Block One, 16:00 CST (four hours before the lock island system activates)
The sound of footsteps echoed down the darkening stairwell from the second floor. Aslan, Tyrell, and the rest of second-floor group dashed into the first-floor hallway at the sound of gunfire.
They wasted no time in crashing through the only closed door on the left side of the hallway. Once inside, they found a member of the first-floor officers desperately trying to leap out of the window.
Aslan swiftly reacted, seizing the back of the male officer’s collar and slamming him against the wall beside the open window.
“You jerk! Planning to run away?” Aslan hissed, still catching his breath. “You were going to save yourselves without us, weren’t you?”
The officer stared back at Aslan, Tyrell, and the rest of the second-floor group now filling the room, with a horrified expression. “We just wanted to get out of here because we believe one of you is the predator host who attacked our colleague. We just….”
“This island has a high-level protection system to anticipate emergencies,” the officer explained, his voice trembling with frustration. “It’s called the ‘lock island’ system. It’s designed to seal off the island from the sea, preventing anyone from escaping.”
Aslan’s brow furrowed. “Seal off the island from the sea?”
The officer nodded, still shaken. “Yes. It has been activated and could become fully active tonight. Once it’s active, no one can leave this island. I don’t fully understand how it works, but it’s meant to safeguard the secrets of Prison X from outsiders.”
“The senior officers, those who have been here since the beginning, know more about it,” he continued. “I don’t have all the details, but if the researchers in Block Two believe the only way off the island is by catching the fastest ship docking here, then the ‘lock island’ system is a serious threat.”
Growing suspicious, Tyrell reached into the staff’s pocket and retrieved a digital two-way radio. “You’ve been using this to communicate with the researchers in Block Two? Can we contact them now?”
“The battery died right after we received their instructions,” the officer replied. “The charger is at the military camp. We haven’t heard any further updates from the people in Block Two since their last instructions.”
“Listen, we’re running out of time,” he continued, glancing anxiously out the window. “They told us to leave here by four o’clock. My colleagues and the Block Two researchers have already headed to the military camp. We need to get to the dock quickly before things get worse.”
“Why go to the military camp first if time is tight?” Tyrell asked once more.
“The area outside the prison is dangerous; more soldiers died in the forest and could have turned into predators,” the officer explained. “We need vehicles to reach the dock, and all the prison vehicles are parked at the military camp. So, we have to go there first to get transportation.”
“Where exactly is your dock?”
“I know where their dock is,” Aslan replied, exchanging a glance with Tyrell. “We arrived here by ship, so all of us from Block Three know its location. It’s not far from here, a bit northwest of the prison. We’ll have to pass through some forest and their solar panel area.”
The officer coughed again. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but thankfully there aren’t many predators nearby. My colleagues encountered only two in front of Block One, and I managed to take them down. That’s why they rushed to the military camp. If we want to survive, we need to act quickly. This place will be incredibly dark and dangerous tonight.”
“To hell with everything!” Mia shouted from behind the second-floor group still gathered outside the officer’s room. “He’s right, we have to save ourselves while we still can!”
Without hesitation, the girl darted past everyone toward the open window next to Tyrell. Before Aslan could react, she leaped out. Seeing Mia’s bold move, Sara hurried after her.
“If the officers here see this as the best course of action, we should follow suit. They understand this place better than we do,” she said, glancing back at Aslan and Danica before leaping out as well, disappearing into the rain outside.
“They’re right. This place is too terrifying, and I… I want to go home. I think I’ll join them,” Gina muttered, glancing back at her friends with resolve. With sudden determination, she too jumped out of the window.
“Gina, what the hell are you doing?!” Daniel shouted in shock, but seeing Gina disappear into the rain, he made a quick decision and followed her out. Somsak, hesitating for a moment, also jumped after them.
With Tyrell and Aslan momentarily distracted by the group’s exodus, the officer seized the opportunity. He broke free from Aslan’s grip on his neck and swiftly followed suit, jumping out of the window. Aslan could only watch in disbelief as Igor and Ivan, sensing the urgency, also leaped out.
“Only Sara and that officer have weapons now, right?” Danica asked, turning to Aslan and Tyrell. “I’ll try to cover them!”
Seeing Danica grab her bow and leap out, Aslan wasted no time in following her. Tyrell himself turned to Bayu and Kevin, who stood silently behind him.
“Maybe this is the way to survive,” he said decisively as he approached the window. “I’ll ensure they wait for you at the military camp and don’t take off with the vehicles there. Make sure you and Kiya catch up with us quickly, alright?”
With that, Tyrell leapt out of the window, joining the others in their escape.
