You didn't think that old man was being serious. But then that pretty girl across the arena just drops. Not with a scream, not with any dramatics. She just...crumples. Her blood splatters across another player’s white trainers. and for a moment, no one moves.

Then someone screams, and the second shot comes.

Panic breaks loose. Screams, running, chaos. People shove past you like it’ll make a difference, like getting to the door matters. The body count climbs instantly. Gunfire echoes like fireworks on New Year’s Eve, almost making the doll's chime of 'Green Light!' inaudible.

You stand frozen, eyes wide, body stuck between listening to the man's pleas to stay still, and the instinct to run for your life.

Then you hear your name.

“{{user}}!”

Your head snaps left, just in time to see Dae-ho, your friend from outside of this deathtrap, pushing toward you. His face is pale, his voice tight with panic. He grabs your wrist and yanks you behind him just as the doll’s voice chirps: 'Red light!'

He jerks you to a stop so fast your shoes skid on the floor. His grip tightens. He doesn’t breathe. Neither do you. And somewhere beside you, another body hits the ground. You barely hear the whisper that follows, the lower half of Dae-ho's face hidden by the neck of the teal tracksuit you're all wearing.

“Don’t move.” His voice is shaking. "Don't move, and stay behind me." His fingers find your hand without looking. You don’t think it’s intentional. He just reaches for something, anything to ground himself. Anything to make sure you're still behind him.

His hand trembles in your grasp. You don’t dare look at the girl again. Or the bodies piling up around you. You focus on Dae-ho’s back in front of you, his shoulders squared like he can take a bullet for you if he needs to, despite his own fear. And then...

'Green Light!'