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GAME OF EXITS CHAPTER 17: MIXED EMOTIONS
The sight of John Paul’s remaining body and shredded guts littered on the grass stuns everyone as though a grenade blasted in front of them. Joshua quickly steps back and freezes in horror. Vincent inaudibly curses several times as terror slithers throughout his body. His lips are moving, but the only sound is coming from Cristina, screaming at the top of her voice. She directs her gaze away from the gruesome sight and presses her chest with her left hand as she struggles to breathe. Inside a red circle about twenty meters away, Jennifer screams in shock. In her fury, she unleashes a torrent of light orbs straight into the swarming beasts, bathing the open field in a stream of colored light which shines brightly and steadily for more than two minutes, dimming only as exhaustion overwhelms her, and she finally bursts out in tears. Meanwhile, Shaira is too petrified to utter a sound. She slowly turns around and breathes hard as her memories with John Paul pour into her mind….
“Oh my God! I’m surrounded by zombies.”
“No. I go first. The stronger one should go first.”
“Wooooow! I can’t believe someone like you exists. Okay. Go ahead. After all we are weaker than you.”
Another scene flashes back….
“And now what’s the plan?”
“We dive into the cliff, maybe.”
“You’re really an idiot.”
“Of course I talk like an idiot. How else would you understand me? Okay, surprise me. Say something intelligent.”
“You really have one rotten mouth right there.”
Shaira sniffs and tearfully takes a deep breath, guilty and regretful of the way she ruthlessly taunted him with her acerbic words….
Mabel, on the other hand, slumps to the ground, numb and feeble, as though all her energy were instantly drained out of her body. A stream of tears immediately flows down her cheeks as she dreadfully wails with her raspy voice. Then, memories of her friend swiftly knife into her mind….
“Hey, Mabel! Wait!”
“Oh! Candy. Why are you walking to school? This is… unusual.”
“For a change.... No, actually, I want to walk with you. Now I know how hard it is to run.”
“Yes. Oh, look at you. You’re sweating! It’s ruining your doll face. I have a handkerchief—”
“No. It’s okay. Don’t worry…. Can I ask you something?”
“Huh?”
“Yesterday… you were in the library, right?”
“Hmm. Yes. Why?”
“And Jake was there, too. Sitting beside you….”
“Oh. Yes…. He approached me. He said he’d like to help me do my research.”
“I also saw you with him in the cafeteria last Monday. And he was walking with you yesterday after class…. Tell me. What’s happening?”
“Nothing. I swear. He was just… being nice, I guess.”
“You know we’re together, right? How can you do this to me?”
“What do you mean? No. Listen. It was not my intention to—”
“I’ve seen enough. You’ve never tried to make things right. I thought you were my friend.”
“Let me explain…. Candy, wait!”
Candy tearfully ran across the busy road, and in the blink of an eye, Mabel clearly saw her dear friend struck by a raging delivery truck. Next thing she knew, she was wailing at her friend’s crushed and torn body while bystanders quickly swarmed like ants surrounding a fallen piece of candy….
Kriz wipes her weepy eyes, kneels on the grass, and gives Mabel a tight back hug.
“Pull yourself together….” Kriz tells Mabel. “Hey! We can do this, okay? We can do this….”
“I-I-I don’t want to d-d-die….” Mabel sobs. “My m-m-mother is waiting… for… m-me….”
“I know. I know. That’s why you need to be strong….”
Mabel’s memories flit like leaves of a book flipping rapidly and then halting on one specific page….
“Thank you, Ma….”
“For what, Bel?”
“For everything. I’m graduating this year. All because of you… and Pa. At last! My Senior High life will be over. Welcome to College!”
“You want to be a teacher, right?”
“Yes. I want to teach small kids. Cute little kids….”
“You will become a teacher. The most beautiful teacher…. We just need to be strong….”
“Thanks Ma. I promise I will study hard…. I will be strong….”
“That’s nice. And your father and I will do everything for your twin brother to become an engineer. Funny, he keeps on telling me that he will build a mansion for us.”
