Game of Life

Chapter 12

Severin gave us the rest of the night off, no horrors rose up while we were sleeping and for that I was thankful. The running through the hive had left me exhausted and I desperately needed to rest. 

When the sun rose we clambered out of our makeshift tents and gathered in the clearing. Everyone seemed relatively calm for now, none of the usual panic visible in their movements. The thought of the next beast being something as gentle as a dolphin must have been comforting. I couldn't imagine what Severin could do to make a creature like that as terrifying as the others. I knew that I shouldn't get my hopes up that this would be easy but I couldn't help it. 

We sat around a long time, just waiting, what else could we do? Severin controlled the game and he had left it at a standstill. It must be taking him a long time to design this round. I didn't like the thought of that. 

We sent out groups to hunt for some food while we waited. It didn't take very long for them to return, so many of us had died against the wasps, and the rounds before, that there was only about a thousand of us left.

Oh god. A thousand of us had died in mere days, and more would follow. Three left. I didn't want to think about what was next, Severin won't be messing around with the last ones. He wanted us dead, wanted to watch us suffer, watch the light fade from our eyes as the final breath left our bodies. It won't be that easy. I refused to give up after we had come so far. Bring it on Severin.

We gathered around the hunters as they brought in their kills and the Fire users created decently sized bonfires in little stone pits, courtesy of our friendly neighbour Earth benders. We separated into groups, each group huddling around one of the fires while the hunters handed out pieces of raw meat that we could cook. It wasn't great,  but it was something to keep us going. At the rate we were going we had maybe one day left, possibly two before it was over, depending on how long Severin kept us waiting.

When the sun started to sink again I became concerned, just how long would it take? Or had he wanted us to play the round in the dark?

Sick of waiting we all stood up, brushed off our clothes, and began making our way back to our little cots.

And, of course, that's when he decided to show up.

"I was wondering how long you would all wait," Severin purred. "Although I was expecting more of a panic. Alas, I will have to be a bit more patient for that."

Nervous chitters worked their way through the group before Severin silenced them, clapping his hands loudly and announcing that we were to follow him.

At first, nobody moved and Severin, who had already been walking expecting us to follow, turned back around to face us, a glare flashing across his face before it returned to his usual cheerful grin. "Come along now!"

Nothing.

"I said let's go." His voice was not quite yet a snarl.

I nudged the person closest to me and jerked my head, taking a few steps towards Severin and gesturing at the others to follow. We really didn't want to piss of the demon that held our lives in his hands. When still nobody moved I looked to Eric for assistance, but he just shook his head and stayed where he was. Are you really that stupid? I mouthed the words to him and he shrugged.

Thankfully, Darren wasn't that stupid and grabbed a few wrists, pulling them along with him when he stepped up to join me. "Come on people, death's a-waitin'."

Finally they started walking, reluctantly, and Severin waited for us to catch up. "My thanks." Severin grinned when I reached him and did a small curtsy. "I'd have hated for things to get...unpleasant."

I nodded once. "So what's the plan?"

Severin shook his head. "Now, now don't be impatient. If I told you it would spoil the fun."

I didn't bother to point out that it wouldn't be fun anyway. "How much farther?"

"About...4....3....2....1..." He took a large, hopping step each time he counted, spreading his hands out dramatically when he was done. "Here we are."

I moved up beside him, gasping softly at the sight. He had created a beautiful scene, a large glittering lake reflected the sunset on its surface. The opposite side held a forest of silver evergreens. Small, normal, woodland creatures wandered around on the beaches surrounding the lake while bluejays flew overhead.

"Well?" Severin purred. "Do you approve?"

Glancing back at him ruined the appeal but I forced a smile and nodded. "Looks beautiful."

"Fantastic!" he yipped, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "I spent all day creating the perfect display."

"You did a..a great job." I managed to choke the words out and tried to duck my way out of his arms. He wasn't having any of that and tightened his grip. Resting his head on my shoulder, he whispered in my ear. 

"I still have to show you the beasty." He snapped his fingers and a massive, three pieced tail splashed down from the center of the lake.

It waved a few times, as if in greeting, and disappeared under the water. Several seconds later the beast reappeared in all its glory, doing a backflip out of the water and stopping, suspended in midair, for mere milliseconds before landing back in the lake, causing a massive wave to lap at the shores.

The dolphin was incredible, its skin a glimmering, almost blue, silver that matched the color of the trees behind it. Long whiskers protruding from its nose, antennae from its head. Two fins, more like wings, splayed out from its sides and a line of spines along its lower back.

The beast swam up so its face rested on the beach in front of us. Six beady red eyes staring us down, waiting for its master's, for Severin's, order to kill.

"Enjoy your swim."