Darkness clung to the hall like a living shadow. The air was heavy, too still, as if even time had stopped inside.
In another room, far from the silence of the hall, a man sat alone in front of a wall of screens. His eyes were fixed on the feed a group of strangers lying motionless on the cold floor, their hands bound, their breaths slow and shallow.
A knock broke the silence.
A guard entered and bowed. "Everything is ready, sir."
The man rose from his seat without a word. His movements were calm, deliberate. From the table, he picked up a demon mask its hollow eyes glinting in the dim light and lowered it over his face.
For a moment, the mask stared back at him in the dark reflection of the screen. Then, without hesitation, he turned and walked out. The echo of his boots filled the corridor as a line of guards followed.
The steel doors groaned as they opened.
Boots hit the concrete floor one by one, heavy and in rhythm. The guards stepped in first, rifles raised, spreading out until the entire hall was surrounded.
A few of the strangers on the floor stirred at the sound, their breathing quickening.
The man in the demon mask entered last. His steps were slow, almost unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world.
He stopped at the center of the hall, glancing at the unmoving bodies. His masked face tilted slightly, studying them in silence.
"Wake them," he ordered.
The guards moved immediately. Buckets of water were thrown, boots tapped against the floor, and rough hands pulled at shoulders until groans started filling the room.
The hall came alive with the sound of chains, coughing, and sharp breaths. Confusion spread like fire as one by one, the captives woke to the sight of guns pointed at them.
One by one, the people lying on the cold floor began to stir. The silence of the hall was broken by groans, the clinking of chains, and the sound of restless breathing.
Confusion turned into panic.
"Where am I?!" someone shouted.
"Where are our kids?!" another cried out, struggling against the ropes binding their wrists.
Soon the entire hall was in chaos. Questions overlapped sharp, desperate voices filling the air. Fear was written on every face.
Jinni was already sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please... someone tell me where my daughter is!"
Logan's voice roared above the noise. "Let us out of here! Whoever you are, come face us!"
Rose, tied next to him, kept her expression cold and sharp. Her eyes scanned the hall, not looking for comfort but for answers.
Kai stayed unnervingly quiet, breathing hard, his mind racing. He wasn't panicking like the others he was calculating.
Ethan's face was pale, his lips trembling, while Sara pressed her eyes shut, shaking.
The noise grew louder and louder until
BANG!
A single gunshot echoed through the hall, and the room fell into dead silence.
The hall fell silent as the man in the demon mask stepped forward.
He let the silence breathe, savoring the fear in the air, before finally speaking.
"Welcome," he said softly, his tone almost cheerful.
"Welcome… to paradise."
The word echoed unnaturally in the cold hall, making several of them flinch.
Kai pushed himself up on his elbows. "Where are our kids?! Let us see them!"
"Why are we here?!" Finn's voice cracked as he struggled against the ropes.
Logan's anger boiled over. "You think this is a joke?! Show yourself and face us!"
Rose snapped, voice sharp. "Answer us! What do you want from us?"
The man tilted his head slightly, as if amused.
"You are all very loud," he said calmly. "But do you really think you deserve answers?"
He took a slow step closer, boots echoing in the vast room.
"Listen carefully," his voice lowered, colder now.
"People like you… you are nothing more than tools.
Do you expect a lion to explain himself to the deer before he eats?"
The words landed like a slap.
"You are here because you want your children back," he continued, voice calm but sharp as a blade.
"Don't worry you will meet them very soon."
Kai's fists clenched. Sara's lips trembled. Jinni sobbed quietly in the corner.
The masked man looked over all of them, letting his gaze linger just long enough to make it hurt.
"Do as I say," he finished, each word deliberate.
"Follow every order and you may go home with your kids.
But if you even think of refusing…" his tone turned ice-cold,
"…then forget about ever seeing them again."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle over the room.
"You have ten minutes," he said slowly. "Use them well. Disobey… is not an option for any of you."
Then he turned and walked away, boots echoing like a countdown.
The guards followed, and the doors slammed shut, leaving a silence heavy enough to crush the air.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then the dam broke.
Jinni's sobs grew louder, shaking her entire body.
Ethan pressed his face into his hands, shoulders trembling.
Sara bit her lip hard, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Logan's roar shattered the silence.
"This is bullshit! We're not their damn puppets!" He yanked against the ropes until the chains bit into his skin, his breathing ragged.
Rose didn't cry her eyes only narrowed, calculating, as if already looking for a way out.
Kai stayed perfectly still, jaw tight, staring at the door like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike.
The ten minutes had just begun and already the room was breaking apart.