《The Fight for Lives》 I: Tyrell The voice leaves Darkness That''s all I see A moment ago I was with my family, my kids, and my wife. And now This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. I''m here My head begins to ache ¡°WHERE AM I? HELLO ANYONE THERE!¡± I walk around with my hands in front of me trying to see or feel anything. Desperate for any sense of anything. My headache has become too strong. I blackout ¡­ Wake up my child I wake up in a forest My headache leaves Where am I? Who am I? I''ve taken your memory Win and regain your memory and go back to your normal life Die and never return What? Why is this happening? But why with me? I look at my arm. Six red rings appear on my arm like permanent bracelets. When I look at them I feel so, so¡­ Alive My child, Tyrell, you are lucky You have gained the most lives out of the 17 Use them wisely There are 16 other people?! Surviving might be harder than I thought. II: Lindsey I look at my right arm. Three lives. I need to be cautious. I need to make allies fast. I turn to my right and an extremely familiar girl stands next to me. I remember the voice above. It gave me the memory of my best friend who is also here. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Iris?¡± I question in pure hope. ¡°Lindsey? Lindsey! I am so happy to see you!¡± She runs up to me and hugs me. I enjoy the embrace but I can''t help but notice her arm. She has five lives. Maybe I can retrieve one life from her and we¡¯ll both be at four. What are you thinking?! She''s your best friend! Snap out of this! I let go of our long embrace. I stare into Iris''s eyes. There is nothing behind them besides pure fear. I can tell what she is thinking. Only one of us can go back to the world. If we both survive. III: Jacob Two lives Two lives Two lives Those are the only two words I can think of since I got here. I can''t believe I got the lowest number of lives. I need to watch every single move I make. I had already found a sharp stone near a creek. I see a small stick-like tree not too far from the creek that I chop down surprisingly fast with the sharp rock. Using the resources around me I made a nice tool. It looked like a weapon between an axe and a sword. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. With what I have I should go out and find people. Make alliances. As I do I try to find any deep memories that the voice above might have left behind. All I remember is my name is Jacob. The voice did tell me that an old lover can be found nearby along with a best friend. They will be strong allies. I see a group of three men in a clearing in the forest. One is older, the other two are much younger. They already had made a fire and gathered food with some weapons. They also had a makeshift fishing rod and a pickaxe. It sounds like they are going to split up. Maybe when they leave their camp I can steal some stuff from them. I wait for them to leave, watching them at a distance hiding behind a tree. It takes longer than I thought but they finally leave. I wait for a moment for them to get away from their camp. I slowly walk up to the camp checking for traps. Just being careful or I¡¯m just paranoid. I find some sharp rocks that have been sharpened by hand along with some firewood. I grab some of both. Enough for myself but not enough for them to notice I stole some of their stuff. I pick up the stuff and turn around. To be found by a girl. With her blonde hair Blue eyes Soft rosy cheeks My pulse quickens My mouth is dry My cheeks are flushed She''s my old lover IV: Tyrell I see an older woman in the distance tending to her wounds. She is weak which means I can kill her more easily. I need her life. Why am I craving for more lives? I already have the most out of everyone here. I look at my weapon, a sharp piece of wood. More likely to knock someone out than kill them. Eh, I''ll try anyway. I sneak up behind her as she''s using water and a torn piece of her clothing to tend to the gash on her leg. I knock her on the head. She becomes unconscious. I see her lying on the ground. Her fourth ring disappears off her arm. And my seventh appears. I see her eyes flutter open. She''s fully healed. I jolt out slightly skipping as I go. I look at my arm.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. My first kill I feel so lively I need more I pass by two young men cheering as I escape. I can''t help but notice the abundance of resources they have. I look up at the sun. It''s not even midday and they have enough resources for a small village. I walk over trying to look confident, not desperate. ¡°Hello, fellow gentlemen,¡± the two young men turn to me. I look down at their arms. The one on the right has one life, the other has two. ¡°Hello sir,¡± the one on the right says, ¡°can we help you?¡± ¡°I thought we could do a trade,¡± I point to my arm and their eyes light up. ¡°What would you like sir?¡± The one on the left says in pure desperation. ¡°Well, actually I was wondering first how did you get so low on lives?¡± The young men point at the dead bear. ¡°We started at three lives each but that thing came along and destroyed us.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see,¡± I look at the bear. I want it. The head would look so fine on my head like a crown. ¡°How about we become a team of the three of us? And when it comes to desperation I can provide lives,¡± I put my hand on their shoulders, and I turn them around so we are facing the same direction. I put each of my arms around their shoulders and we look into the distance where the unalive bear lays, ¡°and you two can provide resources.¡± ¡°Um, okay sir, that sounds good.¡± ¡°Wonderful, I found a cave not too far from here. We can transport our stuff over there and it will provide nice protection away from everyone else.¡± V: Jacob ¡°Um hello?¡± the girl in front of me says while she gives a small wave. ¡°Oh, hi,¡± I respond. I have no idea what to do. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I shake my head. Get yourself together. ¡°Oh yeah, wait,¡± I pause in fear, ¡°are you a part of that group?¡± ¡°No, no I came to do what you were doing.¡± ¡°Stealing?¡± ¡°More like borrowing without permission, and not giving it back.¡± We both laugh. ¡°Do you need an alliance? Or someone to be with right now?¡± I hope she says yes. ¡°Umm actually,¡± I freeze, you messed up Jacob of course, ¡°I''m with a group of people but you can totally join us. We definitely need some muscle.¡± I smile. She thinks I¡¯m strong. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Sure, that would be great.¡± We walk into the forest and I don''t know what to say. If I should say anything, I wonder if she knows we were old lovers. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I ask desperately to get out of this silence. ¡°Mallory, what about yours?¡± ¡°Jacob.¡± I notice she is looking down at the ground. Why? ¡°Oh, our camp isn''t too far from here!¡± She walks a bit faster and I try to keep up. I see the camp in the distance. A convenient large clearing. I see a guy about my age and an older woman in the area, talking. ¡°Earlene, Caden look! I brought someone!¡± They both turn and Earlene gives a soft smile. ¡°Oh, you brought a very nice-looking boy. Here put the supplies here.¡± I place the supplies down next to a log. I look up at Caden, he looks so familiar. ¡°Caden has been trying to make a small shelter here,¡± Earlene says, breaking the silence, ¡°maybe you can help him.¡± She grabs my arm gently and turns to Caden. He frowns. I try to hold in a laugh but then Mallory lets out a snort and I burst out laughing. Mallory joins me too. ¡°I''m going to get more wood,¡± Caden mumbled. ¡°I¡¯ll join you!¡± Earlene says, she winks at Mallory and she blushes. Caden opens his mouth to protest but he closes it at walks away. ¡­ Earlene and Caden haven''t been back around a whole hour. Mallory has been doing chores while I sort of stand around. Maybe I should help out. I walk over to her and she freezes. ¡°Um, Mallory I was wondering-¡± Mallory interrupts me. ¡°I can''t hold it in anymore.¡± What does she mean? ¡°Are you alright?