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Days passed, one after another…

Mary and Majd had grown used to collecting firewood together, often spending long hours in each other's quiet company.

Tala, meanwhile, hovered around Mazen like the heroine of a romantic novel.

Whenever the weight of the world grew too heavy on Farah's shoulders, she would seek out Mary and Majd. The three would talk, laugh, and momentarily forget the strange world they now lived in.

Then came a day that shattered the monotony.

Deep in the forest, where the trees grew dense and the light struggled to break through, Mary, Farah, Majd, Mustafa, and Zein were searching for firewood ....and anything that might be edible.

Mustafa, Farah, and Zein headed to the right, while Majd and Mary veered to the left.

The forest was silent ....eerily so. Only the whisper of rustling leaves could be heard.

Suddenly…

A scream.

"Nooooo!"

Mary and Majd spun around , it was Farah's voice.

They ran with all their strength toward the sound.

Farah was frozen in place, her voice trembling:

"Snake! A snake!"

It was barely a meter long, slender, green, and only a couple of spans away from her feet.

Mustafa rushed in, holding a stick to fend off the snake.

Mary stepped in closer, gently but firmly:

"Don't move, Farah. Stay still. If you panic, it might strike."

Mustafa moved slowly, carefully extending the stick toward the snake.

It slithered along the wooden shaft, coiling slightly. Mustafa carried it to the side and laid it down among the grass, watching it disappear into the undergrowth.

Zein stood nearby, disheartened.

He hadn't moved.

He'd just watched ... helpless ,while Mustafa played the hero.

Mary rushed to Farah, dropping to her knees beside her.

"Are you okay?!"

Farah could barely breathe from the terror. Her chest heaved, her eyes welled with tears, and her voice trembled.

She threw herself into Mary's arms, sobbing .... loud, raw sobs, like someone who had just escaped death.

****

Elsewhere...

Tala, Mazen, Moayad, Sawsan, and Abeer were searching for a way to hunt an animal they could roast for the evening.

As always, Tala was glued to Mazen's side, chattering endlessly about everything and nothing.

Mazen walked on, indifferent, barely reacting ... as if she were speaking into thin air.

Still, she kept following him, relentless, her smile never fading.

Moayad watched them with a pang of jealousy.

What's so special about Mazen? Why is Tala always with him?

Is it because he knows the rules of the game? Or… is it something more?

Sweat trickled from Mazen's forehead down his neck.

He slid a sharp knife into his pocket, then whispered:

"We won't see anything if we stay out in the open. We need to hide. What do you think?"

Tala nodded seriously:

"You're right. Animals are always alert. If they sense us, they won't come near."

After a brief, silent strategy session, they set a carefully planned trap, then climbed up a tree, hiding among the branches like seasoned hunters, their eyes fixed on the ground below.

Hours passed ,slow and heavy.

Then it appeared.

A lone gazelle, moving cautiously, as if lost… or searching for its herd.

It stepped closer.

Mazen sprang into action, his knife flashing like silver lightning.

The others jumped from their spots, circling the gazelle from all sides.

Its wide eyes trembled in fear. It tried to run ,but fear had paralyzed its legs.

Mazen didn't hesitate.

A clean strike.

Silence followed.

Moayad lifted the gazelle without a word.

The group headed back to the apartment.

In their hearts ,a hunt completed,

and a quiet, unspoken fear that lingered.

The others had finished their tasks and returned.

When Farah saw the gazelle, her eyes softened.

"Poor thing…"

Mary replied gently,

"There's no other choice, dear. We have to survive."

Mustafa, visibly shaken, spoke in a hesitant voice:

"I won't lie… something's not right here.

Where did the snake and the gazelle come from?

Isn't this just a virtual world .... a game?!"

Majd's gaze lingered on Mustafa.

He might be right…

He thought bitterly to himself.

In the last edit, he hadn't explained how the animals got here.

But he kept quiet.

Afraid they'd hate him… abandon him.

And in this strange new world, he had found something rare.

A friend.

A place.

He was part of a team now.

His voice mattered.

Mary was beside him , warm-hearted, gentle.

She gave without asking, loved without expecting.

Her kindness didn't come with conditions.

Majd's greatest fear had always been loneliness.

It had stopped him from telling the truth.

It had kept his guilt buried.

He looked over at Mary, holding Farah's hand.

They were smiling.

I used to be alone…

But now, someone cares about me.

Mustafa. Farah. Mary. Zein…

They're my family now.

I'm no longer a zero on the left ...

a number with no worth.

I'm the zero on the right…

The one that gives the number its value.

Evening fell, and the smell of grilled meat filled the air…

Tala looked around, her voice tinged with confusion:

"Guys… do you still think we're inside some fake game?

The gazelle was real… the fire is hot… these games , they're deadly."

Mazen nodded, still processing it all:

"Even I'm shocked… the food in the kitchen ran out.

Where did the gazelle come from?"

Mustafa added,

"We saw a small snake too."

Tala gasped, horrified:

"Did you kill it?!"

Mustafa:

"No… we let it go."

Waseem frowned:

"You should have killed it…"

Sawsan shook her head, voice low:

"This is bigger than a game.

Either the system is changing… or someone is inside it, playing with us. Watching us."

Mazen glanced toward Mary, who was sitting with Majd and Farah, enjoying the grilled meat, lost in their own world.

It was like they had created their own little bubble ....

detached from the noise,

detached from everyone else.

They never took part in decisions,

they just followed whatever tasks were handed to them.

Mazen looked away.

If she doesn't come closer… how could I?

Isn't there some luck that could bring us together?

Tala noticed Mazen's wandering gaze.

She murmured to herself,

"Is it Mary… or Farah?"