Sam gripped the knife.
It felt... too real.
The handle was warm, almost alive.
"We can't trust him, Sam," Wang hissed."This is all in our heads. He's probably just another part of the trap."
Sam stared into Wang's terrified eyes.
"Maybe. But what choice do we have? You saw them. Our friends... they're already gone. If we wait any longer, we'll end up like them."
She stood, pointing the knife at the sky.
The flower above seemed to pulse in response, as if mocking her.
And then... the world twisted again.
She wasn't in the field anymore.
She was... home.
Her bedroom.
Morning light pouring through the windows.
Wang was gone.
The trip hadn't happened.
Her school bag sat untouched.
She was safe.
Her phone buzzed.
A dream, she thought, heart racing.
She grabbed the phone.
It was a message.
FROM: UNKNOWN"You're still inside, Sam. Cut the root."
Her scream shattered the fake reality.
She was back in the field, gasping, the knife still in her hand.
"Sam... they're playing with us," Wang whimpered.
"Then let's play back," she whispered, her voice hardening.
Sam closed her eyes.
This is not real.
This is not real.
This is not—
She opened them.
The knife gleamed, and in its reflection, she saw the truth.
The sky above wasn't a flower.
It was an eye.
Watching.
Feeding.
She aimed the knife... and stabbed the sky.