Eli led us through winding alleys and darkened streets, moving like someone who had already memorized the city in a nightmare. Every now and then, he glanced back at our numbers: 25… 25… 11.
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“You need to understand something,” Eli said, his voice urgent, almost desperate. “This isn’t random. These numbers… they’re more than a countdown.”
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I swallowed hard, my eyes darting between him and Lina. “Then what is it?”
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Eli paused, crouching behind a dumpster as a scream cut through the night. “Numbers show your survival potential. Every second, every action, every choice… affects it.”
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Lina’s eyes widened. “Survival potential?”
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Eli nodded. “Think of it like… a life bar. But not just your life. How you interact, who you’re with, who you touch, who you ignore—it all matters. The lower your number, the closer you are to dying.”
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My stomach sank. “And zero?”
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“That’s it,” Eli whispered. “Zero is the final limit. Once you hit it… nothing stops it. People die instantly.”
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I glanced around nervously. “So… what about us? Why are we still alive?”
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Eli’s gaze was sharp. “Because you’re not alone. You two share the same number. That’s rare. You’re linked. If you stay together… you have a chance. But if you split, your numbers will drop faster.”
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“Linked?” Lina repeated, voice shaking. “Like… fate?”
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Eli didn’t answer. He simply nodded toward the street ahead, where shadows moved like predators. “We need to keep moving. Others—people with lower numbers—they’ll do anything to survive. They won’t care who gets hurt.”
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I felt a chill run down my spine. The streets were no longer just chaotic—they were deadly. Everyone was a potential threat.
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Then Eli added something that made my blood run cold:
“There’s one more thing. Numbers aren’t just about time. They’re… a test. Whoever reaches zero first—they’re not just dying. They trigger something else. Something bigger.”
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“Something bigger?” I whispered.
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Eli’s eyes darkened. “I don’t know. But I’ve seen it happen before. You don’t want to see it. You need to survive.”
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Our numbers ticked again: 24… 24… 10.
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The wind howled through the alley. Every shadow felt alive. And in that moment, I realized—this was no ordinary survival.
This was a war.
A war against time.
A war against people.
A war we didn’t even know we were fighting yet.
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And I had a feeling… the worst was still coming.
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and then Add to home screen.