Each team had a different colour name tag for identification. Team X had yellow name tags with their names. There are 40 teams in total — some were given letters while others were given numbers.
Unlike the forest, the grasslands had nowhere to shelter them. The screaming in the distance never ended after the first few hours. The land stretched endlessly, and Maya still didn't know where they had been taken, but she knew that they were still in a dome ten times bigger than the first location. Around them, dozens of participants ran desperately through the open terrain while enormous locusts hunted them from above.
Walter had only been gone minutes, but his absence already felt heavy. Nina was quiet since his death. No one said his name. No one wanted to. Only 7 of them remained now.
Their clothes were as dirty as their faces. The sweat on their faces causes their hair to stick. The buzzing continued overhead as they hid under some shrubs. Lena panted the most due to exhaustion and dehydration. She threw up when she saw someone drop dead in front of them, bloody and gasping for air as the poison consumed him. Jace held her closely. Rory suddenly pointed toward a giant screen positioned atop a distant tower.
"Look, a timer."
3:23:05 REMAINING
"Three hours, huh? These people want all of us to die at this point," Clarissa said, irritated.
Another participant nearby collapsed, screaming as several creatures descended on him. Adrian looked away immediately, holding onto Nina.
"Don't watch," Rory said quietly.
A loud bell suddenly rang, and the whole area went silent. The creatures stopped attacking. One by one, they lifted into the sky. The giant swarm began retreating as participants stared upward in confusion. Silence spread across the field as the buzzing faded.
Then the massive screens flickered. Director Hale appeared perfect as always. And beside her stood Sam. He wore a black suit and adjusted his glasses as he sat in front of the screen. Jace angrily got up, and Rory held him back.
She then spoke as though dozens of people hadn't just died.
"Congratulations, participants."
Jace wanted to punch the screen.
"You have successfully completed Wave One." Nobody cheered. Most looked horrified. "You may now proceed to the central gathering area."
The screen changed and a number appeared.
PARTICIPANTS REMAINING: 255
Maya stared in horror. Three hundred and twenty had entered. Sixty-five were already gone — dead in two hours. And this was only the beginning of Phase 1.
Twenty minutes later, the survivors gathered in a massive open circle near the center of the grasslands. The mood was strange. Some participants sat silently in shock, some cried, some argued, and others looked genuinely excited.
One young man, around his mid-twenties, nearby was laughing with his team. They were Team K with gray tags.
"We survived! We're gonna be so rich!"
"It wasn't even that bad," his friend said, "some people were just not meant for the hard life, pff weak."
They made Maya sick.
"They're insane," Clarissa muttered.
Maya glanced around the crowd. Then she noticed someone. A tall man standing alone, with broad shoulders, dark brown hair, a beard, and an athletic build. Older than most participants, maybe early thirties. There was something odd about him. He looked...unfazed, didn't seem panicked or worried at all, just having a neutral expression looking at other players...analysing them.
For a moment, he reminded her of Ethan. The way Ethan was strong leading the team, used to make everyone feel safer.
The stranger caught her looking and made eye contact.
Then, unexpectedly, He held up three fingers.
Maya blinked. "What?"
Immediately, Rory noticed and stepped closer holding her hand.
"You alright? Why was that guy looking at you?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"Friend of yours?"
"No."
"Good."
Rory didn't let go of her hand. She could tell he was jealous the why he grabbed her hand; she slightly smiled. His hand was warm, making her feel at ease for a while. She still remembered the kiss they had back in the first experiment after being chased by the bear-like creatures. But now wasn't the time to reminisce. Things are more dangerous this time around.
When she looked back, the man was gone. What did 3 fingers mean?
Director Hale appeared once more.
"Wave 2 will begin in 15 minutes."
The crowd quieted.
Massive wooden crates rose from hidden underground platforms throughout the field, filled with random tools and weapons. Participants exchanged confused looks. Blue boxes also appeared, filled with water bottles. Everyone ran to get water. Jace gave Lena his.
Director Hale continues, "In front of you are weapon containers. Every participant will receive one item. Weapons are for personal use only. Players are forbidden from sharing equipment with their teammates and trading with other teams," she paused for a moment, "For the final rule...no stealing is allowed. Failure to abide by these rules will result in elimination."
The boxes opened automatically. Inside sat hundreds of objects. Some looked useful, while others looked ridiculous.
"Participants must wear blindfolds before selection," Hale added.
Murmurs spread immediately.
"Each item selected will remain your property throughout the remainder of the challenge."
Participants lined up quickly in their teams. One by one, they approached the boxes, taking up the blindfolds and reaching inside.
When Maya's turn came, she pulled out a sturdy metal hatchet. Not ideal but useful. Rory received a long hunting spear.
"Hell yeah!" he said, smiling.
Clarissa somehow ended up with a heavy wrench, "Seriously?"
Jace laughed for the first time all day. Lena received a collapsible baton with spikes, Adrian got a small axe, and Nina received a large machete.
Jace got a chainsaw. Everyone else gasped.
"Bro, seriously? You're so lucky," Maya said.
Nearby, participants revealed increasingly random items: Baseball bats, Axes, saws, hammers, metal pipes, ropes, crowbars, etc.
One person from Team L cursed when he got a frying pan. His teammates snickered.
Maya glanced at the team beside them, Team W. She saw the same man, and he had a blow torch.
Then someone shouted, "What is this?" as they held up a syringe.
Sam spoke from the screen this time, "Five antidotes have been distributed."
Instant silence as the entire crowd froze, then murmurs exploded.
"Only five?!"
"You're joking!"
"That's not enough!"
Sam continued, "Each antidote contains two doses. Ten total uses. They are for participants exposed to locust venom. It only works 5 minutes after the person is stung, and they will be cured within seconds." Sam paused before finishing with a smirk, "Good luck everyone, and have fun killing those monsters."
The screens then turned off.
"Fun!?" Jace wanted to jump through the screen and tackle Sam.
Maya felt dread settle in her stomach. This was intentional. They weren't fighting the creatures anymore.
She then spoke, "They are about to start fighting each other, and the organization wanted that to happen."
Rory nodded in agreement, "Yeah, to lower the number of survivors and cause conflict among the teams."
Jace then spoke, "It's obvious, have you realized they have not said any rules against killing?"
Lena and Clarissa gasped at the realization. Maya held her hatchet tighter, and Rory held her shoulder. Jace looked down at the object in his hand that he found inside the chainsaw. Then, slowly revealed it, a syringe. Everyone stared.
"You got one," Lena said.
Jace nodded. He then realized he only had two chances to save his teammates if any of them got injured. Worse if he gets stung and has only one spare dose. He held Lena closely around her waist, his fingers slightly brushing her stomach. His heart pounding.
The seven of them stood together nervously yet determined, holding their weapons, watching the timer count down.
3:00:02
3:00:01
3:00:00
A bell rang and Wave 2 has begun.