14 Chapter 14: KRIZ'S CHOICE

The sight of another set of oncoming winged-beasts stabs Jeric's flimsy patience like an ice pick. He discerns that he can't focus on counterattacking while gripping the steering wheel, so he stomps on the brakes, opens the door, hops out of his flashy car, and does again his merciless trick.

    "What's the deal with those giant… mosquitoes? They sure love being impaled. Do they even have brains?" Jeric fearlessly gapes at the teeming creatures for several seconds, and then makes a grimace the moment his gaze lands on the lifeless beasts with their green blood gushing down the interlocking concrete stakes. With a cold-blooded smirk, he undoes his powers, leaving his victims splattering onto the ground. He then scans the vast grassy field like a consummate detective. "This place is strange. Why are there circles all around? And… what is that? A table? And… is that an electric fan right there? What happened here? Well, I think I heard something striking the ground while I was driving…. But those creatures can't be the ones hurling those things… so where did they come from? This is so weird it's amusing. Wait…. I think I see people…. Right. Right there…." Jeric checks his watch and lets out a smile of relief. "She's really tough. Nice one!" He's about to hop into his car again, but another set of squealing beasts rush toward him. "Oh, come on! Give me a break! Can anybody tell me why they're so attracted to me? Seriously, am I that handsome?"

    Meanwhile, everybody already has the idea that somebody is coming, judging from the beasts' behavior and raining of random things despite the fact that that everyone stays inside the safe zones.

    "I'm sure it's Jeric," Joriz says. "It must be him."

    "I think so…. The traitor has finally come," Aeron mumbles. "But I wish he were dead already."

"I can't be wrong. It's Jeric! Somebody has to stop him!" Shaira says anxiously while eyeing at the oncoming car. "He will surely run into those yellow circles again and get us all killed before he even shows his annoying face." Shaira's point is accurate. The high concentration of yellow circles extends in all directions up to fifty meters from their location. And Jeric's car is about to enter the nightmare zone. "We need to stop him! That stupid idiot!"

    "Then stop him if you can!" Cristina says, offended by Shaira's words. "If it rains all of a sudden, just use your flying carpet again…. The one you used to move Vincent and Joshua near Kriz. Oh, you haven't turned my shirt into normal yet, by the way. When do you plan on giving it back to me?"

    Shiara glances at Kriz who has just healed Joshua. Also inside the circle with Kriz is Vincent who's lying on the ground, groaning in pain, and losing so much blood. She then looks at Cristina in the eye. "What's your problem?"

    "I don't have a problem," Cristina retorts. "YOU have a problem."

    "What? WE ALL HAVE A PROBLEM! That moron is going to give us trouble!"

    "How dare you!"

    "How dare you, too!" Shaira glares at Cristina like a threatened leopard and then looks at Jennifer who's standing near Aeron, Joriz and Johnrey about fifteen meters away. "JENNIFER, SHOOT THAT CAR! FREEZE THAT CAR!"

    "Shaira, it's too late! Just… protect us with your carpet! NOW!" Kriz instructs. Seconds later, wooden cabinets, toilet bowls, black shoes and washing machines rain like crazy. Two toilet bowls axe their way to Jeric's car, immediately turning it to puffs of smoke and sending Jeric rolling onto the ground until he ends up lying on his back inside a yellow circle where a falling wrecking ball almost smashes his head.

    Once again, Shaira's carpet proves to be a handy and effective makeshift shield. Johnrey, on the other hand, is again forced to use his powers to save himself and those near him.

    "What a grand entrance, stupid!" Aeron snarls.

    "Things are getting worse, already," Joriz says. "I don't like this…."

    "Is everybody okay?" Jennifer asks. She then looks at the other group and shouts to them. "IS EVERYBODY OKAY RIGHT THERE?"

"Johnrey can't breathe. That's all," Aeron retorts. "Nothing serious."

    Cristina wastes no time to run toward Jeric. She does her best to avoid stepping into any yellow circle but fails badly, creating another torrent of nasty surprises and forcing Shaira to curse her repeatedly. At last, she safely approaches Jeric who luckily survived the latest violent rain, kneels beside him, and worriedly checks his condition.

