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GAME OF EXITS CHAPTER 27A: LAST BREATH
4:33 am. About an hour and a half before Kriz wakes up.
The dark, bizarre jungle of trees exhales a cold gust of wind, wafting a stale, eerie scent that quickly shrouds the players outside the glass enclosure. Ryan breathes in the old, misty air like a costly prize for another job well done. He shakily slumps to the ground, blankly staring at the lush trees and ferns dimly illuminated by the torches. All he cares about at the moment is catching his breath and convincing himself that he can still go on and fight for his family. He lets out a grimace of pain when his head, back and shoulders suddenly give him a cocktail of electric pangs, reminding him of the injury they suffered. With a hazy vision, he squints at the other players and finally catches Jeric’s razor-sharp glare.
Though wobbly and light-headed, Ryan managed to get out after trapping Cristina with his glass. One on one, Cristina didn’t stand a chance, and Jeric felt wronged and embarrassed as he witnessed the whole process. With Ryan outside, the shards of glass littered all over the battle field disappeared.
A hand on his bleeding head, Ryan glares back at Jeric in a deadlock as if yelling BRING IT ON! His blood simmers as he remembers how Jeric made things hard for him. But before all hell can break loose, Victor intervenes and orders the survivors to stay put and relax.
With clenched teeth and balled fists, Jeric redirects his gaze at the situation inside the enclosure. Jennifer, Joriz and Joshua do the same, hearts thumping in fear and suspense. Inside, Cristina manages to reach the corner on her right while shakily walking with her back pressing against the glass wall. Shaira and Vincent, on the other hand, pace toward the nearest corner, cautious and edgy.
“She’s dangerous,” Shaira tells Vincent. “Don’t underestimate her.”
“But she can’t use her power,” Vincent says. “She can’t kill us if she wants to live.”
“You don’t know that. Don’t rush things, okay? And be glad I’m on your side.”
“Because you like me?”
“What the hell? This is NOT the time for your stupidity! And don’t look at me like that.”
“What?”
“Just… look away and focus on Cristina, okay?”
“I’ll lend you my shorts if you want.”
“It won’t make any difference. It will vanish if I wear it.”
“Oh. Too bad.”
“And if I use my power, my shirt will be sacrificed next. It’s too short now, as you can see.”
“Not the pink underwear?”
“I hope so. Why did you even ask me that?”
“Nothing. I’m just—”
“Pervert.”
“I’m not!”
“Whatever.... Hey, look! I’m amazed Cristina can still walk like that.”
“Maybe she’s not that weak. Look at her body. She’s not skinny like you.”
“She’s moving to the other corner. What do you think she’s doing?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure she’s not planning to approach us. Let’s mark her now.”
“No! Think first, okay? How many have you marked?”
“Does it matter? Cristina was marked three times. I counted. One more and it’s over.”
“How many players marked you? Just answer me.”
“Two. Joshua and Mabel. Why?”
“Nothing.”
“What about you?”
“Two. Joriz and that monster Jeric. I mean, I forced him to mark me….”
“Are you sure? What about Mabel?”
“I wasn’t caught in her shower. And I have to mark one more. I marked Joriz and Ryan. I’d marked Ryan before he attacked Cristina. He didn’t notice.”
“I’ll mark Cristina now. Back me up. Or just send her flying over here. This is our chance.”
“Just wait, okay?”
“Wait for what? We have the upper hand.”
“If she marks you because of your aggressiveness, she’ll be out and we will fight. I don’t want to fight against you though I know I will win.”
“Then use your power now. Restrain her. And I’ll mark her. That simple.”
“You’re not thinking! Look at her! She’s been staring at one of us! Don’t you notice? If we make a move she might use her power. She might turn my leg to stone. Or your leg. Or one of your arms. That won’t kill you, right? And we have nowhere to hide. You think she’s afraid to let loose? Think again.”
“So we’re just gonna stand here and let her cripple us?”
“No. I mean… just wait. Let me think! This is hard for me, okay?”
Cristina manages to reach the corner where Mabel used to stand in, while Shaira stands with Vincent in the opposite corner. Including the survivors, the players roughly form a straight line:
Cristina Shaira Vincent
Survivors
Cristina drops her marker on the ground and quickly takes off her dotted orange shirt, surprising and confusing everyone else. She picks up Mabel’s large backpack, unzips it, and throws her shirt into it.
