A thump echoes in my ear and it's then I feel the scorching pain ringing in my skull. A warm liquid trails down my forehead underneath the mask, turns my vision red, then slides down my chin and drips onto the ground.

I slowly turn around and face the group of five white-masked students. One of them holds the rock he hit me with, breathing as harshly as a pig being led to slaughter.

"Good one." I grin beneath my mask, and even though they can't see how unhinged I am, they must hear it in my voice.

I lift my bat and they all flinch backwards, but I use it to tap the back of my head. "You should've hit here and with more force so you could get at least a seventy percent chance of knocking me out. Oh, and your hand is shaking. Unless you steady it, you won't be able to land a successful blow."

Mask twelve stares at his hand and I lift the bat and hit him in the head, sending him flying sideways. "Like that." He's out cold, and his friends all run forward, together, like a fucking herd.

I swing the bat and aim at their legs, all at the same time, and they fall into a heap on the ground.

One of them manages to escape, but instead of running, he turns around and mutters, "I surrender! I surrender! You can just tap me."

"Why would I do that? You sing as this, no? is your duty to make it more entertaining." I drag the bat on the ground, letting him hear the crunching against the tiny pebbles, then when I'm in front of him, I hit him acros the middle. "Boring cunt."

"Number eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen are eliminated," the speaker announces. I stare at the gray sky and tsk. "Come on, give me an actual challenge."

Someone breezes past me and I throw the bat as if it's an arrow, whacking them from behind. Seriously? I internally sigh, still staring at the sky. I said a challenge, not a stray rabbit.

The one I hit doesn't fall. I wait for the speaker to announce their number, but nothing comes. I stare at them again, only to see they used one of the other unconscious bodies as a shield.

The bat hit number fifteen and fell to the ground.

The participant doesn't look back as they continue running, slowly disappearing into the trees.

I didn't even get a good look at them. Well, fuck me.

Here it is. A challenge.

I grab my bat from the ground and stare down in search of their footsteps.

They're...light. Barely there.

Either it's a woman or a very slim man.

And it's definitely someone who knows how to fucking run.