T

om and Andrew crawled on their hands and knees along the flat roof of a two-story school building. They reached the edge and peered down.
“They’re everywhere!” Andrew shrieked. “It’s animal city!”

“Keep it down.” Tom pulled him in before the monkeys on the sidewalk below noticed them. His index finger on his lip, Tom shushed Andrew. They waited a moment before peeking into the street again.

The city block was full of animals. Monkeys were jumping up and down on cars. Snakes were slithering around trees. Bears and cougars were chatting at every corner. Ravens were perched on windowsills. A pack of wolves marched orderly down the road.

“What’s that?” said Andrew, pointing at the back of a horse that entered the street.
“Hand me the binoculars,” said Tom.
“We have those?”
“Yeah. Check the bag we got from the car. I’m pretty sure I put them in there.”
Andrew unzipped the duffel bag and rummaged through their belongings. He found an assortment of things inside: his crossbow, a case full of bolts, clothes, snacks…and the binoculars. He handed the binoculars off to Tom.
Using the binoculars, Tom was able to study the horse’s back more closely. “Hmm…according to my analysis, it’s a butt.”
“A butt? Whose butt?”
“Well, the pants bear a striking resemblance to Kate’s. The shape is about right too, I guess.”
“You’re staring at her butt?” Andrew scowled.
“Yes…no! I’m not! I mean, I am…but I’m not…” Tom sighed. “Never mind. Who cares about that? The important thing is that those animals are taking her away. And it looks like they’re taking her to the stadium.”
“The baseball stadium?”
“That’s right. They’re headed in that direction. The horse is moving rather carefully though. I think we have time to save her butt.” Tom scanned around the road some more. “I also see Genesis and Luna! Wolves are dragging them to another road.”
Terminus hopped onto Andrew’s head and said, “I’ll chase after them and see what I can do.” He quickly soared high into the sky, chasing after Genesis and Luna.
“Alright then,” said Tom. “That leaves us to deal with Kate.”
“You got a plan?” asked Andrew.
“A plan, huh?” Tom rubbed his chin. “I run in there and get her. You cover me.”
Andrew said softly, “You want me to cover you? I don’t think I can…”
“I don’t think this is going to work either, but whatever. If we don’t get her out of there now, it’ll be impossible to do anything when she reaches the stadium.”
Heaving a sigh, Andrew said, “I wish I had your confidence.”
Tom nodded and then quietly descended down the fire escape.
Andrew turned his attention back to the street. Inside of him was a bubbling emotion of uncertainty that made him sick to his stomach. It was quiet. There was no one for him to talk to, no one to help him relieve his fear. Terrified, he wiped his sweaty palms on his slacks and gripped the crossbow tightly. He cocked back the string with a bolt in place. He closed his eyes, attempting to calm down. His breathing was unsteady so he took a deep breath to remedy it.
Could he really cover Tom from up here? He had never used a crossbow in his life, or any other weapon for that matter. He had no idea about what angles to fire from or how to compensate for wind. He felt completely useless. But still, he couldn’t just abandon Tom’s effort. He continued to watch as Katie was carried over to the stadium. She was getting closer and closer to it, but there was still time.
Andrew gazed anxiously at her from a distance. She wasn’t moving. Was she already asleep? Or was she…gone forever? Andrew grimaced. His body couldn’t stop shaking. There was nothing he could do to help her. He was angry with himself for getting her into this mess. What if she was dead? She would’ve been better off where he first found her. She would’ve been better off asleep. What did the animals want her for? Was she going to become food for them? He clenched his teeth. Seeing her helpless like that roused his anger.
“Hurry up, Tom,” he whispered. “Before it’s too late…”
Andrew waited a few minutes. Tom didn’t show up. Where was he? What was taking him so long? In a few seconds, the horse would be passing by the school building, giving Andrew the best position for sniping. But there would be no point if Tom weren’t there.
Andrew got into a prone position and aimed the crossbow at the horse as it came directly in front. He looked through the scope and made sure his aim was dead on. On his left was the open case of bolts for when he needed to quickly reload. Everything was ready. Now he just needed the right moment to shoot.
