"Attention, everyone," The reporter's voice cut through the air on the radio. "A severe thunderstorm with extreme lightning will hit the city tonight. The meteorological department predicts, today's lightning is likely to produce a high-power outage. Please, everyone, stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Be safe... and so on." The voice fades slightly in the heavy wind, replaced by the car and bike horn on the trafficked road, and heavy wind blows howls with eerie ferocity outside.
On the street, people rushed to their homes, a tension on their faces etched about the announcement, and shopkeepers pulled down their shutters and locked them tightly. The dry leaves swirling at the corner of the footpath, among them, a middle-aged man's hand curled tightly over the handlebars, trying to push his repaired heavy motorcycle against the dusty wind.
In the distance, a Lightning strike in the sky looked like veins, and thunder roared sharply. The tiny raindrops fell, a middle-aged man whispering to himself, "Oh! my babies... will she be safe at home or not?" his voice shows his love and concern for his family. Without waiting another second, he pulls out his phone from his pocket, dialing his wife's number. His hands shook when cold rain touched, his voice tight with anxiety as the phone rang continuously. "Please, pick up... Serin," he pleaded.
The phone continues to ring, but no response on the other side.
Again, he tried without hesitation.
Finally, the call connected, and same time, the rain flow increased. "Hello? Alex, where are you, honey? It's already raining heavily, and thunder's started… why aren't you home yet?" Serin asked, her voice concerned and urgent.
Alex breathed out in relief after hearing his wife's voice, and a small smile appeared on his tense face. "I'm on my way, I've almost reached. But I need to know, are you and the kids okay? Is everyone inside? Is everyone safe?"
"We're all safe inside," Serin confirmed, though a tremor of fear still lingered in her voice. "I told the kids to stay away from the windows. Please hurry. The storm is getting worse."
"Please, stay safe, Honey? I'm almost there." Alex gripped the phone tightly against his wet hand and his eyes fixed on the left street, where his house was located.
"Okay, just hurry home, love," Serin said, and the line went dead with a beep sound.
Alex was fully soaked by rain; his grip tightened around the handlebars with relief as he looked toward his nearby street. Then, in a flash of strong lightning, a sharp thunder roar made the power lines crackle and shut, then fizzled out across the city. The road became slippery, black, the wind pushing against him, but he doesn't stop, his eyes fixed on his house, and moves forward, pushing his bike.
Within a few steps, another blinding flash of lightning splits the sky in double. This time, the thunder that followed was a massive roar that lasted five minutes, that slammed into Alex. His body shakes from the immense force of the storm as he stumbles backward, his legs weakening in that roar, due to the heavy storm dragging him down without balance.
In that continuous roar, suddenly, a sharp pain strikes his chest. He placed his hand towards his chest in pain as he slowly crawled towards the nearest street wall to lean. His breath hitches slowly, his heart aches fast in pain, a thin gasp escaping his lips, and he slowly pulls out his phone to dial his wife to inform the emergency, but the phone slips from his grip, vanishing into the rainwater.
The chest pain increased gradually, and he understood the critical situation. he opened his lips to ask for help, but the words didn't come out; only air escaped. His vision started to blur, and the pain increased as the rain fell around him like a heavy curtain. He struggles to exhale and inhale, but his eyes flutter closed slowly, and his hands are still searching for the phone.
"Please... be safe..." Alex whispered his last conscious thought. No moments on his body, the world around him fades, his eyes slowly close, and his state becomes unconsciousness and consumed by the darkness.
-----
Now, the world around him is eerily silent. The heavy storm, massive thunder, and rain were all gone. Now the place is replaced by a dark, wet, muddy land, with a soft, fresh, cold breeze rustling through the trees.
Suddenly, a low voices break through the dead silence. Alex groans softly as he feels a hand gently shaking his shoulder from someone. He moved his hand slightly as he opened his eyes slowly. "Hey, man, are you okay? Hey!" The young man's voice echoed in Alex's ears.
Alex lifts his head slightly above, bewildered, his heart races against his ribs, his breathing thin as he tries to push his confusion.
