I opened my eyes, disoriented, in a place I didn't recognize. Around me were the faces of strangers, their expressions tense and fearful. The sound of water splashing jolted me to my feet. I quickly realized we were on a large boat.

Turning around, my heart raced as I spotted a group of armed men in the distance, their guns glinting ominously in the dim light.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice shaky.

Before I could process anything further, the girl next to me lunged, grabbing my leg and pulling me down to the floor. She covered me with a thick cloth, hiding my face from view.

"Are you insane? They'll kill us!" she hissed, her voice frantic.

"Who are we? Who are they?" I stammered, panic rising in my chest.

"They're taking us somewhere," she replied, her eyes darting nervously.

"How do you know that?" I pressed, feeling the weight of the situation.

"I heard them talking," she whispered urgently. "They said your name is Lucy, and I'm Jenny."

"And where are we going?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Even with the cloth wrapped around us, I could feel the darkness closing in. The only light came from a small opening above, casting eerie shadows on the floor.

"I overheard everything, but promise me—if they threaten you, don't expose me," she said, fear evident in her eyes.

"I promise," I replied, forcing a smile even though she couldn't see it.

"Shh!" she suddenly pressed her hand over my mouth.

"What's wrong?" I whispered, my heart pounding.

"I think they heard you. They're coming closer," she said, her voice trembling.

I could hear their heavy footsteps approaching, the sound of guns being readied for action. I peered at the ground and saw their black boots right in front of us.

"Didn't you hear something over there?" one man said, his voice low and menacing.

"Man, it's either your imagination or the sound of the waves," another replied dismissively.

Suddenly, a phone rang, cutting through the tension. One of the men answered it, his voice sharp.

"Sir, we're only a few kilometers away. We're almost there," he said, a hint of urgency in his tone.

"Alright, have a good day," the man replied before hanging up.

"What did he say?" his companion asked.

"He said we need to keep our eyes open, or we'll be punished," he warned.

"Let's go inside and talk. This isn't a good place to be," the other suggested.

As they moved away, I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

"Pssst," Jenny whispered urgently.

I turned to her, startled. "You're hurting me! Can you let go of my hand?" she pleaded.

I looked down and realized I was gripping her tightly. I released her immediately, my fear of the men creeping back in.

"Lucy," she called softly.

"Yeah?" I replied, trying to focus.

"I need to tell you something," she said, her voice steadying.

"Go ahead," I urged, anxiety clawing at my insides.

"We're prisoners," she said, her words heavy with dread.

"What?" I gasped, my voice too loud. She quickly clamped her hand over my mouth again.

"Are you insane? Thanks to the sound of the ocean, we might have just signed our death warrants!" she scolded.

"Sorry," I whispered, guilt flooding me.

"We aren't normal prisoners," she continued, her voice barely a whisper.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confusion swirling in my mind.

"Listen, Lucy. This boat is called the Titanic," she said, her eyes wide.

Titanic? The name echoed in my mind, but I couldn't interrupt her.

"Titanic," I repeated, trying to grasp what it meant.

"Yeah, and the men in black masks gave us a drug before we got here," she explained.

"What kind of drug?" I echoed, fear creeping in.

"A drug that makes you forget everything that happened before," she said, her voice trembling.

Panic surged through me. Was this a dream? Was I going to die here?

"Where are they taking us?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"To the middle of the ocean where we'll never escape," she said, her tone chilling.

"And what are they going to do with us?" I pressed, desperation rising.

"I'm not sure, but one of the masked men mentioned something about a game," she replied, her voice quaking.

A game? My mind raced back to a series I had watched called Squid Game, where people lost their lives one by one. What if this was the same?

"I have an idea," I said, a sudden thought striking me.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"What if we jump into the ocean?" I suggested, adrenaline coursing through me.

"Lucy, don't even think about that! I'd rather face them than jump into that terrifying ocean!" she exclaimed.

"Why?" I asked, bewildered.

"We're in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 400 nautical miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. We'd sink to the bottom—over 13,000 feet down!" she warned.

"Are you a walking encyclopedia?" I joked nervously.

"Just don't think about it. It's too deep!" she insisted.

"Got it," I replied, trying to stay calm.

"Jenny!" a voice called out, sending chills down my spine.

Fear gripped me as she pulled back the cloth. I braced myself for the worst, but instead of a masked man, two strangers sat beside her.

She had short, tousled hair that framed her face beautifully, the dark strands catching the light in a way that made her look striking. Her jawline was sharp and defined, giving her an air of confidence that was hard to ignore.

"Jason. Tomase," she said, relief flooding her voice.

The man she called Jason had striking golden eyes and a strong jawline. Tomase, with brown hair and soft features, looked less intimidating.

"This is..." Tomase began, eyeing me curiously.

"This is my new friend Lucy. She's perfect and kind," Jenny introduced me, her smile brightening.

"And Lucy, these are my best friends, Jason and Tomase. They're well-trained soldiers. Jason is the General, and Tomase is still finding his place," she explained.

"Jenny, you've said enough about me," Tomase replied, a hint of embarrassment in his tone.

"Didn't you say you forgot who you were?" I asked, puzzled.

"The stupid medicine only works on the weak," she said defiantly.

Lucky for me, I wasn't weak. I remembered that night I spent binge-watching that series on Netflix.

Suddenly, a black-masked man appeared on the rooftop, a microphone clutched tightly in his hand.

"Is he about to kill himself?" Jenny said, a grin spreading across her face, but her eyes betrayed her worry.

"Suicide," Tomase chuckled, but his laughter was hollow, echoing the tension in the air.