    "Hey, wake up! Are you okay? Hey! Jeric!"

    Jeric groans, opens his eyes and smiles. "Hey…. It's you."

    "Of course, it's me! I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you. I wasn't able to—"

    "I know. I know. I'm not mad at you. Hey…. Why are you crying? Stop it. You're not a child anymore, and it makes you ugly. And I'm not yet dead. It makes me feel bad…." Jeric slowly stands up while Cristina is helping him. "Good thing I wasn't driving that fast. What's happening here, by the way?"

    "Are you sure you're okay?" Cristina wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "What about your head?"

    "Of course, I'm okay! My back hurts a little… but it's nothing. I've survived four car accidents, you know. The last one you saw wasn't even an accident…. Did everyone see what happened to me? Damn, it was embarrassing…. But I'm okay. Nothing to worry about…."

    "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm serious." Jeric removes the blades of grass on his shirt and dusts himself clean. "I'm happy you're still alive."

    "I almost died."

    "I know that."

    "What?"

    "Wait a second. WHY ARE YOU NOT WEARING A SHIRT?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?"

    "Oh." Cristina covers her bra with her arms. "I'm sorry. I'll explain everything. Shaira—"

    "I'm sure one of those creatures didn't grab JUST your shirt! What happened?!"

    "Just calm down and I'll explain what these circles are all about."

    "I was asking about your shirt." Jeric quickly takes off his white shirt, exposing his sweaty, bulky chest and tanned, athletic body.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Wear this. I can't look at you like that."

    "Are you serious? It won't fit."

    "It will." Jeric grabs Cristina's hand and gives her his shirt. "Just do it, okay? Wear it."

    "No. You put this on. I'll just ask Shaira to give me back my shirt."

    "Shaira? The one who saved you, right?"

    "How did you know that? Yes. She saved me. And she called you 'stupid idiot'."

    5:03

    "You'd better run when the time is up," Victor warns Ryan. "Run as fast as you can."

    "Why?" Ryan asks.

    "The passage to the exit door is going to give you some problems, but the real problem for you will happen outside. The other players have just eradicated ALL the monsters. They think it's good news, but it's not."

    "What do you mean?"

"Thirty minutes from now, those who are still in the open field will most probably die. Most probably. How much time is left? You will be out at 5:15, so do the math. At the moment, those on the field don't feel like running. I understand that. It's nice to celebrate after a won battle…. Here's an advice that I'm allowed to tell you: As soon as you see them, tell them to run away like cheetahs. The faster, the better."

"Why? What will happen?"

"Just do what I said."

"What if you're lying again and you just want to confuse us?"

"Lying AGAIN? Did I even lie to you? If you don't want to believe me, that's okay."

"I'm still not sure…. I can smell FAKE from you."

"Nice nose, then. I also smell like a… rotten meat. You missed that. Anyway, do the opposite of what I've told you, and you'll regret it soon enough."

"Can you just… close your mouth for a second and let me think?"

"Okay. I'll close my mouth for a minute. A second is way too short."

"WHY ARE YOU STUPID?!"

Ryan manages to reach the exit door at 5:19 without a single scratch. Upon reaching the open field, he immediately dashes forward, having no time to appreciate the enormous, mossy wall behind him.

"If they die, I'll die. I hope 14 minutes is enough to spot them…."

5:31

"It really cheers me up that those wicked circles are gone, but things would be so much better if those dead, sordid creatures were gone, too," Shaira tells Mabel. "Just looking at them makes me want to puke…. I can actually smell them! Worse than the bottom of a trash can from hell!"

"Yes. I feel you," Mabel says. "Good thing we're all safe. And Vincent is now okay. I actually thought he would die…. I love Kriz so much! I wish we were sisters. We're all back to normal now. Thanks to Jeric…. He's really powerful."

"Yes, but don't forget about Aeron and Johnrey…. And Jennifer. They also helped us solve the problem. Did I mention that Jeric is dim-witted and detestable? I don't like him at all."

"Oh. I think you know a dozen of synonyms for brainless."