Bayu suddenly turned around, his face filled with worry. “Kev, where are Scholarship Girl and the baby’s mother? Weren’t they supposed to come down with us?”
Kevin frowned, his confusion deepening before realization struck him. “Earlier, Scholarship Girl was investigating room 212. She suspected something related to the predator among us.”
Upon hearing this, Bayu raced back upstairs, with Kevin following closely behind. As they reached the second floor, their eyes fell on Sofia, holding her baby just outside room 213.
“What’s going on with you guys?” Sofia asked, her brow furrowed as she saw Kevin and Bayu reappear. “Where is everyone else?”
Realizing Sofia was in the dark about recent events, Bayu swiftly turned to Kevin. “Kevin, get her and the baby out of here. You need to catch up with the others at the military camp.”
“But what about you and Scholarship Girl?” Kevin protested.
“I’ll catch up with her,” said Bayu. “Right now, you need to get this woman and her baby to safety. I have a weapon; I’ll be okay.”
Sofia, growing increasingly concerned, focused her gaze on Kevin and Bayu. “What’s happening downstairs? Is something wrong outside Block One?”
Kevin stayed silent, his worry for Bayu evident in his expression. However, after a moment, he approached Sofia and gently took hold of her arm.
“Wait, what’s going on?” Sofia asked, startled.
Before Sofia could respond, Kevin guided her towards the stairs, urging her to hurry. Meanwhile, Bayu cautiously pushed open the door to room 212 in front of him.
A few minutes earlier
Kiya watched as the group from the second floor hurriedly descended the stairs upon hearing Tyrell and Bayu’s conversation. She had been following them but halted when she heard Gergő’s cries coming from room 213. Turning back, she saw Sofia rushing to check on her baby, and she instinctively followed suit.
However, something drew her attention to room 212. The door, previously shut tight, was now slightly open. Suspicion gnawed at her, compelling her to cautiously approach. She pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside.
Half of room 212 was cluttered with furniture from other rooms. Dim light filtered through a broken window partially blocked by cabinets, casting shadows across the room. Despite the subdued light, the breeze from outside whispered through the gaps.
Kiya’s breath caught as the door behind her closed on its own. Startled, she turned, but her focus was drawn to something else—a spot in the room that made her freeze in place.
“Y-you’re Paloma, right?” Kiya asked tentatively as she spotted the small blonde girl crouched on the floor, clutching something tightly. “What are you doing here? Where’s your twin?”
Paloma didn’t immediately respond to Kiya’s question. She simply stared at the blood-stained shirt in her hands, her expression filled with fear.
“I just remembered something,” Kiya continued, approaching Paloma cautiously. “When I woke up earlier, I didn’t see you beside your twin, Pavel. And what Pavel was holding beside him wasn’t you, was it? He took Gergő’s blanket and tried to make it look like you were sleeping next to him.”
“Pavel’s actions woke Gergő up and made him cry,” Kiya went on, her voice steady despite the tension in the room. “But Sofia didn’t notice that Gergő’s blanket was missing. I only realized this when I remembered the state of room 213 before Sofia and I went to the kitchen. Paloma, where were you when everyone else was sleeping?”
Paloma suddenly dropped the blood-stained shirt, her eyes wide with fear as she remained crouched on the floor, then began to slowly back away from Kiya.
“It… it wasn’t me,” Paloma stammered with a Russian accent. She glanced down at the blood-stained shirt in her hands, her fear palpable.
Kiya extended a calming hand towards Paloma. “Don’t be scared. You’re young, but I know you’re smart. I just need to understand—where were you when everyone else was asleep?”
Paloma shook her head vigorously, continuing to inch backwards. “Not me… not me, I’m not the naughty one.”
Seeing Paloma’s distress, Kiya halted her approach. “So, it was Pavel who did something wrong? Pavel is your little brother, isn’t he?”
Paloma nodded, tears now streaming down her cheeks. “I was just trying to clean up the blood. I told Pavel to change his clothes. I didn’t want us to get in trouble and be forced to leave. I’m scared of what’s outside.”
“Paloma,” Kiya called softly to the little girl, trying to steady her voice, “did Pavel attack the person downstairs, and did you clean up the blood?”
Paloma continued to nod, still crying. “Pavel said he was hungry. He went downstairs and almost got caught by the woman there. That’s when Pavel attacked her. He was scared, so I helped him change his clothes here and told him to go back to our room. I went down to clean everything up. I just didn’t want us to get in trouble.”
“P—paloma, are you feeling hungry too?” Kiya gently asked. “Do you have a craving for something different?”
Paloma shook her head. “I’m not naughty like Pavel.”
