Hide and Seek with Death

Chapter 2 Don't Go Back

The school bulletin said this is an event where you will play hide and seek. 30 students were able to participate in one of the school's most prestigious game that will guarantee the winner 5 million dollars.

It is a very huge sum that a person living in poverty could not possibly earn even if he end up working until the end of his lifetime.

Five... million... dollars... How much are you willing to sacrifice for such an amount?

Tell me, is it okay if I bring you to another world and make you play a game where death is a guarantee if you are not careful?

...

Thanks for accepting my invitation! Let us play!

Duly yours,

Alpha

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Date: Unknown

Place: Alpha' space

The encounter with the white lady named Alpha brings both hope and death to all of them. The thought of dying three times brings them to think of everything. Some goes crazy while some tries to think rationally. Some are still having a hard time moving while others are already walking towards the exit.

The certain thing in their minds now is that there is no way back home unless they finish this game. Even though what lies beyond the hole still remains a mystery.

Eva is on all fours unmoving as a rock. Two girls are surrounding her as they push her back while mocking her. They are girls whose hair are tied in braids with the left one having a brown head and the other blonde. Lunettes Brille and Linét Occhiali tries to release the frustration they felt on her. No one around her was able to do a thing as everyone is still busy dealing with the shock of dying from lacerations in their bodies.

"You.. I know you. You are the girl who claims we've cheated on the guessing game last month, don't you?"

"..."

"Hey! We are talking to you!"

Eva does not respond to them. She could not even hear them as she is still within her thoughts. She do not even distance herself from them despite once saying that she is scared of them. It may be fortunate thing as she do not have to deal with the weird sounds coming from the hole.

On the other hand, the ones who were able to quickly recover immediately springs into action. Mint and Angelo talks with themselves as soon as they were able to calm their nerves. Others are starting to check the items in their bags and are having a small chat with the others. Truth to be told, it is not an easy feat. It took them several hours staring into space just to move and speak. In total, there are only ten people who are moving about just fine. The other ten are still in shock standing around like a rock while the other ten are walking about while grumbling about things that does not make any sense.

Mint and Angelo talks with themselves while preparing to carry the unconscious ones that they can carry. Mint takes Arianne while Angelo grabs the nearest one lying on the ground.

"Hey, may I reintroduce myself?", says Mint in which Angelo immediately nods while giving him a thumbs up. "You can call me Crow. I think that is my new name here."

"You believe Alpha says right?"

"Why wouldn't I? Dying three times helps me realize there is nothing I can do so I am thinking of familiarizing myself with it since I am used to be called by my name."

Angelo carries his load with ease while carrying the bags on his right hand. "You have a point. Then call me Gull."

These two were quick on the uptake that they already have everything in hand. Of course, there are those who will not waste the chance the ones who can possibly lead the way. They are thinking that since there is no one else leaving the room yet, then it might be better to see them go first.

"Hey!", the leader of the group of seven approaches the two of them. He is a man with blonde hair who is quite good looking and a person who seems charismatic at a single glance. "My bird name is Robin. I see that you two are about to go outside."

"Yes, we are.", the first to reply is Angelo(Gull) whose face seems intimidating that Robin is already taking a step back just from hearing his voice. "Are you going with us?"

"We plan to but it would not hurt if we clarify some things, right?"

Mint(Crow) nods at the idea and imposes it upon himself to do the talking from here. He lowers Arianne first before accepting the hand being offered to him as they discuss what they heard from the white lady named Alpha.

"You are referring to yourself in your bird name now, does that mean that you will also follow Alpha's orders as well?"

"We do not have a choice, aren't we? Nobody wants to experience that torment. Just remembering it makes me wanna puke again and it is very not manly especially with a lot of ladies here."

"So what will you do now?"

"We are going out as well. After you go but I want you to hear me out."

"What is it?"

Robin takes out a walkie talkie from his backpack and gives them one.

"We do not know what is out there and there is no going back when this game starts so I want to increase our chances of survival as much as possible. Take that with you when you are someplace safe."

"Hmm... I get it. Then.." Mint (Crow) tries to use the walkie talkie by turning it on. He can hear some muffled noise coming from it as he do so. "But I don't know how to use this."

Robin laughs at the childish way Mint(Crow) handles the walkie talkie. "I will set it at the frequency we usually use. We already tried it here but the battery is limited so use it only when needed, and.."

"I got it. We will contact you when we find a safe place outside. You will start to go out by then, right?"

"Right." Robin smiles at him. "You are quick on the uptake for someone.."

Mint(Crow) interrupts him in speaking and picks up Arianne as he and Angelo decided to leave. "for someone like me who is appoachable, right? I know."

Robin stares at the two leaving the place. After seeing them gone, he returns to his group where there are two who fainted from shock. The only good thing that happens to them is that there is no one who is experiencing a mental breakdown.

He and his friends are carefully aware that they are in a game, so doing the best course of action is all that they can do at this moment. If everyone else will do something, they decided to make the use of it. Each of their faces expresses such with the serious look on their eyes.

This is a game where their life is on the line. They still do not know what lies outside so they will wait.

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Basic Facts:

After Alpha stated the words please forget your name but always remember them, all of the students in the hollow cave simultaneously receives their new names.

For convenience of keeping track on who is who, the WIC Company has brought to you the last partial list of participants and after this chapter, their names will be replaced with the ones given to them by Alpha.

1. Heron -Limuel O'Brien SN. 117111

2. Peacock - Linét Occhiali SN. 110019

3. Jay - Lilian Powers SN. 104199

4. Pigeon - Alex Samonte SN. 100421

5. Turkey - Marissa Santiago 103333

6. Finch - Maria Grace Sibyl SN. 110148

7. Sparrow - Evangeline Starlight SN. 104457

8. Raven - Arianne Waimarie SN. 110077

9. Columbidae - Erisa Williams SN. 114141

10. Cuckoo - Maribel Yuriel SN. 104482

* where SN stands for Student Number

Additional disclaimer: the names above are all fictitious names intended for entertainment purposes. If they happen to match with names of real person, events, or landmarks it is all a coincidence with no relation to real person, events or landmarks in reality.