Stella looked at Newton Not long Just enough Then she looked at the crowd who had stood against them
Her jaw tightened
"Do as they have requested," she said softly The words did not sound like surrender They sounded like calculation
Newton's heart dropped into his stomach
"What!" Samuel screamed. His voice echoed across the hall, cracked and wild "Are you out of your mind? That is the only resource we have to survive"
Stella moved before anyone could react. Her hand shot forward Her fingers wrapped around Samuel's throat.
Hard, and heavy.
Samuel's words died instantly His hands grabbed her wrist. His legs kicked slightly off the ground. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Do you think I do not know that?" Stella's voice came out low, cold, and controlled.
"You give them those Ninja Coins, and you get to live today and die tomorrow"
Her grip tightened
Samuel's face reddened
"But if you refuse," she whispered "You will die today"
Silence fell
Heavy, and violent.
She let him go.
Samuel dropped, and collapsed to his knees.
Coughing, dragging air into his lungs like a drowning man.
Newton stared at her. He understood Not with words, but with instinct. If Stella had chosen this, then there was no fight to win.
Brian's voice cut through the silence. "What is it going to be?" He stepped forward slowly. Each step confident, claiming the space. "Are you giving it, or you are dying?"
Newton raised his hands slowly. His fingers trembled "Alright" His voice came out thin.
Weak.
"Alright" He swallowed "You can have it all." The words tasted like ash.
He turned, and walked to the food terminal.
His wrist stretched forward. The screen flickered. His remaining Ninja Coins vanished
Turning into zero.
The glass opened. He grabbed the plates:
Warm, and heavy.
He turned back and dropped them in front of Brian. The sound echoed louder than it should.
Phil followed.
Silent.
Empty eyes.
He bought his own, then dropped them too. Like an offering.
Total submission.
Brian smiled" Wide, and satisfied.
"Good boys"
He bent down, and picked one plate. Held it like a trophy "As the initiator of this beautiful idea, I guess I deserve a plate for myself"
Rebecca's teeth clenched. Her fists curled "There is no superior here." Her voice shook with anger.
"We share the food equally."
Theo shook his head slowly. His lips dry, and cracked.
"The food is not enough." He looked at the plates, then at the faces.
Hungry faces
Desperate faces
"I suggest we fight" His voice remained calm, and detached. "The loser doesn't get to eat."
A murmur exploded.
Fear.
Shock.
Hope
Madness
"We must not kill ourselves," Andy said quickly. His hands raised in a defensive manner. "We can play games instead."
He swallowed.
"Games to decide who wins and who loses." Brian glanced at Theo. Their eyes met. Both understood.
Games meant chance. Chance meant risk. Theo's jaw tightened.
"No"
His voice hardened.
"That is boring."
Andy stepped forward "If you do not like the idea then get out." His voice cracked But he didn't stop.
"You don't get to eat."
Silence again
Long, and painful.
Brian exhaled slowly.
His shoulders dropped slightly.
"Alright."
His voice carried quiet defeat. "Let's have it your way"
They used a shoe.
Worn, dirty, Thrown into the center.
Flip. Spin. Fall.
Each turn decided survival, or hunger.
Newton watched, his stomach twisted in anger. His heart pounded every time the shoe left someone's hand.
People prayed.
Whispered.
Begged.
When it ended, thirty students ate. Thirty stomachs held food. The rest held nothing.
Theo stared at the ground. Brian laughed bitterly "We cooked up a plan to feed ourselves."
His voice broke.
"Yet ended up feeding others."
No one answered. Because no one could.
Night came, but sleep did not.
Morning came, but hope did not. It came with aggressive hunger.
They lay across the corridor floor. Bodies scattered, and broken.
Stomachs growled endlessly.
Newton pressed his forehead against the cold ground. His teeth sank into his lip..The pain distracted him.
Barely.
Beside him, someone whimpered. Someone prayed. Someone cursed. Someone cried.
No notification came. No task No Ninja coin.
Nothing.
Time stretched.
Cruel, and slow.
On the second day The smell came:
Urine
Sweat
Rot
Andy lay in the corner. Too weak to move. A dark stain spread beneath him
No one mocked him. No one cared. They were all becoming him.
Rebecca leaned against the wall, ger lips pale. Her eyes sunken.
Samuel sucked on his own finger. Desperate for moisture.
Theo stared at nothing. Brian's chest rose and fell heavily. His strength was fading.
Newton tried to stand once. His legs collapsed immediately.
His strength was gone.
The number on his wrist flickered weakly. He stopped looking at it. It only reminded him.
Zero.
The third day came, and with it, came desperation.
Rebecca slammed her fist weakly against the wall. "What do these people take us for?" Her voice cracked.
Anger burned behind it. "It will be stupid of us to sit here and die."
Newton lay on his side. His face pressed to the ground. Pain crawled through his body. He forced himself up.
His arms trembled violently. "What can we do about it?" His voice barely existed.
Rebecca's jaw tightened. Her eyes hardened. "I don't know about you guys."
She pushed herself up. Her legs shook.
But she remained standing. "I am leaving here."
Fear shot through Newton.
Cold, sharp, and immediate.
She turned. And began to walk away. Each step was slow. Unstable.. But determined.
Newton watched her go. And for the first time since arriving here, he realized that desperation might be the fastest way to die.
"Wait for me," Theo said. His voice cracked halfway.
He forced himself up. His legs shook violently beneath him.
For a second it looked like they would give up on him. Then he stumbled forward. One step, then another.
He began to run. If that broken movement could even be called running.
Chasing Rebecca. Chasing hope of survival.
Other students watched. Eyes hollow. Faces drawn.
Brandom swallowed. His throat moved slowly, and painfully.
"I guess it is better to join them," he said. His voice barely existed.
Low, weak, and defeated.
He pushed his palms against the floor. His arms trembled violently. His body refused. He forced it anyway. Standing inch by inch.
A few others followed. Nobody spoke. Nobody encouraged anyone. They simply moved.
Together.
Dragging themselves toward the entrance door.
Each step was heavy. Each breath was loud.
Behind them, Stella rose: Slow, and careful.
Her hands pressed against her waist, trying to hold herself together. "I guess," she said. Her voice was thin, and fragile. "I do not want to be left out."
She took one step, Her vision spun. Her knees buckled. Her body tilted backward. Newton moved instantly.
His arms caught her before she hit the ground. Her weight collapsed against him.
Light. Too light.
"You should save your strength," Newton said quietly. His chest hurt with every word. "There will be no exit from this place"