"Congratulations to all Survived Players, Land Game Completed!" an AI voice, its cold, clear tone announced the result, shattering the horror of the situation as the timer hologram vanished into the air.
Silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Then, a scream broke it, and a dull ache clenched their chests. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they tried to process what had just happened, dust covering every surface around them. The place looked like a huge hole had been drilled straight through the Earth.
A collective sense of disappointment seemed to wash over the players. "He tried everything to save us," a man murmured, breaking the silence, his voice filled with Dejection.
"I didn't expect him to die...." a braided girl murmured, speaking in a flat, as she bit her nails in losing hope.
At a corner, a relieved, cruel smirk appeared on Dane's lips. He deserves it, but one thing hurts me: I can't have my revenge.... shit! I lost my chance, he thought, as he let out a deep, satisfied breath, peacefully spread his hand out towards the green grass, and his gaze fixed on the beautiful blue sky.
"Danny..." Yumiko whispered, her breath hitched, tears catching in her throat, and feeling dizzy and completely broken inside. Thinking of Danny as she collapsed onto the grass. Her eyes fluttered without any hope. Suddenly, a hand touched the solid ground in front of her, revealing Danny's ring on his middle finger. A gasp tore from her throat, raw and disbelieving. "He is alive!!!!" she shouted. A sudden energetic voice drew attention to attention. "Hand.... Danny is alive!!!!!!" She crawled over to him like a baby.
All the surviving players' eyes widened in shock as they watched the hand, and immediately, a few men helped drag Danny towards them. "Yeah....." they screamed in a hopeful voice, their jaws clenched, and muscles tightened, using their whole strength to lift Danny safely.
Danny was entirely covered in soil. As he shook his hair to clear it, he winced from a sharp pain shooting through his arm, revealing a deep gash beneath the dirt. Weakly, he stood, trying to regain his composure. Then, he let out a deep breath after a long struggle and coughed loudly, clearing soil from his mouth and nostrils. He tries to open his eyes to watch, but that warm hand wrapped around his shoulder is tight, and a choked sob comes out from her mouth. "I'm scared...." A tear fell like rain from her cheeks to his shoulder.
A knowing smile appeared on his lips. "It's okay, Yumiko... I know I scared you... But I'm sorry...." he whispered in a concerned voice, trying to make her comfortable.
She refused to take her hands off him, keeping her head buried in his chest.
"Luck on your side, man...." Xavier tapped his shoulder with a smile, encouraging him before walking into the forest.
A wave of collective relief washed over the survivors, replacing the earlier despair with a tentative sense of triumph. "Congratulations..." Everyone admired Danny for his last-second survival, and a Laughter, happy smile finally spread across all faces as people exchanged relieved glances.
"Yumiko... you're suffocating me," Danny whispered, feigning his tongue lolling out and slurring his words.
"You okay?" Yumiko frowned, checking him from top to bottom with concern.
"Just kidding...." Danny winked, and a playful smirk appeared on the corner of his lips.
"I am going to kill you...." Yumiko slapped him gently and played with him.
Danny spread his body over the grass. "Finally, I saved her mom," he thought as A genuine smile appeared on his lips, and a relaxed breath came out as he hugged Yumiko's hand, who leaned behind him. He closed his eyes, watching a beautiful cloudy sky, and his mind imagined his mom's beautiful smile and hug.
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"Catch me... if you can! Sonia...." Zade teased, looking back at her, who runs in the middle of towering trees.
"Zade... wait!" Sonia (Zade's girlfriend) called out again, chasing him slowly and gasping for breath. Though she was pleased to stop but Zade didn't stop.
Finally, the peak of the mountain became visible. Zade turned to see Sonia still walking after him, her eyes determined. He reached the center, threw his arms into the air, and shouted with happiness, "I'm here first! I won the game, Soni!" His voice reached across the mountain, fading into the vast sky.
After a brief wait, Sonia finally appeared, looking tired and struggling to catch her breath.
