The 30 Day Challenge

Four minutes remained, just four minutes before she could pursue her destiny and claim the $2 million grand prize after Rebecca Ackerman accepted Mr. Becca Star's 30-day challenge. The challenge required contestants to remain confined inside an abandoned school for 30 days without leaving. If a contestant completed the full 30 days, they would win the $2 million prize.

Over the years, Becca Star would host these challenges, knowing no one could complete them. They might look easy at first, but in the end, they would break you, as they were about to do to Rebecca Ackerman. Rebecca wore a path into the classroom floor. Thirty days of silence, shadows, and sleepless nights had left dark circles beneath her eyes. She glanced at the clock. 1:59. She waited impatiently, talking to herself under her breath.

“Two minutes. Just two more minutes to freedom.”

 She bit her nails and crossed her arms as she stared at the clock. Her pants had slipped off as she tugged them higher and caught sight of her ribs pressing against her skin. Rebecca had lost a lot of weight since she had been here. The only food she had was stale bread and toilet water.  

There were 30 seconds left on the clock, fingering her necklace as the seconds counted down.

“10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1”

 Becca’s bubbly voice came through the speaker, with music in the background.

“Congratulations on finishing the challenge! You can now celebrate. Please join us in the front foyer to claim your grand prize.”

Rebecca couldn't stay still, pacing back and forth and rubbing the back of her neck. Her eyes were watery as she screamed.

“Congratulations to me; now let me out of here!” 

Becca’s voice grew louder over the PA as she replied.

“Now, Rebeca, there's no need to raise your voice at me. After all, you've just won the grand prize. I expected you to be a bit more excited.” 

 Rebecca’s eyes widened as the veins on her forehead bulged, causing her to raise her voice again.

“How can I feel excited when you starved me and forced me to sleep in a hot, steam-filled boiler room where I nearly suffocated each night? This ordeal almost brought me to my deathbed. Now, let me out of here!”  

She started laughing hysterically over the PA, but suddenly the laughter stopped. Rebecca clawed at her hair. Her breathing came in ragged bursts as she rocked back and forth on the floor.

“Please, I no longer want the grand prize. I want to go home; I tried to leave ten days ago, but you prevented me. All I ask is for you to let me go – please?”

Static briefly emerged from the PA system, accompanied by giggles in the background, as Becca's cheerful voice announced.

“Sure, all you have to do is go to the front foyer and pick up your grand prizes. The door will be open for you.”

She headed towards the exit, making her way to the front foyer without looking back. As she moved through the deserted halls, dents scarred the walls. Locker doors hung crookedly from broken hinges. Deep black scuff marks streaked the floor. But she came upon something strange: a whiff of a fragrance that furrowed her brows, brought her to a full stop, and made her wonder whether she had ever been alone this entire time.

She strode towards its source, the scent growing stronger as she approached the foyer. She kept her back against the wall, wiping sweat from her forehead with a trembling hand. Her eyes widened, and her lips trembled as she stared at the grand prize, a corpse’s head resting right on top of it. Rebecca moved slowly towards it, clamping her hands over her mouth to stifle her whimpering, shutting her eyes as she could not bear to look at her father’s corpse’s head.

Rebecca almost jumped out of her shoes when the background music, the theme song from Happy Days, started playing over the PA system. She then cried uncontrollably and screamed. 

“Why are you doing this to me? Why did you kill my father?”

The music ceased, and Becca’s cheerful voice echoed through the PA system as she responded.

“You’re the first to complete one of my challenges, so the viewers and I have decided to extend it by another 30 days. If you finish this period, I'll add an extra 1 million to the 2 million you already won.”  

She replied with a trembling voice, sobbing. 

“So, what’s next? Do you plan to kill another close family member of mine?”

Her cheerful personality shone through as she responded.  

“Exactly. Good luck, and make sure to stay alive.”

Rebecca's adrenaline shot through her as she fled toward the door. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she pulled at the door with all her strength, calling for help. Becca came over the PA once again.

“There’s no way out of this; I must give my viewers what they want.”

Her face flushed, and her breathing was ragged as she responded.

"But you allowed previous contestants to leave, so why not me?” 

She burst into hysterical laughter at her reply, then her demeanour shifted. Her high, bubbly voice turned into a low, sharp tone that sent chills down Rebecca’s spine as she responded. 

“As I said, you were the only contestant to win the challenge, and I don’t like to lose, so now it's time for you to suffer.” 

Rebecca kept struggling to open the door, hyperventilating as veins protruded on her neck. She rushed to the nearest window and tried to force it open. Then she looked at the chair, grabbed it, and threw it against the window. Becca came back on the PA.

“I believe my next challenge will be to make things a bit more engaging.”

Rebecca's eyes widened as metal shutters slid over the windows, one by one, plunging the classroom into darkness. She rushed forward, but the last sliver of daylight vanished behind a sheet of steel. She squeezed her eyes shut, crying and whimpering. She then stopped crying, turned back towards the PA system, and said,

“Did you forget, Becca, that millions of your streamers are live right now? One of them has already called the police.”

She returned to her light voice and replied.

“Yeah, you're right. Too bad my stream ended three days ago. I guess there was a computer function problem with my stream channel. So, I guess no one is ever going to find out.”

She missed her step, fell to the floor, clutched her neck, and was sweating profusely as the room spun. She caught a whiff of floor wax as she lay there. Rebecca shut her eyes, waiting for her death. Becca came over the PA again.

“Well, I hope the next 30 days won't be as bad as the last 30 days.”

Becca reset the clock, which now displayed a countdown of 30 days, 24 hours, 30 minutes, and 15 seconds, and continued.

“I wish you the very best of luck, and remember to stay alive.”