Without realizing it, we had been running for more than ten minutes, and our bodies had reached their limits.
"Let me rest for a moment..." said Marlo, leaning against a nearby tree to catch his breath.
Even I, being younger, felt exhausted. Let alone Mr. Marlo, who was older-I was sure he couldn't run any further.
"Old man, we don't have time to rest. If we want to survive, we'd better find a hiding spot and run as far as possible," Walter said, his face turning pale.
"I can't run anymore. If you want to leave me behind, I won't stop you..." Marlo replied, sitting down against the tree and clutching his jacket pocket tightly.
"If that's what you want, then I'm sorry, but I can't wait for you. I don't want to die," Walter said before running off, leaving us behind.
"Wait... Walter, we can't leave Mr. Marlo!" I shouted.
"You too, run as far as you can. Don't worry about me," said Marlo, resigned.
I could only stand frozen, watching Marlo sitting there helplessly, holding a photo tightly in his hand.
"Is the person in the photo someone important to you?"
"Yes... This is my daughter, Clara," he replied with a smile as he gazed at the photo.
The photo showed a little girl, about five or six years old, smiling brightly while holding a flower.
I sat beside Marlo and asked about his daughter. "She's a beautiful and cheerful child... How is she doing now?"
"She's living with my parents now. I promised to come home this year to celebrate her birthday and see her," Marlo said. He then shared that he was a single parent, trying to raise his daughter after his wife left him for another man due to financial troubles.
"I haven't seen her in two years, and I really want to hug her and tell her I'll never leave her again," Marlo said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I feel like I've failed as a father for not being able to make my only child happy."
"If only I hadn't accepted that job offer and had gone home earlier to see my daughter, I wouldn't have been trapped here," he said, blaming himself.
Feeling sorry for him, I tried to encourage him. " Mr. Marlo, let's fight together to get out of here safely!"
"As long as you're alive, you'll have the chance to meet your daughter again," I said, trying to lift his spirits.
After staring at his daughter's photo for a few minutes, a glimmer of determination returned to Marlo's eyes.
"You're right. Let's find a safe place to hide and not waste any more time. And please, just call me Marlo—no need for 'Mr.' We're all in this fight for survival together," Marlo said as he prepared to move.
"Alright... Marlo. I'll try to get used to it," I responded, trying to sound natural.
As we began running again, the sky gradually darkened, and it seemed like heavy rain was imminent. Ignoring it, we continued running as far as we could, searching for a safe place to hide.
"Where could Aldiano have gone after leaving us?" I wondered.
---
20 minutes earlier:
After the gate opened, without realizing it, we kept running in the direction Aldiano had gone.
"Why are you following me?" Aldiano asked, running ahead of us.
"I believe you have a plan to survive this, as you're the only one who seems calm in a situation like this," I replied.
"Wouldn't our chances of survival be greater if we worked together?" Walter said.
"So, we're forming a team," Walter added.
With an annoyed expression, Aldiano responded, "In a situation like this, being in a group will only get us killed faster."
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"Our opponents are tracking dogs with a sense of smell 40 to 60 times more sensitive than humans."
"If we stay in a group, our scent will accumulate in one place, making it easier for them to follow our trail."
"So, I suggest we split up," Aldiano said, clearly unhappy with our presence.
"But we could fight back if they manage to catch up to us, as long as we're together," Walter countered, his face showing fear at the idea of splitting up.
I remained silent, knowing that both of them had valid points.
"Fight back? Are you crazy? They'll definitely be armed to hunt us down, and they can run as fast as normal dogs."
"So, the chance of fighting back and surviving is less than 10%," Aldiano said in frustration.
"Do you have any advice for us to survive, Aldiano?" I asked, growing increasingly confused about our direction.
"If you want to survive, head into that mangrove forest. According to the weather forecast, heavy rain is expected today."
"The rain will make it harder for the tracking dogs to follow our scent since the mangrove forest has a variety of smells and is muddy, which can erase our trail and body odor."
"And be careful with the mud when it rains-it'll be even more dangerous," Aldiano advised.
"Alright, let's split up. Good luck," Aldiano said, leaving us.
"Stop, Aldiano!!" Marlo shouted.
We stopped at Marlo's shout.
"You're planning to save yourself with that tool, aren't you?" Marlo asked.
Not understanding what he meant, I looked at Aldiano.
"What tool?" Aldiano asked.
"Don't play dumb! You stole the 'Mole Gloves' from those dogs, didn't you?" Marlo accused, pointing to Aldiano's pocket.
