Chapter 7 – TRUST IS POWER
The new room shuddered around them like it was alive.
Everything — the walls, the ground, the air — was soaked in deep blue light.
There were no doors.
No windows.
No clear way out.
Only a massive message floating midair:
> "TRUST IS POWER.
CHOOSE WISELY."
Below it, two simple buttons appeared.
> "[TRUST PLAYER 2]"
"[TRUST YOURSELF]"
Vera raised an eyebrow.
"That's it?" she said, arms crossed. "After sock mountains, killer kitchens, and funhouse horror — now you want a moral test?"
She scoffed. "Weak."
But Player 2 didn't laugh this time.
She didn't even smile.
In fact...
She wouldn't meet Vera's eyes.
"...You're awfully quiet, Mrs. Teamwork," Vera muttered.
The blue glow deepened — almost pulsing with tension.
Then the first trap sprang:
Floor tiles began cracking under Vera's feet — slowly, methodically.
Not Player 2's side.
Only hers.
And a new line appeared:
> "ONLY ONE CAN LEAVE.
TRUST DECIDES SURVIVAL."
"Oh," Vera said flatly. "NOW you're playing dirty."
She shot a look at Player 2.
Still no reaction.
Still not meeting her gaze.
A thought jabbed into Vera's brain like an ice pick:
She's going to leave me.
"Fine," Vera said, her voice calm but cold.
"Let's see what you pick, hoodie girl."
The options flickered faster — urging her to choose.
> [TRUST PLAYER 2]
[TRUST YOURSELF]
Vera's thumb hovered.
Her gut twisted.
She thought about all the times she'd trusted people who bailed.
She thought about how easy it was to just save herself and forget the rest.
But then—
—Player 2 finally moved.
Slowly.
Awkwardly.
Like it hurt.
She raised her hand... and pressed her own option: [TRUST VERA].
The room shook violently.
"Wh–" Vera blinked.
Was that even an option??
Player 2 finally looked up at her.
And for the first time, Vera could see something raw in those shadowed, unreadable eyes:
Fear.
Hope.
Regret.
Longing.
It hit her like a gut punch.
Vera snorted.
"...God," she said, "I hate sappy endings."
And without another second of hesitation —
she slammed [TRUST PLAYER 2].
KRA-KOOM.
The floor exploded upward —
blue shards of light bursting around them like a supernova.
For a moment, Vera felt like she was floating — freefalling through empty space.
Then reality snapped back in.
Both of them landed — hard — in the next room.
Alive.
Together.
A new message appeared:
> "TRUST BUILDS STRENGTH.
ONE LAST GAME REMAINS.
GOOD LUCK."
Vera sat up, rubbing her ribs.
"Ugh," she muttered. "Next time I'm picking 'distrust' just out of spite."
Player 2 chuckled.
Actually chuckled.
It was dry, quiet — but real.
For the first time, Vera grinned a little too.
Even here.
Even now.
Maybe she wasn't completely alone after all.
But...
Just as she got to her feet —
the room's colors started to rot.
From blue — to black.
The walls crumbling inward.
And a memory flickered at the edges of her mind:
A little girl sitting alone.
A cold room.
Pizza untouched.
Parents yelling outside.
Her stomach twisted.
Player 2 caught her expression — and said, almost too softly to hear:
"It's time to remember everything, Vera."
(End of Chapter 7.)