The boys started their journey back quickly, puzzled and scared. The second game was about to begin, and the fear of losing their lives stung their already unstable hearts. Even worse than death was the fear of the unknown—the game they had no idea how to prepare for.
Alexander's lips moved, though no words came out. In his vision, every resource they had looked like pieces on a chessboard. If he placed them correctly, their chances of survival would be high. But one mistake, just one, and they would all be toast.
Jamie was terrified, bothered to his core, sweat clinging to his body as if he'd just run a marathon. For a short while, he had managed to forget that this place was hell. But now, that truth slammed back into his mind with full force. The happiness he had felt earlier was nothing but a lie. Horrible images of disfigured, dead bodies flashed before his eyes. Shaking them off wasn't even a choice—he tried, but they clung to him like shadows.
"Did we make a mistake?" Bray asked, hands stuffed into his pockets, his voice calm, unfazed by the looming development.
"What mistake?" Jamie replied, trying desperately to divide his mind, to focus on anything but fear.
"Setting that guy free."
"We didn't. It's nice to do some good in this world!" Jamie said, his words a weak attempt to reassure himself as much as his friend.
Ahead, their residence began to take shape.
"I just hope we don't regret it later," Bray continued.
"We won't!" Jamie insisted, though doubt still lingered, clawing at the edges of his voice.
"While we are on the same subject… how did it go with Lora?" Bray teased, mocking lightly.
Jamie's heart skipped—not from fear this time, but from the name he had just heard.
"It went well!" he answered quickly, cheeks reddening.
Bray caught sight of his expression and laughed. "Finally, some positive energy around here!"
Jamie smirked, a little weight lifting from his chest. "How do you do it?" he asked.
"What?"
"Being positive like this."
"It's just my nature!" Bray shrugged, resting his arms casually around his neck, looking carefree despite everything.
His tone shifted, serious for once. "Where I come from… trying to be happy was all we had to survive."
Bray's past was heavy, no doubt. It didn't take a genius to see it. The world had been cruel to him, forcing him to grow up too fast. And if they managed to finish these games, nobody had the slightest idea what choice he would make when the time came.
"We're here," Alexander muttered, clearly overwhelmed.
"Let's get cleaned up," Bray said as they passed through the fence.
But something was off. The windows of their house were wide open.
At first, they thought it might be Greg. But then the rich aroma of cooking drifted from his house. Clearly, it couldn't be him.
That left them with one troubling question: who was inside their home?
They readied themselves, weapons beaming into their hands. Bray led the way toward the door. He pressed his fingerprint against the panel, the lock hissing faintly.
He raised his hand, whispering, "On three, we go in."
1.
2.
…3.
The door swung open—not from them, but from someone inside.
It was Greg, carrying a bunch of groceries.
Silence drowned the moment. They stood, staring at him in disbelief, waiting for him to explain himself.
"I… was… getting more supplies to make soup for everyone," he stammered, his voice fading with each word.
No reply came. Only suspicious eyes bore into him. The groceries weighed heavy in his arms, and after a moment, small items began to tumble from the pile.
"Lemme just leave these at my house," he muttered, shuffling past them into his residence. His words trailed lower and lower as he disappeared inside.
"Unbelievable," Bray muttered as they entered their house.
"How did he even get inside?" Jamie asked, baffled.
"He's one of us. He can access the houses too," Alexander explained, heading straight for the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
---
The Girls' Residence
Charlotte and Lora stood outside their houses, scanning their surroundings, their eyes restless, waiting.
"She'll be fine," Lora said, trying to calm Charlotte, who was visibly under pressure.
"I know she will. She's strong," Charlotte whispered, trying to convince herself.
The fence creaked open. Emily appeared at the gate, wearing flexible trousers fit for movement. Sweat streaked her face, her breaths heavy, every sign showing she had been running.
"How did it go?" Charlotte asked, unease and curiosity lacing her voice.
"Great," Emily replied.
"No one saw you?" Charlotte pressed, her curiosity sharpening.
"No one saw me."
"Girls,we now know their location," Lora cut in.
"Let's get inside," Charlotte ordered.
"We can't stay in a doorless house," Lora objected, pointing toward the battlefield they had once called home.
"You're right. We don't know what the next game will be."
"We can't take chances. We'll use the second house."
As they walked toward the cleaner residence, Charlotte turned to Lora. "Before I forget… are you okay?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"I know you liked him."
"I did. But now I feel… different," Lora said calmly.
"It's called freedom," Charlotte grinned, crossing her arm around her neck.
"Trust me, girls—emotions are the last thing you'd want to deal with in this place." She crossed her other arm over sweaty Emily's shoulders. "Let's get cleaned up and eat. This might just be our last lunch."
---
Broken Shields Residence
After a few minutes, they had washed up and prepared themselves, ready to fight. Sitting down together, their focus hardened.
"What's the plan?" Bray asked, crossing his arms, intent on laying out a strategy.
"If it's like the first game, then we're toast," Alexander said grimly.
"Everyone's stronger now—they've upgraded their stats."
"He's right. I remember the way they looked at us," Jamie added.
"Wait," Bray said suddenly, eyes narrowing at Alexander.
"What's that yellow thing in your hair?" He stepped closer, reaching to yank it out.
"Ow!" Alexander flinched. "That's my hair!"
"Wow…" Bray muttered.
"What?"
"It's becoming golden!"
"Really?" Jamie leaned closer, pinching a strand.
"Feels like metal," Jamie said in awe.
"What does that mean?" they all wondered.
Hair turning gold.
The golden symbol.
Golden point.
Special skill.
They didn't know. But what unsettled them most was that neither Bray nor Jamie had it.
Their curiosity was shattered by a familiar machine's voice.
[Attention players]
[Two hours are over]
[There is a total of five teams left]
[To advance, a team must completely dominate two team bases]
[Any team that dominates three or more bases will advance alone]
[All winners will receive a Golden Point]
[The event will carry on for four hours]
Two boxes appeared on their screens.
[4:00]
[Broken Shields > 1 Base]
The voice faded, but the tension it left behind spread through the city like fire.
They only knew two teams. Three more remained hidden. Unknown. Dangerous.
A map of the city flickered onto every player's screen, displaying the exact locations of all bases.
[Begin]