Death Wish

Act III - Hidden Buttons, Isolated Island II

[Time Left: 24 minutes]

"Unnie, you just need one more button to win", the girl said.

"Yes, it's all up to Jin Suk now", she replied, "Now, let's find yours and all of us will be even", she added and the girl nodded.

They check on the map and the next location was near them, "It's close", Hyun Jin said. "Let's go". Hyun Jin moved but the girl grips and didn't let go of her hand. "What's wrong?", she asked.

"Look", the girl points at the map, "Team two's final button is moving", she said.

It was indeed moving, "Is something carrying it?" the girl asked.

"I don't know but let's mind it later, we need to hurry", Hyun Jin moved but the girl didn't let go again.

"My button is moving and its getting away fast!", Hyun Jin was baffled.

"Don't let go of my hand", Hyun Jin locks her hand tighter on her. "We must chase it now or it will get farther", Hyun Jin drags her and they chase team one's button on the northwest.

"AGHHHH!", they stop, completely frozen after they heard a voice screaming in pain near their location.

"What was that?", the girl asked as her eyes widened looking at Hyun Jin.

"I don't know but it's definitely the guy from team two", Hyun Jin said.

"Did he fell?", the girl asked and Hyun Jin can see that she's terrified.

"I think he was on his way trying to find us", Hyun Jin thinks that he needed one of them to check the map. "Let's check on him", Hyun Jin moves towards the screams direction.

The girl didn't move, "No", she was afraid.

"We have to help him", Hyun Jin insisted.

The girl's eyes became baggy and Hyun Jin could feel the tight grip from her. "Come on, we said that we'll win together", Hyun Jin tries to calm her down.

The girl looks at the map and checks the location of her button. Her buttons have stopped moving. She let go of Hyun Jin's hand and the map fades out, "Go look for him, I have to find our button first", she said looking away.

Hyun Jin pressed her lips, "Be safe", Hyun Jin said.

The girl looked at her and smiled, "You too, Unnie". The girl then split up and ran in different directions.

[Time Left: 17 minutes]

Jin Suk and the beach team have arrived on a little island where team two's button can be found. The big guy got off the boat and step on the land, "Go, I can find it myself", he said.

"Good luck", they agreed with his decision and paddled the boat to the last button hidden in the ocean.

The big guy was confident that he could find the button quickly and it wouldn't take him a minute to find it. He started looking around in the bushes, he found nothing. He looked around the big rocks, got the same result. He looked everywhere and there were no buttons can be found.

He was frustrated and time was running, he started to get angry. His temper is getting out of control again. His face reddened and his veins were popping. He bawled his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth.

He was like a toro getting ready to smack the first thing he sees. He found a coconut tree and started kicking it hard, "Yah!", he continuously kicked the tree without stopping.

"Agh!", a whole coconut drops on his head causing it to bleed. "Xibal!", he got even more mad after seeing the blood on his head. He switched his anger towards the hard coconut and started stomping on it. He endlessly stomped on it even if it was hard enough to crack. "Just where is the fxcking button!", he yelled.

He keeps stomping on the coconut that his feet are starting to numb in pain. The coconut's outer layer was ripped off leaving the shell visible from the inside. The shell is about to crack in half, "Xibal, coconut-ya! ", he shouted and gave a powerful one last stomp.

He was able to crack the coconut open and it calmed him down a little bit.

*ting*, he heard a familiar sound and looked up at the sky to see who's point it was. He saw another mark on their panel. He became better after seeing another point on his team.

He smirked, he unknowingly looked down and saw the mess of the broken coconut. His eyes widened as he didn't expect what he had found, "Are you fxcking kidding me?", he saw the button smash broken. The button was inside the coconut shell.

[Time Left: 11 minutes]

Hyun Jin arrived on a gruesome and bloody scene, she saw the guy from team one with blood all over his body. He was found lying beside a tree in the worst state.

She immediately went to check on him. He was still conscious but his eyes were already lifeless, "What happened to you?", she asked but he didn't reply, he was already weak to even utter a single word.

He was bleeding to death and his left arm had been decapitated. His chest and stomach are bleeding like crazy. Something slashed him and left him like this. "Hey, stay awake, stay with me!", Hyun Jin rips her pants and tries to cover his serious injuries.

It wasn't enough to stop the bleeding and they are running out of time. She knew that it was too late for him to be saved, so she gave up. All she can do is cry by his side as his life slowly fades away.

'Ten Minutes remaining'

She heard the reminder, she had no choice but to leave him behind. She stood up, wiping her tears. She noticed the blood trail to the left and her eyes followed. She saw his decapitated arm lying on the grass.

It won't be possible for team one to win now, even if his partner gets here, the time isn't enough for him. She doesn't want team one's effort to go in vain, so she tries to take the chances.

She picked up his decapitated arm, hoping that pressing team one's final button with it will work. She hopes for it even if it seems impossible.

She ran through into the dangerous jungle once again.