¡± I ask in concern. ¡°I don''t know if you remember but I do, we used to be together and, and,¡± she freezes. She remembers to. I wonder if she feels the same way too. The feeling of never really getting over each other. ¡°And?¡± I¡¯m practically at the edge of my seat. ¡°And I might have never gotten over you¡­¡± she looks down. I give a slight laugh. ¡°That¡¯s such a relief, ¡®cause I feel the same way.¡± I smile. She looks up and relief goes over her. Her shoulders loosen up a bit. And then¡­ She kisses me. I''m shocked. It''s so sudden. But I''m not complaining. She lets go and we hear a rustle in the distance. We both turn our heads to the distance. Earlene stands there with a grin. HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN THERE?! VI: Iris Lindsey keeps looking at my arm and every time it makes me more uncomfortable. I thought we were best friends. I mean she only has three lives when it becomes night I could kill her off. Eight lives doesn¡¯t sound too bad. What the heck?! What are you thinking?! She''s your best friend! Snap out of this! I shake my head and look at the sun. Not too long until sundown. I found a tree stump to sit on, I need to clear my thoughts. Lindsey and I had made a small camp. We hope to find others in the morning so it isn''t just the two of us. Lindsey comes back with a dead rabbit. I didn''t even realize she left. Is that bad? ¡°Killed it with my bare hands,¡± Lindsey grins. Blood drips down the rabbit. I gag. ¡°Let me start a fire.¡± I have some sticks, wood, and stones. I can''t start a fire with this. ¡°Umm I need to use the restroom, I will be back.¡± Lindsey nods and I leave. I didn''t really need to use the restroom, what I really need is for someone to help me make a fire. I look up at the sky trying to find smoke in this forest. I see one not too far from here. I run towards it in desperation. I found a small camp with lots of large rocks and many tools that these people must have made. Three men surround the fire. One is older and the other two are younger, maybe a little older than me. I think about my options. Either I lose a life and maybe Lindsey might look at my arm less or I get stuff to make a fire. Eh, there''s nothing really to lose.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I walk toward their camp putting my arms behind my back. They don''t need to know how many lives I have. ¡°Excuse me gentlemen,¡± all of them turn to me. I freeze. ¡°What do you want, little girl,¡± one of the younger ones says, ¡°company?¡± They all laugh. He doesn''t even look that much older than me and he still calls me a little girl. ¡°I need supplies to make a fire.¡± I hold my breath. ¡°And why should we help you little-¡± his other friend stops him. ¡°Jared stop teasing her,¡± the young man walks up to me and hands me flint and steel. ¡°We found this in the river while fishing, use this,¡± he gives me a soft smile and I return it. My cheeks get a bit warm. ¡°Jaxson, what in the world are you doing?!¡± Jared tries to take the flint and steel out of my hand but I put it behind my back before he could. The two begin to bicker a bit and I give out a chuckle. But then I look behind them. The old man''s eyes are shut. ¡°Is the old man passed out?¡± I say trying to distract them. They both turn around and their eyes widen. ¡°Zak!¡± Jared exclaims. They both dash over to him. I slowly walk away when they aren''t noticing. I hide behind a tree not too far away. ¡°Ugh, he''s just asleep, Jared there''s nothing to worry about.¡± I hear Jaxson say in the distance. I skip back to our camp. Once I arrive I see that Lindsey got impatient and tried to begin a fire herself. ¡°Lindsey, look what I got! I saw this lying around!¡± I sit down next to the pile of twigs and dead grass. And I strike the two rocks together. I do it over and over until then fire sparks. ¡°BOOM! I made fire!¡± I smile at my accomplishment. ¡°Nice job Iris!¡± Lindsey smiles and begins to cook the rabbit. I watch her cook while holding the flint and steel. I keep thinking about Jaxson. Why was he so nice to me? Maybe he saw my arm and wanted a life from me. Maybe he wants me to be close to him only to hurt me later. Maybe he just wants to have another ally. Or maybe he genuinely finds me interesting. I blush at that last thought. Before I know it Lindsey hands me some rabbit. I inhale it. Man, I was hungry. Lindsey looks at me with wide eyes. ¡°Do you want some of mine?¡± she says with her mouth full. ¡°Yes please,¡± I take some from her and I eat it. I look up at the sky after I finish. The sky is dark and the stars light up the night sky. ¡°I think I''ll head to bed.¡± I give a small yawn. ¡°Good night Lindsey.¡± ¡°Night Iris.¡± I lay on the tree stump which gives some comfort. My mind brings back the thought of Jaxson. Why are you thinking of him like that? You just met him a few hours ago. Plus it was only for one moment. But his face was so sweet. At least he makes me forget the thought of how Lindsey looks at my arm while holding her makeshift dagger. It gives me goosebumps. The thought of my best friend killing me for selfish reasons is miserable. But it''s also the thought of never going back to the real world. Whatever my life was like then. VII: Tyrell We had set up camp in the cave. Only one exit. Easier to control. The two men are fast asleep. Maybe I can get eight lives. That doesn''t sound too bad. I take one of the weapons one of the men had made. And I stab him in the back. I see the wound immediately heal as the red ring disappears on his arm from two to one. Weird, just like the old lady it''s like they restart. The man doesn''t blink an eye open. I felt like he should if he''s dying. I clean the knife and place it back where I found the weapon. I killed him with his own weapon. Easier than I thought. I take my sleeve and roll it down to make it look like I still have seven lives. I go back to sleep like nothing happened. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡­ The two men wake up earlier than I would have liked. They were discussing how the one went from two to one lives last night without knowing. I roll down my sleeve a bit more to make sure he doesn''t know. ¡°Gentlemen,¡± I walk towards them and they stop their conversation immediately, ¡°That bear was absolutely delicious last night. I was hoping you would do the same tonight?¡± ¡°And what are you going to do for us?¡± the other one says. Man, I need to figure out their names. ¡°I will keep my lives safe in case you need them,¡± and maybe to gain more. But I leave that part out. The one protests but the other one stops him and they leave. They fear me Just how I like it. VIII: Mallory I wake up and look up at the sky. The sun blinds me. ¡°Good morning Mallory,¡± Earlene says as she goes through her stash of herbs she found yesterday. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± I scratch my head. ¡°It''s only been an hour since sunrise.¡± I sigh in relief. I thought it was much later in the day. I think about yesterday. I kissed Jacob. Why did I do it? He probably thinks I''m a weirdo. I regret it but I don''t at the same time. ¡°Earlene?¡± Earlene turns her head and smiles. ¡°Where are Caden and Jacob?¡± ¡°Oh they went to get supplies for the shack,¡± she claps her hands enthusiastically, ¡°I''m so excited!¡± We are in a situation where we have to kill each other to go back home and this woman is excited about a shack. I mean someone could at any moment and try to take our lives away and she doesn''t even have a thought about it. What a woman. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I stand up and walk into the forest. ¡°I''m going for a walk, I''ll be back soon.¡± ¡°You can''t go out! Someone might take your lives! You have a lot too, four. That''s one more than me.¡± Oh so now she thinks about our lives. ¡°Oh, and I need your help with my herbs.¡± ¡­ I hear talking in the distance. I turn around frantically to see Caden and Jacob coming back with lots of wood. I¡¯m so glad to see them. Earlene had told me everything about her herbs. Their names, what they do for the body and mind. She is one healer. I had to pinch myself to keep myself awake. I walk up to Caden and Jacob and they stop their conversation. