The survivors just stood there, bodies still trembling hard after what happened. Blood stuck tight to their clothes, like it would never come off no matter how much they washed. Some kept staring down at the ground with empty eyes. Others kept muttering the same words over and over, as if their minds had cracked a bit.
"I… I saw him explode right next to me…"
"My legs… they won't stop shaking…"
"Mom… Mom, where are you…"
Then a little girl's cry suddenly cut through everything. "Mommy! I want Mommy! Please, I'm scared!"
Soon more kids started crying too. Their small voices mixed together with the adults' low sobs. All 312 people in the group looked at each other. Their faces were pale white, bodies shaking like they had lost their minds.
"Did we really survive that?"
"I thought I was going to die… my heart almost stopped…"
One man kept repeating in a low voice, "Red light… red light… don't move… don't move…"
Right at that moment, hundreds of giant screens dropped down again from the black space above. They formed a perfect circle right over everyone's heads. The bright white light from them made the whole area feel even colder.
When the people saw those screens, terror rushed back into them again.
"No… not again…"
"Oh god, it's back…"
A woman in the back suddenly wet herself. The dark stain spread down her pants and onto the cold floor. She covered her face and cried quietly.
"I can't… I can't do this anymore…"
Someone else cursed loudly. "Fuck this thing! Why won't it just leave us alone!"
Others could only watch with helpless eyes, mouths open but no words coming out.
A teenage boy pointed up with his shaking finger. "It's that doll… that creepy doll again…"
The screens lit up. The doll sat on its wooden stool, small legs swinging slowly. One porcelain hand patted the blue work helmet resting in its lap. The cracks on its face looked even deeper under the light.
"Congratulations, everyone~" the doll said in that high sweet voice. "You all survived the first game. Haha, it's quite unexpected. Out of more than 120,000 people, over 80,000 plus managed to survive in the end."
It clapped its tiny hands. The sound rang out like little bells.
Some survivors looked a little happy for a second. A few even smiled weakly.
"We… we made it?"
"Thank god… I thought I was dead for sure…"
But most of them felt angry or helpless.
"Why are you happy about that? So many died!"
"My friend exploded right in front of me… and you clap?!"
A middle-aged uncle shouted, his voice cracking. "This isn't a game! Let us go home!"
The doll tilted its head, still smiling too wide. "Now, for the second game. It's called 'Hide and Seek in the Dye Vat.' Or you can call it 'The Vat Game' if you want~"
When everyone heard that, reactions came fast and mixed.
"Hide and seek? What the hell does that mean?!"
"No more running… please no more running…"
A young mother hugged herself tight. "I have kids at home… I can't play this…"
One guy laughed in a crazy way. "Vat? Like the place where that ghost died?""
The children cried even louder. "I don't want to hide! I want Mommy!"
The doll kept patting the helmet. "You will still play with the same people from your group of 1,000. But now it will be 500 players in each game."
Su Mei, the vice president girl, spoke up fast. Her voice sounded steady but tired. "Do we get to play together again? But we will have an additional 188 new people to make 500."
Han Jiang stood a little apart. He thought to himself, If we are getting 188 new people, where did they come from? The doll said the players will play with the same group, but why were they put in our group instead of their own? Either they don't have a team or something else.
He didn't think much of it after that.
The doll's voice came again, sweet like before. "There's no need to worry. Congratulations again for surviving the first game, Red Light Green Light Squid Edition. I'm gonna give you 15 minutes of rest. Bye bye~"
The doll disappeared from the screens. A big red timer showed up instead. 15:00. It started counting down right away.
People started complaining at once.
"Only 15 minutes? That's too short!"
"My legs still hurt… I need more time…"
A man shouted, "How are we supposed to rest in 15 minutes after all that?!"
Han Jiang looked at the timer. He didn't feel bothered at all. He didn't even feel tired from all that running earlier. His new body felt strong and light.
Li Wei and Su Mei started calling everyone. The 312 survivors gathered closer, still trembling a little.
"Come here, everyone who made it through!" Li Wei said loud. "We need to stay together. Talk if you want. Share what you saw."
Su Mei waved her hand. "All survivors, gather! We faced life and death together. Let's not split up now."
More voices joined in.
"Yeah… we should stick close…"
"But what if the next game is worse?"
"I saw my neighbor's head fly off… I can't forget it…"
Li Wei kept looking around the group. He seemed to search for someone special. It was that young man who ran past everyone during the last 7-second Green Light. Li Wei wanted that kind of strength on their side.
He walked over to a middle-aged man nearby. The guy had short gray hair, a tired face, and wore a wrinkled office shirt with blood stains.
