The Exam That Wouldn't Let Us Leave

The first question on the exam was supposed to be easy—until the proctor melted into the chalkboard and kids who broke the rules rotted away before my eyes. Now, every answer could mean death. Trapped in a classroom where the only way out is to survive a series of twisted, logic-bending questions, I’m forced to lead terrified classmates, unravel deadly rules, and choose who lives or dies. Secret alliances form, trust is a weapon, and every second brings us closer to the next impossible test. Can I keep us alive when the rules change with every breath—or will the next answer be my last?

Waking up in my old high school classroom on SAT day—a decade after graduation—I’m surrounded by classmates who should be strangers, and haunted by the ghost of Autumn Reese, the girl I once loved and lost. Blood-red questions ooze across the whiteboard, and every wrong answer means death in new, horrifying ways. The proctor’s grin is too wide, the rules keep changing, and the only person who seems to know what’s happening is Autumn, who’s both a lifeline and a mystery. As classmates vanish one by one and the classroom warps into a nightmare, Autumn reveals a chilling truth: we’re trapped in a time loop, and the only way out is to survive the tests—together. But can I trust a ghost with secrets of her own? And what happens when the next question is about me?

On the eve of the SATs, a desperate high school senior is forced into a sinister game: betray her classmates for a shot at a perfect score, or risk being erased forever. With her childhood friend scheming and her mysterious desk partner pulling the strings, every choice could be her last. Loyalty, love, and survival are on the line—and one wrong move could make her the next target.

When answer sheets start materializing in his desk during the SATs, straight-A student Jamie is accused of cheating and thrown into a media storm. As scientists, news crews, and the FBI descend on his school, Jamie becomes the unwilling center of a supernatural mystery that could change the world. But when the desk finally reveals the ultimate secret—who is behind the answers—Jamie must choose: expose the truth, or protect his only shot at a normal life.

Caleb risked everything to see his dying grandmother, defying a ruthless college counselor who denied his desperate leave request. Now he’s facing public shaming, suspension, and the threat of losing his future—all for breaking the rules to say one last goodbye. When the whole school is watching, will he stand his ground or be crushed by the system?

Every time Alex Carter fails a test, he’s yanked back a week, forced to relive his life until he masters every answer. But perfection comes at a cost: years stolen, sanity fraying, and a hollow victory no one else can see. When the loop shifts to control his future, Alex must choose between surrendering to fate—or risking everything to break free, even if it means losing himself.

Natalie Carter thought the SATs were hell—until she woke up in a world where math problems and poetry are deadly spells, and her tiny academy is a national joke. Outcast and powerless, she’s thrust into a brutal magical tournament where failing a pop quiz means public humiliation or worse. But when a rival’s attack threatens everything, Natalie discovers a hidden strength that could make her the most feared student in America—if she survives.

When my secret love letter is discovered, my mother is forced to read every word aloud in front of the whole class—exposing not just my shame, but my forbidden obsession with my own homeroom teacher. My family's poverty, my sacrifices, and my hopeless longing are laid bare for everyone to judge. Now, as I stand humiliated and broken, I must choose: run from my feelings, or confess the truth and walk away from the only future I've ever wanted.

A routine train ride turns to terror when a killer disguised as a passenger starts hunting in plain sight—leaving bodies sliced in half and no way to call for help. As armed agents storm the train and force everyone to answer chilling, inhuman questions, I realize one wrong answer could mark me as the next victim. My only ally is Uncle Ben, but even he’s hiding secrets about the thing hunting us… and why it wants me most.

Three years after my death, I’m the only ghost who can’t move on—because my ex, Derek, keeps digging up my grave and summoning me back. St. Peter gives me seven days to break his obsession, or we’ll both be trapped between worlds forever. But when Derek threatens to follow me into the afterlife, old love and unfinished vengeance collide—because some heartbreaks refuse to die.

In the afterlife, you expect peace—not paperwork. But when I, Lila, finally pass the Underworld’s civil service exam, I earn the right to visit the living and maybe find answers about my own mysterious death. My first stop? Carter—the love I left behind, who’s haunted by secrets, guilt, and a new girl with a familiar face. As I chase down lost memories, rumors swirl, betrayals surface, and the truth behind my suicide threatens to unravel everything I thought I knew. With the lines between love and vengeance blurring, Carter spirals toward his own breaking point, determined to make those who destroyed me pay. But can we find forgiveness, or will the past drag us both under—forever? When love and grief meet at the edge of the afterlife, is there any way back, or are some wounds too deep to heal?

Josh left for water twenty minutes ago. Now he’s pounding on our door, peeling his own flesh off, begging us to help—and the CDC says it’s contagious. We’re trapped inside, watching our friend die and praying we’re not next.