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GAME OF EXITS CHAPTER 18: COLORS OF PANIC
1:15 pm
“Exactly four hours more and you’ll be out of there,” Victor tells Ryan. “It’s nice to see you strong again. As good as new…. Like a construction worker who has just eaten his breakfast. By the way, do you think your decision was the best one? I think you should have chosen button C, instead of A.”
“That was my decision. Not yours,” Ryan says.
“Okay. I respect that. I just want to say that your watch wants to tell you something important.”
Ryan checks his watch:
1:15
RT: 125H 12M
Rank: 12
Dead: 3 (ZALDY, MOISES, JOHN PAUL)
“What happened to John Paul?” Ryan’s eyes bulge in shock and disbelief. “What happened!?”
“Oh, you don’t wanna know. Trust me. Let’s just say that he’s sunbathing right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. You should worry more about your remaining time. You’ve lost a lot of time during your epic battle. Also, you may want to worry about your ranking. Being at the last spot is never good. Not in this game. You don’t want your name to follow John Paul’s, right?”
“Who killed him?”
“Clue: The killer’s name is not Ryan.”
“ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?!”
1:30 pm
Joshua and the others manage to enter a new blue circle, and Jennifer is successful in rejoining the group. Jennifer glances at John Paul’s body at a distance and silently utters her words of goodbye.
“That’s it. I’m exhausted,” Cristina pants. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“No. We have to keep going,” Kriz says. “Shaira is right. We have to get out of this field before the sun sets. It’s hard to run in the dark.”
“It’s easy for you to say that because your body is always… fine.”
“It’s not like that…. And Mabel, please don’t start crying again, okay? We will take some rest every now and then. Okay?”
“You have to remove your shoes,” Joshua tells Vincent. “Remove it now. You’re always behind.”
“But I can still—”
“No, you can’t. Remove it. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll do it.”
“What’s with those shoes, by the way?” Cristina asks.
“They become heavier every time he uses his power,” Joshua answers.
“Oh. And what is his power?”
“He can change the mass of whatever he touches.”
“Wow…. I see. What about you? What can you do?”
“Well… I can increase the length of whatever I touch… but there are some exceptions.”
“Strange powers.”
“Yes. Very strange. But honestly, I think my power is not that useful.” Joshua removes Vincent’s shoes and throws them outside the circle. “This time, you can run fast. You’re a basketball player. And there are no thorns in this place.”
“Okay. I trust your judgment,” Vincent says. “By the way, where are your glasses?”
“What? Oh. I didn’t notice. I’ve lost it.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yah…. I guess. I’m nearsighted, but I think I can still manage.”
“Guys, the nearest circle from here is a yellow one,” Kriz cuts in. “There. Right there. Almost northeast again. Near the trees. And the nearest circle from there is still a yellow one. We’re almost at the right edge of this open field. What do you guys think? Should we go there?”
“No,” says Cristina. “We don’t know what it can do. Let’s choose a blue one.”
“That one straight ahead?” Mabel butts in. “But it’s too far. We won’t make it there alive.”
“But Jennifer can stop those creatures from attacking. Right, Jennifer?” Cristina says.
“Yes… but…. I don’t know. Maybe I can’t,” Jennifer says. “Kriz is right. It’s a little too far.”
“I’ll test it first,” Vincent says. “I’ll go ahead.”
“Wait. Hey. What are you talking about?” Joshua asks. “You can’t go there alone.”
“Jennifer will protect me. She can easily protect one, so let’s go there one by one.”
“But—”
“I like your idea,” Shaira cuts in. “Your clothes are okay now, so you’re good to go. Shoooo!”
“You really want me to die. I’m sorry but I’m not planning to feed myself to those beasts.”
“Whatever….” Shaira rolls her eyes. “What are you waiting for? Go!”
“Wait!” Joshua says. “Be careful….”