"Hmm, hello sir, what's your name?"
The middle-aged man blinked slow. "I'm… Zhang Wei. From the accounting office downtown."
Li Wei nodded polite. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Zhang. Did you see a handsome young man with golden-yellow hair? He reached the finish line first."
Zhang Wei pointed to the left. "I saw him there. He was standing a bit away from the main crowd."
Li Wei thanked him and moved in that direction. Many people blocked the way, talking and crying.
"That guy must be blocked by all these people," Li Wei thought. He pushed through gently. "Excuse me… sorry… coming through…"
Finally he saw him. A young man with golden-blonde hair that still had some dried blood in it. Golden pupils that looked too bright. Face so handsome it felt unreal. Strong body under the stained white T-shirt.
Li Wei walked up. "Hey… I saw you run earlier. You were really fast. My name is Li Wei. What's yours?"
Han Jiang looked at him calm. "Your name is Li Wei?"
' This man named is like Liu Wei, but he is Li and that ghost is Liu.'
He paused a second, then answered. "I'm Han Jiang."
Li Wei smiled a little, trying to sound friendly. "Han Jiang, nice to meet you. Listen, me and Su Mei over there, we want to form a small group. Just the three of us for now. Want to join? We can watch each other's backs."
Han Jiang thought for a moment. He nodded. "Okay. I agree."
Li Wei looked happy. He brought Han Jiang over to Su Mei.
When Su Mei saw Han Jiang up close, her eyes went wide. She only caught a quick glimpse when he ran past them before. Now seeing his golden hair and perfect face, she blushed a little. Her cheeks turned pink.
Li Wei noticed. Inside he felt angry and jealous. He had liked Su Mei for a long time. He confessed many times, but she always rejected him. Now he just brought this guy here for the first time and she blushed? He didn't expect that at all.
Still, he forced a smile. "Su Mei, this is Han Jiang. He survived the game really well. Han Jiang, this is Su Mei, our vice president."
Su Mei nodded, voice a bit soft. "Hi… Han Jiang. You ran so fast back there. I'm Su Mei."
They started talking a little more while the timer counted down.
"15 minutes is really short," Su Mei said. "We need a plan for the next game."
"Yeah," Li Wei added quick. "Hide and seek in some vat… sounds bad."
Han Jiang just listened. He didn't say much.
The timer hit 0:00.
Everyone looked up at the screens again.
"What? This freak is back already?" someone muttered.
The doll appeared once more. Its cracked smile looked even creepier.
"I see you are all ready. So let's start~"
People complained loud right away.
"We are not ready!"
"Give us more time!"
"My legs still hurt from before!"
The doll just smiled wider and clapped its small hands.
Everything flashed bright white, like a phone flash at full power.
"Ahh, this again!" a guy shouted.
"My eyes! Too bright!"
"What is happening now?!"
"Mommy! It's too bright, Mommy!"
Han Jiang's golden eyes adapted fast. He could still see clearly even in the strong light. The surroundings looked the same, just wrapped in white. Then the light swallowed everyone.
In the next moment, cold hit him hard.
He stood waist-deep in thick, ice-cold liquid. Dark blue mixed with red dye. It felt heavy, like it didn't want to let his legs move. The sharp chemical smell burned his nose. Old factory walls rose around them, dimly lit by flickering fluorescent tubes. Distant dripping and creaking machinery sounded far away.
"Ugh, what the fuck is this?" a man next to him groaned. "It's so cold… my legs are freezing!"
A woman cried out. "The smell… it's making me sick! Like rot and chemicals!"
Kids started crying louder. "Mommy! It's wet and cold! I want to go home!"
More voices mixed in panic.
"Where are we? This looks like the factory from the vision!"
"I can't see anything far… it's too dark!"
"My clothes are already stained… this dye won't come off!"
Han Jiang stayed quiet. He felt the thick liquid cling to his skin. The 500 players stood scattered in the big flooded hall. Some new faces looked confused and scared.
The doll's voice echoed from hidden speakers, still sweet but now with a cold edge.
"Welcome to Hide and Seek in the Dye Vat~ The Lost One is seeking. Remember… he wants to be seen. Good luck, players. The game starts in one minute."
People kept talking fast, fear thick in every word.
"I don't want to play hide and seek with a ghost!"
"Someone hold my hand… I'm scared…"
"Stay close, okay? Don't leave me alone in this dark…"
Han Jiang looked around slow. The cold dye pressed against his waist. He knew the real hunt was about to begin.
And somewhere in the dark, Liu Wei was already moving.