The Recall Trials Chapter 56: Incase You’re Wondering If This is Hell

The room had emptied like soone pulled the plug. Everyone scattered to corners and bunks, avoiding eye contact with like I was infected. They’d all seen enough. Believed enough.

No one said my na. No one looked directly at .

The silence was worse than shouting.

I walked out slow, my legs stiff like they didn’t belong to . My body was still buzzing from what had just happened...twenty minutes of chaos, whispers, and judgnt. The wildcard. . The one they thought was playing them all.

I made it to the restroom and locked the door behind .

The cracked mirror greeted with a version of myself I barely recognized...flushed face, red eyes. My hands gripped the sink until my knuckles turned pale.

That face in the mirror wasn’t .

That was the villain everyone had just decided I was.

A soft knock pulled back to the mont.

I didn’t answer. Didn’t move.

But then

"I don’t believe them."

Zaara.

I blinked. Let the words soak in before turning and unlocking the door.

She stepped in and shut it behind her ,crossing her arms.

"I don’t care what the voice said," she said. "This place twists truth into whatever it wants. But I know you."

I looked away, ashad of how much those words hit .

"You really think I’d lie to you?" I asked.

She took a step closer. "No. That’s why I’m here."

I nodded slowly, trying to breathe through the lump in my throat. "I don’t know what the hell’s going on. I’m not working with them. I would never—" My voice cracked. "I would never do sothing that could get people hurt. That’s not ."

She didn’t hesitate. "I know. Whatever happens, I’ll always believe you."

That broke sothing in .

I reached for her, pulled her into a hug, and she didn’t pull away. I held on like the room might dissolve if I let go.

We walked out together, side by side.

But the second we stepped into the hall...

BAM.

Two masked guards ca out of nowhere, fast, like they were waiting for this mont.

"Contestant 001," one of them snapped. "Co with us."

Zaara instantly stepped in front of , protective as hell. "Wait.....what the hell do you want with him now?!"

The taller one barely looked at her. "Orders."

That one word made my stomach drop.

The masked n never spoke. That’s how you knew it was serious.

"What is it this ti?" I asked.

The taller guard glanced at the other before answering.

"Jojo," the taller one replied. "She’s missing. You know where she is."

My pulse jumped.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t speak.

Zaara’s hand reached for mine instinctively. "He hasn’t seen her. He doesn’t know anything."

But the guards weren’t listening. They moved in.

"Wait—" I started, but it was too late.

They grabbed my arms and began dragging down the hall.

Zaara tried to pull back. "Let him go! He didn’t do anything!"

I didn’t fight. I just gave Zaara a last look...one that said stay calm, even if I couldn’t feel calm myself.

They grabbed by the arms, dragging out into the corridor.

They threw in the center of the main floor. The lights above flickered to life with a sharp electrical snap.

Everyone was staring.

They’d dragged them all out too.

Carter. Nomi. Dinesh. Theo. Even Luca and Asha. All ringed around , tense, silent.

The voice returned this ti from the walls themselves.

"Contestant 001 has been nad the wildcard. But now, a greater threat looms. One of our guards is unconscious. One of our caras is offline. And one contestant has disappeared."

Gasps broke out around the room.

"Jojo."

Carter swore under his breath. Nomi’s eyes darted.

"The question is... did she escape? Or was she helped?"

I clenched my jaw.

The voice continued:

"Vincent. You caused a disturbance last night. Created fog cover. Triggered Theo into action. A perfect diversion. Suspicious timing, wouldn’t you say?"

Theo imdiately growled, "I knew that was sketchy."

"Shut it," Zaara snapped, stepping forward. "He didn’t do it alone, I was part of the distraction."

The voice paused. Then:

"Ah, loyalty. How... touching."

I could feel every pair of eyes digging into . I was suffocating under it.

"Tell us where Jojo is, Vincent. Or we will be forced to consider the possibility that your wildcard role is more... active than accidental."

My chest was burning.

"I don’t know," I said. " I don’t know what you’re talking about."

The silence that followed was heavy. Thicker than air.

The voice let it hang. Then:

"Then you’ll join her."

What?

"You are to be extracted for questioning. A wildcard with missing knowledge is too dangerous to leave in the fold."

I took a step back. The guards closed in.

Zaara bolted forward. "No—no, no, no, wait—!"

One of the guards held out a hand, blocking her.

"No! Don’t touch him! You can’t just take him!" she scread.

"I’ll co back," I said. I didn’t even know if it was true. But I had to say it. For her. "I’ll co back."

And then a sharp sting to my neck.

Sothing injected. Fast. Cold.

The floor tilted.

The last thing I saw was Zaara fighting her way toward , yelling my na.

And then...blackness.

They say your whole life can change in a single mont.

But no one ever tells you how fast it can fall apart after that.

My head was heavy. My mouth dry. The lights above buzzed faintly, flickering in that way that makes your brain feel like it’s glitching.

The chair I was in was cold, tal, and locked down. Straps pressed into my wrists.

I tried to sit up....but my arms were heavy. Numb. My body didn’t feel like mine.

Everything in scread wrong.

Then I heard it.

"Welco, Vincent."

That voice.

"I’ve always wanted to et you... alone."

I blinked hard. My heartbeat spiked.

It wasn’t a speaker overhead this ti.

It was closer. Like right here in the room with .

"Don’t worry. You’re not dead.....yet. Though I know you’re wondering if this is hell."

I tried to stand. But my hands were locked to the chair.