Dark Whispers

The air turned ice-cold. Jamie's fingers trembled against her phone screen, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Sandra, we have to shut this down—"

Sandra didn't take her eyes off her phone. Her brow furrowed as she spoke in a low voice, "No… If this stream continues only when we're the 'main event,' then right now, we're the target."

Jamie's stomach dropped.

Everyone watching was a potential victim.

She lifted her gaze to the empty street outside. The streetlights cast long, eerie shadows across the pavement. The road was quiet, save for the occasional car passing by, its headlights briefly illuminating the darkness.

But she could feel it.

Something was watching them.

Suddenly, Sandra's phone screen flickered, displaying a distorted image.

It was a live feed of their car parked on the roadside.

And in the distance, standing motionless in the shadows, was a figure.

Watching.

"Get in the car. Now." Sandra's voice was firm. She yanked open the driver's side door.

Jamie didn't hesitate. As soon as she shut the door behind her, she felt the weight of unseen eyes locking onto her.

Sandra floored the accelerator.

The car roared to life, tires screeching as they sped onto the open road.

The countdown continued on their screens.

7:437:427:41

Jamie gripped her phone, her mind racing. She hovered her finger over the exit button but hesitated.

"If this is some kind of death game, we can't just run. We need to find out who's controlling it." Sandra kept her voice steady, maneuvering the car through the deserted streets.

Jamie frowned. "But who's behind this? The thing in that building? Or…"

Her screen glitched violently.

The live feed shifted—

Now, the camera was angled from above their car, as if something was watching them from the sky.

Jamie's blood ran cold.

She snapped her head up toward the night sky.

A dark figure flitted past a neon sign overhead, moving unnaturally fast.

Her pulse spiked. "Sandra—above us!"

Sandra reacted instantly, jerking the wheel. The car swerved into a narrow alleyway, weaving through tight turns to shake off their pursuer.

6:586:576:56

The countdown marched relentlessly forward.

Jamie's fingers flew across her phone screen, attempting to trace the livestream's source.

"Damn it, the signal keeps bouncing—someone's rerouting it constantly…" she muttered.

Sandra's phone buzzed.

A new message appeared.

[Prepare for your first "Game Challenge."]

And then—

A woman covered in blood appeared in the middle of the road.

Her wide, unblinking eyes locked onto them.

Sandra slammed the brakes.

The woman let out a piercing scream and lunged at the windshield!

Jamie recoiled as the woman's grotesque face pressed against the glass, her lips curling into a wide, twisted grin.

Then, her lips moved.

Jamie could read what she was saying.

"It's your turn."

Her phone screen jolted.

A system prompt appeared—

[CHOOSE: "JOIN" OR "REFUSE."]

Jamie's breath caught in her throat. "Sandra, we can't choose—"

Sandra glanced at the countdown, jaw tightening. "If we don't, we might die instantly."

5:205:195:18

The bloodstained woman outside the car watched expectantly, her grin widening.

Jamie's hands trembled. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Then, she exhaled sharply.

Her finger slid across the screen—

And she pressed "REFUSE."

10. The Final Stream

The screen went black.

Sound vanished.

For a moment—

Time stopped.

Then—

A cold, skeletal hand lunged from the darkness and wrapped around Jamie's throat!

A crushing force choked the air from her lungs, yanking her into an abyss of nothingness.

All around her, whispers rose like a tidal wave.

Excited voices. Chattering. Murmuring. Laughing.

[She refused! What happens now?][Will she die?][No, she's still in the game…][Round Two begins now.]

Jamie's eyes snapped open.

She was still in the car.

Sandra was gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white.

The countdown on Jamie's screen had hit zero—

But the livestream was still active.

And now, the chat was exploding.

[Congratulations! You survived the first challenge. The second round begins now.]

Jamie felt her stomach drop.

Her phone screen flickered—

And a blood-red message appeared:

[Welcome to Round Two: The Hunters Are Coming.]