"Really? I don't know that. Maybe I just sound clever when an imbecile is around…. I'm not pertaining to you, of course."

"Can I disagree with you? I think he's normal. And good looking—"

"Stop right there! Seriously?! Nothing is normal about him. Think again."

"Careful. He might hear you."

"I don't care…. I will shout it if you want."

"Why are you so mad at him, by the way?"

"Because… he's a monster! He killed Moises. And he acts cool as if nothing happened."

"He did what?"

"That's right. He killed Moises."

"Oh…. Why?"

"'Cause he's dumb and reckless and revolting and awful." That's why."

"I thought Moises was killed by…."

"By a monster? Yes he was. A monster killed him. Now you know. So stay away from him if you want your life to stay with you."

"Thanks for telling me."

"Glad to help…. Hey, look at them." Shaira squints at Jeric and Cristina who are about ten meters away.

"Why?"

"Jeric has created another car." Shaira and Mabel glance at Jeric's white Chevrolet Corvette. "Absolutely snazzy! I'm sure he's bragging about it right now…. Look! Even Kriz and the other guys are on it…. You know what? I have this feeling that those two will leave us here any time soon. Brooooooomm!!! Off they go! Just like that. And if they do that, I swear I'll be thrilled."

"You think so?"

"There's a good chance they will…. Who are we for them, anyway?"

"Do they know each other from the very start? They're very close to each other…."

"I don't know. Actually, their closeness gives me goose bumps. It doesn't feel right."

"Yeah. I agree…. It doesn't feel right."

"By the way, what are you going to do with that yellow backpack?"

"This? I'll just use it to carry things…. You should pick up one, too," Mabel suggests. "That pink one looks great. Let me pick it up for you…."

"No, no, no, NO! No thanks. Those bags WERE filthy monsters, remember? And don't try asking me to wear those… shoes. Or even touch that broken cabinet right there. Yuck!"

"But I have no problem with that. This bag is clean…. Look! It's totally nice…."

"I don't care. It won't change my mind. I don't need one…."

"Hey, someone's coming!" Mabel exclaims and points at a running human figure. "It's… IT'S RYAN! I'M SURE IT'S RYAN! OH MY GOD!"

    As soon as Ryan reaches Mabel and Shaira, the other players huddle around him, curious and worried.

"I'm glad you're okay!" Kriz says joyfully, almost hugging Ryan. "Thank God! What happened?"

    "We… have… to… run…," Ryan gasps. His whole body is so drenched in sweat that he looks like a dripping sponge. "Let's go!"

    "What? Why?" Joshua asks, alarmed.

    "We have to… leave this place… now!"

    "But why?" Mabel asks. "Have some rest. You're very tired."

    "NO! Let's move! We don't have time. Victor told me… that we will die if we… stay here."

    "Victor? That annoying man?" Jeric asks. "What else did he say?"

    "He said we should run away. NOW!" Ryan checks his watch. "NOW!!!!"

    "But the monsters are gone," Joriz argues. "I feel bad you didn't see how they were exterminated."

    "That's the point! We are all in trouble… because those monsters are now gone!"

    "I don't get it," Joshua says. "I don't see danger anymore."

    "But—"

    Suddenly, the ground shudders as though an asteroid had just landed nearby. The quake intensifies with a thunderous rumble until it becomes so strong that everyone almost falls off his feet and panics like civilians caught in a terrorist attack. Soon enough, an enormous arm emerges from the ground about forty meters from the wall. It presses the ground and pushes itself up, revealing a shoulder and a head. Another arm shoots up, breaking the ground even more. Not long, a colossal gorilla can be seen standing in front of the wall. Thick glassy hair completely covers its body, making it look sparkling white from all directions as if it hadn't emerged from deep underground. Fortifying this insane protection is the monster's thick, steel-hard skin. From everyone's location, the wall looks dwarfed by the distance. But seeing that the menace is a bit taller than the wall makes everyone uneasy. Then, the ground shakes again. Soon enough, another similar threat stands several meters from the first one.

    "That's what I'm talking about," Ryan mumbles. "It's too late now…."