[Time Left: 9 minutes and 23 seconds]

They were already near the final location of team three's button, "It seems you'll finish the game first sir", the guy with him said. "I wonder how my partner is doing on the island", he was worried.

"Don't worry, two minutes is plenty for them to find it", Jin Suk assured him.

The guy smiled, "Yeah, I know. We will do this together", he said.

"Give me your hand", Jin Suk needed to check.

The map opened and the button was just five meters away, "Sir, I can already see your victory", the guy smiled big.

They suddenly heard a beat of a drum, "What was that?", they wondered what it was. The guy looked at the profiles on the sky and noticed something different, "Why is my partner's profile glowing red?", he asked.

Then they heard a loud swish on the water, "What was that?", the guy was agitated as he raised his paddle up.

Jin Suk looked at the map and the button was circling around their boat, "What's going on!?", the guy was baffled, "Sir, your button, it's moving!", he yelled. "It's coming toward us!", the guy shouted.

Something big has a bump underneath their causing them to fall. They rise to the surface quickly, "What was that!?", the guy began to panic.

"I don't know but we need to get back to the boar immediately", Jin Suk swims for the boat that was getting swayed away by the waves.

"Agh!", the guys shouted in pain as he tries to keep his head on the surface and paddling his hands like crazy trying his hardest to float.

"What's wrong!?", Jin Suk asked and went to get him.

"Leg cramped!", he said in pain as the swishes of water he was paddling was louder than his voice.

Jin Suk immediately went to get him, "Grab my hand", Jin Suk reached his hand holding the black ball towards him.

The guy locks his hand to Jin Suk and the holographic map pops up in front of their faces. Jin Suk saw that the button was near and coming towards them fast.

A huge splash had rained over the two of them and suddenly got pulled together underwater. He sees water getting mixed with red color as they get pulled deeper. Jin Suk had no choice but to let go of his hand or he would drown along with him.

He let go and the black ball couldn't be saved. His top priority for now is get back on the boat.

[Time Left: 4 minutes and 33 seconds]

They are chasing the time and only three buttons remain. Hyun Jin needs to find the girl again and see if she's okay. They still need to push two buttons in the jungle and they must hurry.

"Unnie!!", someone called out to her. "Unnie! Get that monkey, he has the button!", Hyun Ji saw the girl again and she chased a monkey with the button straps on his back.

Hyun Jin's reflexes activated and they both chased the monkey. The monkey was fast as it kept swinging on the vines making it harder for them to catch it. "Don't let it get away", the girl yells.

They run and jump through the obstacles of the jungle with all they've got but the monkey is getting much further away. "No! Come back!", the girl pleads.

As it swung and flew in the air, a big creature suddenly pounced on the monkey and they quickly stopped and stayed still as much as possible, "What is that?", the girl whispered.

They saw a big jaguar locking on the monkey with its sharp terrifying jaws.

[Time Left: 3 minutes and 22 seconds]

Jin Suk got back on the boat. He doesn't have much time and he doesn't know where the button could be without a map. He looked up to see their profiles and team one's profiles were glowing red. Jin Suk immediately realizes that the red glow indicates that both of them are dead.

He looks on the island and was concerned with Hyun Jin but he must focus on his task first. If he failed this, both of them will die. He doesn't want Hyun Jin to die due to his failure, he was ready to sacrifice his life for her to live on. If dying is an option in exchange for pressing the button, he won't hesitate to choose it.

Jin Suk thinks that the button is on a sea creature. A sea creature who was big enough to disturb a human and there is only one thing he can think of, a shark.

He looks around and notice that the waves were getting bigger towards him, he look at the far distance and saw the shark's dorsal peeking on the surface of the water. The shark was aiming towards him. As he prepares for the shark's impact, he notices something tied on its dorsal. Jin Suk finally find their final button.

[Time Left: 2 minutes and 46 seconds]

Both of them were terrified to move, one single sound from them might grab the attention of the ferocious jaguar. "We are running out of time, we need to press that button", Hyun Jin whispered.

"But how? Are we going to fight that?", the girl replied.

"Yes"

"What!? Unnie, Are you crazy!?"

"Yes"

The girl was scared, her legs won't stop trembling. Hyun Jin noticed a strap around the jaguar's body. It was team one's final button. They have more than a minute left and they must press the buttons before the time ends.

The monkey was crying in pain as the tiger strangled the monkey with its teeth, "Unnie, our button it'll get crushed by it' teeth", the girl said.

The monkey was struggling to get free, the jaguar took another jaw move and the monkey completely shut down.

In that moment, Hyun Jin discovers something that can turn the game around, "Did you see that?", she asked.

"See what?"

"The monkey stopped moving as if its battery shuts down", Hyun Jin explained.

"What? We don't have time for nonsense, Unnie", she said with a shaky voice but keeping quiet as much as possible.

"I have a plan", Hyun Jin bawled her hands into a fist.

"Okay, what is it?", the girl was feeling restless because of the situation.

"We just need to press that button without touching it with our hands", she instructed.

