Despite our anticipation, nothing happened for the rest of the day. The sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the desolate landscape. The silence around us was deafening, amplifying every rustle of the wind and creak of the broken city. We hadn't received any alerts for the second obstacle, and the stillness was unnerving. Even the distant rumble of thunder, which had accompanied us earlier, had faded, leaving behind a heavy, expectant quiet.
I glanced at Karun, who was frowning at his comms device. "This is strange," I murmured, unable to shake the feeling that we were missing something. "Nothing's happening."
"Yeah, something's definitely off," Karun agreed, his voice tense. He tapped at his comms, his brow furrowing. "The battery on my comms is draining faster than usual too. Could be interference, or something else."
Before I could reply, Gibbard's voice crackled through the comms, sounding more urgent than before. "Don't you find anything suspicious there?"
Karun scanned the area with narrowed eyes, trying to spot any hidden dangers. "No, nothing I can sense, Mr. Gibbard," he replied, though his tone was cautious. The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating.
Gibbard's concern was palpable even through the distorted transmission. "Hmm, I hope that's true, Karun. But be careful. The eerier the silence, the more violent the storm that follows in this game. The game's been off from the start, so we can't be sure if you'll get an alert for the next obstacle. Don't ever let your guard down."
I could see the unease growing in Karun's eyes, mirroring my own thoughts. This game was unpredictable, and every quiet moment felt like the calm before the storm. "Yes, I've been thinking the same," Karun responded, his voice tinged with wariness.
There was a pause before Gibbard spoke again, his tone now more thoughtful. "There's also the possibility that the game might end here itself. But let's not take any chances. How far does the map above you show? Is there an end in sight?"
I looked up at the virtual map hovering just above eye level, the translucent display casting a faint glow on our faces. It showed no red spots, only a limited perimeter around us, like a shrinking bubble in a vast, empty world. "It's showing us a certain range, but no end," I reported, my voice reflecting the unease I felt.
Karun nodded in agreement. "Same here. The map's not showing much beyond the perimeter."
Gibbard's voice came through once more, steady and resolute. "Alright, start walking towards the edge of that perimeter. We'll try to navigate you from the camp. Stay vigilant. We can't afford to miss anything."
"That sounds better," Ryan suggested through the comms. "But keep scanning your surroundings as you move. Just remember not to exhaust yourselves—there may be another obstacle ahead, and you'll need to fight it off."
"Sure thing," Karun and I replied in unison, the gravity of the situation weighing on us as we began our cautious journey deeper into the city's ruins.
The path ahead was littered with the debris of a once-thriving metropolis, now reduced to a ghostly shell of its former self. Broken vehicles, rusted and decayed, lined the cracked streets, their windows shattered like the dreams of those who once called this place home. Buildings stood tall but hollow, their windows gaping like dark, lifeless eyes, and the roads beneath our feet were fractured, as if the earth itself had tried to swallow the city whole.
Above us, the stormy sky roiled, dark clouds churning in an ominous dance. Occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the landscape, casting eerie shadows that twisted and writhed like specters. The rumble of thunder followed each flash, a constant reminder of the storm that loomed over us, both literal and metaphorical.
As we walked, the eerie quiet of the city was punctuated only by the distant growls of thunder and the soft crunch of debris beneath our boots. The air was thick with the scent of rain and something else—something metallic, like the tang of blood. Every so often, I'd catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, only to turn and see nothing but the empty ruins.
The perimeter on our map seemed to stretch endlessly, the buildings and streets ahead blending into the horizon. It didn't take long to realize that the city was growing, expanding around us as we moved forward. What had seemed like the end of the perimeter from a distance was now just another stretch of desolate road.
The ruins blurred together in a nightmarish loop—each corner we turned led us to more of the same: broken buildings, shattered vehicles, and the ever-present storm overhead. It was as if the city itself was alive, a living, breathing entity that refused to let us escape.
Finally, we decided to stop. The unease in our stomachs had grown into a palpable dread, and Ryan's voice crackled through the comms again, his tone urgent. "The more you walk, the worse the electromagnetic fluctuations are getting. It's causing your devices to malfunction. You're close to some kind of concentrated energy source—it might be the heart of the game, but whatever it is, it's damaging your comms."
Karun and I exchanged a look, our faces pale in the dim light. "So what do we do?" I asked, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on my chest.
"We need to figure out if this energy source is something we can use—or if it's something that's going to destroy us," Karun said, his voice steady but tense. "For now, let's stay put and see if we can stabilize the comms. We can't move forward if we can't communicate."
Some of our devices were already showing signs of wear—batteries drained quickly, and several got broken during the battle. My watch had stopped completely, leaving me clueless about the time. Many other tools, like our compass, had stopped working too. The only thing that remained intact were our comms, and even those were starting to act up.
The weather was unrelenting. It rained again, forcing us to seek shelter in another broken-down building. The day felt like it would never end as we waited for the next level to start, eager to finish the game and escape this nightmare as soon as possible.
To pass the time, we counted up our remaining bullets, checked our food supplies, and reviewed our game stats. When we started, we each had 187 bullets, but now Karun was down to 96, while I still had 112.