Tom wasn’t coming. There was no sign of him anywhere. It was too late to call him now; the horse was almost past the building. Andrew wasn’t sure about the limit of the crossbow range, but he was sure the closer the target, the better.
Time was of the essence. Should he fire or should he wait? His finger trembled on the trigger. He decided to wait for a second, and then he waited for another. He shook his head, cursed, and then pulled the trigger, wincing. At the very least, if Tom was indeed coming, he had to slow down the horse. Snap! Whoosh! Startled, Andrew’s shoulders jerked up as he fired his first shot, which was louder than he had expected. The bolt zipped through the air and landed right on the horse’s thigh. Neighing, the horse dashed off. Andrew cringed as Katie fell off its back.
The company of wolves rallied together and began barking furiously, alerting the whole neighborhood. One of the wolves said, “We’re under attack! It came from above! Search the buildings! Search the rooftops!” Immediately, the wolves scattered left and right, like the shattering of glass on a hard floor in slow motion.
Things were not looking good at all. Andrew dropped the crossbow and ran to the fire escape. Then he goggled at the bear, which was already waiting for him at the bottom. He headed for the door to the school and tried to open it. He tugged and tugged on the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He moved to the side of the building and glanced down the fire escape again. Monkeys were already climbing up. Andrew tripped over his shoes and fell as he sprinted back to the crossbow. Crawling, he snatched up the crossbow and tried to lock in another bolt. He fumbled around with it on his knees. His fingers not moving as fast as he wanted them to, he dropped a bolt and reached for another. When he finally loaded the crossbow, he swung around and, upon seeing several monkeys closing in, fired at them.
He hit one of the monkeys in the arm. Dazed, the monkey sluggishly removed the dart from his limb and examined it. Andrew got into the rhythm of things and quickly fired bolt after bolt with a quickening pace. The monkeys shrieked as they tried to dodge the short arrows. Those that were hit limped drowsily before collapsing. There were no more monkeys leaping onto the roof. Andrew was able to keep them at bay, but he was still trapped there.
Andrew cautiously aimed the crossbow around, hoping that none of the monkeys would try to get up again. As he did so, he felt a tap on his head. Then there was a loud knock. It hurt. Andrew flung his head back and saw a flock of crows dropping rocks from above. He ducked and tried to cover his head with his arms. Seeing that Andrew was distracted, the monkeys all got back up and charged him. His eyes wide, Andrew screamed. The band of primates tackled him to the floor, the back of his head slamming against the surface of the roof. Feeling rather woozy, he twisted and shouted, trying to escape. He could feel their little fingers clawing at his face.
While he struggled to push the monkeys away, a series of flashes and loud bangs resounded, sounding almost like gunfire. The monkeys ran away in haste. Just then, sprawled face-up on the ground, Andrew saw a silhouette appear above him, blocking out the sun.
“Are you all right?” said a voice, which sounded vaguely familiar to him.
“Yeah…I think,” Andrew answered, groaning.
“Good, let’s get you out of here!”
Andrew was hauled across the length of the roof. There were more loud crackles and fizzles that disrupted his hearing. Andrew wearily glanced at the ground. Burnt scraps of paper and plastic were littered around. Reading the words of a paper, he caught the word “Fire.” Fire crackers. He saw a white rat run past his vision and then heard a voice mutter, “I’ll hold them here! Get him inside!”
Andrew laughed faintly as darkness fell over his sight. He was inside the school now. It was much cooler without the sun beating down on him. Although it was hard to see as his eyes were adjusting, he saw a figure urgently slam the door shut. Andrew blinked rapidly and stared as the person leaned over his face.
“Andrew…you feeling okay?”
Things started to get brighter and finally Andrew recognized the figure. “Yeah. Thanks, Kevin. You saved my life.”
“You should save your thanks for Helios.” Kevin helped him up. “He’s out there right now fighting them off. I don’t know how much good he’ll do, but I hope he can escape.”
They ran down the stairs and stepped onto the first floor.
Kevin tapped him on the shoulder and gestured with his head. “The exit is close.”
The exit may have been close, but it was not at all safe. The double doors that led outside were wide open. Wolves entered, forming a line that Kevin feared crossing.
“Scratch that,” said Kevin. He did a three-sixty and saw more wolves on the other side of them. They were surrounded. “Any bright ideas?”
