Chapter 157

Judy’s POV

During the weekend we spent time doing training exercises. Most of the time was spent in the gym and I barely had time to rest before the next week's battles. However, Tabby and I did spend a little time celebrating after we got our official notices that we moved on to the next round.

We also got our schedules for the upcoming week. I was surprised that Group B doesn’t start until Wednesday as opposed to Tuesday like last week.

By the time Wednesday came around, Group B, who were split into smaller teams this morning, was ready for the next match.

We didn’t meet up at the arena like we did last week, instead, we were shuffled into buses and taken to the airfield where small planes sat, waiting for us. There were three of them to be exact.

I glanced up at the sky and saw that the drones were already recording everything that was happening, so I knew the competition was starting.

Levi, Mica, Jeremy, and Gavin were already at the airfield by the time the buses dropped us off.

Gavin’s eyes immediately found mine as I joined my team. Over the weekend when we were placed in these teams, we were given team shirts.

My group was red, which meant I wore a red shirt with the rest of my team.

There was also team blue and team green.

We were given a white flag, each with our names on it. It was said to be proof of our surrendering and we were expecting to bring them with us during this next portion of the competition.

If we forgot the flag, we wouldn’t be able to compete, and we’d be eliminated.

“Welcome to week two of the competition,” Alpha Levi announced.

We didn’t have the announcer because we weren’t in the arena, so Alpha Levi did the introduction.

The groups cheered and high-fived one another for making it to the next round while others just looked nervous, nibbling on their nails and lips.

“This week is crucial. This proves your survival instincts and your hunting skills. These planes are going to take each team to a different section of a deserted island. We hid 5 of your team flags in the forest on the island and you are expected to collect all 5 and bring them back to base, which is the arena outside of the resort. You have 48 hours to complete this task.”

Murmurs erupted around me.

All the questions were the same.

Was it really going to take 48 hours to collect 5 flags per team?

We weren’t prepared to spend multiple days on a deserted island; they didn’t tell us to pack anything so I assumed this would only take a couple hours like the other matches last week.

Tabby, who was on my team, also looked confused as she stood beside me.

“It’s up to you to come up with the resources you need for survival,” Levi continued, narrowing his eyes. “But be careful and use strategy. You might run into wild animals that aren’t friendly. But most importantly, opposing teams are your enemies. Killing is not prohibited, but you may surrender if you feel you won’t survive the attack. If you surrender, you are giving the other player your white flag. The drone will capture it, and you will be retrieved by chopper and taken back to the base. If you surrender, you are forfeiting the competition, and you will be eliminated.”

More murmurs erupted throughout the crowd, my eyes went to Gavin who was watching me, his jaw tightened, and his eyes darkening.

“There are no rules to this match, but we do ask that if someone surrenders, refrain from killing them. You’ll be blindfolded so you won’t see what sections of the island you land on, but you should land roughly in the same area as your teammates. You’ll need to work together to complete this mission.”

Levi stepped side and allowed the other Lycans to guide each team to their designated plane. Tabby stayed by my side as we reached the entrance of the plane.

I was the last to board; just as I was about to step onto the steps after Tabby, I felt a hand around my wrist, stopping me. It was a gentle hold, but it still halted my heart.

I turned to see Gavin staring down at me. His dark eyes poured into me shining with something I couldn’t decipher.

Could it be worry?

“Don’t be reckless,” he said under his breath. “Surrender if you need to.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and pulled my wrist out of his hand. His lack of confidence was hurtful.

“I’m not backing down without a fight,” I told him just before I turned and boarded the plane.

There was a man that greeted me once I was threw the doors.

I noticed that everyone was seated with backpacks strapped to their bodies and blindfolds around their eyes. The man smiled down at me as he strapped a backpack to my body as well, explaining how it worked.

I realized it wasn’t just a backpack; it was a parachute.

Were we jumping out of the plane?

The man stepped around me and blindfolded me, blocking my vision.

A sense of panic rose in my chest.

I didn’t like not being able to see. He guided me down the aisle of the plane and sat me down.

After he gave us safety instructions and confirmed that we would be jumping from the plane, I sat back and waited for the plane to take off.

“I’ve never jumped from a plane before,” Tabby whispered from beside me. I knew she was next to me based on her scent when I sat down.

“Me neither,” I admitted. “But I’ve jumped from other things.”

I recalled jumping from that tall tree last week during the competition and making everyone gawk at me in the sky.

“Let’s just try to stay alive,” she murmured.

“That’s the goal.”

It didn’t take us long to get to the point in the sky where we were expected to jump.

I heard people screaming as they jumped, each row going after the other.

Once it was my turn, I felt the sharp wind on my face as I stood at the open doorway. It tugged me forward, wanting me to fall freely and into the vast space. I kept my hold on the edge of the door to keep myself in the plane until the instructor told me otherwise.

I could hear the faint sounds of the other planes in different sections of the sky and the screams of those who were falling, landing at their destinations. I tried to figure out how far they were, so I knew where we needed to avoid for as long as possible

“Once you land, you can take off your blindfold,” the instructor yelled over the sounds of the wind and engine.

I gave him a thumbs-up as a response.

He gave me a gentle shove and soon, I was flying through the air.

It was strange falling and not seeing where I was going. I supposed that was part of the training too, being able to land safely on the ground without using my eyes. Though I couldn’t see anything, it was oddly freeing. It felt like I was invincible, and I could accomplish anything at this moment.

Like nothing could touch me.

After a short while, I gave it my best judgment before I tugged the string for the parachute to expand, hoping that it didn’t fail.

The second I felt it tugging me upward and my speed slowing, I let out a breath. It expanded… jumping from a plane was not how I was going to die.

It took several minutes, but soon, I was landing in what felt like sand.

The second I landed I tore off the blindfold, untangled myself, and unstrapped the backpack, letting it fall to the ground.

I was right, I was on a mound of sand and those that were on my team were also lying around me, untangling themselves from their parachutes. Most of them were laughing and a couple of them were hugging the ground and thanking the Goddess for survival.

I was in between both.

Looking around, I saw that we were on a beach, but in front of us, opposite the water, was a large forest with trees that towered over, guiding the way to a giant mountain. It was beautiful but intense looking.

There were small boats docked on the side of the beach, and I knew those were our tickets off this island, but we needed to find the flags first.

Tabby landed beside me and once she got the blindfold off, she grinned at me from ear-to-ear.

“That was awesome,” she breathed.

I chuckled.

Once the rest of the team was on the ground and we were all together, throwing off our blindfolds and backpacks, we stood in a circle, staring at one another. We needed to come up with a game plan because if we didn’t work as a team, it could be fatal.

“We are here for two days,” one of the men, I knew his name to be Chuck, said as he stepped in the middle of our circle. “Which means we need to find shelter and resources for our survival.”

“We should break off into smaller teams,” a woman said, also stepping into the middle of the circle; I knew her name to be Sherry. Both of them were fierce fighters that I respected during our last battles. “One team can find food and water and the other can forage so we can build a campground.”

“And another team should start looking for the flags,” Chuck continued. “It’s going to be a long couple of days so we should get started right away.”