Crackle! The sound filled the air as a flame came to life on the wooden logs, creating a warm bonfire.
Kalsie and the others gathered closely around the bonfire, trying to escape the cold winds that had left them shivering. In front of them, the expansive sea extended, its chilly breeze still brushing against them. Nevertheless, the bonfire provided a comforting source of warmth.
Furthermore massive, rugged rocks stood tall behind them, forming a sort of protective barrier.
With these natural defenses in place, any potential threats from the monsters would have to come from the sides. As an added precaution, as Kalsie instructed them they had scattered numerous wooden twigs across the beach.
These twigs, if stepped on, would emit a crackling noise, alerting them to any approaching danger.
As they sat together for a long time, a profound silence enveloped them, and not a single word passed between them as each person seemed immersed in their own thoughts. Even Kalsie, wearing an expressionless face, remained lost in contemplation, diligently adding twigs to the flame to keep it burning brightly.
Their minds were clouded with concern, nerves, and anxiety, grappling with the uncertainty of their situation. They found themselves in an unknown place, surrounded by a forest inhabited by creatures only witnessed or heard of in movies. The mysterious and potentially dangerous circumstances weighed heavily on their thoughts.
With no one taking the lead in starting a conversation, Jack couldn't help but express his amazement as he looked at Kalsie and exclaimed, "Wow... Going from hunting monsters to building a fire and setting up traps, I'm impressed! If you told me you were the long-lost brother of Mr. Lion Grylls, I'd believe it!"
A moment later, Job, warming his cold hands by the fire, wore a similarly impressed expression. "Even with years of tutorials from UTube, reaching this level of skill would be quite a challenge."
Kalsie waved off their compliments modestly. "You're exaggerating. My dad... taught me these skills, believing I might need them someday."
"Your father must be a really great person!" Jack offered praise but it was tinged with a hint of jealousy hidden from all but his sister, Nicole. But she kept her head down, silently absorbing the warmth of the fire.
While Kalsie remained oblivious to the jealousy hidden in Jack's tone, speaking about his father brought a touch of grief to Kalsie's face as he shared, "Was."
Curious about the change in emotion, Job asked, "What do you mean?"
"He is dead." He replied as his mind thought of the scene where he was grieving about his father's death and his mom, suddenly for some reason stranded him in such a dangerous place.
The atmosphere shifted instantly as everyone absorbed the news about Kalsie's father.
"I am... sorry. I didn't know that..." Jack apologized immediately, regretful for unintentionally reminding Kalsie of his loss.
"It's fine..." Kalsie's thoughts briefly lingered on his father before he continued in a quieter tone, "Well, I guess he wasn't wrong about such skills coming in handy."
A solemn silence settled over the group, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation.
Sensing the need for a shift, Kalsie redirected the topic, asking, "So... do any of you know how you all ended up here together?"
He knew the importance of obtaining even the slightest clue about their current situation.
"Sigh... It was--" Job took the lead, beginning to share his story.
Job detailed the moment they departed from the university and settled into his car with Nick. A mysterious figure, cloaked in black, abruptly manifested in front of their vehicle. Initial suspicions of a possible robbery triggered heightened vigilance. However, the situation veered into the unexpected as the cloaked figure uttered words that caused both Job and Nick to black out.
When they regained consciousness, they found themselves in the forest.
"'You both shall be my candidates,'" Job mimicked the stranger's words.
"Same thing happened with us!" Jack chimed in with a similar experience.
On their way home from grocery shopping, a woman clad in the same mysterious black cloak had appeared and spoken the same words.
After waking up in the forest, they had wandered aimlessly until they encountered Job and Nick, which eventually led to their life-threatening encounter with the monsters due to Nicole's startled scream.
"You are my candidate..." Kalsie mumbled as his thoughts raced as he heard their accounts.
'Mom...' He bit his lower lip, deeply pondering the implications. Although he didn't understand the full meaning behind these words, he was now certain that his mother had also been among the people who had sent them to this place. But he still can't figure out why they would do such a thing.
"What about yours?" Job asked him.
"My encounter... followed a similar pattern. I was at home, and out of the blue, a woman clad in a similar attire approached me," Kalsie shared, deliberately omitting the involvement of his mother.
Despite feeling bit guilty for concealing this information, he harbored no intention of arousing suspicion—at least, not for the time being.
Job let out a sigh. "Now the main question is, what does this 'candidate' mean... It feels like we're in some kind of survival-"
"Game?" Jack interjected with a touch of sarcasm before Job could finish his thought.
Job rubbed his temples and continued, "We're in an unfamiliar place, with strange monsters trying to eat us... and they're eerily similar to the monsters from a game I used to play. They were called Dead Walkers!!"
"Dead Walkers, huh? Thinking about it, it does feel like a game," Kalsie also admitted.
Curiosity got the better of them as Job turned to Kalsie. "So, what was that white orb when you killed one of those creatures?"
Jack's surprise was evident as he asked, "Wait! It wasn't just an illusion?"
"No, we all saw it, right?" Job glanced at Kalsie, hoping for answers. This question piqued Nicole and Nick's interest, and they eagerly awaited an explanation.
Kalsie sighed and replied vaguely, "I honestly don't know what to say. Whenever I kill those monsters, 'it' just enters me, and I immediately feel lighter and slightly stronger... but there's also a strange sensation in my brain afterward, so I can't be sure if it's harmful or not."
"It really does feel like a survival game!" Jack exclaimed.
"D-Does that mean we have to kill those monsters?" Nicole asked nervously.
Silence descended upon the group as they contemplated the idea of facing those "Dead Walkers" once more. The memory of their previous encounter weighed heavily on their hearts.
Seeing their wary and nervous expressions, Kalsie offered a word of advice. "I recommend not dwelling on the thought of killing those 'Dead Walkers.' We have bigger problems at hand that we must confront if we want to survive here."
Their attention turned to Kalsie, curiosity evident on their faces as they tilted their heads in question.
"What I mean is, we should focus on dealing with our immediate challenges." Kalsie sighed helplessly, gesturing towards the forest. His expression turned grave as he continued, "First and foremost, we need to comprehend the dangers hidden in that forest. It's unexplored territory, and we must never let our guard down since anything can happen to us."
He studied their faces intently before pressing on, "But before anything else, let's be honest with ourselves: Has anyone felt hunger or thirst?"