Castaway: The Game of Death

"What are you doing here?" Amanda Blake gasped, her voice trembling with shock. She stood frozen, staring at Victor Martin with wide eyes and an open mouth, disbelief written all over her face. "Shut up!" Victor said sharply. His eyes were bloodshot, his face etched with exhaustion. One hand gripped Amanda's neck, while the other braced against the wall for support. Suddenly, the ground shook violently, nearly knocking them both off balance. Amanda seized the opportunity to break free from his grasp, but she didn't run. "You're not on the guest list. How did you get on this ship?" Amanda demanded. "I knocked out a passenger who was boarding alone and used his information," Victor replied, his breathing heavy as he steadied himself. "But boarding requires facial recognition. There's no way you could've gotten through using someone else's identity," Amanda said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "How should I know? Maybe your system is just garbage," Victor shot back with a shrug. He then recalled how, when he passed through security, the alarm briefly went off. However, it was immediately silenced by someone, and the security personnel waved him through, claiming it was just a system malfunction. Though uneasy at the time, he kept his composure and walked in. "I'm here to get answers about how my brother really died," Victor said, his voice cold as steel. His piercing gaze bore into Amanda, sharp enough to cut through her defenses. Amanda lowered her head under his intense stare, biting her lip before looking back up. "Victor, you need to find a chance to leave. I'll tell you everything once I get back. You're unfamiliar with this place. You'll die here." "No way. I want you to tell me now," Victor said, stepping closer, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. Victor's sole purpose for boarding the ship was Amanda. She was his late brother's wife. His brother had died three months ago, and when Victor rushed back to town to see him one last time, Amanda refused to let him in. She hadn't even allowed him to see the body. A few days later, Victor spotted Amanda from afar, holding hands with another man as they walked into an office building. Victor had been very close to his brother, and seeing Amanda with another man so soon after his brother's death was too suspicious to ignore. What made things worse was the massive accidental death insurance policy Amanda had taken out on his brother shortly before his death. It was all too coincidental. Determined to uncover the truth, Victor began piecing together information. He eventually learned that his brother had boarded the cruise ship Eternity before his death. Amanda's company operated the ship. As luck would have it, Eternity was about to set sail again. Victor devised a plan to sneak aboard. "Ding!" The ship's broadcast interrupted their tense conversation. Amanda raised her index finger to her lips, signaling Victor to stay quiet as she gestured toward the source of the announcement. "Dear passengers, we apologize for the slight shaking caused by accidentally hitting a reef. We hope this does not affect your experience on this voyage. I am pleased to announce that the game is about to begin. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest. This voyage has a total of 300 passengers, so the total prize pool for the game is 30 billion dollars." The metallic voice over the broadcast was flat and emotionless, sending a chill down Victor's spine. "What game? What does a prize pool of 30 billion dollars mean?" Victor asked, his confusion evident. "It's too late. You can't leave now," Amanda replied, shaking her head with a bitter smile. Suddenly, Amanda's eyes lit up, and she called out behind Victor, "Hey, honey!" Victor's heart skipped a beat. He spun around instinctively, following Amanda's gaze, but there was no one there. "You tricked me," Victor growled, turning back angrily. But before he could fully react, a sudden jolt of electricity surged through his body, starting from his neck. At some point, Amanda had pulled out a small stun gun. "I'm sorry," Amanda said quietly, watching Victor stagger. "You..." Victor managed to say, his voice weak as Amanda's figure blurred before his eyes. He stumbled back a few steps, collapsed to the ground, and lost consciousness. When Victor woke up again, he found himself lying in a cabin room. Suddenly, the noise outside surged. Screams and curses blended. Coupled with the cruise ship rocking like a roller coaster, his head felt like it was about to explode as if a ticking bomb was lodged inside. His stomach churned violently as though something was desperately trying to escape. He opened the door, intending to find a place to vomit, but the chaotic noise outside abruptly disappeared. It was replaced by the sound of an approaching storm, the kind that felt ready to swallow the ship whole. Just as confusion set in, the world suddenly spun, and a wave of weightlessness hit him. "D*mn it, the ship is going to capsize," Victor muttered to himself. But there was no escape. The ship completely flipped over, and Victor's head slammed heavily against a nearby railing, knocking him unconscious. He didn't know how much time had passed when he vaguely felt something brushing against his feet. The touch was gentle yet icy cold, devoid of any human warmth. As the sound of waves crashing against the shore grew louder, he realized he might have drifted to some coastline. Suddenly, a wave of heat hit his face, and Victor's eyes snapped open. A beautiful face appeared before him—fair skin, slender eyebrows, and a straight nose. To his surprise, a stunning woman lay sprawled in his arms. Victor rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Finally, he recognized the person in front of him as the famous actress Marina Lewis. "Am I seeing things?" Victor muttered, staring at her. "Why is she here? Was she on that ship too?" After retiring, Victor had been working as a security guard in a residential community. In his world, meeting a celebrity was almost impossible, let alone holding one in his arms and ending up on the ground together. At that moment, Marina woke up. Their eyes locked. "Get off me!" she screamed, shoving Victor away with all her strength. "What are you trying to do?" Marina yelled, clutching her chest with a wary look in her eyes. Victor quickly raised his hands defensively. "Don't get me wrong! I just woke up too. I have no idea what's going on!" From where he stood, Victor noticed Marina was only wearing a swimsuit, her fair skin and long, slender legs exposed. "Stop staring at me!" Marina shouted, glaring at him. "Alright, alright, I won't look at you," Victor said, quickly turning his head to the side. "Where are we?" Marina's voice came from behind him. "Maybe it's an island, or maybe it's some country's coastline. I'm not sure," Victor replied. "D*mn it! I knew I shouldn't have joined this stupid reality show. It's all my agent's fault for insisting I sign up," Marina cursed under her breath. "This is a reality show?" Victor asked, confused. "Yeah, don't you know? Aren't you from the Eternity?" Marina asked, raising an eyebrow. "I did board the Eternity, but I had no idea what was going on. And what kind of reality show offers a prize of 30 billion dollars?" Victor replied, still trying to piece things together. "So what if it's 30 billion dollars, you country bumpkin? For those big-shot investors, it's nothing. But how did you board the ship without even knowing what's going on?" Marina said, her tone dripping with disdain. Victor frowned, her words unsettling him. Could his brother have been part of this so-called reality show? But if that was the case, why did he die so suddenly? While Victor was lost in thought, Marina kicked him in the back and snapped, "What are you spacing out for? Do something!"