Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 120
Now the fountain hosted four souls.
Leo had arrived a bit earlier, the middle-aged man still basking in the relief of cheating death.
His gaze toward Julian brimmed with gratitude; he figured Julian had somehow drawn off all the purple jumpsuits, buying him his life.
Next came Gavin, sweat still slick on his skin, hair plastered to his forehead from the frantic run.
Strangely, his eyes locked with Julian’s the moment he entered.
Their silent exchange didn’t slip past Ethan’s Insight.
Though Julian said nothing and soon looked away, the undercurrent of meaning hit Ethan clear.
Gavin and Simon had been paired, yet here Gavin stood alone.
Julian’s look carried weight, while Gavin’s darted evasively at first, then steadied into feigned nonchalance.
That suggested Simon hadn’t just met trouble—it likely tied back to Gavin.
Julian’s own Blessing backed it up.
Through Ultrasonic Wave, he could track every life’s pulse on the level, including Gavin’s group.
If Ethan guessed right, Julian had seen a monster on their tail, and in the chaos, Gavin had ditched his partner.
Julian hadn’t grilled him about Simon in front of everyone, maybe to keep it as leverage.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, piecing together Julian’s angle: a handle to control Gavin.
Soon enough, those two bathed in the fountain too. After a while, Mason’s pair slipped into a fork.
And just like that, minus the fallen Owen and Simon, the six survivors converged at the fountain.
Ethan and Gavin shared what happened to Owen and Simon; a heavy silence fell over the group.
“Alright.”
Julian stepped up, outlining what he’d gleaned from the journal.
Ethan listened close, but no fresh intel surfaced—and others had found similar logs.
In this Dreamplay, info was king: logs couldn’t be taken or trashed, and these near-identical copies ensured no one hoarded secrets.
Or rather, they leveled the field.
At least on the guys’ side, no one held an edge.
“Night’s falling.”
Under puzzled stares, Julian scanned their faces, his voice soft.
“Remember the warden’s words?”
“One cell each. No stepping out.”
“I doubt this wraps up easy. Skip the cells tonight, and something worse might hit.”
Faces darkened; they’d all sensed it, more or less.
Few here were total newbies—they knew night brought the real monsters.
This spot felt safe now, but a horror popping up to strike wouldn’t shock them.
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