The Stranger’s Invitation

The hallway beyond the door was colder. Silent. Every step echoed unnaturally, swallowed up by the dense, humming air.

Lina walked with caution, her heartbeat a drumbeat in her ears. Above her, dim lights flickered—first left, then right—casting long, warped shadows that twisted across the steel walls. The corridor soon widened into a large chamber, metallic and cold, humming with some unseen energy. The scent of oil and electricity filled her nose.

At the center of the chamber stood a curved metal table, polished like chrome, eerie in its design. Six colored wires—Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, White, and Black—lay across its surface, each ending in a distinct handle. Small glowing bulbs pulsed softly beside each color, like the chamber was breathing with them.

The rest of the group filed in behind her, eyes darting, breaths short.

No one spoke.

Then, from hidden speakers somewhere above, a voice rang out. Feminine, mechanical… but also ancient, as though layered with echoes of something long buried:

> "Ten were chosen. Only the bold remain.

You must each pick one wire.

Two wires will end your journey.

Four will test your fear.

Four will let you pass.

Choose wisely.

You have one minute. Oldest first. Youngest last. No speaking."

A heavy silence dropped over the chamber. Everyone froze.

---

🔟 The Ten Players

Lina looked around, the silence ringing in her ears. No one dared to move, but everyone knew what was coming.

1. Sameena, the veiled elder woman, her posture straight, her face unreadable beneath layers of fabric.

2. Iqbal, arms smeared with grease, jaw set with stubborn defiance.

3. Saira, barefoot, mascara smudged beneath her eyes, already trembling.

4. Neha, tattoos winding up her neck, trying—and failing—to look brave.

5. Zayan, hoodie pulled up, fists clenched, sweat on his brow.

6. Lina, seventeen, dust still clinging to her school shoes, chest tight.

7. Rami, sixteen, twitchy, eyes wide with panic.

8. Areeba, sixteen, her envelope clutched to her chest like a shield.

9. Haider, small, silent, eyes darting between the exits.

10. Tariq, the youngest, no older than thirteen, his face blank.

They were strangers. No friendships. No alliances. Only fear. And the wires.

---

The voice returned.

> "Sameena. Choose."

The elder woman stepped forward, slow but steady. Her fingers hovered, then grasped the Green wire.

A soft click. A glowing green light pulsed from the table.

Safe.

She stepped back without a word.

> "Iqbal. Choose."

He didn't hesitate. He walked up and pulled the Black wire with confident force.

The light flashed—red.

A sharp crack echoed through the room.

Iqbal's body jolted like a rag doll. He gasped once, then crumpled. Eyes shut. Chest barely moving.

He wasn't dead.

But he was done.

Without warning, a hidden panel slid open behind him. Mechanical arms, silent and cold, slid his unconscious body into the darkness beyond.

One down.

Saira shrieked, her voice echoing too loudly in the metal room.

> "Silence. Saira. Choose."

She staggered forward, her fingers trembling. Yellow.

The table flashed white.

Safe.

She collapsed to her knees, sobbing softly, before crawling back to the group.

> "Neha. Choose."

Neha stepped up, lips tight, tattoos shifting with each shaky breath. She reached for Red.

A green light pulsed.

Safe.

> "Zayan. Choose."

He hesitated, glancing at the remaining wires. His hand hovered, then slowly reached for White.

Red light.

He cried out—quick, sharp, and cut off. His body spasmed violently, then dropped.

Another panel opened.

Two down.

Zayan vanished into the walls.

Lina felt her knees weaken.

> "Lina. Choose."

Her breath stuttered.

The wires looked the same—innocent, harmless. But they weren't. Her hand hovered over the remaining ones—Blue, Yellow (used), Green (used), Black (used), Red (used), White (used).

Only Blue hadn't been touched.

She reached forward—slowly—and pulled it.

Green light.

Safe.

Her knees nearly gave out. But she held firm.

> "Rami. Choose."

Rami rushed forward in panic, eyes wild. He grabbed Green—already used.

A harsh buzzer screamed from the ceiling.

> "Wrong choice. But spared—for now."

A hatch opened beneath his feet. He yelped, stumbling back as blackness yawned beneath him.

Then—slam—it shut.

He stood frozen, shaken, but alive.

> "Areeba. Choose."

She stepped forward, hesitant. Only White, Red, and Black remained—already touched.

She reached for White—used by Zayan.

The light blinked red.

But nothing happened.

> "This one is spent. You live."

She exhaled, shoulders sagging.

> "Haider. Choose."

He stepped forward in silence, pulled Blue.

It glowed green.

Safe.

> "Tariq. Choose."

Ten seconds. Two wires left.

He swallowed hard, eyes flicking between Red and Black.

He reached for Red.

Green light.

Safe.

---

The voice returned.

> "Two have fallen. Eight remain.

The game continues.

The wires remember."

A low rumble began beneath the floor.

From the far end of the chamber, a heavy steel door groaned open, revealing a narrow staircase descending into the dark.

The players stood frozen, uncertain.

> "Next trial begins below. Bring your fear."

No one spoke.

One by one, the eight remaining players stepped toward the stairs, their footsteps hesitant, eyes wide.

Lina followed them last.

As she reached the threshold, she looked back.

The wire table was still there.

The lights above the two red wires—Black and White—still glowed faintly, pulsing like a memory.

And behind the walls, something shifted in the shadows.

Alive. Watching.

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