“She’s hiding her clothes,” Vincent warns Shaira. “We need to do something now!”
“Oh, my,” Shaira mutters. “She knows my weakness. She’s forcing me to attack.”
Cristina discerns her enemies’ next possible actions, so she activates her power right away to buy her some time.
“The hell?” Vincent’s red jersey turns into a black slab of rock, throwing him off guard. “Damn!”
“Take it off!” Shaira panics. “Now!”
“I can’t! How can I take this off! Help me!”
“Just break it, stupid!”
“I CAN’T BREAK IT! Don’t pull it. It’s scratching my body. Rip it off! You can control clothes!”
“It’s a rock, not a shirt!”
“DO SOMETHING!”
While the two are distracted, Cristina takes off her blue maong pants as fast as she can, and then puts it inside the backpack. She crouches low and hides behind the backpack, showing only her head, shoulders and upper chest. She finally picks up her marker and regains her focus.
“Now that bitch can’t use her power on me,” Cristina thinks. “I know that she can control only the clothes she can see…. Oh, my back really hurts… but I’m okay. I can still fight…. They should have attacked me much earlier. Wrong move for them. And if they think they can just approach and mark me now, they’re dead wrong. Come on. Move closer. Attack me! I can survive this. I will see my children again….”
Outside, Jeric starts to cheer up. He can feel that Cristina can still pull something off and put up a good fight. Joshua, on the other hand, remains silent, terrified at the thought of losing his best friend. A few meters from him, Ryan is checking Mabel who is still sleeping on the ground.
“Now what?” Vincent asks Shaira.
“Oh my God!” Shaira looks at Cristina, and a surge of dread suddenly grips her. She realizes that if her shirt also turns into stone, she will lose all her chances to land an attack, and she will look even more embarrassing. She knows she’s the next target and attacking Cristina head-on is risky. She feels as though time itself were clutching her neck, choking her slowly. Desperate, she looks at Vincent and says, “Survive for me, okay? Promise me!”
Vincent throws a confused look.
“I’m so sorry. I messed up. I should have listened to you. I’m really, really sorry. Please win this, okay? Promise me!”
“What do you m—?”
Shaira covers Vincent’s lips with hers, cutting Vincent’s question. Then, she secretly marks Vincent’s arm and vanishes in thin air in a blink of an eye.
6:10 am
The early morning light is not strong enough to make the dewy blades of grass sparkle, but it’s more than enough to reveal that the dense jungle forming the trail is daunting and surreal. It doesn’t take too long for Ryan to notice that most trees have large mossy, face-like figures about a meter from the base of their trunks. The faces look like those of persons melting away, screaming in endless torment and desperately crying for help. Slumping beside Mabel, Ryan directs his eyes to the light green sky and spots several large black birds flying over, squeaking creepily as if declaring that something grim and sad is soon to happen. He checks Mabel and tries to wake her up. He wants to sleep, too, but his mind is still swirling and hanging on the edge, thinking about many things….
Will Vincent survive? Will Cristina make it through, instead? Will I survive this whole crazy thing? Will I see my family again? What are they doing right now? I’m sure they’re worried. Has my wife called the police already? Will… will I be able to hug my daughter again?
Ryan doubts if he can steal a nap while Jeric keeps on yelling and pounding the glass wall in front of him. He finally realizes that Shaira is behind his injuries, but he understands why it happened. No hurt feelings. He thinks that maybe he deserves it, and that it was just Shaira’s survival instinct that sent him banging against the wall. He checks the other players. Shaira, Joshua and Jennifer keeps on watching the silent battle while Joriz is lying on the ground near him, trying to get some rest. He checks the two inside the enclosure; both crouched low in opposite corners, eyeing each other in an agonizing stalemate. Cristina can’t create more rocks. Vincent removed his basketball shorts to cover his boxer shorts. Cristina turned the shorts into stone, and Vincent has been using it afterwards to hide his body, almost similar to what Cristina has been doing with the backpack. Neither of them wants to move. Both are waiting for the right moment. The right moment that seems to be so far away. Then, Mabel wakes up. Ryan immediately updates her and instructs her to calm down. Not long, someone catches Ryan’s attention, giving him a spark of joy.
“Kriz!” Ryan says. The other players outside the enclosure turn around and see Kriz slowly approaching them, her eyes blank and cold. Joriz is roused by Ryan’s words. He gets up right away and rushes toward Kriz to ask questions.
