"Normal speech"

"Thought"

A/N:

Disclaimer

I do not own Gantz…

This story contains suggestive and language unsuitable for children as well as acts of violence. Enjoy…

Hunt or be Hunted

He pointed out a timer on the black ball that was counting down from one hour and thirty minutes. He told everyone to grab a weapon as he headed for the back room. DJ was curious about where he was going but wanted to grab a weapon first. He analyzed them and found some swords. He grabbed a couple of these and waited for everyone else to get at least one gun before he grabbed one for himself. He grabbed one of the hand guns and holstered his swords. He then asked Jason how the guns worked. Jason began disappearing but told everyone how to work them before he no longer could.

"So you just pull both triggers to shoot," Richard mumbled to himself as he pointed his gun.

Nicole quickly grabbed the tip of the rifle and pointed it towards the ground, warning Richard to be careful with the weapons. Carlos noticed the weapons DJ had grabbed and asked him why he chose them.

"Well, I don't know about you but I won't depend on a weapon that might not work when you need it. You don't know how many bullets are in it or when it may run out. I'm just being cautious… That and I've always thought that I'd do pretty well with a sword," he smiled.

After hearing his explanation, DJ watched as his friends reached for the remaining swords. One of those hands just happened to belong to Anastázia. "Do you know how to use one of those?" DJ asked everyone in general but directed it more towards Anastázia.

She shook her head. DJ told her that all she had to do was hold it firmly and swing it about, something completely different than what he planned on doing but it was still good enough. "Ok," she pleasantly responded.

DJ could feel his temperature rise as she said this. He loved her accent and the sweet way she spoke. He remembered something, smiled at her, and went off into the back. Everyone wondered where he was going, but they didn't have long to. People were disappearing right and left until Anastázia was the last left… or so she thought.

"Yeah… it ain't nobody else around now," Anthony said as he stood up. "Why don't you and me have a little fun…" he unzipped his pants.

He slowly approached Anastázia as she reached for one of her weapons. Anthony stopped where he was. She had grabbed the sword but the blade wasn't extended. She had no idea how to use it and was now worried. She dropped the hilt and fumbled with her gun but ultimately dropped it as well. Anthony continued to approach while reaching into his pants.

"Hey…!!" a voice boomed. "What the hell do you think you're doing…?"

DJ ran over to them and backed Anthony into a corner. He grabbed him by his collar and lifted him off the ground. He was ready to punch his face in but it was no longer there. With his body almost completely gone, Anthony decided to give DJ a little cheap shot. He kicked and his foot found it place between DJ's legs. Anthony laughed at this and decided to explore a little once his body was complete again.

DJ had flinched from Anthony's kick but realized that it was foolish since he didn't even feel it. The response was just automatic. Declaring that he would make that jerk pay for his actions, DJ began to feel himself disappear. He turned to Anastázia and told her that he'd wait for her. She agreed to it as he was completely gone. She then picked up her weapons before disappearing herself.

She found DJ waiting for her like he had said, but he was the only one. She questioned where the others were, but DJ had no real clue. The only thing he had found was some bloody clothes. Anastázia was horrified at the sight of blood splattered everywhere. They noticed that there was almost a trail of blood and decided it best to head in the opposite direction. They walked about and came to a gate.

"A zoo…!?" DJ recognized. "What are we doing at a zoo!?"

"Ooh…! I've never been to the zoo here," Anastázia excitedly claimed.

"I'd love to show you around, but we could be in trouble for being here, even if it is old and abandoned."

He started to climb the closed gate but got an eerie feeling. What gave him the creeps the most was the giant giraffe statue. Unsure of what to make of this, DJ and Anastázia decided to look for everyone else instead, if they were still there. They walked around until they heard screams. The two quickly hid behind a large map in the center of a cross-section in hopes of either seeing what was happening from a safe place or concealing themselves until whatever it may be passed by. They peeked from behind the map to see people running their way. DJ couldn't quite make it out, but he could see big, bright glowing eyes. Not wanting to find out what those eyes belonged to, DJ grabbed Anastázia and went down a different path. As they reached another cross-section, they were cut off by a giant serpent. It was at this point that DJ realized exactly what the eyes back there belonged to.

