Game Of Survival

Chapter 5

JAMES

"Just bear with it for a little longer." Daniel said almost in a whisper but still that wasn't enough to calm the flowing frustration in me. The fact that we just kept following like mindless fools was already annoying enough. And after a round of thirty minutes, I could finally see light at the end of the hallway.

"Finally!" My brother and I chirped at the same time. Our steps suddenly quickened again.

"Welcome to the third and final stage of the qualifications round." Mr. O announced with a grand gesture as he stepped outside.

I went speechless as I stepped outside too. I didn't know how to feel or even react. My lips parted but no audible words came out. We were completely in a different location. We were in a forest. Surrounded by tall trees where birds tweeted. The ground was completely covered with twigs and dry leaves. It was a completely serene atmosphere and rather than ease me, I felt nervous.

"This is so weird." A guy commented beside me. "I don't even know if this can be considered a qualification round for a TV show."

He added and I couldn't help but agree. I wondered what kind of test they're going to give us in this place. Just the thought of some wild animals running around increased my fears.

"Mr. O, please we would like an explanation or something." A lady pitched from behind.

He turned to us with his accustomed bright smile and I wouldn't lie I was beginning to find it annoying.

"Like I said before, this is the third and final stage for the qualifications. And only a few will pass. Please follow me." He responded and began walking. I frowned, we were in a forest, confused and tired yet he still wanted us to follow him like lambs!

"Come on..." Daniel c****d his head to the side, beckoning me to come along. I felt like talking but knowing him, maintaining silence was probably best for now. And once again, we began threading. After another thirty minutes, we arrived at a tiny road. There were two large buses already parked by the side with several guards dressed in black on standby. There were also two luxurious Benz cars parked in front of the buses. The rear door opened and a lady in her mid thirties, dressed in a white suit stepped out from one of them.

"And this is where my journey ends with you guys." Mr. O declared as we stopped on the road.

"Please, I'd like you all to meet, Miss M. She'll be taking over from here. I wish you all the very best of luck." He finished with a smile and then he exchanged some knowing glances with the lady before sauntering into the car. The car turned around us before trotting away.

"Hi everyone!" Her tiny voice pitched, instantly getting our attention. "I'm Miss M and I'll be your interviewer for this stage. I hope you guys give it your best in this stage." She gave us a sweet smile and I could already see Daniel staring at her like he was enchanted. His love for women was certainly a habit too late to control now. Then again, what was with the weird names? And why did we have to suffer ourselves walking all the way here? Not to mention this place wasn't familiar in the slightest.

"So now without wasting further time, let's proceed." She muttered while she walked towards one of the buses.

"The buses will take us to the final location where you'll be tested. Shall we?" She muttered and some of us began to beam with excitement as we sauntered into the buses.

Daniel and I took the first row and I chose to sit by the window side. After we had all settled, the bus quietly came to life and soon it began threading on the lonely road.

Barely ten minutes had passed and my body was beginning to get weaker by the moment. My eyes were slowly drifting to sleep, perhaps the walk I had did it's numbers on me. Even though I didn't want to, I finally succumbed to sleep.

My eyes faintly awoke from the scorching ray gracing my face. My body was still weak but it was a lot better than before. But something was wrong, I remembered I was in a bus but now, I was laying under the sun. I sat up immediately and then I realized I laid on moist sands. Although my senses had barely recovered, I couldn't see anybody around.

"Daniel?" I called but he didn't answer. "Daniel! Daniel!" I yelled but my voice still lacked that strength. My hazy vision cleared a bit and then I realized I was at a shore!

How the hell did I get here?!

The question kept lingering but it was hopeless. I couldn't find any reasonable answer.

My head wouldn't stop from raging with a headache. My senses were still dull and some part of my muscles hadn't recovered from numbness yet. There was also the occasional thumping in my chest. Mostly out of fear.

I tried to recall what happened again but everything went blank after I fell asleep on the bus. I wobbled to a stance, looking around in confusion. Before me was nothing but the waters gently waving towards the shore occasionally.

How was this possible? No matter how hard I tried to calm myself down, my fears only skyrocketed. And there was my brother too, I'd been calling his name but it was evident I was speaking to the breeze. Something had definitely gone wrong. I don't think something like this was part of the plan.

"Daniel!!" I yelled again but it was hopeless. I turned to my back. Few meters away was a forest. I heaved a sigh, another forest again. Perhaps I would be able to find Daniel. I began wobbling towards the forest.

"Daniel!" I called as I wandered in the forest. With every step I took came the birth of another fearful thought. What if I came across something dangerous, what if I wasn't going to find him? And the most frustrating question of all, how did I end up here alone?