    "This is not good," Jeric whispers to Cristina. "Get inside the car and let's get out of here."

    "No! We can't leave them!" Cristina says in a very low, upset voice. "Are you nuts?"

    "I'll take Shaira with us. She saved you, right? Or Kriz. The 'doctor'. Then, the three of us will win this. Trust me."

    "You don't understand! I don't want to leave them just like that!"

    "Just do what I say. There's no time! Get inside the car!"

    "NO!!!"

    "Damn it!" Jeric clenches his teeth, thinks for a few seconds, and then creates a yellow school bus. "Everybody, get inside and make sure not to damage it!"

    Jeric steps on the gas pedal as soon as everyone gets inside the bus. At the same time, the two gorillas roar like raging thunderstorms, get down on all fours, and gather speed toward their prey, shaking the ground with their every stomp. Everyone, except Jeric, crowds the rear of the bus and fearfully keeps an eye on the chasing monsters through the rear window.

    "They're gonna squash us!" Joshua shouts in dread. "Drive faster!"

    "I'm at full speed, you bastard!" Jeric shouts back.

    "My God! They're fast!" Shaira exclaims as she clutches on to something. "This bus is a sloth!"

    "Then feel free to jump out the window!" Jeric snarls, clasping the steering wheel even tighter. "You ungrateful midget!"

    Not long, one of the gorillas run over Jeric's white car, and nobody sees how it turns to smoke under its gigantic foot. Meanwhile, Kriz's heart thumps like a drum and she feels like her lungs are rebelling against her. She knows that her body won't recover if she receives a fatal hit. The thought of being flattened like a tramped grape makes her quiver like no other. She looks away from the appalling scene, sits quietly, and then prays for a miracle as she grips on to something.

    "I think you've already noticed that the windows have no glass protection," Jeric yells while stepping harder on the glass pedal. "Attack those monsters, you bunch of idiots! WHAT IS THIS, A JOYRIDE?!"

    Jeric's words light up Kriz's mind and instantly make her optimistic. "Jennifer, what are you doing? You can stop those things, can't you?"

    Jennifer feels embarrassed about forgetting that she indeed has the ability to stop the rampaging monsters. At once, she shoots the enemies with a torrent of red orbs. But the light orbs unexpectedly reflect to other directions as soon as they hit the targets.

    "I don't understand. They're not working!" Jennifer tries again, but her attempts remain futile.

    "Move! Watch me burn them down." Right away, Aeron shoots numerous exploding fireballs, which effectively slows down the enemies. However, the attack inflicts insignificant damage and only enrages the enemies even more. They let out a deafening, strident roar and resume chasing the escaping bus. Aeron tries again his trick, but this time, the monsters just keep on storming forward, unperturbed.

    "They're gonna get us!" Mabel cries.

    "Just help us if you can!" Aeron growls at Mabel.

    "Hey, stop that!" Kriz grabs Mabel's arm, makes her sit beside her, and gives her a tight hug. "This will be over soon." Kriz's tears flows down her cheeks as the incessant, ear-splitting roars keep on deteriorating her hope.

    Joriz tries his luck with his slime when the charging enemies are about thirty meters away, but to no avail. It only slows them down for a few seconds, but everything immediately turns back to nightmarish ordeal. Desperate, Ryan sacrifices a lot of his time to block the enemies with an oversized glass wall, but a single wallop from one of them shatters it as if it were just a thin glass pane against a whacking wrecking ball.

    "If only I could touch those things!" Vincent says.

    "You can't. And don't tell me you'll sacrifice yourself," Joshua says.

    "I didn't say that. But we're all gonna die anyway if this continues."

    "Any progress?" Jeric asks, oozing with impatience and annoyance.

    "No. It can't be done!" Shaira answers. "If those giants had clothes, maybe I could pull this off."

    "What is Johnrey doing?" Jeric asks. His attention constantly swims between his driving and the urge to help in the attack. "Just blow them away with your freakin' wind!"

