The room was empty, cold and silent as they expected. Max tossed a book onto the floor and then leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit.
Nearby, August's brows furrowed down, her vision was fixed on the floor, and her face revealed her worry about Devin. "I hope he will be fine!" She whispered in a low, shaky tone.
"Ah! Still thinking about him. She's so annoying; probably it's worthy when it comes to 0.1 million." Max thought, and a villainous smirk curled on his lips to normal. "I hope so too," He said in a lower, humble tone and patted her shoulder to make her feel comfortable.
"Yeah, me too!"
"I forgot to ask," Max murmured, his eyes fixed on the ceiling light, "are you guys a couple or what?"
"Nope! We met accidentally through this game, and we are both staying together for the same purpose! August responded, lower calm tone. "But I am so terrified now. If he dies, I don't know how to find my friends."
"August, stop!" Max interrupted before she completed her sentence, turning her side, locking eyes with her brown eyes. "Look, in this world, every player is fighting alone. Don't ever depend on someone. You have to face your task and consequences alone."
"But?" she started.
" Even if he dies, it's not your fault; it's a survival mission. Don't think too much. If he really died, I will be there for you, okay? Trust me, we will find your friends together." He assured with trustworthy words.
August's downcast gaze looked above, noticing his unserious glint as if he had waited for this opportunity a long time ago. "Devin was right; he must be more dangerous than I thought. I should be careful and act normally to spend this whole night with him... I don't know how to escape here, but he knows every inch of this world," she thought and forced a normal, easy smile to make him trust her.
"Yeah... You're correct. Even if we were outside, we would be dead now. Even if Devin died, I'll have to find a way back on my own." She titled the head in a forceful way. "I trust you, Max, because you are the one who saved me!"
"Good girl!" Max said as he patted her head.
August immediately stood up and stepped back, holding her dread and fear inside. "I am so sorry, I must be tired... Can I take a nap?" She excused herself, her tone trembling like leaves in the wind
Max scanned her from head to toe, noticing the way she held her breath and her fingers tangled between her fists. "Okay, cool. I am also so exhausted." He said as he stretched out his whole body, his joints popping with a sickening crack-crack-bubble sound, before sprawling out on the floor. Looking at her face, he arched his brows. "Why are you still waiting?"
August forced another small smile as she lay next to him, and her heart was racing so hard inside her ribs as if every passing second was so horrible to her.
"Do you miss them?" Max asked, breaking the midnight silence. "Your family?"
Hearing a family word, she froze and blanked out for a few seconds; her nervousness and anxiety faded into miserable pain. She is expressionless, her breath caught in her throat for a moment. "Can we sleep? I am so exhausted," she said in a lower, breaking tone and turned to the opposite side and curled her body like a ball, comforting herself.
Max's gaze turned to August's side. He looked normal outside, but he was just curious. "There must be something... But is that painful or joyful?" He thought as he closed his eyes.
In another Area, at midnight, a cool breeze swept through the forest, filling the air with a mix of low creature roars and the sounds of insects mating. A huge hall surrounded by scraped, black walls, where the crackling of burning wood echoed around them. Beside a glowing flame, Sara, Edward and others were holding their hands a few inches apart. "I am really missing August!!!" Sara started, her voice filled with concern. "I hope she's doing okay."
"Luckily, she escaped from this whole mess," Edward said with a painful smile. "But I really don't know how to escape from this system world."
"I can really remember that day. how sick she was on the train," Finn added. "I just hope she's alright," he thought about before quiz time.
Back in the past, in the dim, humming silence of the train compartment, Daisy was leaning against her brother, Devin's shoulder and restlessly scrolling through the videos from IG reels. Devin focusfully who is already reading the book. Suddenly, a sharp beep and a link notification appeared above her screen.
The same rhythmic purring filled the entire compartment.
Devin and Daisy exchanged a confused glance before both tapped the link. "What's this?" he murmured in a mysterious, doubtful tone, and both were curious, and their gaze locked onto the screen.
The page circled to load, the white screen glowing too brightly Infront of every cabin. Then, bold, black letters bled onto the screen, and under the screen, there was a small invitation emoji.
"SMALL QUIZZES MAKE YOUR LIFE THRILLING AND INTERESTING... ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?"
[PLAY] [PLAY]
"It looks like a fun viral challenge, Devin!" Daisy grinned, her eyes lighting up with a fun mindset.
"Isn't it?" Devin checked his own phone; the interface was identical, and it led to the same page. "Seems like the kind of brainless thing you're obsessed with," he muttered, though he didn't close the tab.
A sudden idea of a girl's summer trip popped into her mind, and this time she had a clever way to get permission. "Wait, wait... Let's make a bet," she approached, raising her eyebrows in a confident challenge.
"Don't be silly, sister! We're on a train, not a casino." He refused and continued to study his book.
"No!!!"
"Please, we can make a bet... It may profit you also," she pleaded, dropping her voice into that "innocent puppy" tone she knew he couldn't resist.
Devin sighed, leaning back. "Fine. What's your demand?"
Daisy looked at the flickering ceiling light, tapping her chin. "If I win... You have to let me go on the summer vacation with my friends. No bodyguards, no constant check-ins. Just me and my girls. This is my demand, my dear brother!"
Devin's expression hardened. "Huh?" he hissed, in a cold, wavy tone. "It's too much demand... You knew, I won't even accept it," he said, and he returned to his book.
"Please... I can't always stay with you... Have you seen this morning? A bunch of college students were enjoying their trip with friends. Please!!!!" She made the same innocent face, "Let me have this, my sweet brother."
"She may correct... I can't always protect!! She needs her friends, too," Devin thought and made an agreed nod without left option.
Daisy suddenly shifted her sad, begging face to a bright, energetic face. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and pressed a cheek kiss. "Really? You are the best!!" she exclaimed.
"Okay. Let's start!" Devin showed his phone.
"Okay," Daisy said as she pressed a play button.
"Question 1. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?"
A. Platinum B. Volcanic clay
C. Diamond D. Mercury.
"Wow!! This is such an easy general knowledge question..." Daisy exclaimed as her confidence grew, her fingers flying through the questions until she reached the end of the quiz.
"I am done!!!!" Devin announced in a sharp tone, "first", and hung up, which shows he scored a full 10 out of 10.
Daisy's brows touched together in confusion at choosing a correct answer. "Shit, I have no idea which one is correct!" She thought as she nervously pressed option C.
The screen loaded the result. Meanwhile, her heart was beating so fast than train.
Finally, the result was loaded and showed a result of 9 out of 10. "Oh!!!! Shit!" She screamed in huge disappointment, threw a phone on the seat, and with a clear regret on her face, her eyes turned weary. "I lost. I actually lost." Her voice broke to cry.