CHAPTER 10: Level1: Evil one

"Seriously, Florence? I'm speaking hypothetically!" Marina's voice was a tight murmur, rolling her eyes upwards to the heavens in exasperation at having such a seemingly dense teammate. "Look around! Everyone else is searching for their lives, and you still can't figure out what I mean!" she roared, her hand scrubbing across her forehead as if to wipe away the mounting frustration that raked at her when every second ticked on the timer.

"You told me.... There are A, B, C, D sides..." Florence asked innocently, taking a slow sip from her water bottle, unaware of Marina's fury.

Marina closed her eyes, the ridiculousness of Florence's words almost too much to bear. "You dumb bitch...." she shrieked, chasing Florence in mock anger while others in the group burst into laughter.

"Look at the time, 25:00, we only left, twenty-five minutes left! If you ask another nonsensical question, I swear I'm going to kill you!" she yelled from a distance and returned towards her group.

Other players near them were unable to find a comfortable standing in heavy leg pain, a continuous sweat flowed down like rain on their face and body, soaking their clothes. Their eyes looked tired and blurry in the heat, as if they were staring through a shimmering maze of paths. It all seemed the same, and they could see confusion flashing across their faces.

Another side of the player's legs was moving relentlessly, never taking a break, as they searched for the right path. Their breath came in short gasps, and they gradually began to slow their pace.

"I don't think this is going to work out," Anna confessed, disbelief coloring her voice as she watched the sheer exhaustion of the other players.

Nearby, Zade's eyes landed on a small group who were stepping out of the maze with laughter on their faces—a jarring sound echoing the tense situation. They leaned against the wall coolly. "I found it...." he whispered, his voice low and determined.

"What?" Anna questioned as she noticed Zade's gaze on the girls' group.

Without any signal, Zade began to move, a proud smile stretching his lips, his movements deliberate and focused. He took a quick glance at the nearby players, then abruptly broke eye contact, his mind clearly processing something vital.

"Hey… wait!" Anna called out and ran behind him.

"Hi, girls... I'm Zade..." He pulled a sleeve up slightly to reveal his wrist and extended a hand towards Marina, his gaze dropping suggestively to her lips. A smooth, suggestive smile played on his face.

.

"Hello..."Marina glanced at the group, a steady nod of approval of his gesture and a satisfied smile that played on her lips, before she extended her hand towards him. "I am Marina!"

Nearby, Anna's mouth fell open in surprise as she watched Zade's sudden change in tone and behavior, but she quickly closed it. Seriously? Zade... I thought he must be the one.... but not now, she thought, pressing her lips together so tightly she could feel the strain. She gripped her pants hard, looking away in raw jealousy.

"I need your help, guys," Zade asked, glancing at everyone in that group, his voice firm and cool, not flirty.

"Hmm... Go ahead," Marina waved him to continue.

"Look, we've got 23 minutes left, so I need more players to split our work and find the midpoint of this maze..." Zade stated, his voice clear and determined. "There are fifty paths here," he added, gesturing towards the maze. "We can't make it on time alone... but if we support each other, we'll definitely get there," he explained his proposal.

A knowing smile that plays on Marina's heart-shaped lips as her gaze shifts towards her group. "Are you requesting?" she asked, clearly teasing him."

"Yeah!" Zade nodded in agreement and his eyes full of hope for them.

"But why do we have to agree to your request?" Marina questioned, her tone cold and deep as she moved closer to Zade. "What if your guys find the way before my girls do?" She walked a slow circle around him, like a moon orbiting the Earth. She stopped in front of him, watching his pupils directly. "How can I trust you?" she arched her brows, a silent, pointed challenge.

Zade held his ground, his gaze fixed on Marina's brown eyes. "What if you find it before other girls do? You could easily cheat. Do you have any assurance?" he countered sarcastically.

She jerked back, a sharp gasp escaping her as her eyes landed on the nearby olive-toned girl.

The olive-toned girl's mind raced back to the past. "Thank God... Lil, we both ended up together..." Marina gasped in relief, watching Lily as her arms wrapped around her tightly.

"Where are we?" Lily inquired as her gaze shifted towards the other players lying on the ground.

"I don't know.... but I am sure this isn't a dream." Marina shook her head quickly, her voice confident. "You know what, I had a dream last night exactly like this, towering trees around us, players and ... so on."

Lily remained frozen and arching her brows in disbelief and confusion

She rubbed their chin in recalling her dream. Suddenly realizing the moment, her eyes widened, and she held Lily's hand. "Yeah... I remember... It looks exactly like this... We are trapped here.. A voice announced to us to find the way to the midpoint..."She explained everything about her dream to her.

Lily glances at everything, every detail Marina mentioned. Tall walls, a maze with a path, and dry towering trees. Then her gaze shifted to the players, who were waking up from the anesthesia one by one. Everything proves the dream is a sign of belief. She let out a deep breath as she nodded in belief. "But how can we get out of here?" she asked in confusion.

"I am not sure.... but if my dream is true... The path must be at the center... or the right-side path..." she pointed her finger to the twenty to last way.

"What if we can't meet on time?" A hesitant pause before asking another question. 

"Lil.... I have no idea... I woke up suddenly and ended up here.... But I have an idea," Marina explained, her voice firm but her words slurring in shock of her dream and her eyes darting around for an answer.

"What?" Lliy inquired.

Marina let out a deep breath before telling the plan and calming herself by exhaling and inhaling. Then, she stated, "We need more players as much as we can add.... Mainly, we target dumb ones!!" Her gaze was not innocent, just pure evil.

"Why do we need them?" Lily asked with a casual, doubtful shrug.

"Because... we need survival trump cards. If we can't find the path, our trump cards can. They are just backup... I am sure the path must be in the center." A slow, deliberate approach that feels predatory, making her pure evil in her tone and her actions.

"She must be something..."Lily realized after hearing the plan as she forced a smile, not showing her inner fear over Marina.

"You, okay?" a voice and a hand on Lily's shoulder brought her back to reality, and she stepped back in remembering and chilling over Marina's words.

"Yeah.... I felt tired..." Lily managed as her gaze shifted towards the Zade, and she suddenly shifted of eyes to the side to avoid his eyes and moved towards for fresh air.

She must be hiding something, Zade wondered, as his gaze fixed on Lily's sudden paleness and trembling legs and hands.

Nearby, Marina noticed Zade's eyes landed on Lily's tense body. Fuck!!!!!! Why does she get sudden anxiety? She can't even act normal... I am fucking sure if she destroy my plan... No matter what, I am going to kill her without any mercy... she thought as her jaw clenched in fury over Lily's sudden change, but a fake smile remained on her lips. "I agree with your request...." she answered, her tone was completely cold.