    Johnrey follows Aeron like a puppet, immediately pointing both of his hands at the beasts. His violent gust of wind stops them from running but is not strong enough to blow them away. Johnrey's power, on the other hand, significantly speeds up the bus like a recoiling gun. Then, Johnrey collapses like a falling withered twig, almost out of breath. At once, Aeron and Joriz lift and lay him down on one of the seats.

    "Look after him," Aeron instructs Joriz. "I'm not yet done showering those monsters with fire.

    "Okay," Joriz responds.  

Aeron does exactly what he said while the enemies are halted, but nothing promising results from it. The gorillas roar again, announcing their blazing fury. They then resume their rampage and pursue their targets like crazy. Jennifer and Aeron attack again, but it only leads to painful frustrations.

    One of the gorillas is now about fifteen meters away, and Shaira is certain that they will be crushed in five seconds. Hopeless, she just sits down, closes her eyes, and tearfully accepts her fate.  

    "What are you all doing? HUH!? TRY HARDER!!!" Jeric growls. "DON'T STOP, YOU LOSERS! JUST ATTACK!!!"

    Suddenly, the leading gorilla completely turns to an enormous chunk of basaltic rock, and it shatters into pieces when the other one inadvertently rams against it. Good thing, Jennifer thinks of a brilliant idea of shooting the bus with a green light orb just in time to speed it up and prevent even a single piece of rock from striking the bus. The remaining enemy just continues the chase and runs even faster.

    "What happened?" Aeron wonders.

    "You think you're the only ones who have powers?" Cristina asks proudly. "You forget I can do something like that. Now give me time for the other one…."

    "HAHAHAAAA! YEEEES! NOW THAT IS USEFUL! THAT'S CRISTINA FOR YOU, LOSERS!!!" Jeric shouts, proud and overjoyed.

    "Oh," Aeron mumbles. "But I thought—"

    "I actually need a minute to activate my power. Now distract the remaining one before it gets us," Cristina instructs. "Prepare to see more rocks…."

    "OH YEAH!!! DESTROY THEM, CRISTINA!!!" Jeric shouts, almost losing to his desire to punch the steering wheel in excitement.  

    Kriz, Mabel and Shaira smile at one another as their hope of surviving thickens due to Cristina's ability. Kriz holds Mabel's hand tight as she hopes for another miracle. To make things better, Jennifer shoots the bus with two green light orbs to boost its speed. This infuriates the lone enemy even more. Now, it bolts at its full speed until it's again fifteen meters behind.

    "What's wrong with that creature?!" Ryan says, vexed by the unflinching predator. "Does it even know how to get tired?"

    "THERE'S A CLIFF!!!" Jeric warns. "A CLIFF!!!"

    Mabel and Kriz carefully stand up to check what is happening, immediately giving them enough reason to lose hope again.  

    "The hell?" Ryan rushes toward the front of the bus and see the huge gap ahead. "No problem."

    "No problem? I'm gonna stop!" Jeric exclaims.

    "No. Just continue moving. I'll create a glass bridge. Just do what you're doing."

    "Create the bridge now!"

    "Okay. Here I go." Right away, Ryan creates a glass bridge with walls on both sides for protection. "Just move forward!"

    "I CAN'T SEE YOUR BRIDGE, DAMN IT!!!"

    Ryan suddenly remembers how Jeric knocked him cold in the ROOM OF FRIENDSHIP. An itch to plunge a pointed glass shard right into his neck pierces his mind for a couple of seconds. However, realizing that doing it won't achieve any good, he just quells his urge and focuses on the situation at hand, instead. "Just move forward. It's transparent! It's a glass bridge!"

    "I HATE YOUR BRIDGE!"

    "JUST DO IT!"

    The bus crosses the transparent bridge and from below, it looks like a flying wingless plane. The awful sight immediately overflows the bus with panic and screams of terror. Mabel looks at the bottom of the cliff through a window and sees a violent stream, which only adds to the cocktail of horrors they're in. Worse, the tailing monster leaps onto them, aiming to break the bridge with its momentum and make everybody falls straight into the vicious water. This effectively cuts Cristina's lethal stare, making its final blow a formidable threat. But few seconds before achieving its goal, a large serpentine pillar of water shoots up the sky from the stream below and strikes it in the neck like a brutal, full-blown uppercut. The impact pushes it back until it crashes on the brink of the cliff, with its head rolling on the ground like a supersized bowling ball.

