The Mayor’s office was too quiet.

Not just the regular kind of quiet—the suffocating kind. The kind that made it feel like the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving only a pressing, heavy emptiness.

And he just kept smiling.

Hassan swallowed. “So, uh… What exactly do you mean by ‘we were found’?”

The Mayor tilted his head slightly. His smile didn’t change. “Exactly what I said.”

Brenda frowned. “That’s not an answer.”

“I know.”

Jeremiah threw his hands up. “Great. Fantastic. Love that. Can we leave?”

The Mayor gestured towards the locked door. “Can you?”

Brenda rattled the knob harder. Still locked.

She turned back. “Look, we just need a way out of here. That’s all.”

The Mayor sighed, almost disappointed. “But why would you leave when you’ve only just arrived?”

Hassan narrowed his eyes. “Because we don’t want to be here?”

“Are you sure?” The Mayor leaned forward slightly. “Haven’t you felt it? The town… likes you.”

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Brenda’s stomach twisted. “That’s not comforting.”

The Mayor just chuckled. “Oh, I know.”

---

The walls shifted.

Not physically—but the colors seemed to darken for a second, like the room itself was breathing.

Something was wrong.

Mr. Wachira, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. “What do you want from us?”

The Mayor rested his chin on his hand. “Why assume I want anything?”

Brenda huffed. “Because people don’t just lock strangers in offices for fun—”

She paused.

Looked at Jeremiah.

Then at Hassan.

Then at the roomful of weirdos they’d been stuck with.

“…Okay, some people do.”

Hassan nodded. “Thank you.”

Jeremiah added, “Glad we’re all self-aware.”

The Mayor chuckled. “Oh, you are all… delightful.”

His smile widened just a little too much.

Something cracked.

Not the walls.

Not the ceiling.

The air.

Like reality had splintered.

And suddenly—

All the windows disappeared.

Brenda’s breath caught. “What the hell?”

The bookshelves? Gone.

The desk? Vanished.

The Mayor? Still smiling.

The only thing left was them… and him.

Jeremiah whispered, “I hate this.”

The Mayor finally stood up, adjusting his tie. “Don’t be so afraid. You’ve all been given a very special opportunity.”

Hassan raised an eyebrow. “To do what? Die in a poorly lit room?”

The Mayor chuckled. “No. To be part of something… bigger.”

Brenda crossed her arms. “Yeah? Well, we’re declining.”

The Mayor sighed. “Such a shame.”

Then, with a slow, almost graceful motion, he tapped his forehead.

And the entire room collapsed inward.

---

They were outside.

But not on the street.

Not even in the town.

They were standing in the middle of a massive field.

Dark sky. No stars. No moon. Just void.

And surrounding them?

Hundreds of doors.

Different sizes. Different colors. Some were rusted shut, others polished and new. Some too small to enter, others towering into nothingness.

Brenda’s brain refused to process it.

“…What?”

The Mayor, now standing a few feet away, spread his arms. “Welcome to the In-Between.”

Jeremiah turned in circles. “WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. HELL?”

Hassan pointed at the Mayor. “YOU. EXPLAIN. NOW.”

The Mayor sighed. “I keep trying to, but you’re all very loud.”

Brenda pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay. One question at a time. First: Where exactly are we?”

The Mayor smiled. “You’ve stepped outside of time. Outside of space. Outside of reason.”

“…That doesn’t help.”

“Alright,” the Mayor said. “Think of this place as an… intermission. Between where you were, and where you’re going.”

Hassan blinked. “We’re… going somewhere?”

The Mayor just nodded toward the doors.

A very bad feeling crept up Brenda’s spine. “Are you saying we have to pick one?”

“Not have to. Get to.”

Jeremiah scoffed. “I hate that wording.”

Hassan frowned. “And what happens if we don’t pick?”

The Mayor’s grin widened.

“Then a door will pick you.”