number 10 replies.

"I Just want to play a game wi-

"By kidnapping us?!"

Number 10 doesn't seem to be giving up.

"If you want it to end so bad, then why don't we just cut to the chase? You know in basic military training, when one person messes up, everyone pays for it to make everyone feel together as a unit, but also to prevent the same mistakes from happening in the future"

"Since number 10 here wants to throw a fit and not follow our timeline, we'll get straight to the point. In our original setup, you would have competed as teams, with the winning team being safe from elimination."

"Afterwards, there would be some downtime but then the losing team would go to a special room where they have to decide on someone to vote out of this game. However, due to special circumstances, we will now jump straight to the vote with both teams!" The voice explained.

"So are we both voting together or separate?" Number 9 asked.

"You will all be voting together, with only one person being voted out this round. If you look at your menu, the 3rd tab should now be unlocked, this is where you will review the teams and lock in your vote for this round. You have five minutes to cast your votes."

People began freaking out, unsure of what to do.

"Let's calm down, this could just be some kind of test by whoever is behind this all."

Number 8 is trying to step up and be the leader but 10 isn't having it.

"If you're so confident in that theory then do you volunteer yourself to be voted?"

8 kept his mouth shut after that. I looked to my left and right and noticed that both 2 and 4 seemed pretty quiet.

Number 2

A quiet-looking girl with red hair. appeared to be in their late teens and has not spoken yet.

Number 4

A nerdy-looking boy also in his late teens. He has attempted to speak up a few times but hasn't mustered up the courage to speak.

I look through the menu and notice something interesting in the voting tab. There is a text box that allows you to privately chat with individuals only during voting time.

As I look around, I can see some people's eyes looking at something. Others must've already begun to utilize this feature, and I am not in the majority.

I decide to take the initiative and add 2 and 4 to a group chat. They both looked at me as if they were unsure of what I was doing but as I sent the first message, everything fell into place.

A timer within the tab now showed 2 minutes remaining. As some were still vocal about their fear or their uncertainty about what was going to happen, others were scheming behind the scenes. The clock now revealed 30 seconds remaining. The final preparations were almost complete. We don't know what the future of this game may be, but I will do whatever it takes to put myself in a safe position.

"hmm, 10 then..." Number 5 mumbled quietly. His intention was most likely not to be heard, but...

"Did you just say me? Y-You're joking, right? I could buy this entire place if I wanted to! You don't have the right to vote for me!"

All eyes were on 10 now, and you could see the fear on his face. He was so set on getting out, but the uncertainty of getting voted out is forcing him to stay in against his will. As the clock hits its final seconds, I can see everyone casting their votes. Every single person is counting down the seconds for this all to be over.

3...

2...

1...

A loud buzzer rings out, as the tab now shows up as locked.

"Good job! All of your votes were cast on time! Would you like me to reveal the decision to you?" The voice from the speaker chimed.

"I will say that this vote was rather close..."

VOTING RESULTS

First Vote - 10

"Oh?" 1 let out. Her vocal reaction seemed nonchalant, but as I tried to look at her expression, I could tell her posture had stiffened.

2nd Vote - 13

I didn't expect to receive a vote, should I take it as just someone not knowing what to do and voting randomly, or is there intent behind it?

3rd Vote - 10

13 begins to whisper with 14

4th Vote - 13

9 doesn't appear to be too worried about the vote.

5th Vote - 10

6th Vote - 13

7th Vote - 10

8th Vote - 13

9th Vote - 10

10th Vote - 13

11th Vote - 10

12th vote - 13

Something that I had failed to realize up to this point, was that while the tab was locked, it did allow you to view the vote tally within it. The lock in this situation is just to prevent us from tampering with the results.

13th vote - 13

13 now had the majority of votes with only one left to be revealed.

"What! What did 13 do?" 14 shouts.

As I look over at 13, I can tell that he's very tense, he seems to be holding back tears as well.

"10 is the whole reason we got in this mess, to begin with!"

"Just because I have someone important I need to get back to does not make this my fault!" 10 yelled back.

"Wh-why?" 13 let out before the final vote.

The final vote and the first person voted out...

13

"No!" 14 yelled

"That can't be right"

"Yes!" 10 jumped up with excitement

13 remained there, the tears began to roll down his cheeks

"I'm so sorry," 14 said as he comforted 13.

"Now that it's over, maybe your being out will allow you to get out of this place and spend some time with your family." 7 added.

"That's right! You'll be able to make it out before 10 does!" 14 has a serious grudge against 10.

"Maybe you're right." 13 says before standing up. Others from both teams try to comfort 13 and wish him luck in the future. It must be hard hearing those words from people who potentially put you in that situation.

Am I the only one who noticed their suspicious behavior earlier, I will have to get it out of 18 later on.

13 walks over and hugs 14 one last time.

Both appeared to be crying. Being voted out is one thing, but with the methods used to bring us all here, I can't help but feel uneasy. Would we be able to just get voted out and leave?

As the thought crosses my mind, I hear a woman scream. I look over and see number 2 looking in fear towards 13 and 14. I move around to try and get a better angle and see 13 beginning to cough up blood. He quickly let go of 14 and began grabbing at his collar. As he did this, I noticed that there was blood coming from his neck as well.

"Someone! Can anyone help him!" 14 shouted while looking around.

There was absolutely nothing any of us could do in this situation. We have no method of getting the collar off of him to save him.