Vincent dashes toward the target circle as fast as he can. As expected, ten beasts quickly dive toward him, but as soon as he steps into the yellow circle, all the ten attackers turn into black boulders, and those not hit by Jennifer’s power immediately fall onto the ground. The yellow circle instantly vanishes as soon as Vincent steps out of it to avoid being squashed by one of the gigantic rocks. Ten more beasts turn into boulders and immediately rain down like oversized hailstones, one of them falling straight toward the blue circle where six persons are in. Everyone inside screams in shock while dodging it, and then manages to run away in different directions. Disoriented, Cristina and Mabel frantically bolt northwest toward a red circle about 30 meters away, dodging several boulders on their path. Kriz and Shaira scream as they race straight ahead toward the blue circle about 60 meters away. Meanwhile, Joshua and Jennifer dash toward the yellow circle they spotted before, still having no idea that it vanished the moment Vincent stepped out of it.
Stepping out of the safe zones poses a new menace—ten beasts immediately dive toward their respective targets. Three dart toward Mabel and Cristina. Another three chase Kriz and Shaira. Two rush toward Joshua and Jennifer, while the remaining two decide to hunt Vincent as their lone prey. Mabel cries in panic, thinking that her end is near. Flapping of wings gets louder while Cristina screams like crazy from behind her. Fortunately, she manages to step into the red circle. Cristina, however, is grabbed by one of the beasts by the shoulders. At the same time, Kriz and Shaira are also clawed and started being lifted off the ground. Jennifer luckily freezes her attackers and continues running toward Vincent after discerning that her target circle is already gone.
Vincent, at last, steps into another yellow circle. Straight away, the attacking beasts turn into large car tires, dropping Cristina, Kriz and Shaira onto the ground. Then, ten more turn into car tires and rain onto the ground. Two tires almost hammer Kriz and Shaira who are still lying on the ground, hurt and almost unconscious. Unfortunately, a tire slams into Cristina’s legs, breaking them and leaving her wailing in excruciating pain. Joshua and Jennifer manage to dodge the falling tires and finally step into the yellow circle where Vincent is in. Joshua expects another surprise rain but it doesn’t come.
A new set of attackers dives toward the players outside the safe zones. Upon seeing the threats, Mabel steps out of the red circle toward Cristina to drag her into safety. Kriz hurries to stand up, carries Shaira in her arms, and starts running toward the blue circle, now only about 20 meters ahead. Jennifer tensely shoots the enemies and luckily hits seven of them. Mabel succeeds in dragging Cristina into the red circle, but Kriz is snatched by one of the three remaining attackers while Shaira is still wrapped in her arms.
“NOOOO!” Jennifer shouts as she shoots the beast hauling the two ladies.
Desperate, Vincent steps out of the yellow circle and dashes toward another one about 15 meters northeast. Upon stepping into it, all the attacking beasts turn into golden swords, dropping Kriz and Shaira from a height of about 12 meters. From a distance, Jennifer shoots a stream of light orbs in an attempt to prevent the ladies from slamming against the ground. Just before hitting the ground, a light orb hits Shaira’s head, but Kriz falls straight down, cracking her spine and fracturing the bones of her legs. Then, another ten beasts turn into swords, rain onto the panicking victims, and two of them almost impale Joshua and Vincent, falling straight onto the yellow circles.
Mabel screams for help while Cristina is still wailing in pain. Seconds later, Kriz stands up in perfect condition, carries Shaira in her arms, and safely runs into the blue circle. At once, she uses her power to heal Shaira’s injuries.
“HELP US!” Mabel yells. “Cristina needs help!” Mabel’s fear escalates as she notices that the red circle they are in is starting to shrink. “HEEEEEEEELLLLP!”
Suddenly, several trees from the side about 40 meters ahead fly straight into the field as though they were blown by a violent gust of wind. About thirty seconds later, three figures emerge, running straight out into the open. Upon discerning who the newcomers are, Jennifer shouts in a strange mix of joy and apprehension.
“AERON! JORIZ! JOHNREY! RUUUUNNN! GET INSIDE A CIRCLE! NOOOOW!”
