The tournament

400: Mate

"Hey?"

The voice was sharp it woke a rapid perception in my almost inanimate organ.

My eyes flies open, ready to protect myself from whatever it is but immediate I could take in the sights from the unexpectedly brightness i've never witness, I was welcomed by the most beautiful eyes scrutinizing my laying figure. Even though they were enclosed in the same hazmat suit as mine, they were soulful, I believe.

I blink twice, trying to process the scene I happen to occur in the moment. Professor Ephraim has made abundantly clear how much this is a one-person victory game.

Whoever stand above me shouldn't be trusted, he's either here to kill me or steal from me.

But I scratch the last part when I felt my stone snuggling in my palm and my oxygen tank providing air to my windpipes. Somehow it makes a bit easier knowing the pretty eyes stranger isn't here to rob me, which left me dubious.

"We have to keep moving before the others find us, you've been sleeping for a while." The boy claims, I could here his noisy respiration from his suit.

And that's when realization hits me like a bucket of cold water. I'm laying on the ground, above the earthly soil not under it. I drift my seeing from the strange still eyes and take some moment to appreciate nature.

This world is bright and huge, endless from each side I sights, above us is so blue and has some strikes of white, like the scarf my father always wore around his neck, though I do not have enough time to soak into the beauty of my new background grace with a strange boy pouring his eyes on me.

I push him by the shoulder with everything I have, causing him to fall on his back from the unexpected impact. That's a head start for me, I use the opportunity and accelerate ahead.

I shouldn't trust anyone. At the end is only one survivor, everyone is trying to survive.

I charges into the barren land, slapping my shoed foot against the dry surface I'm sure could burn from the parched earth.

Here in the outside it might looks sparkling warm, and glitters from the sun which I've never seen in my whole life but it has the aura of toxic, we shall not feel or smell.

Above me, the sky towers, everything's here aside from the soil that was once above me, are immensely tall and expansive and infinite to reach, it makes me feel vulnerable more than I've ever had to feel.

I didn't stop running though, I keep up with my oxygen bag across my shoulder and my foods stuffs backpack on the other. I couldn't control my breathing, it was harder and faster, audible with the protection box over my head.

Is like I've accomplished my very first mission even I realize I've made quite distance from him, though that was all before the boy decided to start throwing at me.

It's about time, I knew he would show his true factual self.

"Who are you? What do you want? Let just go our ways please." I yell over my heavy breathing, he must hear me, the land is huge but empty, noises are easily transmit around in empty place and the land is vacant.

"I'm Cuthbert." He answered whilst running after me.

"Stop following me." I warn.

"You have no idea what you're in for, you need me."

Need him? He's stupid.

"I'm in the forty two annual tournament and I have every intention of winning."

"You've missed a month of training, you only had two days to prepare you think that's coincidental? You don't even know how to eat on your own. You're going to die without me."

His words didn't stop me, of course anyone who's trying to kill you will say anything to make you turn back, so I didn't care I was abusing my limited oxygen, I don't care I was hyperventilating from the fact that he is right. How am I going to eat if I can't take off the head cover?

Then he throws, I watch the object land ahead of me, bouncing back and forth as I run towards it. Only this time it landed on something that has the power to knock off the last seconds that's past, it came along with severe and harsh booming sound, accompanied with dust obnubilating the surrounding, it felt low just like it slowed the occurrence, however, it's must've deafen me for a moment. I couldn't hear or see clearly.

By the time I begin to regain conscious, I am laying on my back in a different spot from where I was the last time I remember.

"Hey are you okay?" A distant voice kept reciting, they must be referring to me.

Nevertheless, the burriness of the surrounding area, I couldn't perceive anything well.

I blink rapidly trying to process what just happened but I still couldn't get it. I've never being a victim of such brutal circumstance on a deserted land.

"What was that?" My heart was pounding more than needed when I asked the boy I could likely distinct after a while of fear.

"That path is full of explosives." He answers.

My eyes pop out of surprise, and then anger came along.

"And you shot it at me, I could've die. Oh how would I forget, you're trying to kill me to make way for yourself." I shove him for the second time and struggle to steady my feet as I stand.

Beside the slight dizziness I feel, I wasn't unscathed so is my clothing.

Grateful.

"Hey hey." He grasps my arm, interrupting me from moving. "I just safe your life, a thank you would be nice."

I scoff and roll my eyes. There's no way I'm thanking someone who threw at me and almost got me exploding.

"You're stubborn aren't you?" He accused.

"You're persistent aren't you." I fired back.

"I feel obligated."

"Obligated to chase me?" I sarcastically said, my head falls back making a ridule out of his seriousness, until then it seeped in and I acknowledged I've never seen him. "You're not among the rest of twenty nine participants, what are you playing?" My eyes wrinkled as I denounced the obvious.

"The game, Daphne." He simply respond and releases me.

"Why are you not killing me and how do you know my name and why weren't you in the headquarters?" I have many questions and that's not even a quarter of them. For it was panic and an anxietatic rush flowing through me.

