by A. Anders
Setting that aside, I turned my attention to what had just happened. Immediately, I felt an idea surfacing.
“Could the roses be the cause of it?” I asked, not sure where I was going with the question.
“The roses?” Rose asked.
“Yeah. Because that’s the only difference, right? Everyone who gets a rose, lives.”
Thorin perked up. “Like an antidote to a poison?”
“Maybe,” I replied unsure. “Rose, how do you get them?”
“A bot brings them to me exactly how you see it. You really think it could be the roses?”
As she said it, I realized what that theory implied. If the roses were the antidote, then Rose would have to be immune to the poison. Though, I guess she did handle them. Maybe handling the roses was enough.
“So, what do we do, boys?” Brad asked, allowing his familiar smile to return.
“I think we should keep playing along,” Gray suggested.
“I don’t think so,” I countered.
“Then what do you suggest?” Gray spat, displeased.
“There’s a compound on the other end of the island. I saw it from the tower. It’s about four days away. Maybe we should head there.”
“What were you doing at the tower?” Brad asked with suspicion.
“Killing time. There’s not much to do when you’re not on a group date.”
That was kind of true. The complete truth would have been that I was exploring the island because I saw that people were dying and I was looking for a way out of here. Maybe I should have told them that. I’m not sure why I didn’t.
“And if the roses are antidotes, and we need the roses to survive?” Gray prodded.
I had no reply to that. It was a good point. If we needed to hold the roses to survive, then the only way of getting them would be to play along. But where would that lead us?
If we played along, there would only be one guy alive at the end. Considering the gamble, Gray must have liked his chances of being that guy. I wondered what Rose could have done or said to make him believe that. And I wondered if her encouragement had continued after our beach date.
Gray took my silence as resignation. “Then that’s what we’ll do. No more fighting between us,” he said, looking at Brad.
Brad nodded his head in agreement.
“…And we’ll play along until we find out a little more,” Gray concluded.
It wasn’t a bad plan. Play along, gain intel, and then make a decision when we knew more. I could support that.
We all headed back to the resort. I didn’t like the idea of Rose staying in her cabin by herself, so I offered her one of the beds in my room.
“No. If we’re gonna play along, then we have to keep everything the same,” she said.
“I can walk you back to your cabin,” I offered. Honestly, it wasn’t just her safety that I was thinking about. I was also hoping to spend more time with her.
“No. The pawns usually take me back. It’s a part of the game. But thank you.”
I looked into Rose’s sparkling brown eyes. I wondered if she would let me kiss her in front of everyone. I didn’t have to wonder long because she quickly pulled away.
Once Rose left, we all returned to our cabins. It felt like forever since I had slept in a bed. And after a long, rough day, I fell asleep quickly. I must have been exhausted because it took Pete to wake me up.
We had all agreed to go on like normal, so once up, I took a shower. Heading to breakfast, I found almost everyone already there. The only one missing was Brad.
With my food in hand, I wondered where I should sit. For the first time, everyone was seated at the same table. I wasn’t sure if I would be welcome, but Victor waved me over. It seemed that the one positive from last night was that we were now all on the same side.
It is amazing how short our hand holding lasted. Today was a group date, and I was one of the ones invited. How lucky was I to be chosen to participate in a life-threatening challenge against guys who were now fighting for their lives? Yay! I had to remember to ask Rose how she chose the daters.
However, maybe in this case, it was better to be included. Today’s daters were: Brad, Gray, Thorin, Bob, and myself. The ones excluded were Billy, Carl, and Victor. It was hard to believe that the next person eliminated wouldn’t be from the excluded group. Of course, when I saw how Rose was dressed for our challenge, I realized that the next person to die was most likely one of us.
Led to a clearing in the middle of the woods, we found Rose waiting for us, dressed in jungle fatigues. She didn’t look like her usual happy self. It was like all of the life had been sucked from her. As she spoke, it was never clearer than she was reciting a script.
“When I was a kid I loved playing capture the flag. And the guy who captures everyone else’s flags will be my hero.
“But there’s a catch. Everyone will get a gun with four live bullets. You’ll lose a bullet every three minutes. And every time you capture a flag you’ll gain an extra bullet.”
Rose paused. “Seriously guys, don’t hurt each other. I don’t know if I would be able to live with myself.”
Rose was in a crappy position, but it wasn’t like our position was any better. Magic dust couldn’t do much for a bullet to the head. Gray, being a gun nut, was going to be hard to beat this time.
The display on the grip of our guns led us to our home bases. Since we all headed in different directions, the game was not going to end quickly.
“Everybody ready?” Rose yelled from behind me. “Begin!”
I stood in front of my home base. It was a six-foot mound of dirt. Planted at the top of it was a flag on a wooden stick.
Having some experience playing capture the flag, I knew the basic strategy. I was supposed to go out on missions capturing other flags while never letting anyone close enough to take mine. Screw that! I was capturing my own flag and hiding out so that I didn’t get shot.
I climbed onto the mound and found out that it only looked like dirt. It was actually solid. And when tapped, it sounded like concrete.
The wooden stick was also not what it seemed. That was made of metal. And the flag that appeared to hang loosely from it, was attached with a strength that could only be explained by microfilaments.
