To whom do we breathe for?
That every second matters
To whom do we live for?
That our life makes us patterns
Do we live for our sake?
or do we let others take it?
the life we hold, will we ever live it
or do we continue to live the life others let us fit?
---
Terror... It was the first thing people from the "room" saw as the last member of their team materialized.
Worriedly, the woman was screaming at the top of her lungs. It looked as though her death was something to be yelling about. None of the people in the room tried to stop her from screaming. They let her drain her energy until she herself decided to stop.
The realization dawned on her after having no more energy to scream for her life. She saw the pairs of eyes staring at her like a dumb woman yelling for no reason, thus feeling embarrassed about it. Her embarrassment didn't last long when she found out that she was inside a room she'd never been to before.
"W-Where am I?"
It was Mary. She was sure that she was run over by the speeding truck and that she had surely died.
On her side, standing arrogantly with both of his hands in his pockets, answered a man.
"You're in fucking hell, lady!"
Immediately, an office man who's around in his late 50's tends to Mary, reassuring her.
"No, no, miss. You're not in hell. This might actually be heaven!"
Mary wiped off the previous tears in her eyes and gathered herself together. Looking around, a particular face was recognized by her quite sharp memory.
"Aren't you the student..."
Interrupted by the sudden spring of a weird singing voice from the speakers installed in the large monitor, Mary shot her eyes towards the old man's shoulder, peering over to see what was going on.
Every person inside the "room" was watching the lyrics of the weird writings on the large monitor. While the singing was not bad, it sounded boring.
"How do we turn off that thing? Didn't you say we can go back home? Can't we go home now?"
A high school student was now eager to go home when Wil willingly let them in on some information.
"I only did it to motivate them to work hard," thought Wil. "By telling them that they can go home, they will do everything in their power to comply and assist us in winning our battle. I am not relying on them. I am using my brain by using them."
Upon recognizing his edgy thoughts at the moment, Wil straightened himself and acted normal. He was looking at Mary whom he became acquainted with after accidentally splashing juice on her clothes.
"Mama, I wanna see Papa! Mama, I wanna go home now!"
"Shut your mouth, kid!"
The gangster among them had been holding it in ever since he got materialized inside the "room." The kid had been crying about wanting to see his father, and his mother could not do anything to make the kid stop from weeping a total of ten people were present inside, including the invisible Berret, who was hiding among them. By turning transparently, he won't have to deal with the annoying bunch.
[Tonight's hunt is about to begin! Once again, you're called here to protect and eliminate! And we can't forget about the newcomers, of course! Welcome to all of you, dear survivors!]
[Trash of societies, the rich figure of the business world, no matter who you are or your position in life, death puts you all equally! However, even after death, hierarchy still exists! If you want to survive, strive! If you want to go home, fight! And become the strongest survivor in this team!]
All of them were given another chance in life. Another chance to fulfill their wishes and complete their unfinished business. However, by being called to the "room" they will be sent on a mission to eliminate a certain target.
[For tonight's hunt, this will be your target. Please eliminate the shown target in the picture before the given time runs out!]
[Target Name: Radiation Brothers]
[Target Description: Brothers of dimwits had accidentally exposed themselves to high radiation, which caused their body disfiguration. However, the stupid brothers had gained abilities in the process, making them a dangerous band.]
[Strive and survive!]
Another set of lyrics flashed on the screen and so another voice started singing. But this time, it was melancholic and sad. Like the person behind was singing them a funeral song— their death song.
"And the weapons should start to appear by... now."
As expected, locked weapons popped up, and a case with each of their names written on it came out of the wall. They walked towards the locked weapons, amazed, and tried to take it, but it was to no avail.
"Are these just displays?"
"Do we really have to fight those people on the screen?" said the student. "But I'm not a good fighter."
"If we're coming after them, the risk of us getting killed is there. It's kill or be killed."
"Hey," Mary approached Wil. "Where are we exactly?"
"Oh, hey. We're in Intramuros," responded Wil, putting on his useful eyeglasses. "Your briefcase should contain a unique technology only you can use."
On the briefcase's handle, a fingerprint sensor can be found. Mary placed her thumb on it, and the lock loosened. She opened the briefcase and found her unique technology.
"Oh, there should be a description of what your technology can do."
Without wasting any more time, the transfer started one by one. They hadn't even checked what was inside the briefcase and there were even some of them that did not bother to take theirs.
"What's happening?!"
"It's the dematerialization. We're being teleported to the place where we will find our target."
"Did I really become like that when I was being teleported here?"
Mary wondered, and seeing the transfer process made things even more confusing with questions piling up inside her head.
"Yes. Anyway, quick. Take your gadget and be ready to be transferred."
"Mama! I'm outside! Mama, i-it is a forest!"
"A forest this time?"
