One by one, they seized us and blind folded us once again. I couldn't tell where we were going but it was obvious it was the arena. I couldn't stop thinking about that girl, what did she have in mind? it bothered me to think I had to put my trust in her, but at this point it was better than nothing at all. At last the guards stopped marching and let go of me. I could hear my classmates around me questioning where they were but there was no reply. "Do you think they've gone?" "Where are we?" "Is the next game about to start?" The whole place buzzed with curious suspicions and yet no one dared to make the next move, that is until he did. "Argh! Dammit, it's either they say something or am doing things my way," Zane yelled. I patiently waited to know what he was up to, but what followed was a grunt, he sounded confused. I itched to know what it was, and I also feared to know the reason behind his sudden quietness. Let's say his curiousity got to me and I ended up taking off my b

I knew we were fucked. Talk about a ball chasing the others from behind. Things started to get a little trickier. While navigating my classmates to the exit, I noticed a sudden movement, which caused me to lose balance. “What the hell!” I cursed out of great shock. I wasn't sure what was going on at first and decided to halt in my tracks, but it wasn't just me; Zane also desperately tried to balance himself on top of the wall and turned to me, panting heavily as if he just saw his life flashed before his eyes. “Did you see that, Ande?” He yelled. “Yeah, and I don't think we're just seeing things?” I answered. Taking the next step felt like walking on thin threads, and it was more than frightening now that the wall didn't move like a snake patiently waiting to corner us. “Is everything alright there, guys?” Our attention is called back to the competition; I glanced back at the clock, noting that we were short on time; it was now or never. We had no choice. “We're alright, in a

As soon as it disappeared, panicked screams erupted from around. Exchanging worried stares with the others, I wondered what was going on. The only idea I had was that the appearance of the dead student on the screen must have reminded the other students that this was a death trap. “Shit,” I mumbled beneath my breath. It wasn’t the first death and wasn’t going to be the last. However, I thought that if we had a plan, we could lessen the number of deaths. It seemed hopeless now. I turned to the others. “Let’s go.” The screams didn’t still stop, making me wonder if I was just wrong and, perhaps there was an annihilation somewhere, which was impossible. The old geezer would rather we fought amongst ourselves, but it didn’t make sense for the former to happen since we still had time left. I needed to stop overthinking. As we turned a corner, three students stood in the middle of the road, having a discussion. Upon hearing our footsteps, they turned with panic-stricken expressions, which

His eyes narrowed, and I guessed he couldn’t see my features because I wasn’t facing the moonlight. I decided to use that to my advantage. “Where are you going?” “What’s it to you? Are you stalking me?” “It’s late. You shouldn’t be out wandering the hallways.” He crossed his arms. “And what are you doing?” Touche. I quickly thought of something to say. “I wanted to pee.” “I also want to do the same.” “You’re going the wrong way. The restroom is behind us.” At that moment, I suddenly realised I placed my foot into my mouth. The boy’s stance shifted as if weighing a decision, and just as I opened my mouth, he turned around and bolted. “Wait—” My voice caught in my throat as I realised I couldn't shout in the hallway. People could wake up. Quickly, I took off after him, footsteps making sounds against the floor. Despite the boy’s size, he was fast, like a missile. Whenever I thought I’d catch up, the gap will only increase. His running only confirmed my suspicions. Something wa

A word I was now used to and didn’t seem like I would avoid. I also thought it was a word that brought isolation, especially in a case I could quickly solve if I told people, but I had been threatened with being punished if I broke the deal. Also, I couldn’t risk it because I didn’t know if the punishment would only affect me or other innocent people. I couldn’t bear it if I placed them in that spot. So, I needed to solve the riddle quickly. Throughout the night, I did that as I lay on my bed. A face was round, but there was a mouth so it could feed. I thought about a coin, a plate, and even a steering wheel, but it didn’t feel like that was the answer. Was it something mechanical? Or something wooden? Or perhaps it was a metaphor?Or a description of a person? Maybe someone with empty hands, offering no treats because they didn’t have any? I wasn’t sure the riddle was that simple. Finally, I slept on it. The following day, after breakfast, the bell rang, and we went to class. As w