Chapter 16: (5)Survival Test
The second night was terrifying. It was as though, instead of being in a forest, the candidates had been teleported to a dark and murderous jungle filled with savage, starving beasts.
Of course, these "beasts" were none other than the predatory candidates among them. Many of the attacks during the first night had been cunning and calculated. Victims had been savagely beaten, to be sure, but there had been some kind of sense of normalcy to the screams, the ordinary fear of people realizing they were about to suffer enormous pain.
The second night was different. It was as though some kind of hidden, bestial nature had awoken in the hearts of both predators and victims. People weren't simply attacking others and taking their water and belongings because they wanted an advantage—it was as though everyone now realized attacking another could save your life and that being attacked could mean your death.
The screams were louder than before. More shrill, more panicked, more frequent.
Sometimes the loudspeakers automatically announced the elimination of some candidate who'd fled the test zone, but this was uncommon. Even rarer were the times when someone was disqualified because they were so savagely assaulted that they fell into a coma... or worse.
Even among the predatory candidates, there was a general sense that it would be wise to avoid killing other candidates. Though that wouldn't result in your immediate disqualification, most people understood that it would be best to avoid the reputation of being insanely violent. Others might team up to target you, after all!
***
Despite all of this escalating madness, Alexandre was unbothered. He lay on the ground with his arms crossed underneath his head, looking up at the stars. He took frequent micro-naps of fifteen minutes, at which point his digital watch beeped to wake him up for a quick environmental check. Though Alexandre was confident that his instincts and reflexes could protect him against any threat from these weak (and weakened) candidates, even while he was asleep, it was best to take precautions.
Shortly after one of these naps, Alexandre heard an unexpected noise from nearby: the sound of a cat meowing. Surprised, Alexandre sat up and lit up the flashlight on his phone, shining it toward the point where he'd heard the noise.