"So you're the one who stole it? That's why I was accused and forced into this game!" Walter said angrily, ready to confront Aldiano.
Aldiano, realizing he couldn't deny it anymore, pulled out the 'Mole Gloves' from his pocket.
"What's that? Isn't it just a glove that have claws like a mole?" I asked, confused.
"It's one of the advanced tools in this world," Walter replied.
"'Mole Gloves' are gloves that make it easier to dig through the ground like a mole. They're used to dig tunnels while we were under the control of those dogs," Marlo explained.
"Don't tell me you plan to take it from me," Aldiano said cynically.
Without thinking, Walter charged at Aldiano in anger. However, Aldiano dodged easily and twisted Walter's arm behind his back.
"Let go! It hurts..." Walter cried, begging to be released.
"Don't think you can defeat me, even three against one," Aldiano said.
From his movements, both Marlo and I could tell Aldiano wasn't an ordinary person. We were powerless to do anything.
"You'd better leave now, or you'll all die when the 'Guardian Dogs' catch up," Aldiano said, letting go of Walter's arm.
We could only stand there helplessly as Aldiano walked away into the mangrove forest.
"Damn it, he's the reason I'm in this mess," Walter cried, clutching his aching arm.
"We have no choice. Let's head into the forest as far as we can. If Aldiano's suggestion is right, our chances of survival will increase," Mr. Marlo said, starting to walk into the forest.
We had no other choice but to follow him.
---
'DUM! DUM! DUM!'
The loud sound of drums echoed throughout the forest, signaling that the 'Guardian Dogs' had begun hunting us.
Fear consumed us all, and our hearts raced in sync with the relentless drumming.
Unable to stay still, we began running as fast as we could, ignoring the exhaustion that was eating away at our bodies.
"Danger! Danger! Danger!" That thought kept looping in my head.
'BOOM!' 'BOOM!'
Just seconds after the drums sounded, we heard the first explosion of fireworks, followed quickly by another.
"Why are they lighting fireworks in the morning? What does it mean?" I asked, confused.
"It's likely a signal for the number of players who have died. Every time you hear the fireworks, it means one player has been killed," Marlo replied as he ran behind me.
"So, the fireworks went off twice. That means two people have died already?"
"The drums only started a few minutes ago, and people are already dead. This is too dangerous," I thought anxiously.
'BOOM!'
"Another firework? That's too quick."
"Should I keep running or find a place to hide? My mind is in chaos every time I hear the fireworks."
"There are 17 players left," said Marlo.
"Seventeen?" I asked, startled.
"When we left the hiding spot, I noticed five doors were open, and one room had four players. So, there were a total of 20 people, including us," Marlo explained.
"Twenty players... so how many 'Guardian Dogs' are chasing us?" I wondered. "If there are more of them, it won't be long before they catch up to us."
"Can we rest for a moment?" asked Marlo, already exhausted.
Terrified and confused, I hesitated. But seeing Marlo wanting to stop made me fear staying in one place for too long.
"If we stop for too long, they'll catch up to us," I said in panic.
"I also want to keep running, but my body can't take it anymore. If I push myself, I might collapse," Marlo replied, gasping for breath.
'BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!'
The sound of fireworks exploded again, signaling that three more players had just died.
"Three explosions at the same time... that means those three were hiding together," Marlo said.
"We need to move quickly, Marlo," I urged, with growing fear in my voice.
Without realizing it, the rain began to pour heavily, drenching us in an instant.
Seeing Marlo struggling and gasping for air, I remembered the advice my father once gave me.
"Calm yourself when you're in a dire situation. Take a deep breath, count to five in your mind, and exhale while focusing on your steps."
I tried my father's advice, attempting to calm myself even if just for a moment.
"Thank you, Dad," I muttered, feeling slightly more composed.
I started observing my surroundings and recalled what Aldiano had said earlier.
"The rain makes the ground slippery and muddy, very dangerous."
"But this heavy rain might make it harder for the tracking dogs to follow our scent since the rain and mud would wash it away."
"But that doesn't mean they won't be able to follow our trail," I thought.
Suddenly, Marlo slipped and fell behind me.
"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to help him up.
"It's too slippery to walk, but I'm fine. Let's keep going," Marlo replied, struggling to stand.
Watching him move slowly, his body covered in mud, I realized something important.
"Marlo, let's hide here. We don't need to go any farther. I have an idea," I said with full confidence.