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± I ask. I rock back and forth with my hands behind my back. ¡°Actually,¡± Caden starts, ¡°you can distract Earlene, we¡¯ll never get anything done if she''s all up in our business.¡± I sigh. I guess I have to pinch myself for the next few hours. I plod over to Earlene. ¡°Any more herbs to show me?¡± I ask, trying to look interested. I sit down across from her. ¡°Of course.¡± Earlene gives an innocent smile. As she shows me a few more of her herbs I wonder how she remembers all of this. ¡°How do you know all of this? You know with our memories getting wiped?¡± ¡°Well, the voice above gave you the memory of knowing Jacob was your last lover and gave Jacob and Caden the memory of being best friends. The voice above gave me the memory of my natural healing abilities for some reason.¡± ¡°Can you do more than heal people with herb mixtures?¡± I ask. ¡°Oh much more sweetie.¡± Earlene taps my hand and smiles. ¡°Like what?¡± I realize I''m leaning toward her and I¡¯m nearly touching her face. I back away. ¡°Now that¡¯s a secret.¡± Earlene starts putting her herbs away. ¡°Please tell me! I really want to know!¡± I clasp my hands together. ¡°Oh so now you''re interested. When it came to my herbs you had to pinch yourself to stay awake.¡° I start blushing. How did she know? IX: Lindsey Iris has been disconnected all day. What has she been thinking? I keep looking at her fifth life. I want it so badly. But she''s my best friend I could never. I need to distract myself. ¡°We are running low on supplies. I''m going to get some more.¡± Iris nods while sitting down curled up with her knees to her chin and her arms wrapping around her legs. Like she''s been doing all day. We aren''t really running out of supplies but I am running out of lives. Three isn''t enough. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡­ I''ve been walking in the forest for a good half an hour and there has been no sign of anyone. Until I see a woman hunting in the forest. Yeah, she''s like twice my size but I could totally take her down. I crouch down and walk until I''m hiding behind the tree next to her. Time to strike. I take my makeshift dagger and go straight for her back. But before I know it she turns around and stabs me in the stomach. Like she knew I was there. I look down at my stomach and blood pours out. I''m in insufferable pain. And then it turns black, that''s all I see. Then I see the forest again. The girl is out of sight. It all happened so quickly she stabbed me I died I came back and she''s gone. I''m so confused. I look down at my chest, my wound is healed and my lives is down to two. ¡°NO!¡± I yelp. ¡°This can''t be happening.¡± I can''t go back to Iris. She''ll think I''m weak, losing a life. I need to regain it. No matter the cost. X: Tyrell It¡¯s been hours since the two guys left and I¡¯m bored. I look at my arm. What if they come back and realize I''ve gotten a life? Will they question me or stay quiet? I can jeopardize my alliance with them. I go out and leave the camp. I need more lives. ¡­ I find a small camp with three women. I recognize one of them. It was the old lady and she was my first kill. She was super easy to kill. Maybe I can do it again. I sneak behind a tree and wait for the other two to leave. But they won''t budge.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I get impatient. I need to strike. I take the dagger I used to kill the man last night and go for it. But one of the girls notices and shouts. ¡°Mary! Watch out!¡± She reaches out her arm as she shouts. Mary moves and rolls onto the ground. She breathes heavily. The other girl runs up to me and tries to attack. She fails as I jolt out. They shout at me frustrated. I arrive out of breath and feel like I''m about to pass out. I never stopped sprinting from the camp to the cave. I''m disappointed with my failure but the men never have to know. I''ll pretend I killed her. I go back into the cave and look at the bear''s head lying on the ground. I need to make good use of it. I pick it up and begin my work, forgetting my little adventure from before. XI: Iris Lindsey hasn''t been gone for a while. I can''t stop thinking about Jaxson. I''ve been thinking about him since I woke up. Wait¡­ What if I just go and see Jaxson? Lindsey doesn''t have to know. I get up and walk back to their camp. I feel like I remember it like the back of my hand. And I do. I wonder why I''ve only been this way once. I see the camp ahead. I see Zak and Jared but no Jaxson. Maybe he''s nearby so I can look around. Suddenly I feel an arm around my waist. I shriek and the person puts their hand on my mouth. My muffled screams go away when the person turns me around. It''s Jaxson. I realize that I''m almost at his chest. My face burns. I back away. His back lays against a large tree. ¡°Sorry,¡± Jaxson starts, ¡°If Jared saw you he would kill you.¡± I look down and I see his arm. He''s gained a life. ¡°Why were you away from camp?¡± I look back up at him and he smiles. I give him a soft smile. ¡°Jared hasn''t talked to me ever since I gave you the flint and steel. And Zak is always sleeping. He only wakes up when food is involved,¡± He runs his hand through his smooth hazelnut-colored hair, ¡°so I got bored and went out to find you,¡± he looks down. My cheeks are flushed. He went out for me. He really is interested in me. ¡°So what was your excuse to leave camp?¡± I ask. His head jolts up and looks at me confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asks. ¡°I know you didn''t just leave camp without telling Jared what you were going to do. So what did you tell him?¡± ¡°I was going to go fishing.¡± Jaxson mumbles. ¡°Then let''s go fishing!¡± I place my hands on my hips. When Jaxson doesn''t move and looks stunned. I grab his hand and we go towards the river. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Wait, are we going to fish?¡± Jaxson says, still stunned as I pull him along. ¡°Yeah! You can''t say you didn''t catch anything. Jared and I both know you''re better than that.¡± Jaxson''s face turns rosy and I smile. ¡­ We arrive at the river and I take off my shoes and I roll up my pants but Jaxson already beats me to it. He jumps into the river. The river is shallow but his force is so strong that the water splashes all over me. I jump in next to him. My splash looks pathetic next to his. I take out my dagger. ¡°Ready to fish?¡± I look up at him. ¡°Whoever gets the most fish wins,¡± Jaxson grins. We both know he''s going to win. ¡°What happens to the loser?¡± I ask. ¡°They¡¯ll get dunked in the water,¡± Jaxson responds a little too quickly. His smile becomes larger. ¡°Alright, bet,¡± I take out my free hand and we shake hands. We begin right away and watch the fish come downstream and Jaxson stabs them one by one sometimes he even grabs them with his bare hands. Where I stab or catch them and my butterfingers drop the fish. I see another fish ahead of me. I try to grab it but just like every other time, I drop it. I look at my pile of fish. Two. I look at Jaxson¡¯s pile. I can''t even count how many there are. I decide to play dirty. I see a group of fish ahead and I know Jaxson will get most of them or maybe even all of them. I bump into Jaxson and he misses every fish. ¡°Oh you''re playing dirty,¡± he smiles and drops his dagger next to his fish. He grabs me by the hips, lifts me in the air, and turns me around. His grip on my hips is so firm my body gets hot against his cold hands from the water. He places me down and grabs my two fish. Oh like that¡¯s going to help him win. But I still try to grab the fish out of his hands but he¡¯s too tall. He tosses the two fish into his pile. I pout and I stand right in front of him looking up at his face, my chest almost touching his. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think we both know I was going to win,¡± Jaxson grins. I look down. ¡°I know¡­¡± I kick some water with my feet. Jaxson takes his hand and lifts my face to look at his. ¡°Hey it¡¯s okay I''ll share some of my fish with you,¡± he winks, at me. ¡°Thanks,¡± I give him a light push. But he only takes a step back. ¡°Hey, that''s my job.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask him. ¡°Remember? The loser gets dunked.