The silence inside the cave was absolute, broken only by the low crackle of the fire that Harry insisted on keeping small. He sat in the corner, stick in hand, sketching defensive diagrams into the packed earth. The strategy was clear: passive survival. If they stayed hidden long enough, time and hunger would eliminate the other competitors.
"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"
Smith's voice detonated through hidden speakers in the forest like a sonic grenade. Harry jerked, dropping his stick. His face went pale instantly. It was as if Smith were crouching right beside him, reading his most intimate thoughts.
"Dammit... I didn't foresee this," Harry stammered, his hands shaking. "He's monitoring our intentions. We have to scrap the plan and start from zero."
"Let's begin the first event!" Smith continued with sadistic enthusiasm. "There will be seven challenges, one for each day. You aren't obligated to participate, of course... but those who win will gain unique advantages. Hiding like rats won't protect you forever. The first prize? You choose: supplies, ammunition, or information. The event is called The Deadly Battle. The course was tailor-made, but a warning: it might not be a good idea to fall into the water."
A distorted laugh echoed before the silence returned.
"Crap, this changes everything," Alex stood up, feeling the weight of the pistol in his pocket. "We have to participate. If we secure supplies now, we won't have to take risks later when everyone is desperate and starving."
"You're right," Harry agreed, trying to regain his composure as a leader. "Maybe we can get water filters or something to preserve what we already have."
"Guys..." Foxy interrupted, leaning against the cave entrance. He spun his gold coin between his fingers with hypnotic speed. "I think we should 'get a move on.' If we stall too long, other groups will get there first and we'll lose our turn."
They left the cave under the moon's icy glow. The trek back to the resort was tense; every snap of a twig sounded like a gunshot.
Inside the hotel, the scene was one of moral ruin. Matheo, the CEO of the food security multinational, was kicking a leather armchair in the lounge. He was in shambles. The confrontation against the ex-soldier John's group had been a massacre; they had lost all the food and water backpacks that Dante had stolen earlier.
"We have to go to this damn game!" Matheo screamed, his face red with fury. Beside him, Léo—a young doctor whom Matheo kept under his "protection" in exchange for constant medical care—was trembling. Wanderley, a butcher from a neighborhood market whom Matheo had recruited for his physical strength, was wiping blood from a cut on his arm. The other three were administrative employees Matheo had forced to follow him: two HR analysts and an accountant. They weren't warriors; they were ordinary people whose fates were sealed by their boss's arrogance.
"But Matheo, what if it's a trap?" one of the analysts stammered.
"If I decided it, it's decided!" Matheo roared. "If we stay here, we'll die of thirst. Move!"
Matheo's oppressive behavior was the only thing keeping the group together, but it was a bond made of glass, ready to shatter.
The two groups reached the water park simultaneously. The place, which should have been a leisure paradise, now reeked of harsh chemicals.
"Look at that, we have volunteers!" Smith appeared on the LED screens surrounding the pool. "For the cowards back at the hotel, watch from the lobby! Start the show!"
Fireworks exploded in the sky, illuminating the Olympic-sized pool. The course consisted of floating platforms, rotating beams, and metallic pendulums swinging over water that was lightly bubbling.
"You must cross the obstacle course. Whoever finishes first takes the prize. Be careful not to fall; I don't want to spoil the surprise!" Smith cut the feed.
The groups glared at each other. Matheo stepped forward, trying to intimidate the youths. "A bunch of brats! You should be in school, not trying to play with the big boys!" he bellowed.
Dante recoiled, but Foxy only tilted his head. He was observing Matheo's employees. His eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, showed no fear, only a clinical curiosity—like a biologist examining insects before crushing them.
"I know you, Matheo," Harry said, his voice cold. "The CEO who uses food security to enslave suppliers. It seems your money is worthless here."
"Well, if it isn't the little Leroy boy," Matheo mocked. "Seems your blue-blood lineage didn't give you any muscle, did it?"
One of Matheo's employees tried to suggest cooperation, but Matheo silenced him with a shove. "Only I speak here! Understood?"
The signal sounded.
They bolted across the platforms. Alex's group was more agile, but Matheo's group was driven by absolute desperation. Halfway through, the first disaster struck. One of Matheo's analysts lost his balance on a rotating beam. He fell into the water with a scream.
Within seconds, the scream turned into a shriek of inhuman agony. The pool water had been replaced by highly concentrated acid. The man's skin melted like wax, revealing muscle and, shortly after, only bones that bobbed for a second before dissolving.
"THE POOL IS ACID!" Harry screamed. "KEEP YOUR BALANCE!"
Terror set in. During a jump between platforms, Wanderley, the butcher, tried to shove Alex into the abyss. Foxy, who seemed to be in two places at once, intercepted the move.
There was a brief moment where Foxy and Wanderley touched. Foxy didn't use his knife in an obvious way, but he struck a pressure point on the butcher's arm that made him lose all strength. With a calm, almost gentle smile, Foxy gave the man's shoulder a light tap, directing his fall. Wanderley plunged into the acid without Foxy even changing his expression. The other two employees, in a panic, tried to run and were struck by the metallic pendulums, hurled to their liquid deaths.
Alex's group reached the end intact, with only a few scratches. On Matheo's side, only he and Léo the doctor reached the final platform. Matheo reached for the button, but Dante, with his sprinter's speed, was faster.
CLICK.
"Congratulations to Team Alex!" Smith echoed. "Ah, I forgot to mention... those who lose the challenge are eliminated from the competition. And the survivors will be... terminated."
"What?! No!" Matheo screamed, but it was too late. Automated turrets descended from the ceiling. A red laser locked onto Matheo's forehead. He cursed the island, cursed the youths, and cursed Smith until the gunshots silenced his voice forever. Their bodies were mechanically pushed into the acid pool, clearing the stage.
Smith appeared on the screen, this time dressed as a clown. "What a performance! You won. What do you desire?"
"Supplies. And a way to keep them," Alex said, his voice steady despite the adrenaline.
"Bonus rule!" Smith grinned. "I liked the show, especially the silver-haired boy. I'll give you an extra."
They received backpacks filled with high-calorie rations and a high-tech thermal box capable of preserving food and water for days.
Back at the cave, the group was exhausted. The shock of seeing people dissolved alive weighed heavily on Alex and Dante. Yuki remained silent, cleaning Alex's jacket. Harry, however, was restless. At the bottom of one of the backpacks, he found an extra magazine of ammunition for the pistol.
How did he know we had a gun? Harry thought, but exhaustion was greater than paranoia.
As everyone settled down to sleep, Foxy sat at the cave entrance, looking at the moon. He didn't look tired. He looked... satisfied. The first day was over, and for Foxy, the game was only just beginning to get fun