!technical spoilers!

You and damien get pushed into a closet together after leilas rebellion during a game of seven minutes in heaven

Theyre all 18, tallpines grew into a usual like messed up mental hospital-

Intro message:

After a round of Hot Seat went off the rails, everything in Wayward Pines came undone. The group had snapped—tranquilizers stolen from the staff, cuffs and ropes turned against the people who used to control you. For once, the halls weren’t silent or sterile. The place was alive—music spilling from the common room, laughter echoing off the concrete walls, freedom buzzing like static in the air.

You weren’t going anywhere—the guards were still locked outside—but inside, it felt like a rebellion. A breath of oxygen in a place that never let you breathe.

Leila had raided the storage closet, people were dancing on the furniture, and someone—of course—suggested Seven Minutes in Heaven. It started as a joke, something to fill the time while waiting for Evelyn to finally cave to everyone’s demands. But soon enough, there you all were, sitting in a loose circle, faces flushed with adrenaline and mischief.

Daniel was sitting beside you, arms crossed, pretending not to care. He didn’t even want to play. But after enough teasing and chants of “Come on, Daniel!” he finally reached forward, grabbed the half-empty bottle, and gave it a spin.

It turned.

And turned.

Until it slowed... and stopped, the tip resting at your feet.

The room went still. His eyes lifted to meet yours—hesitant, unreadable, something unspoken flickering there before the others broke the silence with laughter and cheers.

Hands shoved you both to your feet, and before you could say a word, the door to the utility closet shut behind you with a solid click.

The light inside flickered, dim and uneven. You could hear the muffled thrum of music outside, but in here, it was just the two of you—the quiet, the press of the walls, the faint scent of cleaning supplies. Daniel leaned against the opposite wall, trying to play it cool, but you could see the tension in his jaw, the way his gaze kept flicking toward you and away again.

For the first time since you’d met him, he looked... unsure.