Everyone freezes. We all go so silent, only the sounds of the island reach our ears. The Asian man’s eyes meet mine and I realize just then who they’re going to perceive as the weakest target. The quicker others are eliminated, the quicker someone wins all that money.

“No,” I whisper, taking a step back from the man I was starting to trust before me.

The loud speaker goes silent and for long seconds, nothing happens.

A gun goes off, breaking the silence, and chaos breaks out almost immediately. Someone screams in agony before falling silent and the others start attacking each other like feral beasts. I duck when bullets begin to fly, when blood begins to flow, and desperately curl my fingers into the strap of the duffle bag. One mention of money and they’ve forgotten their humanity. They’ve forgotten the connections they’ve already made, the alliances they formed. There are no friends, only foes, despite the enemy clearly being the person behind the announcement.

Not knowing what else to do, I jerk the duffle bag I’d been going through off the crate and take a chance. I run. I can’t stay there where they’re fighting, where guns are going off. Not unless I want to be shot. It isn’t safe anymore. I can’t trust anyone, so I spring into the trees closest to me on bare feet, uncaring of the immediate stings of pain that comes from the underbrush. I’ve spent a significant portion of my life on stripper heels. This is nothing. Especially with the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

My cardio comes in handy as I run as fast as my legs can carry me. My only focus is putting distance between me and the group of men who are clearly ready to gut each other for money. Behind me, I hear gunshots going off, a mixture of pistols and rifles. Shouts and screams mix into the sound, a chorus of chaos. Some of the crates must have had more powerful weapons in them, I think, when I hear the rat-tat-tat of an assault rifle. I mourn the fact I couldn’t grab any of them before running away, but I need to survive. I’m not playing some stupid fucking game for money.

It's a lot of money but fuck that. Money is the reason I’m in this mess and I still have plans to gut the asshole who brought me here.

Only when I feel like I’m far enough away and the gunshots fade a bit in the distance do I find a spot beneath two large trees and hunker down, calming my breath and beating heart. Foliage surrounds me enough that I know I can’t be seen as I force air into my lungs and clutch the duffle bag to my chest.