Hell land

Bianca had been planning her sixteenth birthday for nearly five years. The night had finally arrived, and she could hardly contain her excitement. Tomorrow was supposed to be the day she had dreamed of, but what she didn’t realize was that tonight would not end like any other. Every sixteen years, Hell returned to claim its due, stretching the night for a chosen few while everyone else lived through an ordinary day, blissfully unaware.

Bianca was well-known at school—famous, even. She carried herself with confidence, admired not only for her beauty but also for her intelligence. Her dream had always been to get into Yale, and though she lacked talent in sports, she compensated with her academic drive. She joined every competition she could, participated in extracurriculars, and threw herself into activities where she excelled: dance, art, and music. But when it came to physical endurance, she faltered. Friends surrounded her every day, yet none of them were close enough to call a best friend. She often told herself that didn’t matter, though deep down she wondered if it did. More than anything, she wanted to prove herself this year—finally making the cheerleading team had become her mission.

Emma, on the other hand, had a very different outlook. She had known about *The Night* since she was eleven years old. Her parents had told her everything—what it meant, how to prepare, and how important it was to survive. School was never her greatest priority, though her grades were strong enough to open doors to a good college. Unlike Bianca, Emma avoided extracurricular activities at first. But when her parents insisted, she threw herself into athletics. At first she resisted, hating the routine, but over time basketball grew on her. She liked the feeling of being part of something larger, of belonging to a team, and the rush of being one of the best. Soon gymnastics and boxing filled her schedule too, and while it was exhausting, it was also empowering. Emma wasn’t the type to collect dozens of friends; instead, she had two best friends who meant the world to her. Her parents had prepared her carefully for the horrors of *The Night*, telling her exactly when it would arrive. Still, one thing remained uncertain: who else would be chosen, and whether she would face it alone.

Russel was nothing like them. Nights were his favorite time of day, especially when they involved parties. Normally, he had a crowd to join him, but this year his friends were too busy cramming for midterms. Russel didn’t mind—studying had never interested him. Sports carried him, and his skill on the field promised a future scholarship. Yet sports weren’t his only strength. Russel had a knack for computers, one so sharp it kept his GPA just high enough to keep coaches satisfied. He often escaped into fictional worlds, fascinated by fantasy and the supernatural. Watching shows like *The Vampire Diaries* filled him with longing; he dreamed of stepping into a world of creatures and myths. Left without company, he stayed home that night, binging his favorite episodes, unaware that his wish to live inside fiction was about to be granted in ways he could never imagine.

Cassidy lived in another world entirely. Where Russel longed for fantasy, Cassidy rejected it outright. If something could not be proven by science, it held no value to him. Ever since the age of ten, he had been immersed in experiments, his mind always searching for explanations and solutions. People disliked him for his arrogance, but it hardly mattered to him. He had medals and awards to prove his worth, competing in science decathlons across countries. Math, however, remained a challenge, one he tackled with tutors. He embraced the label of “school nerd,” though it came with the price of bullying and isolation. Cassidy preferred his routine: sleeping early, rising early, and dedicating his free hours to his “strange” experiments. Yet no matter what project he was working on, he refused to stay awake past midnight. Midnight was a boundary he had never crossed—until now.

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Down in Hell, preparations were already underway. The contestants for this cycle had been selected. Sixty children, drawn from across the globe, were marked for the game. Only one would “win”—though winning in Hell meant eternal punishment. To survive, you had to lose. It was twisted, cruel, and yet this was the night all of Hell celebrated, for only during these hours were they free.

Thick mist seeped into ten darkened rooms. The chosen children were pulled from their world and carried into their first challenge.

Bianca opened her eyes and gasped. She stood in a vast, decaying mansion, its walls echoing with ghostly whispers. Ten other teens were scattered around her, none familiar. Fear twisted in her chest. Emma, too, found herself transported, and though she had expected this, it was still unsettling to be surrounded by strangers. She reminded herself of her mission: to protect as many souls as she could. Each challenge, she knew, would demand a sacrifice—one life for the others to continue.

Russel, however, was not afraid. His eyes lit with fascination. This was everything he had fantasized about, and he intended to enjoy every moment.

Cassidy was the opposite. His body trembled, his mind rejecting what he saw. He tried to keep his eyes open, but as midnight approached, his strength gave out. Staying awake felt impossible.

At five minutes to midnight, tension filled the air. Teens shifted nervously, whispering among themselves, their fear growing with each passing second. Only Emma stood ready. She steadied herself, bracing for *The Night*. Bianca approached her, eager to learn what Emma seemed to know. As they spoke in hushed tones, Russel’s attention turned to Cassidy. The boy was drenched in sweat, his face pale and twisted with terror. Russel knelt beside him, trying to calm him down. He told him it was only a dream, that it would soon pass. But Cassidy’s body gave out, and he collapsed on the floor.

Emma rushed over. If he didn’t wake within minutes, he would be gone forever. She tore through her backpack and pulled out a small vial. With quick precision, she dripped a single drop of *Waket* onto his tongue. A tense silence followed before Cassidy’s eyes snapped open. He gasped, startled by the three faces hovering over him. Disoriented, he tried to remember how he had gotten there, but all he recalled was the mist. Emma quickly explained. Cassidy dismissed it instantly—science could not allow such a reality. Russel, though more open, struggled to comprehend that this nightmare was real.

Despite their differences, the four of them were now bound together. Emma would guide them, whether they believed in her or not.

The room shifted as the kings entered. Their arrival was heralded by blood-curdling screams from the other teens, cries that only seemed to amuse them. With twisted smiles, they announced it was time to party. Music erupted, and the atmosphere shifted. Fear gave way to false celebration. Many of the teens began to dance, drink, and laugh, desperate to cling to any comfort they could. Only Bianca, Emma, Russel, and Cassidy refused to join.

Emma’s heart pounded. Her parents had told her that the kings thrived on fear, not joy. Why would they ease their prey into laughter first? Was it a trick? A distraction? Or had Hell itself changed? A shiver ran down her spine. Perhaps her parents hadn’t told her everything. Perhaps they couldn’t have.

She remembered their warnings—their three years trapped in Hell, their desperate escape, and their lifelong mission to prepare others. Ten years ago, everything had changed: *The Night* was no longer held on Earth, but in Hell itself. All her training had been shaped by old rules, old dangers. What if none of it applied anymore?

Emma turned to the others, her voice steady but urgent. They needed to be ready for anything. At least they understood that this wasn’t a game, that the danger was real.

And then it began. The music cut off with a scream. A boy plummeted through a trapdoor, his voice echoing through the hall. Seconds later, chaos erupted as more trapdoors opened. Twenty teens vanished into the darkness, their screams filling the mansion. The false celebration crumbled, replaced once again by raw terror.