Basking in her memory, Mabel wails even harder, oblivious of the blistering heat of noon….
Meanwhile…
“Oh! You can’t even scratch that thing with that… chainsaw,” Victor tells Jeric. “And didn’t I tell you that no objects created by superpowers stay long in that cage? If those metals were people they would be the most maddening and stubborn beings. You’re just wasting your time.”
“Of course, I’m wasting my time!” Jeric snarls. “I’ve been wasting my time in here!”
“Whoa! Stay cool, my friend. Just—”
“I’m NOT your friend! Let me out!”
“Oh. I’m sorry but I only accept orders from my friends. Since you’re not my friend I cannot help you. I’m so sorry.”
“STOP MOCKING ME!” Jeric forcibly kicks the metal bars of the cage, his face red with anger. “LET ME OUT!”
“You know I can’t do that even if I want to. But I can’t blame you. Boredom is worse than pain, if you know what I mean…. Boredom can drive you nuts.”
“I don’t care! What is happening out there?! What is happening to Cristina?”
“Cristina? Oh! She’s having fun, I guess. Last time I checked, she was screaming. But don’t worry. She’s with other players. But one of them is down. Check your watch. You’re too busy doing useless things….”
Jeric checks his watch:
12:10
RT: 149H 50M
Rank: 11
Dead: 3 (ZALDY, MOISES, JOHN PAUL)
“Who’s John Paul?”
“The handsome one in gray polo. Don’t you remember him? I really feel sorry for what happened to his… abs. If only I had that kind of body! You’re fortunate you didn’t witness the scene. But don’t worry. I know he’s not important to you. Have you noticed that your remaining time is reduced by 12 hours? That’s for killing ‘switch boy’. And let me update you further: The last in rank is the ‘glass man’. He’s rank 12.”
“I don’t care about them. I was asking about Cristina.”
“She’s still alive.”
Jeric glares at his watch, teeth clenched in exasperation. “Do you know that you’re NOT FUNNY?!”
“Ouch.”
On the open field…
12:30 pm
The large number of flying beasts clouding the sky is not enough to assuage the pain and discomfort brought by the searing beams of sunlight. Dehydration and wooziness start ruling against the players as sweat drips profusely out of their bodies. Mabel stops crying and everyone inside the blue circle is thinking hard about the best thing to do next. Jennifer manages to safely enter a blue circle while the rest stay where they are.
“It’s clear. Blue circles don’t shrink,” Joshua concludes.
“But we can’t stay in here forever,” Kriz says.
“But I’m too tired to run,” Cristina says. “And this heat is killing me! I’ve eaten many apples already, but I think I’m still out of water. Look at my sweat! Can’t anybody create an umbrella?”
“Maybe we should start moving at night,” Vincent suggests. “For now, let’s eat more apples.”
“What was that?” Shaira asks. “At night? When we can’t see those… circles?”
“You have a better idea?” Vincent retorts.
“Yes. We should clear this marathon before the sun sets.”
“Then go ahead. Shooo!”
“What?”
“Shooooo! Go!”
Shaira clenches both of her fists and glares at Vincent.
“By the way, you’re still gorgeous even if your hair looks like a mess—”
“ONE MORE WORD AND I’LL RIP YOUR CLOTHES—”
“So that you can see my… body? I knew it. You’re a pervert. But if you’re really into it, then—AAAARRGGH!”
At once, Shaira takes control of Vincent’s clothes, squeezing them tighter. “What did you say?”
“STOP IT! Aarrgh!” Vincent curls onto the ground. “STOP! It will crack my—”
“Hey, stop it!” Joshua says. “STOP! This is not the time for this!”
“Okay.” Shaira gestures her hands and instantly loosens Vincent’s clothes. “Look at what you’ve done to my shorts.”
“What?” Vincent looks at Shaira’s shorts while still curled up on the ground.
“Every time I use my power my clothes get shorter. I think my shirt became a lot shorter too….”
“And you’re blaming me for that?”
