When I received that message, I thought it was just a scam text.
“You’ve been selected.”
I pressed Decline.
The next second, I found myself on a remote island, cut off from the rest of the world.
This place is called the Isle of the Departed.
The rules are simple: twelve nights, twelve games, twelve Joker cards.
Win, and you earn a one-night visa.
Lose, and you turn into black particles, your soul trapped here forever.
Clear every game, and you get one “absolute wish” granted. Anything you want.
Seven people came in. Each one carried a sin in their heart.
A former detective, a medical student, a programmer, a fitness instructor, a construction worker, a financial analyst, and a livestreaming influencer.
We were forced to survive four kinds of games: Spades for physical ability, Diamonds for intelligence, Clubs for teamwork, and Hearts for psychology.
The first night: a cage of infrared beams and hunting dogs.
The second night: a betrayal vote based on the Prisoner’s Dilemma.
The third night: shameful secrets dug up by the System.
One person dies every night.
With every death, the truth draws closer.
Until I discovered that the secrets of all seven of us pointed to the same event:
The bridge collapse that killed seventy-three people.
And we were the only seven survivors.
The System said we were all on the brink of death.
We had to clear the games to wake up.
But the truth was that one of us didn’t deserve to make it out alive...
