Dylan, Mark, and Gabe lay still on the ground, lost in the oblivion of unconsciousness.
Sunny and Robert, their allegiance shifted by fear, now huddled nervously beside Tolly.
The Green Group was now a picture of disarray.
"Let's just bolt. We can't afford to get our hands any dirtier, and I seriously doubt we can knock out five of them," Tolly urged.
"And you honestly think they'll just wave goodbye and let us run?" Jeremy countered.
"That's it! I'm calling the teachers!" Kelvin declared, his hand reaching for his device, only for Robert to suddenly slap it out of his grasp.
"Robert, what in the world did you do that for?!" Kelvin exclaimed, his annoyance quickly turning to suspicion. "Oh... now I get it. So you were in on their little scheme all along?!"
"No! You don't understand!" Robert stammered, his voice trembling. "If... if you call the teachers, we'll all be in huge trouble. We might even get disqualified! I'm... so- sorry."
"Your group was the instigator! Your group is the reason for this entire mess, and now you've broken our communication and recording device! How are we supposed to win now?!" Kelvin's voice rose in fury.
"Are we going to stand around and chat all day?" The bald boy from the Blue Group interjected impatiently.
"I won't let you ruin our plans!" Jeremy roared, his patience finally snapping as he dashed towards the five boys from the Blue Group.
'What in the world is wrong with this guy? Does he honestly think he's some kind of superhero?' James thought, watching Jeremy's reckless charge with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.
No one could react in time to stop Jeremy's sudden burst of action.
His fist slammed into the bald boy's stomach with brutal force, followed by a gravity-defying leap towards the next, whose shoulder met a devastating kick.
He moved onto the third boy with blinding speed, a heavy headbutt connecting squarely with the latter's chest, knocking the wind out of him.
Now, only two boys from the Blue Group remained standing.
The fourth boy, his eyes wide with terror, made a desperate attempt to flee, but Jeremy was having none of it. He grabbed the fleeing boy's shirt, yanking him back with surprising strength. A swift, brutal knee to the back sent the boy sprawling.
The fifth boy, witnessing the swift and decisive takedown of his comrades, dropped to his knees, his bravado replaced by whimpers of desperate mercy.
However, Jeremy remained unfazed by his pleas and delivered a stinging slap across the boy's cheek, leaving a vivid red imprint.
All of this unfolded with such breathtaking speed that none of the Blue Group members even had a chance to raise their hands in defense.
James and the others who had stood aside watched the brutal display with wide, disbelieving eyes.
'I knew Jeremy was strong, after all, he's built like a tank... but to take down five students like that? I definitely got lucky that day in Middleton,' James thought, a shiver running down his spine.
"What the actual f*ck? Who is this guy?!" The bald boy on the ground exclaimed, his bravado completely shattered.
None of the Blue Group members dared to stand in Jeremy's presence, even though they weren't knocked out.
"Hmm, that's odd. The Red Group tracker is down, and so is the Blue Group's. I hope it's nothing serious," a voice echoed through the nearby trees, accompanied by the rustling of leaves.
"Isn't that Mr. Dave?" Kelvin whispered, his eyes widening in alarm.
"We have to run now!" Tolly voiced, before turning and sprinting deeper into the woods.
Kelvin glanced around, taking in the scene of chaos. He was shocked to see that James had already vanished down a narrow forest path, leaving before anyone else.
The five boys from the Blue Group, spurred by the sound of the approaching teacher, scrambled to their feet and bolted down another path, leaving Jeremy and the three incapacitated members of the Green Group behind.
'Ah, for fu*ksake! Why does everything have to be so complicated? I better catch up with James,' Jeremy thought, before plunging into the dense forest after the fleeting figure.
"Oh my... what in the world happened here?! What are all these boys doing on the ground?" Stella exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise as she entered the rocky clearing.
"Looks like they had a bit of a disagreement... or maybe a full-blown brawl," Dave replied, his gaze sweeping over the unconscious students.
"A fight? But they're from the same group, right? Even if they did fight each other, why are three of them knocked out cold? I have a feeling this is the handiwork of another group," Stella mused, her brow furrowed in concern.
"Well... does it really matter? As long as they're not dead. I mean, we're both here now, and there's no one around to stop us or keep an eye on things," Dave replied, a smirk playing on his lips as he inched closer to Stella.
"Dave, I really don't think we should be doing this. We might get caught again," Stella whispered, her eyes darting nervously around.
Dave ignored her protests, gently placing his hands on her waist. He pulled her closer, his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. Stella hesitated for a moment, but then her reservations melted away, and she returned his embrace.
Dave deepened the kiss, his hands now caressing her buttocks. After a few intense minutes, he broke the kiss, his eyes locking with hers.
"Give it to me," Stella breathed out, her voice husky with desire. "I want to feel you."
...
About three hours earlier, Jeremy had finally caught up with Tolly, Kelvin, Priscilla, Robert, and Sunny.
Only these six were now walking together along a winding path deeper into the forest.
"Don't you think we should head back? We've been walking aimlessly for about three hours now. I'm sure James is already with the teachers," Kelvin said, dragging his feet wearily. "Heck! I'm even wondering why we ran in the first place. We could have sorted everything out right there and then with the teachers."
"Kelvin's absolutely right! You've been insisting we keep walking when we could have just used the map to find our way back to the bus and talk to the teachers," Tolly voiced furiously, her patience clearly exhausted.
The truth was, Jeremy had been leading them on a relentless pursuit of James ever since he had rejoined them.
They could have outright refused to follow, yet the fear of Jeremy's seemingly superhuman abilities, which they had now witnessed not once but twice, kept them in line. They instinctively knew that defying him would likely result in swift and unpleasant consequences.
As Tolly's frustrated words hung in the air, James suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, his body trembling violently, like a volcano about to erupt. He spun around to face the others, his eyes glowing faintly yellow hue.
"Why?! Why do you humans always have to mess everything up?!" Jeremy roared, a faint, eerie yellow glow emanating from his eyes.
Meanwhile, deep within the woods, far beyond the designated quest boundary, a handsome teen with tousled brown hair wandered alone. Evening was rapidly approaching, and the setting sun cast long, eerie shadows through the trees.
"Why did I even run in the first place? I could have just waited and probably slipped away with the others," James muttered to himself, his voice laced with self-reproach.
"Somehow, I think I did the right thing and the wrong thing at the same time. What if the teachers saw me and pinned all the blame on me?"
"I guess I haven't been truly stable ever since that whole mess back in Middleton,"
Just as the last word left his lips, James's eyes widened in alarm as he sighted a pair of fierce, glowing yellow eyes peering out from the dense undergrowth.