It reminded DJ of those monstrous snake movies. Knowing a little bit about snakes, DJ wasted no time in running while dragging Anastázia along. The serpent took notice and coiled to strike. It lunged at the two. With its body length and striking distance, DJ knew that they wouldn't get away from this beast. DJ waited for the last second and shoved Anastázia out of the way. This way he would be the only one eaten.

That's how it would have been if it actually happened that way. The serpent didn't eat DJ and he just looked like a jerk for pushing a pretty girl to the ground. Instead, it was split down the middle. DJ looked in the distance to see a sword retracting to a figure in the distance. It approached and DJ tried to offer Anastázia a hand but she angrily refused.

"You were going to sacrifice me!" she accused.

"No, I--"

"That isn't what it looked like to me," Jason said as he came closer. "It looked like he was trying to keep you from being eaten," he revealed.

Anastázia's harsh look softened slightly as she turned away to apologize for misunderstanding. DJ accepted it and they rushed to see where the other serpent was. By the time they got there, there were big bloody chunks scattered all over.

"Ah, Sarah… I see that you and Matt had this handled. Good work," Jason complimented. Sarah smiled.

DJ and Anastázia had finally met back up with their friends, along with a few more people and Anthony as well. Since they had regrouped like this, the three veterans decided to come up with a plan.

"Okay… Since there are so many rookies here and there are also so many targets this time, I say that we split up into teams at this point," Matt devised while pulling out a device attached to his suit. DJ checked his suit for the same thing and found it. He tinkered with it a bit and got it to show like radar. He was astonished at how many dots he saw. He began determining how many there were…

"So what do you suggest?" Jason asked.

"Well, the one of us who's better at taking care of himself should be the one to watch over the rookies."

Jason had a sour look on his face. By what Matthew had said, he would be the one babysitting, but knowing him there may have been more behind this logic. With a goodbye as if to tease him, Matthew and Sarah went off on their own.

"Aw shit…" Jason whined. "Okay, let's go. If I'm to be your bodyguard, then I won't let you be sitting ducks. Everyone ready your weapons just in case because neither of us wants to die."

They began walking while keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of anything that might be dangerous. While they did this, DJ noticed Richard shivering. It wasn't cold or anything so he figured that he must be a little afraid.

"I'm sorry Rich," DJ softly apologized. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here." He looked over to Anastázia and told her the same thing.

"What are you talking about…? It wasn't your fault that I stayed in such a dangerous place crying my eyes out. If it wasn't me, it might've been someone else. At least we're in this together, and we'll get out of it together too… What I don't get though is why you were trying to get loose. I didn't notice at first because of all the blood, but you were split in half. Freeing yourself even a little bit would've spelled your doom."

DJ looked over at Anastázia with a sad expression on his face. "As I was dying, I saw that she was in trouble and wanted to help. I didn't know that I was that bad off because I couldn't feel anything."

Anastázia was touched by DJ's sentiment, but this whole tear-jerking moment was then rudely interrupted by Anthony. He draped his arm around Anastázia and pulled her in close to his body. He then whispered something in her ear. DJ watched him carefully. He had this thing about him where he would always think of multiple actions that could occur from one moment. Anthony then licked Anastázia on her ear after whatever it was that he said and she shoved him off.

She sneered at him with a look of disgust. Anthony didn't seem to care. "Come on now, baby… You don't hafta be like that… You know what, I don't really care cause I'd still fuck you and yo' fine-ass mama. I jerk off to her almost every night, and I when I'm with a girl I pretend like it's her I'm givin' it to, with her fine ass! When is she gonna do porn anyway…?" Anastázia gave him a disgusted look and he said, "Aw, come on… don't doubt me. I know why you doubt me. It's because you know that if I hook up wit' you it won't be long befo' I'm yo' new daddy. I just got it like that. I'm the kinda man that can get any girl I want to whether it's some lil' chicken-head or the finest model on the internet and her mama," he loudly boasted.

