Survive in the shadows

The air in the city felt heavier as the timer ticked closer to its conclusion. The chaos from the first minutes had subsided, replaced by a tense, suffocating silence. Takeshi sprinted down an empty street, his breaths coming in sharp gasps. The yellow paper in his hand felt like a beacon, drawing danger to him with every step.

He ducked into a narrow alley, leaning against a wall to catch his breath. His mind raced as he tried to strategize. Seven papers. Hundreds of participants. The odds were stacked against everyone. But now it’s worse—I’ve already been marked.

The scarred man from earlier had made it clear that people were willing to fight tooth and nail for survival. And if one person knew Takeshi had a paper, it wouldn’t be long before others found out too.

A faint sound broke his thoughts—the crunch of footsteps on gravel. His pulse quickened. He pressed himself against the wall, peeking around the corner. Two figures were moving cautiously through the alley, their eyes scanning every shadow.

“Did you hear? Someone said they saw a guy run this way with a paper,” one of them muttered.

Takeshi cursed under his breath. Word spreads fast. He couldn’t stay here. Clutching the paper tightly, he crept back down the alley, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

The distant sound of a speaker crackling to life made him freeze.

“Five minutes remaining,” the mechanical voice announced.

Takeshi’s chest tightened. Five minutes. I just need to hold out for five more minutes. But that was easier said than done.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his shoulder, yanking him backward. Takeshi spun around, his instincts taking over as he lashed out with his elbow. His attacker—a wiry man with wild eyes—stumbled back, but he wasn’t alone. Three others emerged from the shadows, each wearing desperate expressions.

“Hand it over,” one of them snarled.

Takeshi backed away, his mind racing. He couldn’t take on four people at once. He needed a plan—and fast.

The group closed in, their movements cautious but determined. Takeshi’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. That’s when he noticed the fire escape ladder above him, just within reach.

Without hesitation, he leaped, grabbing the bottom rung and pulling himself up. The group lunged after him, but Takeshi climbed quickly, adrenaline fueling his movements.

“Get him!” one of them shouted, but Takeshi was already pulling the ladder up behind him. He didn’t stop until he reached the rooftop, where he finally allowed himself a moment to breathe.

The city stretched out below him, a labyrinth of crumbling buildings and narrow streets. He could see other participants scattered across the area—some running, others hiding, and a few locked in brutal fights. The desperation was palpable.

“Two minutes remaining,” the voice announced.

Takeshi crouched low, his hand clutching the yellow paper like his life depended on it—because it did. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down, not now.

From his vantage point, he noticed movement in the building across from him. A woman, barely older than him, was sprinting toward an exit, a yellow paper clutched tightly in her hand. Hot on her heels was a massive man wielding a steel pipe. She tripped, falling hard onto the ground. The man closed in, raising the pipe above his head.

Takeshi hesitated. It’s not my problem, he told himself. I need to focus on surviving. But as the seconds ticked by, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.

He grabbed a loose brick from the rooftop and hurled it with all his strength. It struck the man square in the shoulder, causing him to stumble. The woman didn’t waste the opportunity. She scrambled to her feet and disappeared into the shadows.

The man glared up at Takeshi, his face twisted with rage. But before he could act, the speaker crackled again.

“Time’s up.”

The announcement was followed by a deafening bang. The ground beneath Takeshi vibrated as red smoke erupted from various locations across the city. He watched in horror as participants without yellow papers were engulfed in the smoke, their screams echoing through the air before falling silent.

The man below, who had been moments away from retaliation, was caught in the smoke. He thrashed and screamed, but it was futile. Within seconds, he was gone.

Takeshi’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at the aftermath. The streets were eerily quiet now, the red smoke slowly dissipating to reveal the bodies of those who had failed.

“Congratulations to the survivors,” the voice boomed. “You have passed the first challenge. Please proceed to the designated meeting point for further instructions.”

Takeshi sat down heavily, the yellow paper still clenched in his fist. Relief washed over him, but it was quickly replaced by a cold realization: this was only the beginning.

As he made his way down from the rooftop, he couldn’t shake the image of the red smoke or the screams of the eliminated players. The stakes were higher than he had imagined, and the price of failure was absolute.

He spotted the woman he had helped earlier. She gave him a hesitant nod of thanks before disappearing into the crowd of survivors heading toward the meeting point.

Takeshi didn’t know what awaited him next, but one thing was certain—he couldn’t trust anyone. Not here, in this deadly game .