As they walked through the snowy mountain, King looked around.
"Where do you think we are?" he asked.
August glanced around as well. "I have no idea."
They continued walking forward until they heard a growl. Looking up, they saw an eight-foot-tall wolf.
King stared at it. "Are wolves supposed to be eight feet tall?"
August shook his head. "No."
King drew his sword and tried to cut off its leg, but the blade got stuck. The wolf lunged, ready to bite him. August grabbed King and yanked him out of the way just in time.
King recovered, pulled his sword free, and stabbed the wolf in the chest. But even then, it kept fighting—until it suddenly collapsed.
King looked at its head and noticed a bullet hole. He scanned the area, trying to find whoever had shot it, but saw no one.
They began walking toward the trees when the wolf suddenly began to rise again, growling.
Then, a voice echoed in their minds: "This game is all about survival."
August looked up at the now one-hundred-foot-tall wolf.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," he muttered.
They started running. The massive wolf swiped at them, and the shockwave sent them flying.
"Keep running! Don't stop!" August shouted to King.
The giant wolf gave chase, snapping its jaws just inches behind them. Then it let out a deafening roar, sending a massive shockwave that destroyed half the forest.
King shut his eyes—and suddenly, he saw a countdown clock appear in his vision: ten minutes remaining.
He screamed, "Ten!"
August looked at him, confused. "What?"
"Ten minutes," King shouted. "We have ten minutes left!"
The wolf was right behind them when a gunshot rang out. The beast stumbled.
King stopped, looking around wildly for the shooter, but August grabbed his arm and dragged him forward.
"Keep moving!" he yelled.
They kept running. With eight minutes left on the clock, the beast was still chasing them.
They nearly ran off the edge of a cliff and split up to avoid it. King was the one being chased now.
Five minutes remained on the timer, but it felt like they'd been running for hours. The beast swiped at him—King barely dodged and fell hard to the ground.
It looked like it was about to swallow him whole when August appeared and shoved him out of the way.
King looked toward the cliff's edge, then back at August. His eyes widened.
"No. No, no, no!"
He grabbed August and leapt off the cliff.
August screamed at the top of his lungs, "I knew you were crazy!"
They plunged into the snow below.
The beast jumped down after them, landing right in front of them.
King locked eyes with it—neither of them moving.
The monster paused. It saw something… in King. Then, slowly, it sat down.
King and August tilted their heads in unison.
"Whaaaat?"
Behind a nearby tree, someone was watching them—holding a sniper rifle.
She took off her goggles and scarf, revealing her beautiful caramel skin and hazel eyes.