Chapter 10: Falling Mistakes

"PULL!" Ryder shouted and the others grunted, the rope that was attached to them was pulling down; they were pulling something that was under the rocky platform. Drew, Larah, Channe, and Evelyn were pulling together with Ryder and the other contestants — even Sine, who was forced to pull — trying to get something from below. And when they tugged a last pull, the thing they were pulling finally climbed the platform; it was Trevor, who when they fell from above, accidentally slipped and went under; pulling all of them down but luckily recovered. They immediately sat down on the rocky platform — with Trevor instantly laying down as he reached the platform— breathing tirelessly and already sweating. "Nice of you to bring us down, Trevor!" yelled Sine, who's hands were already sore, "If this damn rope was not connected to us, I would have let you fall!" "Why don't you shut up, Sine!" yelled Drew, who was still breathing tirelessly, who knew Sine the less, but already knew he hated him. "You litt—" They continued to argue and bicker, with the other contestants trying to stop them from fighting each other. Meanwhile, Ryder began to stand up, walking over slowly to the edge; examining what was below them. There was nothing, pitched black without anything in sight but the bodies of the other platforms connected to it; he turned his eyes towards them. The other platforms were the same as the one they stood upon, but they were in front of theirs with sets of three and then the next was two, being the same pattern. While examining the platforms, Evelyn walked up to him; looking also as their eyes mov ed up and down and side to side; trying to see any other way, but darkness only came into view except for the platforms. "What do you think?" asked Ryder, without taking his eyes away from the platforms. "…What else is there is to say," said Evelyn, not taking her eyes away as well, "Pitch black darkness below, and the only way to move is to jump on the platforms; I don't even know how we can see in this place." "… Well, I—" Something suddenly tugged Ryder's waist, making look back to see what it was. His rope line was connected to Drew, following the line only to see them at the brink of a fight, but the other contestants — including Trevor — was holding them down to prevent the fight. "And… there is this," said Evelyn, touching the rope on her waist, "…There are 10 of us and we are all connected with the same rope; Ironic, considering what the host said…" "Yeah… listen Evelyn, I wa—" another tug waved through the rope, making him stumble forward a step; Drew and Sine were now gripping their own shirts, with Sine almost throwing a punch. "I guess it will have to wait, "said Evelyn, looking at the sight, "I don't want them accidentally slipping and bringing us down." "Yeah… We'll talk after the game." Ryder moved away from Evelyn, walking towards Sine and Ryder as they were now at breath's reach. Ryder walked over to them, going in between and pushing their chests away from each; and the others stopped them from closing in with each other again. Ryder went over to Drew, "Stop encouraging him to fight you, Drew!" "Come on, Ryder! Aren't you tired of him?!" "I am, believe me — I am; but we need our heads to be focus if we're going to survive this!" "Hmph." Drew titled his head to glare at Sine, which was scolded and yelled at by Trevor, and after taking a deep breath, he looks back at Ryder, "… Fine, but if he ever hurts you or the others; nothing is going to stop my fist from his face." After Drew calmed down, with Sine being slightly; Ryder called all of them to the middle to talk, wanting to make a plan to move forward without any more compilations and blighted ignorance. After all of them gathered around the middle so they won't accidentally slip beside the edge, their so-called meeting began; with Ryder being the first one to talk. "Now, I'm sure that all of you are shocked by what the host's said in the rest," said Ryder, trying to sound friendly. "Oh no, only you and your little band of girls were shocked; I for one knew that there was only going to be one winner," said Sine, glaring at all of them. Ryder exchanged the glare, but continued to talk, "Well, it doesn't matter either way; as far as I can see, we are all tied together with this rope." "… It's not a team exercise, but If any one of us falls, then all of us will; I learned that near the hard way," said Trevor, touching the rope. "Now, for the way out," said Ryder, walking towards the direction where the other platforms were at; urging all of them to look as he pointed with his hand, "There are other platforms other than this, and they all lead to one direction; which