Murmurs of protest rumbled through the hall, but the voice cut through them with cold indifference.
"And that is not all. If you fail these tests, your chance of leaving this place is minimal. You must exert every effort to escape, or death will be your fate."
The protests erupted again, louder this time.
"Save your energy," the voice commanded. "You will need it to survive. Now, I will give you the instructions. Listen carefully. I will not repeat them."
A tense silence fell over the room. Noor could feel the fear in the air, a thick, suffocating presence. He stood his ground, focusing on what would come next.
"You will undergo several tests," the voice continued, its tone resolute. "You will compete against each other, cooperate with each other, and fight each other. Points will be awarded based on your performance. In the end, only the top eight will have a real chance of escaping from here."
A wave of terror swept through the crowd. Only eight?
Noor glanced around, seeing the same horror reflected in the eyes of everyone else. There were fifty people here. What would happen to the rest? Would they die?
The questions plagued his mind, but he forced them down, listening as the voice spoke over the renewed objections.
"You are permitted to use any means necessary to succeed. If you wish to kill each other during the tests, we have no objection. All that matters is that you advance and reach the top eight. Give it your all."
The atmosphere in the room changed. The nervous murmurs died, replaced by a tense, predatory silence.
Glances that were once curious now became calculating. Everyone was sizing each other up, measuring potential threats, potential allies, potential victims. The instinct for survival had taken over.
"To save time," the voice announced, "we will begin with the first test."
A large gate at the end of the arena swung open, flooding the sterile room with warm, natural sunlight. It was a comfort they hadn't felt in months, a cruel reminder of the world outside this nightmare.
Everyone began to move toward the light, their steps cautious, their eyes wary.
They stepped out onto a wide, long concrete path bordered on both sides by a dense wall of trees, blocking any chance of escape.
Noor looked up at the sun, wondering where they were. Some remote island where horrific experiments were conducted in secret? Or worse, with the full knowledge of a government willing to do anything to win its wars.
"As you can see," the voice explained, "the first test will be the Death Race. You will soon find out why it is called that. The rules are simple. Reach the finish line to qualify for the next stage. If all of you reach it, all of you will advance. However, points will be awarded based on placement. The first to finish will receive the most. And remember, the fewer contestants who reach the finish line, the better for those who do. Now, let the competition begin."
Noor scanned the path, but finding nothing suspicious only made him more anxious.
While the others discussed the situation, the voice commanded them to line up in five rows of ten. Noor checked his number—thirty—and took his place in the third row.
To his right stood a young man with a pale face and an unnervingly calm demeanor. To his left, a young woman in a small hat was trembling violently, biting her nails. Her face was a mixture of beauty and pure terror.
Noor felt a flash of pain in his head as he looked at them both, a strange, nagging feeling that he'd met them before.
He turned to the woman and tried to offer a reassuring smile.
"Don't be afraid," he said softly. "We'll get out of here. I'm Noor. And you are?"
She looked at him with wide, wary eyes, her body shaking like a leaf.
"I don't know if I'll get out," she whispered, her gaze fixed on the ground. "This is madness. I just… woke up here. I don't remember anything. My name is Jean."
"Pleased to meet you, Jean," Noor said, trying to ease her tension. "What's happening doesn't matter right now. There's no escape except to follow their rules. We should cooperate. If we can get into the top eight, we can leave this place."
The young man on his right spoke, his voice cool and cynical.
"Do you really think cooperation will get us out of here?"
Noor turned to face him. "Perhaps," he said after a moment. "It could increase our chances."
"Perhaps," the man agreed, though his eyes said otherwise. "But you should still be cautious. You don't know what anyone here is capable of."
He offered an artificial, chilling smile.
"I'll help you for now. But if it comes down to you or me in a later stage, I won't hesitate to kill you. My name is Keno, by the way. A pleasure to meet you, Noor. And you, Jean. Now, stay close to me. Let's pass this test."
Both Noor and Jean nodded, a silent, uneasy truce forming between them.
Noor wanted to ask them about their abilities, what they could do, but the voice cut through the air, sharp and final.
"Now we begin… 3… 2… 1… Go!".