Everything looked perfectly organized. We had so many questions, but no one spoke. We just stared at the timer.
10 seconds.
When it reached zero, the system spoke again.
"The gas station has been chosen as the arena. The rules are the same. No one can leave. Play and win or be eliminated. You must follow the game as it is built. The system will guide every step."
We had no idea what to expect.
Then it continued.
"The game is called Finding Parts. You must find specific items. Each round will be different. There are three rounds."
Three rounds.That meant only three of us could survive.
"What if we can't find a part?" I asked.
"If a part becomes impossible to find, it will be switched," the system replied.
Omar and I let out a small breath. The others didn't understand why I asked, but they didn't question it.
Then the system said,"The first item is: a screwdriver."
We all moved at once.
"The round winners may help others," the system added.
Omar looked at me. "We go together."
The Zhou brothers were already together. Melissa went alone.
Omar and I went inside the gas station, into a storeroom. It was bigger than it looked. Shelves, boxes, old tools.
"You go first," Omar said. "If you find it, you can help me later. Don't worry."
It's only the second day and this guy is being the kindest one I've ever seen.
Before we could search more, we heard noise outside.
We ran out.
The Zhou brothers were holding the screwdriver.
The one who couldn't speak pushed it toward his brother, forcing him to take it. He didn't want to be first. Maybe he planned to help him later.
Our first chance was gone.
"Where did you find it?" Omar asked.
"Behind the gas station," Zhou said. "There are broken cars and old tools. It was on top of a metal shelf."
Omar and I looked at each other. We had to win and it was getting harder now.
Then the next round came. This time, it was a wrench. We knew it.
We all moved, but Omar stopped. Melissa went somewhere—I didn't notice. The Zhou brothers went back to the same place as before. Without Omar, I couldn't move either.
He thought for a second… then suddenly charged into the storeroom, outrunning me easily. I followed behind. He rifled through a box and pulled out the wrench—maybe he had seen it the first time. A good thing, he got it fast.
(Rifled means to search through something quickly or roughly)
Just as I thought he would win and help me, he handed me the wrench. I refused, but he said, "It's okay." Like before. What a man he is.
I went outside and submitted the part. And just like before, it merged into the ground. I won. Now it was Omar's turn.
The Zhou brothers looked at us. We couldn't hold eye contact—we knew only one could win now. Melissa started crying. No one was holding her. She shouted at the unfair system. She had gone alone, and now it was her only chance.
The last round: a flashlight. I had never seen one. Omar looked at me. "There's no flashlight inside," he said. "Check where the Zhou brothers went."
I went there. They were looking too. Nothing. What could a flashlight even do in the backyard? Then it hit me. I went inside the storeroom. Nothing there either.
Then I noticed a sparkle of light through the window. A reflection. On a chair beside the glass. I couldn't reach it, so I stepped outside. Just then, I saw Omar. I waved. He understood.
He charged toward it. While I watched, the Zhou brothers also noticed me waving. Omar was far from the flashlight. So was I and one of the Zhou brothers. One of them started running faster. I panicked—I needed Omar to win.
Then I saw a skateboard on the ground. Odd for a gas station, but I didn't care. I kicked it at the perfect angle. Timing was everything—thanks to all the games I had played my life.
The Zhou brother almost fell, but he recovered and kept running. He shouted, so did his brother. But Omar? Nothing could stop him. He sprinted, ignored everything, and grabbed the flashlight before anyone else.
They started chasing him for it, so did Melissa. But I stopped them. No one could touch him.
He submitted it in the square-shaped place. Done. Exhausted. Me too.
But we couldn't celebrate. Melissa's cries pierced the air, louder and louder. The Zhou brothers looked at themselves—it was the last time. Omar looked me in the eyes. "Forgot? We should leave the arena as soon as the game ends."
We started running, but Omar stopped, stepped back, and helped the Zhou brother who had won with him. I wasn't shocked—I'd seen his kindness before. Melissa and the other Zhou tried to escape, but something held them. Wind? I didn't know.
I got outside. Omar struggled with the Zhou brother but managed to escape in time. Then… the gas station caught fire. Blast. Boom. Silence followed. No one had the courage to speak.
We had seen so much before. We didn't show our emotions. But the Zhou brother… he cried loudly, painfully. He had just lost his brothers in a game they hadn't wanted to play.
Omar grabbed his hand as the fire came closer. But he slammed it. Then he started cursing us and blaming us for his brothers' death.
Omar was Injured and shocked. He was just helping him. I was the one who pushed the skateboard—but what could I do? We were a team. The game demanded sacrifices. Selfishness was built into it. This wasn't our fault. Omar had no fault either.
Some things in this game… you just survive or you pay the price.