Chapter 65

Flin walked into my room and waited near the door. "Did you want to talk about something?" he asked.

I wrapped my fingers around each other and said, "Yeah." I crossed my legs and continued, "Vincent is going to drop out soon."

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Vincent POV:

I made it to the upper platform before the group and patiently wait for them to run over. It was taking a while, so I scouted the area looking for the twins. It was almost time. There were only a few minutes left and the anticipation was enough to cook an egg. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* I heard footsteps behind. Jerking my head backward, I threw a small rock. If it hit anything, then things would be ripped to shreds. "Woah! Cool it there, tiger!"

The surprise came shortly after when I recognized the familiar voice. "George?"

He sat next to me and patted me on the back. "It's me, ya bastard!"

This was getting interesting. "Where did your group go? Did you lead them here?"

He shook his head in disappointment. "Nope. I found three players, one solo and the other two in a group. But, they were smart enough not to take the bait. How about you?"

I pointed to the upcoming players and explained, "I found a group of nine sleeping in a hole in the ground. I flooded the hole and two of them were knocked out; another two were incapacitated and the one more was left behind."

"Great job. Now, I wonder where Bill is? More importantly, how are you going to cause the landslide thing that we were talking about?"

I smiled and told him, "Not a landslide, but a high pressured flood." I pointed at the wall of water behind us. I gently threw a pebble at it, and the water gushed out three feet. "Now, imagine that, times, like, thousand."

"Wow."

"Yeah, but there's a catch. We, well I, only have a couple of minutes left before the strength pill's effects run out. So, if Bill doesn't make it here in time, I have to continue with the plan without his group."

"I mean, that's okay since you said that there were nine of these blokes, right?" I nodded my head in agreement.

Shortly before the players arrived a the platform and whispered to George, "Whatever you do, do not step in the way of the water. You have to stay behind me or those rocks, got it?" He nodded his earnestly and followed me to a large, rock cover that protruded from the dusty ground. We both knelt down and hid from the players.

The footsteps came to a halt. The same husky voice said, "That was some bullshit luck! Two natural disasters aimed at us!"

I timid voice rang out, "Hey, boss, do you think we should keep moving? The water barrier is right next to us!"

The husky voice replied, "That is true, Howard, but we need to take at least a respite, otherwise our remaining members might collapse." I took a peek at the four players. They were all tired, bruised, wet, shivering, and covered in either their blood or some else's. This was perfect.

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Flin POV:

What did he mean by that? "I saw him just a couple of hours ago; he looks to be doing fine."

Micheal sighed and said, "I think you've lost your edge, Flin." I still couldn't understand what he meant by this. He continued to explain, "Do you know why civilizations die?"

I walked inside the lavish room and sat on one of the plush chairs. "Mismanagement, being too weak, overpopulation, natural disasters? There are a lot more."

Micheal stood up and faced a large window that showcased most of the city. With his back turned, he said, "Hunger. It's because of hunger."

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Vincent POV:

"Vincent, I think it's time you do your thing," George whispered. I took his suggestion into consideration before I grabbed a large, jagged stone from the ground. I didn't think the pill would last much longer, so I had to do it whether Bill was here or not. Otherwise, our efforts will be for naught. I noticed that the players were setting up make-shift camps for healing ad resting purposes.

"Yeah, let's do it," I agreed. I beckoned for him to follow me as I crept across the ground. I was aiming for a location that didn't get in the way of the flood. "You see that place above the ground," I whispered, "We're going to have to go there for this to work." George nodded his head and continued to follow my lead. I hastened my pace because the power inside of me started to dissolve. A slight headache emerged. I rubbed my hand on my forehead and continued to trudge on.

"Vincent," George shook my shoulders, "We're almost there, so don't die out on me, 'kay?"

I nodded my head again, but with less vigor. I dragged myself to the highest point with George at my heels. I relaxed when I noticed that the players did not see us. "George, hold on to something." He held on to the cracks on the ground. I raised myself off the ground and stretched my shoulders, my arms, my wrists, and finally my fingers. I retracted my hand past my ear with the jagged stone. Then, I let go.

