"I want to find my lost dog," I cried to my parents.

  "We'll look for it tomorrow. It's already night. Let's go home first," my father replied.

  "I'm sure someone will find it and contact us since we've distributed so many missing dog flyers," he added gently.

  Reluctantly, we went home, though our hearts were heavy with sadness, not knowing where my dog was.

  In the quiet night, just as I was falling asleep, I woke up to the sound of a loud scream coming from outside. I immediately checked through my bedroom window.

  Outside, I saw several black silhouettes with ears resembling those of dogs or cats, forcibly capturing and dragging someone away.

  "What is that?" I muttered, trying to get a clearer view of what was happening outside.

  One of the silhouettes turned and stared directly at me, its gaze sharp as if our eyes truly met. Terrified, I quickly closed my bedroom curtains, my body trembling, and cold sweat dripping profusely.

  "It saw me... I need to tell my parents," I thought, running out of my room.

  But just as I stepped out of my room, I heard a loud crash as something broke through the window beneath my room.

  "That silhouette entered my house!"

  "And I can't hear anything from my parents' room," I murmured anxiously.

  Quickly, I ran to my parents' room and tried to open the door.

  As the door swung open, what I saw froze me in place: the floor and walls were covered in blood, and my parents lay lifeless, their bodies horribly disfigured.

  I was paralyzed with fear, unable to scream or move, as if something was binding me.

  The silhouette turned and looked at me. In the dim light of the room, I finally saw its true form.

  It was my dog, a German Shepherd, the one that had gone missing a few days ago. I recognized it by its brown and black fur on its muzzle and back.

  "I'm confused, my emotions all over the place. On one hand, I found my dog. On the other hand, my parents were killed by it."

  "Why... Why did you do this? We loved you so much," I asked, my voice trembling with fear.

  Upon hearing my question, the black silhouette lunged at me and bit my head with incredible force.

  "ARGHHH..." I screamed.

  "It was just a nightmare," I muttered quietly, drenched in sweat and trembling.

  Looking around curiously, I asked, "Where am I, exactly?"

  "Finally, you're awake. Did you know? You've been asleep for seven hours since you were brought here," said a man in his 30s with glasses, walking toward me.

  "You must be really unlucky, huh? As soon as you're brought here, you're thrown straight into their game," he continued.

  Curious, I asked, "They? Who are 'they'? And where is this place?"

  I started to notice my surroundings: red brick walls, a large wooden door in front of me, and another tightly closed wooden door behind me. Torches in the corners lit the room, and the sound of dogs barking echoed from outside.

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  "We're now in a world that makes no sense," the man explained.

  "Look at those two people over there; they were also kidnapped and forced into this game."

  "Damn it... damn it..." muttered a disheveled man in the corner, wearing torn clothes.

  "Why, God? I followed all their orders. Why was I chosen too?" cried a man in a white shirt, clutching his head.

  "Let me introduce myself," the man said. "My name is Aldiano. The man in the corner is Marlo, and the one in the white shirt is Walter. And what's your name?"

  "I-I'm Elio," I replied, still confused.

  "Alright, Elio. Listen carefully because I won't explain it twice. We're in a place called Doghaven, ruled by dog-like creatures that walk like humans. In this game, we call them 'kobolds,'" he explained firmly.

  "We're all participants in a survival game called 'Hunt and Survive.'"

  "In this game, we're given two hours to run as far as possible into the forest and survive while avoiding the hunting dogs chasing us."

  "That's the essence of the 'Hunt and Survive' game," Aldiano explained calmly.

  Still bewildered, I asked, "Have you seen anyone my age here?"

  "Unfortunately, Elio, I haven't seen anyone but you brought here. They might be in another room," Aldiano replied, handing me a glass of dark-colored water.

  "What is this? Why does it look like black tea?" I asked.

  "Just drink it. You'll understand soon," Aldiano replied with a smile.

  Without thinking, I drank the water. Its bitterness almost made me vomit. Shortly after, my head began to ache, and I started hearing the barking of dogs outside.

  "HUNT SURVIVE! HUNT SURVIVE! HUNT SURVIVE!" terrifying chants echoed, followed by shouts of "KILL THEM! KILL THEM!"

  At that moment, I finally understood the meaning behind the barking.

