Game Of Survival

Chapter 38

DAVE

A beautiful day, that was at least what I wished to say. For the first time in so long, I finally reasoned with some of my mother's words. When I was young, we barely lived to the extent that I began to hate myself. And maybe at some point, I considered suicide and she knew that. With every day that dawned, she would tell me to appreciate it. How beautiful the morning was but at that time, I was defiant. I found it absurd but now, here I was trapped on an island. With no guarantee that I would one day, see the sunlight shine upon my skin again.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse suddenly asked. Only then did I jolt back to my harsh reality. I stared at her face, welcoming as usual.

"I'm feeling a lot better. The pain doesn't seem to hold me back that much." I answered with a stern expression.

She smiled but it didn't have any effect on me. If it was a totally different circumstance, I would certainly be gawking in admiration for the nurses around. Surprisingly, the lustful side of me wasn't even turned on. Why would it in the first place? All these smiles and their endearing character was only a facade. They were only healing and treating us in preparation for our death. Every single day, I woke up in this clinic with the fear of those scary guards sauntering into this place. Dragging me out to the battleground like an animal ready to be slaughtered.

I stared at my left knee, my injury was healing at an insane pace and it terrified me. I didn't want to leave this clinic anytime soon. At least till after the whole show in the third Arena was over. But then again, things have been getting pretty tense lately. First it was Daniel who barely survived his match and then it was Eve, even though I didn't know the outcome of the match. Whether she was dead or alive. And then there was James, the man most of the nurses spend their time to gossip about. Things like he had escaped from his room and they hadn't found him yet. I didn't want to believe but with the recent lockdown, It was more than enough to show something wrong was going down in the Arena. Whatever it was, I dearly hoped It wasn't going to affect me. I heaved a heavy sigh as I laid back on my bed. I stared at the ceilings with nothing but a blank thought in my head. And then I turned to my left, there was a patient, a contestant who had sustained severe injuries during his match. Was this how I was going to become the day I step on the battleground? To begin with, there was not even an assurance I'd even survive a fight with my opponent. I gulped down my saliva and I returned my gaze to the ceilings. I stared at them for a while and at that moment, I chose to drift to sleep, an alarm blared. The white lights turned red. Blinking off and on. I frowned and I sat up immediately like the others too. I stared at the nurses and Doctors around, they were just as baffled as I was.

My eyes darted to the lights and I wondered what kind of bad news was going to happen again. A guard suddenly emerged, heading straight for the Doctor in charge. A minute hadn't even passed and a sizable amount of guards followed. I gulped down my saliva while my heart pounded like crazy.

"We're going to begin Evacuation immediately!" The head guard yelled, directing each guard to the patient wheelers. People started murmuring, some of them attempting to run.

"Everyone should remain calm we're about to carry out an emergency Evacuation." The guard stated but nobody barely listened apart from the nurses and Doctors. "There's been a serious gas leak and a fire outbreak in several areas of the Arena, the clinic is one of the areas that's going to be affected soon. So please, bear with us." He said and only then did the tension reduce.

Two guards came to my bedside. Although I couldn't see their faces due to their masks, their presence was terrifying enough. I wondered whether they were going to handle me roughly like they did to some of the patients.

"Can you walk?" The one on my right asked. Surprisingly, his tone felt somewhat familiar and calm in a way.

"Y-yes." I nodded.

"Good. Follow us." He said and I obeyed immediately. The fact they didn't manhandle me, I was grateful enough for that. I briskly alighted from the bed, taking cautious steps behind them. Although the pain wasn't hitting much, it didn't mean I was strong enough to start walking properly. Either way, I quietly walked between them. They led me outside and I gasped. This was the first time I stepped out of the clinic. The hallway was filled with several patients, nurses, doctors and guards escorting them. And the alarm was much louder, the hallway was dimly lit and I could barely see anything from the blinking red lights. There was another thing I noticed, the tension was much dense out here, I could hear trotting footsteps and orders being passed out. Perhaps they were really serious that a gas leak had occurred. My heart pounded faster at that thought and fear began to course through my entirety like fine blood. I didn't want to die from a gas leak! My eyes darted around aimlessly and I tried sniffing the air for any foul smell. There was nothing but it didn't allay my fear. Any moment from now the whole place could just go boom. That would be one crazy death I don't wish to experience.

We kept walking in silence until the guard on my left spoke again.

"Dave." He called in a whisper and I frowned.

"How do you know my name?" I naturally asked as I glanced at him.

"Keep your voice low." He said and I nodded slightly.

"We're here to save you." He said and my frown became sharper. Were these people nuts in the head or were they trying to mock me?

"It's me, James." He said and my jaw dropped.

"No way." I whispered in awe.

"You better believe it." The guard on my right said. But the voice was a feminine one and overly familiar at that.

"Eve? Is that you?"

"Keep your voice low, you dimwit." She grumbled and my eyes widened again.

"It's really you. You guys how --" I kept quiet immediately as a guard stared back at us. We began walking in silence again but deep down, my insides were jumping with excitement. They were really here, the rumours were true!

"Hey…" James said in a whisper. "You see that turn on your right?"

I looked closely and indeed there was a turn a few meters away. But none of the crowd went that way.

"You're going to fake a pain in your leg the moment we reach that position." He said.

