My legs feel like they're bent the wrong way. My eyes are still shut but I have to open them eventually. Blood, all I see is blood. My legs are also, as I suspected, twisted wrongly. They aren't broken but they are definitely dislocated. I dodged the grips of hell by a hair, this was the best case scenario if someone threw a damn grenade directly at you. The man is still off in the distance, looking from afar. I'm not dead just yet is all I can think. He mustn't be the brightest.

He begins to approach me, I lay unmoving, pretending to be dead. There isn't any way out of this no matter what I do but I still need to try. He takes a few steps closer towards me, coating his shoes in blood. I can feel the life draining from me alongside my blood.

*booom*

An explosion goes off in the distance. I guess the first few players had finally started. I'm sorry, Charlie. The plan failed.

"She's dead... Right?"

It was the man from before but I could no longer open my eyes and my body was getting weaker and weaker as time went on. I feel a slight nudge at my side, it feels like a boot but I can't be entirely sure. The guy starts patting me down all over. Relief flowing over me because he just wants my grenade, pulling my last grenade out of my left pocket, I hear the pitter patter of his shoes as he turns and leaves.

"I know you're alive." He begins, I hear annoyance in his voice, "This might hurt a bit, endure it!"

I open my eyes even though it hurts so much, what was he talking about?

A grenade! A grenade was going through the air! My aching eyes home in on the small black spheroid on its way, directly where I'm lying. I desperately try to move away but I end up just flailing my limbs slight. This is it, the end. I was about to close my eyes and accept my fate when I see Charlie stumble around the wall. No! Charlie... Don't come near me! I don't even have enough energy to voice my concerns and now Charlie was going to die needlessly. He's running now, a speed much faster than I've seen before. The grenade and Charlie are now mere meters from me. Tears well up in my eyes, how did this go so wrong?

Charlie crouches down beside me but doesn't look at me, he's looking at the grenade and he's concentrating. Lines form on his forehead as it seems he's trying to figure out something. The grenade is now only two meters away. Charlie throws his right arm out and he lines up perfectly with the grenade. The grenade hits his hand and I prepare for an explosion but none happen. Charlie's matching his hands speed with the grenade! As the grenade rests in his palm and his hand goes towards the ground with it he slowly slows down his arms speed before there's a light thud on the ground. HE CAUGHT A MOTHERFUCKING GRENADE! Charlie is smiling as he seems satisfied with his plan going well and the he flings it at the flabbergasted guy that threw it at me! Charlie actually can be pretty cool...

*boom*

The guy wasn't as lucky as me.

Update!

Charlie has used incredible intelligence and luck to return the enemy's grenade!

Hackers begone!

11 down, 23 remaining. Blue only has 5 players left!

Confirmed dead:Cameron - BlueEric - BlueStephen - BlueJose - BluePaul - BlueDebra - BlueChristina - BlueElenor - BlueRonald - BlueRyan - BlueSamuel - Blue

I can still see the box even after I close my eyes. I just don't have enough strength to keep them open. Cameron, huh? I'll remember that name.

"Crystal, this going to hurt a bit but you'll be fine," I feel his touch on my leg, both his hands. I guess he figured out how to use both arms again, he re-positions my leg and then, pain. My leg must have been attempted to be put my knee back in. I feel a click on the inside of my knee as it must have went back in, the pain mostly gone at this point. I feel his soft gentle touch on my other leg almost begin to blush before I remember where this was going. I feel the same searing pain in my knee again. I let out of muffled yelp but Charlie had already covered my mouth to prevent people from hearing me. Or at least, that's what I hoped. No, I dismiss the dirty thoughts in my head that were forming and I can feel the strength returning to me.

What about all the blood though, shouldn't I be feeling anemic and dying here? I bring myself to my knees and sit on the ground, a puzzled look must have escaped my stoic expression because Charlie was just rolling on the ground laughing. He does realise he's getting covered in my blood, right? Charlie really was strange.

Having stopped laughing, Charlie got up and then proceeded to help me up. I was still unstable so I was resting partly on his shoulder. It was really easy to tell the difference between our height when we were like this. He was a head and a half taller... I really am short. Sighing dejectedly I see 20 or so metal fragments clinging to my skin with a few drops of blood seeping out. I begin to pull them out because I really can't keep them in my skin. Charlie sees what I'm doing and he helps me out, before long I was back to normal.

"Thanks Charlie, I almost died back there." I wanted to say more but nothing really came to mind.

"What do you mean?" He asks, grinning.

