Arin stood at door frame taking deep breaths. So many questions in his mind — Why, who, when and how.
After few moments, he finally accepted the fact that — he became the 6th person to be kidnapped in this month.
"At least, I'll be famous. Maybe just for a while and not in a good way. But hey, even bad publicity is a publicity." Arin muttered to himself, trying to stay positive.
No. I am doing it again. — Arin hit his forehead with his right palm. "This is no place or time for overthinking." Arin muttered pulling his thoughts together and faced the unknown hallway.
The hallway streched ahead, sterile and straight. It was so straight and clean that it didn't feel right. Too uniform. Too symmetrical.
He walked on his toe, carefully observing everything. "Where on earth did they bring me? And leaving the door open. That's very..." Arin turned to look at familiar door. "That's Very unprofessional of them."
"Should I make a run? What if it's a trap?" After few minute of contemplation Arin made his decision."Oh, Well. You missed all the shots you don't take. So let's go. But before that I should find something to..."
Arin's train of thought Stopped in the middle. As he turned around to inspect the room. It's empty and so clean that it looked like even dust had been too scared to settle there.
"Anyway....., it could have slowed me down." Arin told himself and moved towards the hallway.
Walls of hallway were pale white, like the manifestation of someone's idea of neutrality.
Arin kept moving on his toe with bare feet. Making sure not to make too much sound. He thought he could feel the vibrations of something humming. Maybe a machinery or power generator or it's just his own pulse echoing in his bones.
"Is that even possible?" Arin asked himself. Anyway, he kept moving forward.
The hallway curved slightly to the left. Numerous door lined both side, perfectly spaced, all closed. But every door was different.
He touched the wall with his hand. Smooth, not plaster, not metal something else.
He kept moving forward slow and silent. No, he was not afraid. It just made sense to be cautious in unknown territory. If it was all just trap, he didn't want to rush in blind.
He passed another door. It was similar to his door with smooth doorknob like his.
Maybe doors wasn't supposed to be locked from the beginning. — Arin came to a conclusion.
As he kept moving forward. He started to hear few faint mur mur from the end of the hallway. He couldn't understand the words but he could make out the tones.
It was quite familiar to how he was feeling. Confusion, panic and disbelief.
What greeted him at the end of hallway was double door.He stopped with back against wall, trying to listen in.
There were multiple voices. Different cadences. Some trying to stay calm. Some trying to crack jokes to lighten-up the room. The mix wasn't surprising but the number of voices were.
"What is happening? Is this someone kind of party? Or mass kidnapping? Why brought so many people in one place ?" Arin asked himself, but he started to think of few ideas about what the kidnappers would be aiming for.
"Well, there is only one way to be sure." Arin made decision and prepared himself.
He slowly entered the room. He already knew but still total number of people still shocked him.
There were approximately 40 to 50 people. And from what he could observe youngest would be around 18 or 20 years old and oldest would be around 35 or 40 years old.
While he scanned the hall with some pillars. People present too noticed him. Just like he was judging others, others were judging him.
After few moments Arin noticed quite a lot of people were staring at him. So, he just walked towards the nearby unoccupied pillar and leaned on it, trying to mix in.
Arin didn't talk with anyone just stood leaning on the pillar and continue observing the room.
The room was quite big in circular shape, support by numbers of round pillar. Walls curved upward into a shallow dome ceiling.
There was no bulbs or any light source but room was still perfectly lit by the glow that had no visible source. Just light radiating everything evenly with any warmth.
This gives me the feeling of waiting room or a panic room. Too smooth and too perfect. no windows.— Arin thought.
He focused on people. Most of them were in the middle. Some pacing around while some slumped against the walls or pillars. Few people also sat on floor, hugging their knees.
Some were fully clothed while some were half naked or in towels. Everyone looked like they were dragged here while they were in middle of something.
Arin noticed quite a few personalities that stood out to him.
First one was tall and broad-shouldered man. He gave off feeling of A floor captain during a fire drill. He was speaking to no one and everyone, his voice firmed and clipped.
"If this is a containment protocol. We need a layout. We should do head group, count and assign tasks." Man moved like as though he expected resistance from people before they follow his orders.
"Millitary or ex-military." Arin guessed.
Next was person was a young women. Maybe around 21 to 26. It has been always been hard for Arin to guess a woman's age correctly.
Well, age wasn't the part that attracted Arin's attention, it was what she was doing. While most of the females were panicking or weeping silently.
She was kneeling down to sobbing a woman — just talking in soft and consistent voice. No false promises or reassurance.
Just... Presence.
"It will be all okey. Just breath with me one in, one out. Yes, just like that." The woman did calmed down, just a little.
