Game Of Survival

Chapter 23

JAMES

"Dave!!" We all yelled at the same time as Dave thudded to the ground. Waves of anger spiralled within me but I couldn't act, none of us dared to make a move. We could only watch as Dave writhed in pain. Grabbing the area around his leg where he was shot at. I watched in horror as blood graced his hands and poured out of his injury. I needed no soothsayer to tell me he was in so much pain, the way he gritted his teeth, his eyes closed in fear and his breaths coming out in exasperation, it made me, it made us want to help him. But we were helpless.

"I won't ask again, drop your weapons." Gabriel muttered behind the bushes. We still couldn't get the bastard's location but it was more than evident that he was in control. He could kill any of us if he wished. And so, without hesitation, we slowly lowered to the ground to drop our guns. I didn't like this disadvantage we were in, I didn't want us to get hurt anymore, I had to think of a way out. But then again, I could barely think straight. My heart was pounding in fear and anger like crazy, my body trembled as if cold haunted it and sweat crawled out of my pores easily.

"Good." He commented and then I heard rustlings behind the bushes before us. "If you had listened to me in the first place, all this wouldn't have happened." He remarked. "But this is not such a bad view either. Seeing that weakling suffer in pain is quite fun. Don't you agree?" He laughed a sinister laugh.

"f**k you bro! f**k you!" Dave screamed as his grip went tighter on his knee.

His laughter worsened and then he finally came out with a gun in his hands. His eyes were blooming with so much lust. Lust for blood and it made me wonder, how could someone like this apply for the show in the first place.

"We've dropped our weapons like you asked." Eve mumbled. "Please let us go. You can take our weapons, our food, clothes. In fact, you can take the whole bag but please let us go." Eve pleaded and he began laughing again.

"Don't you get it? Killing is the only way to survive if you want to leave this God damned place!" He muttered, hiding our gaze carefully.

"But unfortunately, this is where your journey ends. The four of you are my prey and there's no way in hell I'm letting you guys off."

I almost peed on my body. I've faced several death experiences ever since I woke up on this damned island. But every time, the feeling got worse. It was something I could never get used to.

"So who do I start from?" He mumbled, glancing at each of our faces. "Should I start from the weakling?" He pointed his gun to Dave who wriggled his head.

"Or you?" His gun moved to my brother and I grabbed the sand with my fist. He pointed his gun to me and he wriggled his head.

"No, you're going to be the last meal. I'm going to make you watch as these people lose their lives. I'll let you feel the horrors and pain of losing someone and it's going to be so delightful watching you break. You'll die a broken man."

I gulped down my saliva while tears graced my eyes. This was the perfect time to hope for some kind of miracle but it was just hopeless. We were really going to die this time. All the vows and promises I made were going down the hill. Was this how far I could go? These damned people that organized this show, they needed to be punished. I wanted to punish them for their crimes and let them feel the pains and horrors they gave us. But this wasn't the time to think of that. I should be focusing on giving my best. Trying to escape this hell hole I was dumped in.

"I'm your target, let them go." I said and he scoffed.

"Let them go!" I yelled and his lips parted into an evil grin.

"True, you're my target but the rule says we should terminate ten of the contestants. So far so good, I have only been chasing you and it was worth it."

I gulped down my saliva, there was no point talking this bastard out of it. I glanced at Dave, he didn't look so good. If this continued, we were all going to drop one by one.

"Now then, I guess I'll start with you." He pointed his gun to Eve.

"If you touch harm, I swear I'll do something we'll both regret!" I growled, I didn't know where the courage was coming from but I wasn't going to allow this guy to do as he pleased. I can't lose hope now.

"Oh really, I could just make a bullet hole through her head right now and you wouldn't do s**t!" He retorted and I glanced at my brother. No doubt we were thinking the same thing, Gabriel wasn't that far from us. If we decided to launch at him there was no guarantee one of us wouldn't get injured. That didn't mean we weren't going to reach him. Getting the gun off him was my top most priority.

"Don't touch her, I'm warning you." I growled again.

He scoffed and my eyes fell on his finger. I could see his index finger slowly making a move towards the trigger. At that moment, it felt like time slowed around us. I glanced at Eve who was obviously consumed in fear and my gaze returned to his finger about to reach the trigger. I took to my feet, trying to trot towards him. Surprisingly, My brother had taken to his steps too. I gasped, if anything I didn't want him to get hurt. It felt like the time went even slower. I could see clearly how Gabriel's face arched into a frown and his gun slowly moved in our direction. One of us was going to get hit, that's for sure. Yet, Daniel and I matched towards him. And before the next second came, we heard a gunshot. It felt like my heart exploded and I forgot how to breathe, I even peed a little in my pants. And that slow moment I was entrapped in ended. I didn't feel any pain, I wasn't the one who got hit. I glanced at my brother and he was just as confused as I was. He wasn't the one who got hit either. Dave was still battling with his own pain, then it was definitely Eve. I turned to her but she was safe!