"For catching the grenade and saving me, obviously!" I retort in a joking manner, more as stating the obvious rather than answering his question.

"Huh? I just didn't want to waste my last grenade. I didn't see you there." He's smiling and cheerfully laughing. He seems a lot more friendly than earlier. Was he closing himself up?

***Perspective Change***

After I'd saved Crystal and fixed her legs she was completely fine, just a bit shaken up. Although I remember two soft mountains smashing my head into the ground, knocking me unconscious, I decide to not mention it as she might get incredibly embarrassed and be less useful in the upcoming battles.

"Crystal, you're good to go, right?" Although the game must have had an incredibly sped up regeneration rate and her wounds had already closed and healed up, I was referring to the emotional damage of almost dying in a pool of your own blood

"Yeah, I'm fine. My legs don't even hurt now!" She sounds excited, that rules out emotional trauma.

"Alright, let's go. There will be five people at the last Wal-

*booom*

Update!

Scott from the red team has killed three people with a single grenade!

That all you've got?

14 down, 20 remaining. Blue only has two members left!

Confirmed dead:Zach - BlueRiley - BlueTiffany - BlueCameron - BlueEric - BlueStephen - BlueJose - BluePaul - BlueDebra - BlueChristina - BlueElenor - BlueRonald - BlueRyan - BlueSamuel - Blue

""Fucking Scott."" Crystal and I must have had the exact same thoughts running through our heads. More importantly, what was blue team supposed to do with only two members left?

I feel the ground rumble a little bit as a few more explosions go off in the distance. No message had popped up so maybe blue could still deal with Scott and survive a while longer.

Crystal and I were growing restless not doing anything but waiting so we voiced possible options, "Right now, we've only got one grenade. It's resting in my pocket, what we can do is, hope that we can can take out blue with this single grenade and hope they still have a few or we can go back the way we came and take red out on the other side where there's no conflict going on." I explain, "I personally pick going back to red. What about you, Crystal?"

"Red, Blue's too uncertain."

"You're right," she really is on the same wavelength as me, "Let's go!"

We run behind the wall again, I never saw anyone in the middle. I guess Scott went for the same strategy as us, the outside of the triangle.

Heading anti-clockwise or rather, right, we start heading back to our territory at mild pace. I don't hear anymore explosions anymore so I assume that the blue pair is in a stalemate with Scott.

“We should be able to get to the first Red wall in a minute and a half!” Crystal informs me.

“Okay, before we get to the Red wall, we’ll take the 3 grenades at our right wall. 1 for me and 2 for you, 2 each.”

“I already planned on it!”

“Great.”

We pass the last blue wall and start crossing the gap between blues wall and ours. Crystal and I instinctively look towards the center for any movement. I hear a boom and a soft flash comes from over near blues last wall.

Update!

Elizabeth from the blue team has killed two people with a single grenade!

It’s getting worse?

16 down, 18 remaining. Red has 14 members left!

Confirmed dead:Scott - RedJohn - RedZach - BlueRiley - BlueTiffany - BlueCameron - BlueEric - BlueStephen - BlueJose - BluePaul - BlueDebra - BlueChristina - BlueElenor - BlueRonald - BlueRyan - BlueSamuel - Blue

We silently cheer as more people are taken out of the game, making it easier for us in the long run. Scott was too reckless, he most likely just threw the grenades at the wall until he ran out making him an easy target, no strategy involved.

We finally cross the gap and are back in our territory. No one in sight, phew. We keep running anti-clockwise to get to our middle wall. It shouldn’t be long now as well have already crossed half the gap between it and the outside wall.

At last we arrive only to discover 3 people crouched behind the wall, all men. They haven’t noticed us yet and they look like they really don’t want to be here. Crystal smiles at me and nods. I’ll help them out. Throwing the grenade at them it hits the wall and rains fragments down on them, shredded to pieces and all within the lethal range.

Update!

Charlie has killed three people without detection!

Ninja?

19 down, 15 remaining. Red has 11 members left!

Confirmed dead:Justin - RedHayden - RedMatthew - RedScott - RedJohn - RedZach - BlueRiley - BlueTiffany - BlueCameron - BlueEric - BlueStephen - BlueJose - BluePaul - BlueDebra - BlueChristina - BlueElenor - BlueRonald - BlueRyan - BlueSamuel - Blue

The game was really starting to heat up and we had only just got past half of everyone. Blood splatters were against the wall but there were no bodies to be found. Odd. It didn’t matter though, we needed to keep the edge on our opponents so we need to continue heading towards the reds base and collect the three grenades on the way. There wasn’t that much of a distance left as the other wall was already in sight as we crossed the gap. Arriving we grabbed the three grenades, it didn’t take more than five seconds as we got up and started stealthily approaching the red wall.