That's when it hit him. "The internet…?" DJ finally realized where he recognized Anastázia from. "Holy shit! She's that none-nude model I ran across on the internet posing with her mama. Her mama on the other hand…" He noticed Anastázia look away as if embarrassed. "If she finds out that I know her from the internet, she'll think I'm some horny little perv that can't keep his hands off of himself," DJ panicked.

"Yes," she gently spoke. "… it's true that my mother and I are well sought after for modeling because of our endowment, but that doesn't mean that I'm some kind of girl that will just go off and sleep with a guy. It's why instead of trying to charm me, you tried to rape me back in that room," she then started walking ahead. This reminded DJ of what he had seen and what he vowed. Anastázia then stopped to say, "… but if you ever come within an uncomfortable distance of me again, I'll see to it that you are no longer a man," she harshly stated as she extended the blade on her sword.

DJ also wanted to give Anthony some "advice" but decided to hold it for now since they were falling behind. In the distance, they could hear yelling and screaming. They ran to investigate but found Jason backtracking while yelling and firing at something. They couldn't see what it was so DJ checked his radar. On it he saw a troop of dots converging on the dot he assumed to be Jason. They had to help.

Jason continued back some more. He yelled for the others to run for their lives as he continued backing-up. It was then that they could see that he was covered in blood. Anthony wasted no time. As soon as he got the word he was gone. DJ didn't want to however. There was no way anyone could fight off that kind of number alone. He charged ready to fight with everyone else following.

A barrel flew at Jason but he blew it up. The second however hit him and knocked him off his feet and out of view behind the corner of a wall. Suddenly, a bunch of monkeys or gorillas went after him. DJ and the others couldn't believe the number, but he was determined to help if he could. He charged again. The last ape stopped in its tracks and turned toward DJ and the others. As soon as his head turned, everyone, but DJ, took off. It wasn't until he realized that he had no support that he figured this to be a bad idea…

"Oh shit…!" he turned and ran with the ape in hot pursuit.

Though he was the last to turn tail and run, he was already gaining on the others after turning the corner. He bypassed them as the muscles on his leg began bulging. It also wasn't long before he caught up with Anthony. Soon, everyone had caught up with Anthony and passed him, the muscles on their legs bulging slightly. Afraid of being the last one, Anthony tripped Madison who tripped up Anastázia as she fell. The ape was coming up fast to the downed girls.

DJ was so far ahead that the others looked like specs. He had always been pretty fast, but he had no idea. Afraid that someone wouldn't be fast enough, DJ turned, skid across the ground, and took off in the other direction. Like a bolt of lightning he ran by his friends who hadn't even seen him. They had only heard his feet clumping against the ground.

The ape reached the girls and they covered themselves as they cowered in fear. He reached for them and Anastázia closed her eyes. She heard a loud crash and thought the worst for her friend, Madison.

"Run!!" a familiarly deep voice commanded.

Anastázia felt a hand pull her up and opened her eyes. She was happy to see that Madison was alright. She then looked over to see the ape stretched out on its back with DJ in front of it. Once again he told the girls to run and so they did.

Like a streak of lightning, DJ had gotten back and struck in the nick of time. He never stopped as he saw the large ape reaching for Anastázia and Madison. He managed to get between them and hoisted the ape into the air. He got under it and lifted it upon his right shoulder and slammed it down to the concrete ground with all his force and might in spinebuster fashion.

Once the girls turned to run, he could see the ape-like creature looking back at him. He wasn't sure but he thought that he could see fear in its eyes. Being the sympathetic guy that he is, DJ asked the ape if it was intelligent and if it could talk. Its face changed as if it was trying to respond.

"Listen to me, I'm not sure what's going on here, but I don't want to hurt anyone or thing," DJ revealed. "If there's any way, I'd like to avoid violence."

