Five Hours Until Midnight
986 Words
The giant screen slowly went dark.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The words remained engraved in everyone's minds.
> 117 CONTESTANTS REMAINING.
>
> MIDNIGHT VOTING OPENS AT 11:00 PM.
>
> ONE CONTESTANT WILL DISAPPEAR AT 12:00 AM.
A cold silence spread across the hall.
Three people had already disappeared.
And yet…
someone else would still be taken away tonight.
Lily's lips trembled.
"Even after surviving…?"
No one answered her.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
What was the point of surviving the games if they could still disappear at midnight?
A loud mechanical voice echoed.
> "Contestants may now return to the city."
Slowly, people began moving.
Some were crying.
Some looked relieved.
Others looked completely numb.
A man suddenly dropped to his knees.
"My brother…"
His voice cracked.
"He was in Team 7…"
He looked around desperately.
But there was no answer.
No familiar face.
No brother.
Only silence.
A woman nearby began sobbing.
Another contestant covered his face.
For the first time—
everyone truly understood.
This was not a game.
People were really disappearing.
Ava felt her chest tighten.
She slowly looked at Noah, Lily and Damien.
They had all survived.
All four of them.
For now.
Noah let out a long breath.
"I can't believe we're actually alive."
Lily nodded repeatedly.
"I thought I was going to die."
Even Ava felt weak.
Her legs still hadn't stopped trembling.
The four of them slowly walked outside.
The evening sky greeted them.
It was beautiful.
Orange and golden.
Completely normal.
Too normal.
It felt strange.
How could the sky remain so beautiful while people were disappearing?
Ava looked up.
Then froze.
The giant screen in the middle of the city had changed.
A timer appeared.
05:29:57
05:29:56
05:29:55
Five hours and thirty minutes until midnight.
A chill ran down her spine.
Noah followed her gaze.
"...They're really serious."
Lily slowly stepped closer to them.
As if she suddenly didn't want to be alone.
Around them, contestants had already begun whispering.
"Who are we supposed to vote for?"
"Do we just choose anyone?"
"What if people vote for me?"
Fear slowly spread once again.
No games.
No puzzles.
Just fear.
Human fear.
Ava suddenly realized something terrifying.
The games were not the only thing that could destroy them.
They could destroy each other too.
---
The four of them eventually sat near a fountain.
Nobody spoke for a while.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Noah finally broke the silence.
"So…"
He forced a smile.
"We're officially friends now, right?"
Lily gave a small laugh.
Ava almost smiled.
Even Damien looked at him.
Noah sighed dramatically.
"Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?"
To their surprise—
Lily giggled.
A small laugh.
But it somehow eased the tension.
For a brief moment…
everything felt normal.
Then—
"Can I sit here?"
The voice made everyone turn.
A young woman stood before them.
She looked to be around Ava's age.
Long black hair.
Sharp eyes.
Beautiful.
But there was something strange about her smile.
It looked…
forced.
The girl smiled softly.
"I'm Elena."
Noah immediately nodded.
"Of course."
The girl sat down.
She looked around.
"You all survived too?"
Ava nodded slowly.
Elena sighed.
"I thought I wasn't going to make it."
Lily immediately looked sympathetic.
"What was your room like?"
Elena smiled faintly.
"A maze."
Noah groaned.
"I would have died."
A small laugh escaped from everyone.
For the first time since the game ended—
the atmosphere became lighter.
But Ava remained quiet.
Because for some reason…
something felt strange.
Very strange.
She looked at Elena again.
The girl seemed normal.
Friendly.
Yet…
Ava couldn't explain it.
Why did she feel like she had seen her somewhere before?
The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.
Maybe she was simply tired.
Yes.
That had to be it.
Suddenly—
BEEP!
Everyone flinched.
The screen changed again.
New words appeared.
> REMINDER: MIDNIGHT VOTING IS MANDATORY.
>
> FAILURE TO VOTE WILL RESULT IN PENALTY.
Silence.
Then murmurs erupted.
"Penalty?"
"What kind of penalty?"
"Are they serious?!"
Fear returned instantly.
Noah's smile disappeared.
Lily looked terrified again.
Ava slowly looked at the timer.
05:02:14
Five hours.
Only five hours.
It sounded long.
Yet somehow…
it suddenly felt too short.
Because another terrible question had appeared.
Who should they vote for?
Someone they disliked?
Someone suspicious?
Someone weak?
Or…
someone completely innocent?
The thought alone made Ava feel sick.
Then—
a scream suddenly echoed through the city.
Everyone immediately turned.
A young man was pointing toward the giant screen.
His face had turned pale.
"What… what is that?"
The contestants slowly looked up.
And froze.
A new message had appeared.
Words slowly typed themselves onto the screen.
One by one.
> THE THREE CONTESTANTS WHO FAILED TO FORM TEAMS WERE GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE REPLACED.
Silence filled the plaza.
Another sentence appeared.
A heavy silence fell.
The crying young woman slowly lowered her head.
The teenage boy's face turned pale.
"No…"
His voice shook.
"Please…"
The young woman immediately fell to her knees.
"I don't want to disappear… please…"
Tears streamed down her face.
She looked around desperately.
At everyone.
Anyone.
"Please… someone…"
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Some lowered their heads.
Others looked away.
Fear had already taken hold of them.
Because who would willingly take another person's place?
The silence became even more painful.
The young woman began sobbing.
The teenage boy clenched his fists.
"Please…"
But still—
no one stepped forward.
Ava felt her chest tighten.
Beside her, Lily looked like she was about to cry.
Noah's smile had completely disappeared.
Even Damien remained silent.
The screen flickered one final time.
> NO REPLACEMENTS FOUND.
>
> THE THREE CONTESTANTS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE GAME.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
For the first time—
everyone truly understood.
This was not a game.
And nobody was coming to save them.
- Writer