A shot echoed through the trees. That didn’t take long. It had to be Gray. In this game, he would undoubtedly go on the offensive.
I again focused on my flag. It had to be controlled by some sort of releasing program. Maybe it released when the owner was shot. That would make sense, but I was not going to wait to get shot to find out.
I climbed on top of the mound. If anyone had their sight aimed at me, he would shoot now. I would never be a better target.
Knowing that, I had to move fast. I kicked the metal stick as hard as I could. The stick didn’t break, but the concrete did. It was only a little, but it was enough to give me hope.
Another shot fired. Was that Gray? How was he finding people so quickly? Maybe it was Brad. I couldn’t underestimate him.
I kicked at the stick again and again. It was loosening. When I heard rustling branches, I jumped down, putting the mound between me and the noise. But not wanting to leave without my flag, I grabbed the metal stick and gave a final yank.
When it came loose in my hand, I stumbled. Regaining my footing, I looked back at the mound. A thick wire stuck out from where the stick had been. Looking down at the metal in my hand, I saw that the two were attached.
I returned to the mound pulling at the wire. It came out easily, but the wire was endless. And the longer I stood around dealing with this new development, the more likely I was to be shot.
I thought about the gunman, and my heart raced. I thought about him hunting me. I thought about what it would feel like when the bullet entered me. But before I could think about any more, I was overwhelmed by the rich scent of mulch.
It was like the smell had always been there, but I hadn’t noticed it until now. Still pulling, I
looked around. The green leaves, the blue sky, everything was more vibrant.
I recognized what had happened to me. My senses had become heightened. I had switched into combat mode, and it felt like I was waking up from a long nap. I felt amazing.
Turning my attention back to the mound, I knew that I was running out of time. I was about to abandon my pulling when the wire stopped with a clank. Something metal had hit the inside of the concrete. Yanking with renewed strength, I pulled until the detached end flung out and fell to my feet.
To my surprise, the end of the wire wasn’t the only thing that released. The flag must have been attached magnetically, because as soon as it lost power, it was released too. Dropping everything, I retrieved the triangular flag, and I hurried into the woods.
I barely made it in time. From behind a tree, I watched Bob enter the clearing. He stared at my mound, confused. Getting closer, he examined it. Following the destruction, he was about to look up and see me, but I quickly leaned away.
I retrieved my gun from my waistband. It sat comfortably in my hand. I knew I could do it. I could get him before he got me, but what would I gain? If shooting him released his flag, it would make it free for anyone walking by. That didn’t do me any good.
I checked my gun’s display. Three minutes had gone by. I only had three bullets left.
I returned the pistol to the back of my pants and waited. Again peeking out from behind the tree, I saw that he was almost on me. Taking a deep breath, I got ready.
When I stepped out, I was two feet in front of him. He was startled. I swung for his chin and hit him, but Bob was big. The blow barely shook him.
Moving fast, I grabbed his wrist, the one that held the gun. I spun. With my back to him, I elbowed him in the neck. I thought he staggered back, but he didn’t. Before I could react, his bicep had locked around my throat.
I had made a rookie mistake. I was out of practice. Bob was a large man, and I hadn’t accounted for that. But Bob had made a mistake as well. He had turned this fight into a battle of weight, and that was to his disadvantage.
Lifting my feet off the ground, I shifted his weight forward. When he stepped to regain his balance, I stuck my foot between his legs. Tripping him, I grabbed his arm. As he fell onto me, I threw the big man over my back.
Bob let go of my neck and hit the ground like a sack. The air bellowed from his lungs. He was dazed. I stepped over him, withdrew my gun, and aimed.
I caught myself when I realized that my instincts had taken over. Looking down, I saw where the barrel was pointed. It was at his head. I was going to kill him. I didn’t want to do that.
Options flew through my mind. Each was more lethal than the next. I didn’t want to do any of them. But when his gun suddenly appeared, pointed at my head, I only had time to react.
Without thinking, I lunged for his wrist. Twisting it, he dropped his gun into my hand. With him squirming to get away, I pointed his gun at him and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, and Bob groaned.
Knowing the fight was over, my senses snapped back. I was again in complete control, but I wasn’t sure what I had done. Fearing the worst, I searched Bob’s body for the wound, hoping it wasn’t fatal.
It was his right shoulder. All I had done was defend myself. With a little magic dust, he was going to be as good as new. I sighed in relief.
With Bob disarmed and wounded, I realized that his flag would be loose. If anyone was going to get it, it may as well be me.
I left Bob on the ground and crossed the clearing. Moving quickly through the woods, I fumbled with the display on Bob’s gun. It was showing the number of shots remaining. He had two, but I needed the map that led back to his flag.
Finding it, I pointed the barrel in front of me. An arrow appeared on the map. I followed it. As I did, I checked the shots in my gun. I still had three left.
I arrived at the Bob’s mound seconds too late. Brad was retrieving Bob’s flag. He must have been thinking that it was his lucky day.
I lifted a gun and aimed it at Brad. He was in my sights. I could have taken him out so easily. I could have shot him once and disarmed him. I then could have taken Bob’s flag and then used Brad’s gun to find Brad’s flag. It would have put me in the lead.