¡± he smiles and I groan. ¡°Ugh, I forgot.¡± We find a deeper part of the river just deep enough to mostly dunk me. Jaxson gets ready to dunk me. ¡°Ready?¡± he asks. ¡°More than I''ll ever be,¡± I mumble. He pushes me in but I grab his hand and bring him down with me. I see his face shocked. Probably the best thing I''ve ever seen since this whole thing started. He places his hands on the back of my head and around my waist. We drop into the water. He''s on top of me and we are both laughing. ¡°You planned that, didn''t you?¡± he chuckles. ¡°How could I not, it was the perfect opportunity,¡± I laugh even more. I look at his face an inch away from mine. His deep brown eyes. I wonder if he''s thinking the same thing I am right now. But before anything happens a fish hits Jaxson in the head. ¡°Agh! What the heck?¡± He sits up. I laugh hysterically. That was awesome but I also kinda wished it didn''t happen. ¡°That was hilarious.¡± I sit up next to him. ¡°For you it was. That hurt.¡± He runs the back of his head. ¡°Aww, do you need a bandage? A kiss?¡± I say trying to baby him but I freeze realizing what I just said. ¡°A kiss sounds nice,¡± he turns his head to mine. I felt so hot in this cold water. I didn''t know it was possible. ¡°Maybe next time¡± I stand up and get out of the river. I hear Jaxson give a quiet ¡®aww shucks¡¯. I giggle. We are out of the river and we pick up the fish. I turn around and I see Jaxson¡­ without his shirt. I turn away quickly. What''s wrong with me? I feel like I shouldn''t be bothered by this but I am. This feeling is the worst and best thing that''s ever happened to me. XII: Jacob When Caden and I arrived Mallory couldn¡¯t stand another glance at Earlene. And now all she wants is to talk to her. I wonder what happened in their conversation earlier. Caden and I continue to build the shack. Using large branches and logs with some stones. We were able to make a shack that''s usable. But not for long-term use. I hope we¡¯re not staying here for long. I glance at Mallory. We haven''t really talked since we¡­ kissed. Maybe I should talk to her. But what would I say? I have no idea. Maybe I shouldn''t talk to her. We finish the shack and Earlene comes over. ¡°Ooo! You two did so well! I''m very impressed!¡± Earlene smiles and Caden and I do too. Earlene¡¯s smile is infectious. Earlene goes into the shack and I turn around to see Mallory standing right next to me. As soon as I notice her, she quickly slips her hand into mine. I slightly blush. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Earlene really likes the shack. You guys did a great job,¡± Mallory says. ¡°Thanks,¡± I say while scratching the back of my head. My stomach growls. ¡°Oh shoot, I forgot to get food,¡± I say. We were so busy with the shack that food passed my mind. I let go of Mallory¡¯s hand. I walk over to the side of the shack and grab a dagger. I see Mallory standing right beside me when I get up. ¡°Can I come?¡± she asks, ¡°please?¡± ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± I hand her a knife. ¡­ Mallory is excellent at finding animals. She is quiet as a mouse and animals never hear her when she moves. But when I even move an inch I sound like a volcano to the animals and they run away in fear. I''m much better at traps. Mallory finds a doe in the distance. Perfect. As long as I don''t mess it up like every other time we will have a great meal. I give her the large dagger. ¡°How about you kill this one,¡± I murmur. She chuckles and winks at me. I stay far away from the doe but Mallory gracefully hops from tree to bush to boulder. She is so swift I could never do that. She hides behind a boulder and throws her dagger at the doe in the stomach. Its eyes grow wide. It''s about to bolt off but before it can Mallory throws her knife at its back leg. The doe limps along but we catch up to it before it goes far. We both stand in front of the dead deer. ¡°That was incredible Mallory,¡± I turn to her and kiss her on the cheek. ¡°Thanks,¡± she mutters. We both crouch down and grab the dagger and knife out of the deer. I grab the deer and blood pours out onto my arms. Not my favorite part of hunting. But it always happens. Mallory almost skips back to camp. She''s proud of her accomplishment and she should be. XIII: Lindsey I walk around the forest feeling defeated. I need another life. I find a camp not too far away, maybe the people there are distracted and I can get a life. I quietly walk near the camp but my heart beats faster and faster every step I take. I see the camp is not too far ahead. An older man sleeps while a young man sits on a rock and he has an annoyed expression. Yikes, these guys look stronger than the last woman I tried to kill. But if I thought I could kill her and couldn''t but I think I can''t kill these guys maybe I can. That logic checks out. Right? The young man looks distracted so I sneak up behind him. I take out my dagger and I''m about to strike. ¡°Jared! Watch out!¡± Ok, now the old man wakes up. Right before I kill him. The young man named Jared turns around.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. I step back but my back hits a tree. Jared is right in front of me and swings his dagger. I go down and dodge it. I run into the forest and Jared follows me. Jared is too fast, he catches up quickly. He swings again, the dagger goes across my arm and cuts me. Blood slowly spews out of my arm. I can''t let him kill me. I swing at him but he takes my dagger by the hand and grabs the dagger out of my hand. He holds the sharp end with his hand. Blood drips out of his hand. This man has no fear. My heart is pumping and my arm is in pain. I have to win. He holds the two daggers and swings in every direction. I barely dodge his attack. I breathe heavily. I''m not going to win. I step back realizing I''m slacking because Jared swings again. Pitch black again. I sit on my knees on the ground. Jared is gone. I look at my arm. One red ring. One life. I look at the cut on my arm that has healed. I can''t believe I lost two lives. I can''t gamble with my last life. I head back to camp. With no dagger and one life. ¡­ I arrive back at camp and I see Iris has started a fire. Her hair is wet as well as her clothes. I put my hand behind my back trying to make sure Iris doesn''t know I died twice today. ¡°Why are you wet?¡± I ask. I sit down across the fire from her. ¡°Went fishing.¡± She points to the pile of fish next to the fire that I hadn''t seen. ¡°Oh. Do you want me to start cooking them?¡± I take Iris''s dagger off the ground and take a fish. ¡°Um, sure,¡± Iris says. She sounds like her mind is off in la-la land. XIV: Tyrell I still await for the two young men to come back. What is taking them so long? Maybe I should go find them. Nah, they might think I care about them. I look at my most prized possession(besides my eight lives), the bear head. I made it so the bear''s head rests perfectly on mine. I wear it with pure pride. It makes me feel like a king. I feel like I deserve that power. Maybe if I get more lives people might agree. I see that finally, the two young men have arrived. I could hear the conversation faintly in the distance. ¡°You found this amazing catch, Darren!¡± The one says that I killed last night. ¡°Thanks, but you''re the one that killed it, Steven,¡± Darren said. Yes! I finally know their names. So I don''t have to call them Thing 1 and Thing 2. When they walk up their eyes go wide. Darren tries to hold in a laugh but a snicker comes out of him. Steven elbows him. Darren coughs and they stare at me. They were laughing at the bear''s head. I look down at what they are holding. It seems like they killed a deer. Too bad they didn''t keep the antlers. They would have been useful. Steven holds a variety of deer parts. And Darren holds two deer legs on his left arm. I look down at Darren¡¯s right hand held sort of behind his back. I see a knife a white-ish knife made of deer antlers. How dare he! It would have made an incredible crown. Even more to solidify the idea of me being king. I frown at Darren first snickering at me and then using antlers for selfish reasons.