    Then, Mabel collapses into Kriz's arm.

    6:07

    "She's awake."

    "Oh. Thank God…."

    "How is she?"

    Mabel's vision regains focus and sees worried faces huddled around her. She slowly gets up and sits on the edge of the soft white bed that Jeric has created for her. "What happened? W-where are we?"

    "On the other side," answers Shaira who's sitting beside her. "How do you feel? Are you okay?" Shaira moves closer to Mabel and whispers to her ears. "I hate to tell you this, but I think you have to thank Jeric for this… comfortable thing…."

    "Oh," Mabel looks at Jeric with a grateful smile. "Thanks."

    "I don't know what to say…." Jeric mumbles.

    "Where's my backpack?"

    "Right here," Jennifer says, showing Mabel her backpack.

    "Thanks for saving us all," Kriz tells Mabel. "That was splendid. You keep on surprising me…. But of course, we also have to thank Cristina."

    Cristina smiles with utmost pride. "Don't mention it. Glad to help."

    "And… Ryan for the bridge."

    Jeric clears his throat.

    "And… of course… Jeric, for safely driving us all here. Everyone helped, actually…."

    "Except me, I think…." Vincent mutters.

    "Stop talking nonsense, okay?" Joshua inaudibly tells Vincent. "You've done a lot."

    Not long, Mabel notices an immense, towering wall just about ten meters away, which looks similar to the wall marking the start of the open field.

    "See that little steel door right there?" Kriz asks Mabel. That must be the entrance. "But we can't pass though it right now."

    "Why?" Mabel finally stands up and then walks toward the three-meter high door. At its center, she sees glowing red numbers like those of a timer. All other players gather at the door and look at the numbers, too.

    30 061…

    30 060…

    30 059…

    30 058…

    "No one can destroy this door," Joshua tells Mabel. "We've all tried. Even Vincent can't make it lighter. I think the door will open if the time runs out."

    "I think the door will explode like an atomic bomb when the time runs out," Jeric tells Joshua. "Didn't you consider that as a possibility?"

    "It doesn't make any sense."

    "Says who? You?"

    "It just… doesn't feel right. Also, we don't have other choice but to wait out here. The wall is insanely high… and dangerous."

    "Whatever, genius. What time will it open, then?"

    "Based on my calculations… 2:30 am."

    "So you're saying that we shouldn't go to sleep? Oh boy. I love this freakin' game."

    "You can go to sleep if you can. Then just wake up when it's almost time."

    "I'm not an alarm clock. Why are there restrictions like this? Being here first doesn't mean anything if others can just catch up. Stupid rules."

    "Just like you," Shaira murmurs, rolling her eyes. "Exactly just like you…."

    "Mabel, can you get us some water from the stream?" Jeric asks. "We all need to drink, but I can't create water and some other things. Just do your water bending trick. We'll just sterilize it. Fire is not a problem for Aeron…."

    "But it will make her weak," Kriz protests.

    "It's okay. I can do that," Mabel says. "Simply getting water won't tax much of my energy."

    11: 57

    The players indulged themselves in eating as much apples as they could and in drinking as much water as they needed. At the moment, twelve beds and numerous kerosene lamps litter the place near the steel door. Some of the players have already crossed the threshold of dreamland while the others are getting a hard time sleep. Shaira quietly walks toward Mabel's bed and lies beside her.

    "We shouldn't sleep, you know…." Shaira whispers. "Sleeping is good, but not this time…."

    "Huh?" Mabel whispers back.

    "Remember the scary rule? At the end of every day, the last in rank will die. At 6:00am. I think they're not asleep. They're just faking it. Just like what we're doing right now." Shaira lifts her head a little and quickly scans the place. "Look! Ryan is still up. He volunteered to protect us while we sleep, and he's really doing it right now."  

    "And then?"

