Death Games

Chapter 7 : Jungle of Peril 6

They arrived at a towering building in the middle of a dense forest. The building was a dull white color and appeared neglected. It was strange to see a sturdy building standing in the middle of the forest, standing out among the lush green trees.

"Which fool people would build a building in the middle of a forest like this?" Edward asked, bewildered.

"This is a death game. Anything can happen here, Ed," Jane looked around cautiously.

"Awww!" Gia winced in pain.

"Gia, are you okay?!" Jane asked.

Gia could no longer hide the pain from the tear in her hand. "I don't think so. The wound is very painful."

Edward reached for Gia's hand. "I think your wound is infected."

They were all too focused on Stacy, their attention solely on her, forgetting that Gia was also injured.

"We need to treat your wound immediately," Jane suggested.

Drizzle began to fall.

"Let's go inside!" Jane invited.

They quickly entered the building. The drizzle turned into a heavy downpour, adding to the tense atmosphere with its thunderous sound.

Inside the building, it felt dark and cold. Jane and Edward sat Stacy on the floor and told her to rest.

"If you need anything, just let us know," Edward said.

Stacy weakly nodded, "Sure, thanks."

Meanwhile, Jane was tending to Gia's wound. She cleaned the wound with water from a bottle and wrapped it with a clean cloth. Gia endured the pain by biting the edge of her shirt.

"Hang in there, Gia," Jane applied ointment to her wound, "Almost done."

The pain started to spread throughout Gia's body, causing silent tears to flow.

"It's done. Rest now," Jane said.

"Thanks," Gia sighed with a painful feeling in her hand.

A cold breeze entered the building, making them all shiver. Jane looked around and noticed a pile of broken benches.

"Edward, can you help me gather those benches? We need a bonfire," she said.

"Sure!"

The two of them collected the benches and broke them, creating a pile in the middle of the room near them. Stacy had fallen into a deep sleep, unaware of when it happened. As for Gia, she watched the two of them with an empty gaze while still feeling the pain.

Edward lit a candle from his bag within the pile of wood from the broken benches. Soon, the stack of wood turned into a bonfire. The flames illuminated the building and provided a little warmth for them.

The day grew darker, but the rain showed no sign of stopping.

"It looks like we'll be staying here overnight," Jane said.

"I think so," Edward threw more wood into the fire to keep it alive.

Jane stood up and went up to the second floor. Shortly after, Edward followed her.

"Hey," Edward said from behind.

Jane turned around, smiling at him. "Hey."

Edward approached her. The two of them stood by the side of the building, with a waist-high wall separating them. In the midst of darkness and silence, only the reflection of the bonfire's light from the lower floor could be seen.

"So, what brought you here?" Edward asked.

Jane stared straight ahead into the darkness. She began to tell the story of her mother, who didn't love her because she believed it was her fault that her father died in an accident. Her mother became an alcoholic and a woman of the night. She often brought random men to their apartment. Jane's voice trembled as she spoke, trying to hold back the emotions flowing within her.

"I am so sorry for what happened to you."

"Oh… It's okay," Jane looked at Edward, "I am good."

"Hey, you're a tough girl. I believe you can get through this. I've also experienced mistreatment from kids much bigger than me when I was in the orphanage. But I know that life must go on. The same goes for you."

Jane was slightly amazed by Edward's mature way of thinking.

Edward gently tucked Jane's bangs behind her ear. "You're the strongest girl I've ever known."

They gazed into each other's eyes. For a moment, they forgot about what was happening to all of them.

Edward looked intensely at Jane. Slowly, he closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her. Jane could feel the warmth of Edward's hand on her cheek. Just as Jane was about to close her eyes, she suddenly snapped out of it. She shifted her gaze away from Edward, making him feel awkward.

"I-I am so sorry... I don't mean to-"

Jane awkwardly brushed aside her bangs. "It's okay."

They smiled at each other and looked out into the darkness ahead.

Meanwhile, behind them, a pair of angry eyes watched them, with clenched fists.

In the morning, Jane walked through the forest with Gia to find water. Meanwhile, Edward searched for fruits, mushrooms, or anything they could eat, considering they had no food supplies left. As for Stacy, she was still resting alone in the building to recover.

"I hope we don't get lost," Jane tried to break the silence between them, but it seemed that Gia was not in the mood to talk.

"I heard you were in the same orphanage as Edward. Is that true?"

Gia stopped walking and looked at Jane. "So what?"

Jane, seeing Gia's angry gaze, felt awkward. "Did I offend you? I am sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. It's okay if you don't want to talk. That's fine."

"I saw you with Edward last night."

Upon hearing Gia's words, Jane knew where their conversation was heading. "Gia, I have no connection whatsoever with Edward. You know I just met him. Edward and I didn't kiss or do anything like you're thinking."

Gia fell silent for a moment, looking at Jane with a wounded look. "Whatever." She walked away quickly, leaving Jane behind.

"Hey, Gia!" Jane caught up with her, walking quickly.

Gia shed tears, but no one noticed. There was a pain in her heart.

"Gia, I am so sorry!" Jane shouted from a distance behind her.

Shortly after, they found a small water source near a big tree and under a cliff. Tension arose between the two of them. Jane continued to try to explain and provide understanding, but it seemed like Gia didn't care. She remained silent and focused on filling the bottles she brought. Jane tried to take the bottles, but Gia pushed her hand away. She put all the bottles into her bag and carried them alone, walking away from Jane. Unbeknownst to her, Jane shed tears.

They had arrived at the building. Jane walked a bit behind Gia. She felt guilty towards her. Gia placed her bag of water near the entrance. Edward had not returned yet.

"I am back!" Gia said as she entered the door.

Just as she looked to the left, Gia's heart seemed to stop. Her knees trembled. She couldn't believe what she was seeing right now.

"Aaaaaaa!!!!!!"