Andrew suggested, “The classroom?”
“That’s a start.”
They darted to the nearest classroom and locked the door. Stepping away, they watched as the door shook violently with every second that passed. Without saying a word, Kevin rushed to block the door with desks and chairs. He constructed a loose pyramid that easily fell apart whenever the wolves rammed against the door.
Andrew hurried to one side of the teacher’s desk and slammed his open hand against the surface anxiously. “This one! This should hold!”
“Right.” Kevin assisted him, dragging the heavy table to the door. He pointed at the windows. There was nothing waiting for them outside. “Let’s see if we can get out here.”
Andrew unlatched a window and opened it. They were able to open it all the way, giving them ample room to escape. When they made it outside, Kevin glanced around. A cougar was prowling the street. Kevin wished it would not notice them. It did. The cougar’s keen eyes were fixed in their direction, even though they were so far apart.
Though they wanted to freeze up in fear, Kevin yanked Andrew’s sleeve and yelled, “RUN FOR IT!”
The boys raced away from the cougar, running as fast as their legs could carry them. They knew very well they couldn’t outrun the beast, but their instincts overcame any sense of reason. They did not want to get eaten. The thought of being bitten—of being torn apart— by a wild animal terrified them. A death in which you are eaten alive is something that animals experience everyday, something they had watched before on nature shows. But it is not something they ever wanted to experience firsthand for themselves. Ever.
What was going through Kevin’s mind at this exact moment? We’re dead. We’re dead. We’re dead, dead, dead! Holy friggin’ crap! What the heck did I do to deserve this? Oh man, I’m never going to procrastinate ever again! From now on, I’m doing my homework properly! Or at least for a week, if we ever get out of this rotten hell. It’s coming. It’s coming. I know it’s coming. Why won’t it just get this over with already?
Kevin glanced back. The jaws of death stared him in the face, almost catching up. “Go Andrew, go!” Kevin dug into his pockets and grabbed the yoyos. Stopping abruptly, he swiveled around on his heel. His motion confused the cougar and it slowed down its approach. At the exact moment the cougar reached him, Kevin let the yoyos loose. They flung out and, by shear luck or fate, nailed the cougar in the eye, the only weak point Kevin could determine. Kevin was rooted in place, yoyos swinging from his fingers.
The snarling beast was okay. It didn’t seem to mind the jab at its eye. It was even appearing rather ecstatic over the fact that Kevin had stopped running. Because it was so focused on Kevin, it wasn’t expecting anything.
Kevin stared. He wasn’t staring at the cougar. He was staring beyond it.
SCREEEEECH!
Kevin fell back as a car swerved right at the hungry cat. The cougar leaped away to avoid serious injury. The car door swung open. Katie was sitting in the back seat. Tom was at the wheel.
Beckoning wildly, Katie shouted, “Get in! Get in! What are you waiting for?”
Kevin hopped into the back seat.
“Hang on tight,” Tom reversed the car and then drove it over to the Andrew so he could get into the passenger’s seat.
Frustrated, Andrew jumped in, closed the door and said, “Tom, where were you? I was waiting for you!”
Tom ignored him and slammed on the gas. The wheels whirred loudly before the car zoomed onto the road. Everyone in the car fell to the right as he made a sharp left turn into the next street.
“Slow down!” yelled Kevin, buckling up. “You’ll get us killed!”
“Slow down?” Tom glanced back. “If I slow down, we’ll get eaten!”
“Okay, okay!” said Kevin. “Forget I said anything. Just keep your eyes on the road!”
They were going nearly sixty miles per hour on the narrow oneway streets. Tom swerved left and right, trying to dodge whatever animal was before him. The sound of birdcalls pierced through the glass. Andrew loosened his seat belt and leaned forward, his eyes lifting toward the sky. A massive flock of birds were coming directly overhead.
In the distance, droplets fell from the sky. It started out like light drizzle, like a soft pitter-patter. Then, as the car kept going forward, it started to come down hard. No, it wasn’t rain, though, at this point, everyone inside the car was really wishing for a massive hurricane or thunderstorm. It was…bird droppings.
“IT’S ALL OVER!” Tom screamed frantically, “IT’S ALL OVER!”
