#thedeadend

𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓰𝓾𝓮 ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

You never expected to wake up in the middle of a grassy field with no memory of how you got there, but there you are.

Your heart pounds out of your chest. It's so loud that even the spirits can hear it.

The spirits of the teenagers who were in your place a year prior.

Their pulse had been rushing, just like yours is.

Their hands were coated in sweat, just like yours are.

Their breathing was unusually fast, just like yours is.

They were panicking, just like you are.

But it didn't help.

No, not at all.

They could've survived if they'd been calm about the situation and had gone with it. But they didn't.

So, now it's your turn to try to complete the trials. It's your turn to try to make it to the end. It's your turn to follow the route.

Your clothes are luckily intact, and you look almost the same, despite some knots making themselves comfortable in your head of hair.

The only new sensation is the cold bite of the foggy breeze, curling around you like unseen fingers.

And beside you, there is a small device waiting for you to notice its presence. It's meant for you, the only device you'll have access to for the next fifteen days.

Or less. Maybe it could be the only device you have access to for the rest of your life.

You hesitate. What if touching it makes things worse? 

Pick it up.

You don't know why, but you obey. The watch is turned off, but you still wrap it over your wrist just in case.

As it completes, it stirs awake, and a voice erupts — an announcement woven into the screen's glow.

Welcome to the route. There are fifteen destinations. You may know the rules, but you may not. Those rules will cost you your life, so be careful about your actions. You have twenty four hours to complete the task and exit each destination. If you do not complete the tasks before leaving, you will not make it out alive. You have been warned. Good luck, Player Sixteen.

You stare at your watch in confusion.

The timer appears on the screen. 5:00, 4:59, 4:58, 4:57.

You freeze.

Stop standing there. It won't help with your chances.

Five minutes. That's all you have to reach the first location: the ghost town.

Hurry. Or you won't make it.

You're lucky that Piper is the first spirit you'll meet.

She isn't like the others; not as cruel. Not as restless.

But trust? That's a dangerous thing here.

You see it in the distance — a tall building covered in a blanket of smoke, followed by more.

Walk faster! You have two minutes left.

Your legs move fast, pain aching throughout your calves.

Congratulations, you made it to your first location.

The timer on your watch switches. 24:00:00, 23:59:59, 23:59:58.

You have twenty four hours.

Use the time wisely.