The dark, bizarre jungle of trees exhales a cold gust of wind, wafting a stale, eerie scent that quickly shrouds the players outside the glass enclosure. Ryan breathes in the old, misty air like a costly prize for another job well done. He shakily slumps to the ground, blankly staring at the lush trees and ferns dimly illuminated by the torches. All he cares about at the moment is catching his breath and convincing himself that he can still go on and fight for his family. He lets out a grimace of pain when his head, back and shoulders suddenly give him a cocktail of electric pangs, reminding him of the injury they suffered. With a hazy vision, he squints at the other players and finally catches Jeric’s razor-sharp glare.
Though wobbly and light-headed, Ryan managed to get out after trapping Cristina with his glass. One on one, Cristina didn’t stand a chance, and Jeric felt wronged and embarrassed as he witnessed the whole process. With Ryan outside, the shards of glass littered all over the battle field disappeared.
A hand on his bleeding head, Ryan glares back at Jeric in a deadlock as if yelling BRING IT ON! His blood simmers as he remembers how Jeric made things hard for him. But before all hell can break loose, Victor intervenes and orders the survivors to stay put and relax.
With clenched teeth and balled fists, Jeric redirects his gaze at the situation inside the enclosure. Jennifer, Joriz and Joshua do the same, hearts thumping in fear and suspense. Inside, Cristina manages to reach the corner on her right while shakily walking with her back pressing against the glass wall. Shaira and Vincent, on the other hand, pace toward the nearest corner, cautious and edgy.
“She’s dangerous,” Shaira tells Vincent. “Don’t underestimate her.”
“But she can’t use her power,” Vincent says. “She can’t kill us if she wants to live.”
“You don’t know that. Don’t rush things, okay? And be glad I’m on your side.”
“Because you like me?”
“What the hell? This is NOT the time for your stupidity! And don’t look at me like that.”
“What?”
“Just… look away and focus on Cristina, okay?”
“I’ll lend you my shorts if you want.”
“It won’t make any difference. It will vanish if I wear it.”
“Oh. Too bad.”
“And if I use my power, my shirt will be sacrificed next. It’s too short now, as you can see.”
“Not the pink underwear?”
“I hope so. Why did you even ask me that?”
“Nothing. I’m just—”
“Pervert.”
“I’m not!”
“Whatever.... Hey, look! I’m amazed Cristina can still walk like that.”
“Maybe she’s not that weak. Look at her body. She’s not skinny like you.”
“She’s moving to the other corner. What do you think she’s doing?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure she’s not planning to approach us. Let’s mark her now.”
“No! Think first, okay? How many have you marked?”
“Does it matter? Cristina was marked three times. I counted. One more and it’s over.”
“How many players marked you? Just answer me.”
“Two. Joshua and Mabel. Why?”
“Nothing.”
“What about you?”
“Two. Joriz and that monster Jeric. I mean, I forced him to mark me….”
“Are you sure? What about Mabel?”
“I wasn’t caught in her shower. And I have to mark one more. I marked Joriz and Ryan. I’d marked Ryan before he attacked Cristina. He didn’t notice.”
“I’ll mark Cristina now. Back me up. Or just send her flying over here. This is our chance.”
“Just wait, okay?”
“Wait for what? We have the upper hand.”
“If she marks you because of your aggressiveness, she’ll be out and we will fight. I don’t want to fight against you though I know I will win.”
“Then use your power now. Restrain her. And I’ll mark her. That simple.”
“You’re not thinking! Look at her! She’s been staring at one of us! Don’t you notice? If we make a move she might use her power. She might turn my leg to stone. Or your leg. Or one of your arms. That won’t kill you, right? And we have nowhere to hide. You think she’s afraid to let loose? Think again.”
“So we’re just gonna stand here and let her cripple us?”
“No. I mean… just wait. Let me think! This is hard for me, okay?”
Cristina manages to reach the corner where Mabel used to stand in, while Shaira stands with Vincent in the opposite corner. Including the survivors, the players roughly form a straight line:
Cristina Shaira Vincent
Survivors
Cristina drops her marker on the ground and quickly takes off her dotted orange shirt, surprising and confusing everyone else. She picks up Mabel’s large backpack, unzips it, and throws her shirt into it.
“She’s hiding her clothes,” Vincent warns Shaira. “We need to do something now!”