Fuzzy splashes of white, yellow and green hitting against the pavement, the black road was slowly turning into a blend of sloppy, mushy, gooey bird poop. There was a distinct outline on the ground where they could see the approach of the unwelcome, unclean storm.
They hit it dead on.
It spattered all over the windshield. Slowly but surely, heaps of the avian feces were accumulating on every exposed surface of the car. It was both blinding and disgusting at the same time. It was impossible for Tom to see past the uric acid, which was clouding all of his visibility. Kevin turned on the windshield wiper, but it couldn’t clean off the thick gunk.
“Slow down!” said Kevin. “If you can’t see, brake!”
“No,” said Tom, gasping, “I won’t stop! I don’t want to be eaten! You can’t make me stop!”
“Darn it, Tom!” Kevin unbuckled his seatbelt, got up, squeezed between the front seats, and tried to take control of the wheel.
“What are you doing?” Tom shrieked, trying to stay in control. “SIT DOWN!”
“No,” snapped Kevin harshly, fighting for the wheel, “YOU SIT DOWN!”
“He is sitting down,” said Andrew matter-of-factly.
“Shut up and help me!” Kevin spat back, his lip curling. “WE’RE GOING TO CRASH! HIT THE BRAKES!”

evin had managed to stop the car before they rammed into anything. But when they left the car, they were completely surrounded. After surrendering, the group was dragged off to

the stadium. They were thrown before an empty stage near the center of the field and were kept under close watch by snakes. The seats of the stadium were packed with wild animals. To Kevin’s surprise, the animals weren’t rowdy, agitated or angry. If anything, the wild creatures were acting rather civilized. While they sat in their seats, they chatted with their neighbors and ate the snacks prepared for them. It was strange to think that this was still earth, the same earth he had lived in his entire life. Everything about this seemed so alien.

Kevin glanced at the others beside him. Katie was calm for the most part, silently glaring at the snakes nearby. Andrew was frightened and tense, quietly uttering prayers. No surprise there. Tom was…sleeping. Sleeping? Kevin did a double take to his right. His eyes closed, Tom slouched over. He couldn’t have fallen asleep already, could he?

Kevin nudged Tom in the shoulder. “Stop pretending to sleep. It’s not funny.”
Tom remained motionless.
Kevin knocked Tom to the ground. “I told you to stop playing around!”
“Kevin,” said Andrew softly, “I know how you feel, but we’ve all been fighting to stay awake. Can you really blame him?” Andrew raised his eyes to the sky. “Look. Even the sun is starting to set. The sky is turning red.”
Kevin slowly lifted his gaze and noticed a peculiar sight. The sun began turning black. The red sky and blackening sun complemented each other rather well. The colors of blood and death. How ominous.
“A solar eclipse? Now?” Kevin grimaced. At any other time he’d be excited, but right now, he felt as though he would die. “Is that a sign for the end?”
Kevin fell with his face to the ground, breathing and sobbing on the dirt. He felt pathetic. They were bound in a stadium of no escape, where thousands of dangerous creatures were watching their every move. They were trapped. One of them was already finished, sleeping deeply with no way of awakening. Where were the others? Helios couldn’t have possibly survived alone on that roof. He had learned from Katie that Kain had easily defeated Genesis and Luna. If Genesis and Luna couldn’t even do anything, then Terminus couldn’t possibly stand a chance. All hope was lost.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” His face covered by a veil, Kain walked up to the group and glanced at the sky. “Not something you see everyday. It’s something to cherish. The moon blocks the sun. It’s inspiring, really. It shows that size doesn’t always matter. The sun may be enormous, but at the right angle, at the right time and place, even the moon can block it out of view.”
Kevin sat up, scowling at Kain. “This is your fault…THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”
“My fault?” Kain smiled widely, revealing his sharp, jagged teeth and black gums. “Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong, boy. You humans brought this on yourselves. Although one man caused it, it is simple for everyone else to suffer for it.”
Kevin countered, “Even if we brought this on ourselves, you could just leave us alone!”
