Zhayne slowly opened his eyes, rubbing them as he tried to make sense of his surrounding. Turning his head, he found himself sinking into a vast sea of giant balloons, like a ball pit at an amusement park, shaped like animals such as lions, monkeys, elephants, bears and even clowns. From somewhere high above, he heard a familiar voice.

  "HEY GUYS ARE YOU ALL OKAY?!" He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting down from a raised yellow platform. It wasn't too big or too small. Just a square space high above. Yet the distance made him seem far away from Zhayne.

  Zhayne lifted his head, raising a hand to shield his eyes form the bright room light. He kept his gaze upward, then slowly lowered his hand and looked at the person speaking.. It was Jayson.

  " you're all okay.... I'm glad" Jayson said

  Zhayne muttered, "All?" his brow furrowing as he began to look around. He finally spotted his friends scatterd in the pile of balloons. Thought a bit little further away. Rafeal's hair was a mess, he was having trouble with the elephant-shaped balloon as he was trying to get it off him. While Vincent on the opposite side, sitting on the Monkey- shaped balloon, brushing the dust off his clothes. But Leon Was nowhere to be seen. Only his watch on top of the clown - shaped balloon.

  Jayson lifted a hand above his brow in a focusing gesture, squinting as if trying to sharpen his sight. "Wait... Where's Leon?" he said

  Zhayne tried to push himself up. But the balloons beneath him were too slippery. He started shoving the balloons out of the way but there were so many of them, each clown - shaped and human-sized, that it felt endless. He wanted to check where Leon was, but he couldn't.

  Meanwhile , Jayson voice kept cutting through the chaos, calling, "Leon... Leon, do you hear me?"

  Suddenly, a hand shot out from beneath the balloons, like a zombie clawing it's way out of a grave. It was Leon, grasping for breath. "I'm fine.. Just -" he said, his words broken by ragged breathes.

  A smile lit up Jayson's face as he pressed a hand to his chest, sighing in relief. "I'm gla-" he began, but the bright light overhead flickered out. In its place, a crimison carpet suddenly rolled across the floor, unfurling like it was paving a path just for him. Colorful lights burst to life along it's sides, and then a sharp white beam snapped into place, pinning him in its center.

  Jayson froze, an eyebrow lifting as his jaw dropped. In an instant, his clothes shimmered and wrapped into a clown's costume - half pink half blue, with a bright red nose and a curly wig of the same garish color. He looked down at himself, stunned, then back at the path that stretched before him.

  At the end of the carpet, Jayson stopped in front of a bizarre machine. It was circular in shape, resting right on the edge of the raised floor as if it had been waiting for him. Form the outside it gleamed in glossy pink, while the inside glowed with shifting stripes of red and white. On one side a small platform jutted out and on it sat a joystick like the kind you'd find on a claw machine, topped with a round knob. Just beside it, a bright green button labeled START gleamed faintly. In the center a small screen sat dark and lifeless.

  Jayson blinked, his mouth parting in surprise. He cupped his hands around his face, peering thought through the glow as if trying to block out any distractions, searching for a clearer view of what was inside.

  Without thinking too much, he stepped inside and lowered himself onto the chair. Which faced the glowing interior like a window. The door stood to his side, and the instant he sat down, it swung shut with a heavy slam.

  Jayson glanced back at the door, but the sharp loading chime from the screen snapped his attention forward.

  They display flickered, went black, then heavy crimson letters burned across it.

  "Let the show begin"

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  The screen cleared, revealing a cartoonish stage. Jayson blinked in shock - there he was, rendered in a chibi game style, dressed in the clown costume. His miniature self stood at center stage, while his friends appeared just in front of him, tiny caricatures of themselves.

  An distorted voice poured from the speakers-it was the clown.

  "Well,well...looks like our meeting was destined" the words fizzed with static before resuming."Tonight's performance is THE FOOLS' DANCE ON THE WHEEL!"

  The mic cracked with a jagged, booming laugh.

  "But there's a catch" the clown sneered, "if they don't dance on the wheels within three minutes... They'll become prey"

  Jason's stomach twisted. His hands trembled as he tore his eyes from the screen, He lifted his head toward the machine's glass wall.