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Darren deserved to lose that life. ¡°I''ll start a fire,¡± I sigh. I grab firewood while the two begin to cut the deer. ¡­ The night begins to fall. And my stomach is full of deer. Darren''s stomach growls. He deserves to starve. We sit in pure silence. The only sound is the fire crackling. I yawn. I should sleep. Another day of being the most powerful on this land awaits. I like being powerful. No wait, I don''t like it. I love being powerful. And now my job is to make sure everyone else knows it too. ¡­ I''m half asleep. It''s probably midnight. I hear whispers, most likely Darren talking in his sleep. Oh how much I hate him. But the whispering is close to me like right above me. I open my eyes like I woke up from a nightmare but I didn''t wake up from a nightmare I woke up to a nightmare. There Darren stands right above me with his deer antler knife about to stab me. Stupid bastard. I grab the knife so suddenly and I pull him to the wall of the cave and press his knife to his neck. Blood spills out of his neck. He breathes heavily and shakes. Good, good. Be scared of me. ¡°Pull a stunt like this again,¡± I whisper into his ear ¡°And next time I''ll make sure you have zero lives. You understand?¡± he shakes his head up and down. I let go, shoving him into the wall and throwing his knife down on the ground. ¡°Good thing you¡¯re useful or I would already have you dead.¡± Steven wakes up behind me. Shocked by what I''ve done to his friend. Darren lays on the ground blood on his hands and neck going down onto his chest, out of breath and bruised. ¡°Maybe you can learn from this Steven,¡± I say while cracking my knuckles, ¡°you''ll never be able to betray me since I''ll already have you dead,¡± I scorn. I walk out of the cave into the forest. I need to clear my mind. XV: Mallory I was sound asleep until I heard something in the forest. The sound came from a large animal not a bear but not a deer. What if it''s a human? I get up quickly. I see a shadow walk near the shack. I scream. Caden and Jacob wake up. Jacob must have seen the figure too since he grabs his dagger and runs towards it. I get up too and bring a knife as well. Jacob has it pinned to the ground and the dagger to its chest. The moonlight gives barely enough light to see the figure''s face. It''s an older man and I look down on his arm. Eight lives. I shudder. How is this possible? I don''t think Jacob has noticed since he''s already stabbed him. Seven lives is still an atrocious amount. The man blacks out then comes back, shuffles, and runs off. What was he doing here? Jacob stands there shocked. ¡°I just realized he had eight lives,¡± Jacob mutters and drops his knife on the ground. I hold his hand. He''s shaking. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡­ Earlene wakes up like nothing happened last night. Wait, did she sleep through the whole thing? Jacob and I are still shaken from last night. I''m surprised how Earlene can wake up and attend to her herbs and eat until her stomach is full. I didn''t even take a bite. I need to clear my mind. Like how does a person walk on this land with seven lives?! I''m glad Jacob took one of his. ¡°I''m going to find wood,¡± I say. Jacob stands up. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you,¡± he says quickly. Earlene smiles. We both walk into the forest. We don''t talk for a while. The silence is nice but I still break it. ¡°I''m glad you got the life,¡± I say looking at my arm still at four lives. ¡°Yeah, I am too. I was kind of stressed about only having two, but I''m grateful there are probably people out there with one life,¡± he looks at his arm. ¡°Don''t worry if you ever need a life just ask me,¡± I say genuinely. ¡°Mallory, you know I could never kill you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°Okay, I promise as well. To never kill you.¡± XVI: Iris I''ve never been more uncomfortable. I know Lindsey only has one life. However, I am aware that she believes I am unaware of that. She keeps looking at me while gripping her new dagger so hard that her knuckles turn white. I''m not safe. I need to figure a way out. I hear a whisper in the distance like my name is called. Maybe it''s just my head. But then I hear it again. I turn around and I see Jaxson. ¡°I¡®ll be back,¡± I say in a rush. I jump off the ground and speed-walk into the forest. Jaxson pulls me close and we go a bit farther away from my camp. ¡°How did you know where my camp is?¡± I asked. I was so close to him that our chests were nearly touching.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I walked around until I saw you.¡± ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± I ask. ¡°Oh, come on, No one has hair as beautiful as yours,¡± he says while brushing his hand through my hair. I blush. ¡°Why did you search for me?¡± I ask. It sounded silly at first but then I realized he might have a reason. ¡°I have something to show you, do you think it would be suspicious that you left for a few hours?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± Lindsey would probably come searching for me. ¡°Then I''ll come for you tonight,¡± he says, ¡°I guess I''ll see you later?¡± ¡°Yeah later tonight,¡± I add. I hug him and he wraps his arms around me. He makes me feel safe and comfortable, a feeling I haven''t felt in a while, a feeling I have never felt when I¡¯m near Lindsey. XVII: Tyrell Seven lives. Seven lives. Seven lives. Not enough. And I will never have enough. It took me much longer than it should have to get back to my cave. Steven and Darren sit at the dying fire. Ugh, they are so wasteful Darren probably influenced Steven to lay around and do nothing instead of gathering some resources. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Oh, how I hate Darren. I step into the cave and they both get tense. Good. ¡°Well, had a nice morning gentlemen?¡± I ask. ¡°Oh you have no idea-¡± Darren starts but Steven cuts him off. ¡°Not really,¡± Steven says ¡°We were worried about you,¡± Darren frowns. ¡°Well good thing I''m safe,¡± I reply. I sit down next to them and grab my bear head. ¡°So, what are your guy''s plans for today?¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Darren starts, ¡°We were just about to head out and gather resources for today since now we know you are safe. Right, Steven?¡± Darren grabs his knife and gets up. ¡°Right,¡± Steven quickly says as he gets up as well. They both leave without saying their goodbyes. Wow, these boys need to learn their manners. At least I have the cave all to myself. Then I turn to my right. Someone set up a trap. Someone is trying to kill me. How dare they! XVIII: Jacob Three lives are way better than two. Mallory and I have arrived back at camp from our short walk. Mallory somehow always says the right thing. And it feels so nice sometimes especially when you''re shocked about another person now having seven lives. I''m still stunned about it. It''s later in the day and I can''t wait for it to be night again. I need sleep but I can''t sleep with how bright it is right now. Earlene is in her shack and has barely left it since I came back. I hear her giggle sometimes in there. I wonder what she is up to. I can tell Caden is bored. And he doesn''t understand what Mallory and I are going through. Mostly since we haven''t told him about the person with seven lives. I don''t even know how he would react to that. Mallory sits near the ashes from the fire from last night. I pace around thinking I should light a fire but then I realize that we have no firewood. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get firewood,¡± I say as I grab an axe. And start walking into the forest.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I''ll come with you,¡± says Caden following me into the forest. I don''t protest even though I want to. ¡­ We find a nice tree which we have mostly chopped down. I watch Caden cut the wood into nice pieces for a fire but then he stops. ¡°What''s up with you the same goes for Mallory. Ever since last night, you two have been acting weird,¡± he cuts another piece of wood with more force which makes me slightly jump back. ¡°Well last night we saw a person wandering around Earlene¡¯s shack and we pinned him to the ground and I took a dagger and stabbed him,¡± I look down to the ground. ¡°Go on,¡± Caden says. ¡°After I killed him I looked at his arm. He has seven lives, Caden,¡± I hear a thud and I look up to see Caden has dropped the axe. And he is so in shock his jaw is practically on the ground. ¡°How?