“I can’t leave you alone. You’d go ahead and try to save the human race,” said Kain. “The humans have become a thorn in my side. How many of our homes have been crushed and destroyed by the humans? How many of our brethren slaughtered? Humans claimed our land as their own. They claimed our possessions as theirs. They even claimed our lives as theirs. Is it that hard to live with nature? But they’d rather destroy nature and rebuild it as their own. They infest our waters with chemicals, fill the land with trash, and pollute the air with that which should not be breathed in.”
Kevin stared blankly at Kain. “Is that what this is about?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” said Kain. “To you, humans, Earth may just be a tool to be used for your own convenience—but to us, this Earth is our home!”
“This is our home too,” said Kevin.
“Really?” Kain scoffed, “Well, you sure treat it well enough to call it home. Is your own house a dump? Do you throw trash all over it? Burn whatever you don’t need? Force your family members to move to another spot whenever you feel like it?”
Kevin didn’t reply.
“Don’t worry,” said Kain. “I won’t kill the humans. I’ll just let them die. And if you guys can live on, I’ll let you stay alive.” He chuckled. “Think of it as respect. But now we have a period of waiting. I say the humans will last a week without water. We must wait for their death. How boring…” Kain smiled slyly. “But then again, this is a stadium. It’s a place for humans to have fun, right? Then let’s have some fun! You play by my rules. If you win, I’ll let you live. I’ll even provide you with good food. If you lose…” Kain burst out laughing. “You’ll be in for a surprise.” Kain pointed at Kevin. “Since you’re the most talkative, you’ll be first. Get up.”
Glaring at Kain, Kevin reluctantly obeyed.
Placing a finger on his chin, Kain said, “Let’s see…how about a chase?” Kain jumped up onto the stage, almost looking like he floated upward. He took a seat on the chair at the center. Several men, dressed in white robes, suddenly appeared behind him and knelt down.
Kevin studied the man carefully. Were they human? He couldn’t understand it. They looked human to a certain extent. Yet they had strange powers, and even the animals were under their control. Kain especially had a strange, if not creepy, appearance. He could just be a mutant then. Maybe these guys were just super villains. But super villains usually would want to enslave the world, not kill everyone it in—unless this Kain person had an extreme grudge that would make him want to kill everyone.
Kevin discreetly glanced around. There were other robed men among the crowd. He hadn’t noticed them before. Things got weirder by the minute.
Kain raised his hand. “Bring in Scrint.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Kevin saw something coming down from the stands. A small red fox was heading to the center stage. When the fox arrived, it bowed before Kain.
Kain said to Kevin, “Catch the fox. That is your goal.”
Kevin’s eyes narrowed. “That’s it? That’s the game?” Kain nodded. “Simple, isn’t it? There is a time limit though.” “What’s the time limit?”
“That’s for me to decide.”
Kevin’s jaw slackened in disbelief. “You’re not going to tell me how much time I have?”
“That’s the fun part.” Kain smiled viciously. “You’ll know when it’s over by this.” Kain snapped his fingers. A bolt of lightning flashed right in front of Kevin.
Wide-eyed, Kevin gulped, gaping at the charred spot just a few feet away from him.
“Don’t worry,” said Kain. “I have amazing accuracy. Do you understand the rules now?”
Kevin nodded slowly. He understood very well. This man did not look like he was joking. Kevin now understood why Tom dozed off as quickly as he did. Being awake was soon turning into the real nightmare. What did it feel like to be struck by lightning? His only experience with electricity was a static shock. Kevin imagined it would be a billion times more painful.
Kain shouted happily, “Then let the games begin!”
Kevin fixed his gaze on the red fox. The fox looked back at Kevin and playfully smiled. The fox didn’t run away. This was his chance. Kevin pounced at the fox without any hesitation. His head hit the ground, only catching dirt and grass in his teeth. He sputtered and searched frantically for any sight of the fox. The fox was sitting right behind him, taunting him by wagging its tail at Kevin.
Kevin angrily got back up, but knelt shortly after, his body exhausted. He had never experienced this before. The aches and pains were in every muscle. There were days in his life where he felt completely spent, but he could always just take a nap during those times. At this moment, he really wanted to sleep.
