The Recall Trials
Chapter 102: Cracks in the Lock

Chapter 102: Cracks in the Lock

I woke up to Zaara’s hair tickling my chin. For a moment, the weight of the games disappeared, and it felt like waking in a life we’d never lived. Warm sheets, soft breaths, the slow thud of her heart under my palm.

Then the speakers crackled overhead.

"GOOD MORNING, CONTESTANTS," the Voice boomed, shattering whatever fragile peace the night had offered.

Zaara jerked upright. I sat up beside her, blinking hard. Groans and startled cries echoed around the chamber as people dragged themselves from their bunks.

"It’s starting again," she whispered.

"IT IS TIME FOR YOUR ELEVENTH TRIAL."

A giant screen slid down from the ceiling. Then, in stark white letters, pairs of numbers appeared one by one.

001 — 013

023 — 009

004 — 029

More pairs kept appearing.

I felt my pulse spike as I scanned for my number.

Then I saw it.

001 — 013

Fuck. That was me. And Theo.

Next to me, Zaara squeezed my arm so hard.

"Who..who are you with?" I choked out.

Her eyes glistened as she pointed. "040 and 008."

Nomi.

So Zaara and Nomi were paired. And I was stuck with Theo.

"CONTESTANTS," the Voice said. "PLEASE PROCEED WITH YOUR PARTNERS. YOU WILL EACH BE ESCORTED TO A SEPARATE CHALLENGE ROOM."

Guards began calling out numbers. Hands gripped arms. People were shoved into lines.

Zaara grabbed my face and pressed a quick, fierce kiss to my lips. "Vincent... stay alive. Promise me."

"I promise." My voice cracked. "You too."

We were ripped apart by the guards. The last glimpse I caught of Zaara was her wide eyes turning to search for me over her shoulder as Nomi pulled her along.

I was marched down a long corridor lit by pale ceiling panels. Metal doors passed by until the guards halted and shoved me inside one.

The door slammed shut behind me.

I turned around and froze.

Theo was already there. He stood near the far wall, arms folded, scowling at me like he’d rather be anywhere else.

The room was designed to look like an old apartment.

A sagging floral couch sat against stained wallpaper, its roof was leaking. A dusty wooden coffee table was littered with scattered playing cards and glass ashtrays. A rickety bookshelf tilted dangerously in the corner, filled with moldy books and cracked ceramic figurines.

Yellowed stained curtains.. An antique chandelier dangled crookedly above us, one of its bulbs flickering.

The air smelled of stale cigarette.

The floor creaked as I stepped forward, my boots pressing down on warped wooden planks.

"WELCOME TO YOUR NEXT TRIAL."

Theo rolled his eyes and scoffed under his breath.

"THIS GAME... IS AN ESCAPE ROOM. YOU HAVE SIXTY MINUTES TO SOLVE THE PUZZLES AND LOCATE THE KEY TO THE DOOR. IF YOU FAIL... THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE SEVERE."

The door slammed shut. A loud beep. A digital timer projected itself in bloody red numbers on the far wall.

59:58

"Shit," I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face. "An hour."

I glanced at Theo. He was still glaring at the wall.

I tried to break the silence. "Theo... we have to work together. We don’t have time to—"

He shot me a murderous stare. "Save it."

He stomped away, rummaging angrily through the drawers of a chipped sideboard.

I moved to the coffee table, flipping through the scattered playing cards, checking under coasters, feeling for hidden compartments.

"We’ll get out faster if we..." I started.

Theo spun on me, eyes blazing. "I said leave me the fuck alone."

He grabbed a ceramic vase off the sideboard and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall.

My heart jumped into my throat.

Theo turned away, chest heaving. His fists were clenched so hard.

Silence fell again, thick and suffocating.

I stared at the pieces of the shattered vase glinting on the floor like tiny daggers.

The timer ticked down.

58:21

I swallowed hard. "Theo... listen to me. We’ll both die if we don’t work together."

But he just kept searching the bookshelves, refusing to look at me.

I stepped closer, running my fingers along the cracked spines of old paperbacks. Most of the titles were faded beyond recognition, but one fat leather-bound volume stood out: The Atlas of Forgotten Places.

I pulled it out. The pages crackled like dry leaves. As I flipped through it, a slip of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor.

