SEVEN RULES TO STAY ALIVE

The moment Kira opened her eyes, she knew something was wrong.

Gone were the soft sheets of her bed, the faint hum of the ceiling fan. Instead, she was lying on damp earth, surrounded by towering trees. A thick fog hugged the ground, and eerie silence hung in the air.

She stood up, disoriented. Her wrist stung. Tied to it was a strange black band — digital, blinking red.

“Welcome to the Trial,” a robotic voice echoed from nowhere. “You have been chosen. Follow the Seven Rules to Stay Alive. Break them — and face the consequences.”

A sudden beep came from the wristband. Then the first rule appeared:

> Rule #1: Trust No One.

Kira’s heart pounded. “What is this? A game?” she whispered. But deep down, she knew — this wasn’t a game. It was real. The fear in her gut told her so.

Moments later, she heard footsteps. A boy emerged from the fog — tall, alert, and just as confused.

“Name’s Jace,” he said. “You too, huh?”

Kira nodded slowly. Trust no one, the band had said. She didn’t speak further.

Jace noticed her silence. “They gave you the rules too?”

She hesitated. “Yeah. First one says not to trust anyone.”

Jace smirked. “Then we’re already breaking it.”

She kept her eyes on him. Maybe he was harmless. Maybe not.

As they walked, a second rule beeped into existence:

> Rule #2: Keep Moving.

Almost instantly, a loud roar echoed behind them — something large crashing through trees.

No hesitation — they ran.

Hours passed. The forest shifted strangely, as if it were alive. Sometimes, the trees seemed to move when they weren’t looking. Hunger gnawed at Kira’s stomach. Her throat ached for water.

Then — beep.

> Rule #3: Never Eat What You Didn’t Find Yourself.

They stumbled upon a small camp — a burning fire, two bottles of water, some roasted meat. No one was around.

Jace looked tempted. “We should take it.”

Kira shook her head. “Rule three.”

He frowned. “We didn’t find it ourselves, but we found it here. Isn’t that the same thing?”

“I’m not risking it,” she said.

Jace sighed, but stepped back.

Moments later, a girl emerged from the trees, dragging a lifeless animal — shocked to see them.

“You didn’t eat it?” she asked.

Kira nodded.

The girl smiled faintly. “Good. The last guy who did… didn’t make it till morning.”

Her name was Mira. And though Kira remembered Rule #1, something about Mira felt honest. The three of them walked together now.

Beep.

> Rule #4: Beware the Night.

They found shelter in a hollow log, deep under vines. As darkness crept in, the air changed — colder, heavier. Far away, something howled. Not an animal. Something else.

That night, a scream shattered the silence — not from their group. Someone else, somewhere out there, had broken a rule.

Morning brought silence again — and the next rule.

> Rule #5: Don’t Follow the Voices.

They heard them later that day. Familiar voices, calling their names. Kira heard her mother’s voice, soft and loving.

“Kira… come here, sweetheart.”

She almost turned — but Mira grabbed her hand.

“It’s not real.”

They pressed forward, covering their ears, until the voices faded.

> Rule #6: Burn the Map.

At noon, Jace found an old map nailed to a tree. “It shows a way out!” he shouted.

But the rule had spoken. Kira didn’t hesitate. She grabbed it and set it on fire.

“You’re crazy!” Jace yelled.

“No,” Kira said firmly. “I’m alive.”

The final rule came just as they neared the edge of the forest:

> Rule #7: Leave Alone.

They froze.

Mira looked at Kira. “They want us to betray each other.”

Jace’s eyes were wild now. “I’m not staying here!”

He lunged — Mira dodged, but Kira pushed him back.

“No one said we can’t walk out at the same time. Just not together.”

A quiet understanding passed between the girls.

At the forest’s edge, they stood side by side — and took one step forward, each on their own path.

The fog parted. The forest dissolved behind them.

Kira blinked — and she was back in her bed.

The wristband was gone.

But the rules remained — etched in her mind forever.

— -

Moral:

In life, rules can be the difference between chaos and survival. But wisdom is knowing when to follow them — and how.