Alice’s room was nearly identical to Sam’s.
It had a bed, a private bathroom, and the same old television.
The biggest difference was the colour scheme.
Crimson dominated every surface.
She leapt backward onto the mattress, her red business suit and hair blending into the matching scarlet sheets.
Propping herself up on her elbows, she tilted her head with a grin.
“So, how does my room compare to yours?” she asked.
Sam scanned the red environment, blinking.
“It’s definitely a lot redder than mine. Like… much redder.”
“Yeah, I guess it is a little bit much,” Alice admitted, swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress and kicking them back and forth.
Sam watched her closely, a sudden thought crossing his mind.
“Are you feeling okay? You seem to be moving a lot easier than you were back in the labyrinth.”
Just a short while ago, Alice could barely stand on her own.
Yet the moment they were teleported into these private quarters, her heavy limp had vanished entirely.
“Oh, yeah! That’s the weirdest part,” Alice beamed, rolling her shoulders.
“The second I landed here, all my injuries completely healed.”
Intrigued, Sam immediately rolled up his sleeve.
The angry burns left by Alice’s stray embers were gone, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin.
“I don’t feel any pain at all anymore,” Alice continued.
He looked down at his shirt.
The scorched holes and frayed edges had vanished as well.
Even his clothes had been restored, looking as crisp and spotless as the day he bought them.
“This place doesn’t make any sense…” Sam sighed.
He slid down the wall and settled onto the floor, pulling his knees up and resting his arms on them.
As he sat there, his gaze unintentionally drifted over to the television mounted on Alice’s wall.
“Hey, does your TV actually work? Mine just shows endless static.”
“Oh, I haven’t even tried it yet,” Alice said, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.
“Let me give it a go.”
She hopped off the bed, grabbed the remote from her nightstand, and pointed it at the screen.
She pressed the power button.
BZZZZZZ.
Nothing but blinding white noise and empty static.
“Hmm… well, that’s disappointing. I was hoping to watch something and relax,” Alice said, her shoulders slumping.
“Yeah, I wanted to see if I could watch the news from my world,” Sam admitted softly.
“Just to see how things are going over there. I wonder if anyone has realised I’m gone yet… or if they’ve even begun searching for me.”
Alice pointed the remote and clicked the monitor off, plunging the room back into quiet.
“You got someone important waiting for you back home?”
“Just my family. My mum and dad,” Sam said, staring blankly at the floor.
“I just want them to know that I’m okay. For now, at least…”
“Hey.” Alice walked over and kneeled down to him.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to get through this. We’ll both make it back to our worlds, and you’ll see your family again.”
“I hope so,” Sam murmured.
“You will,” Alice insisted firmly.
“And when you do, make sure to spend as much time as you can with them. Family is a luxury, Sam. Cherish them while you still can.”
A brief, heavy silence settled over the room.
“Alright!” Alice suddenly declared, clapping her hands together and breaking the tension.
“Clearly, sitting around in here isn’t helping you feel any better. How about we go exploring? Maybe we can actually find some food in this place!”
Sam looked up at her, sceptical.
“Should we really be wandering around? Some of the other contestants out there could be dangerous.”
“Okay, fine,” Alice shrugged, a playful glint in her eye.
“How about we go hang out in your room instead?”
“Uh… I’d rather not.”
“Exploring it is, then!” Alice cheered.
Before he could protest, she reached down, grabbed his wrist, and effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
Alice swung her door open and marched straight out into the corridor, dragging a reluctant Sam right behind her.
Nearby contestants turned to watch the pair as they passed, their intense gazes locking onto them.
Sam felt a cold sweat prickle his neck under the weight of their scrutiny.
“Hey, let go of me!” Sam hissed under his breath, twisting his wrist as he desperately struggled to break free from her iron grip.
“Not a chance! Not until we find some food!” Alice replied cheerfully, without even looking back.
Sam winced, utterly unable to budge her fingers.
“Why the hell are you so strong?!”
He glanced around the corridor.
Countless eyes were fixed on him.
Some of the contestants stared in chilling silence, others openly mocked him with low chuckles, but the majority were whispering.
It wasn’t the mocking laughter that made his stomach knot, but the whispering.
The hushed, overlapping voices felt suffocating.
Were they already plotting something?
Were they already planning how to corner and kill him the moment the next game began?
“Don’t worry,” Alice whispered softly into Sam’s ear, leaning in close enough that the crowd couldn’t hear.
“I’m doing you a favour right now.”
A favour?
What is that supposed to mean?
Sam thought, blinking in confusion.
“Oh, look over there!” she suddenly exclaimed, her serious tone vanishing as she pointed down the hall.
Tucked into a wide alcove off the main corridor was what looked like an expansive cafeteria.
Several contestants were already queued in line, each holding a polished silver tray.
“I hope they’ve got something good to eat!” Alice cheered.
She instantly released her grip on Sam’s arm and dashed toward the back of the line like a kid chasing an ice cream truck.
Alice began hopping up and down in place, eagerly awaiting her turn.