“OF COURSE!”
Pressing his crotch, Vincent slowly stands up and glares at Shaira. “Hey….”
“What? You want some more?”
“My clothes….”
“What’s your problem? I’ve already turned it back to normal.”
“No. They’re too loose now…. My underwear is coming off.”
Author's Note: They did not notice that only selected powers are disabled when inside a blue circle (The shooters). Shaira can use her power, but everyone is too oblivious and anxious to think about it.
Thanks for reading!
“Oh my God! I’m surrounded by zombies.”
“No. I go first. The stronger one should go first.”
“Wooooow! I can’t believe someone like you exists. Okay. Go ahead. After all we are weaker than you.”
Another scene flashes back….
“And now what’s the plan?”
“We dive into the cliff, maybe.”
“You’re really an idiot.”
“Of course I talk like an idiot. How else would you understand me? Okay, surprise me. Say something intelligent.”
“You really have one rotten mouth right there.”
Shaira sniffs and tearfully takes a deep breath, guilty and regretful of the way she ruthlessly taunted him with her acerbic words….
Mabel, on the other hand, slumps to the ground, numb and feeble, as though all her energy were instantly drained out of her body. A stream of tears immediately flows down her cheeks as she dreadfully wails with her raspy voice. Then, memories of her friend swiftly knife into her mind….
“Hey, Mabel! Wait!”
“Oh! Candy. Why are you walking to school? This is… unusual.”
“For a change.... No, actually, I want to walk with you. Now I know how hard it is to run.”
“Yes. Oh, look at you. You’re sweating! It’s ruining your doll face. I have a handkerchief—”
“No. It’s okay. Don’t worry…. Can I ask you something?”
“Huh?”
“Yesterday… you were in the library, right?”
“Hmm. Yes. Why?”
“And Jake was there, too. Sitting beside you….”
“Oh. Yes…. He approached me. He said he’d like to help me do my research.”
“I also saw you with him in the cafeteria last Monday. And he was walking with you yesterday after class…. Tell me. What’s happening?”
“Nothing. I swear. He was just… being nice, I guess.”
“You know we’re together, right? How can you do this to me?”
“What do you mean? No. Listen. It was not my intention to—”
“I’ve seen enough. You’ve never tried to make things right. I thought you were my friend.”
“Let me explain…. Candy, wait!”
Candy tearfully ran across the busy road, and in the blink of an eye, Mabel clearly saw her dear friend struck by a raging delivery truck. Next thing she knew, she was wailing at her friend’s crushed and torn body while bystanders quickly swarmed like ants surrounding a fallen piece of candy….
Kriz wipes her weepy eyes, kneels on the grass, and gives Mabel a tight back hug.
“Pull yourself together….” Kriz tells Mabel. “Hey! We can do this, okay? We can do this….”
“I-I-I don’t want to d-d-die….” Mabel sobs. “My m-m-mother is waiting… for… m-me….”
“I know. I know. That’s why you need to be strong….”
Mabel’s memories flit like leaves of a book flipping rapidly and then halting on one specific page….
“Thank you, Ma….”
“For what, Bel?”
“For everything. I’m graduating this year. All because of you… and Pa. At last! My Senior High life will be over. Welcome to College!”
“You want to be a teacher, right?”
“Yes. I want to teach small kids. Cute little kids….”
“You will become a teacher. The most beautiful teacher…. We just need to be strong….”
“Thanks Ma. I promise I will study hard…. I will be strong….”
“That’s nice. And your father and I will do everything for your twin brother to become an engineer. Funny, he keeps on telling me that he will build a mansion for us.”
Basking in her memory, Mabel wails even harder, oblivious of the blistering heat of noon….
Meanwhile…
“Oh! You can’t even scratch that thing with that… chainsaw,” Victor tells Jeric. “And didn’t I tell you that no objects created by superpowers stay long in that cage? If those metals were people they would be the most maddening and stubborn beings. You’re just wasting your time.”
“Of course, I’m wasting my time!” Jeric snarls. “I’ve been wasting my time in here!”
