Zombie survivor

[51] Game on

The booming voice of the announcer echoed across the stadium once again, silencing the deafening roar of the crowd. "Contestants, you have one minute to prepare! Choose your positions wisely!"

The twenty participants exchanged confused, panicked looks. Some froze where they stood, their eyes darting around the arena for any clue of what to do. Others glanced at the towering jungle gym, its jagged platforms and rusted bars looming ominously in the harsh stadium lights.

Jean's heart pounded in his chest as he turned to the others. "We need to move," he said, his voice urgent. "Higher ground gives us the advantage."

"Advantage against what, exactly?" Jordan shot back, his eyes wide with panic. "We don't even know what the hell's coming!"

"Does it matter?" Jean snapped. "Standing here is a death sentence."

Akira was already tugging at Jean's arm, her expression calm but firm. "He's right. We need to go."

Evan glanced nervously at the jungle gym, his face pale. "Bro, that thing looks like it's held together with duct tape and prayers. What if it collapses?"

Tyler smirked, his usual bravado slipping through. "Better to fall from up there than get eaten down here, right?"

Jean didn't wait for more debate. He grabbed the nearest bar and started climbing, his muscles straining as he pulled himself up. Akira followed without hesitation, her small frame moving with surprising agility. The other boys exchanged uneasy glances before reluctantly following.

Around the arena, the other contestants reacted in different ways. A stocky man with a shaved head barked orders at a small group to form a defensive circle near the base of the structure. Two women sprinted toward the jungle gym, scrambling to climb higher. A wiry teenager with a scarred face darted to the far edge of the arena, as if hoping to escape the chaos entirely.

The announcer's voice boomed again, the countdown ticking down ominously. "Ten seconds!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, chanting the final seconds in unison. "Ten! Nine! Eight!"

Jean hauled himself onto a mid-level platform, his breath coming in sharp gasps. He turned back to help Evan, who was struggling with one of the bars. "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying, dude!" Evan snapped, his voice cracking as he pulled himself up with trembling arms.

"Three! Two! One!"

The side gates of the arena screeched open with a metallic groan, and the cheers of the crowd gave way to an unmistakable, bone-chilling sound: a guttural, inhuman howl.

Everyone froze.

From the dark recesses of the gates, figures began to emerge, stumbling and jerking with grotesque, unnatural movements. Their gray, decayed flesh glistened under the harsh lights, and their milky, unseeing eyes scanned the arena. Then came another howl, louder and more frenzied, as the first zombie broke into a shambling sprint toward the nearest contestant.

"Oh, fuck me," Jordan whispered, his voice barely audible.

Tyler, perched on a bar above them, let out a nervous laugh. "Bruh, it's zombies! Of course it's fucking zombies!"

The arena descended into chaos as twenty zombies poured out of the gates, their growls and snarls echoing across the field. The contestants panicked, their initial confusion giving way to raw terror. Some bolted for the jungle gym, scrambling over each other in a desperate bid to climb higher. Others froze in place, unable to move as the undead closed in.

Jean's voice rang out, cutting through the panic. "Keep climbing! Don't stop until you're high enough!"

Evan, still clutching the bar, stared down at the chaos below. "Dude, this is straight-up Resident Evil! What the fuck do we do?"

"Not die," Jean snapped. "Now move!"

On the ground, the stocky man who had tried to rally a group swung a rusted pipe at the nearest zombie, smashing it across the head. The zombie staggered but didn't go down, lunging forward and sinking its teeth into the man's arm. He screamed, his cries mixing with the snarls of the undead as more zombies swarmed him.

Akira, now perched on a high platform next to Jean, surveyed the chaos with unsettling calm. "They're faster than I thought," she said, almost to herself.

Jordan climbed up to their level, his breath ragged. "Faster? That's what you're focusing on? They're literally eating people down there!"

Tyler, still above them, pointed at a group of contestants trying to fend off the zombies with bits of scrap metal. "Yo, look at those dudes! They're trying to play fucking Dark Souls down there. RIP to them."

One of the zombies, drawn by the noise, spotted a contestant who had frozen in fear near the base of the jungle gym. It lunged at him, knocking him to the ground as he screamed and flailed helplessly. Blood sprayed as the zombie tore into his shoulder, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Evan climbed onto the platform next to Jean, his face pale. "This isn't a game," he muttered, his voice shaking. "This is a slaughter."

Jean scanned the arena, his mind racing. "They're testing us," he said grimly. "They want to see who can survive."

Akira leaned closer to him, her expression unreadable. "Then we survive."

Another howl echoed across the arena, and Jean turned to see more zombies pouring out of the gates, their numbers seemingly endless. The remaining contestants were scattering in every direction, their desperation palpable.

Above the chaos, the announcer's voice boomed once more, full of sadistic glee. "Let the Games begin!"

The crowd roared, their bloodlust palpable as they watched the carnage unfold. Jean's stomach churned, but he forced himself to stay focused.

"Jean," Akira said softly, her voice cutting through the noise. "We'll make it. I'll make sure of it."

Jean didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the nightmare below. Whatever happened next, he knew one thing for certain: this was only the beginning.

Q: What will your tactic be in this game?