¡± Caden looks down at his arm. One life. I never realized he had one. And earlier I was here complaining about two. I look down at my arm, grateful. Then I hear a loud thud louder than before. I look up again but Caden is on the ground with a dagger through his chest. And no red rings on his arm. Caden¡¯s dead. My best friend is dead. I take out my dagger and look around. Up in the trees and behind my back. No one in sight. I head back to camp with a tear running down my cheek. ¡­ I arrive back at camp with watery eyes. Mallory stands up. ¡°Where is Caden?¡± she asks. I stare at her with no response. She covers her hand with her mouth and doesn''t talk. ¡°Why so soon?¡± she asks ¡°How did this happen?¡± She goes down to her knees and collapses. I join her. I can''t believe I''m mourning my best friend. I never wanted this to happen. XIX: Iris I hear a noise in the distance. I turn my head around from the fire making little noise possible. Luckily Lindsey is fast asleep. I turn my whole body around and the forest is filled with darkness. I hear my name called, Jaxson is here. I get up a head over to his voice. I find him lighting a torch. He stands up and turns to me. ¡°You ready?¡± he asks. ¡°More than I''ll ever be,¡± he grabs my hand.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Let''s go, it''s a far walk.¡± ¡­ I see the end of what seemed like a never-ending forest. Jaxson lets go of my hand and leads me to this bottomless ravine but it goes outwards forever. ¡°Wow, what is this?¡± I say taken aback. ¡°The voice led me here. It told me if I pushed someone down there they would lose all their lives. But I wouldn''t gain any from it, it goes all around the area of land¡± I reach for his arm. I really don''t want to die from Jaxson. He turns his head. ¡°Don''t worry I won¡¯t push you off,¡± he smiles and holds my hand again. ¡°So basically we are on an island but instead of water, it''s endless darkness,¡± I squeeze Jaxon¡¯s hand. I stare into the darkness then I turn to Jaxson. ¡°Why did you tell me this?¡± ¡°I didn''t know I needed to tell someone and you¡¯re the only person I really trust.¡± XX: Mallory I know Caden and I were never really close but it still hurts knowing I''ll never see him again. Unless this is all a dream which I hope it is but most likely untrue. Earlene hasn''t left her shack all day and it''s almost a few hours till noon. I couldn''t sleep last night nor could Jacob. I''m worried for Earlene so I head over to her shack. I open the door and I see Earlene curled up on the ground. ¡°Earlene? Are you okay?¡± I drop to the ground and check her pulse. She''s alive. She sniffles and slightly moves. ¡°Earlene, tell me what''s wrong?¡± She gets up and her eyes are puffy. I bring her into my embrace. After a while of hugging, she finally speaks.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I overheard what Jacob said last night and I haven''t gotten over Caden¡¯s death. I didn''t sleep at all last night,¡± she cries. ¡°I haven''t either. It was a shock for us all,¡± Earlene stomach growls. I stop hugging her and grasp her shoulders. ¡°Let''s get you some food,¡± Earlene nods. ¡­ After eating Earlene seemed much better. But you could still tell she was disturbed it was the same for the rest of us. I look up and find Jacob, his company is nice but then I realize that Jacob is gone. ¡°Where¡¯s Jacob?¡± I ask hoping Earlene noticed where he left. ¡°I haven''t seen him all day so he must have left before we came out to eat,¡± she turns to me from the dying fire. ¡°Want to know more about my herbs?¡± she asks. I see her face which is clearly stating that I should say yes. ¡°Of course,¡± I reply. XXI: Lindsey Iris is in her normal position as she is on everyday knees to her chin, arms wrapped around her legs and disconnected from everything around her. But it''s different this time her face looks like she saw the most horrifying thing on earth. Should I ask her what''s wrong? Or should I kill her while she''s disconnected? What are you thinking?! She''s your best friend! Snap out of this! But is she really? I know she''s been hanging out with a guy and has been enjoying his company way more than mine. I see Iris in the corner shaking her head and then she stares at the ground.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°I know you have one life,¡± she blurts. ¡°And I know you have been hanging out with someone with many more lives than one,¡± I retort. She turns to me, with her eyes wide in shock. I tell her my plan I''ve been thinking about all morning. ¡°I want you to kill him,¡± I rephrase my sentence not looking at her, ¡°I need you to kill him for me I need another life,¡± I look up at her, ¡°for your best friend.¡± Iris stands up. ¡°I can''t do that.¡± I stand up too. ¡°Are you really choosing him over your best friend?¡± I yell. ¡°You''re not my best friend. You haven''t been my best friend since you looked at my arm wanting to kill me for your shellfish reasons,¡± tears form in her eyes, ¡°and now you want me to kill a possible strong ally for the both of us for your selfish reasons!¡± she turns her back on me. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely insane.¡± I grab my dagger and charge at her. But someone else gets to me first. It''s him. I jump back so he is out of reach. But Iris stabs me first before I can do anything. Right in the chest. I slip back. I glance and my arm starts to go blank. Killed by my ¡°best friend¡°. Everything goes black. But I didn''t come back. XXII: Iris I stand there Lindsey on the ground bleeding and not healing. I killed her and I have no regrets. I drop my dagger and turn to Jaxson. He drops his weapon which is basically a sword. He goes up to me and hugs me. I lay my head on his shoulder. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asks. ¡°Yeah I''m fine,¡± I say as we let go of our hug.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡­ We walk in the forest far away from both of our camps. ¡°Thanks for walking with me. When are you going to head back to your camp?¡± I ask ¡°I''m not going back.¡± he quickly says. I stop walking. ¡°What? Why!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest Zak died in his sleep last night and I never really cared since we never really talked. But Jared cared a lot and has been mentally ill since. I need to get away from him before he kills me out of insanity.¡± ¡°Oh I''m sorry,¡± I reply. ¡°Don''t be,¡± he grabs my hand gently. ¡°I''d rather be with you,¡± I smile. ¡°Let''s find a new camp,¡± I say with some hope. I hold his hand tightly and we continue to walk on quicker than our walking pace before through the dense forest. XXIII: Jacob I use every muscle in my arms to chop this wood. I hit the wood so hard that a large spark came out. And I might have given out a girlie scream. But I continue to cut the wood with every bit of energy I have left in me. I grip the axe so hard that my knuckles turn white. Every time I chop the wood I tell myself. How did Caden die? Why didn''t I protect him? And who killed him? I need to know the last question as soon as possible. So I can get revenge.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I swing the axe again but I miss and hit the ground. I let out a groan. I''m so sore but this is kind of a distraction. I try to get up quickly but I can''t. It hurts too much. I lay on the ground and stare up at the sky. I should go back. Mallory and Earlene are probably worrieDarren after he tries time to get up and my arms are sore. I take my time to walk back to camp. ¡­ I see camp away and I drag every step I take. Why am I so weak? Maybe it''s because I''ve been cutting wood till my arms hurt and I didn''t sleep last night. When I sat down next to Mallory I almost felt like I collapsed. I lay my head on Mallory¡¯s shoulder. She turns to me in shock. ¡°Everything alright?