Sungjong entered his room. He was ordered by his trainer to stay there until further notice. But something about his trainer’s instructions was fishy. He knew there was more to it. He hesitated before stepping onto the wooden floor, one leg slowly after the other. It still looked like his normal dorm. The decorations and furniture were the same, just only a slight difference in their positions. He peeped his head to the left to catch a glimpse of the rooms. No lights were on, no signs of movement too. Just as he wanted to sigh in relief, he felt his heart at his throat.

            He jumped back in surprise. He felt the cold air caressing his right cheek. He turned his head, his heart still beating fast. A long, deep cave was seen.

~~~

            Sungyeol didn’t dare to move. The cave was dark and he hated the darkness. He waited and waited, hoping to hear from his trainer or expect some random figure to pop up from the cave, but there was none.

            ‘Hello?’ he could hear his own whisper trembling in fear.

            ‘Hello? Is anyone there?’ he said a little louder. No response.

            He went towards the door. It was locked. Great. The only escape was through that dark hole.

            He took out an antique looking candle from one on the drawers before lighting it up. He held the lit candle in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he went inside. Alone, in the darkness.

~~~

            Dongwoo walked carefully. He regretted stepping into the cave. The door that had revealed it closed with a loud thud. There was definitely no turning back now. He squinted his eyes. He couldn’t see a thing. He snapped his two fingers together and a ball of orange and yellow upon his palm. Putting his hand in front of him, he had a better view of the cave.

            It wasn’t big. The walls were at least an arm away and the path was narrow. One wrong turn and you would have kissed the rocky wall. Dongwoo didn’t stop walking. It was so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat. His sneakers could be heard clearly on the ground. There was absolutely nothing there.

            The cave wasn’t that deep. A few minutes later, Dongwoo could see a faint white light in front of him. He closed his hand which made the fire extinguish in a second. Taking his own time, he stepped in front of the object.

~~~

It was a transparent tube that actually glowed. Sunggyu looked up. It looked endless, who knew where it led to. Then the tube split into two like two doors opening. Startled, he took two steps back. He looked around to check for any suspicious threats, but it was only just him. He stared back at the empty tube.

            ‘Welcome Mr Kim.’ The voice echoed into his ears.

~~~

            ‘How the hell...?’ Woohyun talked to himself.

            He trembled in fear when he heard the woman’s voice call his name. It didn’t sound human at all. Something told him to enter the tube and he did. A million things ran through his mind. He felt his legs shaking. From behind, he heard the door close and he began rising up. He looked at his legs; a transparent circle was pushing him upwards.

            He looked above him. There was a brighter light.

~~~

            Myungsoo shield his eyes with his hand from the bright light. He felt his legs jerking and he came to a halt. He removed his hand as his eyes adjusted to the surroundings. The grass was a bright green that grew all the way up to his knees. Oddly, dull coloured flowers blended well with the striking green background.

            He could feel his back starting to get hot. His eyes squinted a little at the sight of the bright sun shining down on him. He looked around him. Familiar faces could be seen. They were forming a semicircle. Their expressions were all the same; panic and worry.

~~~

            Hoya didn’t know what to feel. He was too nervous to even think. He wanted to break down and cry but knowing that the other participants were there, he kept a straight face.

            All the participants were facing the same direction; towards the big pile of bags that were in a shape of a pyramid. Hoya’s trainer said the bags had all the essentials that he needed to survive, but it was a death trap. And Hoya trusted his words.

            Suddenly, a whistle was heard from up above. The participants started running towards the trap to get their bags. Steaks of red started flying everywhere and big rocks were flung in all directions. Strong winds were felt across his cheeks, just missing him by that much and the whipping sounds of water could be heard. But the most obvious thing was the screams of death and bodies scattered all around the patch of grass.

            Hoya started running towards the safety of the thick trees without glancing back.

            The game had finally started.