Kiya’s unease deepened. “Has Pavel ever felt that kind of hunger before? Do you know when your brother started to change?”
“I don’t know,” Paloma replied, shaking her head. “I’m scared of Pavel now.”
“Where is he now?” Kiya asked, nervously glancing around.
“Pavel is hiding in the bathroom,” Paloma said, trembling as she pointed towards the bathroom door behind her. “He’s scared people here will be angry and kick him out.”
Kiya swiftly moved towards Paloma, trying to reassure her. “Paloma, you don’t need to be scared of me. I won’t hurt you. But right now, we need to leave this room and find help from the others. Will you come with me?”
Paloma hesitated for a moment, wiping her tears away. After a few seconds, she finally agreed.
“Are you having trouble standing?” Kiya asked, noticing Paloma’s legs might be weak from crouching for so long. She quickly crouched in front of Paloma and gestured to her back. “Climb on, I’ll get you out of here.”
Reluctant at first, Paloma followed Kiya’s instructions. Once the little girl was securely on her back, Kiya began to walk towards the door. However, after just a few steps, a voice echoed from the bathroom behind them.
“Is… is someone out there?” the voice asked timidly from behind the bathroom door.
Kiya froze and turned towards the bathroom door. “Pavel…?”
Startled by Kiya’s voice, the door slowly creaked open from inside, revealing Pavel’s pale face peeking out. Kiya noticed his hands were stained with blood before he hastily concealed them again.
“P—pavel, why are you in the bathroom? What happened to your hands?” Kiya asked, her voice shaking as she slowly backed away.
Strangely, upon seeing his twin sister on Kiya’s back, Pavel quickly shut the door again and retreated into the bathroom. His abrupt actions sent a chill down Kiya’s spine.
“Pavel, what’s going on?” Kiya asked, her fear mounting. “Are you hurt?”
At first, Pavel didn’t respond. But after a moment, he spoke up. “P—paloma, she bit my hand.”
Kiya felt a wave of unease wash over her, and sweat began to bead on her forehead. “Paloma was the one who attacked the person downstairs? And you ran because you were scared after seeing your sister attack someone?”
Pavel’s fearful whimpers echoed from the bathroom, but he remained silent in response to Kiya’s questions. Meanwhile, behind Kiya’s back, Paloma’s slow giggles began to creep out.
Kiya’s body tensed with dread at the sound of Paloma’s laughter. She realized she was in grave danger, unable to escape the little girl clinging to her.
“P—paloma, why… why did you hurt your own brother?” Kiya managed to ask, though her heart pounding in her chest. But the response she received sent a chill down her spine.
“Because I’m still hungry and I want to eat him,” Paloma whispered into Kiya’s ear.
With that haunting declaration, Paloma started humming a Russian children’s song from behind Kiya’s back. Feeling trapped and paralyzed with fear, Kiya could only survey the dimly lit room in utter silence, still carrying Paloma on her back.
Fortunately, a few seconds later, she heard faint voices outside the door of room 212. Sensing Paloma had gone silent, Kiya swiftly freed herself by releasing Paloma’s grip from around her neck. She spun around and leaned against the nearest cabinet, trying to put distance between herself and the unsettling girl.
Her attempt to escape Paloma was almost successful, but as Paloma fell to the floor, she grabbed Kiya’s ankle. Kiya cried out in pain as she tumbled down.
“Let me go!” Kiya desperately screamed, kicking her leg. “Let go of me!”
Despite Kiya’s struggles, Paloma clung tightly to her leg. In a panic, Kiya grabbed a nearby wooden chair and struck Paloma’s head with it. The impact caused Paloma to slump to the side, motionless.
“P—paloma, are you okay?” Kiya asked, shock and worry coursing through her as she saw the little girl lying still.
Somehow, Kiya felt a pang of guilt as she approached Paloma to check on her condition after accidentally hitting the child. But as she neared, Paloma suddenly looked up, her eyes sharp and intent.
“Watch out!” someone shouted from the doorway of room 212. Just as Paloma lunged towards Kiya, a gunshot pierced the silence of the room. Kiya felt a spray of blood hit her face as Paloma collapsed to the floor.
Stunned, Kiya sat frozen in front of Paloma, unable to process what had just happened.
“Scholarship Girl, what were you thinking?! Do you think she’s still just a child?!” Bayu’s voice rang out behind her, filled with emotion as he held his weapon. “We need to get out of here! This place is empty and dangerous!”
The bathroom door creaked open again. Upon seeing his twin sister lying lifeless in a pool of blood, Pavel suddenly screamed and cried. He dropped to the ground, his body violently shaking as he emitted a heartbreaking sound that echoed through the room.
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