Battle Royale X

Chapter 6-"That statement"

It was pitch dark. Well almost pitch dark, more like dimly lit, as Nathan moved his body slowly and began to lift his head dragging himself out of sleep. As his eyes would open and adjust to the dimly lit room, he would look over at the other students who also seemed to be waking now.

There was even a random boy and a random girl thrown in around them as well, the pair of them which no one recognized, as they stood up and took separate positions in opposite directions of the corner with the girl sitting on a desk to the right and the boy on a desk to the left. The other students would all look at each other confused, most of them helping each other get up. The students exchanged bewildered glances, their minds reeling with a mix of fear and disbelief not knowing where they were, or what was happening. Their hearts pounded in their chests, and a knot of anxiety tightened in their stomachs as they tried to comprehend the chilling reality unfolding before them. As they stood around, they began looking at each other, and one by one they realized they were wearing something. Small silver collars were on each of the students' necks, cold and for most uncomfortable, they squeezed their flesh a little, and from the looks of it were unremovable.

The room, bathed in a dim, eerie glow, seemed to shudder under the weight of the student's apprehension. The air hung heavy with tension as if each breath carried the weight of their uncertain fate. The cold metal collars encircling their necks sent shivers down their spines, it was certain wherever they were someone had enough power to kidnap all of them. As they poked and prodded at the collars for a little longer, time passed, and eventually, bright lights would instantly light up the entire room. The sounds of helicopters swarm outside loudly, as people's minds began to process everything but all had the singular question in the front of their minds what the hell is going on?

After a while, the sounds would stop and the front entrance of the classroom would swing open. Racks of Bags were being pushed into the room by what looked like 3 Men in military uniforms, and a singular woman. The woman looked as if she was middle-aged, around her early or mid-thirties. She had short black hair that just barely went to the tips of her ears, fair pale skin, and dark blue rectangular glasses (the fancy kind), along with a clipboard in hand. The students were still a little dazed, but by this point had come to their senses for the most part. As the woman would proceed to stand at the center of the classroom and the men would finish organizing the bags on the racks in the background, with one man going to stand by the door with his gun in hand.
A gun?

Yes, looking at the 3 men closer now all of them have guns strapped to them. Well, they're in the military so I guess it makes sense, but...
With the other 2 men finally finishing their task they quickly took their respective positions on each side behind the woman. The woman meanwhile was surveying the students carefully with a sight grin on her face, as if she was dissecting each one of them personally with her eyes.

As if on command, or cue the woman began speaking in an almost elegant tone. "Well, hello there boys and girls. I take it you all are the students from Alvera Union Dedication High School am I correct?" After the woman finished her sentence, some students began to nod while others continued to stare silently, while the rest looked at their friends/military men in the distance. "Well good, let's all be friends okay?" The woman continued speaking in an almost cheerful tone. "I wish that I could personally get to know each one of you individually and on a more personal level but I'm afraid we just don't have the time for that."

Ms. Annette's lips curled into a sinister smile as she observed the students, her eyes flickering with an unsettling mix of amusement and malice. She paced the room, each step purposeful and calculated, as if relishing the power she held over the terrified teenagers. "No, according to my watch, it seems we have just enough time to get started with everything on the agenda." As soon as she finished speaking, or somewhat beforehand almost cutting her off a student began to speak. It was (Girl No.16) Charlotte Landon, who was known for being rather outspoken. "Um, excuse me, miss!" She said politely, raising her hand but with a firm tone of her own that made sure she wasn't ignored. "Ah! Miss Landon right? Yes dear, how may I assist you?" The woman responded quickly and calmly. "Er, well.. right now we were supposed to be on our end-of-year field trip, they told us we would be going to an amusement park.. did the plans change?"

As Charlotte made her statement, other students began to nod in agreement wanting answers about where they were and why, as they looked back to the woman for answers. "Well... I guess you could say that,.. or rather the plans were never there in the first place." The woman proceeded to walk over to the blackboard and grab a piece of chalk that seemed to already be there as she began writing down 3 things in sequence.

Firstly, Ms. Annette.
Secondly, Battle Royale.
Thirdly, 7 Days.

The students in the back moved around a bit, trying to see exactly what was written on the blackboard and why, as did the students in the front. The sound of writing on the chalkboard cutting through the awkward silence the students found themselves in. After writing, she placed the chalk down and spun around slowly yet swiftly. The room fell back into an uneasy silence. Students exchanged nervous glances, their eyes darting from one face to another, searching for answers. The words on the blackboard seemed to burn into their retinas, etching themselves into their minds, like a sinister riddle begging to be solved. "So has anyone ever heard of this law? Oh, who am I kidding, of course, you haven't." She said this in an almost teasing tone as if she was saying "All of you are big dumb idiots! Hahahaha", without actually saying it. The students surveyed each other's faces trying to see if maybe someone did know what she was talking about, but alas they all seemed to be just as clueless. They even surveyed the two new students in the back who still up until this point remained completely emotionless about the situation, much to Nathan's inner judgment.

{Who are these people, what is she talking about, and are they perhaps working with her? Or is it possible that they could be in the same boat as us... either way, it's extremely bizarre.}

"Well nonetheless I don't blame you, so allow me your instructor and program proctor to explain what's happening. My name is Ms. Annette, and you've been bought to an inhabited island owned by the Greater United States. We've cleaned it and made sure everything is just right for you. As brought to you by the program adoption... well program, this is Battle Royale.

Your assignment is to kill each other, fight to the death, and pick each other off one by one until only one of you is left. It doesn't matter how or where you do it. Fight until only one remains, should one person not be victorious after a full seven days then all of the collars you're wearing are set to explode. Now onto my next point." That's when Ms. Annette pointed to her neck. "Yep, that's right! the collars you're wearing will automatically detonate and no one will win, so let's all do our best to ensure that that doesn't happen. Usually, the islands selected for this program are quite large, but due to the preparation being a bit... well rushed, regardless this island was selected for the first-ever program, and that means you lucky folk are our first bunch of students to compete, so you should feel honored." Most of the students' eyes shot wide open, as their faces remained blank, and they processed the information that was given to them.

Kill each other? That's impossible, this is a big joke, right? That statement, those words, this is utterly ridiculous... this can't be real, this is a dream, right? We're all just dreaming?

Nathan's mind continued to be spun with a chaotic mix of emotions. Disbelief warred with denial as he desperately clung to the hope that this was all just a twisted nightmare. He looked around, hoping to find a familiar face that would assure him of his safety, but all he saw was a sea of bewildered expressions mirroring his own fear.

The students waited for the eventual reveal that this was all just a big joke, that they were being pranked and this would all be over. This little event was planned by the teachers and staff of the high school and would end soon and they'd be able to go on their end-of-year field trip. They waited and waited for a punchline. A punchline that never came.

42 students Remain.