“Exactly four hours more and you’ll be out of there,” Victor tells Ryan. “It’s nice to see you strong again. As good as new…. Like a construction worker who has just eaten his breakfast. By the way, do you think your decision was the best one? I think you should have chosen button C, instead of A.”
“That was my decision. Not yours,” Ryan says.
“Okay. I respect that. I just want to say that your watch wants to tell you something important.”
Ryan checks his watch:
1:15
RT: 125H 12M
Rank: 12
Dead: 3 (ZALDY, MOISES, JOHN PAUL)
“What happened to John Paul?” Ryan’s eyes bulge in shock and disbelief. “What happened!?”
“Oh, you don’t wanna know. Trust me. Let’s just say that he’s sunbathing right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. You should worry more about your remaining time. You’ve lost a lot of time during your epic battle. Also, you may want to worry about your ranking. Being at the last spot is never good. Not in this game. You don’t want your name to follow John Paul’s, right?”
“Who killed him?”
“Clue: The killer’s name is not Ryan.”
“ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?!”
1:30 pm
Joshua and the others manage to enter a new blue circle, and Jennifer is successful in rejoining the group. Jennifer glances at John Paul’s body at a distance and silently utters her words of goodbye.
“That’s it. I’m exhausted,” Cristina pants. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“No. We have to keep going,” Kriz says. “Shaira is right. We have to get out of this field before the sun sets. It’s hard to run in the dark.”
“It’s easy for you to say that because your body is always… fine.”
“It’s not like that…. And Mabel, please don’t start crying again, okay? We will take some rest every now and then. Okay?”
“You have to remove your shoes,” Joshua tells Vincent. “Remove it now. You’re always behind.”
“But I can still—”
“No, you can’t. Remove it. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll do it.”
“What’s with those shoes, by the way?” Cristina asks.
“They become heavier every time he uses his power,” Joshua answers.
“Oh. And what is his power?”
“He can change the mass of whatever he touches.”
“Wow…. I see. What about you? What can you do?”
“Well… I can increase the length of whatever I touch… but there are some exceptions.”
“Strange powers.”
“Yes. Very strange. But honestly, I think my power is not that useful.” Joshua removes Vincent’s shoes and throws them outside the circle. “This time, you can run fast. You’re a basketball player. And there are no thorns in this place.”
“Okay. I trust your judgment,” Vincent says. “By the way, where are your glasses?”
“What? Oh. I didn’t notice. I’ve lost it.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yah…. I guess. I’m nearsighted, but I think I can still manage.”
“Guys, the nearest circle from here is a yellow one,” Kriz cuts in. “There. Right there. Almost northeast again. Near the trees. And the nearest circle from there is still a yellow one. We’re almost at the right edge of this open field. What do you guys think? Should we go there?”
“No,” says Cristina. “We don’t know what it can do. Let’s choose a blue one.”
“That one straight ahead?” Mabel butts in. “But it’s too far. We won’t make it there alive.”
“But Jennifer can stop those creatures from attacking. Right, Jennifer?” Cristina says.
“Yes… but…. I don’t know. Maybe I can’t,” Jennifer says. “Kriz is right. It’s a little too far.”
“I’ll test it first,” Vincent says. “I’ll go ahead.”
“Wait. Hey. What are you talking about?” Joshua asks. “You can’t go there alone.”
“Jennifer will protect me. She can easily protect one, so let’s go there one by one.”
“But—”
“I like your idea,” Shaira cuts in. “Your clothes are okay now, so you’re good to go. Shoooo!”
“You really want me to die. I’m sorry but I’m not planning to feed myself to those beasts.”
“Whatever….” Shaira rolls her eyes. “What are you waiting for? Go!”
“Wait!” Joshua says. “Be careful….”