The ape showed its teeth. With a pleasant expression on its face, DJ took this to mean that it understood and agreed. Out of nowhere, DJ felt something collide with his face. He crashed into the nearby wall and was out cold. The now four-armed ape then left the scene to go after the others who were still running.

Anastázia and Madison finally caught up with the others. They were all out of breath at this point. They had never run so much in their entire lives. After a few minutes of waiting, Anastázia began to worry about DJ. Since he could use the radar, hopefully he'd be able to find them. The only thing that could be stalling him was if he was in some kind of trouble. She wanted to go find him but stopped short as a four-armed ape rounded the corner. With one swing of one of its arms, it knocked Anastázia all the way back to the group. It mocked them with a smile on its face as it came closer. They all scooted back with each step the ape made. They continued until their backs were literally against a wall. Cornered, everyone froze in fear. Again with a smile, except this time a little more wicked, the ape raised all four arms into the air with thoughts of smashing them all in one go. They all flinched as he motioned to drop them. Suddenly, they were all covered in blood and guts. They opened their eyes and the ape was now in pieces all over the place. A few feet away stood DJ with his gun still pointed in their direction.

"Just because I didn't want to kill you didn't mean that I wouldn't, you damn, dirty ape."

"Dávid…!" Anastázia exclaimed in the accent DJ loved so much.

He was happy at their cheerful expressions. Then he watched as they changed from delighted to terrified. DJ heard a shuffling sound behind him and turned ready to fire. Before he could get the gun into position, however, it was knocked from his hand. As it was, the four-armed ape hammered on him until he fell to the ground. It raised all four arms into the air as if to drop the hammer when it exploded with its brain matter and blood splattering everywhere. DJ saw this and looked to who had saved him. He was happy to see Anastázia with her gun and a serious look on her face.

"You damn, dirty ape," she mimicked as best she could.

DJ chuckled, "Ha… Ana, girl… I love you so much right now."

At hearing him refer to her with a nickname and the other words he had said, she blushed. Safe for the moment, everyone gathered together, except Richard who had seen more gruesome deaths up-close in one lifetime than he'd liked to. While he was busy vomiting, the others were coming up with a plan to handle the situation. Many wanted to just hide out until time ran out. DJ, on the other hand, wanted to fight. They had no idea what would happen if time ran out. If this really was like a game, which DJ and his friends had played plenty of, then it would mean that they lost if time ran out and they hadn't finished the level. In some cases it would spell the loss of life. They, or at least DJ, had to fight. He started to run off on his own but Ana stopped him.

"If you are going to fight, then I will too. I will do my best… Besides, how would you survive if I weren't around," she playfully teased.

A smirk appeared on DJ's face as she and everyone else decided to join him. Everyone that is except for Anthony…

"Y'all stupid as hell… Go ahead and get yo' stupid asses killed, I won't," he protested. "I'll run out the clock and be the only one goin' home."

This set DJ off. All day he's had a few bones to pick with this guy. There was the gunfight at school started by him and his little group that landed them and probably everyone else in this situation, the disrespect he and his friend showed as they did nothing but laugh and make fun of people and their deaths, there was the fact that he had tried to unsuccessfully kill him on two different occasion back in the room, how he tried to rape Anastázia, there was the cheap shot, the cowardly way he tried to sacrifice Madison and Anastázia to save himself, and now this lack of balls…

Fuming, DJ marched up to him and told him, "I could say that I didn't give a fuck about your life and what you do, but I'd be lying. I hate to say this but it'd be stupid on your part to think that you could survive the rest of this game by yourself when you don't even have a suit--"

"Man them stupid-ass suits don't do shit. They just make you look gayer than you already do--"

"How can you say that when you aren't wearing one, so you don't know, and you've seen all the stuff people wearing it can do…!? They pretty much give you superhuman abilities. They bounce off bullets like Superman. I've always been kind of fast, but I was the fucking Flash just a while ago. Get it through your head, don't be a jackass! Come with us and we'll protect you."

