It was still dark… Either I was in a pitch-black room, or the sack over my head hadn't been removed yet. My hands were tightly tied behind my back, and I lay on the ground, waiting. I had to do something—first get free of the ropes, then escape this place.
I shouted a few times:
"Is anyone there? Help me!"
No answer at first. Then a voice replied:
"Who's there? Where am I? Where's Serhat?"
"I don't know who Serhat is, but it's just the two of us here right now."
"Who are you?"
I couldn't trust anyone yet. We might be watched or listened to. Giving my name didn't seem wise. To steer the topic away, I said:
"I don't think names matter right now, friend. We need to find a way out of here."
The man had a voice, but I couldn't tell if he was near or far. I asked him, and he said he didn't know either. Straining myself, I managed to bring my tied hands from behind to the front. It was much harder than I thought.
I pulled the sack off my head. The light stung my eyes. Looking around, I realized we were in a dungeon. Two sides were stone walls, and the other two were metal bars. The walls were mossy from dampness and mold; the base of the bars where they met the concrete was rusted. Someone was lying next to me. It seemed like two people had been placed in each cell.
The man I spoke to earlier was in the cell next to mine, awake and leaning against the wall. I approached the side closer to him and said:
"Hey, come to my voice, get closer. Let me untie your hands."
He came closer, and after I untied him, he helped untie mine. He was a bit older than me, around thirty-five, with blonde hair and beard, a lean figure. We then removed the sacks and untied the hands of the others lying next to us. The person in my cell was Caner. After nudging him, he slowly regained consciousness and mumbled:
"Why do I have a huge bump on my head?"
"Forget the bump—we need to get out of here. Check your pockets, maybe you have a phone."
We searched our pockets. Phone, watch… Everything was taken. Even the letter I wrote to my father was gone.
Then the guy from the next cell found a piece of metal. He struggled to unlock the door but couldn't. Caner noticed one of the window bars was rusty. He pulled it out and used it along with the metal to pick the lock. Soon, the lock clicked open. Caner crossed over and opened the rest of the cells. There were eight of us in total.
We moved toward the main corridor and exited through a door. It was almost sunset. We were in the middle of a forest, surrounded by trees. Cameras were watching us. Everyone's head was foggy. When we asked each other "How did we get here?", the answer was the same:
"We don't know."
"Let's stick together. Who knows what's out there in the forest."
At that moment, a bulky guy with long hair and a cocky attitude barked:
"Who made you leader, huh? Who are you to give orders?"
The man I rescued first stood up next to him—Serhat. He looked to be in his forties, calm and composed. He replied:
"The kid's right, meathead. For all we know, we're prey to be hunted. They tied us up like animals and caged us. We don't even know where we are!"
The long-haired guy backed down. Serhat spoke again:
"Now listen to me. We don't know where we are, what they want, or what they expect from us. We have to choose someone to lead and act accordingly. Otherwise, we won't survive."
By unanimous vote, Serhat was chosen as leader. He accepted and took command. We divided into teams to search the perimeter of the building. Then Serhat approached me:
"Hey, kid. Thanks for getting us all out. I'm Serhat."
"Someone had to do it, Serhat abi. And thank you for standing up back there."
"You're the only one here thinking clearly. You should be guiding us through this."
"I'm not sure I can, but I'll do my best."
We drifted away from the group, heading toward the forest's edge in silence after the chaos. Serhat was scanning the area, searching for signs or clues.
Despite my irritation, I sent Caner and the cocky guy to scout together. Caner didn't take it well. Maybe he thought I was pushing him aside, but I had no choice. While they scouted the back of the building, they called us over. They'd found a message written on the wall, black paint over moldy bricks:
"Your journey begins now. Good luck."
Caner stared at it for a moment, then turned to me and said:
"This is way bigger than we thought, Alpay..."
I quickly covered his mouth, whispering:
"Don't use our names. We can't trust the others yet."
Caner frowned and said:
"You tell me not to trust them, but you're all buddy-buddy with the leader."
"Look, blockhead... I don't trust that cocky jerk you're with. That's why I sent you."
Caner calmed down. He understood my reasoning, though the unease in his eyes remained.
While inspecting the building's exterior, we noticed a camera system monitoring all directions. Serhat and the cocky guy examined it. Suddenly, the guy smashed it.
"We're getting out of here. Whoever's watching, let them know that too."
His words motivated the group, but the action was reckless. Caner shouted:
"Idiot! You just gave away our location! Now they'll come check!"
Caner was right. He grasped the situation quickly. The cocky guy realized his mistake, but it was too late. The others remained silent—afraid, uncertain.
The man I saved earlier, Levent, was an observant type. He mostly watched, occasionally whispering with Serhat. I took the broken camera wires and slipped them into my pocket, along with a sharp piece of glass.
Serhat's thinking was more systematic. We began moving into the forest as a team. After about ten minutes of searching, we found a trail marked by stones, heading north. It looked like someone had used it before.
Just then, Caner heard a faint buzzing. Looking up, he spotted a drone:
"Guys! Drone above! It's tracking us! Get under the trees!"
We all ducked under the canopy. The drone lost sight of us and dropped lower, switching to ground mode. Suddenly, the cocky guy jumped into a tree. Before we knew what he was doing, Serhat shouted:
"Don't!"
He leaped from the tree and struck the drone with a stick, taking it down. Serhat was furious:
"Meathead! Do you have to break everything? Do you want us to get shot?!"
"My name is Yaman, not meathead. And better safe than sorry. The drone had a note. I grabbed it."
"Every step outside the rules comes with a cost."
I pocketed the note. I also carefully removed one of the drone's blades and stashed it in my gear. I now had a sharp tool.
As we continued walking, we slowly started learning each other's names:
Serhat: The leader. Smart and experienced.
Levent: Quiet, observant.
Yaman: Aggressive and impulsive. Loves breaking things.
Soner: Calm, calculated, only speaks when necessary.
Tarık: Talkative but agile and athletic.
While scanning the area, I noticed hidden cameras among the trees—many of them camouflaged. I said nothing. Then, between the branches, I saw a face. The person spotted me and dashed forward—straight for Soner.
He tackled him by the neck and shouted:
"No one move or I'll cut him!"