Last Man Standing

Chapter 6

(Sky's POV)

The buzzer sounded, and the bubbles around me and the other players disappeared. Saying it was a dash to the center is an understatement. It was more like chaos.

As I ran, I could hear the sounds of chests opening and people clashing tools already. I barely missed a swing of a sword as I dove into the chest I was targeting. Throwing the lid open, I found a gold sword and some string. Grabbing both items quickly, I then ran for any cover I could in the apocalyptic wasteland. I nearly gagged as a fresh wave of rotten flesh engulfed me. I decided to head into the wasted forest that was nearby, and hopefully find some cover there.

My legs were burning when I finally decided to take a break from running. Sitting down on a rotten log, I tried to calm my breathing. The forest around me was eerily quiet. There wasn't a breeze, no animals, no nothing. All I heard was my rapid breathing.

Suddenly, I heard loud bangs go off about my head, and I jumped. Looking up into the sky, I saw a large board appear, and I saw faces appear. As the faces flashed on the screen, a large, red X crossed through each face. I instantly understood what this meant. Those were the poor souls that ended up dying. And only on the first day.

When the last bang had gone off, I had counted 6 fallen players. Looking up at the screen, I managed to figure out that the kid with the purple Dino costume had died, as well as the girl, the Unicorn-whale guy, and then 2 more players I had never seen. What was really weird though, was that on the monitor, they only showed 5 faces.

The sun was beginning to set, so I decided to find a place that I could camp out for the night. I decided to go tactical, and sleep in a nearby tree. Climbing it's rotten branches, I could barely make out the dark logs of the wood. It was covered in a thick layer of charcoal and smelled like rotten fish. I didn't bother with a torch considering it would just give away my position, so I just slept coldly in the tree.

I hadn't managed to sleep more than 20 minutes when I heard the sound of leaves crunching through the forest. Opening my eyes, I looked around, and then quickly moved deeper into the tree, where the few leaves could hide me better.

Looking down, I saw two players walking through. One was unidentifiable, blending in too much with the darkness. But I could make out the other one distinctly, due to a specific article of clothing they were wearing.

I could hear the sound of dog tags.

"Do you see him anywhere Mitch?" I heard the unidentifiable player ask, not so quietly. Mitch shushed him.

"Jerome! Keep it down! Your going to give us away! Now, try to follow his scent again." Mitch said, and Jerome nodded, sniffing into the air. I hid deeper in the leaves, hoping that the rotting smell of the wood and zombies would mask my smell.

Jerome shrugged at Mitch.

"I've lost it. The rotting smell is too strong here." Jerome said, and Mitch growled.

"Well come on. I was watching Sky, and I didn't believe his fight with that kid earlier. There's something fishy going on here, and I want to figure it out. Follow me. Maybe the other guy, Ty, will be more willing to show his face." Mitch said, motioning for Jerome to follow. They walked off, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Fully awake again, I decided to pull out my sword and examine it. It was very well crafted for the games, and was made out of beautiful gold, Looking at my reflection in its blade. I began to tear up. Not only had I survived the first day, but I could've been in that group of people that didn't. When you think about it, it's a lot to take in at once.

I knew that this night wouldn't be easy. I had no food, no shelter, and no teammate at the moment. I needed a source of food quickly if I wanted to survive. But where do you find food in the middle of a wasteland?

My question was quickly answered by the sound of groaning. Looking down at the ground, I caught the sight of a mob of zombies. There tattered clothes and glazed eyes were super creepy, but I remember learning somewhere that even though their skin is rotten, it can supply enough energy to you until you can get a proper food source. I never wanted to resort to cannibalism, but what choice do I have at this point.

Watching the zombies, I decided that it would be best to jump down the tree a little ways away from where he mob was so they could come to me. I quickly shimmied down the tree and faced the mob. They began dragging towards me, their groans making my ears bleed.

When the first zombie came, I was able to kill it swiftly. Zombies weren't a hard prey; I mean, they don't have brains after all. They all came one at a time, and it was easy pickings for killing them off. I was quickly done with the zombies, and they laid in piles on the ground. This was the gross part.

I quickly cut away some rotten flesh and ate it. The taste was rancid, but I forced it down in the thought of needing energy to survive the night. I was soon full of the nasty stuff and decided to resort to my tree again to get some sleep. I walked alertly back to the tree, watching my surroundings invade Mitch or Jerome were to come back. But, I got to my tree with no problem at all, and I quickly fell asleep in the protection of the dead leaves.

Sorry about the wait for this chapter guys, Highschool has been hectic since I started and I haven't had time to write. I hope to get the next chapter out soon!

Please vote and comment, it is much appreciated!

Until the next chapter,
~Citrus