*** Perspective Change***

What the hell is this?!? A game with grenades. No guns. No swords. Just fucking grenades? Whose idea was this? More than that, three teams but they aren’t even balanced! 16 Vs. 16 Vs. 2! What the hell is this?

It was terrifying, here on the red side there hadn’t been much action but everyone was anxious. Two people, on the nameless team, were killing everyone! They had went for blue first and almost taken them completely out! They might have stopped attacking them but that was even worse in many ways. We have no idea where they are or what they’re doing now, I mean they might eve-

*boooom*

It came from the nameless territory, didn’t Justin and the boys head out there at the start of the game?

Update!

Charlie has killed three people without detection!

Ninja?

19 down, 15 remaining. Red has 11 members left!

Confirmed dead:Justin - RedHayden - RedMatthew - RedScott - RedJohn - RedZach - BlueRiley - BlueTiffany - BlueCameron - BlueEric - BlueStephen - BlueJose - BluePaul - BlueDebra - BlueChristina - BlueElenor - BlueRonald - BlueRyan - BlueSamuel - Blue

“OH SHIT, JUSTIN’S GONE!” I shouted, “They’re coming everyone get of here!” I attempt to warn everyone but they’re all too scared to do anything, “If you stay you’ll die, Charlie’s coming!” It was my last attempt and it worked.

Everyone started heading deeper into our own territory. “Did someone get the grenades?” If we don’t have them, we’re screwed.

“Yeah. I got two, April got the other one.” It was Ethan that responded.

“Okay good, we’ll need them so keep them safe.”

Arriving at the middle, I saw that there were three people, along with our five we should stand a chance against the Demons heading over.

“Marcus, what are you doing here?” The question was directed at me, It was Howard that asked.

“Those two bastards got Justin, we all saw the message.” I stated and got a few nods the others around us, “They’re on their way, we need to come up with a plan!”

“I know. Maybe we should not stand all together otherwise a single grenade out of nowhere will kill us all.” Howard suggested.

“That’s good, how many grenades do we have, though?” I ask.

“Six, why?”

“Six of us can have grenades while the other two can be bait. If we are all apart it will be impossible to stop us getting them. Think about it.” It was a really good idea that I thought up at the last minute.

“Alright, we don’t have a choice. Who wants to be bait?” Howard announces.

*Silence*

“I see.” Howard seems upset, “I’ll do it then, anyone else?”

“I will too, the rest get the grenades.” I may as well help. It was evident no one else was going to be bait so I had to step up.

“Alright, how long do you think we have?” Howard asks, towards no one in particular.

April responds, “If they were heading right over here then only three minutes at best.”

“Shit, maybe the others were caught by surprise. We just have to hope we can pull this off.” Howard seems less and less convinced that the strategy was going to succeed. He had even convinced me that it wasn’t going to work.

“Everyone, in position. You’ll all separate and make a hexagon. Marcus and I will go and lead them over and by the time they realise it will be too late.”

“”Alright!””

Everyone cheered in unison and then I ran up to Howard and we began running back towards the nameless territory.

***Perspective Change***

Crystal and I were at the outer red wall now, however, there was a problem. There wasn’t anyone here! We searched all around the wall, had our grenades at the ready, yet nothing. No one to greet us, no grenades at the wall, NOTHING!

“Crystal, should we head towards the middle wall?”

“No, there will be too many people at once. It would be too dangerous, don’t you think?”, Damn. She’s right. If we do go then we might be facing seven to eight people. Way too much, if you ask me.

“Alright, what do you propose then?” She appears to be thinking deeply about my question. The main reason I think this is because her forehead had wrinkled up and a vertical line appeared between her eyebrows.

“Why don’t we just head back to our outer wall and wait it out?”

“And why should we do that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No? Is it?”

“If we wait at our wall, the others will kill each other. If we also stay in the same spot, isn’t it more likely that red will send out small scout groups to find blue or alternatively, us?” Dammit! She outsmarted me, I didn’t even consider it.

“Uhh, ohh, yeahhhhh… I had already thought of that.”

“So, should we do it than?”

“Why not?” I ask with a cheerful laugh. It then dawns on me that I probably seem like a psychopath considering that I’m laughing in the middle of an ‘Arena of Death’.