¡± she asks. ¡°I''m just tired,¡± I mumble. ¡°Go sleep in Earlene¡¯s shack it blocks most of the sun. I can distract her with herbs,¡± I slowly get up. ¡°Thanks, I''ll go do that,¡± I give a loud grunt when I get up. I shake my arm. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Mallory asks. ¡°Just sore,¡± I say as I walk to the shack. ¡°I can help you with that,¡± Earlene says as she gets up. She had been quiet the whole time she was there. I didn''t even notice her. I wonder what ¡®magical¡¯ herbs she has this time. XXIV: Tyrell It took me forever to disable the trap. The person really wanted to kill me. For what reason though? They probably wouldn''t get a life from it since they didn''t kill me directly. I finally disable the trap and burn all of the useless items but don''t burn the dagger that was supposed to fall on my head. The fire dies and twilight is almost here. I see the two boys come back and bring three rabbits. Nice, two for me and one for the two of them. ¡­ We enjoy our dinner in silence. Sadly, I only got one rabbit but I didn''t complain. I glance at Steven and Darren who are almost done with their rabbits. I clear my throat. ¡°Steven, Darren. The night is almost here. And I have an idea,¡± they both turn their heads to me. ¡°I''m running out of patience with sitting around doing nothing. Tonight we shall go and earn some more red rings,¡± I grin. Darren perks up a bit but Steven stays still and his face is unreadable. ¡­ We head out into the forest. We find the camp that I found a while ago where my first kill was and where I failed to kill that Mary woman. We all hide behind different trees.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Ready?¡± I whisper to the two. They both nod. I count down to one with my fingers. Then we strike. All three of the women shout and grab the dodgiest weapons I''ve ever seen. Mary attacks me first and she immediately falls after my first and only stab at her chest. Just as easy as the first time. She falls to the ground and blood oozes out of her chest. I see her arm. Bare. No lives left. Crazy. Oh well. The next girl comes at me and I block her attack. She is weak like Mary. I can tell she is shaking as well. She strikes and I block and we continue this until I have her near a large boulder. This time I strike and she steps back tripping on the rock and her head hits the boulder. Her head is cracked and I realize that she also had one life. I look at my arm. Still eight lives. What? Why? Oh, my child. You didn''t kill Ellie. She died on the rock. What? This is so annoying! I turn to see Darren and Steven both attacking a much younger girl. They almost have her and then she shouts. ¡°I, Alice, does not die too stupid boys!¡± Then Darren pushes her back onto a tree and her head hits the tree trunk. She falls to the ground to the tree. They were all on one life. How stupid. I look at Darren and Steven who look at each other''s arms. They both didn''t get a life. I give out a chuckle. Alice didn''t die to stupid boys, she died from a tree. I think that''s even more stupid. I look at Darren and he looks enraged. He whispers something to Steven and Steven nods. They both walk to me with their daggers gripped tightly. Darren doesn''t even wait. He jumps and attacks me. I block(of course) his attack and he falls to the ground. I had cut off his arm and I didn''t even notice. As I glance at Darren Steven strikes and I stab him in the shoulder. He falls. Easy enough. I see them on the ground. They fall silent, eyes closed, not moving. I look at my arm. Ten lives. I need more. ¡­ I sit at the edge of the cave. With my bear head on. I stare out into the darkness of the forest. Strategize to win this. I have to win this. And if I can''t, no one else can. XXV: Iris Jaxson and I made camp far away from our old ones. But near the drop of endless darkness. I sit near the fire and I see Jaxson bring back more firewood for us. He drops the wood on the ground and stands there. I expect him to sit down across the fire from me but then he moves around the fire and sits right next to me. Our arms touch. ¡°Are you okay? You know from earlier today,¡± Jaxson asks while he slides his hand into mine. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Um, yeah,¡± I turn to him, ¡°I¡¯ll be honest I feel better right now than this morning,¡± I smile at Jaxson and he returns a smile. ¡°How about you?¡± I ask. Jaxson looks down and then off into the distance. ¡°I feel the same, I feel a lot better right now,¡± he squeezes my hand and my face gets warm. Jaxson takes his other hand and puts my hair behind my ear. He smiles again. I love his smile. It''s so heartwarming. He puts his cold hand on my cheek. He leans in. Wait, this can''t be happening. Is this really happening? Our lips meet. Jaxson is kissing me. I feel warm inside. And not just because the fire is next to us. Jaxson puts his hand down and we stop kissing. I lay my head on his shoulder and we enjoy the bright fire together in the night. This is the best moment I''ve had since this stupid stuff ever started. XXVI: Jacob I wake up in Earlene¡¯s shack. I''m surprised Earlene is not here with me. She loves this thing. It must have been almost night since I fell asleep a little after noon. I walk outside and look up at the sky. Wait, why is the sun east? It should be farther west. I see Mallory and Earlene by a small fire eating. I walk over to them. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± I ask them. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°It''s almost been a full day,¡± Mallory says, ¡°Earlene herbs must have done something to you.¡± I feel my arms. They aren''t sore anymore. Maybe her herbs are really magic. ¡°Thanks, Earlene,¡± I say sarcastically and genuinely at the same time. Which might give off an odd message. ¡°I''m glad my herbs worked. I was guessing for a bit there,¡± Earlene scratches her head. ¡°I wonder what else they could do,¡± Mallory mumbles but she gets no reply. I have the same question as well. What powers does this old woman have with herbs? XXVII: Iris I woke up with the soft sound of breathing next to my ear. I tilt my head slightly down. Arms are around me. And no one else¡­ it must be¡­ Jaxson has his arms around me! I don''t remember sleeping like this last night. What happened? Jaxson probably knows I woke up since he sits up as well. ¡°Hi,¡± I say softly. ¡°Good morning Iris. I''m going to find some food for us alright?¡± He grabs my hand and squeezes it softly. He lets go and stands up. I look around today unlike the other days here. The forest seems denser with the eerie fog that fills it. I hear a soft sound in the distance. ¡°Um, how about we eat leftovers from last night?¡± I suggest. Jaxson turns to me and his face gives a puzzled expression. ¡°Is something wrong Iris?¡± he asks. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°I don''t feel safe,¡± I say I fidget with my hands. Jaxson crouches down and puts his hand on my leg. ¡°I''m sure everything is alright,¡± he gently says. A loud crunching sound was made in the distance. Jaxson freezes. I grab my dagger and Jaxson gips his dagger tighter. We wait for something to happen. Wondering if it is a false alarm. Then¡­ Flash A body is on top of me. He seems to not have a weapon but is still desperate for lives. I saw his arm. He only has one ring. Jaxson pulls him off me and I stand up. I run to Jaxson for help but I feel another body on me. I shake the person off and turn around to them. The person looks almost identical to the person Jaxson is attacking. Just much more feminine. They must be twins. I throw my dagger at her. But she rolls away. I grab my dagger and turn around. Both of them are on Jaxson. I run to them. I grab the female twin and attack her since she is the closest to me. I see Jaxson has successfully killed the male twin but has lost many lives in the process already down to one. How? And who took them? I look at the female twin on the ground a bit in shock. She took all the lives. How? This happened way too fast. She gets up with her face red. And she is raging. I try to push her down and use my dagger on her. But she pushes me down instead. I fall to the ground and I see her walk to Jaxson. But he is looking elsewhere. Which I find odd. ¡°Jaxson watch out!