After making sure his brother was situated behind the hill Lance made his way up to stand alongside Steele. He was a lot like Josh, he was just a high school student who hadn’t been witness to such violence before in his lifetime, but he was different in a very important way. He had no question as to why he was eligible to join this world. He knew from experience that sometimes innocence was the price that needed to be paid for survival. So, he stood on the hill and would watch the carnage below, to learn and grow for his survival in this world of horror.

Logan turned to the factory as an angry shout came from within, ignoring the fat man’s body as it fell to the ground.

“Kwame!” a deep angry voice called out “I said you could play with him but no killing” The door to the factory flew open as a large gray man stepped out. Like Abuya had said this man, Stone, was in his rhino hybrid form, looking just like a rhino that stood on two feet. Logan charged forward with the same green energy that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight and crashed into the hybrid. Even though the attack was a surprise Stone was a team leader and had reached the second stage of the unlocked restraint. His instincts kicked in and he brought up his arms to block the attack and the momentum brought both of them back into the factory. Two men and a woman were in the open room the two leaders found themselves in.

Logan went for another slash with his arm but a kick to the chest from Stone sent him flying into the air. At this point Matt entered the factory and cast a spell. A crescent shaped blast of energy shot forward and struck Stone as he was sitting up but didn’t do any real damage against his rough skin. Stone managed to bark a short order before Logan came falling down in an improvised axe kick his leg covered with the green energy. Matt who hadn’t left the doorway jumped back outside as a beam of neon green shot towards him, missing him it blasted the door off its hinges.

Matt moved farther from the door, positioning himself right behind Toby who had just retrieved his axe from the gunman’s corpse. Readying for the enemy to come rushing out the door, Matt and Toby witnessed firsthand why they had chosen this factory to hide in. Besides the factory was a small lake, which now had water rising up and rushing towards the pair. Matt cast Seoshi and the pink dome appeared around the two just in time to block the tidal wave.

Instead of breaking against the shield the water began to flow rapidly around the dome. The dirty water and fast current left the duo unable to see their surroundings, so they missed when a young woman in loose clothing steeped out of the factory. With a few swaying motions from the woman, the top half of the water surrounding the dome rose up and became spears of ice. Before the water bender could continue her attack her instincts began screaming and she jumped back as two blue arrows came shooting past her.

Gwen stood nearly at the bottom of the hill now and had another couple of mana arrows heading towards the waterbender. She was easily able to dodge the arrows, but the movement caused her to lose focus on the ice spears which quickly reverted back to water. Gwen silently cursed her weak spell; she had taken it for its penetrating ability in trade of a fast-moving spell. Next to the water bender a man with snow white hair and glowing green eyes appeared from nowhere and shot a neon green beam from his hand towards the gamer girl. Jumping to the side Gwen let out a cry of pain as the beam struck her arm.

While they still couldn’t see through the barrier due to the waterbender’s stream, sound was still coming through very clearly. Recognizing Gwen’s cry of pain Matt dropped the spell and Toby jumped straight into the air. Once again in the unlocked mode, Toby was able to take in the entire scene in a fraction of a second even while launching through the air. Once he reached his peak around twelve feet in the air, he threw his axe towards the duo preparing another attack for his teammate. The ghost man grabbed his partner and the two vanished as if they were never there. The water that had been surrounding their barrier fell lifelessly as the axe struck the ground, the blade sliding into the ground up to its hilt.

Toby landed, leaving a small crater and quickly made his way to his axe, Gwen managed to get back to her feet and prepared another couple mana arrows. Matt slowly turned in a circle, trying to get a full look at the battlefield for the next attack. Unfortunately, it came from beneath him in a sudden wave. The enemies appeared behind Toby as he was trying to dislodge his axe, in one swift swaying motion the water bender lifter all the water around Matt in a small current that then froze solid. Matt was suspended in the ice, his spell book barely an inch from his finger, leaving him unable to cast a spell.

Toby managed to pull his axe from the ground and swung a large arc to bisect the ghost man behind him. The axe cut through easily but where it hit turned smokey and quickly turned solid once the axe was clear leaving no damage. With a triumphant grin the ghost man returned the attack with a blast from both his hands, sending the armored man flying into the factory wall.

Gwen seeing her teammates in trouble fired her arrows towards the waterbender and then another pair at the ghost man. Toby managed to pull himself from the wall as the enemy were dodging the attacks, he then charged forward and punched the large block of ice. A large chunk was blown away but the part that surrounded Matt directly only had a few fractures. Toby turned on his heels and went for a tackle on the ghost man. Matt wasn’t much of a frontline fighter, just wasn’t what his fighting style and skill set supported, but he was still a veteran of God’s world and had invested in his physical stats. That plus the boost from his Mamodo bloodline gave him enough strength to break through the weaknesses in the ice.

It would still take a short moment for him to get his book from the ice, during which the waterbender was attacking Gwen with a water whip. The gamer was doing her best to avoid the whip and launch counterattacks but her she was clearly running out of steam. The waterbender with her fluid fighting style was having no trouble dodging the projectiles and pressing her attacks. A vicious smile grew on her face as she thought about the pain shed cause the other woman, she wanted as much fun as she could cause before gaining those points. Her malicious thoughts were cut short as a gun shot sounded and a burning pain sprouted from her leg. Matt stood completely free from the ice, his book in one hand and a handgun in the other. The leg gave out and the waterbender fell as did her water whip.

