The seniors began a casual match of basketball on the court, the rhythmic thud-thud-thud of the balls and the frantic squeaking of sneakers against the polished wood echoing throughout the vast hall. To them, this was just another afternoon of amusement, a light warmup before the main attraction. But for the group sitting at the makeshift observation table, the atmosphere was thick with the suffocating tension of a hostage situation. They knew with absolute certainty that if any of them stood up and made a move toward the exit, the athletes would be on them in an instant, their physical superiority used as a brutal leash.
