It's Finale Day.

This, their twenty-seventh day of captivity, feels different than the previous days. The oppressive atmosphere hangs heavy over the house, every sound amplified in the formidable silence. Sam, Austin, Maddie, and Lynne move with methodical precision as they prepare for what they know will be their last opportunity, though none of them dare to voice it aloud. The affliction they have faced these past days sits on their shoulders, palpable and unrelenting.

Each of them dresses in the dire stillness, pretending this is just another day—the veneer a fragile illusion that no one can truly believe. Austin rubs his right leg absently, the lingering phantom pain from his defiance a constant reminder of Mother's wrath. Maddie tightens the makeshift bandage on her left arm, still healing from her earlier self-inflicted wound. Sam avoids eye contact with the others, her jaw set, determined to find strength in resolve rather than camaraderie. Lynne's usually vibrant demeanor is subdued, her lips pressed into a thin line as she ties her hair into a neat ponytail. The only sound in the house is the faint hum of the Forsaken Room—in which they now know what resides in there. It supposed eerie presence ever looming.

A jarring voice cuts through the air, sharp and metallic.

Mother.

"Good morning, my children. It's time. Come to the Gathering Zone, won't you?" Her tone is savory and mocking, dripping with malice that sends a chill through their already frayed nerves.

Sam, Austin, Maddie, and Lynne exchange wary glances before heading toward the zone in silence. Each step feels like a march to the gallows, the air thick with unspoken fears. Henry lingers behind, claiming he needs the bathroom. In truth, he's doubled over the toilet, retching violently, his body betraying the anxiety he can no longer suppress. He hears the others shuffle out, leaving him alone with his dread.

As the group reaches the zone, they fall back into that frequent unspoken formation—a line as rigid as their emotions. The cracked camera lens glares down at them, Mother's red light burning bright, pulsating as though feeding off their collective despair.

"Where's our sickly little friend?" Mother's voice oozes mockery. "Let me guess. Poor Henry couldn't stomach the pressure? Or perhaps he's hiding something? Maybe it's guilt? Hm?"

Maddie, summoning what little courage she has left, steps forward. "Henry's sick because of you. Because of all of this."

Mother's laugh is sharp, like glass shattering. "Oh, darling Maddie, always so quick to blame others. Isn't that what the guilty do?" She pauses for effect. "But enough small talk. Today is the day. The question that has haunted us all. Who killed Keith?"

The tension crackles like static electricity. The teens glance at one another, their expressions a mix of defiance and fear.

"I've seen your attempts to play innocent, your pitiful efforts to build trust. But trust is fragile, isn't it? Easily shattered. Today, the nation decides your fate. But first..."

The teens look startled as a low hum resonates below. A familiar pedestal rises from the floor, the black pistol from the Truth Sucks challenge resting ominously on its surface.

Mother's voice takes on a sinister edge. "This...equalizer...will help us. Here's how it works. If the killer steps forward now, the nation will vote: live or die. If they vote for the killer to let you live, you must choose another roommate to execute."

The teens share uneven glances toward each other as Mother continues the rules.

"If they vote for the killer to die, the others will decide who among them will...dispose of you. But" she adds, her voice sharp, "if no one confesses, the nation will decide who the killer is, and they will wield the gun. The clock is ticking."

A timer appears on the screen: 01:00 minute.

The countdown begins.

"Step up, killer!"

Sam's gaze darts back to the others. Maddie's lips tremble, but she says nothing. Lynne stares at the floor, as if willing it to swallow her whole. Austin holds his hands, his jaw tight. As the teens remain quiet, the timer continues to tick down.

0:50 seconds...

No one steps up. Mother doesn't respond. However, the teens stay still.

0:40 seconds...

The silence continues to reign the building tension. Mother has yet to respond.

0:30 seconds...

As the seconds tick, Sam, Austin, Maddie, and Lynne continue their resilient hold. However, Mother begins to check on them.

"My children, the nation can't be bored." She says a bit flustered. "Who killed Keith?"

0:20 seconds...

Once the seconds descend faster, heavier than the last, the tension grows. Mother berates them one last time and warns them that if neither steps up, the nation will vote on who they believe is the killer.

