After running several meters away from Walter, our steps halted when we heard the sound of fireworks exploding very close by.

  Marlo and I exchanged confused glances. Our minds began analyzing the sound.

  "Is it just me, or does the fireworks sound really close?" I asked, trying to confirm.

  Marlo glanced behind us. "That sound came from the direction we just left," he said softly.

  We fell silent for a moment, our eyes filled with unspoken fear. And then, the realization struck us.

  "It's from where Walter was hiding," we exclaimed simultaneously, our voices trembling.

  "Could it be that Walter..." Marlo paused for a moment, his voice barely a whisper, "has been killed?"

  I froze. The thought cut through me like a sharp dagger. But I tried to think clearly. "We'd better move away from here first. If the situation allows, we can come back to check on Walter."

  Marlo nodded slowly, his expression heavy. "I hope he's okay..."

  We quickly moved away from the area, our footsteps leading us out of the mangrove forest. But what awaited us outside was no better.

  In front of us lay an open shoreline, with murky water rushing rapidly due to the rain.

  "We can't cross this," Marlo said, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous."

  "Then we have to go back into the forest?" I asked, frustration lacing my voice.

  Marlo let out a heavy sigh. "We have no choice. We'll have to circle back through the forest."

  I gritted my teeth, trying to suppress the fear creeping back in. "Alright. Let's just hope we don't run into them..."

  Before I could finish my sentence, three more fireworks explosions echoed in the air, louder and even closer.

  "Why does it always sound like this, so close!" I shouted in panic, my eyes darting around, searching for the source.

  The tension grew as we spotted something in the distance. A black shadow peeked from behind a tree, its eyes glaring sharply in our direction.

  "Marlo!" I exclaimed. "Someone's watching us!"

  Without thinking twice, we started running as fast as we could, trying to distance ourselves from the shadow that continued to observe us.

  "Why isn't it attacking us?" I asked, gasping for breath. "Could it be another participant like us?"

  "Maybe," Marlo replied, panting, "or maybe it's just toying with us."

  We kept running until we finally stopped, our bodies exhausted and our heavy breaths hanging in the air.

  "It seems like it's not following us," Marlo said, trying to calm himself. "But I don't know if that's luck or not..."

  I was about to respond when my eyes caught something on a tree. "Marlo, look at that!" I pointed to red liquid dripping from the tree trunk.

  He approached to take a closer look. "This... is blood," he murmured. "Still fresh."

  I was stunned. "Blood? Does that mean someone died here?"

  Marlo looked at me with a face as pale as mine. "This is where we separated from Walter..."

  Without hesitation, we ran toward Walter's hiding spot. But what we found shattered our hearts.

  Walter's lifeless body lay on the ground, his head severed and nowhere to be found.

  My legs grew weak, and my body trembled violently. "This can't be..." I murmured, my voice barely audible.

  The sight made me nauseous, and I vomited on the spot. I saw Marlo standing frozen, his face pale, staring at Walter's incomplete body.

  Tears welled up in my eyes. "This is my fault," I whispered, my voice filled with regret. "Why didn't I force him to come with us? Why did I leave him?"

  Marlo remained silent, but I knew he was grappling with the same guilt.

  The oppressive silence was finally broken by a loud voice echoing in the air:

  "TIME REMAINING: 10 MINUTES. SURVIVING PLAYERS: 5."

  I wiped my tears, trying to steady myself. We didn't have the luxury to wallow in guilt.

  "Let's go," Marlo said as he helped me stand. "Ten minutes may seem short, but in this situation, it feels like an eternity."

  "Should we hide or run?" he asked.

  I thought hard. "Hiding is too dangerous. The Guardian Dogs will grow more aggressive."

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "But running is risky too," he replied. "If we encounter them, we'll be done for."

  Suddenly, I remembered something. "The firework explosion earlier... if it marked Walter's death, the next explosions would signal the deaths of other players."

  "You mean, they're no longer in this area?" Marlo asked.

  I nodded. "Most likely, they're moving to another area. The safest place is outside the forest, near the starting point where we entered the Colosseum."

  "Then we need to run there," Marlo concluded.

  We began running again, but it felt as though fate was playing tricks on us.

  As we passed a tree, we came face-to-face with one of the Guardian Dogs, leaning casually against it, wearing a hoodie.

  "Marlo, run!" I yelled in panic.

  But the farther we ran, the worse it became. Another Guardian Dog appeared ahead of us, staring at us with sharp eyes.

  The first Guardian Dog immediately chased after us, forcing us to change direction. Our steps were frantic, driven by the panic coursing through us.

  "Damn it! How are they finding us so quickly?!" Marlo exclaimed, his breaths ragged.

  "They're in front and behind us! Where can we run?!" I shouted back, nearly out of breath from fear.

  There was no time to think. My legs kept moving, hoping to get as far away as possible.

  A loud voice boomed in the air, causing my steps to falter for a moment.

  "TIME REMAINING: 5 MINUTES. SURVIVING PLAYERS: 5."

  The announcement wasn't just a warning-it was a grim reminder of how close death was. But we had no choice but to keep running until we unknowingly returned to the large mud pit.

  "Damn it... we're back here?!"Marlo stopped for a moment, his expression growing more panicked.

  "What should do we do now?" I asked, my voice trembling, despair beginning to take hold.

  He looked at the mud in front of him, then turned to me with a determined gaze. "There's only one way..."

  Before I could ask, Marlo pushed me into the mud. I fell, my body sinking partially into it.

  "What are you doing, Marlo?!" I yelled in panic, trying to pull myself out.