“Oh, my,” Shaira mutters. “She knows my weakness. She’s forcing me to attack.”
Cristina discerns her enemies’ next possible actions, so she activates her power right away to buy her some time.
“The hell?” Vincent’s red jersey turns into a black slab of rock, throwing him off guard. “Damn!”
“Take it off!” Shaira panics. “Now!”
“I can’t! How can I take this off! Help me!”
“Just break it, stupid!”
“I CAN’T BREAK IT! Don’t pull it. It’s scratching my body. Rip it off! You can control clothes!”
“It’s a rock, not a shirt!”
“DO SOMETHING!”
While the two are distracted, Cristina takes off her blue maong pants as fast as she can, and then puts it inside the backpack. She crouches low and hides behind the backpack, showing only her head, shoulders and upper chest. She finally picks up her marker and regains her focus.
“Now that bitch can’t use her power on me,” Cristina thinks. “I know that she can control only the clothes she can see…. Oh, my back really hurts… but I’m okay. I can still fight…. They should have attacked me much earlier. Wrong move for them. And if they think they can just approach and mark me now, they’re dead wrong. Come on. Move closer. Attack me! I can survive this. I will see my children again….”
Outside, Jeric starts to cheer up. He can feel that Cristina can still pull something off and put up a good fight. Joshua, on the other hand, remains silent, terrified at the thought of losing his best friend. A few meters from him, Ryan is checking Mabel who is still sleeping on the ground.
“Now what?” Vincent asks Shaira.
“Oh my God!” Shaira looks at Cristina, and a surge of dread suddenly grips her. She realizes that if her shirt also turns into stone, she will lose all her chances to land an attack, and she will look even more embarrassing. She knows she’s the next target and attacking Cristina head-on is risky. She feels as though time itself were clutching her neck, choking her slowly. Desperate, she looks at Vincent and says, “Survive for me, okay? Promise me!”
Vincent throws a confused look.
“I’m so sorry. I messed up. I should have listened to you. I’m really, really sorry. Please win this, okay? Promise me!”
“What do you m—?”
Shaira covers Vincent’s lips with hers, cutting Vincent’s question. Then, she secretly marks Vincent’s arm and vanishes in thin air in a blink of an eye.
6:10 am
The early morning light is not strong enough to make the dewy blades of grass sparkle, but it’s more than enough to reveal that the dense jungle forming the trail is daunting and surreal. It doesn’t take too long for Ryan to notice that most trees have large mossy, face-like figures about a meter from the base of their trunks. The faces look like those of persons melting away, screaming in endless torment and desperately crying for help. Slumping beside Mabel, Ryan directs his eyes to the light green sky and spots several large black birds flying over, squeaking creepily as if declaring that something grim and sad is soon to happen. He checks Mabel and tries to wake her up. He wants to sleep, too, but his mind is still swirling and hanging on the edge, thinking about many things….
Will Vincent survive? Will Cristina make it through, instead? Will I survive this whole crazy thing? Will I see my family again? What are they doing right now? I’m sure they’re worried. Has my wife called the police already? Will… will I be able to hug my daughter again?
Ryan doubts if he can steal a nap while Jeric keeps on yelling and pounding the glass wall in front of him. He finally realizes that Shaira is behind his injuries, but he understands why it happened. No hurt feelings. He thinks that maybe he deserves it, and that it was just Shaira’s survival instinct that sent him banging against the wall. He checks the other players. Shaira, Joshua and Jennifer keeps on watching the silent battle while Joriz is lying on the ground near him, trying to get some rest. He checks the two inside the enclosure; both crouched low in opposite corners, eyeing each other in an agonizing stalemate. Cristina can’t create more rocks. Vincent removed his basketball shorts to cover his boxer shorts. Cristina turned the shorts into stone, and Vincent has been using it afterwards to hide his body, almost similar to what Cristina has been doing with the backpack. Neither of them wants to move. Both are waiting for the right moment. The right moment that seems to be so far away. Then, Mabel wakes up. Ryan immediately updates her and instructs her to calm down. Not long, someone catches Ryan’s attention, giving him a spark of joy.
“Kriz!” Ryan says. The other players outside the enclosure turn around and see Kriz slowly approaching them, her eyes blank and cold. Joriz is roused by Ryan’s words. He gets up right away and rushes toward Kriz to ask questions.
