CROCODILE LAKE
Anthony yawned weakly.
He noticed a dagger stuck to a tree and walked to it.
After some efforts, he eventually brought it out and wiped the blade clean.
He wrapped the blade with the white handkerchief in his pocket, and held it tightly.
Weapons will definitely be limited, so he might as well gather as much as possible.
He kicked aside a dead branch and saw another dagger.
This time the dagger was sheathed.
He carefully walked around the forest, looking for edible plants.
He will rather starve than eat human flesh.
However, true to what the guards said, majority of the plants were poisonous.
The rest were strange plants.
All of a sudden, a scream of terror rang out in the forest.
Anthony frowned and rushed to the direction he heard the scream.
Someone's already dying?
He arrived there and saw two others that arrived before him.
He looked at the scene they were watching with horror.
His eyes widened, a flower petal with pointed teeth was chowing down on a young girl.
"The carnivorous Hawthorn plant. Damn! The plants in this place are not just poisonous, they are also carnivorous" Ava Smith screamed in horror.
Anthony turned to look at her.
His heart immediately skipped a beat at her beauty.
Her emerald eyes were wide with horror, her red lips were open in a slight gasp.
She had the longest black hair he has ever seen.
She was tall and curvaceous and was dressed in a body hugging suit trousers.
The parts of her legs visible from her pumps were creamy and smooth.
She wore expensive jewelry.
However, her earrings were missing.
Wise woman, she knows wearing earrings while fighting is dangerous.
Compared to this heavenly beauty, his wife Priscilla was trash.
"I wonder how she ended up here. She looks like a rich heiress. One of those spoiled brats" Anthony whispered and returned his attention to the carnivorous Hawthorn.
It had finished swallowing the girl and blood was dripping down its petals.
Its branches were trying to extend towards them, probably to capture another victim.
Everyone moved back immediately.
"We all should be careful and not go close to any strange plants" the girl said again and tightened her hand on the dagger.
She walked away and headed towards a clearing while others began to follow her.
Anthony smiled at her naivety.
She thinks everyone here will be united in this situation.
She will be totally shocked.
Once the hunger becomes unbearable, some will definitely start killing others to eat.
Anthony found a familiar herb.
It was edible and good for the stomach.
It also gives high amounts of energy, however it has a sour taste.
"Well, it's better than eating others" he whispered and squatted down.
He cut the herbs and tore off the linen of his silk trousers, using it to wrap it and store it in his trouser pocket.
He continued walking around, looking for similar herbs.
He ate the herbs and went towards the rest.
They were all sitting in a huge clearing, the beauty was sitting down on the sand while resting on a huge rock.
Anthony found an empty spot and lay down, quietly chewing the herbs in his mouth.
He had no plans of sharing the very limited quantity of herbs.
After all, he doesn't know their real characters yet.
If his beloved Priscilla could betray him, others can do the same too.
"I found a clean water fall some miles in this direction, you all should drink and conserve your energy, we will get through this together!" The pretty girl said again.
Soon some people began to travel towards that direction to get water.
Anthony yawned and closed his eyes.
Tonight was probably the only night he will be able to sleep peacefully.
Soon enough, he will have to stay guarded to avoid being someone else's barbecue.
*****
Anthony viciously dragged out his dagger from a man's neck.
The man's blood spewed all over his face and Anthony pushed him away, kicking him ruthlessly.
After the first two days, the mayhem started.
It began with one person who stabbed a sick counterpart to death and roasted his meat with the dead wood he found, and made fire with one of the lighters scattered on the rocks.
Soon others joined him in roasting the corpse.
It soon escalated to a point that anyone that shows signs of getting weak was killed and eaten by the rest.
Anthony felt disgusted but decided to stay away, killing only those that attacked him.
He walked to the waterfall and met the pretty girl drinking from it.
He opened his mouth and began to drink.
Soon he was done and turned to leave.
"Watch out!" He heard the girl scream in panic.
He quickly turned to see someone sneaking up on him from behind a boulder.
A flying dagger from the girl immediately hit the man, sending him to the floor.
Anthony angrily gave him another stab, totally killing him.
"Thank you" he said gratefully, giving the girl a genuine smile.
"It's nothing. I wonder how humans can bear to eat themselves. I noticed that you were the only one that did not join the rest in the cannibalism, so how can I bear to let you get hurt? You're obviously a man with his conscience intact, you don't deserve to get hurt in that manner" she said, pulling out her dagger from the corpse.
Anthony's heart warmed.
This stranger saved his life just because he was a good man, yet his wife who he gave everything to, poisoned him.
Comparison hurts, so he immediately stopped comparing them both.
"It's been one week and I'm very hungry, I'm dizzy. But I will rather starve to death than eat another human" the girl completed.
Anthony smiled and brought out a wrap of herbs from his pocket, he gave them to the girl who took them with a look of confusion on her face.
"They're edible herbs. It's very terrible to the taste buds, but it provides energy. I have been surviving on them. I have some knowledge of herbs" he said with a smile and ate one of the tree barks in the wrap.
The girl nodded and began to eat hungrily.
She made a face at first but soon cleared the whole wrap.
Anthony offered her another wrap and she hid it in her pocket before rushing to the waterfall to drink more water.
"I feel full and refreshed, thank you. I don't know if it's possible for us to pair? We can have a better chance if you and I work together to survive the rest of the cannibals" she said hesitantly, looking at him while biting his lips.
Anthony frowned, and her heart sank.
He nodded after a while, making a wide smile spread on her tired face.
*****
Anthony stood at the shore with the others.
It has been a month.
Only five of them survived.
Him, Ava Smith and three others.
The guards had brought them to the beach.
They shivered at the sight before them.
The lake was filled with mature crocodiles and water pythons.
"You're required to cross the crocodile lake. Freedom lies across the other shore. You will go back to the human world and be given a feast fit for a king. Staying back is not an option because we will throw poisonous gas on the island to kill anyone outside the lake. Au revoir people!" The female guard wearing a red mask said and began to laugh.
Her high pitched, witchy cackle infuriated Anthony and evoked the desire to rip her apart within him.
However, he's currently not her match.
The guards entered the waiting helicopter and it flew up into the skies.
"Cross the crocodile lake or die!" Her voice roared from the helicopter.