His gaze shifted slowly towards the group of people standing at a distance, and his eyes widened watching he was surrounded by an unfamiliar place, with giant, towering trees and strange faces around him. He notices the air feels different, cool, fresh, and crisp—and the ground beneath him is soft with moss.
"Where am I?" Alex asked weekly. He tried to push himself into a sitting position.
"Wait… " A young man with an M symbol tattoo on his neck stepped forward and gripped Alex's hand and helped him lean against the tree.
"Why am I here? Why... "Alex paused, his eyes scanned each person's face in front of him, their faces concerned but unfamiliar, it only deepened his confusion. "What happened to me? I don't remember anything...!" he whispered as he placed his hand on his forehead in a sudden headache.
The group of people around him exchange looks, their expressions a mix of confusion and apprehension. "You okay?" a tattoo man asked.
Alex nodded in agreement as he looked back at them.
"I am Adam. Just relax.... We also don't know either... we're just as confused as you are." Adam assured with a gentle, strained smile, looking around at the chaos. "Take some rest, man...." he added as their group returned towards the nearby group.
Then, Alex looks up at the towering trees, stars shining in the clear sky, and dark mountains around him." What is this place? And how did he end up here? And why is my mind blank? He murmured to himself. He leaned against the tree silently, placing his hand on his forehead, and closed his eyes to rest because of a headache.
After a few tense moments, a wave of anxiety settled over the group. Various group of strangers starts to spread out, carefully moving through the dense trees. They look around nervously, trying to figure out what's going on and where they ended up.
No matter how far they wander in the dark, it remains the same endless forest, towering trees, and a deadly quiet that feels unsettling.
Without warning, a sharp mechanical voice cuts through the silence, vibrating from somewhere, echoing off in all directions. It sounds artificial, coded, but it's audible.
Everyone looked at the above, a few of them holding nearby hands in fear, watching nervously at the flashing light. "Hi, Gamers," The AI voice echoed in the mountain. "Welcome to Game Arena." As it spoke, shimmering 3D letters began to appear in blue glowing holograms, flickering gently. The blue-white light cast a glow on their faces, reflecting the dark forest.
"Huh? Game Arena...." one of them murmured, his expression was unreadable.
The AI voice continued, "Registration Begins."
With a sharp sound, a grinding sound, the ground splits them shifting as a mechanical drawer painted white with red emerges from the earth and rises automatically without any force.
Everyone instantly stepped back in confusion. They sighed, but their eyes remained on the drawer with curiosity.
The murmurs were stares, their face etched with doubt.
With a sudden beep, it automatically clicked and unlocked, the drawer opened to reveal a set of cards neatly arranged on velvet cloth, perfectly lined.
"Welcome to Earth Sign Game." AI voice announced. "Pick one card. One card for each person. Rules: Do not exchange your card."
The group exchanged nervous glances, a mix of confusion and uncertainty still clouding their expressions. "What is this? "one of the ladies murmured as gripping her skirt tightly.
What kind of game have they been thrown into?" The murmurs started.
"We can pick any card, isn't?" the young man asked, watching others' terrified expressions.
"I am not going first. What if it's a trap?" the woman interrupted as she glanced into a drawer disgustingly, and she flipped her blonde hair back.
The silence stretched, and the time went by, but no one confidently stepped near the drawer; everyone was frozen in fear, and just exchanged glances in doubt and silently signaled each other to take the card.
After a brief silence, in a crowd, a young girl with red dyed hair, rolled her eyes watching a coward mindset stepped forward "Losers," she murmured, confidently glancing back at the crowd before, took a card, flipped her hair back, and casually took a first card from the drawer.
Everyone one eyes are on her hand and eagerly waiting for the next moment.
She turned back, arched her brows to dare. "Look, I am alive." A proud smirk appeared on her lips. " Now, it's your turn," she challenged confidently, watching a blonde-haired woman, kissing the card to mock her back, and sauntering back to the crowd like a queen.
"Nothing happened," the crowd murmured in agreement; a relief ran over their happy words.
"You crazy bitch" the blonde-haired with pony styled woman whispered as her jaw tighten, watching a sudden attention over red-dyed woman.