So who got hit? Or did he miss his aim?! The question blared in my head as I faced Gabriel. But his evil smile was gone, his eyes weren't gleaming as they used to and his gun dropped from his hands as blood soaked his clothes in his stomach area.

My jaw dropped and then we heard rustlings in the bushes again. And then the person came out. My eyes widened and Gabriel slightly turned to her direction. It was Mira Henshaw, she was ranked number two amongst the top three. She had a smile on her face, an innocent one. She literally just shot someone and she looked so calm.

"Y-you--" Gabriel groaned, trying to reach her as he wobbled. She giggled and we all just kept watching in awe.

"Oh how much I love this look on your face." Her voice came out so soft and innocent as she sauntered towards him.

"W-why?" He asked in a broken voice.

"I love to kill predators who prey on the weak. It gives me so much joy." She held his cheek dearly. No doubt his wound was fatal and he was definitely going to die.

"Y-you-- b***h!" He coughed blood.

"Kill and don't be killed. It's the rule of love. Consider this a mercy from this shitty place." She winked at him and he fell to the ground, coughing blood again until he stopped moving. He was gone, just like that. The bastard who almost made me knock on the gates of death was dead. I should be happy, relieved but how could I? When Mira Henshaw was here. Our situation just went from frying pan to fire.

She glanced at Dave wriggling in pain and then Daniel to me and finally at Eve. I stared into her brown eyes trying to depict what was going on in this dangerous woman's heart. If she decided to attack right now, we were goners.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you guys." She muttered all of a sudden. I frowned, still unconvinced.

"So what? Are you going to let us go?" I asked and she nodded with a sweet smile.

"Just like that?" Daniel queried too.

"Yup!" She answered like a child. "You guys should better tend to him, he seems to be losing a lot of blood." She pointed to Dave who was obviously frowning too. I could tell he too didn't want to believe she just wanted to let us go.

"I don't believe you." I said. "We've never met and for no reason at all you just decided to spare us."

"You don't need to worry about that, Gabriel was my tenth kill and the rule says we shouldn't kill more than that number." She explained. "I'm definitely not risking going against the rules. Besides, I'm satisfied I killed this maniac." She kicked Gabriel's lifeless body before threading away.

Talk about a maniac, she was also one. Single Handedly killing twenty seven people overnight. She suddenly paused.

"But I'm a bit curious though." She said as she placed her gun over her shoulder. "It's weird seeing four contestants working together. Every contestant here is trying to save themselves, I wonder if you guys' goal is different."

My eyes twitched. Not only was she a maniac but she was quite the sharp one.

"If we meet again, you might probably not be lucky." She quoted and took her leave.

She was right, if we met her by chance again, we probably won't be lucky. She was our miracle savior this time but the next time, she could be a monster.

"Dave!" Eve trotted to him. "How are you feeling?" She asked while checking his wound.

"I feel like s**t Eve, we almost died!" He screeched while Eve nodded.

"Okay you need to calm down. I'm going to treat your wound." She said while she took her bag, pulling out a knife and a piece of cloth.

"She really let us go." Daniel said as he locked eyes with me.

"We were really lucky this time." I answered, staring at Gabriel's lifeless body.

"I thought I was going to lose you James." He said with faint tears gracing his eyes.

"I wasn't going to forgive myself if anything happened to you." He hugged me. I gasped and then I slowly patted his back.

"We're going to come out of this alive Daniel. No matter what." I whispered and he hugged me tighter. After several minutes, she had finally taken care of Dave's injuries. And for the first time, he was quiet. He didn't complain nor cry about how he doesn't want to die. Maybe he was still traumatized about the whole incident. Either way, I liked him better this way. It was a lot better than hearing him rant. I glanced at him as I brushed past branches. Daniel carried him on his back while I walked side by side with Eve. None of us had said a word since. We just kept threading forward stealthily. Silently hoping we wouldn't come across another death path. Most especially Miguel Garrison. Mira might have spared us but Miguel certainly wouldn't. I still remember the emotionless look he had in his eyes.

My thoughts tousled the moments we heard strange noises a few meters before us. We halted, staring at each other with knowing glances. And then we pressed forward, brushing the leaves and apart only to reveal we were back at the shore.

The shore? Yes we had been walking aimlessly but how did we land back here again?! That wasn't the only thing that confused me.

The same shore that had become a bloody mess that night was perfectly clean. There were no bodies, no blood, just sand and the waters gently making waves.

This further confirmed my hypothesis. I finally found a loophole.