"You got me fucked," Anthony retorted. "Don't act like you hard just because you killed somethin'. That don't mean shit if you can only do it because of some gay-ass suit and guns anyway! I don't need none of y'all hoes cause I'm a motherfuckin' survivor."

DJ was going to reply back but noticed something. Before he could react to it, this giant pink blur got to them. It punched DJ in the chest, sending him sailing through the air, and wrapped around Anthony. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

DJ crashed into the group and they broke his fall. They got up and Jayden asked, "What the fuck was that?!"

DJ didn't know and he didn't even have time to analyze it in his head. Once again DJ noticed a pink blur darting towards them. He shoved everyone back as it tried to wrap around him. Somehow, DJ managed to slip away by jumping into the air. He and his group hid behind the nearest wall to think things through. DJ checked the radar and saw a big dot slowly making its way towards them.

DJ pulled his sword. "You can't fight that thing, it's too fast," Nicole argued.

"Of course he can," Ana encouraged. "He said that he was as fast as the 'fucking Flash'." She then changed her tone and asked, "Would the 'fucking Flash' be fast enough to fight that thing?"

It was cute the way she said it at first even though she was clueless about what she was talking about, but he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed that she had no idea as to what and who he had referenced. He dropped it for now and informed the others of his plan, "Before that thing gets too close, I'm gonna jump out and distract it. Hopefully I won't be killed but that all depends on you guys. Once I jump out, I expect that thing to go for me. At that time, I want all of you to jump out and shoot it as many times as you can before ducking back behind the wall."

The others were reluctant because they weren't sure if it would work well enough. DJ checked the radar again. It was now or never. DJ jumped from behind the wall and ran into the center of the pathway. Like he expected, the pink blur came right at him. As it did, he gave the signal for the others to start firing. Unknown to him, his plan wouldn't go off without a hitch. As the firing squad prepared to lend DJ a much needed hand, another pink blur darted out of nowhere and wrapped around Richard's legs. Before he could disappear, Jayden and Carlos saw this and grabbed a hold of him just in time. At the same time, Ana and Madison had jumped out and were firing at the blur. Nicole was torn on who to help. She looked around the wall to see DJ handling himself well enough and this made her decision.

DJ noticed that there were only two people helping him and became worried about the others. He jumped back enough to see that his best friend was in trouble. They were now in a tug-of-war with the pink thing. It was at this point that DJ realized what the pink thing was and pieced it all together.

"Don't shoot at the blur, shoot down the pathway!" he directed while he dodged.

Ana and Madison followed his direction and began shooting down the path. Seconds after the first shot, blood spurted out of nowhere. As more blood stained the area, they heard a deafening screech. A little more and they began to make out something. There was something there but it was invisible.

Richard and his group were losing. He had dropped his gun when he was grabbed and the others had their hands full with him. He just had to face it, he was meant to die. All of a sudden, blood sputtered and an eerie screech was heard. The tongue around Richard eased and he was now free. Right in front of him landed Jason who then turned his attention to their invisible "friend".

DJ jumped into the air and looked at his position compared to the enemy dots. He turned upside-down. His blade extended and he swung it as he flipped through the air. With no lag in timing, blood shot into the air and rained back down as he cut into the invisible attackers. The two creatures gave a final dying screech before the sounds of their heavy bodies collapsing could be heard. No longer invisible, there spiky, scaly forms could be clearly seen.

"Hey kid, you killed mine too," Jason playfully groaned.

"What are they?" Nicole questioned and DJ answered, "Chameleons. You get it…? The whole invisibility thing and how it's associated with them… That seems to be the theme of this mission or whatever."

Everyone finally got it. DJ looked at his radar to see how many targets were left and Jason checked the time remaining. "There's still 25 minutes left," he looked up in shock, as did everyone else.

DJ looked up to see their faces but didn't have time to decode them. In a flash, DJ was swatted through the nearby wall, and any other that just so happened to be on the other side.

"I'm king of the jungle. I'm king of the world!"