Game Of Survival

Chapter 31

JAMES

"We might have a problem." Hugh said as he paced to the laptop. I followed him without thinking, staring at his laptop like a fool. He was running so many commands and I wondered just how he was able to understand this stuff. But that wasn't what I was worried about, the fact he looked uneasy was enough to jerk fear back to life again.

"What's wrong?" I naturally asked and he spared me a brief glance before returning to his laptop.

"You're not going to like this but," he paused. "Eve is going to have a match tomorrow." He quoted and my eyes exclaimed.

"No…" I mentioned in disbelief but the look in his eyes was enough to pass me that assertion. He double clicked on his laptop and it displayed a list of the contestants and their following matchup. My eyes easily caught a glimpse of Eve's name. She was contestant two hundred.

"If my record is correct, Eve isn't supposed to have a match until next week but this sudden change…" His voice trailed off and I filled the gap in my mind.

"It's because of me." I said as a whisper and he affirmed it.

"They're probably doing this to lure you out. Because naturally they know you won't want any harm to befall her or any other member in your group."

My heart started beating fast, my hands were trembling and my eyes kept twitching.

"From the looks of it, her opponent is no joke." His laptop displayed the information of her opponent. Indeed he was right, she was matched up against a man who had killed ten people so far. Just one look and I could tell this man wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to hurt Eve.

"I have to do something. I have to save her!" I exclaimed exasperatedly. I made to walk to the elevator but he held my arm back. Giving me a stern look.

"You're letting your emotions cloud your thinking." He commented in a calm manner.

"How could you be so calm in a situation like this?" I challenged with a sharp frown. "This person in question is my friend and she's probably going to lose her life tomorrow because of me. Let go!"

"Oh yeah? Even If I let you go, what difference would you make? It's not like you can bust her out of her room." He retorted. "You're not thinking straight James and that's what they want. Since they can't find you, they want to lure you out. You're being reckless and it will only land you in trouble." He quoted and like a mother singing a lullaby to her dear child, my anger subsided. The restlessness was still there but his words were enough to jolt my reasoning alive.

"So what do you want me to do now? You're not telling me to watch my friend battle for her life, are you?"

He released his hand off my arm and a light sigh escaped his breaths.

"You think I'll allow that to happen? These people have shed enough blood, I'm not ready to see another." He replied.

I exhaled deeply, trying to think of ways to save her but my head was a complete mess. I was completely devoid of ideas.

"I have a plan." He said. "Although it's going to be strenuous and come with a sizable amount of risk, we have no choice."

"Let's hear it then."

"We'll save her tomorrow." He simply said and I gave him a skeptical look. Trying to ascertain if he clearly heard the words that toured out of his mouth.

"Tomorrow is her match, how are you planning to do that?" I sported a quizzical look.

He smiled. A cunning one and in a way, it relieved me.

"We're going to crash the match."

"How?"

"I have connections with some of the guards in the security department. I'll have to ask them to escort her to the battleground. They'll give her the necessary details for her escape route and hopefully, if all goes well, Eve Finley should be joining us here tomorrow."

"That easy?" I frowned and he scoffed. "There are cameras almost everywhere, even if she tries to escape, they would easily catch her. And let's not forget the tracker embedded in the contestants."

"Now you're finally back to your senses. You knew all this yet you still wanted to save her." He replied and I went mute.

"Of course that's not all, I'm going to hack into the third Arena's system and shut down the battleground and it's nearby surroundings completely."

"How about the tracker and the bomb?"

"I've got that covered. You don't need to worry about that." He smiled but my frown got even sharper.

"You looked so relaxed as if nothing could possibly go wrong. I can't relax."

"Well you better do and enjoy the show." He heaved a light sigh and then threaded to the elevator.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes. I've been gone for too long, I don't want to arouse any suspicions." He replied as he glanced at me. "I'm going to send a guard to you, he will bring you food." He said as the elevator doors pinged open. He entered and flashed me a smile.

"In the meantime, stay safe and don't touch anything above your comprehension." He added as a parting note before the doors closed.

I stared like a fool. Just like that, he left me in this large room. What was I supposed to do now? Almost everything here was above my comprehension. And there was Eve's case too. How was I supposed to relax in this lonely room? I wriggled my head as I sat on a metal chair. Hugh was right, I shouldn't let my emotions get the better part of me. I should be as logical as possible. I should be thinking of a plan B just in case Plan A fails. My palms curled into a fist and my teeth gritted thinking about everything from the beginning alone. No doubt, I was an enemy to these people and they would do anything to have me in their grasp back. Even if we saved Eve, that would only be putting Daniel and Dave in more danger. My nails almost dug into my palms. Whether Hugh liked it or not, after saving Eve, destroying the third Arena should commence as fast a possible.

**

EVE

My eyes jolted awake to the bright lights coming from my ceilings. I looked at the time displayed on the TV. It was twenty seven minutes past seven in the morning. I sighed whilst looking around the cameras focused on me. Another day, another nightmare, I pitied the person whose turn was to die today. I alighted from the bed and I stared at the door where my food tray was already positioned.