The girl was confused, "What do you mean, Unnie?", she asked as she made a bitter face.

Hyun Jin looked at her with seriousness in her eyes, "If you want to win, then you must do what I say", Hyun Jin stated.

The girls got even more stressed, she doesn't know what to do anymore. Hyun Jin slowly went near her and held her arms, "Didn't we say that we will win this together", the two locked eyes and the girl nodded.

'One minute remaining', the voice reminds.

"You trust me right?" , Hyun Jin asked.

The girl didn't have a choice but nodded, she was trying hard not to cry. "Just do what I say, okay", Hyun Jin taps her shoulder and the girl nods.

[Time Left: 58 seconds]

Jin Suk heard the reminder and he didn't have much time left, he needed to press that button no matter what.

He observes below the water to locate the shark but it wasn't coming back to get him. Even if he jumped in the water to find the Shark, there wasn't enough time for him to do so.

He needs to take the initiative and lure the shark on his own. He needed to get the shark to go after him so he did the last resort he could think of.

Jin Suk grabs the paddle and smashes it in half. It made a perfect sharp end just as he wanted. He gulped and grasped his breath. He needs to do it, he needs to cut a wound on his wound to attract the shark's attention.

Without further ado, he cuts his left palm. He is used to getting cut all the time, he survives several stab wounds and still survives. Doing it was just a piece of cake for him. He puts his hand over the body of water and lets the blood drip.

He was observing the body of water and it was still calm but he knew that his blood must have attracted the shark by now.

The body of water was disturbed and the waves we're acting strange. Jin Suk prepared as he raised the sharp stick. He knew that the shark was coming for him.

At the east side of his direction, the shark's dorsal emerged from beneath the water coming toward his direction at great speed.

Jin Suk grips the stick tighter and stays on his feet as he is ready to engage the shark's attack.

The shark jumps and shows its terrifying jaws as it comes flying towards Jin Suk. Before it can even reach him, he dodges and jumps from the boat in time then stabs the side of the shark. He then grips harder on the stick and grabs the shark on its back.

The weight and the momentum of the shark have dragged him along to the water. The shark and Jin Suk struggled underneath the water. Jin Suk tries his best to hold on to his back. The amount of bubbles created due to the shark's aggressive movement have hindered him from seeing anything clearly under the water.

He just needs to press the button tied on it's dorsal and he would be able to rest free. He doesn't care what happens after as long as he can keep Hyun Jin from winning the game. He holds on to the shark tighter and pulls out the stick. He stabbed the shark several times.

He managed to make the shark weaker, unable to move aggressively it's head, body and tail. It just swims along with the current.

[Time Left: 21 seconds]

"Here kitty, kitty! Here! Come her you ugly big cat", the girl tries to get the beast's attention.

Thrilling spines is running and the tension is getting her heart unable to control. The girl looks at Hyun Jin hiding behind a tree.

The jaguar dropped the monkey and switched it's attention to her, the jaguar then quickly started running towards her.

The girl completely stood still as what Hyun Jin exactly told her, she trusted Hyun Jin that she will be able to pull it. She risked her life for them to be able to move on together.

The Jaguar has locked its eyes on it's prey, ready to pounce and devour her, "Unnie", she whispered, terrified. She waited for Hyun Jin's signal.

In that moment she closed her eyes, trusting Hyun Jin that she could do it. It was too late even if she wanted to run, there's only one chance and that chance depends on Hyun Jin's right timing.

"Unnie!!!", the girl yells for her life. The jaguar jumped at her, before the beast could reach her. Hyun Jin quickly rushed from the side and charged towards the pouncing jaguar. The jaguar was too heavy to be moved just by her small body.

*ting*

"Agh!", the jaguar reached and pushed down the girl. The jaguar's big body has slumped the girl flat.

Hyun Jin runs for the dead, leaving the girl behind. They only have five second left and they must push all the buttons before the timer ends.

Hyun Jin grabs and throws away the dead monkey towards where the girl was laying flat, "Press it now!", Hyun Jin shouted.

The monkey fell beside her, despite being crushed by the heavy jaguar, she was able to move her left arm in the open.

On the other hand, Jin Sik have finally able to reach the and pressed the button on the shark's dorsal after making the shark weaker.

'3', There was no time left, he grabs on the dorsal with his right hand and smashed the button with his left hand. All of his remaining strength left have been put into pressing their final button.

'2', the girl lifted her left arm and tried to reach for the button on the monkey's back. He slams the monkey's back.

'1'

*ting* *ting*, they heard the sound they were expecting as if it was music in their ears.

Hyun Jin couldn't help but be teary eyed, as she looked up to the sky seeing the result they all wanted. A three point line mark has been given to each team. The girl cries in relief as Hyun Jin drops her knees on the ground after experiencing the most stressful moment.

They have successfully completed and won the game. They have passed a game where winning was almost impossible.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

[End of Act III - Hidden Buttons, Isolated Island II]

[Next Act - Stained Hands]