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GAME OF EXITS CHAPTER 21: MORE ALLIES
The sight of another set of oncoming winged-beasts stabs Jeric’s flimsy patience like an ice pick. 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.”
“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 machine riddle the ground. 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.
“Is everybody okay?” Jennifer asks. She checks 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 she 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.
“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 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 on 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.”
“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 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….”
“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! Ew! 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!”
“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.”
“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 machine riddle the ground. 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.
“Is everybody okay?” Jennifer asks. She checks 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 she 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.
“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 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 on 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.”
“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 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….”
“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! Ew! 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!”