I gritted my teeth in anger and my palms curled but then the whole feeling subsided. There was no point. No matter how angry, irritated and sad I was, it wasn't going to break me out of this cage. Another sigh escaped my breaths as I thought of James, Daniel and Dave. How I had landed in this place I don't know. The last thing I recalled was we were at the shore, then came the alarm and everything went blank. Now, I could only hope the rest were at least fine. Considering Dave's injuries, I doubted if he was going to make it if he ever got called to the battleground. Daniel on the other hand, seemed to have pulled thought from his match. James, was certainly someone not cut out for combat. I still recalled how feeble he was when I first met him. But he was certainly the smart one amongst us. Right now, He must probably be thinking of a way out and that was what I should be doing too. But no matter the idea or plans that I schemed, it was completely hopeless. My only plan right now was surviving to make it to the next stage.

The screen brightened and Mr. E's voice followed. It was that time again. My heart picked pace and I felt an Ugly feeling eating me up as he blabbered.

"….for today's contest, our contestants are Contestant one hundred and sixty nine and Contestant two hundred!" Mr. E declared and the crowd cheered. My mouth went agape and my eyes widened as I stared at the screen. My eyes weren't deceiving, that was my picture on the screen. I was contestant two hundred! I instantly lost the method to breathe and my body started trembling. It was my turn. My turn to face death. I looked at my opponent and it felt like my heart exploded. Apart from the fact his look was scary, he had killed ten people so far.

"No…" I whispered as tears graced my eyes. It easily streamed across my cheeks. I was going to face a monster. This guy looked more scary than all the contestants have seen on the battleground so far.

"No way!" My cries became louder. I felt like disappearing or better still, crawling into a hole but I was just being stupid. Instead of gathering courage, I was completely broken. I started staring about my room in an aimless manner, thinking of a last ditch effort to escape but then came the horror.

I froze like a statue as the door quietly slid open. There were four guards standing before my doorstep. Each of them with masks anchored on their faces. Their presence alone made me melt. I thought of battling them but I was clearly at a disadvantage. Before I knew it, my hands were already cuffed behind my back.

"Eh…" I gasped, staring in disbelief. When did it happen? I asked myself. But they didn't even give me time to think. They gently escorted me outside. I didn't even dare to struggle as they held my arm. Their grip alone was enough to tell me not to try anything stupid. The hallway was dimly lit, almost shrouded in darkness. Even if I ran, I was only going to get myself lost in this place. Yet I didn't want to die and I didn't want to kill anybody likewise!

"Eve Finley." The guard on my right whispered.

"Don't look, don't talk, just keep going and keep your expression as it is." The guard ordered but his voice was surprisingly soothing and calm in a way.

"We're going to help you escape." He said and I would have stared at him in disbelief if not for his order.

"You might not believe us but just follow our instructions if you don't want to die." The one on my left side said. I gulped down my saliva, were these people crazy or what? Hell yeah, how was I supposed to believe that the same people trying to kill us for entertainment wanted to save me?

"Once you reach the stage," the one on my right began. "The stage is going to be completely shut down for five minutes. No lights, no cameras, nothing. We'll knock your opponent down for you. A pathway would open. You should use that and run as fast as you can, the path will be divided into two. You take the path on the left. When you get there, you'll meet another guard. He'll help you deactivate the bomb and tracker in you. After that, you'll see an Elevator at the end of the road. Use it and hit the button, Zero, two, four, nine, seven in a sequential manner. It will lead you to a safe place."

He explained. To be honest, this plan of theirs felt too good to be true and I didn't believe them in the slightest.

"I'm sure you don't know but contestant three hundred, James Hendrix, has escaped from his room." The one on the left side muttered and I almost gasped. At this point, I didn't even know what to believe anymore. How did he do it? Escaping from the room under so much scrutinization.

I maintained silence and they did too. We soon arrived at the battleground. My opponent was already on the battleground, his eyes glowering. I gulped down my saliva hoping my fears would be allayed. More than ever, I deeply hoped the words of those guards were true. As I climbed on the stage, the lights suddenly went off and darkness dawned.

"What the hell?" The guy grumbled and the next thing I heard was the powerful sound of a punch and the groans of my opponent. To my right, I saw a door slip open. It was dimly lit but it was enough to make me see something at least. I still wasn't sure if their plan was real or not, so I trotted to that pathway. I had only five minutes, and I ran as far as my legs could carry me. The road was split into two and I took the left one as instructed. I ran again on the lonely pathway and I came to an abrupt halt as I saw a guard firmly positioned by the Elevator.

"Eve Finley." The guard said and I nodded. He approached me carrying something that looked like a taser. He took my left wrist pressing the tip of the machine against me and then he went to the back of my head. Although it wasn't an experience I liked, I still accepted.

"The code is, Zero, two, four, nine, seven." He quoted once he was done and then he gestured towards the elevator.

I nodded and I ran to the elevator. As it pinged open, I briskly sauntered inside and I pressed the numbers as instructed. As the next breath left me, the Elevator started descending at a dangerous rate. I almost screamed as I lost balance. And after a while, the Elevator stopped and it pinged open.

The only thing I could hear was my heart beating furiously as I wondered what lies ahead of this room.

"Eve?" I heard a familiar voice call.