It was the end of a long day. No stress could be quantified by the amount of midterms and long exams, of recitations and quizzes, of reports and papers to be submitted that day. As far as everyone was concerned, it was over.

The break had begun.

Summer, Semestral Break, Christmas, it was all the same. It didn't seem to matter for any student, especially the Seniors, who in their last semester, have toiled and toiled...all for the satisfaction of their respective professors. So it comes to no surprise that these people, the students; the new generation—the future pioneers of 2008, would sleep easy tonight, knowing that they deserved this hard-earned rest.

Cue Liam.

Boy #2: Liam Carbuncle

Liam is somewhere right now, but even he doesn't know where. It was some kind of monolithic structure, seemingly devoid of life. Why and how "seemingly", Liam thought, as he sort of knew there were people in there with him. There were people he hung out with—his friends. There were people that he knew that were just there—acquaintances. There were just other people he may or may have only met once—strangers. Either way he knew they were there and they were just as confused as he was.

Where were they? What were they doing here?

Slowly, he would get up. Looking around a bit, snapshots in his mind began presenting itself to him. Little by little, the images began showing his familiarity with the place. He's been here before. And that wasn't all; he would hear murmurs now where there was once silence. His friends, he just knew, were trying to reconnect—rejoin together. They were trying to find each other, just like him.

Now the scene dramatically changes for the worse.

Now the smell of burnt wood and smoke fill the air. What was once mild chatter, turned into screams of panic and despair. The building was burning, and Liam was running now. As his legs carried him to god knows where, more images of the dreaded structure whizzed past him, and then the picture was complete. Ironic that the destructive burning flames had given light to his situation. It was Benjamin Hall.

The conclusion had spawned many questions, but no time was spared for them for Liam could hear many a cry for help. Try as he might, he could not see anything but shattered visages of fire and rock as he ran himself into a dead end wall. Slowly, the flames advanced on him.

He cursed.

His fear of death was only overlapped by the fact that he couldn't find and save his friends in time. Though he didn't feel responsible, there was an air of uneasiness, as if he could have done something but didn't or couldn't. He could only imagine how his companions were slowly burned to a crisp. Finally, he needlessly panicked as the flames enclosed itself on him.

As Liam opened his eyes for the last time, it felt weird for a moment to still be able to smell the smoke as the fire completely engulfed his entire body.

The smoke...

...

...he could still smell it!

Liam quickly sat up in a daze. He was sweating profusely, and who could blame him. He had just died.

"G—G-Guuuhhh...,"

It was a dream after all, but it seemed too real! Heavily panting, Liam tried to pick himself up only to stumble backwards and land on something soft.

"H—huh? What's a mattress doing here?"

It was a king-sized one, possibly enough for 3 people. But he was alone there, and it was dead silent. Liam began looking around frantically, as he realized a pattern in his thoughts as if something had registered.

He was back in Benjamin Hall, the foyer to be exact.

Beside him, the gate was locked from the outside by a padlock. As he wondered what he was doing lying down on a mattress in his favourite school building, he couldn't help but take a whiff of something he had been breathing since the beginning of his nightmare: smoke. Without hesitating, Liam attempted to trace the smell. It didn't take long though as he turned his head and looked behind him.

There was another person. A dead one.

Liam could only look in horror as he recognized the person straight away...

Day 1

Boy #3: Bryan "Burke" Lennox

The image was surreal. Burke was dead. His body was strewn in a sitting position, by the step beside the stairway. His eyes were closed, and Liam was grateful for that. He was still shocked though, but he couldn't take his eyes off his friend's lifeless body. Burke's neck was black—almost burnt, and yet no other part of his body was touched. Beside him was a white, round-shaped device. Liam realized that's where the smoke was emanating from.

Liam reached for the object, carefully wary of Burke's corpse. It was a white ring with circuitry lined on the inside. It was still warm as obviously it was still smoking. One of the sides had been sliced off, but it didn't look like Burke tore it off his neck. The cut looked intentional, like it was there before. As Liam attempted to figure out what was going on, he started feeling something around his neck as well. He attempted to tug on it, but to no avail. And slowly, he realized that whatever was around his neck was also around Burke's.

As Liam pocketed the broken collar, he felt a thick piece of paper in its place. Taking it out, he saw it was a note. He also began noticing that his friend was holding the exact same kind of paper in his other hand. With nothing else to lose, Liam curiously opened up the note:

One night, you, and several others in your class were going to take a most normal midterm exam right here in Benjamin Hall. Naturally, after studying, you make your way here at exactly 6pm, arriving around the same time as everyone else. The exam itself lasted till 9pm. No extensions.

Liam looked up for a moment, distracted by a gleam in his eye. It didn't occur to him until he was reading that it was already morning. Quickly looking at his watch, he had guessed right. It was five o'clock. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the air was cool. Realizing that, he read on:

When you finished the exam, the bell rung, and all of you stepped out. Instead of going home however, you decided to have a little chat with your friends. It was after all, the last day of the school year. You probably won't be seeing each other in a long time.