"Slow down." His eyes widen like I'm some insane armed person who doesn't know how to use the weapon, but anyone in my position would do the same therefore I didn't care suppressing the fear, I wore it. My dad would call it braveness even when others would see it differently. "I was an isolated student, that should answer all your questions."

"Professor Ephraim didn't mention about you." I sure haven't heard about any isolated student.

My eyes falls to the tip of a blade behind him. And he has a sword.

"What is a game without surprises?" He smirk and begin walking away.

In some ways he's right, there is no game without surprises and revelations.

The only question is; how much surprises are ahead from here?

"Let's get going, we would follow East." He announced over his shoulder.

"What's a East?" I question, dumbfounded.

He halt and turn around, examining me with astonishment evident in his widen eyes.

"You're kidding right?"

"No." I shake my head.

I wouldn't ask if I knew, no one likes to be watch the way he's staring at me.

I could see the hint of humor in his eyes but he stifle it and explain what East is. Direction.

"So where is it then?" I ask afterwards.

"Right ahead you." I caught him smiling when he twirl and head on.

Should I trust him? No.

You don't trust someone in a day, only I need someone who knows the map and answers my insane questions. Oh and knows explosives ground.

"What are you waiting for?" He calls when I still haven't move. "The oxygen is running out." He jerk his head towards my tank.

And so I remember. I look down to the timer. Sixty eight hours eleven minutes.

We walked for hours without break, until it begin getting dark.

"You think it would get any darker?" I asked Cuthbert.

"I don't know but I know the moon helps with a dim reflection at night, it should be enough to see through the woods." He jerks his chin toward the thick dark foreboding forest we could notice from the distance. I knew it for my Father talked about the forest as if he has been there. He says the forest sings the song of it's own, it's green and upon the ground is a carpet of roasted leaves and undergrowth branches whereas some are weak some are strong, there are kind trees, and some intrude poisonous whispers in your head. He says the forest is beautiful but it has its dark side, it comes with fog and a narrow twisting paths, it mud is thick and sturdy that could fuse you until the sun rays comes upon to dries the moisture. Today I am crossing it path. I hope I face the generous side of it.

"What's the moon?" I asked Cuthbert. I know a little since I didn't went to school in Archiefield, most of the things I have knowledge about are those I've learned from my father or Bella.

Cuthbert stops and turn to me.

"Seriously?" He whine.

I didn't answer, maybe it's embarrassing, maybe I should know what moon is.

He takes my silent as a hint and jerk his head back, looking above us.

"Up there in the sky, the round gray ball." He gesture with his finger.

Well I finally feel abashed when I found out it's been above me all the while just like the sun only it's of different colours.

"It's okay, we all don't know much about here. Thanks to the rippers who decided to call a war and end the world for everyone."

"The rippers?" I confusedly ask.

"That's what I call destroyers. If not for them we wouldn't be restrained, playing some crazy annual games so the elders would survive."

His words only mystify my intelligence. "I don't get it."

"It's all for the elders Daphne. The lesser the people, it comes with two bonuses. One, enough food to feed everyone. Two, a devotion to men out here."

His words were strong, it freeze me in my track.

"Men out here?" My chest starting to swell from fear and anticipation of what he would says next.

"I don't know much about it, I once eavesdropped my father and the others discussing about each year sacrifice."

Sacrifice? What is he talking about?

"Sacrifice for what?" I urges the boy standing opposite me.

"I don't know."

No...

"What do you mean you don't know." I yell, having stress and anxiety making a hole in my core to every pore in my body.

"I'm telling you only what I know." He seems angry, why would he be angry? I'm the one in the position to be, I was told a better life lives above Archiefield, now I'm having rumors It's all for something different.

"Don't be angry, just talk." I retaliate.

"I'm not... Behind you." He shouts, pulling my arm for something I've no alert of.

I angry yank off but he grab me again. "Run." He commands, terror formed in those eyes averting behind me.

There's a rumbling sound and roars from the violent, shaking and vibrating ground beneath our feet.

It was what shoots dread into my combusting heart rate. And when I steal a glimpse behind me, I found the tragedy advancing towards us, there was rushing winds and explosion breaking out with abrupt blast.

And that's when the surface underneath us begin to c***k.

"Run." Cuthbert repeat, this time pulling my still body, as we head towards the ancient forest for asylum.

It was nothing I've ever seen, it was fast, disrupting disastrous and capable of taking us with it. Our breathing was loud and synchronizating as we lose one of our backpack behind.

"What's that?" I yell out with extreme fear though the thundering sound.

Turning over my shoulder to see how much closer the demolishing is until it get to us.

"Conserve your energy." He advised, but how? We need to run to make it to the woods, of course the oxygen would drift out fast but we need to survive whatever is trying to swallow us. "And stop looking behind."

With overwhelming fear I don't know how we made it into the sudden darkness, it seem like fort at the moment that I didn't dwell at what I should be afraid of. The forest.

I just welcome the relieve feeling of escape.