CHAPTER EIGHT

I thought the knot holding me to the tree would not withstand the force of my body being shaken over and over again. 

So I had to turn over again and hug the tree as tightly as I could. I was getting dizzy as if I was going to faint and I could have sworn that a little of the food I ate earlier had gotten back into my mouth.

I was going to die

The thought came into my mind and the fear inside me ignited. 

I had not proven anything to myself or to anybody and here I was about to die. 

The thought didn't sit well with me, I didn't want to die, not now, not yet.

The constant hitting and pulling was having an effect on the tree, and I could

see as far away roots of the same tree snapped as they were pulled deep from the ground. 

The monster literally held the whole uprooted tree in his embrace. I thought I was dizzy before, but I wasn't, not yet.

He swung the tree in his arms here then there, trying to shake me off the tree. I didn't even realise when I closed my eyes, and I was really getting dizzy.

I needed to concentrate and get out of this, I thought.

I couldn't jump off a swinging thing, my flexibility and agility was good but not that good. 

There was a chance I would break a bone or something when I jumped off, and that was if I didn't jump to my death.

I was contemplating this when everything stilled, the swinging had stopped.

T I wanted to turn around but the angle was wrong and I couldn't let go of the tree, not yet.

The growling continued as the monster walked forward with the tree, I didn't know where it was going but it seemed to have a destination in mind. I was petrified out of my mind.

I immediately realised now was as good a time as any to get off the tree. I cranked my neck to the side, trying to get a good look at the monster. 

Its beady huge eyes were on me, I couldn't try jumping off without it noticing.

I was safe for now, but how long will that last? I was sure where we were headed was not safe or any good for me.

All possibilities came to my mind as I thought of where we were headed.

Booming sounds that I thought was a small earthquake reached my ears and I held even more tightly to the tree.

 I dug my nails into the part I held onto till they bled but I held even tighter. What I thought was an earthquake were actually footsteps. 

It was hard looking around but I could see other huge monsters walking towards where we stood. 

Growls of different types reached my ears as they all snarled, apparently they didn't like that they had a small team going on. 

The monster holding the tree immediately dropped it to the side and the force of it reverberated through my entire body.

I counted about four close up, and I could hear other resounding footsteps as other monsters got close. It was weird but I didn't want to go with any of the others.

 Monster one was slow and I was already used to the idea that I might get out of his catch soon. The others were probably better, faster, smarter. That did not bode well for me at all.

Growls rang out as they all started running towards where monster one stood at once, they all looked humanoid, with legs and arms.

 But of different colours and attachments. One had swords as arms and another had hair, like real hair.

 It was terrifying as they attacked all at once. They were all fighting for me. It was sweet for a second before I remembered the winner would get to eat me, literally.

Monster one didn't wait for the attack to come, he turned and pulled me off the tree immediately and then broke into a run in the opposite direction. 

The force of pulling me off was painful and I heard as a rib or two broke. He was also holding me too tightly in it's grip, and running.

 All these made me scream with the intense pain I was feeling in the left side of my chest.

We kept about a good five metres between us and them as we ran. I didn't know in which direction of the forest we were running, but I knew things had just gone from bad to very worse.

One of my hands was engulfed in his palm while the other was free. I was literally immobile and I didn't want to be crushed further by trying to break free.

 I tried breathing through the immense pain, was sure I was going to die as I felt even more pain, my ribs slowly moving back into place and repairing.

We changed directions quicker as monster one cut a quick angle and went left, it was there things got interesting.

I guess they were waiting to ambush the monsters, that was the only reason so many players were gathered in the same place.

 I thought it had all been strategic actually. It had been beautiful before it got ugly. 

They had used some of the trees as coverage and they attacked from all sides. 

Even the monsters following us had been included as the players attacked. 

I was slow to close my eyes as someone high above the trees jumped with weapons raised to attack monster one.

 I guess the angle had been completely wrong because one minute he was screaming as he jumped and the next he was screaming in pain, he had jumped directly into the open mouth of monster one.

Something wet hit my face as it all happened in my consciousness. I closed my eyes then, trying to ignore the fact that someone's blood was trickling down my face. 

I could hear the crunching of bones. It was the single most hilarious thing I have ever heard.

 Snarls and shouting could be heard all around us as the players fought them. I didn't get a good look but I thought they were quite a number of people and had probably gathered as many as they could to plan all this.

We kept running through the whole thing and I guess the monster was smart enough as he used the distraction to run even as fast as it could away from the chaos.

My eyes widened with realisation, if it had been that easy to eat someone, why haven't I been eaten? 

I had thought he was taking me somewhere to maybe grill me or something but I guess he didn't mind his meat raw, so why wasn't I dead already?

It ran as fast as it could from all the chaos, and was in complete fear that something much worse was waiting for me.

 My ribs were almost done repairing and I only winced once in a while when I got shaken particularly hard.

It was slow but the air became windier and could hear crashing waves in the distance. It all got louder as we got closer, apparently our destination was the beach.

Hope like I had never felt it blossomed inside of me since the competition began, I had hitched a ride with a monster and I had avoided all the others that way.

Luck had never been on my side that way, I was going to take this chance with both hands, and get to the second trial.