As they walked, Kia fell into step beside Milo, her breathing finally steadying after the exhaustion of arriving in the phase.
Despite everything, she felt oddly comfortable with him. Maybe it was because he was the least intense of the group—lighthearted, easy to talk to.
And right now, she needed that.
She took another sip of water before glancing at him. "So… what's the rush?"
Milo raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
Kia gestured vaguely toward the road. "You guys are walking like there's a bomb strapped to the sky. What's the deal with this phase? What happens if we don't rush?"
Milo exhaled, stuffing his hands in his pockets."Oh yeah, you're new—you missed the fun part where we realized we're basically screwed."
Kia gave him a flat look. "That… doesn't answer my question."
Milo smirked. "Yeah, well, I'm not the one you should be asking. If you want the official explanation, talk to the boss."
He tilted his head toward Ethan.
Kia followed his gaze before looking Ethan up and down.
Her expression immediately dropped into visible disappointment.
Ethan caught it instantly.
A small furrow in her brows, the way her lips pressed together just slightly—she wasn't impressed.
And he had no idea why that bothered him.
For a second, he almost asked.
"What?"
But instead, he sighed, running a hand through his hair before cutting to the point.
"Fine. Listen up. This phase isn't about enemies hunting us down—it's about time."**
Kia raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.
Ethan continued. "Right now, we're in the safe period. It's warm, the sky's clear, nothing's trying to kill us. But at exactly 9:00 PM, a blizzard is going to hit. If we're not out of here by then, we freeze. Simple as that."
Kia blinked. "Wait—so that's why you guys are moving like the ground's on fire?"
"Yes."
Kia pursed her lips. "Alright. Got it."
Ethan kept walking, his eyes ahead, but he could still feel her gaze lingering on him.
She was analyzing him.
And for some reason, he didn't like that.
Kia processed Ethan's explanation, her black eyes scanning the road ahead. "Alright, so time's against us. Got it. But that can't be the only problem, right?"
Riley, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.
"Yeah. There's more."
Kia glanced at him. "Of course there is."
Riley crossed his arms. "At some point, we're going to hit a crossroads. There will be two paths—one leading to the exit, and one leading straight into a death trap."
Kia narrowed her eyes. "And how do we know which is which?"
Riley let out a dry breath. "We don't."
She paused. "Hot"
Riley ignored her sarcasm and continued. "If we pick the wrong path, we run into the Shape Shifter."
Kia's brows furrowed. "What the hell is that?"
"It kills people, eats them, and then takes their form." Riley's voice was flat, emotionless."It'll look exactly like one of us. Same face, same body, same voice. But it won't be perfect. If we're sharp enough, we'll notice something off."
Kia frowned, something unreadable flashing through her expression.
"So if I suddenly start acting weird, you guys are going to kill me?" she asked, only half-joking.
Riley's lack of response was all the answer she needed.
Kia exhaled, muttering. "Okay. Noted."
She took another sip of water before glancing at him again. "And what's this 'Vorator' thing? The rulebook mentioned it like it's the worst case scenario."
For the first time, Riley hesitated.
He glanced toward Ethan.
Kia followed his gaze.
Ethan was staring straight ahead, his expression unreadable.
His jaw was clenched slightly, his shoulders tense.
Kia immediately noticed.
Whatever this Vorator was, it wasn't just another 'problem' to solve.
It was something personal.
Something Ethan had already seen before.
Riley spoke carefully. "The Vorator is a monster. If we take too long in this phase, it shows up. And trust me, we don't want that."
Kia raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No description? No details?"
Riley exhaled sharply."We don't need details. Just know that if it comes, we're dead."
She looked at him for a moment before turning her attention back to Ethan.
He still hadn't said a word.
And that told her everything.
The road stretched endlessly ahead, no signs of change, no markers of progress—just the same endless gray pavement, surrounded by frostbitten trees and a sky that refused to shift.
Half an hour had passed, and everyone was tired.
Milo let out an exaggerated groan, stretching his arms. "Alright, what the fuck is this? Is this even a phase, or did we just get thrown into an infinite walking simulator?"
Lena, rubbing the back of her neck, nodded in agreement."Seriously. If I wanted to walk for hours, I would've stayed in my own world and taken a hiking trip."
Kia sighed, rolling her shoulders."Same. This is ridiculous. I feel like we're walking in place."
Ethan, however, didn't react.
He had already been through this.
Phase 1 had been just like this—a gamble, an endless stretch of uncertainty, forcing him to pick between paths he couldn't predict.
And now, here he was again.
The feeling crawled into his chest, a sense of deja vu settling deep inside him.
Why do I keep getting phases that are just a gamble?
He let out a low sigh, shaking his head."Alright. Let's take a break."
The others immediately dropped to the ground, relieved.
Ethan sat down last, resting his arms on his knees, watching as the group started pulling out supplies.
Milo rummaged through his bag, pulling out a pack of biscuits he had taken from Phase 11. "Alright, who wants dry-ass food?"
Kia raised a hand lazily. "If it stops my stomach from eating itself, I'll take it."
Milo tossed her a packet, and she caught it with ease.
Lena pulled out a small bottle of water, taking a sip before passing it to Riley, who then handed it off to Kia.
Small conversations started forming.
Riley, surprisingly, was the one to start talking to Kia again.
"So, Phase 3. Was it as boring as this?"
Kia leaned back on her palms, thinking. "Not really. It was different. More psychological than physical."
Milo, already halfway through eating, raised an eyebrow."Psychological? What, like mind games?"
Kia smirked slightly. "You could say that. But let's just say... it was more about making you second-guess yourself."
Lena narrowed her eyes. "Did you meet anyone there?"
Kia hesitated for a second before shaking her head. "No. I was alone the whole time."
