Players with only one lifeline followed us to the game arena. The arena was a huge building with a lift and a glowing sign:
“3rd Floor – Strikeworld.”
But what shocked us the most was the second sign:
“Only 10 players allowed per game.”
We froze. This changed everything.
Siddhu, Harshath, Jenny, Aswath, Badrul, Inspector Shariff, Kathir, the couple, and I decided to enter first. We asked the others to join different game arenas to extend their lifelines. They agreed, leaving everything to us.
It was now up to the ten of us to win Strikeworld.
We stepped into the lift and reached the 3rd floor. There were three doors waiting for us.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dMAuaqVq0
Each door had a requirement:
Door 1: 3 players
Door 2: 4 players
Door 3: 3 players
The game forced us to split up — not what we planned, but unavoidable.
Door 1: Siddhu, Inspector Shariff, Badrul
Door 2: Jenny, Kathir, Aswath, and I
Door 3: Harshath and the couple
We kept our walkie-talkies ready, promising to stay connected no matter what.
Inside the Arena
The moment we entered our section, we saw it —162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDrdfPTDI1
a massive hall with three floors filled with dozens of doors.
And standing in the center of the ground floor was the killer, holding an axe.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ryu1QvYpf
Through the radios, Siddhu and Harshath confirmed the same — their killers held a spear and a long knife.
A screen beside the killer lit up. A robotic voice began reading the rules:
• Game time: 30 minutes.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zWcldK81H
• Four types of rooms: Locked, Empty, Light, and Lucky.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ER3ZCbHCX
• Players cannot enter locked rooms.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqyzce8jaS
• Empty rooms: Safe for only 3 minutes. Staying longer triggers an alarm.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0E4hLds5m
• Light rooms: Contain a key to the Lucky Room.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WABhnDbdy
• Lucky Room: Holds the compass.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJXXF935YV
• Even if the compass is found early, players must survive until the timer ends.
The arena had three floors, each with ten rooms on three sides — left, right, and opposite.
The killers had one job:162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjnVoNVvqF
Hunt us.
And we had one goal:162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIDaecEcsw
Find the light room → get the key → unlock the lucky room → survive 30 minutes.
Splitting the Lanes
Our plan went into motion:
Jenny → Left lane
Me → Right lane
Kathir → Opposite lane
Aswath → Full-time distraction
For the groups of three players, two searched the lanes while one played distraction the whole time.
Each of us carried chalk pieces to mark rooms:
X = Empty room
Leave door open = Empty room discovered
Light room = Grab key, announce room code
We reminded everyone:162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYw4rLjhfm
“Don’t fight the killers. Our mission is the compass and survival.”
The buzzer sounded — the game began.
The Hunt Starts
The axe killer sprinted straight to Jenny’s lane.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RoRAGd4dm
Aswath charged behind him.
Kathir and I ran to the right lane. But before I even reached my row, the killer was already on the second floor of the left lane.
He was much faster than we expected.
Aswath threw a sticky grenade tied with a bolas trap — one of Kathir’s inventions.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInDUHiIp8e
It wrapped around the killer and slowed him.
We used the time to search:
Locked door.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0e9DYdM28X
Empty door.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDkc2EyF9C
Empty door.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5y0HFwzlB
Locked door.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcchIxO0OL
No light room.
We reached the second floor.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksW7YjrB7O
Still nothing.
Aswath rushed down to check the first-floor rooms again.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GJCgh40U4
Still no luck.
Jenny joined me to search faster.
The killer broke free and sprinted toward us.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6iCOYHXv5
Aswath threw a smoke grenade and bought us a few seconds.
Then—
Kathir’s voice on the walkie:162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBEnadMDZy
“Found a light room! I got the key! There’s a clue inside… 22!”
That meant the compass was in Room 22.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lMeSBJMhB
But each lane had a Room 22 — three possibilities.
The killer detected Kathir and charged toward him.
“RUN!” we yelled.
Kathir dashed into an empty room.
I ordered Jenny and Aswath:162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6H2QVhOpft
“Go to the nearest Room 22. Check every lane.”
The killer closed in on me.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dgSpaPbqQ
I threw a petrol bomb grenade — flames exploded around him.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDs5lK0ql3
He didn’t fall.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA14VyoPAWZ
Instead, he hurled his axe at me.
I barely dodged and grabbed the axe before running toward the starting area.
He chased me like a monster.
Kathir reached his Room 22 — empty.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYlOMRgdrk
He sprinted to Jenny’s lane.
The killer leaped from the first floor, rolled, and extinguished the flames.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bwwzfju8o
He wanted his axe — and I was holding it.
Jenny and Kathir reached the second Room 22 — also wrong.
That meant the last Room 22, in Aswath’s zone, was the one.
The killer chased me relentlessly. My legs burned. My throat dried.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jB8ZEzgwg
He was seconds behind me.
I made a desperate move —162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtMrNGR5LW
I threw his axe to the ground floor.
The killer stopped instantly and rushed to retrieve it.
I hid in an empty room.
Meanwhile, Jenny, Kathir, and Aswath unlocked the Lucky Room.
They found the compass.
But the timer still had 10 minutes left.
The killer roared with fury.
Final 10 Minutes
He rushed toward my lane to finish me first.
Others escaped to the right lane — it had more empty rooms.
Aswath and Kathir positioned themselves on each side of the third floor, preparing a trap.
When the killer stepped onto the third floor,162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgtCGy8Dc4
I swung down using a grappling rope.
The killer reached the edge — perfectly in the kill zone.
“Aswath, now!”
He threw a bolas wrapped in petrol.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteGfm9AfQl
Kathir launched the petrol bomb.
The killer caught fire, wrapped tightly, and fell from the third floor to the ground.
We ran.
The killer stood again.
Still alive.
Still hunting.
4 minutes left.
We regrouped on the third floor.
Holding hands, breathing heavily, we prepared for the final stand.
The killer broke free and sprinted toward us.
We scattered into empty rooms — but there were only three.
Aswath used the rope and attempted to swing down —162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VJ7ocvwPB
But the killer threw his axe.
The blade stabbed Aswath’s shoulder.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdHTThe1WV
He slipped and fell from the second floor.
The killer charged toward him.
I sprinted.
I reached Aswath just before the killer.162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOY5BWVXtRW
Smoke grenades filled the lane — mine, Jenny’s, Kathir’s.
I pulled Aswath to a corner and faced the killer.
Jenny and Kathir shot their taser guns.
The killer slowed.
I raised the axe and slammed it into his head.
He knelt.
He didn’t die.
He pulled the axe out — ready to attack again.
And then—
The timer hit 00:00.
The killer’s head exploded.
Strikeworld ended.
Victory
We rushed to Aswath. He was bleeding heavily, but conscious.
We carried him and the compass toward the blinking exit door.
We had won.
For the first time…162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4giW8AybV2
We survived a game meant to kill us.
Inside my heart, I prayed that every other team in the arena had made it out alive too
ns216.73.216.38da2
and then Add to home screen.