Chapter 19
1101 Words
Alister was half asleep when the door opened again.
The light above him flickered to life, and footsteps echoed in the hallway. Two masked men stepped into his cell. They didn’t speak. One of them dropped a tray of food on the small table by the wall. The other stood by the door, waiting.
Alister sat up, his body still sore from the hard mattress. He looked at the food. It was the same as yesterday boiled eggs, bread, and water. He ate slowly, eyes on the two men. As usual, when he finished, they led him out of the cell and down a long hallway.
They reached the bathing chamber. A clean, tiled room with a shower and a change of clothes already waiting. Alister removed the clothes they had given him earlier and washed in silence. The water was warm, the only comfort he had in this strange place.
When he was done, he found a clean pair of grey pants and a matching shirt. Just like the others. No logos, no colors, nothing to identify them.
They walked him back to the same cold cell. No windows. Just the bed, the table, the tray, and the silence.
He waited, just like the day before.
But something changed.
About thirty minutes after he was locked in, a soft buzz echoed through the room.
The lock on the door clicked.
He froze.
The door slid open slowly with a soft mechanical sound. Alister stepped into the hallway. It was empty. He looked both ways. At the far end, he saw a few more doors opening.
People stepped out. One by one.
Five of them in total.
All dressed like him.
They looked just as confused.
A young woman with a scar across her cheek squinted at him. “You too huh ?”
Alister nodded. “I guess so.”
An older man with greying hair leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “What the hell is going on?”
“No idea,” said a tall, muscular man. “But I’m not going back in there.”
A teenager with messy hair and wild eyes added, “This isn’t a prison. It’s a test.”
Alister narrowed his eyes. “What makes you say that?”
The teen shrugged. “The cameras. The routines. The way they’re treating us. This feels like a setup for something bigger.”
They all stood in awkward silence for a moment.
Then the older man spoke again. “We should at least know who we’re dealing with. Name’s Howard. Ex-military. Retired five years ago.”
The woman with the scar nodded. “Kara. Used to run security in Istanbul. I got burned on a job and ended up here. I think.”
The tall guy crossed his arms. “Jules. I was in a private outfit. We handled things governments didn’t want to touch.”
The teen gave a nervous laugh. “Name’s Milo. I hacked into the wrong system. Got pulled from my flat two nights ago. At least, I think it was two nights ago.”
They all turned to Alister.
He hesitated. Then said, “Alister. I was… taken during a mission. I don’t know why I’m here.”
Jules raised a brow. “Well, seems none of us do.”
Before anyone could respond, a beep echoed from the ceiling. Lights dimmed. A large screen slid down from the wall at the end of the hallway.
It turned on.
A masked face appeared.
Alister recognized him immediately the man who had spoken to him back in the U.S. The leader. Anonymous.
“Good evening,” the voice said. “Welcome.”
They all stood still, watching.
“I know you have questions,” the masked man continued. “Some of you are angry. Confused. But you are here because the world failed you and we didn’t.”
He stepped back slightly. Still masked, but standing tall.
“My name is Eric. That’s all you need to know.”
Alister looked around. The others were watching carefully.
Eric’s voice was calm but firm. “Each of you was chosen. Not because you are broken, but because you have survived. The pain you carry… the regrets, the losses, the betrayals… they shaped you into something useful. Into something we need.”
Jules scoffed. “Useful for what?”
Eric ignored the comment.
“This is the beginning,” he said. “You are standing at the edge of a decision. You either stay who you were, lost, hunted, bitter… or you become something more.”
The screen flickered.
A digital map showed up. A single red dot blinked near the top of a long, narrow mountain.
Eric’s voice returned.
“Your first task is simple,” he said. “Reach the base of this mountain. At the center, there is a bell. Ring it. Only then will you move to the next stage.”
Kara frowned. “That’s it?”
“No weapons. No tools. No help. You will find your way down, together or apart. The choice is yours.”
Milo raised his hand slightly. “Wait… are we seriously on top of a mountain right now?”
As if answering him, the wall behind the screen slid open, revealing a giant window.
They all stepped closer.
The view made them go silent.
Endless cliffs and jagged rocks stretched below. The sky above was pale and cloudy, and the wind howled across the open ridge. Trees stood far below too far to see clearly. Snow covered parts of the path, and narrow trails twisted around the sides.
Alister’s heart dropped.
They were really at the top of a mountain.
Milo stepped back. “This is insane.”
Jules gave a low whistle. “That’s… a long way down.”
Howard rubbed his beard. “The terrain’s not impossible, but one wrong move…”
Eric’s voice interrupted again.
“Remember, the test is not just about your strength. It’s about your mind. Your choices. Your ability to think under pressure.”
The screen went blank.
The wall slid shut.
A moment passed.
Then Kara whispered, “They’re watching us.”
“Of course they are,” Jules said. “That’s the point.”
Howard turned to Alister. “You think this is really just about ringing some bell?”
Alister shook his head slowly. “No. That’s too easy.”
Milo frowned. “Then what is it?”
Alister looked at the mountain again, the wind blowing snow against the window.
“I think the mountain is only the start.”
- Writer