As I watched Brad climb the mound, I lowered the gun. I didn’t want to do it. Sadly, Brad was the closest thing I had here to a friend. I wasn’t about to snipe him from the woods.
Yes, I knew that Brad probably didn’t feel the same about me. He wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me if the situation was reversed. Perhaps this sort of thing was exactly why the producers hadn’t expected me to survive. But… umm… Ah hell!
I lifted Bob’s gun, took aim, and pulled the trigger. Gunfire exploded. To my surprise, it wasn’t from me. The hammer on my pistol hadn’t discharged.
I looked up at Brad. With Bob’s flag in hand, he was scurrying for the woods. Gray was two hundred feet behind him. He had shot at Brad and missed. Now Gray was chasing him towards my home base.
Gray was a man I had no problem shooting. Taking aim, I reconsidered. Gray was the better marksman, and it looked like he already had a flag. It must have been Thorin’s.
Maybe instead of chasing after both of them, I should find Brad’s flag and wait for Gray to do what he did best. After all, wasn’t that the best way to survive this game, by using brains instead of bullets?
I turned on the map on both guns. I allowed them to point me to each of their home bases. Assuming that all of the bases were arranged in a circle, and that Brad’s was the next one over, I again entered the woods. It didn’t take long for me to find a concrete mound that looked exactly like the previous two.
Considering the flags that had already been captured, the one in front of me had to belong to either Brad or Gray. I considered yanking it out of the mound like I had done my own. But thinking that I should, at least, pretend to play by the rules, I got comfortable and waited for a gunshot.
I didn’t have to wait long, though. I heard three quick shots and then a fourth. After that, I reached up and effortlessly collected the flag.
My guess was that Gray had chased Brad to my mound. Slowed by the confusing destruction, their shootout happened there. Brad emptied his cartridge, missing Gray. With his competitor out of bullets, Gray walked in, shot Brad, and stripped him of his gun and flag.
With Brad’s gun, Gray was probably headed here next. With Brad’s flag gone, he would race to the only remaining flag, his own. That meant that I had to make a decision; either I would ambush him here or at his home base.
I looked down at my guns’ displays. Bob’s gun had no shots left while mine had two. My extra shot had to come from retrieving the flag. That meant that with all of the shots that I had heard fired, Gray had only one shot left, at most.
Even better news than that, Gray’s remaining shot was on a timer. He only had three minutes to use it. It could take him half that time to get here. By the time he arrived at his home base, he would definitely be disarmed while I would still have a shot left.
Realizing that made my decision easy. I would ambush him at his home base. Running into the woods, I was confident that I was about to win the challenge.
What I didn’t anticipate, however, was how long it would take me to find his mound. I thought that I could just continue in a circular direction. That was a bad plan. Why? Because the mounds weren’t equal distances apart.
Instead of facing Gray with an advantage, I had wasted my two shots wandering through the woods. Considering his display would quickly lead him home, by the time I found his flag, he would by lying in wait. Great!
I was two hundred feet away when I finally spotted Gray’s flag. Its yellow cloth whipped back and forth taunting me. My heart thumped soundly, but this time it wasn’t overwhelming. It was a welcoming feeling. How many times had I been crouched behind a tree or rock planning my assault on a target? I had forgotten what it felt like.
I hid behind a tree and stared at the flag. What
would I do if I were on a battlefield? I wondered. I would have sent men to flank him while I attacked head on.
Okay. Well, that wasn’t an option. I had to work with what I had. What did I have? My guns were empty, and he was somewhere out there, waiting for me.
The element of surprise, that’s what I had. And with his guns timed out, I also had a level playing field.
I moved in fifty feet, ensuring that my flanks were clear. I didn’t know where he was hiding, but it had to be close enough to counter an assault on his home base.
Screw it! I thought. The hell with tactics. I’m just gonna walk up and get the flag. What can he do? I would welcome a little hand-to-hand combat.
“Gray, you out there?” I yelled.
He offered no response.
“You know what I want, right? And I think that there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
I was taking a risk by talking, but I needed to draw him out.
“I have all of the flags you need, including my own. You want them? You’re gonna have to come and get them.”
Prepared for anything, I stood up slowly and looked around. I wanted to see movement. I needed to know where he was.
Bang! Just as I stepped forward, I heard a shot. Dust flew up beside me, and I crouched behind a shrub.
How the hell could he still have shots? All of the guns should have been timed out.
Bang! Another shot. The shrub just behind me shook.
Now I knew which direction he was shooting from. I stood up and ran. A third and fourth shot. I again dove behind a tree.
Of course! I thought. Mustache Gray was a gun dealer. If anyone would know how to hack a gun’s safety program, it would be him.
Another damn rookie mistake? I was likely to get myself killed at this rate. I had truly gone soft. No more, though. I was ready to win.
Twelve shots. That was the most he could have between his three guns. Two shots were fired when he took down Thorin. Four shots were fired when he took down Brad. He just fired four more. And considering that he probably got a bonus shot for each of the two captured flags, he had a maximum of four shots left.