I snatched it up.

On the yellowed scrap, in precise black ink, was a series of numbers:

14 - 7 - 32 - 5

My heart sped up.

"What the hell is this?" I whispered.

Theo spun around.

"What did you find?" he snapped, striding over.

"Wait—" I tried to keep the paper back, but Theo snatched the book from my hands and tore the scrap from my grip.

He scanned the numbers. "This could be a code. A fucking combination or something."

"We should check the drawers, the safe, anything"

Theo rounded on me. "Don’t fucking tell me what to do!"

I clenched my fists. "I’m trying to save both our asses!"

Theo slammed the book shut and shoved me in the chest. "Don’t pretend like you care about me, Vincent.."

I shoved him right back. "Carter DIED for me to be here. I’m not leaving anyone behind again!"

Theo’s face twisted. He swung at me, catching me on the jaw.

"FUCK!" I roared, stumbling backward into the coffee table, sending the cards clattering to the floor.

I launched forward and slammed into him, driving him into the bookshelf. Books tumbled down around us.

Theo growled and drove his knee into my ribs. I gasped. My elbow caught him across the chin. He reeled back, blood smearing his lip.

"STOP IT!" I shouted, chest heaving. "WE’LL BOTH DIE!"

Theo roared and grabbed me by the shirt, ready to punch again...but his back slammed into the bookshelf one more time.

A low creak split the air.

Then the entire shelf tilted outward and dropped. Dust was everywhere.

Behind it... was a recessed compartment in the wall.

Both of us froze, panting, staring at the space that had just revealed itself.

Inside, a small metal safe sat embedded in the wall. It had a rusted dial lock...and above it, scrawled in faded red paint, was a message:

"ONLY THE NUMBERS TELL THE TRUTH."

Theo’s chest heaved. He spat blood onto the floor, then glanced at me. "The numbers... that paper..."

I wiped my mouth, breathing hard. "Four numbers. That’s the combination. It has to be."

Theo held the scrap of paper out. His hand trembled. "Do it. I... I’m shit at codes."

For a second, we just stared at each other, bruised, bloody, breathing like animals.

Then I stepped forward and took the paper.

The timer ticked down.

54:02

We had less than an hour left.

My fingers were slick with sweat as I crouched in front of the safe.

I stared at the rusted dial. The numbers on the slip of paper blurred in my vision.

14 - 7 - 32 - 5

I inhaled shakily. One breath at a time.

I spun the dial slowly: One. Four. Seven. Three. Two. Click. Five.

The safe gave a dull thunk, and the metal handle shifted under my grip.

Theo and I exchanged a tense look. He nodded once.

I pulled the door open.

Inside, the safe was surprisingly deep.

Theo reached in and grabbed a paper. He unfolded it fast, eyes scanning the page.

I hovered closer, trying to read over his shoulder.

It was a diagram.

A crude floor plan of the room we were standing in, drawn in black ink. Tiny numbers were scribbled in certain spots:

Behind the picture frame: 52

Under the rug: 17

Inside the lamp base: 4

Inside the arm of the couch: 8

Above the diagram, a single sentence was scrawled:

"The sum of all truths opens the final lock."

Theo’s eyes narrowed, scanning the map again and again.

"The sum..." I murmured. "So... add up the numbers?"

Theo shook his head. "No. Look...why label these specific hiding spots if it’s just math? It’s telling us where the real clues are hidden. Maybe each one has a piece of the final code."

He tapped the diagram hard with his finger. "It’s not about adding numbers. It’s about collecting all the truths."

I blinked at him. "Holy shit... you might be right."

Theo tossed the paper at me. "Then move your ass. You check the lamp. I’ll get the picture frame."

He stalked across the room, wiping blood off his mouth. I ran to the corner lamp, unscrewing the base.

Inside the hollow stem, I found a tiny metal cylinder. I pried it out and unrolled a strip of paper.

"3rd number: 8"

"Vincent!" Theo shouted from across the room. "I’ve got one!"

"So... what’s our next number?"

Theo shoved the paper into my hands. "There’s gotta be another lock somewhere in this damn room. Another safe. Another door. Something."

He scanned the diagram again, jabbing a finger at the coffee table and couch.

"Come on," he growled. "We don’t have time. Let’s rip this whole place apart if we have to."