Suddenly, she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
She turned to find Sam offering her a silver tray.
“You’re probably going to need this,” he said, a faint, amused smile tugging at his lips.
“Oh! Thanks!”
She snatched it from his hand, grinning from ear to ear.
Luckily for her, the line was moving fast.
Only a few moments later, she finally stood at the front of the queue.
The serving area was being run by what appeared to be a giant, bipedal hamster, complete with a tiny chef’s hat and a white apron.
Alice didn’t pay the creature much attention.
Instead, her eyes eagerly swept across the glass display, searching for food.
Her excitement evaporated.
The display cases were empty.
Beneath the spotless glass, every metal tray sat untouched—not a single crumb, grease stain, or smudge suggested food had ever been there.
“What?! Where’s the food?!” Alice demanded, her frustrated voice directed straight at the giant hamster.
The hamster gave no verbal response.
It simply tilted its head and stared up at her with massive, watery, innocent eyes—instantly making her feel like a terrible person for yelling.
“Hey, look at this,” Sam interjected softly.
He leaned over the counter and pointed at a small, neatly printed sign resting right in front of the hamster, which Alice had completely overlooked in her hunger.
“Ask the staff for the food you desire, specified by world of origin,” Alice read aloud from the placard, her eyes widening.
“Oh! I get it!” Alice grinned, leaning over the glass. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“One burger with ember apple sauce from my world, please!”
The giant hamster gave a polite nod.
It clapped its tiny paws together, instantly summoning a brilliant beam of light that erupted directly over Alice’s silver tray.
Once the light subsided, a massive, thick burger dripping with a rich, dark red sauce materialised on the metal surface.
A mouth-watering, smoky aroma instantly filled the air between them.
“Actually! Make it three burgers!” she added excitedly, her eyes wide with greed.
The hamster obligingly clapped its paws once more, summoning a second and third burger onto her overflowing tray in identical flashes of light.
“Ehehehehehe,” Alice giggled, a tiny thread of drool escaping the corner of her lips.
Ignoring everything else, she slowly waddled toward a nearby empty table, her eyes locked entirely on her feast.
“What’s the point of these display cases if we just get our food summoned straight onto our trays…?” Sam muttered to himself, thoroughly perplexed by the cafeteria’s design.
He shook his head and focused on the giant hamster chef, who was patiently waiting for his input.
“Could I get a spaghetti carbonara from Earth?”
Without a word, the hamster clapped its tiny paws together.
A brief, warm beam of light erupted over Sam’s tray, and as it faded, a steaming bowl of pasta tossed in a rich, creamy egg and cheese sauce—topped with crispy bits of guanciale—materialised before him.
He took his tray and sat down at the table across from Alice.
True to form, she had already begun devouring her feast without him—one wrapper was completely crumpled, and she was already halfway through her second burger.
Sam let out a quiet laugh of genuine amusement.
He picked up the silver fork that had been materialised alongside the bowl and began twirling the steaming strands of pasta around the prongs.
Just as he was about to lift the bite to his mouth, he noticed Alice’s orange eyes locked onto his hands, tracking the movement like a hawk.
“What’s that?” she asked, her voice slightly muffled around a mouthful of burger.
“It’s spaghetti carbonara,” Sam explained, pausing.
“Ooo… what does it taste like?” She leaned so far across the table that Sam thought she might steal a forkful.
Sam paused, genuinely surprised.
“You don’t have this back in your world?”
“Nope!” Alice declared, wiping a stray drop of dark red sauce from her chin.
“We don’t have anything like that at all!”
It was fascinating.
There seemed to be a few surprising similarities between their respective homes, yet the differences were absolute.
“Want to try it?” he asked, holding the fork out across the table toward her.
“Really?!”
Her eyes lit up with instant excitement.
Without a shred of hesitation, she leaned completely over the table and bit the pasta right off the prongs, devouring the rich, creamy bite in seconds.
“Wow! It’s so creamy!” she cheered, her face practically beaming.
Sam couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Now you try mine!” Alice declared.
Before he could even open his mouth to reply, she snatched up her remaining burger and violently shoved it straight between his lips.
Sam reflexively bit down on it just to stop it from falling.
The meat tasted somewhat similar to beef, but with a distinct twist—it was noticeably sweeter, and the texture was remarkably airy, almost melting on his tongue.
Then came a subtle kick of spice.
Actually, scratch that.
It wasn’t subtle at all.
It was a lot of spice.
Way too much spice.
“It’s so spicy!” Sam spluttered, his eyes watering as a searing heat spread through his mouth.
He frantically fanned his open mouth with one hand, praying the cool air would provide even the slightest relief.
“Ahahahaha!” Alice cackled, pushing herself out of her chair.
“Okay, I’m going to go get some sleep. Goodnight!”
She gave a cheerful wave over her shoulder and immediately turned on her heel, marching back toward the residential corridor.
Sam stared blankly at her retreating back, his tongue still throbbing with phantom flames.
So she burns my mouth… and then just leaves?