It was true. It was the last day. That day...was yesterday! The exam was harsh...it dictated the future of every student that night. And the thought of the absence of a curve proved its cutthroat implications. It was study or die. Pass or fail. There was never a closer simulation to real life than that exam, that's for sure.

But what started as a casual conversation about how hard the exam was (and how much you probably wanted to strangle yourself for it), turned into a long talk about what the ensuing break would entail. Time flew and before you knew it, it was 11pm and about 30 of you remained.

As you and your friends casually headed home, you realized the gate had already been locked from the outside. Apparently, the guard must've thought the other one was open, and had accidentally locked you all inside for the night. What the guard failed to realize though was that the break meant the school wasn't going to be in operation for a long while.

As you agonize about how beautiful your well-deserved break was going to be, you realize that you're going to be stuck here for a very long month. 30 days, to be exact.

Thirty days? Liam shuddered from the very thought of the number. If what this note was telling him was true, then there should be 28 other people in this building.

This is a simulation of that premise. I say simulation, because you'll be provided for. You may remember a little while ago I gave out a piece of paper and asked you all what was the one thing you would bring if you were stuck in a building for a week. I randomized the objects and gave you each something to provide for each other.

"The mattress...," Liam thought. Checking the side of the mattress, there was a tag with the number twenty-two on it.

Item #22: Mattress

Some items made sense, while others were 'for the hell of it' answers. Either way, that's the choices some people said, so those were the items I provided. Any mistakes that might happen will be because of your wrong decisions. I randomized who gets what because I want you to realize that only by using each other can you get through this so easily, which brings me to why you are here right now...

Congratulations!

You're one of the thirty lucky students chosen to participate in the Battle Royale. The goal is simple: survive. You may have noticed something around your neck. It's a collar that tracks your every move, and monitors your life signs. This is to ensure that you don't cheat. You wouldn't want to anyway, as it will bring about dire consequences.

Liam gulped as he imagined what Burke had tried to do. Now he was very reluctant to try and take off his own collar.

Attempting to take off the collar will result in an electrical shock. The voltage increases every time you do something wrong with it. What these Don'ts are will be explained shortly...

There are two ways to finish this game. The first way is you must be the last student standing by day 30. You must eliminate the competition and ultimately choose between yourself and the people you know. You must do anything to survive. If you don't get with the program, you'll be eliminated without reason. Take this warning seriously.

The second way is harder but will ensure that not just you will survive. Within these 30 days, you must find a series of clues lying around this building. Piece them all together, and you will find a way to unlock these collars, and then maybe you can enjoy what little of a break you might have.

My only clue to you is that this is NOT your usual exam. Assume everything, and everyone. Leave no stone unturned and no person unchecked. They will each have something to hide, as will you. Be careful.

For a second Liam noticed something move at the corner of his eye, but he ignored it as he was too intrigued by the awkward game mechanics. What did it mean by 'eliminate' and doing 'anything' to survive? Surely, it didn't mean it in the literal sense but a dead Burke gave his mind ideas...

The winner(s) of this game will receive a flawless recommendation to the university of their choice. It may seem wrong but, just think about the trouble you're going through just for that perfect spot on that resume. This is a Battle Royale after all...

The words 'Battle Royale' dwelled in his mind. What could they actually mean?

Now for the guidelines:

- One person must be eliminated per day.

- On the 30th day, the last person will not be eliminated, and will be declared the winner.

- It is possible for more than one person to be eliminated in a day. If that happens, then the next days will not require elimination (that number is dependent on the extra people eliminated)

- The collars are being tracked to within the vicinity of Benjamin Hall. Any attempts to go out of bounds will result in elimination.

- Attempts to remove the collar causes instant elimination.

- If no one has been eliminated within a required day, one of the still-functioning collars will activate on its own, forcefully eliminating a person. The time at which this happens is random.

- In order to realize if someone is about to be eliminated, the collar will flash red and beep in order to warn you of impending elimination.

Liam froze. He saw what Burke tried to do. He saw that rule in the note. The words "Elimination" kept running through his head. No matter how much the guidelines tried to euphemize it, it was clear as day: the Battle Royale wanted him to kill or be killed.

Well, that's it. You're on your own from here on end. I wish you all good luck and may the best man or woman, or group win.

And that was that. The bottom was purposely ripped but it was clear who the organizer was. It could only be one person: Professor Polk.

In that respect, Liam was glad it was Professor Polk, and not any other person. Anyone else and it just might look out of place. The epitome of a terror management professor, only Polk could cook up something like this. He has the experience, the connections, and a solid sense of humor. He's also a very good teacher, and Liam was divided in his thoughts about what to believe...does his intention include killing his own students?

