Liam woke up in a pile of bushes, staring up into a canopy of towering trees and thick greenery.
"Ugh." His first thought was, "Ew, I was lying in dirt." He brushed off the dirt from his clothes and hair, grimacing. His second thought was also disgust, people—and socializing—were disgusting. Even more people had woken up around him at the same time.
"Guys... where is this?" a voice called out from the crowd. The man was as tall as Liam and just as good-looking—maybe better at taking care of himself. The difference was clear in his immaculate hair.
"Where am I?" The question rippled through the group. None expected to wake up in a moonlit forest after falling asleep in their cozy beds.
"I don't kno—"
A snake slithered out from the underbrush and bit the man on the foot.
"ARGH! Get off me!"
"I'm coming!" Hair man rushed forward, shaking the snake off the bitten man. "Get off! Guys, help me!"
"Comin'... ARGH!" another man yelped, suddenly bitten from behind.
"AHH!"
"FUCK!"
"ARRGGH!"
The crowd's panic grew as more struggled and screamed.
"What's happening?!" someone cried.
"I got him off! I got him off!" Hair man finally kicked the snake away. "You okay?"
The bitten man didn't reply with words, but black veins began spreading across his body and face. Hair man's grip loosened, and the man collapsed to the ground.
"He's... dead."
One by one, the bitten began showing the same black veins. Panic exploded.
"AHHHHH!"
"RUN!"
"RUNNNNN!"
"EVERYONE, HEAD TO THE BEACH! FOLLOW MY VOICE!" Hair man yelled. "The snakes won't sneak up on us there!"
"Good idea," Liam thought, and ran toward the voice.
"LIAM!" Tyler shouted, catching up to him. "Have you seen Bryan and Melissa? I think this is that 'Would You Rather' scenario we picked!"
"Follow me! Follow my voice!" Hair man screamed, pushing everyone forward.
"There." Liam pointed at a girl nearby who wasn't running.
"Melissa, RUN! What are you—" Tyler started, but her face twisted with black veins before she collapsed.
Tyler gasped and froze. Noticing that, Liam grabbed his wrist, dragging him forward.
Eventually, they reached the beach.
"Grab a sharp stick or rock! Attack the snakes when they come near!" Hair man commanded, and the crowd obeyed.
"Bryan!" Tyler called, spotting a familiar silhouette.
"Tyler! Come on! Let's just swim out of here!" Bryan shouted, diving into the sea.
"Wait." Liam grabbed Tyler's wrist, stopping him from jumping in too. "Look."
Snakes were swimming swiftly toward Bryan—faster than he could swim.
"BRYAN, GET OUT OF THERE!" Tyler shouted.
"ARGHHH! THEY CAN SWIM!" Bryan screamed as the snakes bit into him. Black veins spread quickly; his body froze lifeless.
"NO! BRYAN!" Tyler fell to his knees, devastated. Liam on the other hand, was still calm as a cucumber.
Black veins spread faster now, taking victims one by one, crushing hope. Hair man shouted to keep morale high.
"KEEP IT UP! KILL THE SNAKES! WATCH THE SHORE! THEY CAN COME FROM THERE TOO!"
Liam, unaffected by panic, gathered two stones and a bundle of sticks. Using friction, he struck sparks until flames caught.
The fire's light brought hope. Some survivors who noticed the light even cheered.
"YESSS!"
"LIGHT 'EM UP!"
"SUPPORT THAT MAN! BURN THE FOREST!" Hair Man shouted.
Survivors with weapons guarded Liam as he advanced with the fire.
"LIGHT IT UP!" someone yelled as Liam threw a burning stick into the forest.
"It's not spreading!"
"It is! It just takes time!" Hair man reassured. "Focus on killing the snakes for now!"
More people fell victim to bites, but the fire created a growing barrier between forest and beach.
"YEAHHH!"
"LET'S GO!"
"DON'T CELEBRATE YET! SNAKES ARE STILL COMING FROM THE SHORE! FOCUS THERE!"
The survivors shifted focus, defending the shoreline. Fewer people were dying now.
Tyler sat shell-shocked, watching the fight with empty eyes. Liam stood beside him, not fighting—not feeling.
They had started with about eighty-eight people. Now, only around fifty remained.
Tyler stared out at the horizon, then at the fighters, then at the survivors.
"They died, Liam... they died."
"They did."
Tyler broke down in tears, burying his head in his knees.
Liam felt nothing. He barely knew Bryan and Melissa. Their deaths didn't hit him.
A frail, short woman approached Liam.
"Thank you... you saved our lives." Her eyes were blurry.
"Okay." Liam nodded, indifferent.
Inside, his mind whispered: "What's happening...?"