Wil's transfer also began. From his head to his feet, he was teleported to the designated area where they would have to find and eliminate the target in the given time.
[Time Remaining: 45 Minutes]
Unusual overgrown pine trees and oaks were the first things that registered to Wil's eyes once the teleportation was done. Abandoned old cars were parked everywhere.
"Hey," Mary walked towards Wil. "Didn't they say that we all died?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Then that means you died too."
"Couldn't get straight to the point, eh? If you're wondering how I fell off a building. It was by accident."
Wil learned what had happened in his first mission. What happened inside the room? He remembered everything up to the point when he was knocked out. The lady who was killed on the rooftop died again after luckily gaining a second life. Also, the killer, the professor that Berret slit the throat ended up in the "room" too. Berret finished the job.
The girl died and so was the killer. They will be reported missing back in their city, but people missing happen all the time.
"Oh, I see... Mine was a truck accident."
By thinking of what he wants to do, Wil can command his useful eyeglasses whenever he wants. However, with its limited functions, Wil can only do a few things that useful eyeglasses provide.
"Shh!"
Rustling of leaves happened 5 yards from where they were. Through the useful eyeglasses, Wil can pinpoint up to 3 people's locations within a range of up to 10 meters.
[Scanning surroundings, checking for any possible threat.]
[Scan complete.]
"Hmm, I guess it was just the wind."
Wil dropped his guard after that and looked back at Mary whose hand was pinching on his shirt's end while hiding behind him.
"Oh, uh, sorry."
The weak rely on the strong. And Wil will not be relying on anyone but himself. But does that mean he is weak for relying on himself?
Mary pulled away, looking around to divert the attention from her. She noticed something from afar. It was a shed.
"Is that a cabin?"
The towering and thick-trunk trees could not hide the fact that a cabin was built in the middle of the forest.
Bit by bit, careful as they should be, Mary and Wil approached the cabin.
"Once the cabin's within 10 meters of my radar's reach, I'll scan to see if anyone's inside."
"Where do you suppose the others are?"
From their far right, footsteps behind a small hill echoed. A screaming kid could be heard from the direction and it immediately gave the two the idea that the kid might be the same crybaby back in the "room."
Stealthily, the two of them hurried to the small hill to see and confirm their hunch. And to their disbelief, the mother and the child were captured by the same individuals shown before. And the terror on Mary's face once she saw how brutal the mother and son's situation was on their targets.
Laughing hysterically and playfully as they dragged the lifeless body of the woman and its now groaning child with all four of its limbs cut off, the merciless brothers proceeded to enter the cabin.
"Hah... Those two..."
While Mary was in a state of shock and utter fear, Wil remained calm with his heart beating loudly inside his chest. Even if he was calm outside, the thought of getting caught and suffering the same fate as those two could not quite escape his mind, thus making his heart beat faster, thumping wildly inside his ribcage.
"I get that they got here first before us, but that was too fast!"
"Probably because of the kid complaining about wanting to see his father."
Despite the terrifying scene, Wil did not show any sign of fear, so Mary began to wonder.
"How are we gonna use this gadget?"
"Leave it up to me."
***
The pictures shown on the screen were of three vicious disfigured brothers affected by intense radiation. Though only three of them were displayed, more of their kind appeared where Berret along with three more of the people from the "room" teleported.
Invisible to the naked eye, Berret safely stayed behind the three individuals. One was the gangster, the other was the high school student, and the last one was the office man who was age-stricken. As for the other three, they were separated from the rest of the group, wandering aimlessly around the wild forest where the absence of any other life forms did not bother them.
"This is stupid! I wanna go home!"
"Dude, we don't even know where we are!"
"The kid stopped screaming. Do you think something bad happened to him?"
"Nah, probably just lost the energy to cry anymore."
One careless step and one of them got caught in a trap.
"Ohh, ahhh! Get me down— ugh!"
Two accurate shots of arrows landed on the man's body and head, which quickly put an end to the man's life.
Seeing that their fellow human was instantly taken out after getting caught in a trap, frustration and paranoia rushed over their minds.
Should I go here? Or there? Do I have to hide? But where? These were some of the questions they had in their head as they panicked under the unknown danger lurking around them.
"Hihihihi!"
Behind the thick tree trunks was a figure of someone running around. Even though it was night when they were teleported to the "room" in the forest it was still bright with the sun getting ready to set.
"Fuck this! I'm outta here!"
The pair of helpless each found a little grotesque midget equipped with a scythe who proceeded to run and crawl between their legs only to cut both of their tendons.
"Argh! Shit!"
"What the fuck are those ugly pieces of shit?! Fuck! I can't get up! It hurts so bad!"
No mercy for such loudmouths. One's head got crushed by a mace while the other was picked up and sliced in half.
~