  "Do you understand now? That's the purpose of the drink," Aldiano said with a smile.

  "Why can I understand what they're saying? There's no technology that lets us understand dogs," I asked in disbelief.

  "Better get ready because the game is about to start," Aldiano replied.

  "How can you stay so calm?" I asked, confused.

  Without answering, Aldiano stood in front of the large wooden door, joined by Marlo and Walter, who looked terrified.

  A loud bell rang, nearly rupturing my eardrums. The wooden door slowly lifted, and sunlight began to shine into the room.

  The sunlight pierced my eyes, forcing me to squint as I slowly stepped out. As my vision cleared, I found myself standing in a vast arena surrounded by towering walls filled with spectators.

  The spectators weren't human. Everywhere I looked, they were dogs acting like humans.

  Other doors opened, each room holding four people. None of the others were familiar to me.

  As I observed my surroundings, I realized where I was. This was a coliseum.

  With a curious expression, I examined my surroundings. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed.

  "WELCOME, ESTEEMED AUDIENCE!"

  "IT IS MY HONOR TO BE YOUR HOST TODAY," announced an Anatolian Shepherd dog on a podium, holding a microphone.

  The audience erupted into cheers, chanting, "HUNT SURVIVE! HUNT SURVIVE!"

  "NOW THEN, LET ME EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF THIS GAME TO THESE HUMANS," the host continued.

  "THIS GAME WAS CREATED OUT OF OUR KINDNESS TOWARD YOU. UNLIKE YOU HUMANS, WHO SHOW NO COMPASSION."

  "TODAY, JUNE 21ST, IS THE DATE WHEN HUMANS CELEBRATE THE 'YULIN FESTIVAL,' WHERE THOUSANDS OF OUR KIND ARE SLAUGHTERED FOR FOOD."

  "BUT HERE, WE ARE NOT LIKE THOSE LOWLY CREATURES WHO KILL WITHOUT GIVING A FIGHTING CHANCE."

  "OUT OF OUR KINDNESS, WE CREATED THIS GAME TO LET YOU FIGHT AND ESCAPE WHILE BEING HUNTED BY ASPIRING 'GUARDIAN DOGS' STARTING THEIR CAREERS. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO SHOW THEIR SKILLS IN FRONT OF THIS AUDIENCE," the host declared proudly.

  "I WILL NOW EXPLAIN THE RULES OF THIS GAME:

  1. ALL PARTICIPANTS HAVE 30 MINUTES TO RUN AS FAR AS POSSIBLE.

  2. PARTICIPANTS MAY HIDE AS LONG AS THEY REMAIN UNDISCOVERED.

  3. AFTER 30 MINUTES, THE ASPIRING 'GUARDIAN DOGS' WILL BEGIN THEIR HUNT.

  4. THE ASPIRING 'GUARDIAN DOGS' MAY KILL OR TORTURE ANY HUMANS THEY FIND.

  5. POINTS WILL BE AWARDED BASED ON THE NUMBER OF HUMANS KILLED.

  6. THE TIME LIMIT IS 1 HALF HOURS. IF THERE ARE ANY SURVIVORS, THEY WILL BE RELEASED FROM THIS COUNTRY."

  "I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND, HUMANS. MAY LUCK BE ON YOUR SIDE. YOU MAY LEAVE ONCE THE LARGE GATE OPENS."

  "What is this? We're being forced to survive without a choice," I thought in panic.

  "From his words, they seem confident there will be no survivors. What should I do? How can I survive this?"

  My body trembled violently, my heart raced, and my mind was filled with dread over what was about to happen.

  "Come on, we just have to survive for an hour and a half. That means there's still a chance!" Aldiano said, slapping my back hard.

  The blow was strong enough to make me stumble, but the pain snapped me out of my panic, even if temporarily. I stared at Aldiano in confusion, unable to understand how he remained calm in such a dire situation.

  A trumpet sounded, and the massive gate in front of us slowly opened, revealing a path leading into a dense forest illuminated by sunlight. The spectators' cheers grew louder, their chants echoing throughout the arena.

  All I could do was stare helplessly at the gate now fully open, signaling either death or hope.

  "I have to survive, no matter what!" I resolved.

  "THE HUNT AND SURVIVE GAME HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!"