The countdown

The Countdown (Extended)

It was a fine day, Saturday, the weekend they usually say.

Rubi and her friends were gathered at Rubi's house after a long, devastating home stay following the pandemic last year.

As they sat and talked, Tarun, the most intimate of them all, announced that he was "hungry for hugs" and begged for the first one. The friends laughed and shared hugs, reminiscing on the time that the lockdown had stolen from them.

But as the laughter died down, Ruby, lying on the couch, grew bored and suggested that they "do something." Her friends, Priya and Pooja, were unenthusiastic, but when Ruby insisted, they decided to play along.

Ruby grabbed a pen and drew a random number on each of their wrists: 10 on her own, 7 on Tarun's, 2 on Priya's, and 5 on Pooja's. The challenge was to make sure that the numbers did not rub off by the end of the day.

The friends went their separate ways, but as the day went on, Priya was the only one to lose the challenge when her number rubbed off due to her constant use of sanitizer. The next day, everyone washed off their numbers.

But Ruby's number, 10, would not rub off. She tried using different soaps and even a blue soap meant for clothes, but nothing worked. She grew increasingly worried as the number changed to 9 and then 8, counting down with each passing hour.

She contacted her friends, panicking, but they reassured her that their numbers had all rubbed off. Ruby confided in her mother, but even she could not see the number on her wrist.

As the days went on and the number continued to count down, Ruby became more and more desperate for answers. She searched online for any explanation, but all she found were results about wristwatches with timers.

With the countdown reaching its final hours, Ruby is consumed with fear and uncertainty. What does the countdown mean and what will happen when it reaches zero?

"Don't worry Ruby, it's probably just a prank or some sort of temporary tattoo. Let's not make a big deal out of it and enjoy the rest of the weekend."

But Ruby couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. She couldn't stop thinking about the countdown on her wrist. She tried to ignore it but as the day went by, the number kept decreasing. 8, 7, 6.

She didn't want to alarm her friends, but she couldn't keep it to herself any longer. She confided in Tarun and together they decided to investigate. They reached out to the others and found that their numbers had also reappeared but unlike Ruby, their numbers were increasing.

They were all puzzled by the strange coincidence and couldn't make sense of it.

But as the night approached, Ruby's number reached zero and she suddenly fell unconscious.

When she came to her senses, she found herself in a strange room with no windows or doors. The walls were lined with clocks and timers counting down. She quickly realized that she was trapped and the countdown on her wrist was not a prank after all.

She could hear her friends calling out to her, their voices muffled by the thick walls. She was terrified and didn't know what to do.

But she knew that she had to find a way out before her time ran out. She searched the room frantically for a clue, a way to escape. And just as her timer hit zero, she found a hidden button on the wall that opened a secret passage.

She rushed out to find her friends, who were also trapped in similar rooms. Together, they managed to escape and finally uncovered the truth. The countdown was a sinister game set up by a mysterious figure, who had been watching them all along.

The friends were shaken but relieved to be out of danger. They vowed to never take their safety for granted and to always trust their instincts. The countdown may have been a game, but it had reminded them of the fragility of life and the importance of staying alert and aware.