  There-mounted on the wall outside-hung a massive rectangular clock, it's red digits already ticking down.

  3:00

  His palms dampened against the controls. For a heartbeat, all he could do was stare at the joystick, breath shallow, pse hammering in his ears. Every second slipping away made his chest squeeze tighter.

  Then, with a sharp breath, he slammed the START button.

  They blinding light snapped back on as two massive wheels descended from the ceiling.

  On the first wheel was a cartoonish girl, arms spread wide in a dancer's pose-one hand stretched gracefully forward, the other gripping a bar as if frozen mid-performance. On the second wheel sat a cartoon boy, his arms extended too, but where his hands should have been, there was a sharp hook. Both were dressed in glittering circus costumes made for the stage.

  Jason's heart pounded as he looked down through the glass. His friends were still there-very real, not cartoons. His hand shook over the joystick.

  "What do I do.....what do I do?!"

  At last he shoved the joystick forward towards Rafael.

  They boy on the wheel sold downward, lowering into Rafael's reach.

  "Rafael!" Jayson shouted through the mic. "Grab him, quick!"

  Rafael, still confused, reached out-and the moment his fingers touched the hook, a surge of electricity jolted through him. He cried out, jerking back in pain. At the same time, the hook snagged several balloons and swung them upward, dropping them neatly into the giant glass container.

  Jayson blinked. Balloons? That was it?

  He pushed the joystick again, the time harder. The wheels moved closer to Rafael

  "Grab him!" Jayson yelled through the mic. "Rafeal,you have to grab the boy-quick!"

  But Rafael snarled, shaking his head. “No! I’m not touching that thing again!”

  Instead, he grabbed the girl’s outstretched hand.

  Her wheel lurched, then began spinning, carrying Rafael with it. He twisted in the air as she spun him around and around, her grip never loosening. Slowly, the wheel tilted toward the glass container below, dragging him closer with every turn.

  Rafael gritted his teeth, shouting up at the machine.

  “Jayson, I swear—when I get down—!”

  He never finished. With a violent swing, the wheel hurled him straight into the glass container, crashing down among the pile of balloons with a loud thud.

  Leon frowned, glancing up at the machine. “Jayson… what’s going on?” he called, but Jayson didn’t reply.

  Vincent, unable to see clearly from his spot, burst out laughing at the sound of Rafael’s crash.

  Jayson exhaled, trying to calm his racing heart. The red digits on the clock read 2:20

  "your turn, Vincent!" He called, his voice cutting through the chaos.

  Vincent tensed for a moment but nodded, he stepped forward and gripped the cartoon girl's wheel.As Jayson nudged the joystick, the wheel began moving, wobbling violently as it rose. Vincent held on tight, refusing to let it slip, even as the silme falling from girl's eyes tried to throw him off.

  After Vincent was safely in the glass container, the clock read 1:40.

  Jayson's eyes immediately fixed on Leon. He nudged the joystick, guiding the girl’s wheel toward him.

  Leon gripped the girl’s hands tightly, but this time the wheel wasn’t wobbling. A small smile of relief crossed Jayson’s face — he knew Leon was afraid of heights. Leon kept his eyes squeezed shut, bracing himself.

  Suddenly, Jayson shouted, “Watch out!” and pushed the joystick to the left. Triangle-shaped rocky obstacles began appearing in their path. Jayson tried desperately to maneuver around them, but the joystick stiffened, refusing to respond.

  A rock loomed on the right. Jayson screamed, “Leon, no!”. Jayson pressed his hands over his eyes, too afraid to see what happened. He didn't hear any screams. Hesitantly, he removed one hand from his eyes and let out a sigh of relief - Leon was safe.

  Leon survived the obstacle only because Zhayne yelled for him to move his body to the left.

  Leon shifted his body instinctively, still keeping his eyes tightly closed, and somehow avoided the rock. Glitter and slime rained down on him as he scrambled forward.

  With a final effort, Leon let go of the wheel at the edge of the glass container and dropped safely inside.

  Now it was Zhayne’s turn, and 50 seconds remained. Somewhere above, the wheels waited, trembling, ready to throw the next obstacle