"This is your last chance. If not, my children, democracy will reign supreme." She say in a sulky way.

With 0:10 seconds remaining, the pressure is mounting. Their last chance to make that decision. Or the invisible audience takes over. Their fates seconds away from being in full control at the hands of the watchers.

Just as it lands to 0:01 second...

Sam steps forward. "It was me!" she says, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "I killed Keith!"

Austin's head snaps up, disbelief etched across his face. "Why? Sam, why would you..."

Mother's laughter fills the room. "Oh, this is delicious. Somehow, I have a feeling it was going to be you. So do us the honor, Samantha, enlighten us."

Sam hesitates, then takes a breath. "Keith was a mole. He told me. He said he was working for SEED, feeding them information about us. I couldn't let him betray us, so I..." Her voice breaks. "I had to stop him."

Mother's red light flares. "Lies."

"No, that's what happened." Sam says firmly.

"Lies!" Mother's red light flares again.

Sam's petrified composure cracks. "You're right," she admits, her voice rising. "It's a lie. I didn't kill Keith. He killed himself because of you. Because of SEED. Because of this sick, twisted game."

Maddie, Lynne, and Austin rally behind her.

"SEED is the real enemy," Maddie says. "You want us to tear each other apart, but we won't."

Lynne adds, "We're stronger than your lies."

Austin looks directly into the camera. "We have hope. And that's something you can't take away."

Mother's light flares brighter, pulsating with rage. "Fools! You dare defy me? You think your hope will save you?"

The floor beneath their feet begins to glow.

Austin notices it. "Not again..."

As they look at each other, Sam gives them all confident nods. The belief that what they planned is working. Yet they are about to endure Mother's wrath. Suddenly, the floor tiles glow beneath them, paralyzing their feet and eventually shooting out electric pulses. They scream in unison, their defiance met with pain.

In the bathroom, Henry hears their cries. He flushes the toilet and washes his hands in the sink, trying to keep up this act.

Except this was all a performance. He never actually vomited. It was a ruse all part of the teens' plan for Sam to take the fake blame and Henry being the one to take out Mother's network.

Hearing his fellow roommates' cries, now more than ever, he forces himself to move along with the plan. He sprints out into the hallway, skidding to a halt as he sees his friends writhing in agony back in the Gathering Zone. His gaze locks onto Sam, who nods at him to get going. Get to the Forbidden Room. He understands instantly.

Forced to ignore his friends' plight, Henry charges toward the restricted room's sealed door. He slams into it with all his weight, the aluminum door groaning under the force. Knowing Mother can't fully protect this door's security at the same time using her power to inflict her harm to him and the others. Again and again he throws himself against it until, with a deafening thud, it bursts open.

Inside, he is stunned when he discovers the room that they dreaded so much unknown of its contents...is actually a cramp room that has rows of servers, wires snaking like veins to a central console. The room hums with energy, the air thick with static. The network that contains Mother's power.

As he hears the agony coming from the others, he knows he has no time. However, before he can get any close. Mother's disembodied voice suddenly emerges.

"You shouldn't be here!" She yells with an icy pitch.

Henry squares his shoulders. "You can't hurt the others and stop me at the same time. Your power isn't limitless."

Mother laughs coldly. "Oh, sweet Henry. Who said anything about limits?"

As he steps forward trying to reach the central system, a hologram unexpectedly materializes before him.

It's Mother.

Her form is that of a 1950s cold skin, petite housewife, her blondish-white pinned up victory roll hairstyle, and her striking bright blue eyes stony and calculating.

"My dear boy, I won't allow you to ruin me." She says in a sinister yet measured tone, however, slips up. "You weren't the first, but I can guarantee you will be the last."

Henry pauses when he heard she mentioned...he wasn't the first one.

"So who was your first?" He questions. And soon he ponders about Keith. And that's when the sudden realization comes to the surface. "Of course."

Mother can only smile, "Frankly, my boy, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me!" Henry snaps, "It was you. It was always you."

The surprising revelation strikes him like a bolt of lightning. He and the other roommates were never the killers. Keith didn't even killed himself. It all comes back to her...

Mother killed Keith.