🌑 CHAPTER ONE — THE LAST TRIP
The bus rattled as it climbed the narrow mountain road, its headlights cutting weakly through the evening fog. Inside, laughter and chatter bounced off the windows, loud and careless, as if the world beyond the glass did not exist.
For the students of Redwood Academy, this retreat was supposed to be a reward — a break from exams, a moment of freedom before adulthood tightened its grip. They had packed snacks, clothes, secrets, and dreams. None of them had packed fear.
Mara Lane sat by the window, her forehead resting lightly against the cold glass. The forest outside blurred into dark shapes, trees bending like shadows in motion. She wasn't anxious — not exactly — but something in her chest felt tight, like a warning she didn't know how to understand.
She had always been observant. Quiet. The kind of girl who noticed what others ignored — the way voices changed when people lied, the way silence often spoke louder than sound.
Behind her, laughter erupted as someone spilled soda. A group of students were playing a guessing game, shouting answers and mocking each other's wrong guesses.
Across the aisle, Noah Reed, class president and model student, stood gripping a seat as he tried to calm a heated argument over whose turn it was to choose the next song.
"Guys, relax," he said with a patient smile. "It's a retreat, not a battlefield."
Mara almost smiled.
Near the back, Evan Cross leaned against the window, headphones hanging around his neck, his smirk sharp and careless. Everyone knew Evan — loud, bold, unpredictable. Some admired him. Some feared him. Few trusted him.
Two rows ahead sat Elena Wright, staring at her phone without really looking at it. Top of the class. Perfect grades. Perfect posture. Perfect distance. She barely spoke unless spoken to, and even then, her words felt carefully measured, as though emotions were dangerous things she preferred not to touch.
The bus lurched slightly as it rounded a bend. The sky darkened faster than it should have, clouds swallowing the last hints of sunset.
Mara's phone vibrated in her pocket.
She pulled it out.
No signal.
She frowned. Others began checking their phones too, muttering about the loss of network.
"Don't worry," a teacher called from the front. "We're almost there."
The bus slowed, then stopped.
Outside stood an old retreat center — a wide, two-story building with peeling paint, narrow windows, and a large yard that seemed too empty for a place meant to host young people. The forest surrounded it like a wall.
"This place is creepy," someone whispered.
"Relax. It's just old," another laughed.
They stepped off the bus, stretching, complaining, snapping photos.
Mara felt the air change.
Not colder.
Heavier.
Inside, the building smelled of dust and wood polish. The teachers handed out room assignments and reminded everyone of the schedule. Students rushed off, claiming beds, laughing, unpacking.
Dinner passed quickly. Jokes were told. Food was shared. Laughter filled the hall.
For a moment, it felt normal.
Then, at exactly 9:17 PM, every phone in the building buzzed at the same time.
The sound was sharp.
Unnatural.
Like an alarm no one had set.
The room fell silent.
Mara looked at her phone.
Black screen.
White text.
THE GAME HAS BEGUN.
🌑 CHAPTER TWO- THE MESSAGE
what game?"
is this some kind of app?"
"Did someone hack us?"
Laughter followed, uneasy but real.
Mara's phone buzzed again.
ROLES ASSIGNED.
Another buzz.
PARTICIPATION IS MANDATORY.
Someone snorted. "This is stupid."
Then:
FAILURE TO PARTICIPATE WILL RESULT IN DEATH.
Silence.
Not the kind that settles.
The kind that freezes.
Noah stepped forward. "Okay, this is not funny. Teachers, did you send this?"
The teachers looked just as confused.
"This isn't from us," one said. "Everyone, stay calm."
Another student tried the door.
It wouldn't open.
He tried again, harder.
Locked.
"Hey!" he shouted. "The door's locked!"
Murmurs rippled through the room. Someone rushed to the windows. Locked.
Phones buzzed again.
NIGHT PHASE BEGINS.
Mara's chest tightened.
She tapped her screen.
ROLE: OBSERVER.
She didn't know what that meant, but she felt the weight of it settle inside her.
Noah tried to keep order. "Everyone, go back to your rooms. This is probably a system malfunction."
But no one moved.
Fear had taken hold.
Then the lights flickered.
Just once.
Someone screamed.
"Stop it!" another yelled. "This isn't funny anymore!"
The buzzing stopped.
Nothing happened.
Minutes passed.
Slowly, the tension loosened.
"This is dumb," Evan said. "Let's just go to bed."
Reluctantly, the students returned to their rooms.
Mara lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her heart beating too fast.
Then she heard it.
A scream.
Not a joke.
Not laughter.
A scream full of terror.
It echoed down the hallway.
Mara sat up.
Footsteps pounded outside.
Doors opened.
Someone shouted, "Where did that come from?!"
Noah's voice cut through the noise. "Stay together!"
They followed the sound.
At the end of the hallway, one door stood open.
Inside, a student lay on the floor.
Still.
Blood spread beneath their head like a dark shadow.
Someone vomited.
Someone fainted.
Mara froze at the doorway, her mind refusing to accept what her eyes saw.
Her phone buzzed.
DAY PHASE BEGINS.
ONE PLAYER ELIMINATED.
This was not a game.
This was a massacre.
🌑 CHAPTER THREE — THE FIRST VOTE
The common hall felt colder than before, though no windows were open. The students sat scattered across chairs and the floor, some crying, some shaking, some staring into nothing.
Noah stood in the center, his face pale. "Listen. We need to think logically. The message said 'player eliminated.' This follows the rules of some kind of game."
"A GAME?!" someone screamed. "A PERSON IS DEAD!"
Evan slammed his fist against the wall. "Then someone here did it."
Gasps filled the room.
"You're saying one of us killed them?"
"I'm saying someone here knows more than they're telling."
Phones buzzed again.
DISCUSSION PHASE.
VOTE TO ELIMINATE A SUSPECTED THREAT.
Panic erupted.
"We can't do that!"
"That's murder!"
"If we don't vote, what happens?"
The next message answered.
FAILURE TO VOTE WILL RESULT IN RANDOM ELIMINATION.
Silence followed.
Mara's hands shook.
This wasn't justice.
This wasn't truth.
This was survival.
Accusations began.
"It was Evan! He's violent!"
"No, it was Elena! She's always alone!"
"Elena? Are you insane?!"
Elena stood up, her voice sharp. "You don't get to accuse me because I'm quiet."
Evan smirked. "Funny how the smartest one here suddenly has nothing to say."
Noah tried to stop the chaos. "We need evidence. We can't just guess."
But fear had already made up its mind.
The message appeared.
VOTING TIME.
One by one, trembling hands tapped screens.
Mara hesitated.
Her mind raced.
Then she voted.
Moments later:
PLAYER ELIMINATED.
A scream ripped through the room.
The chosen student collapsed, choking, convulsing, eyes wide with disbelief.
"I didn't do anything!" they cried.
Then they went still.
Someone screamed.
Someone prayed.
Someone broke down.
Mara covered her mouth, tears pouring down her face.
The message followed.
NIGHT PHASE BEGINS.
As the students returned to their rooms, Mara felt something inside her fracture.
They weren't students anymore.
They were prisoners.
And the night had only begun.