"You have to give a big kiss," Zade said with a flirtatious tone and with a wink, walking towards the cliff spot.
They stood at the edge of a rock, taking in the breathtaking view before them. The sky seemed endless, with clouds in various shades of orange and purple as the sunset illuminated the mountaintop.
Zade placed his bag near him, took out his water bottle, and took a long sip, enjoying the coolness against his dry throat while he continued to admire the stunning mountain landscape.
"Water..." Sonia gasped, collapsing beside him.
Watching her like that made Zade laugh. He grinned and handed her the bottle. "You look funny, but I like it.... " He teased casual way.
Sonia didn't react, just enjoying the sky.
They sat in silence, catching the fresh scent of grass and flowers, the sweat cooling on their skin, sparkling like diamonds in the sunset light. They simply enjoyed the moment in nature, closing their eyes to listen to the sounds of the birds and watching some fly back to their homes.
After glancing at his watch, Zade let out a disappointed sigh, exclaiming, "UH!!!!!!". "We should leave now; it's already 6 PM. If we wait, it'll be dark soon," he added as he placed his hand on her gently to make her comfortable, watching the mountains. "Sorry if I might be busy later... I have football finals and exams..... I'll miss you so much, babe..."
Sonia didn't respond.
"Is she bad mood?" Zade thought.
But she remained silent and didn't flinch her head. When Zade turned to her to get back, he noticed something strange in her expression. Her lips curled into an evil smirk, but her eyes held something unreadable. A cold feeling of unease spread through him. At the same time, his surroundings darkened, and everything felt strange.
"Sonia?" Zade's voice wavered.
She grabbed his neck tighter.... tighter... Zade tried to take her hand, fighting back, but he couldn't move his hand. "Babe... what the hell are you doing?" he struggled to speak every word.
Still, her smile remained. "I waited for this moment a long time, asshole," she said with a creepy smile.
Before Zade could react, she pushed him from the edge of the cliff. He was flying in the air, the land vanishing beneath his feet, and he was in shock as he fell backward over the cliff's edge. The world spun, the blue sky turning to black, the wind roared in his ears, drowning out his scream.
"SONIA!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted, eyes widening in shock and fear. He watched the tall, dried dead trees lined up perfectly without any gaps. A woman's voice called from behind, "Zade, are you okay?" as she shook his shoulder to wake him.
"Where am I? Am I alive?" Zade whispered to himself as he checked his hands and legs, realizing he was in a dream. After this revelation, he weakly attempted to sit up, his gaze focused on her. "Anna..." he called out, his brow furrowed in confusion. Shit! it's a dream..... Even I can sleep peacefully, he thought, and normalized himself with forcing a smile.
Anna let out a deep, relieved breath when Zade regained consciousness. She placed her hands on his shoulder and gently helped him lean against the wooden wall.
"Anna. Where are we? Why does everything seem different?" Zade asked, glancing at the other people, still wondering about the trees and roaming here and there. "What about others, Danny, Kendell, and Kim?"
"Zade... I also have no idea. I was really scared you didn't wake up. You are the one who wakes up last. " Anna explained with concern in his tone.
"I am thirsty," Zade murmured as he swallowed hard to wet his dried throat. His gaze shifted behind the player, checking the wall with the same confused state, and roaming here and there for an answer.
Anna's eyes widened slightly, realizing last night's chat. "Hey, wait... I got..... The card, there was a Fire symbol," she said, pulling out her card and his from her pocket.
"Fire... symbol," Zade murmured, looking at the card.
"Your card is also Fire, which means... "She glanced at the towering trees as an uncracked puzzle. " We are really in the Game." A small nod of understanding, and he scanned the towering trees. " We have to play Fire Game." Her tone was deep and challenging.
"Game? "Before Zade finishes his sentence, a sharp resonant sound, the 3D animated letters are displayed on a hologram display above them. "Welcome to Level 1, gamers." The AI voice announced.