Kevin slothfully got to his feet. He could barely stay standing without tottering. He screamed out all the air in his lungs. His eyes red and heavy, Kevin frowned. This was not a good day. Fall asleep and die. Get struck by lightning and die. Most of his options were pretty bleak. Gritting his teeth, he dropped to the ground. Sprawled across the field, Kevin began to close his eyes. This is the end, he thought.
BZZZZT! Kevin immediately opened his eyes, his nose tingling from the smell of burnt grass.
Kain shouted out, “Boy, did you think it would be that easy? A world of pain awaits you the moment you fall asleep! Maybe you misunderstood, but the penalty for sleeping will be worse than losing…much worse.”
“Right,” groaned Kevin. “Thanks for the incentive. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He looked into the fox’s eyes. “Forget about walking. Forget about standing. I’ll catch you even if I have to crawl!”
And crawl he did, wringing out every last ounce of strength from his body. He crawled on his arms and knees, desperately struggling to reach his target. Though he had said some rather cheeky words, the end result was more than embarrassing. It was like moving in slow motion. The fox didn’t even bother running. Instead, the furry animal pranced away every so often to widen the distance between them.
“Are you scared of me?” asked Kevin in mock laughter. “You’re afraid, aren’t you? That I’d actually catch you like this.”
Scrint stopped and tilted its head slightly. “Scared of you? Of course not. You’re about as scary as mud. I’m not stupid. I know what you’re trying to do…”
While the fox was talking, Kevin kept on crawling forward. “Oh really? And what am I trying to do?”
Scrint replied proudly, “You’re trying to make it look like you have a chance. If I run away at this moment, you would have no chance whatsoever.”
When Kevin was only three feet away from the fox, he dropped to the ground and began gasping for air.
“And now, you’re trying to trick me into thinking you’ve given up,” said the fox.
“You’re pretty good,” Kevin commended him. “I guess simple tricks like this won’t do anything will it?”
A pillar of lightning came crashing down between them. This surge of electricity was much more immense than the previous bolts. Kevin ducked, averting his eyes away from the blinding light.
Kain said, “Strike two. I believe in the game the humans play there are three strikes. One more strike…and you’re dead.”
“That’s fine,” said Kevin, moving his hand back. “I don’t need anymore time.” Kevin whipped out his hand. The yoyo went around the fox’s head, the string wrapping around the fox’s neck. Kevin said, “I got him!”
The fox chewed off the string of the yoyo. “What? You think you caught me because of that? That’s not how you catch someone!”
Kevin said, “That’s up to the rule maker to decide.” Breathing heavily, he looked at Kain. “Am I the winner or not?”
Kain eased into his chair and wordlessly eyed the situation for a minute. “Good job, boy. There was no rule against catching him with a toy, or anything else for that matter.”
Scrint said, “I don’t believe this! If I had known, I wouldn’t have—”
“THAT’S ENOUGH,” Kain roared and Scrint shrunk back. “There are few rules and they are clearly stated. There are no excuses.”
Scrint nodded, his head bowing to the ground. “Yes, Lord Kain. I’m sorry.” He scampered back to the stands hastily.
Kain walked over to Kevin. “You’ve done well. Your life is spared.” He turned to Katie and Andrew. “We will take a break for thirty minutes before the next event.”
“Another event?” Kevin looked puzzled. “I thought you said that was it! I thought that was the end of the game!”
Kain laughed. “That was it for you. Each one must participate in a separate game.”
“That’s not fair!” said Kevin. “Can’t you see how tired everyone is? How can you expect them all to chase down a fox?” Kevin was concerned. There was no way for the others to replicate his victory.
“Oh,” said Kain, “you thought we’d be playing the same game? You’re mistaken. The next game will be something different. Maybe a fight to the death would be more fun.”
“No!” Kevin fell to his knees and pleaded, “Don’t do this…please…we’ve had enough…”
Raising his voice, Kain said sternly, “I’m already giving you a time of rest.”
“But why do they have to—”
“Be quiet, Kevin,” said Katie curtly. “Don’t bother making the situation worse.”
Kevin sighed. “I’m sorry then. I can’t help you guys…”
Andrew said, “We’ve already decided to do this together. Even if I never expected it to come to this…I don’t want you to feel responsible for dragging us here. We made the decision to do this. As much as I want your help, if I have to do this alone