¡± I scream. He turns around but it''s too late. He lies dead. The female twin sprints off. Which is interesting since I''m right here. But I don''t care, I jolt to Jaxson who lies on the ground dead. I cry and sob. ¡°Why why why! I should have been me!¡± I place my head on his wounded body. And cry there. For a while. XXVIII: Mallory Earlene is showing me more of her herbs. She treats them like they''re her children. And where does she get these? She doesn''t leave camp often. I notice her arm when she grabs some more herbs to show me. She has one life. How? I swear she had three yesterday. Maybe I should pay more attention. ¡°Mallory, don''t turn around but there is someone behind you,¡± Earlene whispers to me suddenly. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Of course, I want to turn around now!¡± I whisper back. I slightly turn my head but Earlene slaps my hand. ¡°Ow!¡± I yelp but then I hear footsteps behind me. I freeze. I turn around and attempt to stab them. I miss. I realize how close they were to me. If I hadn''t turned around I would''ve been dead meat. But as I was thinking the person goes up to Earlene. I go up to him. I push him back and he stabs me. Everything turns black around me. When I come back my body is all healed. I look at my arm. I only have one life. This is not good. As I was gone the guy had cut Earlene¡¯s arm off. Jacob is tending to her and I see the guy is dead on the ground. I rush to Earlene and I see her face is pale and her eyes are closed. ¡°Earlene, stay with me!¡± I cry. XXIX: Tyrell I stayed in the cave all night. I kept the bear head and the deer antler knife that I stole from Darren near me. I woke up quite late today. But I keep looking at my arm. Ten lives. But yet I want so much more. I walk into the dense forest searching for more. ¡­ I''ve been walking for what feels like an eternity. The forest never ends. I haven''t found anyone throughout my whole walk. I¡¯m going to give up. Maybe I''ve won and the voice hasn''t told me about it yet. I stop walking in the middle of the forest until I hear a sound in the distance. I perk up and follow it immediately. I follow the sound, figuring it is a human after seeing them dash behind a tree. I have two daggers on me and I take out both. Then the person jumps on top of me. I try with all my might to shake off the person. I pull their head back and they fall to the ground. I turn around to them and I see they have two lives. Two lives too many. I throw my dagger down at their chest before they can even catch a breath. One life down, one more to go. I grab my dagger out of their chest. I wait for them to come back and for their red ring to disappear and appear on my arm. 11 lives. I need even more. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I realize that they come back and try to attack me. I easily block them. I kick them in the legs and they fall again. Ha! This seems too easy. I throw my dagger again at their neck this time. They are dead. And I¡¯m with 12 lives. I don¡¯t think this could go anymore perfectly. I continue to walk in the forest feeling accomplished with myself. ¡­ I hear weeping not too far from where I killed the last person. I see an old camp. And I see a girl crying in front of a dead body. How sad. But her arm has four lives. She has way too many. And I don''t have enough. I get near her and she doesn''t notice me. I throw my dagger at her. It goes right through her. Why is this so easy? She comes back quicker than the last person. She turns around and spots me. She jolts out of the area and I quickly follow. She runs not for long until we are out of the forest. But she stops and I see why. There is a great black trench before her. What is this? Before I do anything else. I run towards her but she does the unexpected. She dives into the trench. ¡°I guess it was meant to be,¡± she sobs as she goes down. I look down the trench. She didn''t come back. This is dangerous. A dangerously good weapon. I look at my 13 rings proudly. XXX: Mallory Earlene has not stopped bleeding and the wound is too big for us to heal. I see her final red ring fade away on her other arm. Tears pour out of my eyes. Earlene gives a slight cough. ¡°Don''t trust Jacob,¡± she whispers. My eyes go wide. What does she mean by that? Of course, I trust Jacob. Her last ring is gone. I''m numb inside. I turn to Jacob. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Did you hear what she said?¡± Jacob gives me a puzzled look. ¡°What do you mean? She''s dead. I think you''re just hearing things,¡± He scoffs. I turn away and a tear runs down my cheek. I promise she talked to me. XXXI: Tyrell I stay near the trench. I must have won. Are there really more people? I look off into the dark distance. But then I hear a whooshing sound behind me. I turn around. A blue translucent figure stands in front of me. He kind of looks like¡­ ¡°Darren?¡± I question my sanity. ¡°That''s right,¡± Darren grins, ¡°I''m back, to kill you,¡± he pulls out a large sword. I step back. My heel touches the edge of the ledge. Oh, shoot. I can''t fall. I need to kill Darren again. Wait, can I? A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°You can''t kill me. You¡¯re dead,¡± I shout while I breathe heavily. ¡°Maybe I''m dead. But I know for sure that I can kill you,¡± he swings his sword around his hand. I start to slightly shake. Darren charges for me and I try to go to his side to pass him. I put my right foot out to the side but my left foot slips and the ground below breaks off. Darren swings his large sword through my arm as I fall. Nothing happens to my arm. He can''t kill me. But he can intimidate me to fall into this dark trench. And he did. As I fall I see Darren vanish. Then darkness overcomes. And I lose all of my glorious 13 lives to a dead Darren. XXXII: Mallory I sit next to Earlene. Why did she have to die? And what in the world does she mean by ¡°don''t trust Jacob¡±? I look at Jacob who is standing looking off into the distance. ¡°Mallory we should leave,¡± Jacob states. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We should get far away from other people. Let them kill each other off and maybe we can win together,¡± he says, not looking at me. I understand what he''s saying but is it possible for both of us to win? ¡°Um okay,¡± I stand up, and I give my last glance at Earlene. Why do I grieve for the old lady so much? I walk next to Jacob and we walk into the eerie dense forest. ¡­ We walk for a long time before Jacob says we should stop and that we are probably safe here. I embrace him in fear. We stay like this for a while. XXXIII: Jacob I hold Mallory in my arms in the middle of the forest. My plan is going perfectly. Right before Earlene died the voice told me that if I kill Mallory I will win. Of course, I believe it. And of course, I''m going to do exactly as it says. I slowly take out my dagger making sure Mallory doesn''t notice. And I stick the dagger through the back. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Couldn''t have been easier. She collapses to the ground with no red rings on her arm. My child Congratulations You have won You should be proud of yourself Now you shall go back to the real world I will regive you back all your memory But don''t be surprised or full of grief when your close ones at gone The voice left And everything went black. Epilogue I hear rain, music, and a car honk. Then all the memories flood back. I''m coming back from work. The radio plays and the rain slightly blocks the music. The night mixed with rain and the streetlights that slightly light anything up along with my broken headlights (that I need to get fixed) I can barely see anything. I feel like I forgot how to drive. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I drive through my neighborhood and a car goes toward me on my left side about to hit me. I freak out and spin off but the car hits me. Everything goes black. Just like that weird place, where I won. But this is real life. Where I only have one life. I can win a game of survival but I die first thing when I come back. That''s just amazing.