    Shaira lies on her side so that she's facing Mabel while they whisper to each other. "You still don't get it? He's not going to hurt us, I think, but he's not planning to wake up the sleepyheads, either. If we all race and go crazy just before six, things will get really ugly."

    "So what's the plan?"

    "The plan? Just don't sleep. As simple as that. Jeric provided us with these… comfortable beddings for us to nod off. That sly fox."

    "Oh. I actually thought he was just… kind to us."

    "Stop it, okay? He's not kind at all! Trust me! And… of course, that Cristina near Jeric is sly, too. I'm certain she's awake. You think the door will stay open after it lets us through? Think about it."

    "Hmmm…. Maybe we should tell Kriz about this… or Joshua… or Vincent… or…."

    "Seriously? Did you even listen to me? Don't get me wrong. I like them but this is exactly the time to be selfish."

    "Thanks. Because you're not selfish enough. What did I do to win your favor?"

    "Nothing. I just like you. I don't know…. It's just…. Maybe I'd like to be your friend…."

    "Thanks."

    "Okay, we'll wake up Vincent and his best friend just in case…."

    "I thought—"

    "I still like that dumb one."

    "Oh. I guess first love never dies…. And you're good at hiding your feelings."

    "He's not my first love."

    "Oh…. Okay. By the way, I'm your friend from now on.... You can count on me."

    Shaira lies on her back and stares at the glittering sky. "Just look at the stars…. They're wonderful. The night here looks normal…. And it's not that cold out here…."

    5:48

    Kriz opens her eyes and immediately senses that something is odd. She looks around and notices that the morning lights are announcing their presence. She checks her watch and then immediately bolts toward the steel door.

    612…

    611…

    610…

    "What's happening?" Kriz mumbles, her eyes bulges as she stares at the numbers. Panic starts cloaking her body as she realizes that almost everyone are gone. "How did I oversleep? How? I'm sure I tried my best not to sleep…. And I thought this door would open at 2:30? What is… happening?" It suddenly dawns on Kriz that the door indeed opened at 2:30, closed afterwards, and then its timer reset.  "Oh my God, it's almost six." Kriz checks her watch once more, and it shows that she's rank 10. She knows that since three are already dead, rank 12 should be the last rank. This makes her conclude that two other players are still under their sheets. Given the facts, Kriz thinks that her best chance to survive is to stay quiet at the door and let the two players sleep. The plan looks promising, until Aeron jumps out of his bed as if he sensed something life-threatening. In no time, he's banging furiously against the door, realizing the problem he's in.  

    "Why did they leave us! Traitors!" Aeron yells. "TRAITORS!!!"

    "I understand them. This is how it is. If they wake us up and run against them, the competition will be great. They're just being logical."

    "So this is okay to you…."

    "No. I didn't say that. Maybe, it's our fault. We overslept. But I think… just maybe… someone has done some dirty tricks on us. I'm sure I tried my best not to sleep…."

    "I don't care. I will get even. Mark my words. They will pay for this!"

    "Maybe we can survive this if you keep your voice low. We're not last in rank. Someone is still sleeping. You know who's under one of those sheets?"

    "I'm not sure…. I think…. No. I can't remember."

    "It's 5:51. All we have to do is to stay calm. I think the door will open at six."

    "Okay."

    5:57

    Johnrey jumps out of bed, checks his watch, and quickly realizes how dire the situation is.

    "Just stay there!" Aeron shouts to Johnrey. "Don't come any closer!"

    "No. Please!" Johnrey pleads. "We've been through a lot! That lady should be the last in rank."

    "No," Kriz tells Aeron. "If you kill me, you'll fight against each other afterwards. If you win, 24 hours will be deducted from your time for killing the both of us…. Think. And don't ask me to switch places with him. Not gonna happen…. And don't touch me. I can make you sick."

    "Stop lying, okay? Your desperation is making you funny…."

    "I'm not kidding. Don't you dare touch me!"

    Johnrey steps closer to the door, trembling in fear.

"One more step and I'll burn you down," Aeron warns. Deep inside, he really wants to save Johnrey and ditch Kriz. But Kriz's logic is ironclad. He's simply running out of options….