is why we must work together so no one falls." The others were still looking at the platforms, and the darkness that was seen from afar; the way out wasn't clearly visible, but it was the only direction where the platforms stood. After he talked, Ryder walked back to the middle; looking at all of them and their ropes, "… As you can see, there is nowhere else we can go; and there is nothing we can use to cut the ropes, and so it doesn't matter whether you like it or not; we are stuck with each other until the end of the game." "So, besides the obvious answer; are all of you willing to work together or not?" asked Ryder, despite knowing the outcome of the question. And despite this, silence fell upon them; but Drew quickly broke it as he was the first to reply, "I am with you always, Ryder!" he exclaimed. And then Larah, "I am in!" she exclaimed, then followed by Channe, "I am also in Mr. Ryder!" he said with a wide smile. Then the other three contestants reluctantly agreed, followed by the annoyed Sine that glared heavily at Ryder, "… Fine!" he said angrily, walking away from the middle. "I too, am in," said Trevor, walking in front of Ryder, "I hope we survive this together, Ryder," he said with a smile. The last was Evelyn, who instead of giving him a straightforward answer, she nodded in acceptance, making Ryder exchange it with a smile and a quick nod. After all of them agreed to work together, Ryder began to start their journey to find the ending of the game, "Now, before we start; we need to see who is connected to who; so, we can make a line." Everyone was gathered tightly in the middle, with Sine being forced to go back by Trevor; and then Ryder began to take a mind's note. Ryder's rope was connected with only Drew, with him being connected with Evelyn, and then she was followed by another and then another. The one connected with the last contestant was Trevor, then followed by Larah and then Sine; the last one was Channe; making Ryder and the rest that knew him worry. After knowing, they all formed a line; with Ryder being the first and the last being Channe; which Ryder insisted that he should the be the first one instead of him but was argued by Sine and the other contestants. They were ready to start despite the worry, Ryder walking to the edge where another platform stood on the other side. He examined the distance of the gap, which was not quite as long, but his heart still jumped at the thought of slipping; making him to consider hesitating. "Oooh, cold shoes already huh?" teased Sine from far behind, "Come on leader, go and take the first jump!" he smiled at the thought of Ryder falling, but then he remembered he too would fall down. He tried to glare at Sine, but he didn't want to delay the line any further; and so, he took a deep breath, preparing himself to leap. And then he did, jumping away from the platform he stood; but he landed on the next, letting out a sigh. He stomped at the platform, trying to see if it can hold all of them; and after he saw no problems, he urged Drew to jump. And just like Ryder before him, his feet began to feel cold; his knees almost shaking, but he jumped anyway, with Ryder quickly grabbing his arms as he landed. After Drew, the contestants behind him jumped afterwards, and again Ryder grabbed their arms to ensure they would not stumble back and fall. He did that with every contestant — even Sine, who quickly shook his arms away from Ryder's hands as he landed. After Channe landed, he walked over to the edge again; and this time, a set of three platforms stood on the other side. "… Does it matter which one we choose?" asked Ryder, looking at each platform. "…I don't know, let's hope nothing happens if it does." With one deep breath, Ryder jumped again: now towards the next. Landing on the platform at the middle of the three as he stood still, and at his surprise, nothing happened, "I guess it doesn't matter," he thought. He urged the others again to jump afterwards. And after everyone was on the next platform, he walked over to the edge again; but now two sets of platforms laid on the other side instead of three, "Does it matter what platform we get on?" asked Larah, from behind. "As far as I can tell: No." answered Ryder, preparing to leap again. He jumped again and landed at the platform on the left, but something… was off. After his feet landed on the platform, it shook a little; almost making him stumble backwards. Drew was about to follow him, "Wait!" shouted Ryder, making Evelyn stop Drew before his feet left their platform. He stood still for a minute, trying to consider if it really was safe. "Hey! What's wrong?" asked Trevor from behind; and seeing nothing else happened, Ryder