I walk around the forest feeling defeated.

I need another life.

I find a camp not too far away, maybe the people there are distracted and I can get a life. I quietly walk near the camp but my heart beats faster and faster every step I take. I see the camp is not too far ahead. An older man sleeps while a young man sits on a rock and he has an annoyed expression.

Yikes, these guys look stronger than the last woman I tried to kill. But if I thought I could kill her and couldn't but I think I can't kill these guys maybe I can. That logic checks out. Right?

The young man looks distracted so I sneak up behind him. I take out my dagger and I'm about to strike.

“Jared! Watch out!” Ok, now the old man wakes up. Right before I kill him. The young man named Jared turns around.

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I step back but my back hits a tree. Jared is right in front of me and swings his dagger. I go down and dodge it. I run into the forest and Jared follows me. Jared is too fast, he catches up quickly. He swings again, the dagger goes across my arm and cuts me. Blood slowly spews out of my arm. I can't let him kill me. I swing at him but he takes my dagger by the hand and grabs the dagger out of my hand. He holds the sharp end with his hand. Blood drips out of his hand.

This man has no fear. My heart is pumping and my arm is in pain.

I have to win.

He holds the two daggers and swings in every direction. I barely dodge his attack. I breathe heavily. I'm not going to win. I step back realizing I'm slacking because Jared swings again.

Pitch black again.

I sit on my knees on the ground. Jared is gone. I look at my arm. One red ring. One life. I look at the cut on my arm that has healed.

I can't believe I lost two lives. I can't gamble with my last life. I head back to camp. With no dagger and one life.

…

I arrive back at camp and I see Iris has started a fire. Her hair is wet as well as her clothes. I put my hand behind my back trying to make sure Iris doesn't know I died twice today.

“Why are you wet?” I ask. I sit down across the fire from her.

“Went fishing.” She points to the pile of fish next to the fire that I hadn't seen.

“Oh. Do you want me to start cooking them?” I take Iris's dagger off the ground and take a fish.

“Um, sure,” Iris says. She sounds like her mind is off in la-la land.