    Johnrey breathes heavily as he stares at the two. Then, he cracks the silence with his daunting threat. "Aeron, if you don't help me, I'll create a tornado to blow you away. The two of you!" Johnrey points his palm at the two. "I'm not kidding!"

    "You can't kill us!" Kriz says. "If we die, you'll still be the last in rank. And you know what that means."

    "Who told you that I will kill the both of you? I'll just knock you down."

    "Oh my God," Kriz mumbles as she realizes another possibility. "Johnrey can just drag them away from the door after he…. This is not good…."

    "Goodbye to you," Johnrey says.

    "I'm sorry but I still have one last card to play," Kriz says. Suddenly, green smoke emanates from her hands. It quickly creeps on the ground and finds its way into Johnrey's nose and mouth. Seconds later, Johnrey falls off his feet, writhing and screaming in intense stomach pain.

    "What did you do?" Aeron asks, suddenly threatened by Kriz's presence. "WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

    "I've told you this already. I can make someone sick. My power is 'health control', and I'm not just a miracle doctor you think I am. But don't worry. I won't use my power on you. I don't want to be the last in rank."   

"How can I be sure that you'll not use your power on me after this?"

    "I won't."

    "Liar!"

    "Okay. I actually can't! I can use my smoke once a day only. Once a day…. Trust me. I'm telling the truth."

    "Okay. But don't move a muscle," Aeron warns Kriz, his palm pointing directly at her head. "I won't hesitate to blast your head off the moment you move. Then let me see if your body can recover…."

    "What are you doing?" Kriz asks.

    "If Johnrey dies before six, you will be the last in rank." Aeron checks his watch to double check his status. "Just stay where you are…."

    Aeron's words terrify Kriz. She realizes that, this time, the logic is truly against her. Kriz checks her watch:  5:59. Johnrey is still screaming in pain, convulsing and sweating all over. If she moves, Aeron will shoot her. If Johnrey dies before six, she'll die next for being the last in rank. Worse, she has already used her green smoke. If Johnrey survives until six, Johnrey will be the last in rank and she's safe. Kriz can't bear the pain of watching someone's life waning away because of her. Guilt envelops her body as Johnrey screams at the top of his voice while greenish muddle of puke and saliva spurts out of his mouth as his sweaty face presses against the blades of grass. Kriz screams in anguish as tears flow down her cheeks. She abhors seeing someone dying, but then she finds herself standing before a terrible sight. She has tried her best to save everyone, but she's now watching the poor victim of the wicked side of her power, writhing in excruciating pain.  

    "You're gonna pay for this!" Aeron tells Kriz. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS!!!" Aeron rarely shows pity, but he suddenly finds himself bursting out in tears as he looks at Johnrey's misery. Suddenly, Johnrey's body turns into ice, and the steel door swings open at the same time. Then, silence quickly descends on the place….

    Since the curse of being last in rank is finally lifted, Aeron bolts toward Johnrey's ice body and wails while embracing it. Kriz tearfully walks toward Aeron and tells him how sorry she is. Then, Aeron stands up and walks toward the entrance. Without looking at Kriz, he utters a heavy "You will pay for this."

    Confusion and desperation take over Kriz's mind once again.

"Will Aeron blast my head off?" Kriz thinks. "What did he mean by that? What will he do?" Kriz checks her watch, and it shows that 12 hours have been deducted to her time. She thinks that she indirectly killed Johnrey, so she still paid the price. She suddenly remembers the rule that a day starts and ends at 6:00am.

    Aeron's words keep on ringing in Kriz's mind and are giving her unexplainable dread. Then, something snaps and Kriz runs after Aeron. "Aeron wait! I have to tell you something."

    Aeron halts without turning around. "What?"

    "I want you to know that I didn't lie to you. I can use my smoke only once a day."

    "And then?"

    "This is another day. And I won't give you the chance to make this day my last."

    "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, green smoke comes out of Kriz's hand and quickly enters Aeron's nose and mouth, giving him the shock he has never experienced before….

    "I'm so sorry. But I still want to live and see my brother…."