turned his head to face them, "Never mind, It is safe t—" Suddenly, the platform Ryder stood on began to shake violently; with him stumbling back and forth — his hands touched the ground as he tried to keep balance. Drew and the others tried their best not to move because of Ryder, and he was moving frantically because of the shake, "Ryder! Jump back!" shouted Evelyn. Trying not to get dizzy, Ryder slowly retracted his hands from the ground to stand up firmly — or somewhat straight — he tried his best to steady his eyes on the previous platform, "Stand back!" he shouted at them. After Drew urged the others behind them to take a step backward, Ryder prepared to leap, trying to keep his balance as the platform continued to shake frantically; about to break down. And with a terrible start, Ryder jumped out of the platform as it crumbled down into the darkness; but his start was as terrible as he thought. His feet slipped on the edge, and he began to fall. But a Drew grabbed his arm on time; with Evelyn and Trevor helping him back up. "Are you okay?!" asked Drew, patting his back and pants. "…Y-yeah," said Ryder, but he panted breathlessly; and all Drew could hear was his breath. The others quickly helped him stand, but Sine was the opposite, "You almost got us killed!" he yelled at Ryder, "Babbling about staying together so we do not die, and then you go and almost brought us down with you!" "He couldn't have known that the platform would crumble!" argued Larah. "Oh, so now you're defending him now?! I can't believe this crap!" "Just shut up, Sine!" shouted Trevor, trying to help Ryder stand up. After they all helped Ryder recover from the incident — with the exception of Sine and two contestants — he tried his best to stand straight; with the shake still lingering in his legs; but he managed to stand firmly, "I- I'm fine," he told everyone. "I guess it does count," said Drew, looking at where the left platform once stood. "… Yeah." Ryder's eyes landed upon the right platfrom, "... Come on, we should keep moving." "Wait, are you sure?" asked Trevor worryingly, "What if it crumbles like the last one?" "Then we have nowhere else to go," said Evelyn, "It is the only way now, and if does crumble; then we have to move quickly." "Let's hope it doesn't come to that!" said Larah, holding Channe's hand. After they reassembled the line, Ryder stood on the edge again; looking at the platform at the right; hoping it doesn't turn out like the left. He took a deep breath — deeper than usual — then he leaped, landing on the platform with his legs shaking as it touched the ground. He waited for a minute, preparing to jump back if anything flinches. But somehow, nothing happened, "… I guess I just picked the wrong one last time," he said under his relieving breath. After confirming it was safe, he called the others to jump; with Evelyn being the first one to jump despite what they saw. After everyone jumped, Ryder turned to the edge; now there were now only four platforms to decide where to jump on. "So, the platforms become less? At least we have less to choose from," said Trevor, who was standing beside Larah. "… Or do we?" asked Larah, "What if it becomes harder, like how the Brewmaster made his game?" "Whether it becomes easy or not, there is always a chance of all of us falling down," said Ryder, deciding what platform to jump on. Deciding was perhaps the hard part for him, because all of them looked the same as the other; and maybe there is only one platform that ensures their way forward. And with little thought to work with, he decided to choose the one at the middle right. And with the thought being the same as everyone else, no one argued with the decision. Ryder prepared to leap, jumping on the middle right platform, then stood still; waiting for something to happen. After a minute passed by, nothing happened to the platform; allowing Ryder to take a deep breath before he moved his head to face the others. "Come on Everyone! I think it's sa—" "Mr. Ryder, LOOK OUT!!" Out of nowhere, a giant axe swinged by in front of Ryder's eyes, making him stumble back and almost fall; but he quickly regained his balance. Luckily, the rope didn't get hit by the axe, or else it would've pulled him and the others along with it, "Ryder! Are you okay?" shouted Drew from the previous platform. "Y-yeah I'm fine, just got taken by surprise," said Ryder, seeing the axe swing by repeatedly from the left to the right, and then vice versa, "Does the axe swing through the entir—" "Yes, it swings through all the four platforms," said Evelyn, following the movement of the axe as it swings by." "… I guess we don't have a choice then," said Ryder somewhat vaguely, "Since I'm already