The air felt heavier outside. The city had changed in the few minutes since Lina and I met. Sirens echoed, cars abandoned in the streets, and people ran in every direction, some screaming, some crying.
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I kept my eyes on my number: 25. One step lower than before. Lina’s was 12 now. The numbers were dropping faster than we could even comprehend.
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“Come on,” Lina said, grabbing my hand. “We need to move. If this is counting down… the lower it goes, the closer—”
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I didn’t need her to finish. I already knew.
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We ran down the narrow streets, dodging people who collapsed mid-step. Every second, someone else hit zero. And every time, the crowd froze—staring, screaming, then scattering.
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A young man fell nearby, his number blinking: 0. His eyes widened in disbelief before his body went limp. People around him screamed, but no one dared touch him.
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My stomach churned. 25. 24. 23.
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“Why are we still alive?” I gasped. “What does it mean? How do we stop it?”
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Lina shook her head, pulling me into a side alley. “I don’t know. But maybe… maybe we’re supposed to find the ones with the same number. Like the message said.”
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A cold wind blew, carrying screams from further down the street. We froze. My number ticked again: 22.
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Then something caught my eye. A figure leaning against a wall, watching us. His number: 25. Same as mine.
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Before I could react, he stepped forward. Calm. Confident. But his eyes… they weren’t friendly.
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“You’re like me,” he said, voice low. “We don’t have much time.”
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“Who are you?” I asked, backing up.
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“Call me Eli,” he said. “And if you want to survive, follow me. Now.”
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I glanced at Lina. Her number: 11. She nodded. We had no choice.
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As we ran after Eli, my mind raced. Why were some numbers higher? Why were some lower? Why were zeros killing instantly?
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And then I realized the worst part:
We weren’t just running from numbers.
We were running from everyone else.
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Because anyone else… anyone with a lower number… could stop at nothing to survive.
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and then Add to home screen.