Chapter 3: The cube

We run through the city. They were supposed to head for the center. Did they make it? As we sprint, we hit multiple dead ends. I'm out of breath, but Emilia's sharp cries keep me going. She was the first person I met here. I just hope she's okay.

Suddenly, we stumble onto a massive alleyway—a boulevard. At least ten meters wide. In the distance, I spot a cube. That's where the screams are coming from, now turning into sobs.

We run as fast as possible, and the cube—slightly smaller than the towers—gets closer.

We reach a round plaza, with the cube at its center, and see Emilia, along with Lisa and Tyler.

But Kevin is missing.

We rush toward them. While Tyler tries to calm Emilia, Jin and I turn to Lisa for answers. But deep down, I already fear the truth.

Jin isn't even out of breath. He's incredible.

"Lisa, what happened?" he asks.

For the first time, her usually stoic face cracks, betraying her stress.

"Kevin… got shot."

Our faces freeze in shock. I stammer, disbelieving,

"W… What? But we didn't hear anything…"

Jin clenches his fists.

"I think it must have happened while we were running from the tower." His voice is firm. "Lisa, can you tell us more?"

"I couldn't get much from Emilia… She's still in shock. But she did tell me a drone came and took his body away. I was in the middle of strangling the rabbit when the gunshot rang out. It's behind the cube—I'll finish it off later. But from the four-note sound, I assume you succeeded?"

I nod. "Yeah… But the button was inside a tower. It tried to trap us inside." I glance at Tyler and Emilia. "This place isn't on our side. And… I sigh, Kevin paid the price for it."

Lisa's expression hardens.

"A tower tried to trap you? I think that's what happened to Kevin. He must have made a mistake… and the city punished him."

Jin and Lisa continue discussing, but I step closer to Emilia and Tyler. Tyler moves aside.

"I'll leave her to you," he mutters.

I nod.

"Emilia… Can you tell me what happened?"

"I… I… I just remember… that… that…" Her whole body shakes. Her voice breaks. Her eyes are hollow, fixed on the ground. "The cube turned red… and it told us to play rock-paper-scissors." She trembles harder. "I won… And after that… I don't remember anything else."

Rock-paper-scissors?

That must mean the loser was always meant to die. There's a danger in every quest. Tyler and Lisa will have to be extremely careful when finishing off the rabbit. Who knows what the city has in store for them?

But something doesn't add up.

"Do you remember where the gunshot came from?" I ask.

"Y-Yes… From a turret in the wall."

She breaks down again, sobbing uncontrollably. Who could blame her? She watched her teammate die, all because he lost a game of rock-paper-scissors.

"Okay, thanks, Emi," I say gently. "We're taking you back to the plaza. You'll drink some water and rest, okay?"

She nods weakly. "Okay…"

I turn back to Lisa, Tyler, and Jin, who are still deep in discussion.

"We should go back to the plaza," I say.

Lisa agrees. "Yeah, you're right. But first, I need to finish off the rabbit."

"Be careful," I warn. "We don't know what kind of trap this quest has."

"Don't worry. I'll stay alert."

We follow her a few meters away. The rabbit is injured, unable to walk. Lisa grips its neck and snaps it in one quick motion.

We hear the crack of its bones. Its final whimper.

Then, its eyes turn red, and suddenly, a countdown appears over its corpse—still dangling in Lisa's hands.

5… 4… 3…

Lisa throws it far away.

The instant the countdown hits zero, the rabbit—still mid-air—explodes.

Luckily, it was far enough away to not injure any of us.

The familiar four-note sound echoes through the city.

Lisa turns to us, eyes dark.

"We cannot trust anything here. Keep that in mind for everything you do. Even if you're just taking a piss." She exhales sharply. "Speaking of which, we're gonna have to figure out bathrooms when we get back."

We all nod in agreement.

Jin speaks next.

"Let's head back. It's probably around noon. I'll carry Emilia—she doesn't have the strength to walk."

He lifts her onto his back.

A pang of jealousy shoots through me.

But now is not the time to be attracted to some guy. I shake the thought away.

As we walk through the city, we notice arrows drawn on some walls, just like the one Jin and I followed earlier. But this time, they say:

"Hub Plaza."

We follow the arrows for about ten minutes, walking in silence, and finally return to the plaza with the screen.

Now, each quest has a green button next to it.

We press them.

The screen flashes:

All quests completed. Rewards incoming.

A mechanical noise behind us.

The trapdoor opens.

We rush to see inside—food.

Meat, a lighter, water, and two three-person tents.

"Tents!" Tyler exclaims.

"Meat! I needed protein," Jin says, grinning.

I chuckle. He really has that typical gym-bro energy—always worried about his protein intake.

Lisa claps her hands. "We can finally make a fire!"

Excitement spreads through the group as we pull everything from the trapdoor. The hatch shuts automatically once empty.

We divide the tents.

One for Emilia and Lisa.

One for Jin, Tyler, and me.

We quickly set them up. The ground is solid stone, so only Jin is strong enough to hammer in the stakes using a loose rock. He's insane.

In barely thirty minutes, the tents are ready.

We decide to store the firewood inside the girls' tent since they have more space. If the wood gets wet, starting a fire will be nearly impossible.

Lisa wipes sweat from her forehead.

"They look good, huh? Way better than sleeping on the ground."

"We wouldn't survive without them," I say, stretching my arms. "Sleep is important."

"I say we eat the meat tonight," Jin suggests. "There's exactly one portion each."

We all agree.

"Emilia is napping," Lisa informs us. "I think I'll do the same. You guys should rest too."

Jin shakes his head.

"I'll stay here a while. I need to train."

Tyler and I exchange glances.

"I think I'll nap," I say.

"Me too," Tyler adds.

We enter the tent. The floor is still hard, but at least it's not freezing. Given the temperature, it must be late summer.

But our tank tops won't be enough once autumn comes. We'll probably have to earn warmer clothes through more suicidal quests.

We choose our sleeping spots.

I sleep by the entrance, closest to the screen.

Tyler sleeps on the far side.

Jin gets the middle.

But for now, Jin isn't here.

There's plenty of space.

I settle in.

And within minutes, I'm asleep.