Vincent dashes toward the target circle as fast as he can. As expected, ten beasts quickly dive toward him, but as soon as he steps into the yellow circle, all the ten attackers turn into black boulders, and those not hit by Jennifer’s power immediately fall onto the ground. The yellow circle instantly vanishes as soon as Vincent steps out of it to avoid being squashed by one of the gigantic rocks. Ten more beasts turn into boulders and immediately rain down like oversized hailstones, one of them falling straight toward the blue circle where six persons are in. Everyone inside screams in shock while dodging it, and then manages to run away in different directions. Disoriented, Cristina and Mabel frantically bolt northwest toward a red circle about 30 meters away, dodging several boulders on their path. Kriz and Shaira scream as they race straight ahead toward the blue circle about 60 meters away. Meanwhile, Joshua and Jennifer dash toward the yellow circle they spotted before, still having no idea that it vanished the moment Vincent stepped out of it.
Stepping out of the safe zones poses a new menace—ten beasts immediately dive toward their respective targets. Three dart toward Mabel and Cristina. Another three chase Kriz and Shaira. Two rush toward Joshua and Jennifer, while the remaining two decide to hunt Vincent as their lone prey. Mabel cries in panic, thinking that her end is near. Flapping of wings gets louder while Cristina screams like crazy from behind her. Fortunately, she manages to step into the red circle. Cristina, however, is grabbed by one of the beasts by the shoulders. At the same time, Kriz and Shaira are also clawed and started being lifted off the ground. Jennifer luckily freezes her attackers and continues running toward Vincent after discerning that her target circle is already gone.
Vincent, at last, steps into another yellow circle. Straight away, the attacking beasts turn into large car tires, dropping Cristina, Kriz and Shaira onto the ground. Then, ten more turn into car tires and rain onto the ground. Two tires almost hammer Kriz and Shaira who are still lying on the ground, hurt and almost unconscious. Unfortunately, a tire slams into Cristina’s legs, breaking them and leaving her wailing in excruciating pain. Joshua and Jennifer manage to dodge the falling tires and finally step into the yellow circle where Vincent is in. Joshua expects another surprise rain but it doesn’t come.
A new set of attackers dives toward the players outside the safe zones. Upon seeing the threats, Mabel steps out of the red circle toward Cristina to drag her into safety. Kriz hurries to stand up, carries Shaira in her arms, and starts running toward the blue circle, now only about 20 meters ahead. Jennifer tensely shoots the enemies and luckily hits seven of them. Mabel succeeds in dragging Cristina into the red circle, but Kriz is snatched by one of the three remaining attackers while Shaira is still wrapped in her arms.
“NOOOO!” Jennifer shouts as she shoots the beast hauling the two ladies.
Desperate, Vincent steps out of the yellow circle and dashes toward another one about 15 meters northeast. Upon stepping into it, all the attacking beasts turn into golden swords, dropping Kriz and Shaira from a height of about 12 meters. From a distance, Jennifer shoots a stream of light orbs in an attempt to prevent the ladies from slamming against the ground. Just before hitting the ground, a light orb hits Shaira’s head, but Kriz falls straight down, cracking her spine and fracturing the bones of her legs. Then, another ten beasts turn into swords, rain onto the panicking victims, and two of them almost impale Joshua and Vincent, falling straight onto the yellow circles.
Mabel screams for help while Cristina is still wailing in pain. Seconds later, Kriz stands up in perfect condition, carries Shaira in her arms, and safely runs into the blue circle. At once, she uses her power to heal Shaira’s injuries.
“HELP US!” Mabel yells. “Cristina needs help!” Mabel’s fear escalates as she notices that the red circle they are in is starting to shrink. “HEEEEEEEELLLLP!”
Suddenly, several trees from the side about 40 meters ahead fly straight into the field as though they were blown by a violent gust of wind. About thirty seconds later, three figures emerge, running straight out into the open. Upon discerning who the newcomers are, Jennifer shouts in a strange mix of joy and apprehension.
“AERON! JORIZ! JOHNREY! RUUUUNNN! GET INSIDE A CIRCLE! NOOOOW!”
