Before she could answer, a flash of red light shot up into the gray sky from a nearby area, followed by a loud BANG!
A firework. A signal for elimination.
"Should we?" Ivan asked, but he was looking at Lyraena, not at the fading trail of smoke in the sky. She was soaked, shivering slightly, and looked exhausted. "Let's go back to our camp first."
"Weren't you the one who wants to gather as many people and as much equipment as possible?" she asked, her voice flat. It wasn't an accusation, just a statement of fact.
"Yeah, but..." he said, his strategic mind losing a battle with his concern for her. "You're wet. You should sit next to a fire as soon as possible, or you'll get sick. We can't afford that."
Lyraena looked at him for a long moment, her gaze unreadable. Then she gave a small, tired nod. "Alright. You aren't wrong. Let's head quickly to the camp."
They went sprinting back, the urgency of the firework replaced by a more immediate need for warmth and safety.
When they reached the camp, they found the others already on their feet, staring in the direction of the signal. Jomana, Leonardo, and the twins were in the middle of a debate.
"Maybe they just got tired and decided to quit," Kevin was saying, trying to be optimistic. "After all, we're not even halfway through the exam yet. Some people just can't handle it. It's cold, it's wet, and the food sucks."
"And maybe someone is actively hunting students, and we're next on their list," Jomana countered, her hand resting on the shaft of her spear. "A firework means a confrontation. It means someone won, and someone lost. We need to know who."
She heard their footsteps and turned, her body tensing for a second before she recognized them. "Oh, Lyraena, you came back." Her eyes scanned her friend. "Why are you... wet?"
Ivan interrupted with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "You had to see her, Jomana! She was like a mermaid, swimming aro—"
His words ended in a sharp grunt as Lyraena, without even looking at him, landed a swift back kick squarely into his stomach. It wasn't a powerful one, but it was enough to knock the wind out of him and make him double over.
"Shut up," she said, before walking past him to sit as close to the fire as she could, holding her hands out to the flames. She addressed the group, her voice firm. "If you guys are going to check it out or not, I'm not coming. I'll sit here by the fire and protect our camp."
Ivan, having recovered his breath, took charge. "Leo... stay here. You and Kevin. Help Lyraena guard the camp. Jomana and Kalvin, let's go."
Leonardo looked surprised. "Really? You'd go again after you just came back? You don't even know what's out there."
"Trust me, I don't want to," Ivan admitted with a sigh, looking over at Lyraena by the fire. "But curiosity is getting the best of me. We need to know what happened."
With that, the new, smaller scouting party of three set off again, heading toward the direction where the firework was launched minutes earlier.
As they ran through the dripping trees, Ivan's mind was a mess. 'Shit, I should have stayed with Lyraena. What am I even doing here? We'll probably die if it's the bear beast. At least I would have died next to her. What a stupid thought.' He shook his head, trying to focus.
They had been running for about ten minutes when Jomana suddenly held up a hand, stopping in her tracks.
"Guys... shhhh."
They all stopped, listening. The only sound was the dripping of water from the leaves.
"What?" Kalvin asked, annoyed. "Why are we stopping?"
"It's quiet," Ivan whispered, his eyes scanning the dense woods around them.
"Did we go the wrong way?" Kalvin asked, not understanding the sudden tension. "There's nothing here."
"Lower your shitty voice," Ivan hissed back, his own voice barely audible.
Jomana spoke, her voice a low, urgent whisper. "Kalvin, in the forest, the only thing you don't want to hear is this quietness."
"Why is that?" he asked, still skeptical but lowering his voice.
"Think about it," she explained, her experience as a hunter showing. "A forest is never truly silent. There are always birds, insects, the rustle of small animals. If all of that stops... if every animal isn't making any kind of sound at all... that means there's a bigger predator somewhere out there. Something so dangerous that everything else knows to shut up and hide."
The weight of her words settled over them. The silence was no longer peaceful; it was heavy and full of menace. They moved forward much more slowly now, placing each foot carefully, their senses on high alert. Every snapped twig under their boots sounded like a gunshot.
They crept up to a large, thick bush that overlooked a small clearing. Ivan's heart pounded in his chest as he recognized the place. It was the same hidden cave where he and Leonardo had seen the bear for the first time.
But this time, the unnatural quietness was shattered.
A terrifying, deafening ROAR erupted from the mouth of the cave, so powerful it felt like it shook the very air around them. It was a sound of pure, unrestrained rage. It sent a primal shiver of fear down their spines, raising the hair on their arms and making their blood run cold.
The three of them were frozen behind the bush, their faces pale with terror.