Teams of Four
872 Words
The plaza erupted into chaos.
"Please! We only need one more person!"
"I don't want to die!"
"Who even knows what kind of game this is?!"
People hurried from one group to another, desperately searching for teammates.
Some were already arguing.
Others were crying.
A few simply stood there, too terrified to move.
The giant countdown continued.
00:28:41
00:28:40
00:28:39
Ava swallowed hard.
Thirty minutes suddenly felt too short.
"What should we do?" Lily asked nervously.
Ava looked around.
Everyone seemed desperate.
And desperate people…
were dangerous.
"We should probably find a team first."
"Then let's join someone!"
Before Ava could answer, Noah suddenly appeared beside them.
"Hey!"
The two girls nearly jumped.
"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I didn't mean to scare you."
Lily sighed in relief.
"You really have terrible timing."
Noah grinned.
"So… do you guys have a team?"
Ava and Lily exchanged glances.
Then slowly shook their heads.
A smile immediately spread across Noah's face.
"Perfect! Let's team up."
"Just like that?" Ava asked.
Noah blinked.
"Well… we're all strangers anyway."
He wasn't wrong.
No one knew anyone here.
No one knew who could be trusted.
No one even knew if trust mattered at all.
Lily slowly nodded.
"Then… that's three people."
Immediately, their expressions stiffened.
Three.
They needed one more person.
The countdown ticked on.
00:24:15
Panic spread through the plaza.
"Please! Join us!"
"We need one more person!"
"Wait! Don't leave!"
A girl suddenly burst into tears.
Her entire team had abandoned her.
Ava looked away.
Fear slowly settled inside her chest.
This was only the beginning.
Yet people were already being left behind.
"What about him?"
Noah suddenly spoke.
Ava followed his gaze.
The cold young man from earlier.
He was standing alone near the fountain.
Hands in his pockets.
Expression unreadable.
Completely calm.
As though none of this concerned him.
"He still doesn't have a team?" Lily whispered.
Noah frowned.
"That's weird."
Ava looked around.
It wasn't.
People were avoiding him.
Some glanced at him nervously before looking away.
As if they were afraid of him.
But why?
The countdown continued.
00:20:03
Lily bit her lip.
"We don't have much time."
Noah sighed.
"I'll ask him."
"What?!"
Before either of them could stop him, Noah walked away.
Ava stared after him.
Was he crazy?
The young man looked dangerous.
Not dangerous in an obvious way.
But…
there was something about him.
Something difficult to explain.
Noah stopped in front of him.
The young man slowly lifted his gaze.
The two exchanged a few words.
Then—
Noah suddenly smiled.
A moment later, he turned around.
"He said yes!"
"...What?"
The young man walked toward them.
With every step he took, the atmosphere became strangely tense.
Lily looked nervous.
Ava remained silent.
He stopped in front of them.
For a few seconds…
nobody spoke.
Then—
"I'm Damien."
His voice was calm.
Deep.
Cold.
Noah smiled brightly.
"I'm Noah!"
"Lily."
"...Ava."
Damien nodded once.
Silence.
Very awkward silence.
Noah laughed.
"Well, this isn't awkward at all."
No one laughed.
Noah coughed.
"Tough crowd again."
Surprisingly—
Lily giggled.
Even Ava almost smiled.
the tension eased slightly.
Then—
BEEP!
Everyone froze.
The screens lit up once again.
TEAM REGISTRATION CLOSED.
The countdown had ended.
A heavy silence fell over the plaza.
A few contestants looked relieved.
Others looked terrified.
And then—
another message appeared.
THREE CONTESTANTS FAILED TO FORM TEAMS.
Gasps erupted.
Three?
Ava quickly looked around.
A young woman immediately burst into tears.
"No…"
A man beside her looked pale.
A teenage boy slowly stepped backward.
"They wouldn't… right?"
Nobody answered.
Nobody could.
Because deep down—
everyone was thinking the same thing.
The distorted voice echoed through the city.
"Contestants who failed to form teams…"
Silence.
"...have been automatically nominated for elimination."
The entire plaza froze.
Elimination.
The word sounded even more terrifying this time.
The woman collapsed to her knees.
"Please…"
The teenage boy shook violently.
"This isn't fair…"
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared to speak.
Then—
another message slowly appeared.
FIRST GAME WILL BEGIN IN TEN MINUTES.
A map appeared on the screen.
A location blinked red.
GAME ARENA.
The voice spoke once more.
"Proceed immediately."
The screens went dark.
Silence.
Nobody knew what to say.
Nobody even knew how to breathe.
The first game.
It was finally here.
Ava looked at her teammates.
Lily looked terrified.
Noah's smile had disappeared.
Even Damien's expression seemed slightly darker.
Fear slowly crept into her heart.
This was real.
Painfully real.
And suddenly—
a scream echoed through the plaza.
Everyone turned.
The young woman who had failed to find a team was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Please… I don't want to die…"
No one stepped forward.
No one knew what to do.
Because what if helping her somehow put them in danger too?
That realization alone was horrifying.
Already…
people were beginning to think only of themselves.
Ava slowly clenched her fists.
This game…
was changing them.
And it hadn't even begun.
Above them, another countdown appeared.
00:09:59
00:09:58
00:09:57
The numbers continued to decrease.
And with each passing second—
the fear in everyone's hearts only grew stronger.
Because one terrifying question remained:
What kind of game awaited them?
- Writer
