Lie OR Die!!

CHAPTER 1: THE BLACK GATES

The iron gates of the school were tall, sharp, and black. They looked like the teeth of a big monster.

I stood outside in the cold wind. I looked up at the dark buildings.

My left wrist felt heavy. I looked down at the thick black watch tracker on my arm. The screen was completely dead and blank.

I still could not believe I was actually here. Three hours ago, a strange package arrived at my house. Inside was this watch and a small letter. The note was simple:

“Your missing little sister is inside this school. If you want to see her again, wear this watch tracker and come find her."

My sister had been gone for a whole year. So, I put the watch on and ran to this address.

I pushed the heavy gates open. The moment I walked into the empty courtyard, a loud SLAM echoed through the dark night.

I turned around quickly. My heart jumped.

The heavy gates had shut on their own. I ran back and pulled the iron bars with all my strength. They did not move at all. I was locked inside. I felt so small and so scared.

"Help!" I screamed into the darkness. "Is anyone there? Please open the gates!"

My voice just bounced off the cold stone walls. No one answered. The silence made my skin crawl

I turned around and ran toward the main school building. I pressed my face against the glass of the large, dark windows, trying to look inside.

Everything was completely black. No lights were on. There were no teachers, no guards, and no signs of life. It felt like an abandoned graveyard.

Suddenly, a sharp SNAP echoed through the quiet air.

I froze. My breath caught in my throat. The sound came from the edge of the courtyard. I slowly turned my head toward the dark trees. A heavy shadow was moving quickly behind the tree trunks. It did not look like a normal shadow. It moved fast, like something was hunting me.

My heart beat like crazy. I backed away from the trees, shaking with pure fear.

"You cannot open them," a calm voice suddenly said from the darkness.

I jumped and turned around. A boy was walking toward me from the shadows. He had sharp, handsome features, dark eyes, and a very cool expression. He looked mysterious and quiet.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "My name is Kang Min-jun. I am a student here."

"Someone locked the gates!" I said, my voice shaking. "I need to get out. My name is—"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Before I could finish my name, a loud chime echoed from the big digital clock on the school wall. The numbers changed to a bright green 22:00. It was exactly ten o'clock at night.

Suddenly, the black watch on my wrist shook violently. The dead screen flashed to life with a creepy blue light.

A cold, robotic voice spoke out loud from the watch:

[NIGHTMARE HOUR HAS BEGUN. TRUTH DETECTION: ACTIVE.]

I stared at my wrist in pure terror. What is a Nightmare Hour? I thought. I was completely confused. My brain could not understand what this watch was saying. Why was it glowing? Why did it activate exactly at ten o'clock?

Min-jun’s dark eyes narrowed as he looked at my glowing wrist. He did not look panicked at all. Instead, a weird, mysterious smile grew on his face. It was a cold smile that made my skin crawl.

"You almost told the truth just now," Min-jun said softly, stepping closer to me. "That would have been a fatal mistake here, freshman."

I backed away, completely lost and frightened. "What do you mean? What is this watch? What is happening?"

Min-jun looked directly into my eyes. His weird smile remained.

"Every night from 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM, these watches listen to us," Min-jun explained in a quiet, chilling voice. "If you speak a factual truth, you get a warning card. Three cards, and you face death. In this academy, you are only given one choice."

He leaned in close and whispered the final words:

"Lie... or die."

My heart stopped. I stared at him in total shock. Die? For telling the truth? It made no sense. I was so confused and dizzy with fear. Before I could say anything, Min-jun turned around.

"Follow me," he commanded coldly. "Unless you want to get caught out here."

With no other choice, I followed his dark shadow into the creepy school building, stepping straight into the nightmare.

I followed Min-jun down a long, dark hallway. My shoes made soft clicking sounds on the cold floor. Min-jun did not look back at me once. He just walked silently, like a ghost. I looked at his back, wondering if he was a prisoner here too. The entire building was completely dead and silent. I checked my wrist. The blue light kept glowing, ticking away the minutes.

Instead of taking me to a safe bedroom, Min-jun stopped in front of two large, heavy wooden doors.

From inside the room, I could hear a strange, quiet murmuring sound. It sounded like people whispering in deep fear.

Min-jun pushed the heavy doors open. "Go inside," he commanded softly.

I stepped into a grand, dimly lit lounge. In the center of the room, a large group of about thirty students sat in a tight circle. No one was smiling. No one was moving. They all looked terrified, their eyes glued to the toxic green digital clock on the wall.

22:15. The Nightmare Hour was already fifteen minutes old.

Min-jun led me toward the front of the room. As we walked closer, I saw a boy sitting in a large chair at the top of the circle. He was clearly the leader of this group.

"Boss," Min-jun said, bowing his head slightly. "We have a new freshman."

The leader slowly stood up from his large chair and walked toward me. Every step he took made the room feel colder.

He was wearing a smooth, pitch-black mask that covered his entire face. There were only two sharp slits for his eyes. Even though I could not see his face, his eyes looked incredibly dangerous. They were cold, sharp, and empty, like a hunter watching its prey in the dark.

The masked leader stopped just inches away from me. He stood very tall, his presence filling the entire space.

"Do you know the rules of this school, freshman?" the masked leader asked. His voice was deep, smooth, and terrifically calm. It sent a massive shiver straight down my spine.

I stood completely frozen. I was too terrified and confused to answer him.

The masked leader tilted his head, staring through the black slits of his mask. "Let me make it very simple for you. Look behind me."

He stepped aside and pointed a pale finger toward the center of the circle. Two big, muscular students wearing matching dark jackets stood over a crying boy on the floor.

"This is my gang," the masked leader explained, his voice dripping with cruel pride. "Every night during the Nightmare Hour, we find students who already received a blue or a yellow warning card. And then, we play a little game to make them speak a factual truth"

My eyes went wide. I looked at the crying boy. The two gang members grabbed his arms, lifting him up roughly. They were going to torture him until he said something honest, forcing his watch to beep its final warning. It was a brutal, physical hunt.

The masked leader turned back to me. His dangerous eyes locked onto my face.

"Now," the leader commanded coldly, stepping closer until I could smell his dark cologne. "Answer my question. What is your name, freshman?"

My throat felt completely dry. I was so confused, so lost, and so scared. I did not understand why this gang was doing this. I did not understand why this boy was wearing a mask. Everything felt like a horrible dream.

Thirty students were watching me, waiting for me to speak. The silence in the room was heavy and terrifying. I felt a huge pressure in my chest. I could not take the fear anymore. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him my real name so he would leave me alone.

I took a fast breath and opened my mouth to say the honest truth. "My name is Han Ji—"

Before the last part of my name could come out, a hand forcefully clamped over my face.

A warm palm pressed tightly against my lips, cutting my voice off completely. My eyes went wide in utter shock and panic. It was Min-jun. He had jumped forward, holding my mouth closed so I could not make a single sound, desperately stopping me from saying my real name to the leader.

I looked up frantically in the dark room, my heart beating like crazy, totally trapped between the gang, the masked leader, and the boy holding my lips shut.