Desperation had kicked in for 13, as he began thrashing around doing anything he could to try to get it off. Shortly after, his movements began to get slower. He began losing strength as he dropped to one knee. 14 ran over and tried to support him, but I could see the life draining from 13's eyes. Before we knew it, 13 was gone.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed like the collar was equipped with a function that would send spikes out from the inside into the neck of the person wearing it.

Many of the others were still in shock over what had happened. This must be the game's design. Force us into doing what they want out of fear of dying, but why would they go this far? Why were we chosen for this?

14 seemed very defeated. 9 7 and 1 tried to talk to him, but he seemed to be too emotional to take what they said seriously. This plan carried some risk, but it worked out exactly as I thought it would.

VOTING PERIOD

I needed to establish some allies on my team for the future. When I reached out to 2 and 4 I didn't expect much. They didn't appear to be involved in another discussion.

I decided to send the following message:

Since there shouldnt be any solidified alliances yet, I figured it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to get to know each other.

What are both of your thoughts on what's happening? I messaged

Shortly after, I received a reply.

4

I don't know. At first, I wasn't that nervous, but now that we were thrown into this vote I just feel anxious. I just want this to end.

2

I feel the same.

They don't seem to be worrying too much about the potential strategy aspect of the vote, they just want it to not be them.

12

If you don't mind, would you both want to vote together to prevent us from being voted out?

2

Sure, although it seems like 20 is already the biggest target for votes.

12

While 10 would be an easy vote, I've been looking around and have noticed that there seems to be another group planning something. They may just be trying to guarantee votes for 10, but you can never be safe.

2

Oh, I've just been thinking to myself this whole time so I never noticed, so are you saying we should target one of them?

12

Exactly, but not only that. The smartest move would be to gather allies on the other team as well. I highly doubt that we will be able to stay on the team forever. I already have an idea of who to reach out to, does this sound good?

2

If it really will help us stay in, then I'm not against it.

12

What about you 4?

4

Um yea, I agree with that plan. I also agree that if one team constantly has to vote someone out, there is no way that they won't mix it up somehow.

12

My thoughts exactly, I am going to reach out to someone from the other team, and I'll report back after.

I decide to leave the conversation at that.

Even though everything I told them was true, I need to decide for my own sake. The last thing I need is for this plan to work but then everyone finds out that I was the one behind it. I need to bring in someone who could play the part of the leader of the group for me to hide behind for the time being. In my mind, there was only one person that didn't seem to be involved in the discussion to pick.

Time was limited so I quickly shot a message to number 9. He seemed to be relatively calm and had the appearance of someone who could speak to others and manage the situation. I received a reply quickly and informed him of my plan. He told me that he had no ties to any alliances at this moment, but had some conversation with number 3.

3 was an average-looking girl. She had brown hair and didn't stand out. If I had to guess, she may have reached out to him because she has the same intuition about him as I do, or maybe 9 reached out to her because of his demeanor.

I mentioned that we could bring in number 3 for this vote, but we would most likely still need more. I also added that it would be most fair to both sides to have an even amount from each team. As I looked around I spotted 5 looking like a potential candidate.

I sent him a quick message but he didn't seem to care about the results. He believed that 20 was going and that he could just ride this vote out. I asked him if anyone else had approached him, to which he responded no.

I reminded him that even if he votes with what he thinks is the majority, they have no way of knowing he voted with them and do not view him as an ally. If he worked with us. he would be part of the group and would still get his wish of being in the majority. After that, he seemed to have given in to the thought of working with us.

5

If I vote with you and we end up failing, it's going to be you next.

I didn't pay much attention to that threat and focused my efforts on making a chat with the 6 of us.

12

Based on what I've seen, I can guarantee that at minimum, 8, 13, and 14 are working together.

9

What makes you say that?

12

I've seen them make eye contact more than a handful of times within the voting period, more than enough to erase any doubt I had. I consider 13 and 14 to be a duo as well, so my recommendation would be 13.

4

Why can't we just do 10 again? Is it really necessary to go this far on an easy vote?

4 seems to have anxiety about doing a risky plan.

12

Sure, we could vote 10 and have an easy vote, but in doing so, we will be at a standstill against the other alliance. This is a chance to blindside them and take control early.

I hate that I have to show this side of me this early. I need to get these people to think somewhat similarly to me so I can fully become a background character.

9

Makes sense, so 13 it is?

2

Sounds good.

3

*Thumbs up emoji*

12

One last thing, 5 if you don't mind, could you mumble something about 10 shortly before the timer hits 0?

5

Why would I do that?

12

Just to make him more on edge, we may be keeping him now but he's not exactly an ally.

5

I guess I could do that.

GROUP CHAT END

The clock was winding down, less than 30 seconds remained. I had one last trick up my sleeve to pull this move off. When I was exploring the tab earlier, I noticed a little button.

ANONYMOUS MESSAGE

When I clicked on it, it informed me that I could send a message anonymously to any person I wanted. The only catch is that I can only do it once per voting period, most likely to prevent spam. This was what convinced me to move forward with the plan. With the final 25 seconds, I sent a message to 10 that read this:

IF YOU DON'T VOTE 13 YOU WILL BE THE ONE GOING

10 should know that he has a target on his back. This will be further confirmed when 5 mentions him right before the vote ends. After seeing this, he should play right into my hands and vote 13 to save himself. With this, my plan has been accomplished.

I don't know what the repercussions of this vote will be, but the only thing that I am certain of, Is that I will be the one winning this game.