I woke up to the sound of subtle waves crashing against the shore. The smell of the ocean wafted into my nose, and my eyes were delighted to be opened. I noticed that it was early in the morning; the dew on the vegetation smelled fresh, filled with the scent of the earth. I find George and Bill still sleeping soundly under the palm tree leaves that we were in. Mosquito bites still ravaged our skin, but at least no one found us. I stretch my arms as best as I could under the cover. My bones creaked and popped; it felt really good. I take in my surroundings. Same beach, same artificial dome, and Sun, same everything. Wait. Where was the sandcastle? The sandcastle that we all built yesterday. It wasn't much, only a pile of wet sand and some leaves thrown on top of it, but it was something significant when compared to the flat beach. Where was it? I was sure that we built directly in front of us. I jostle George and Bill awake. Bill shot up from his sleep and directed his attention to me. George on the other hand: "Five more minutes. Please. Leave..me..al..o.ne.."
I hesitated to wake him up any further, but Bill showcased me some tough love. *Slap* Bill's right hand left a deep, red impression on George's back as he yelled, "GET UP YOU FUCKER!"
George flew awake, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???!?!?!" Bill silently pointed at me.
Before the scene could get any worse, I pointed my index finger to the ocean and asked, "Did we build the sandcastle there?"
Bill looked around, but George was the first to exclaim, "Holy shit! The water's rising!"
Bill nodded his head, "Yeah, he's right. I think the Game wants everyone to meet at some point."
I added some of my incite as well, "If the main driving force is the water level, then we can safely assume that the mountain range is where we should be heading." We all nodded our heads in agreement. I checked the number of people still in the completion. "There's only fifteen thousand left, and the number is rapidly decreasing."
Bill said, "I came up with something. Help me with it." He grabbed a thin but sturdy stick and drew the island on the sand. "Since we are on an island, we are surrounded by water. Common sense. But, I think that there is only one ocean, the one which we are on. That being said, there are still marshes, wetlands, lakes, rivers, and ponds in various locations laid across the entire island."
George caught on to what Bill was saying, "So, basically, we aren't the only ones that know that the push factor is the water. But, it also means that the closer we get to the mountains, the more players will monopolize the safe passes."
I added, "And, the only path to the mountains is the center. Through the desert." We all looked at each other. The outer paths or any curvature in the course would result in us colliding with water. There was no other option other than to comply with the game.
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Micheal Grey POV:
I've been looking at three children playing with sand and dosing each other with water by the ocean. *BAM!* My fist collided with the expensively decorated, wooden table. "What the fuck are they doing?! Don't they know that there are people out there that could be hunting them?" That was what I thought at first, and I still stick by it. But now, an interesting development has taken place. They noticed that the water level rises. I rubbed my hand together in anticipation; they only know that the level rises, but they don't know how or when it does.
The tides grow larger every second but are contained and released at random increments. But, lucky me, I have complete control over all of this. I just needed to find the perfect moment to release the water in their direction, so that it will force young Vincent to swallow his damn pill! I've been waiting so long for this; I will do anything in my power to get this situation right.
*Ring!* *Ring!* The phone vibrated on my desk. It was Angela. My face softened a little and my tone sweetened as I answered, "Hi, Angela!"
A sweet, shy voice answered back, "Do you...want to get breakfast?" My heart started to beat a little faster. Fuck. If my heart palpitated any faster, I would be getting heart attacks left and right.
"Sure! When?"
"Right now. I'm in the waiting area near the entrance of the building."
"I'll be there in three minutes, tops!" I cut the call and sprinted out of my office.
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Vincent POV:
"So, what do you guys want to do?" I asked, looking for any valid suggestions.
George perked up, "Why don't we try to gather enough supplies for all three of us, and then make weapons or something?"
Bill added, "Then, we should start hitting the road before too many people narrow into the middle section." We all agreed and split into three ways to find ourselves material, food, or anything that would get us past the obstacles that would deter our way.
I searched near the shore, while George gathered food and vegetation that might be useful. Bill went on the hunt for materials that could be used for making weapons. Near the shore, I found many instances where seaweed and kelp floated to the surface. I gathered all of them and placed them on the sand to dry. I also gathered seashells, wet sand, and large fish, which I caught with my hands. I skinned the fish and dried them off to the side like my grandfather once did. After many hours of prep, the seaweed, kelp, and fish dried in the sun. I then went back to the base and started a fire to help hasten the smoking process of the fish. It was a stupid move because other people could see the smoke, but I took the chance. Bill was the second to come back. He brought with him various amounts of sticks, regular sand, thorns, metal scraps, and twine.
I helped him fashion them into usable weapons like clubs and spears. We couldn't make more than that because of the lack of knowledge. In the end, we managed to scrape together two thin, clubs made of wood and thorns, and one spear made up of a solid two-meter (~6 ft) long stick and a sharp rusted, metal tip that we jabbed in there using a rock.
George came back next. He carried what seemed to be make-shift baskets made from the palm leaves. "Oi! I got us some berries, some weird-looking apples, and other weird-looking stuff!"
I asked him, "What's so weird about the apple?"
He tossed one over to each one of us and said, "They look a little elongated, green, and...right! They look like green squashes!"
I looked down at the fruit in my hand and said, "George, you know that this is a pear, right?"
George looked down into the basket full of pears and softly said, "You're right."
***
After we organized all the stuff we brought in, I told George to make the three of us three large, flat covers made from the same stuff he used to make the baskets. "What for?" he asked.
I responded, "When we have to walk through the desert, the sun's going to beat down on us. We might get heatstroke. These will prevent that a little." He gave me a thumbs up and focused back on the covers. His hands were really dexterous like he'd been doing that same motion for decades.
I took my own work. I packed the smoked fish, seaweed, and kelp in small pouches that Bill help make out of the palm leaves. The twins sure did know how to make them. They were really good at it too. I gently transported the fruits to the open sun and cut them up into little pieces with a broken shad of glass. The fruit would dry soon enough. When it does, it will be easier to carry.
***
When all was set and done, night had fallen. All three of us made final adjustments to the weaponry and food storage items. George and I got the two clubs, and Bill claimed the spear. We went back to the makeshift hut that we built yesterday and laid our supplies near our 'bed'. We ate some of the fried fish without any major complaints. Then, we slept.