The stone ripped through the air and made an aggressive whip sound. The air cracked on the impact as soon as the stone exploded out of my hand. The players below us looked in the direction of the stone. Their eyes were full of curiosity. They looked like cute little puppies discovering what a bone was. Then, their faces turned into the definition of terror. The stone stabbed itself into the barrier. Deep. The momentum from the outside propelled the stone hundreds of feet into the water. The foggy water cloaked it as it went further and further. Bubbles erupted from the depths and desperately sought air as they burst on the surface. A timid voice shrieked, "BOSS! I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BARRIER!!!!"

The boss yelled, "EVERYONE! START MOVING!!! GO! GO! GO!" They all left their supplies and sprinted to wherever they could find safety. But, it was too late. The water shot out of the barrier faster than a bullet. It covered a volume of a large house as it swept anything and everyone in its way down the platform. The once blue water turned shades of red and orange due to the dust and dirt that it coalesced with. I saw the players below us falling off the height as if they were in a waterfall.

"Hey, George," I called to him in a weak voice, "I don't feel so well." The last thing I remembered was my head hitting the ground.

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Flin POV:

Micheal kept talking, "Hunger. The hunger of wanting to eat, the hunger of wanting steal, to understand, to corrupt, to win, to taste the forbidden fruit." He looked back at me. "Don't you get it?"

I sighed and said, "Say it one word, and I'll get it."

"Betrayal."

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George POV:

"Vincent!," I shook his body, wishing for him to wake up, "Vincent! Come on man! You only took one pill, right?" I reached over to his neck and traced his veins until I found a pulse. That was a relief. He was still alive, and as long as I don't hit the hay, we won't be taken out. I carried him a moist rock and set him in a sitting position. His brown hair grew a little longer, covering his green eyes as his head slunk down. Where was Bill? I tried previously to find him on the map using the arrow thing in my head, but he was nowhere to be found. Did he get knocked out? It's a possibility, but I couldn't see Vincent's arrow on the map either, and he was right in front of me and not knocked out.

Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. I looked back and saw my own face staring back at me. "Bill! Where have you been?!"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and said, "Around."

"Guess what?! We don't need to find groups now, Vincent took out nine people with his science project! We have gear for ages!"

Bill simply said, "George."

"Yeah," I replied.

"I think it's time for us to go our separate ways."

My eyes widened before I tried to speak with reason, "Why? We have the gear, we have the chance, we even have our own little team! Why would you say that?"

Bill's mouth twisted into a sinister smile. "My naive brother." He clapped his hands and out came about six other people dressed in overpowered armors, weapons, and clothes. "You could say that I've found myself some friends."

I stuttered as I spoke, "W-why?! We had a p-plan! Are you going to abandon us?!"

He knelt down in front of me and ruffled my hair roughly. "Silly, I forsook you the moment dad died." My heart began to race, but my soul was crushed.

I looked down as if I was in shame. "Was I...nothing to you then?" I whispered softly.

He clapped his hands, and a spear the same height as he landed in his hands. "Maybe, I'll see you around."

"You can't do this! We're brothers! We're blood!" I desperately tried. No matter what he said, he was my brother. He was my twin. He was my closest friend. My ally. My companion. We shared the same life even before we were born. Right?

He raised the spear into a striking position. "That's exactly why I need to do this." *WHOOSH* The spear melted into my skin, my rib cage, and wreaked havoc in my heart. I winced in pain, and then coughed blood. The warm, silky texture made me calmer, but my body was going through a fiery hell. With my last ounce of strength, I grabbed the spear with both my hands and ripped it out of my heart, sending Bill tumbling to the ground. He stood back up immediately and raised his foot. Gravity gifted him a strike that landed perfectly where my heart was. I winced in pain, again. I couldn't scream, or yell, or move. My body was frozen in shock. "You motherfucker! If I ever see you again, there will be a bullet to your head!" He screamed. He squatted closer to me and said, "You go that?" My lips moved, but no sound came out. He moved closer to my mouth and barked, "What did you say?!"

I let out a flat whisper, "The...next time...I...see you, only one of us...is coming out...alive." His face twisted back into a scowl as he spat on me. I gave him a cold glare. He looked into my eyes one more time and walked back to his 'friends'. They walked up the mountain. I gazed at them and thought of what just happened. I tilted my head, which took a lot more effort than it should have. I softly whispered, "I...I'm sorry, Vincent." I looked back up at the bright, yellow sun. A fake sun. But, a sun that provided warmth nonetheless. I parted my lips and mouthed, "Till we meet again, my brother."

- End of Volume 1 -