"That guy — is he even HUMAN?!"
Linray had become the center of attention. The laser section — the crawl, the wall-press, the two-meter jump — had left every guide in the stands staring.
They looked at Linray. Then they looked at their own walkers.
*Why is HIS guy a supersoldier while mine can't walk ten steps without screaming?*
If everyone had a teammate like Linray, this first round would've been a joke.
But the gap between their walkers and Linray was painful. Nobody said it out loud. They just sighed and went back to coaching their partners like toddlers learning to walk.
---
Linray and Harlan met at the finish line. Harlan pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up and grinned.
"I genuinely thought we were done at the laser grid. That was damn near miraculous."
He shook his head, half-laughing. "I got incredibly lucky teaming up with you."
Linray waved it off. "You called it well. I wouldn't have made it that fast without your directions."
They high-fived. Brief, clean. The other guides watched with expressions ranging from jealous to murderous.
"Look at their faces," Harlan said, smiling. "They're about to eat me alive."
*In fairness, Harlan earned it.* Linray wouldn't say it out loud, but the guy's composure under pressure had been impressive. Most guides would've panicked at the laser grid. Harlan had kept calling.
---
"Second team has cleared the course. You may remove your blindfold."
Dex pulled the cloth off and immediately shot a look at Linray. Provocative. Competitive.
Linray smiled and said nothing. *Kid finished second in a death game and he's already picking fights. Young and stupid — but not useless.*
His opinion of Dex had shifted slightly. The earring kid had actually made it through on raw talent.
"Dex, that was amazing!" Tam ran up to him, beaming. "I didn't expect you to finish second—"
"If Sera had been my guide, I'd have finished first." Dex waved him off without looking at him.
*Ouch.* Not even a thank-you. The kid had basically soloed the course and wanted everyone to know it.
---
Time ticked down. Walkers stumbled out of the course one by one — blindfolds ripped off, bodies covered in cuts and scrapes, mouths full of curses.
As more teams finished, the noise level dropped. Fewer voices in the maze meant the remaining walkers could hear their guides more clearly. Small mercy.
"Three groups still inside. Less than two minutes."
"They're not making it."
Harlan shook his head. At this distance, even with no obstacles, a minute wasn't enough to cover the remaining ground.
"Time's up!"
The host's flat voice cut through everything. And then — figures appeared.
Tall. Masked. Uniformed. They materialized from nowhere — shadows given form. No sound. No warning. Just *there.*
SCP-024's security staff. The show's enforcers.
They worked in pairs. One per person. Cold, mechanical, efficient. They grabbed the failed walkers and dragged them out. Up in the stands, the same thing happened to their guides — hauled away without ceremony.
"Jesus — that's rough."
"Even if you fail, do they have to be that aggressive?"
"Thank god I finished. I do NOT want those guys touching me..."
Linray watched in silence.
*"Rough"? That's the polite version.*
Six people. Gone. Just like that. And nobody here would remember them by tomorrow — SCP-024's confusion effect made sure of that.
---
"Congratulations to the survivors. The second game will begin shortly. Please wait."
The venue shifted. Walls retracted, floors reconfigured, machinery humming beneath them. The remaining fourteen participants — seven teams — watched the arena rebuild itself.
"This tech is insane. Top-of-the-line studio equipment, but the place is supposedly abandoned? Someone's hiding something big."
"Who cares about the tech — I care about the prize!"
Linray pinched the bridge of his nose. *These people just watched six of them get dragged away and all they can think about is prizes.*
The venue finished transforming. A flat, rectangular field. At one end — a line drawn on the ground. At the other end — a wooden figure, back turned to the players.
The host spoke:
"The second game does not require teamwork. It is a simple, familiar game."
"One. Two. Three. Red light."
"Touch the wooden figure within the time limit, and you pass."
The crowd erupted.
"Red light, green light? Are you serious? That's a kids' game!"
"When I was little, I was the KING of this game!"
"The trick is just running fast, right? Easy."
"Finally — no more being chained to an idiot partner. This time I do it MYSELF."
Some people weren't even hiding the bitterness toward their first-round teammates.
Linray stared at the wooden figure.
*A kids' game. In SCP-024's Death Show.*
*Red light, green light. A wooden figure. A death game with prizes.* He squinted. *Was this thing ripping off Netflix?*