All Too Well

Chapter 1

"I walked through the door with you, the air was cold, but something about it felt like home somehow"

~~~

"Let the game begin."

You stood there amongst hundreds of other players, cautiously observing your surroundings. To say you were on edge would be an understatement. You'd awoken in a strange place, agreed to sign a random contract, and found yourself getting ready to play Red Light, Green Light with complete strangers. Not only that, but they'd completely undressed you and put you in matching tracksuits, each one of you labeled by number.

You should've been suspicious from the start, but with your money troubles you couldn't afford to pass up this chance. Even when the unnamed man slapped you over and over, it wasn't enough to stop you from pursuing this opportunity. You'd do it 100 times again if it meant getting rid of your debt.

There was no more time left to ponder your situation as the strange doll at the finish line began the game. You cautiously stepped forward while some others towards the front bolted. When the doll turned around, everyone stopped.

This should be easy enough, you thought.

Then the gunshots fired, and you saw a few people fall to the ground. What first felt like confusion quickly turned into pure terror. People around you began to rush towards the door, desperate for a way out. You almost did the same yourself, almost turning around before being held back by someone grabbing your arm.

"Don't."

You looked up to see a man holding you back. Looking down at his number, 132, you realized it was the man on the bed next to you in the player room. You were player 131. He was facing forward but kept his hand steady on you.

As you looked at him in confusion, gunshots began to fill your ears. Everyone who had run towards the door was being shot now. You stayed perfectly still, knowing even the smallest movement could end your life.

"Let me repeat. You can move forward while the tagger shouts, 'Green light, Red light.' If your movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated. Let the game begin."

When the doll began speaking again, the man let go of you and quickly darted forward. You stayed still, too afraid to move even when you were allowed to. But the clock was ticking, and you had barely any time left.

At the next pause, you noticed player 132 hide behind someone else. He turned slowly towards you, giving you a concerned look. When it was time to go again, he gestured his head forward to get you to move.

You were taken out of your trance and began running as much as you could during the green light rounds. Player 132 had made it to the finish line much faster than you did, and watched you as you made your way closer. Time was running out and you weren't sure if you'd make it in time. With seconds left on the clock, you were almost to the finish line.

In the last green light round, you were steps away from the end when you tripped on something. You fell roughly to the ground, dirt and gravel stinging your hands and arms as you slid. Time was out, and the doll was slowly turning her head. You were about to scurry to the end as quickly as you could before you felt someone grab your arms and abruptly pull you forward.

You made it.

As gunshots rang through the air, killing the players that didn't make it, you looked up and saw player 132, still holding your arms. His face was stoic, but he held you tightly. You were shaking in fear, trying to catch your breath. After a few moments of staring at each other, he let you go. You noticed several pink guards entering the room to remove the bodies before the survivors were led back to the player room.