"Hey! What the heck are you guys doing?" shouted a woman, her voice trembling with anger.

"Yeah, why are we here? Where are you taking us?" another voice chimed in, panic rising.

"This is illegal!" a third voice yelled. "When I get out of here, I'll make sure you masked freaks end up in prison!"

"Everyone, listen!" the masked man barked, his voice cold and menacing. "You're here because you registered for this. Beyond that, you have no right to speak. According to Rule 24, anyone who disobeys will face serious consequences."

His words hung in the air like a dark cloud, making the women turn back to their seats, anger burning in their eyes. Did they remember their past? The people they used to be?

I watched them, my heart pounding. Just then, one of the women shot me a look so fierce it made me turn away quickly.

"We will give you a room key with your number. Each room has five people, so find your roommate," the black-masked man said, his tone final. "That's all for today."

As he handed me a key and a card, I didn't dare glance at my room number. I wished I could avoid any new strangers; the people I had just met were already too much for me. I didn't want to rely on anyone else

"Mine is 128," said Jenny.

"And yours?" she turned to Jason.

"I don't know," he replied, holding the card number in his hand, but the number was facing the ground.

Jenny took the card from him and looked at it. "It's 128," she said with a smile.

"And you, Lucy?" she finally looked at me, jumping over Tomase, the guy beside him.

I checked my card. "128," I said.

"That's awesome!" Jenny exclaimed.

"And yours?" she turned to Tomase with a serious expression.

"Yo, chill out," Tomase said, smiling. "I'm 128, lady," he grinned.

She turned to me without any expression.

"Yo, why not smile?" said Tomase.

"Because nothing changes whether you're with us or not," she roasted him.

That stung. They kept roasting each other like siblings who secretly hated each other, but their voices faded into the background as I pondered who the fifth stranger might be.

After a minute, a guy with black hair approached. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he had scars on his left chin. Dressed entirely in black, with a silver necklace, he walked toward us while the others chatted. I couldn't take my eyes off the intimidating stranger.

I stopped looking at him and focused on the floor. The noise of the roast felt uncomfortable, and then a shadow covered me. I glanced up to see a black shoe in front of me. When I looked up, it was the scary guy.

"Hello," he said.

Jenny turned, but he was staring at me with an intense look. "Can we help?" she asked.

"I'm Mark, and I'm in room 128," he said.

At that moment, I felt like I might fall. A stranger was intriguing, but a scary one was my greatest fear from the first sight.

"Oh," said Jenny.

He ignored her again. "And you?"

She got mad.

"I'm Lucy," I said, standing up because I thought it was disrespectful to remain seated.

"Room number?" he asked.

"128," I replied.

He smiled, but it was a chilling smile. Jenny and I exchanged worried glances. Later, we entered our cramped room, and I plopped down on the bed in the left corner. In front of me was Jason's bed to his left was Tomase's, and to his right was Mark's. Beside my bed was Jenny's.

The sound of the ocean filled the air as the boat swayed beneath us. It felt surreal, like a dream or a movie. But if this was a dream, why couldn't I wake up?

"We need a plan," Jenny said, her voice tense.

"Yeah, what's your plan, Jason?" Tomase asked, shifting nervously.

"Just wait and see what happens," Jason replied confidently, but I could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

Mark sat on his bed, staring at his hands. Jason was napping, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. I fumbled with my phone, desperate to call someone, but again and again, it showed "No network."

"Why isn't this working?!" I exclaimed, frustration bubbling over.

Everyone turned to look at me. Mark lifted his gaze, Jason glanced my way then quickly looked away, and Jenny's eyes bore into me. "You mean," she said slowly, "you mean my plan isn't working even though we haven't tried it?"

"Another problem," I whispered, feeling the weight of her stare.

She stepped closer, her expression sharp. "What's your problem?" she demanded, standing up from her bed. That's when Jason finally turned to us.

Her voice faded into the background. This stranger, whom I had just met, was now ready to confront me, even though she didn't understand what I was trying to do.

"Lucy," she said, her voice laced with anger.

I felt like I was ignoring her, but Yeah I was  because knew she wouldn't save me from this mess but my contact list could call the cops and save me, but I needed to get through.

I dialed the contact labeled "Mom," my heart racing. Jenny moved closer, her eyes narrowing.

The network connected. "Hi," I said, gripping the phone tightly. "Hello, Lucy, where are you?" But the signal kept cutting in and out, and I couldn't hear her response.

"Lucy, look at me!" Jenny shouted, her voice piercing through the chaos.

"What? I didn't hear that!" I replied, panic rising in my chest.

"You're disrespecting me!" Lucy shouted back. Just then, the network cut out completely, and the call ended.

"No, no!" I whispered, shoving my phone back into my pocket. I looked up to see Lucy standing in front of me, glaring like a mean girl.

"Jenny!" I said, my voice trembling.

"What did you mean?" she pressed, her tone sharp. Jason stood up from his nap and approached us.

"Calm down," Jason said, his voice steady like a rock. "Go to your bed; I'll handle this." He gestured for Jenny to retreat, and she hesitated, her eyes darting between us before finally stepping back.

Now, it was just me and him. He faced me, his muscles taut and imposing, but I refused to back down. Who said he could bully a girl? I stood up tall, heart pounding, and met his gaze head-on.

Our eyes locked, and in that moment, a silent battle raged between us. I could feel the heat of his confidence, but I wasn't afraid. I had my own strength, a fire igniting within me.

"You think you can intimidate me?" I shot back, my voice steady despite the storm brewing inside.