  "Grab onto that tree root!" he ordered firmly. "Hide among the roots, and don't make a sound, no matter what happens."

  "But-"

  "Trust me! I'll draw them away from you!" he said. His face was tense, but he managed a faint smile. "I need to survive for my daughter. And you need to survive too."

  His words pierced my heart. Reluctantly, I reached for the mangrove tree root, pulling myself toward the hiding spot he mentioned. Meanwhile, he turned away, facing the danger with a courage that shattered my heart.

  "HEY! YOU STUPID DOGS! COME AND CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!" he shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the forest.

  I could only bite my lip, holding back the sobs threatening to escape, watching his figure run off, leaving me behind.

  ---

  The mud kept pulling my body downward, but I held tightly to the tree root, trying to stay calm. Every second felt like an hour, with only the sound of insects and my pounding heart breaking the silence.

  Suddenly, the sound of fireworks echoed again.

  "BOOM!"

  One explosion that pierced my chest like a dagger. My thoughts immediately turned to Marlo.

  "Could it be... he's..." I murmured, my voice choking.

  I mustered all my strength to get out of the mud. My hands trembled, my body filthy, but I didn't care. "Marlo... please be okay..."

  I managed to crawl out and gasped for air at the edge of the pit. But before I could stand, a foot appeared right in front of me. The tip of a blade pointed at my face, freezing me in place.

  "Don't ever lift your head if you want to live," a cold voice echoed.

  My body trembled violently. My heart pounded, but I didn't dare move.

  "I hope you obey, because your life depends on it," the voice continued.

  But the next sentence left me stunned. "Elio, I'm glad you're still alive... my best friend."

  I stammered. "How... do you know my name?"

  "It's me, Lucky."

  I paused for a moment. "Lucky...?" I murmured, almost in disbelief. "That's... impossible. Lucky is..."

  "Your pet dog," he replied calmly.

  His words hit me like a massive wave. Tears nearly spilled from my eyes. "Lucky?! How could... how could you be here?"

  "Please, don't lift your head," he said firmly. "We're being watched by cameras. They can't hear us, but they can see our movements."

  I kept my head lowered, even though my heart was filled with questions.

  "I'll explain later. But one thing you need to know: I won't let you die here."

  As strange and unbelievable as the situation was, hearing Lucky's voice gave me hope. For the first time in a long while, I didn't feel alone.

  Lucky continued, "When this game is over, you'll be taken out of this country. But not to be freed. They'll send you to Hogmar, the land ruled by the Porcusian race."

  I swallowed hard. "What do you mean? What are the Porcusians?"

  "The pig race," he answered. "But don't worry, I have a plan. Once you're free, run to Mount Olympus. Many survivors are hiding and building a base there. You'll be safe with them."

  I fell silent, trying to process all the new information he had just shared.

  "I'll protect you, Elio. You have to survive."

  I could only nod slowly, my mind swirling with confusion and the faint glimmer of newfound hope.

  Drums echoed, shaking the forest, growing louder and more threatening.

  DUM DUM DUM

  "TIME IS UP FOR THE 4 SURVIVING PLAYERS. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ALL."

  "YOU WILL BE FREED FROM THIS COUNTRY. I HOPE THE PLAYERS WILL RETURN TO THE COLOSSEUM TO CLAIM THEIR FREEDOM."

  "IF YOU DO NOT RETURN, YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED REBELS AND WILL BE EXECUTED WHEN WE FIND YOU."

  "ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU AND TO THE 'GUARDIAN DOGS' WHO HAVE DEMONSTRATED THEIR HUNTING EXCELLENCE."

  "I need to go to that Colosseum," I said, my voice hoarse with overwhelming emotions.

  "Yes, I'll help you, and we'll meet again later. But before that..." Lucky replied in a serious tone.

  "I'm sorry," he continued softly. "I have to kick and hit you because we're being watched by camera."

  "It's okay," I replied, trying to smile despite the heaviness in my heart. "I'm glad to see you here."

  With that, Lucky began hitting me with the sheath of his sword and kicked me once. It hurt quite a bit, but i tried to endure it, letting out a faint groan.

  "I'm sorry, Elio. Let's meet again later," said Lucky, and without giving me a chance to speak further, he left me.

  In pain, I slowly stood up and began walking toward the Colosseum. My steps were slow, my body felt heavy, and my heart was filled with a sense of uncertainty.

  Suddenly, my view stopped. In front of my eyes, Marlo's body lay motionless, headless. His right hand still tightly gripped the photo of his daughter, as if he wanted to ensure that the only memory left remained with him.

  I couldn't hold myself back. My sobs broke out, as if I could no longer bear the weight of it all.

  "I'm sorry, Marlo," I cried, my voice hoarse, tears flowing without stopping. "This is all my fault. If only I could do something... Maybe you wouldn't have to sacrifice yourself like this."

  I wiped away the tears that kept flowing, unable to stop feeling the deep sadness. "I'm sorry, Marlo," I muttered again, this time with a lower voice, full of regret.

  After crying for a while, I slowly calmed myself, trying to control the tumultuous emotions. "I won't be a coward anymore," I said softly, my eyes filled with determination. "I will try my best to save the people around me. "

  I wiped my face and carefully tucked Marlo's photo of his daughter into my pocket. "Rest in peace, Marlo. I'll get out of this world, and I'll tell your heroic story to your daughter. I promise."

  With slow steps, I stood up and continued my journey toward the Colosseum. The photo stayed in my pocket, a silent promise to a father who was willing to sacrifice everything for others.