The night was silent—too silent.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQVdahyflC
But deep inside, I felt something strange stirring in my chest. A heavy mix of fear and helplessness. I couldn’t stop worrying about my friends.
For the first time in many years, I prayed. Not with words, but with everything inside me. I found an old drawing pad with a few crayons scattered around. I drew Lord Murugan on one of the pages and placed my hands together. It wasn’t much—but it was all I could do. I had almost no hope left, so I surrendered myself completely to God… and trusted Him.
As I sat there, lost in my thoughts, Aswath came over and asked me to join him for dinner. He introduced me to a few others who were also trapped here—each with their own story of loss and survival. Among them was John, a police officer and the senior of the group. He had been stuck here for almost three weeks.
He told us how he came with another officer but lost him during a game. There was a cold determination in John’s eyes—a fire that said he would make it back to the real world and reunite with his family. He looked at me and said,
“We survive this only if we stay together.”
The next morning, I noticed something terrifying—I had only two bars of lifeline left. That meant I would soon be forced into another deadly game.
Before panic could take over, Aswath and Jenny came to me.
“Come with us,” Jenny said. “Let’s look for supplies. Maybe we can find your friends too.”
We followed a narrow street until we found a small mart nearby. The place was dark and half-destroyed, but it was our only option. As we searched through the aisles, we heard a faint groan from one of the rooms. Inside, we found a teenage boy—injured, bleeding, and barely conscious.
His name was Badrul.
He told us he had arrived here five days ago with his younger sister. But yesterday, he lost her during a game. His voice trembled as he spoke.
“She… she sacrificed herself to save me.”
We stayed silent for a while. The pain in his eyes said more than words ever could. He explained that there were more survivors—people who had turned an abandoned school into a base camp.
Then he described his last game.
“It was inside a building with dozens of rooms,” he said, shaking. “Only one of them had the exit key. The rest were traps. And there was a clown… a psychotic clown with an SMG gun. I was the only one who made it out.”
We exchanged uneasy glances. That meant there were still others out there—maybe even my friends.
After talking for a while, we decided to follow Badrul to the base camp. Since Aswath wanted to inform the others back at the hotel, he returned there while Jenny and I went with Badrul.
Hours passed as we walked through deserted streets. Along the way, we found some food supplies and even a shotgun with a few rounds of ammo. Every step felt heavier, but I kept walking, hoping that somewhere ahead, Siddhu and Harshath were waiting.
When we finally reached the school, the survivors there welcomed us. Their faces were filled with sadness when they saw Badrul—realizing he was the only one who returned from the last game.
We introduced ourselves and told them about the group in the hotel. They nodded, and one of them said quietly,
“A few of ours still haven’t returned from their last game.”
I looked around the crowded room, my heart sinking.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2qxcOma2V
Still no sign of Siddhu or Harshath.
And for the first time, I wondered if I would ever see them again.
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and then Add to home screen.