Episode 5: The Wrong Choice

The timer kept running.

09:11… 09:10… 09:09…

Silence filled the corridor.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

All four stood in front of the same door.

Riya’s hand was still on it.

Kabir’s eyes were fixed on the number.

Dev looked calm.

Too calm.

Only Aarav looked unsure.

“What if this is wrong…?” he said quietly.

Riya didn’t move.

“Every door can be wrong.”

Kabir added,

“And every second you waste makes it worse.”

Aarav clenched his fists.

“This isn’t a decision… it’s a gamble.”

Dev smirked slightly.

“Welcome to the game.”

The timer dropped.

08:52…

Kabir looked at Riya.

“You’re sure?”

Riya shook her head.

“No.”

Silence.

Then she pushed the door open.

A loud metallic sound echoed.

The door slowly slid aside.

Darkness inside.

No light.

No sound.

Aarav stepped back.

“I don’t like this…”

Kabir stepped forward.

“We don’t have a better option.”

Dev followed.

Riya walked in without hesitation.

Aarav stood there for a second.

Then

he followed.

The moment all four entered

the door slammed shut behind them.

Loud.

Final.

Aarav turned instantly.

“Wait!”

He tried to push it.

It didn’t move.

Locked.

“Of course…” Dev muttered.

The room was pitch black.

Aarav couldn’t see anything.

Then

a dim red light turned on.

Slowly.

Revealing the room.

Small.

Closed.

No windows.

No other doors.

Just walls.

And the floor.

Aarav looked down.

“What is this…?”

The floor wasn’t normal.

It had lines.

Thin gaps.

Like sections.

Kabir’s expression changed.

“…trap room.”

Riya stepped back slightly.

“Pressure system.”

Aarav’s heartbeat increased.

“What does that mean?”

Dev answered calmly.

“It means we chose wrong.”

Before Aarav could react

the screen appeared again.

Wrong choice.

Aarav’s chest tightened.

“I knew it…”

Another line appeared.

Penalty begins.

Suddenly

a loud mechanical sound echoed.

The floor beneath them shifted slightly.

Aarav lost balance.

“What’s happening now?!”

Kabir looked down.

“Don’t move!”

Too late.

Aarav stepped back instinctively.

Click.

A sharp sound.

Everyone froze.

Riya’s eyes widened.

“You triggered it.”

Aarav’s breath stopped.

“I… I didn’t mean"

The floor beneath one section dropped slightly.

A deep dark gap appeared.

Dev stepped back quickly.

“Careful!”

Another section shifted.

Then another.

The entire floor was unstable.

Broken into pieces.

Kabir spoke quickly.

“Only some tiles are safe.”

Aarav looked around in panic.

“How do we know which ones?!”

No answer.

Only the sound of shifting metal.

Riya closed her eyes for a second.

Thinking.

Fast.

“There’s a pattern…”

Kabir looked at her.

“What kind?”

Riya opened her eyes.

“The numbers.”

Aarav frowned.

“What numbers?!”

She pointed to the walls.

Faint digits.

Barely visible.

Repeating.

Dev smiled slightly.

“Of course… it’s never random.”

Another tile dropped.

Aarav stepped back.

Almost slipping.

“Focus!”

Kabir snapped.

“Follow her lead.”

Riya moved carefully.

One step.

Testing.

The tile held.

She moved again.

Slow.

Precise.

Kabir followed.

Dev after him.

Aarav stayed behind.

Frozen.

“Hurry up!” Kabir said.

Aarav nodded and stepped forward.

Wrong tile.

Click.

The tile dropped instantly.

Aarav slipped.

“Ah!”

He grabbed the edge just in time.

Half his body hanging over the dark gap.

His heart stopped.

“Kabir!”

Kabir moved quickly.

Grabbed his hand.

“Don’t look down.”

Aarav’s grip was weak.

“I’m slipping!”

Dev grabbed his other arm.

“Pull!”

Together they pulled him up.

Aarav collapsed on a safe tile.

Breathing heavily.

“I’m… I’m done…”

Riya looked at him.

“You’re not.”

Another loud sound echoed.

The walls started moving.

Closing in.

Aarav looked up.

“No… no no…”

Kabir’s expression hardened.

“Time limit.”

The screen appeared again.

05:00

Aarav’s eyes widened.

“We only have five minutes?!”

Dev nodded.

“And less space every second.”

The walls moved closer.

Slow.

But constant.

Riya spoke quickly.

“Move now.”

She stepped forward again.

Following the pattern.

Kabir right behind her.

Dev after him.

Aarav forced himself to stand.

His legs were shaking.

But he moved.

Carefully.

One wrong step

and it was over.

The gap below looked endless.

Dark.

Like it would swallow everything.

The walls kept closing.

The space shrinking.

04:12…

04:05…

Aarav followed exactly where they stepped.

No thinking.

Only survival.

Riya stopped suddenly.

Kabir almost bumped into her.

“What now?”

She looked ahead.

“There’s no clear path.”

Dev frowned.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning the pattern changed.”

Aarav’s heart dropped.

“You’re kidding…”

The walls moved closer.

03:30…

03:20…

Kabir looked around.

“Think fast.”

Riya’s eyes moved rapidly.

Analyzing everything.

Then

“I found it.”

Kabir looked at her.

“What?”

“Not numbers.”

She pointed at the tiles.

“Spacing.”

Dev smirked.

“Nice.”

Aarav didn’t understand.

“Just move!” Kabir snapped.

Riya stepped forward again.

New pattern.

Faster.

Less time.

The walls were close now.

Too close.

Aarav felt trapped.

03:00…

02:45…

His breathing was out of control.

“I can’t do this…”

Kabir looked back.

“You don’t have a choice.”

A loud crack echoed.

A tile behind Aarav broke completely.

Falling into darkness.

No way back now.

02:10…

02:00…

Riya moved faster.

Risking steps.

Kabir followed.

Dev stayed close.

Aarav almost slipped again.

But managed to balance.

His mind was blank now.

Only instinct.

01:30…

01:20…

The walls were inches away.

Crushing the space.

Aarav felt suffocated.

“This is it…”

Riya suddenly stopped.

A final tile.

Safe.

Ahead.

“This is the last one,” she said.

Kabir stepped on it.

It held.

Dev followed.

Aarav jumped.

Barely making it.

The moment all four landed

everything stopped.

Silence.

The walls stopped moving.

The floor stabilized.

The gaps disappeared.

Aarav collapsed to his knees.

Breathing heavily.

“We… we survived…”

The screen appeared.

Round complete.

Aarav closed his eyes.

Relief.

For a second.

Then

another line appeared.

One mistake detected.

Aarav froze.

His heart dropped again.

“What…?”

Kabir looked at the screen.

Riya didn’t move.

Dev sighed.

“Here it comes…”

The final line appeared.

Punishment will be assigned.

Aarav’s hands started shaking again.

“No… no we finished the round…”

The lights flickered.

The air turned cold.

That presence returned.

Watching.

Closer.

Then

the screen showed one word.

AARAV

Silence.

Dead silence.

Aarav’s breath stopped.

“No…”

Kabir looked at him.

“You triggered the first tile.”

Riya added coldly.

“And almost died.”

Dev looked away.

“System doesn’t forget.”

Aarav stepped back.

“No… please…”

The lights went off.

Darkness again.

And this time

something was coming for him.

To be continued…

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