First I want to congratulate you on winning the first game. Also I want to apologize for not telling you about the final round...

You see, in each game the final round has it’s own special rules... The thing is, the rules are decided in the middle of the game, and not before the game.

Why? Because this prevents people from outside the staff knowing what the special rules will be, and also, rules are decided mid-game because, by that point, most of the players will have already been eliminated.

But enough of that... The Second Game is called Oxygen. This one is really simple. All you have to do is... well... to not run out of oxygen...

Okay, Imma be more precise. In this game every player is put in a special cabin. Every cabin is connected to the 2 cabins next to it, every cabin except for the 2 cabins at each end. Each cabin is designed so the Oxygen cannot enter it, unless one of the doors is opened. There are 3 doors, one in front, from where you enter the cabin, and 2 small doors on each side. Those little doors connect your cabin to the other 2. After you enter the big door will lock. Your goal is to unlock the door and exit the cabin before you run out of oxygen-

         „Hey, man, you good?“, my reading was interrupted by Axel’s knocking on my cabin’s door.

          „U-Um, yeah. Some stomach issues.“, I lied.

          „Well hurry up, the guard told me that we’re starting soon.“

          Shit.

          „I’m almost done!“, I said. I didn’t have enough time to finish reading this, so I threw it in the toilet and flushed it – or at lease I tried to flush it, because the button didn’t work; and I went out.

          „Are you sure you’re ok?“, Axel asked me. He looked worried. „I’m sure there’s a doc’ somewhere here, I can look for him if you feel really bad.“

          „No, it’s nothing serious“, I said, „I’ve had these problems since I was a teen. I’m used to them.“, I lied again.

          „Aw, that sucks...“, Axel said. „I feel sorry for you, man.“

          „Don’t. It’s really not a big deal... Anyway we better get moving or we’ll get disqualified.“

          „Yeah!“, Axel said, and so we left the bathroom. Oh, man, of only that guard didn’t mess with us and told us where the toilet was when we asked him, I would’ve had enough time to read the damn rules! Now I had to throw them away. I don’t wanna take the chances of being caught with rules written on a sketchy paper. I’m sure that would get me disqualified, and also it would probably get Linda in big trouble, since everybody here knows her, so they probably know it’s her handwriting...

          „Oh... SHIT!! MY PHONE!!“, Axel yelled.

          „W-What is it?“

          „I forgot my phone in the toilet! I was, uhm, texting Boris while I was on the toilet... I-uhm... Imma go get it-“, he mumbled and ran inside the toilet.

          I went to where everybody was. Then... I noticed...

          Something was... off.

          Nobody was in a hurry to get to the second game.

          In fact, I haven’t seen any guard until I got to here...

          But... Axel said a guard told him to hurry... Wait...

          If he did that... wouldn’t I be able to hear the guard? I mean, I was in the cabin next to Axel so...

          And... the phone... I’m sure the guards took... They took our phones... Before the first game... This-

          I started sweating. What the hell is going on?

          Then I ran back to the toilet, just to see Axel and – BORIS?! They left the toilet. Axel looked at me and smiled victoriously. „I knew it.“, he said. W-What did he mean by that – I-

          He showed me something. A... paper...

          I was the rules. The paper I threw in the toilet. The toilet that didn’t flush...

          „Surprised? Well... you shouldn’t be.“, Boris said. „Axel told me about the time you talked with Linda... He was really mad at himself for doubting you. But... something smelled fishy to me... So I told him this: ’Here’s what you’ll do. You will follow him between the first and the second game. Lure him somewhere... The toilet should do... Before you get there I’ll make sure none of the flush buttons work (I broke them). If he really works with Linda, he will probably get some message from her, and will want to get rid of it after he reads it. And how will he do that? Easy! He would probably throw it in the toilet! So, once you leave the toilet, I will exit my cabin and check the cabin he was in. If there’s a paper in the toilet, that means he’s working with Linda, and that also means he will know all the rules! If not, then we were mistaken, but we don’t lose anything! When you got time we should meet up so I can tell you what’s the truth... I know! Say you forgot something in the toilet, then come back here so you can see for yourself if we’re right or not!’, ’But what if the paper is full of shit or something?’ – he then asked me, and I answered – ’Well then we will not know the rules of the next game, but we will know he’s cheating! The plan is perfect!’ – I said. What do you think, Ken? You dirty cheater!“

          I was speechless...