The group absorbed that information.
Alone.
That explained why she had been so hesitant to join them at first.
Riley exhaled, leaning his elbows on his knees. "That must've sucked."
Kia gave a small shrug."Not really. You get used to it. Besides, alone means no liabilities."
Milo smirked. "Sounds like something Ethan would say."
Ethan didn't react.
He wasn't listening.
He sat slightly apart from the group, his gaze locked onto the road ahead, deep in thought.
Not eating.
Not talking.
Just thinking.
And that was a bad thing.
Because when Ethan thought too much, it meant he was overanalyzing, questioning everything, doubting every step.
And in a phase where time was against them—that was the last thing he needed.
As they rested, the conversation gradually shifted from survival talk to small gossip.
Milo, leaning back with his hands behind his head, smirked. "Okay, real question. Who do you guys think would die first in a horror movie?"
Lena rolled her eyes. "You."
Milo gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? I am literally the comedic relief, which means I survive at least until the third act."
Riley scoffed. "Nah, you'd be the first one dead. You'd make a joke at the wrong time, and boom—gone."
Kia, despite her exhaustion, smirked slightly. "I'd have to agree with them. I mean, you talk the most. Killers hate that."
Milo placed a hand over his chest."Wow. Betrayal. First day on the team, and you're already throwing me under the bus."
Kia shrugged. "I'm just saying, I'd survive longer than you."
Lena chuckled. "Kia's got a point."
Riley, for once, didn't argue. He just smirked. "Yeah, I'd put my money on her."
Milo groaned. "Okay, fine, I get it. No faith in me. Good to know."
Kia smiled, but as the moment passed, her expression slowly faded.
Her hands tightened slightly around the water bottle in her lap.
And then, barely above a whisper—
"I don't know how much longer I can do this."
Silence.
The words hung in the air, heavy and raw.
Her voice wavered as she exhaled, blinking rapidly like she was trying to hold something back.
"I don't understand what I did wrong to deserve this."
She let out a shaky laugh, but there was no humor in it.
Her black eyes lifted slightly, staring ahead, distant. "I keep trying to convince myself that this is just a nightmare. That one day, I'll wake up, and everything will be normal again. But it's been days… weeks… I don't even know anymore."
Her breath trembled. "I miss my family. My friends. And I don't even have any idea when I'll get out of this hell."
She swallowed hard, running a hand through her long, messy hair.
"It's like God is punishing us."
The sentence cut through the silence like a blade.
Lena's eyes flickered downward, her jaw tightening slightly.
Milo, usually the first to make a joke, said nothing.
Even Riley, who was almost always indifferent, looked away.
Kia exhaled slowly. "I don't even know what to pray for anymore. A way out? A second chance? Or just… peace?"
She clenched her hands into fists. "Because at this point… I don't know if we're supposed to survive this."
A heavy silence followed.
Then—
"Hey."
Milo's voice was softer than usual.
She turned her head slightly, and he nudged her arm gently.
"Look at me."
Kia hesitated before meeting his eyes.
Milo's usual cocky grin was gone.
Instead, there was something genuine.
Something real.
"You're not alone anymore."
Kia's breath hitched slightly.
She glanced at the others.
Lena gave a small nod, her eyes filled with something that looked like understanding.
Riley, wordless, tossed Kia a protein bar—a silent way of saying, Eat. Stay strong.
Kia let out a weak chuckle, wiping her face quickly. "Thanks, guys."
She exhaled, trying to pull herself together, but then spoke again.
"I've always had a hard time trusting people."
Her voice was quieter now, but honest.
"I don't know why. Maybe it's just how I grew up. Maybe it's because people always seemed to leave in the end."
Her grip on the water bottle tightened.
"But I started trusting you guys."
She exhaled shakily, shaking her head slightly.
"You feel… nice. Safe. And I don't know how to handle that."
She let out another weak laugh. "It's almost funny. I spent so much time learning how to be okay on my own. And now that I don't have to be, I don't know what to do with that."
Her voice cracked slightly at the last sentence.
Her walls were still there, but for the first time, they weren't unbreakable.
The words hit Ethan harder than they should have.
His breath hitched.
His fingers tensed slightly, his jaw tightening.
No one noticed.
No one saw the way his shoulders stiffened for just a second.
Because he had heard those words before.
Not from Kia.
But from someone else.
Emily.
His sister's voice echoed in the back of his mind—a memory he had tried to bury.
"You feel nice, Ethan. Even when everything's bad, you make it feel okay."
And yet, she was gone.
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to breathe evenly.
This wasn't the time to think about it.
It wasn't the time to feel anything.
So he didn't say a word.
He just stared at the road ahead.
And waited for the moment to pass.
The group sat in silence for a while, Kia's words still lingering in the air.
But somehow, despite the weight of the moment—it had helped.
The conversation, as heavy as it had been, had refreshed them.
They had shared something—a moment of honesty, a moment of trust.
And now, it was time to move again.
Ethan stood first, dusting off his hands."Break's over. Let's go."
One by one, the others pushed themselves up, stretching their legs.
No one complained this time.
No one hesitated.
They were ready.
As they continued walking, a shift in the sky became noticeable.
The once bright blue above them had begun to dim slightly.
The sun, which had been high enough to feel safe just an hour ago, was lower now, inching toward the horizon.
Lena was the first to say it. "It's dropping."
Kia, walking beside her, exhaled."Yeah. It's getting late."
Milo tilted his head up, frowning slightly. "Damn. Time's moving fast."
Riley glanced at Ethan. "We need to move faster."
Ethan already knew that.
Their footsteps increased.
The group, without even saying it out loud, quickened their pace.
No more slow walking.
No more casual conversation.
The race against time had begun.