“Okay, If we hide on the inner-side of the arena, against the wall, we should avoid detection because everyone is moving around on the outside.”

“Alright, we’ve got this.”

***Perspective Change***

Arriving at the outer wall in Red Territory, I notice that no one had been here yet.

“What should we do, Howard?”

“We’ll behave like good little bait and keep going until we find them.” He said, almost sounding sarcastic, but I knew better, he wasn’t. I take the next approach then,

“Howard, the other wall is about 50 meters away.”

“Okay. Marcus, we’ll need to approach carefully this time.” He begins, “If they’re there we’ll need to get them to see us. Understood?”

“Understood. What do we do when they see us?”

“We run.”

I thought that the plan I was entrusting my life with would be a little bit more complicated than ‘When they see you, run!’ but I can’t blame it. We didn’t have much time to come up with a strategy, it’s amazing we even have one.

We start running across the gap towards the next wall. When we are within about 10 meters we both slow down. Whatever is here, it’s going to be dangerous. We creep towards the wall and look at the side where the grenades usually are. They grenades are still gone from when we took them to the middle wall, just before. It would have been worse if there were grenades against the wall. We’d be confused how they got there and if they re-spawned or something. Looking around we both come to the same conclusion,

“”Where the fuck are they?””

It was simultaneous. At that moment, from the direction we came from, I heard footsteps. We both attempt to hide but it was too late. The first person I see is a young man. He has was of average height and was quite slender. He flicks his brown hair to the side as it had slightly obstructed his vision. He wore what one might call an arrogant smile.

To his side, from behind the wall, emerged a young Asian girl. She had dark brown hair, or perhaps it was black? Like all Asians, she most likely had brown eyes. She was also staring at us with a smile on her face. At this point my eyes also rested on the peaks of twin mountains, serene and side by side.

It was the fucking salients. The abnormals. Those who should not exist and should have been split up onto a team each. Charlie and Crystal.

They knew we were coming, somehow, and they lay in weight for their prey, us. Howard and I continued to stare at them for a while longer. Charlie's smile never faltering, nor did Crystals. Howard stared directly into my eyes and we both nodded and at that point, we ran.

When we started running, Charlie and Crystal stay unmoving. Howard and I were confused but we absolutely didn’t want to stop and wait for whatever they were planning. Howard had started deviating a little bit away from me and I was a bit confused but then I understood what he was doing. If we are too close we might both die at the same time causing our baiting plan to fail.

I look over my shoulder and feel regret. Crystal, she has a grenade in her hand and she’s getting ready to throw it. When it became apparent that she was going to throw it I leap with all my might to my left, Howard being on my right.

On impact with the ground, I tumble a bit and feel my organs sloshing around. That can’t be healthy.

*boooom*

I see an arm fly through the air and land in front of me. Gross, it even appears to be twitching slightly. Better him than me, I suppose. Getting up I start running I really need to get away and lure them back otherwise red’s completely finished. Managing to start running I feel a warm electric feeling run over me, and at the same time, a light tug at my right leg.

You have died!

Pssstt, It was Charlie! Two people means two grenades!

Because you have died during the tutorial, no penalties

will be applied. However, you may not re-spawn yet as

the physical testing phase is still in progress. When it is

completely finished you may re-spawn with the rest of

your group and receive your results and resume.

I mentally fucking face-palm. How could I have fallen for something so simple? Why would Crystal be the only one to throw a grenade? Motherfucking Charlie every time.

***Perspective Change***

Update!

Crystal and Charlie just tore through Howard and Marcus with a grenade!

Brutal!

21 down, 13 remaining. Red has 9 members left!

Confirmed dead:Marcus - RedHoward - RedJustin - RedHayden - RedMatthew - RedScott - RedJohn - RedZach - BlueRiley - BlueTiffany - BlueCameron - BlueEric - BlueStephen - BlueJose - BluePaul - BlueDebra - BlueChristina - BlueElenor - BlueRonald - BlueRyan - BlueSamuel - Blue

Looking at the two dead bodies, or what remained of them I stifle a short chuckle.

“An arm for a leg, as they say!” At this point, not being able to hold it in any longer, I start laughing like crazy while rolling on the floor.

“Charlie, for this case it would be ‘An arm and a leg’.”

“Dammit Crystal! Don’t correct me, you ruined my joke!” I sigh and puff out my cheeks to express that she totally just ruined my joke.

***End of Chapter!***