          These guys... They plotted all of this... Could- Could they also be ex-winners? „Are you-“

          „He’s not. I am.“, Boris said. „He found out about the games from me. We’re best friends, so I told him about this golden opprotunity to win some easy cash! I promised I will help him as much as I can, and told him to inform me about any suspicious players... Of course, I also told him not to mention that I’m an ex-winner to anybody!“

          „Y-You-“, I started, but I couldn’t say a thing... These guys... I was so careless! Plus they may have even heard Linda in the toilet, because she was loud as fuck!

          Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnit

          What now?

          Will they... snitch on me?

          If they do I’m screwed! If they say something mid-second game, I will lose all the money I earned AND I’ll be in a 2 500 dollars debt!

          „P-Please-“, I mumbled.

          „’Will we snitch on you?’ is probably what you’re thinking right now, right?“, Boris asked with an evil smirk on his face. „Well don’t worry. If you cooperate we won’t say a thing!“

          „Wh-What do you want?“, I was barely able to spit out. My heart was beating immeasurably fast. It was... very... hard to... breathe... I put my left hand on my heart. I started shivering. I was barely standing – the tension was too much for me! I-I couldn’t afford to be in this big of a debt! I would be doomed!

          For the first time in my life I felt hopeless. I felt like this was the lowest point of my life. The world around me started to shrink and twist. Boris’s face twisted along with the room. His eyes... His mouth... his entire body...

          Devil.

          I was looking at a devil.

          Janneth was nothing compared to this man.

          This opponent was far, far more terrifying.

          „It’s pretty simple, actually! All we want is that you, after you receive the paper from Linda before each round, share it with us!“, Boris said.

          I have no choice. „Okay...“, I needed a moment to get myself to talk, „I’ll... I’ll do it... Just please... Please don’t...“

          „We won’t, if you cooperate! Don’t worry!“, Boris responded. Axel just stood next to him, with no expression on his face. But in that poker face of his I noticed something... It was just for a moment, but I’m sure I read him right, even tho I, myself, was barely even able to stand... Only for a brief moment, I saw fear in Axel’s eyes. No, not fear. Terror.

          Axel was terrified. He feared his friend. He feared for his own safety!

          At the beginning of the games, in the room where I met Boris, I thought he was suspicious, but I changed my mind once Axel started questioning me about Linda and pulled out that knife... THE KNIFE!

          That’s right, I still have the knife Axel gave me... Should... Should I pull it out?

          Should I... get rid of Boris and Axel right here, right now? Yes... Yes, that’s the other option... I should be able to take the two of them out, right?

          What... What the hell am I thinking!? Did I just –

          Did I just think about killing another person?

          What is happening to me?

          I fell down on my knees. I breathed even more heavily now. I can’t believe that those thoughts – those terrible, terrible thoughts even crossed my mind, for even a few seconds! I looked at my hands. What am I becoming?

          „Anyway, let’s go, Axel, the second game is about to start anytime now...“, Boris said as he started going down the hall. „W-wait-“, I said as I lifter my arm towards him. He turned his head around. „What?“

          „I-I...“, I couldn’t say anything else. He stood there for a few seconds than left. Axel followed him. I was now alone in the hall.

          Anger. Misery. Pain. Fear. Madness.

          Those are the emotions I felt at that moment.

          „Curse you...“, I said to myself, „Curse both of you...“

          As soon as I exited the hall a guard called me. „You have 1 minute to go to the elevator downstairs.“, he said. „Crap!“, I ran downstairs and almost fell down, due to my body still shaking a bit. I made it down just in time to hear my name. „I’m here!“, I yelled. „Come here.“, Michael. Jack was standing next to him. I did what he told me and entered the elevator. We were going on floor 0-B.

          „Why are we going so deep underground?“, someone asked.

          „The cabins are put deep down in order to keep them from being damaged by rich individuals who want to see them in person.“, Jack said.

          „C-Cabins?“, I asked, acting like I didn’t know what they were talking about.

          „Oh, you’ll see.“, he said and smiled.

          After two minutes of going down the elevator stopped. We exited and were met with a row of 48 machines. Were those machines... the cabins?

          „Welcome everybody!! Welcome to the Oxygen room!!“, we heard a female voice from the speakers that were all over this gigantic room.

          „The game is about to start! I will explain the rules right away!“, the voice said.

          Here we go!