here, jump on the platform." "What are you crazy?! We'll get hit by the axe!" argued Sine angrily. "Only if we let ourselves get hit," said Trevor, "Feel free choose another one if you want." Sine grunted as he was forced to follow them, Drew waited for the axe to pass by; then he jumped, quickly running over to Ryder. Evelyn followed suit and then the others, with Channe being the last one to jump. Unlike the rest of them, he was the most hesitant; looking at the sharp axe as he hugged his plushie tightly in his arms; his legs becoming stiff and refusing to move. But Ryder called out, "Channe!" After Ryder's voice entered his ear, he quickly turned his head to face him, "Don't look at the axe, look at me!" Ryder extended his arms, urging him to jump, "On my signal, you jump okay?" said Ryder, giving him a reassuring smile. "You can do it Channe!" cheered Larah. Channe gazed at Ryder and Larah, seeing their smiles and soft voices, exchanging them with his, "Okay… Mr. Ryder… I trust you." Ryder waited for the axe to swing by again, trying to find the moment to tell Channe to jump. And as the axe swinged again, he shouted, "NOW!" And as he yelled, Channe leaped out of the platform and into the next, landing on it. He quickly began to run towards Ryder and the others, gripping his plushie tight before the axe swings again. "I'm Comin—" He heard Channe's voice get cut off; his toe stumbled upon a small rock on the ground, making him fall down towards it; Ryder leaped in to catch him and pull. The axe was nearing by, almost beside Channe's head; but when his body almost crashed on the ground, Ryder caught him before he did; quickly pulling him out before the axe swinged by his head, only cutting a small strand of hair from behind Channe's head. They both panted breathlessly as Ryder helped him stand up, with Larah quickly holding his cheeks, "Are you okay?!" "I'm fine, Miss Larah!" said Channe with a smile, making Larah pull him to a hug. Ryder slowly stood up, letting out a breath of relief as Channe suddenly hugs his legs, "Thank you for saving me Mr. Ryder!" exclaimed Channe, giving him a wide smile. "Hehe, you're welcome Channe," replied Ryder. "Can all of you stop for a moment to remember that we are still far from the end of this damned game!?" yelled Sine, his eyebrows flaring up with his eyes glaring at them, "Come on and get on to the next one already!" After hearing Sine's outburst, Ryder rolled his eyes at him before telling Channe to be more careful next time. He soon got up and went on the edge, where they struggled to make a line because of the swinging axe; and so, they were all crumpled on the side. When Ryder turned his eyes forward to see the next platforms; at his surprise, or maybe dismay; there was only one platform on the other side. He quickly turned his head to the side and still no other platform in sight; they only had one option. After a minute to silent thinking, he had no choice but to jump and go from there. He prepared to leap, even preparing to leap back in case something goes wrong with the platform. He jumped, landing his feet on the platform and waited for anything to happen; but surprisingly, nothing ever came into sight; not a shake, or even an axe swinging through. After giving the platform another minute to do something, he decided to call the others to jump. Drew being the first and then the others, and still, nothing happened. "I guess this is a rest for us," said Drew, stomping on the ground. "Please keep it that way, Drew," said Evelyn quietly. And so, Ryder told everyone to rest up before they continue, to steady their boots and feet. Drew, Evelyn, Trevor, Larah, and Channe sat down on the floor; gathered in the middle while Sine and the other three contestants examined their ropes. Ryder walked over to them, sitting between Drew and Evelyn; with everything that happened, they needed the rest; especially Ryder who had to take the burden of trying. Channe yawned and laid his head on Larah's shoulder; Drew and Evelyn bickered; and Trevor taking off his boots to empty it from sand and small rocks that entered after he jumped. Ryder took a deep breath to calm his mind, trying not to worry about what will happen after they finish the game: will everyone remain together? Or will they all separate because of what the host said? That there can only be one winer to take it all. Evelyn noticed his worried face, patting his shoulder to get his attention, "Hey… Are you okay?" asked Evelyn loud enough for only him to hear. Ryder felt her hand landing on his shoulder, making him turned his head towards her, "Y-yeah, I'm fine; just have a lot to think about. "… You're wondering if we would all stay together… after