290 Stop You From Winning
“You’re lucky you’re talented enough, else I would have kicked you out of here already,” That were Adele’s words to him right before he was dismissed.
Right now, they were all lined up before Adele who was about to give them their next mission. It was evening already hence they had to hurry up with this mission before night fell on them.
“Each of you has been given a Map, a tracker, and a walkie-talkie. The map is to direct you to the target and the tracker is for us to get you if you do get lost nonetheless.” She said and the men burst into laughter. Only an idiot would get lost with the map available at hand.
“The walkie-talkie is for you to contact for help in case you come upon a difficulty. The woods are secured but there can be ‘accidents’ ” She hinted to them that they shouldn’t lower their defenses. Anything could happen.
“Hence, if you come across a life-threatening situation, put down your pride and call for help.” She instructed them.
“In this mission, there are five flags hung at different areas in the forest and they’ve been marked on the map. There are ten of you, which means five of you would be winners and the rest of you losers.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe added with an evil grin, “And did I forget to say that those winners get off boot camp early?”
At once, there were audible murmurs from the recruits, and those who formed a team knew at that moment that it wasn’t going to work. The flags were at different locations and they were limited.
Adele went on to say, “This is a no holds barred mission without limits, rules, or restraints. The only rule here is to not take a life. Aside from that, I don’t care what trickery you pull off the book, all I would acknowledge is you returning to the finish line with your prize in hand, got it?! ”
.....
“Got it?!” They chorused with determination in their eyes. No one wanted to be at the bottom of the food chain and did they forget to add, remain a day more in this boot camp. It was torture.
As the rescuits stared at one another, they no longer saw themselves as friends or teammates. Right now, they are rivals. There was no brother in the juggle.
“And oh...” Adele said with a wicked smile, “The time limit for this mission is an hour and it starts now!”
“Shit!”
Some of them shouted but Elijah had already taken off. He was the most promising of the rescuits here meaning that they would probably gang up and try to take him out the moment they enter the woods so he doesn’t become a hindrance to them. Just because they got along now doesn’t mean they liked him.
Some still hated his arse and only had to get along because the Luciano rules demanded it. But Elijah already saw through their plan and was gone like the Flash before they could think of executing it. He was not here to become prey to a bunch of nobodies.
Elijah ran like the devil was on his heels. His priority was not the first flag because most people would be after it since it was the closest to the finish line. It would be a bloody fight.
His aim was the last flag which was the furthest and safest. But there was a little problem, the time factor. If he were to get that flag, time would be against him, not to mention that there would be others on the way who would try to snatch his hard work from him.
But he had faith in his ability to defeat any opponent in his path. His only powerful enemy now was time and that was why he ran faster, using his special method known to him and his family alone, to conserve his strength at the same time. He can’t get weak.
Thankfully Aziz had a retentive memory, hence, just a look at the map and he captured the flag’s location instantly. So he didn’t waste the limited time by stopping from time to time and checking his spot. He had a good advantage over the others considering he was born into a Mafia family where missions like this were common.
While others saw this as a form of torture, missions like this one were a breeze to him. In no time, he found the flag and climbed the tree where he retrieved it.
Once he got down with it, Elijah didn’t waste any moment and took off. If he waited, it would be detrimental to him. Right now, he had an abundance of adrenaline pumping through his vein and that pushed him further alongside his own will. He had to thrive on it.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThis was all for Arianna, he told himself as he sprinted. Elijah conjured an image of Arianna laughing back at him and their moments together when things were better and less complicated. Sadly, that cost him a lot because he got distracted.
Elijah couldn’t tell what happened next because all he knew was that something whacked him hard in the face and he fell back to the ground, the breath knocked out of his lungs. He felt the flag being snatched from his hand.
Those bastards! He would kill them once he got to his feet. Ouch, that hurts though, he groaned inwardly on the ground.
“Come on, take it and go now!” He heard one of them say to the other.
Oh, the two sons of biscuits were in cahoots.
The stomping sound Elijah heard afterward told him the little menace had just taken off with his flag. His damn labor! This wasn’t going to end well with the both of them!
When Elijah finally got to his feet, he saw the other partner had no flag. Oh, so this one decided to be the martyr in this competition. They must be quite close for both to have come to this decision. No problem, he’d enjoy breaking his bones.
However, the asshole brought out a blade, and Elijah’s brows raised, “Wasn’t the instruction not to take a life?”
The guy sneered, “I won’t take your life, but I will stop you from winning!”