"Oh, does that mean I'm better than you?" I sneered at him, trying to lighten the mood.
Karun paused, then snickered back, "Or does it mean I shot more than you?"
"Hmph," I sighed, turning away because, yes, Karun did shoot more than me. But his bonus didn't level up like mine because he also got shot more than me. The game had clearly stated that players needed to remain unharmed to earn bonus points.
Just then, Ryan's voice came through the comms. "Guys, we made some assumptions about the count of assassins."
I perked up. "Oh? What is it?"
"This is just an assumption," Henry replied, sounding unsure but serious, "but we concluded that... the number of assassins you fought in the last level was 72. If you divide that by 8, you get 14, which is the number of members who entered the first level together."
"Wait! Don't tell me this is based on all of us entering the game together!" I gasped, the realization hitting me like a cold wave.
"I'm afraid it is, Kathy," Ryan said from the other side.
Karun leaned forward, his expression tense. "Explain it clearly."
Henry continued, his voice measured. "Here's what we think: the game might be scaling the number of enemies based on the players who entered the game. In the last level, you fought 72 assassins—this could be because the game is multiplying the initial 14 by a factor that increases with each subsequent challenge. The number of enemies might grow as you progress through the levels. For instance, in Level 2, Game 1, the factor was 8, giving you 72 assassins to deal with. But in the next game, this factor might increase, meaning the enemy count could be even higher. We're estimating that for Level 2, Game 2, you might be facing something around 120 to 130 enemies, if not more."
A heavy silence fell over us as we absorbed the information. The thought of facing an even larger horde of assassins in the next game was daunting, to say the least.
"So, what you're saying," Karun finally spoke, "is that as we advance, the difficulty is going to ramp up, and the game will keep throwing more enemies at us?"
"Exactly," Ryan confirmed. "The game is testing your endurance, your strategy, and your ability to adapt under pressure. You need to be prepared for whatever it throws at you next."
Ryan chimed in again, his tone urgent. "That means conserving your resources is more crucial than ever. Don't waste bullets, stay sharp, and remember to stick together. The game's silence might be a trap—don't let your guard down."The number was a huge shock to me. "Seriously, 120 versus two people? There's no way we're going to make it," I muttered, feeling a sinking dread. At that moment, all my hope of making it out and going home seemed to vanish.
Karun noticed my expression and frowned. "Don't make that face, Kathy. It's okay as long as we have this neutralizing suit and the virtual map." He tried to lighten the mood, adding, "If you're still afraid, stay behind me, scaredy cat."
I rolled my eyes, showing my absolute displeasure at his teasing, but I couldn't help feeling a bit reassured by his confidence. We continued walking out of the building where we had holed up for the day, with me trying to shake off the anxiety that had settled in.
As we moved through the eerie, abandoned city, I took the opportunity to explore our surroundings more closely, passing every bit of information I gathered back to the others through the comms. The ruins were a mix of cracked pavement, broken vehicles, and crumbling buildings, all bathed in the unsettling glow of a stormy sky. It was as if the entire city was caught in a perpetual twilight, with no clear indication of day or night.
It grew dark soon, the shadows deepening and the storm clouds thickening overhead. I made my way back to our latest hideout, a dilapidated building that offered some shelter from the relentless elements. We had dinner—what was left of our dwindling supplies—and decided to take turns keeping watch throughout the night.
We each settled into our sleeping bags, trying to find comfort despite the grim surroundings. The thunderstorm continued its relentless assault, the storm's roars occasionally punctuating the eerie silence of the ruins. The constant rumble of thunder and the patter of rain against the broken windows created a rhythm that made it hard to fully relax.
I was the first to stay watch but I drifted off into sleep, only to be jolted awake by a particularly violent flash of lightning. My heart raced as I scanned the darkened landscape. The storm seemed to have an almost malevolent presence, and the shadows it cast across the broken buildings seemed to shift and writhe with each crack of lightning.
The sight triggered an intense wave in me. My breath came in short, panicked bursts as memories of the nightmares flooded back along with some others that I couldn't distinguish whether they were mine or the ones I knew somehow.
I tried to steady my breathing, but it only seemed to intensify. I clutched the edge of my sleeping bag, my hands shaking uncontrollably. Memories flooded my head along with strange thoughts
Karun, who was also jolted awake, noticed my distress. He came over and gently placed a hand on my shoulder, his presence a small anchor in the sea of anxiety. "Kathy, it's okay," he murmured, his voice steady and reassuring. " Breathe. You're safe."
Despite his calming words, my shivering didn't stop. Karun, seeing my state, carefully guided me back into my sleeping bag. "Try to get some rest," he said softly. "I'll stay up for a while."
With his comforting presence and the reassurance that he was there, I eventually managed to calm down. Karun stayed by my side until I fell back asleep, the storm outside continuing its relentless barrage, but now a little less intimidating with Karun's quiet support.
As I drifted back into a restless slumber, I hoped that tomorrow would bring the end to this nightmarish ordeal and the chance to finally escape the confines of the game.