No, it must be an illusion. Burke's death scene portrayed before Liam must be some sort of set-up, in order to get things into the mood. He never looked at Burke again, and turned around to go to the nearest washroom to wet his face. In his mind he knew Burke was dead, but he kept telling himself otherwise. It just can't be is all. It's too hard to believe...

Regardless of what he thought, it was clear that he must play this game, and since it was the beginning of the break, he may as well enjoy it.

Hurriedly running to the sink, Liam was about to open the faucet when he heard a slight snoring sound. It was coming from one of the cubicles. Taking small steps forward, Liam cautiously approached the leftmost cubicle and opened the door slowly. As the door opened, he saw another one of his fellow classmates asleep on the toilet.

Boy #18: Albert Jagger

Item #11: Pillow

Realizing that his best option was getting as many people as he can, Liam nudged Albert awake until he wriggled out of his sleeping trance. They talked for awhile, with Liam mostly dictating from the note he found. Albert expected finding a similar note in his pocket, but found nothing. It was puzzling how Prof. Polk didn't want some of his students to know what was going on. If only things were this easy finding people. Their next move however was beginning to draw a blank.

Benjamin Hall wasn't exactly the biggest building on campus. The first floor contained most of the classrooms, as well as the audio-visual room, and the materials lab. The floor above it, was more exciting in some ways. The head office was there, as well as the majority of the computer labs. And lastly the third floor, which completely baffles Liam, if not everyone in his class. The third floor was Electronic Engineering territory, having only one normal looking classroom-the largest in fact. That was all that was known. And of course there was the rooftop, where no known student has ever gone up.

As Liam headed outside to where Burke's body was, Albert cautiously kept his distance as he followed suit. Were they supposed to just fight to the death now? It seemed laughable but at the back of their minds there began laying the possibility that the thought might become a real intention.

"Shit!"

Boy #6: Dirk Ramsey

"Where is that thing...," Dirk frantically said.

Obviously realizing that Dirk hadn't spotted them yet, Liam cleared his throat to get the necrophiliac's attention. Dirk spoke as if he knew they'd been standing there all along. He feverishly pushed Burke's body down and attempted to search his backpockets.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked, obviously disgusted by Dirk's vile act. Albert just stood there, in similar amazement. A slight guffaw could be seen, as thoughts of Dirk molesting a dead body began filling his mind. It didn't last long however, as Dirk finally found what he was looking for.

"Hah! I knew it was here!"

Item #9: Nintendo DS

As Dirk pulled out the DS, Burke's body dropped to the floor in a ragdoll motion. Liam turned away the moment he saw Burke's face. The sun had risen for quite some time now as he inadvertently saw Burke's pale complexion. He had apparently been dead for some time. Dirk however, was ignoring all this, and proceeded to operate the handheld gaming system almost immediately.

"What the-Pokemon FireRed? This is soo...,"

Liam braced himself before the words he dreaded came out. It was spoken in the most annoying fashion known to any man.

"LAAAAAME,"

Both Liam and Albert cringed. There's always been something annoying about Dirk's catchphrase. Whether or not it was the fact that it came from Dirk itself or that the phrase was spoken in a certain way was beyond anyone.

"Oh hey guys," Dirk finally said, still not looking up from the DS in his hands.

"Dirk...you do know what's going on right?" Albert asked out of curiousity.

"Battle Royale...collars on our necks...30 days...yeah yeah...it's all so lame...I know," Dirk said, half-heartedly slurring his speech somewhere. He wasn't exactly interested in what Liam or Albert had to say.

"Aren't you worried? BURKE'S DEAD!" Liam said.

"Dude, this whole thing is so lame. You know, it's never going to work. We'll probably just stay here until that guard finally comes and unlocks that gate. SO till then...I'm going to enjoy some Gym Leader battles, kay?"

Liam began thinking about it. It's possible Dirk could be right. Maybe he was just exaggerating...

"Besides man," Dirk continued, determined to prove his point. "Do you honestly think Burke is dead? He's just playing around, check this out...," Without lifting the DS off his sights, he kicked Burke's body over so that his face could be seen. "White powder equals pale skin, yo. This is just too LAME!"

What happened next was just too fast to recall. Dirk may have kicked a bit too hard, as Burke's neck snapped as part of it tore off like old newspapers. His eyes also opened, revealing them to have been completely whitened out.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone screamed-Dirk especially, in a somewhat high-pitched yelp of fear. The screams echoed all over the building as birds within the vicinity begin flying off in random directions. They fluttered through the staircases and classrooms of Benjamin Hall. They flew fast in between Liam and Dirk, in as much as they had to drive them off with their arms.

Eventually, the panicking birds all flew up through the centre of the building, which had an open roof. And as Liam and the others followed the birds with their eyes, they began seeing familiar faces appearing from the ledges of the upper floors. More heads popped up, apparently waking up from the loud screaming.

That's when Liam and the others finally saw them.

Faces of their friends were here.

And one of them was next.

Results:

30th – Burke: Failure to follow protocol. Attempted to cheat via loophole manoeuvre.