There were barely any snakes left coming from the forest, the flames did its work as a protective barrier. The shoreline was quiet, save for the crackle of the massive forest fire. Most survivors, including Liam and Tyler, rested along the beach. Some of the braver, benevolent men stayed on guard, fighting off snakes that attempted to land from the sea.
"Hey, fire guy."
The man with immaculate hair (somehow not ruined by the utter chaos) approached Liam and Tyler, who sat beside each other on a log, near the first embers of fire Liam had started earlier.
Neither of them replied properly. Liam gave him a blank stare. Tyler said nothing at all, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"You're pretty smart, huh? The fire and all?" the man asked, attempting to strike up a conversation.
"Maybe." Liam responded flatly, then turned his head away to join Tyler in watching the sealine.
"I'm Brandon. I was hoping you'd help with a plan I have, of uh... of going back into the forest. See if any survivors are still out there, you know?" He pointed toward the burning trees.
"Any survivors left are likely bitten or burned," Liam replied bluntly.
"It's still worth a shot."
There was determination in Brandon's eyes. He genuinely wanted to help.
"I'll pass."
"Please," Brandon pushed gently. "We could use someone like you. You stayed calm when everything's falling apart."
Tyler remained quiet, still reeling from the loss of two dear friends just hours earlier.
"Still pass." Liam's voice was straight up robotic.
Brandon sighed. "Can I at least know your name?"
"Liam Dye."
"Nice to meet you, Liam. And… thank you for saving our lives." Brandon extended a hand while bowing sincerely.
"I did what I had to do to survive. Wasn't trying to save anyone." Liam ignored the handshake offer.
"You still saved us. Every single one of us has a chance to see our loved ones again… and it's thanks to you." Brandon smiled faintly, but it faded quick.
Brandon hesitated, then bowed again, deeper this time. "Please. You can still save more. I want to help those people."
Liam felt a flicker of guilt, but it passed quickly. He didn't care about others. Why should he? Their lives didn't affect his own.
"I'll go," Tyler said suddenly, rising to his feet. His voice was no longer shaky, it now carried weight, and even resolve.
"Thank you." Brandon smiled wide with a light bow.
"And you're coming too." Tyler turned to Liam.
"What?" Liam was caught off guard by Tyler's unusual.
"Bryan and Melissa… they just—" Tyler choked for a second. "I know you weren't close with them, but Jesus, man. You heard them talk. You know they were good people. We can't just sit here while others die. Not because of this sick-ass game."
He stepped closer, his eyes fierce. "And if you wanna sit on your ass here because you can, then fuck you, fuck you, man. Now get up."
Tyler grabbed Liam and yanked him to his feet, leaving him no choice.
"So... will you be going?" Brandon asked.
"I guess I am now," Liam muttered.
Brandon smiled and extended his hand again. This time, Tyler accepted it with a firm shake.
"Looking forward to working with you two."
"Let's kill these asshole snakes," Tyler said.
"Brandon," Liam interjected. "Where are you from?"
"Uh... Caciress. Why?"
"Where in Caciress?"
"Frautal. What's this about?"
"We're from there too. You got here from a 'Would You Rather' question, right?"
"Yeah... and it's exactly what the question described." Brandon looked at his watch. "If that's true, we've got about two and a half hours left until 4 a.m."
"Same with us," Liam said, everything about him still screamed lethargy. "I asked because I don't believe in the supernatural. And I don't think we were teleported either. This was planned by someone, orchestrated. To pull something like this off, they'd need a lot of manpower. And if they moved people here from all over the world, that's a huge operation. I'm betting we're all from Caciress."
Brandon blinked, partly confused, partly surprised. "Let's... ask around. Confirm it." And they did
"Caciress"
"Caciress"
"No country in particular, you know the joint ruled city established by the UN?." That's Caciress.
"You're right…" Brandon muttered once they regrouped.
"Doesn't matter right now," Liam said while shaking his head lightly. "Let's meet your team."
Brandon led them to two others, James and Chris.
"This is fire guy, Liam. And this is—"
"Tyler."
After brief introductions and handshakes, the five armed themselves with sharp sticks, broken tree fragments, and rocks. Most people had been transported here in their pajamas, many without shoes. Of the five, only Liam and Tyler had proper footwear. The others removed their shirts to wrap around their feet, hoping for some bite protection. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"Wait," Brandon said, just as they were about to leave for the burning forest. "Before we go, I need to say something to the others."
He turned and advanced, but Liam grabbed his wrist, stopping him.
"You're about to tell them we should all go to the same police station in Caciress if we survive, right? Report it together so it sounds more believable than just one guy rambling about monsters and games?"
"Ye—"
"Think it through. Whoever's behind this, they moved dozens, maybe hundreds of people, put them on an island with genetically-altered snakes. You really think they'll let us just waltz into a station and spill everything? If they're that powerful, they can shut us up just as easily."
Brandon froze. He wanted to say "it's worth a try," but not if it puts everyone's lives at risk.
"Instead," Liam continued, "tell them not to report it. Let the other group, the mall survivors, do it. They will report it, because that's the obvious move, and we watch what happens to them. That's our test case. We prepare based on their fate. That's the smarter play."
Brandon clearly hated the idea. His face tightened with frustration, but he couldn't refute the logic.
Finally, he turned to the rest of the survivors.
"EVERYONE, PLEASE LISTEN!" Brandon shouted. "If we survive this… do NOT report this incident to anyone. Just stop playing the game. If you need an explanation, tell me, I'll give it to you!"