“Whoa! Stay cool, my friend. Just—”
“I’m NOT your friend! Let me out!”
“Oh. I’m sorry but I only accept orders from my friends. Since you’re not my friend I cannot help you. I’m so sorry.”
“STOP MOCKING ME!” Jeric forcibly kicks the metal bars of the cage, his face red with anger. “LET ME OUT!”
“You know I can’t do that even if I want to. But I can’t blame you. Boredom is worse than pain, if you know what I mean…. Boredom can drive you nuts.”
“I don’t care! What is happening out there?! What is happening to Cristina?”
“Cristina? Oh! She’s having fun, I guess. Last time I checked, she was screaming. But don’t worry. She’s with other players. But one of them is down. Check your watch. You’re too busy doing useless things….”
Jeric checks his watch:
12:10
RT: 149H 50M
Rank: 11
Dead: 3 (ZALDY, MOISES, JOHN PAUL)
“Who’s John Paul?”
“The handsome one in gray polo. Don’t you remember him? I really feel sorry for what happened to his… abs. If only I had that kind of body! You’re fortunate you didn’t witness the scene. But don’t worry. I know he’s not important to you. Have you noticed that your remaining time is reduced by 12 hours? That’s for killing ‘switch boy’. And let me update you further: The last in rank is the ‘glass man’. He’s rank 12.”
“I don’t care about them. I was asking about Cristina.”
“She’s still alive.”
Jeric glares at his watch, teeth clenched in exasperation. “Do you know that you’re NOT FUNNY?!”
“Ouch.”
On the open field…
12:30 pm
The large number of flying beasts clouding the sky is not enough to assuage the pain and discomfort brought by the searing beams of sunlight. Dehydration and wooziness start ruling against the players as sweat drips profusely out of their bodies. Mabel stops crying and everyone inside the blue circle is thinking hard about the best thing to do next. Jennifer manages to safely enter a blue circle while the rest stay where they are.
“It’s clear. Blue circles don’t shrink,” Joshua concludes.
“But we can’t stay in here forever,” Kriz says.
“But I’m too tired to run,” Cristina says. “And this heat is killing me! I’ve eaten many apples already, but I think I’m still out of water. Look at my sweat! Can’t anybody create an umbrella?”
“Maybe we should start moving at night,” Vincent suggests. “For now, let’s eat more apples.”
“What was that?” Shaira asks. “At night? When we can’t see those… circles?”
“You have a better idea?” Vincent retorts.
“Yes. We should clear this marathon before the sun sets.”
“Then go ahead. Shooo!”
“What?”
“Shooooo! Go!”
Shaira clenches both of her fists and glares at Vincent.
“By the way, you’re still gorgeous even if your hair looks like a mess—”
“ONE MORE WORD AND I’LL RIP YOUR CLOTHES—”
“So that you can see my… body? I knew it. You’re a pervert. But if you’re really into it, then—AAAARRGGH!”
At once, Shaira takes control of Vincent’s clothes, squeezing them tighter. “What did you say?”
“STOP IT! Aarrgh!” Vincent curls onto the ground. “STOP! It will crack my—”
“Hey, stop it!” Joshua says. “STOP! This is not the time for this!”
“Okay.” Shaira gestures her hands and instantly loosens Vincent’s clothes. “Look at what you’ve done to my shorts.”
“What?” Vincent looks at Shaira’s shorts while still curled up on the ground.
“Every time I use my power my clothes get shorter. I think my shirt became a lot shorter too….”
“And you’re blaming me for that?”
“OF COURSE!”
Pressing his crotch, Vincent slowly stands up and glares at Shaira. “Hey….”
“What? You want some more?”
“My clothes….”
“What’s your problem? I’ve already turned it back to normal.”
“No. They’re too loose now…. My underwear is coming off.”
Author's Note: They did not notice that only selected powers are disabled when inside a blue circle (The shooters). Shaira can use her power, but everyone is too oblivious and anxious to think about it.
Thanks for reading!
