?She’s probably been asleep on the bed for about an hour now. But I’ve stayed awake, staring at the ceiling while lying next to her. I’ve been thinking about everything that went down...

  After that fight we had, we barely said another word to each other, except for trying to use the phone to call someone—but there was no signal.

  I let out a sigh; despite the headache and dizziness I was feeling, I tried to get up but ended up collapsing on the floor. I hit the table and cut my hand.

  "Fuck my luck!"

  I’ve gotta get out of here. I can't take it anymore. I'm done...

  I kept repeating these words under my breath, over and over...

  With a lot of struggle, I gave myself a nudge and stood up. My head hurt so bad I just wanted to slam it against the wall repeatedly...

  I'd lost my own phone, so I grabbed the girl's instead and turned on the flashlight. I opened the room door quietly and glanced left and right.

  Maybe I can find something useful. Despite the fear I was feeling, I stepped into the hallway and headed toward the room across from us.

  I opened the door and shined the light inside; it was just like the previous rooms...

  I was about to leave when I spotted a tray; there was a surgical scalpel inside it...

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  I picked it up, just in case. I went back to our room and sat on the bed. I heard whispers in my ear, repeating over and over: "Kill yourself... kill yourself... kill yourself... kill yourself..."

  I put the phone on the bed, grabbed my head tight, and screamed:

  "Shut the fuck up!"

  The girl bolted awake.

  "What... what happened?"

  I stayed silent. She got up and stood in front of me. With a worried look, she said:

  "Please. I just want to help you."

  I gave a faint smile, looked at her, and said:

  "They’re guiding me! I figured out how to get out of here!"

  She looked surprised and was about to say something, but I gripped the scalpel tightly and held it against my throat.

  "We’re in the wrong world... we have to die to go back to our own world."

  It was just a split second away from cutting my throat when I heard her voice:

  "Wait...!"

  She put her hands over mine and held them... She sank to her knees on the floor and said very softly, with a bit of a sob in her voice:

  "Please stop... I don't want you to hurt yourself..."

  I answered hesitantly:

  "Let go of me."

  "I... I don't want to be alone. You promised me, didn't you...? You said you'd help me... You said we'd get out of here together..."

  The whispers faded away and my headache eased up...

  Why was I doing this? Was I under the influence of those voices?

  "I'm sorry..."

  The moment I let go of the knife, she threw herself into my arms.

  The warmth of her body wrapped around me like a blanket, but I could feel her hands shaking... like they were still stiff from terror.

  She pressed her face against my shoulder; her breathing was fast and shaky.

  Tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes, dripping onto my neck.

  With a voice that was both tearful and urgent, she said:

  "Don't ever think about doing that again... okay?"

  It felt like she said that from the bottom of her heart... not just to save my life, but to save herself from being left alone.

  I was shocked for a second, but I didn't let it show.

  She pulled away and, while brushing her hair aside, said:

  "By the way... I still don't know your name."

  "Armin."

  I don't know why, but that name just slipped out of my mouth. With a strange excitement, she said:

  "I'm Mia. Nice to meet you."