the host's words?" said Evelyn, her voice filled with a hint of tears, "I know Drew would stay with you, Larah and Channe too; I don't know about Trevor though…" "… But what about you?" asked Ryder, longing for her answer. "… I… I'll tell you when we finish the game," said Evelyn, standing up from the ground, "For now, get some rest; I'll be at the edge trying to see if there are any more platforms to jump on." And then she walked away, leaving Ryder with no answer, and an empty thought. He couldn't blame her either way, who is he to judged, for he too thought about the notion of leaving their group. Just like everyone else, he wanted the prize for his family and no one more; he wanted to do anything to get it, but his heart told him something different; his morality fought back. His mind drifted, going away a while from their reality; thinking about his brother in his hospital bed; his sister going on happily every day until the time comes when everything they stood upon was made by sand and salt; and his mother, who works many jobs so that they could live a normal life, while sacrificing her own time just to give them a meal and a home. He couldn't wish for anything other than a new life for his family. But he couldn't escape the fact: that there can be only one. He turns his eyes towards Drew, talking with Larah and Channe; then Trevor joining in on the conversation. For now, his heart remained fighting, and his mind remain deciding. He just wished he never got close to any of them; but he also wished that they could've met in better circumstances; like a school, a bar, or a park. After getting out of his thoughts, he followed what Trevor did and took out his shoes; even though he couldn't feel them before, there were small rocks inside the shoes; which made his legs turned bright as a tomato. He cleaned them up, taking out the rocks from the shoes; and after taking notice of his feet, the pain he failed to notice began to wave through his body, prompting him to massage them. Channe took notice and walked over to him, grabbing his other shoe of the ground and began cleaning them. "Oh, you do not have to do that Channe," said Ryder. "It's fine Mr. Ryder! I wanted to repay you in some way!" said Channe excitingly, taking out the rocks out of Ryder's shoe. Ryder wanted to continue protesting but seeing him smiling so happily; his mouth stayed shut and instead smiled at the sight. Channe and Ryder cleaned his shoes together, making them comfortable again; and after both of Ryder's shoes, Channe took out his shoes and they cleaned them afterwards. Time passes by and all their worry was diminished for the time being, with most of them sharing stories and bickerings, but there were some who wanted to be done with the game already. Sine paced back and forth on where he stood, looking at the Ryder's group as they rested; but he couldn't, all he wanted to do was to finish what he came for. "Hey!" he shouted at them, "Are we all just going to sit here and do nothing, or are we going to finish this damn game already?!" Even the other three contestants agreed with him, "Yeah! You all had you rest; we should go now before we are left behind!" shouted one of the contestants. After hearing Sine and the contestant's outburst, Ryder grabbed his shoes and placed them on his feet; being the first one to stand up in the gathered group, "I guess our break is over," he said, extending his hand for Channe to grab. Channe grabbed his hand to stand up, with his plushie on the other; and after seeing him get up, the others stood as well. They all dusted their bottom off of dust and small rocks. "Well, let us go," said Trevor, walking to edge. "I'll follow you Ryder," said Drew, walking over behind him. "Come on Channe, let's fall in line," said Larah, with Channe patting Ryder's hand before going with Larah to the last. And when everyone made the line again, Ryder began to walk over to the edge, where he saw Evelyn looking at three platforms on the other side. They organized the rope and untangled any build ups; and then Evelyn turned around and saw them forming the line, in which she soon walked over to her place. She and Ryder exchanged looks, nodding as they passed each other before Ryder reached the edge. He looked over to the platforms, and the next platforms before them; they were almost there. He could see a pathway at the far distance; hoping that it was the way out. He turned his eyes back to the three platforms, laying his eyes at each of them as he tries to decide which to jump on. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his mouth mumbling as he prayed; and then he slowly opened his eyes. And there he waited for the decision. "…Here we go."