Welcome to Flicker!

CHAPTER 2: GAME START

When the lights flickered back to life moments later, I stood rooted in place, my breath caught in my throat as horror washed over me.

I looked down, shock striking me as my eyes met a lifeless body sprawled on the floor before me.

"Wh... What?"

The speaker's voice returned, cutting through the tension like a knife.

"𝙹𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚛! 𝚆𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕."

The gravity of those words sent shivers down my spine, and I felt as if I was spiraling into a nightmare from which there would be no escape.

"N.. N-No way.." The words tumbled from my lips.

With instinctive dread, I covered my mouth with my trembling hand.

I felt like throwing up.

This can't be happening. This isn't right. Why is this happening?!

Even William was visibly shaken. "What.. just happened?" His voice was a mix of confusion and disbelief, mirroring the shock that enveloped the group.

A girl wearing a pink plaid dress broke away from the stunned crowd, her face contorting with anguish as she rushed toward Jackson's lifeless body. "JACK, NO!!!"

Her cry pierced through the tense atmosphere, a heart-wrenching sound that echoed off the walls.

Charlie, still in a state of shock, called out as he followed closely behind her, "Jack... Jackson? H-Hey... shouldn't we call for an ambulance or something?!"

As the rest of the group began to process the shocking scene unfolding in front of them, they gradually gathered around the tragic sight.

Annie's voice rose above the hushed murmurs, tinged with anxiety, "We... We don't have any access to communication."

Jamila, tears streaming down her face, crumpled beside Jackson's body, her sobs echoing in the cold silence. "No! It's gonna be okay, Jackson.. Please.. Don't die!" Her desperate pleas seemed to hang in the air.

...

Though amidst the chaos, John suddenly asked, "Wait.. Guys.. am I the only one who sees this?"

We all turned to look at him. Austin, with a bemused expression on his face, answered, "If you're talking about the body, then yeah. We all do."

John shook his head vigorously. "No, that's not what I'm saying!" His urgency grew as he gestured animatedly.

"This weird window screen in front of me says that my role is---" But before he could finish..

"NO! DON'T SAY YOUR ROLE!" The sudden intensity of my shout caused the group to turn in confusion, glancing at me with a mixture of worry and surprise.

I continued, my voice steadying as I explained, "I.. might know what's going on."

.

.

.

.

William, looking skeptical, finally spoke up after I finished explaining my theory, "So basically.. you're saying that we've been transported into some kind of game?"

I nodded while fidgeting slightly. "Yeah.. uh.. It's a game I used to play often as a kid." The admission hung in the air, a perplexing statement that sparked both curiosity and concern.