Chapter 9

     Zayden’s hand reached out and smack Ahrio’s head, bringing him back to reality. “Do you want to die? Why are you giving her all the keys?”

     At this point, the woman had already received the keys. Ahrio realized his mistake but he didn’t know how to tell her so he just slowly pulled one key out from the set while the woman watched him, puzzled and wondering what the hell is wrong with him.

     Zayden immediately grabbed the key from Ahrio’s hand, annoyed at his starstruck expression.

     From a short distance, they suddenly heard a loud, explosive noise. A bomb that exploded. Zayden realized what that is in a snap and pulled Ahrio closer, handing the key back to him. Right this instance, arrows started shooting and flying towards their direction once again, causing them to separate from each other instantly.

     They run towards the finish line, into a row of locked chest boxes. Not far from where they’re standing, were body parts that were scattered into pieces and chunks. It didn’t take a genius to guess that those were the bodies of those players who chose and unlocked the wrong chest box.

     This is a game of pure luck. No mind games required; no puzzles that are needed to be solved. Just pure luck. Whether you chose the right box to unlock, that’s where their fate relies. But of course, there’s one more skill very much required to complete the game successfully. The skill of dodging and avoiding death by getting struck on your gut with an arrow.

     Ahrio was ahead of all of them since he was the one holding the key. He will also have to choose a chest box to unlock. The beautiful woman from the other team also had to the same. It is not an easy feat with all the arrows shooting at them. He glanced at the other chest boxes, pondering which one to open after eluding an arrow that was aimed on his head.

     Arrows after arrows were shot at them but they seemed to be expertly trained at dodging it after a few successful attempts from earlier. Even Blaize who’s carrying Jade on his back was able to dodge the arrows like he knew where those arrows are coming from.

     However, with all the flying arrows shooting at them, Ahrio couldn’t find the right timing to crouch and unlock his chosen chest box. So, in a split second, he picked up another chest box from the bunch and use it as a shield and occasionally is wielding it to hit those arrows so they drop on the ground without him getting struck by it.

     He crouched down and with a quick hand move, opened the chest box. It was so quick for him but for his group members, it was like a slow-motion, nerve-wracking moment as they wait for him to open the chest box and either say they succeeded or blow them up into tiny fragments, scattered up in the air before settling down on the ground below them. Just like the others.

     Some of the other groups were too afraid to choose a chest box yet. They saw Ahrio using the other chest box as a shield and at that moment, they knew the one he was holding does not have an explosive inside. It would have ticked off the moment he picked it up and started wielding it. So, they were watching him, waiting for him too because if he succeeds, they can just steal the other chest box he was using as a shield and be granted a ticket to the world of the living.

     Ahrio didn’t realize that though. He cursed mentally and just surrendered to his luck. He swiftly opened the chest box and heard the gasp from people when a written message pops up, “MISSION FULFILLED”.

     He turned to his members but was immediately alarmed when people started racing towards him. They pushed, stab, hit and killed the other players to stop them from reaching him. That’s when he realized that they were all aiming for the same thing. The raised, unlocked chest box on his hand.

     He turned to the beautiful woman and handed her the chest box without hesitation. Her eyes widened and gratefulness flashed in her eyes before she quickly opened it using the key. Then she raised it, as if to show to those people that it’s over. She got the chest box first.

     It was kind of too late though. There were only five of them left from the struggle and they froze when they looked at the chest box, already opened and then in a single moment was reduced into a dead body as arrows shot them in the head, in the eye and in all other lethal places of a human’s body.

     Now, she noticed that in other far corner were the players who were just standing there, watching with a hopeless, devastated look on their faces. Some were crying, shaking in fear and some just simply looked like they had already given up on their lives. They were safe in the corner as of this moment but once they made a run to towards the chest box, arrows will also start shooting at them.

     She noticed that they didn’t have any key to use and she hid all of the other keys Ahrio gave him earlier out of fear of getting attack if people were to steal them. However, this time, she felt sorry for them.

     She can save some of these people or lead them to their death still by giving them the keys. She sighed and decided to give that choice to them as she threw the keys up in the air so they can see it.

     She watched as many of them rush towards it, picking up a key while the others just remained there, totally resigned and ready to face death. She watched as some of them got shot by an arrow when they run towards a chest box, some made it, unlocked a chest box but only to explode into pieces mere seconds later. And she watched as a few of them survived, dropping on their knees, hugging the chest box that says they can continue living until the next game or more if they’re lucky.

     It was heart-wrenching to watch. She can feel the pain and the sorrow as her tears started to brim on her eyes. She looked away immediately to contain her tears back but a single, lone tear escaped when she turned her back.