A Switch and Stay

"Attention all players. At least two players from each room must switch into another room before the timer runs out. I repeat, two players from each room must switch into another room."

[00:00:10]

'Ten seconds?!'

"Yukimiya, let's f**king go!"

They bolted through the door, the adrenaline roaring in their ears. The hallway was chaos—doors swung open violently as players scrambled out, some crashing into one another in the narrow, dimly lit corridor. The faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead did nothing to drown out the panicked shouts and hurried footsteps.

[00:00:04]

Without a word, players darted into the nearest open rooms, slamming the doors shut behind them as if sealing themselves from an invisible threat. Each breath felt louder than the ticking timer in their minds, their hearts pounding in unison with the dwindling seconds.