I'm crouched, my back against the icy metal of a bunk bed, my fingers tight around a piece of broken glass. My hand is shaking. Not from weakness. From everything building in my chest: rage, fear, disgust. Despair.

My eyes don't blink. I search for him in the shadows. Namgyu is loose. Drugged. Violent. And he's hunting me.

The dim light in the great hall is bluish, and the metal structures cast shadows like the bars of a prison that never opens. The common room, that massive, open space, now looks like a silent war zone. Bodies hiding. Bodies that no longer move. And me. One more. But not the next.

My breath is short. Rapid. Held. The uniform fits loosely, the number 380 marked clearly on my chest. It's dirty with dust and fear. My hair sticks to my face, damp with sweat, falling in clumps I didn't bother to brush away. I can't distract myself. Not now.

A metallic vibration ripples through the floor. Another bunk bed is pushed over. A mattress falls violently to the floor.

I flinch. I crouch down even further. The glass cuts my skin again, but I don't let go.

"I want this to end. I just want this to end," I whisper, though no one can hear me.

I peer through the structures. I see him. Namgyu. Walking as if his body were no longer his own. Breathing ragged, twisted, like an animal that has scented prey. The blood on his clothes isn't his. He stabbed someone else. A player who crossed his path. One more red vote that won't make it to the next round.

I make myself small between the bars. The bunk covers me, but he's getting closer. Too close.

"Why is he following me?" I ask myself through gritted teeth. "Why me?" But I already know the answer. Because I didn't duck my head. Because I didn't laugh at his threats. Because I didn't let myself be intimidated.

I grit my teeth. My chest tightens with every step he takes. Shadows dance with him. The others are hidden like rats, and I'm the only one who faces him without opening my mouth. But that doesn't mean I'm not afraid. I'm terrified. And yet, I won't run senselessly. Every move counts.

I back away, my body crouched, feeling the dampness of the floor on my knees. Between the bunks, I see Min-Su hunched behind a corner, eyes wide like a kid who broke something and doesn't know how to fix it. But he doesn't look at me. I don't want him. Not now.

"Don't come. Don't come any closer. Don't look at me like you're useful," I murmur through barely opened lips. "You hid when I needed you most. And now you're hiding again."

I approach the edge of another structure. The shadows are thick, but my heart is pounding so loudly I think he'll be able to hear it if he gets any closer. And he gets closer.

He kicks something. A scream in the background. Another player screams and runs. Namgyu ignores him. He's looking for me.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" I shout, still hiding. My voice cracks in the tension-filled air. Nothing. No response. Just a gasp. A stifled laugh. And footsteps.

"I don't want to do this..." I whisper. But I lift the glass. I adjust it between my fingers like a makeshift dagger.

"I'm not going to die tonight... not because of you."

I move quickly between the beds, almost crawling. Every sound I make seems like a roar in the immense room. I feel the eyes of others on me. Players who will do nothing. Who will only survive while others bleed.

I reach the bunk closest to the north wall. The farthest one. I cover myself between the mattresses, alert. My back straight, my eyes wide open.

I hear his breathing. He's close. Two bunks down. I can't run. I can only wait. And resist.

"If you dare touch me, I swear I'll cut your face off..." I yell at him. My voice comes out more broken than I thought.

One more step. Another.

I'm ready. Glass in hand. Alert. Hurt. Trembling.

But not defeated.

And not alone. Not until I abandon myself.