KeinieoMK's profile

Episode 1

They didn’t remember signing up for it.

That was the first thing Sebastian noticed.

Not just him—*all of them*.

The bus was just still in the fog, its headlights still humming weakly as if they had been left on for hours. Or days. The road behind it stretched into nothing, swallowed by a pale gray haze that pulsed like something breathing.

Sebastian tightened his grip on the flashlight.
Does anyone… remember how we got here?

No one answered immediately.

Jake scoffed, adjusting his jacket, though his fingers trembled just enough to betray him.
Yeah, we got on a bus. Not rocket science, kid.

But from where? Melissa snapped, arms crossed, slippers slapping softly against the cracked asphalt as she shifted. I don’t remember the start point. Or the driver.

Frank rubbed his temples, staring at the bus like it had personally wronged him.
My restaurant… I was closing up. I remember locking the door, and then… He stopped. His breathing hitched. Nothing.

Koroshi crouched near the front tire, peeling off a sticker he had apparently just printed—a perfect replica of the bus logo. He frowned.
This logo doesn’t exist. I made it, like, five seconds ago… but it was already there before I printed it.

That’s not funny, Neptuno muttered, clutching his DSi like a lifeline. None of this is funny.

Gordo let out a low growl.

The fog shifted.

And then something *moved inside it.*

—

They found the building because it *wanted* to be found.

It stood alone beyond the road—a massive, decaying structure of warped concrete and blackened windows. No signs. No lights. Just a door slightly ajar, as if inviting them.

Or expecting them.

Weegee wiped his hands on his overalls.
Alright, classic horror setup. We go in, we find a phone, we leave. Easy.

Melissa froze.
No phones.

Everyone looked at her.

No phones, she repeated, sharper this time. We find anything else.

Jake rolled his eyes.
Yeah, sure, we’ll avoid the spooky telephones. That’ll save us.

Nommanic stepped forward, gaze narrowing at the doorway.
Something’s wrong with the space here. It feels… layered.

Keinieo smirked, flipping his craft knife open and shut.
Layered or not, standing out here isn’t better.

Sebastian swallowed, then nodded.
We stay together. No splitting up.

That was the second mistake.

—

Inside, the air smelled like rot.

Not normal rot—something older. Damp walls peeled like skin. The floor creaked in a way that didn’t match their steps.

Every sound lagged half a second behind reality.

Frank noticed first.
Did you hear that?

They all stopped.

A faint echo of their own footsteps continued… even though they weren’t moving.

KFP waved their glowstick slowly, the orange light cutting through the dimness.
…

The glow flickered strangely—like it was being swallowed instead of reflected.

There’s writing, Koroshi said suddenly.

On the wall ahead, scratched deep into the surface:

**YOU WERE LATE.**

Jake snorted.
Late for what?

The message *changed.*

The letters twisted, reshaping with a wet, grinding sound.

**YOU ARE STILL LATE.**

Sebastian’s chest tightened.
We should go.

He turned back toward the door.

It was gone.

—

The first puzzle appeared in a room that shouldn’t exist.

A long hallway had led them there, but when they looked back, the hallway was only a few feet long—ending in a solid wall.

The room itself was circular. In the center stood a metal table. On it: twelve objects.

Each one belonged to them.

Sebastian’s Fire Flower. Jake’s pistol. Frank’s pan. Melissa’s slippers. Koroshi’s sticker printer. Neptuno’s DSi. Keinieo’s Pepsi bottle. Weegee’s toolbox. Nommanic’s Ultra Ball. KFP’s glowstick. And even Gordo sat beside an empty space, whining softly.

Above the table, carved into the ceiling:

**ONLY WHAT YOU REMEMBER IS REAL. CHOOSE WRONG, AND IT WILL REMEMBER YOU INSTEAD.**

Neptuno let out a shaky laugh.
Okay… puzzle. We just pick our own stuff, right?

No, Nommanic said quietly. It’s not that simple.

Sebastian stepped closer. His Fire Flower looked… off. The colors were slightly wrong. Too dull.

Jake grabbed his pistol instantly.
Done. Easy.

The moment his fingers wrapped around it—

The sound of a gunshot echoed.

But Jake hadn’t pulled the trigger.

He froze.

Then slowly looked down.

The pistol was… inside his hand.

Not held.

Embedded.

Metal fused with flesh, stretching his skin unnaturally as the barrel pushed through his palm.

Jake screamed.
AAAAAA—!

The walls *echoed it back*, but distorted—like multiple versions of his scream layered over each other.

“WRONG,” something whispered.

Not from the room.

From *inside* them.

Jake staggered back, clutching his arm, but the pistol was gone again—leaving no wound.

Just the memory.

And the pain.

—

Don’t touch anything, Sebastian said quickly, voice shaking. We have to think.

Frank stared at the pan.
I cook every day. That should be mine… but why does it feel… unfamiliar?

Melissa looked at her slippers, then down at her feet. She was barefoot.
…I was wearing these earlier.

No, Keinieo said. You *think* you were.

Koroshi slowly peeled a sticker from his printer. It showed the room exactly as it was—but one detail was different.

In the sticker, there were only eleven people.

Not twelve.

Someone here doesn’t belong, he said.

Silence fell.

Gordo whimpered.

Sebastian’s heart pounded.
What do you mean?

Koroshi held up the sticker.
Count.

They did.

One.

Two.

Three…

Twelve.

But the sticker still showed eleven.

Neptuno backed away.
Stop messing around—

I’m not, Koroshi snapped. One of us isn’t real.

The writing on the ceiling shifted again.

**REMOVE THE EXTRA.**

—

Panic erupted.

Jake stumbled backward.
You think it’s me? Because of the gun thing?

No one said that, Frank replied, though his voice lacked conviction.

Nommanic’s eyes darted between them.
We’re missing something. Memory defines reality here… so whoever *wasn’t remembered*—

KFP’s glowstick flickered violently.

Sebastian turned to them.
KFP?

They didn’t respond.

They just stood there, perfectly still.

Too still.

…Have they said anything since we came in? Melissa asked quietly.

Silence.

No one could answer.

Because none of them remembered.

The glowstick dropped from KFP’s hand.

It hit the floor with a hollow sound.

And KFP’s body… *folded.*

Not like a person collapsing.

Like paper being crushed.

Their form compressed inward, shrinking, twisting—until there was nothing left but the glowstick.

The room exhaled.

The ceiling text faded.

The door reappeared.

—

No one spoke as they left.

Not about KFP.

Not about the puzzle.

Not about how none of them could clearly remember KFP’s face anymore.

Only that something had been there.

And now it wasn’t.

—

The hallway beyond was darker.

Longer.

And lined with doors.

Each one labeled with a name.

Sebastian.

Jake.

Frank.

Melissa.

All of them.

At the very end of the hall, one final door stood open.

No name.

Inside, something moved.

A voice echoed from within—layered, broken, familiar.

“YOU ARE STILL LATE.”

Sebastian’s flashlight flickered.

And for a split second—

He saw himself standing inside that room.

Smiling.

Waiting.

—

End of Episode 1.


PS. I searched up a LOT of phrases that books use, so please ignore some stuff.