"Why?"

"This isn't the time to ask questions, just shut up and do it if you want to be saved." Eve scorned, tightening her grip on my arm.

"You didn't have to press me that hard…" I groaned and I heard her chuckle slightly.

"Focus!" James interjected and I exhaled deeply. With every step we took towards that position, my legs were becoming heavy and my eyes were twitching. I was so nervous that I felt I might fail. As we reached that turn, I groaned and I fell to the ground.

"Hey! Move it!" James whacked me on my back and I glared at him.

"My leg!" I said with gritted teeth. "f**k it hurts!" I raised my voice, dragging the attention of others. James and Eve briskly carried me to the side. James knelt down, massaging my left leg.

"What happened?" A guard asked as he stopped by.

"He seems to be having trouble with his leg." James answered.

"Let me call one of the Doctors." The guard said.

"Oh you don't need to worry. Just a little massage and he'll manage." James quickly intervened.

"Well you two better hurry up with him, we have to leave this area as soon as possible!" He muttered before leaving.

"Great, let's go!" Eve said and I quickly arose, there was barely any attention on us and we threaded on this new path. The hallway was much smaller and darker than the previous one. We kept staring backwards to check if anybody followed us but none. And then we increased our pace steadily till we arrived at a dead end. So I thought but it was an elevator. We briskly sauntered in and only then did the two of them pull off their mask.

"My goodness how did you guys escape?! I can't believe this!" I exclaimed.

"There's no time to explain, right now we need you." James said in a restless manner. I glanced at Eve and she was no different either.

"Wait, so you guys didn't come here to save me but because you need me?" I asked.

"This is not the time Dave! We don't have much time." Eve lamented.

"Great to see my worth." I retorted.

"Just shut up okay! We were going to save you either way." James blared. "I need you to be serious and deadly for what's coming."

"What's coming?" I glanced between the two of them repeatedly.

"I don't like this look on your faces, are we going to die?!"

They stared at each other and back at me.

"Maybe or maybe not."

"Shit."

**

HUGH

The elevator door pinged open and I majestically stepped out into the chaos that was happening. Every guard was running Helter skelter, trying to do one thing or the other and I found it amusing. In fact, I smiled at the scenery. Just one button, had turned the whole Arena upside down. Everyone was disoriented as I expected. Thanks to the explosives I had long planted across the pipes and some rooms, this plan seemed to be going pretty well. One could feel the heavy tension across the room, the trotting footsteps, the agitated voices and the blinking red lights that dazzled up the whole thing. But this wasn't the time to start reveling in the perfection of my plan, I had to find Grace first before any other guard reached her. And so, I trotted, running as far as my breaths could carry me. I had finally almost arrived at her office when I saw her saunter out.

"Miss Grace!" I yelled and she turned in my direction. The moment I reached her, I tried to calm my panting breaths.

"What the hell is happening?" She queried sharply.

"There has been a gas leak and a fire outbreak." I said amidst my pants and her eyes widened in horror. I grinned beneath my mask. This was what I wanted to see. That look of fear and horror consumed her arrogant countenance.

"Solomon asked me to escort you to the safe space." I said.

"Well what are you waiting for?!" She pitched in a restless manner.

"Follow me." I said and we both walked briskly amidst the others. I took a sharp turn by my right. The hallway was much smaller and darker. These areas had already been hacked by me. Even though I could only have ten minute access to it, it was enough time to finish her off.

"Why aren't we following the others?" She asked.

"They are heading towards the Contestants compartment." I said and then we finally reached the elevator. I pressed the button on the top floor. The safe space was located at the ground floor. If I took that routine it would easily blow our cover.

As the elevator door pinged closed. I sharply turned to my back, pulling my gun straight to her head.

She gasped and her eyes widened in another new wave of fear.

"What are you doing?" She asked in a bemused tone.

I chuckled.

"After so long," I started. "After so long, I finally get to have my revenge." I muttered and she frowned slightly.

"You have no idea how much I've hated you and the rest of these people here. Every day I craved blood, I craved to see that look of horror you made me and all other innocent people feel." I chuckled again but beneath my mask, my eyes were glowering.

"I never thought it was going to feel this good." I remarked and her lips twitched.

"It- it's you." She stuttered and I chuckled as I pulled my mask off.

"You got that right, Grace." I toned and her breaths ceased.

"So you've been planning to kill me all along."

"No." I wriggled my head. "You brought this upon yourself the moment you stepped into this Arena."

"You of all people should know Hugh!" She yelled with tears faintly hinting in her eyes. "We can't oppose the authorities. No matter how hard you try, it's fruitless. Killing me would do you no good."

"You think I don't know that, it's such a shame you wouldn't be alive to see the fall of this highly appraised Arena."

"No! Please." She begged while tears freely trickled down.

"Oh, so you can beg. The arrogant, cold b***h can beg!" I growled. "What happened to that devilish grin you used to have when you killed the contestants like animals?" I pressured the gun tighter and she trembled. Begging me like her life depended on it.

"Please Hugh! Please let me go!"

"I will." I flashed her a smile and she gasped, a new hope glistened in her eyes. "I will free you from this hateful reality. I hope you have a nice life in hell."

Her hope faded instantly and at that moment, I pressed the trigger.