Gwen and Matt didn’t hesitate and opened fire on the fallen enemy. The waterbender tried to get up and dodge but she wasn’t able to move fast enough and was soon pieced by bullets and mana arrows. A beep sounded on Team East America’s watches, signaling another death and another step towards survival.

On the other side of the parking lot the battle between Toby and the ghost man had been in full swing. With his earlier tackle Toby had confirmed his suspicion, since the enemy was part ghost normal weapons didn’t have any effect on him like Toby’s axe. Magic items on the other hand, like the enchanted armor Toby wore were more than capable of hurting the ghost man. This was evident from the punch Toby threw into the ghost man’s face, throwing the enemy to the ground. It was from his prone position the ghost man saw his partner fall to the ground. There on the ground he watched as the love he had found in this world of terrors was snuffed out under a cold barrage of bullets and spells.

The emotionless voice of god sounding in his head didn’t even give him the mercy of deluding himself that she might have survived such an attack. She had been here when he entered God’s dimension, when he had been at his lowest point, she was the one who gave him hope. The only reason he had the strength to fight for the future was because he knew his future would have her in it. But now she was gone, blown away in a matter of seconds.

Toby stepped above the fallen man, ready to strike the deathblow while he was still grieving his teammate. The ghost man turned to face the armored giant and Toby shivered as he felt his danger sense start screaming. The man’s glowing green eyes were now unfocused as he looked up from the ground. Before Toby could strike the ghost man launched from the ground towards him and vanished. For a second nothing happened but then the ghost man reappeared floating being the armor giant, something red was dripping from his right hand. Toby’s heart let out one last beat before it was vaporized by the ghostly energy.

By this point Gwen and Matt were rushing towards the fight, calling out for their teammate. They were too far to see what had happened in detail, but God’s voice confirmed their worst fears before Toby fell to the ground. The ghost man turned to the two who had taken his love from him all he could think about was revenge, but his instincts stopped him. With his newly awakened state he could sense that his time in ghost mode was running short, maybe a minute left at best. He would be able to take out one in that time frame, but he couldn’t guarantee both and he didn’t want just the two of them. No, he wanted the entirety of East America to pay for his lost love. So instead of attacking he flew in the opposite direction, turning invisible as he did so.

Matt began his healing spell before he arrived as his comrades’ corpse, he had heard the announcement, but he had to at least try. When the sword passed through the armor with no effect, Matt accepted the truth and let the tears finally fall.

On the hill overlooking the factory, Steele and Lance watched the fight with passive looks until Toby’s death. While Toby was the veteran, they had gotten to know the lease they were still saddened by his death. Not only was it a cut to their team power but he had truly come off as a reliable teammate. Behind the two newbies another stood watching. Josh had moved up and had been watching as his team fought not long after it began.

He stood silently, holding his wrist trying to stop the shaking but it was spreading. Not even fifty feet in front of him he had watched a fight that should only be in some kind of anime. This was what he was expected to face in this world? How? How was he supposed to survive against people who could trap him in ice in a second? And then pass through and rip out his heart in the next. How was he supposed to survive here? He was just a normal high schooler with the normal life of a high schooler. How could he Survive here?

It was the obvious answer as much as the question that caused his shaking. He needed strength; it was the only way he’d be able to survive. It looked impossible but he would have to become as strong as these monsters, to gain his own powers. How could he grow that strong? That final question snapped him out of his thoughts and his body stilled. A vague numbness swallowed his body and mind, he turned and started walking down the hill opposite the factory. He didn’t respond when Ashley asked what had happened. He didn’t respond when she started following him and continued to ask him what he was doing. She didn’t try to physically stop him, she just followed at a distance. She followed him back to where they had left the vehicles, where he opened the truck’s doors to reveal the brain-dead newbies.

Josh looked down at the two his mind still hazy, here lied his solution. He would kill a newbie and when they entered the lobby, he would be able to grow stronger. He would have to power to survive in this hideous world. All it would cost was his belief that life was sacred. Life would still have value; it would just be measured in points and ranked rewards. This was how he’d survive the next movie. Then the next team battle he could fight and gain even more. An endless cycle that allowed his survival.

He pulled out the handgun he had been given and cocked it. Numbly he questioned one last time if this was right. If he had the right to take a life of someone who had gotten such an unfair start to this game. This could be him if he had entered on the enemy team, or he could’ve been the fat man who had his head knocked off in an instant. One little change and he was the one whose life was decided by someone else. Numbly he decided it didn’t matter, this was survival not justice. Right and wrong were not things that he would have room for in this. Neither would he have empathy or compassion, all he needed was a willingness to kill. He pulled the trigger and he heard the beep from his watch signaling another point for his team.

He looked down numbly at the corpse that leaked blood over the leather interior. This was his life now, a heartless killer who felt nothing for his victims. He idly wondered if he should celebrate the points, he had just earned but as he looked at the man, he had just shot… he wondered if he had a family. He wondered if he had perhaps had a unique skill that had brought him here. Josh wondered if this man was worth the points he had just been given.

He wondered if anyone would even cry over the death.

“NO!” Josh screamed in anguish. With this shout the numbness that had surrounded Josh faded and tears began to flow. He wasn’t sure why, but that last question had struck a chord in his heart. He decided right then and there to cry for this man he didn’t know. A man who had simply been unlucky enough to find his end like this. Josh would be a killer to survive but he will not lose his humanity or empathy. Every life was precious, and everyone deserved a tear shed at their death. Damn to anyone who says otherwise.