The silence in the bedroom was disturbing. The metal beds, aligned in precise rows, offered little comfort after the chaos of the first game. You let yourself fall on one of the mattresses, exhausted, with breathing still irregular. The memory of the dry sound of the gunshots tormented her.

While you were massaging your temples, someone occupied the bunk in front. You didn't look up, too focused on calming your nerves, until you heard a familiar laugh, sarcastic and loaded with that carefree tone that you had always hated.

"Well, this is a romantic reunion, don't you think?"

You raised your head. There he was, Thanos, sitting on the bed with one leg crossed over the other, his purple hair as messy as ever, as if he had just come out of a storm. His eyes shone with a mocking spark, and the sideways smile that knew him so well was there, intact.

"It can't be," you murmured.

"Wow, hello to you too, girl."

The last time you saw it, things had ended badly, very badly. And now, after years of trying to bury him in your memory, he appeared here, in this place, in this nightmare.

"What the hell are you doing here?" You asked, trying to keep your voice down.

"The same as you, I guess," he replied, leaning against the wall with a relaxed attitude that did not fit the circumstances.

"Survive. Although, of course, do it with style. I don't know if you noticed, but I was one of the first to cross the line in the game."

You glared at him. "Do you want a medal?"

"Well, I wouldn't say no," he replied with a shrug and a wider smile. "But hey, what a twist of fate, right? Of all the people who could be here, it turns out that you too. It's almost poetic."

You closed your eyes, trying to ignore it. His voice, his presence, turned your stomach. Not only because it reminded you of the past, but because, despite everything, there was still something in him that made you feel vulnerable.