The Blue Pod sealed shut behind Mark with a hiss, locking him in a cocoon of light and humming machinery. The glow inside wasn't calming — it was cold. Like the inside of a lung under an autopsy light.
A new screen flickered on in front of him.
[Oxygen Riddle Challenge: The Breath Hunt]
[Organ at Risk: Lungs]
[Failure will result in Needle Two puncturing the subject's lungs.]
As Mark entered the pod, he close his eyes — and suddenly, he wasn't in the pod anymore.
He was standing barefoot in the center of an empty swimming pool in what looks like an abandoned building.
The tiles were cracked, stained with rust and mildew. Graffiti covered the walls, strange symbols layered over fading signs that once said Deep End and No Diving. The air was still.
There was no water…Just silence.
Mark staggered back, heart pounding. He looked down at his own hands — pale, wrinkled, like they'd been submerged for hours.
—
The moment the pod sealed, a low rumble vibrated through the floor.