Arin watched the helper glanced around the room between the phrases. Reading the room.
The third and last one, Arin wasn't a big fan of him. An Extrovert.
He was lounging like he was at a networking mixer and not actually got kidnapped.
His shoulder propped on the curve of wall, half grin tugging on his face as he talked to multiple people at once.
Hearing his jokes some chuckled nervously, some just snorted.
But the man's eye just flickered from face to face, watching their reactions.
Arin just leaned back, arm crossed and listened. People talked louder and louder, wanting to be heard over others. Especially in this room that felt like holding pens.
Situation wasn't chaotic, not yet. But soon if things keep going with same pace, it would be.
Arin just closed his eyes and focused on his thoughts. These kidnapping doesn't seem simple. What is the purpose of all these?
Wait a minute. I remember watching a movie similar to this. Arin thought as he scanned the room once again.
Are we supposed to hunt each other for the entertainment of some rich freaks?— with this thought Arin's mood took a turn for the worse.
Just as he was thinking what should he do, he heard few snippet of conversations.
"It has to be psychological experiment, right?" A women asked nervously
"You think this is government's doing? Just look at the lighting. I'm telling you it's some alien level tech." a man close to her counter.
"What if it's reality game show?" third person chimed in.
Arin didn't turned toward them, just thought to himself, — If it's the type of reality show, I'm thinking then we are...
Arin couldn't complete his thought when he noticed someone entering the room.
Just as the last person entered. The light changed. A subtle dimming. But the next second. Every wall light up.
Texts crawled across the surface in crisp, white characters.
People gasped, some screamed. Quite a few stumbled, while slowly inching away from the walls and gathering in the centre.
They heard neutral female voice as the message appeared on the walls.
[Welcome Candidates]
[Initial orientation begins in 30 seconds. Please wait patiently.]
Arin heard the voice but still read the message. The font was uncomfortably crisp.
Not friendly. Not Brutalist. Just... functional.
Arin looked past the message, below the message was count down ticking, slowly.
[00:00:54]
[00:00:53]
[00:00:52]
The silence returned. Thicker and louder than before.
Few people started to talk again. Trying to make sense of what they heard and were seeing.
Some began to shout at walls.
Some just slumped into themselves.
Some tried the door but it didn't even budge.
Military man took the centre, trying to regain order in the chaos. "Stay calm. Conserve you energy. We should wait for more info." his voice was sharp, practiced and clear.
But unfortunately over half the room just ignored him.
As things become more and more chaotic, one person just started to laugh loudly like a maniac, indicating his declining mental health.
Arin did nothing but watch. Just watched how situation grew calm to chaotic and now from chaotic to calm as people started to make their small group.
By the time count down hit zero. Multiple groups had been formed. Arin was amazed at how much can happened in just 60 seconds.
As countdown hit zero. The ceiling pulsed once with dull glow. A clean chime ring out. It was like a doorbell made to soothe.
Slowly a glowing orb starting to form above the centre of the room. It slowly descended.
It was blue, not bright but visible. It was around size of a football. It hovered without sound or source. Rotating and moving from here to there.
People moved as if trying to leave path for it. Then came the voice.
[Good evening, Candidates]
It was feminine, clear and soothing voice. Not automated like the previous voice that told them to wait.
[I am Miss Second. Your orientation guide. I will provide basic essential briefings before the trial begins.]
There was no breaths between sentence. As Miss Second spoke same message appeared on the walls.
A lot of mur mur started. Arin felt his heart falling, after listening to Miss Second. Almost everyone was falling in despair.
Noticing it, Miss Second's voice became little friendly as she continued.
[Rejoice humans. You all have been selected as a candidate to save your world. A second chance.]
Everyone froze hearing, what may be the one of the worst piece of news. Apocalypse. End of the world.
Almost all of the present had only one thought collectively. "This has to be a joke, right?"
Miss Second read them like a book.
[If you don't believe me, just say or think aloud "Status". Go ahead.]
Arin was suspicious but he still followed the instruction. Just as he thought "Status". A digital panel appeared in front of him, suddenly.
__________________________
Name : Arin
Title : [None]
Tier : Unranked
Level : 1
Class : [Locked]
Hp : 100/100
Stamina : 120/120
Energy : 140/140
Attributes
• Vitality : 5
• Endurance : 6
• Strength : 4
• Dexterity : 5
• Intelligence : 7
• Sense : 8
Free points : 0
Talent : [Resonant Insight]
Trait : [Tension Sense]
Inventory : [0/20]
Quest : [None]
____________________
Looking at his status, Arin almost forgot to breathe as realisation settled in. "So, the world is... ending."