The wind whispered nothing. Jeffrey stared at the distant tombstone, his feet rooted in place. His heartbeat pounded in his ears yet his nose felt too cold to breathe air.
"Anderson…"
He bit his lower lip and glared at the diary in his hand. The pages were glued shut, and try as he might, he couldn't pry them open.
"Wait," he crouched down and hid behind a long bench. His eyes jumped throughout the garden for any movements. There was none.
His adam's apple bobbed up and down. 'The Seeker might be nearby.'
He crept toward the tombstone like a snail crawling through magma. His thighs ached by the time he reached the stone, but he only dared to grit his teeth.
Who knew if he was already under the falcon's watch.
'Did anyone see me?'
He looked to his left. The flower bushes were unswayed.
He looked to his right. The benches remained stoic.
He looked in front. The tombstone was etched with words.
He couldn't help but blink. "W… what?"
His brows met and he raised the diary, only to deepen his frown. Ten minutes had yet to pass. Until then, his mind would remain in turmoil, the diary unhelpful.
His eyes widened, "The protector," he gasped, his eyes sparkling with clarity.
'The Protector can save players from the seeker's mark!' His lips twisted up, only for them to flip upside down.
'Then Anderson's been touched by both the Seeker and the Protector. I need to find him, quick! If we know who the Seeker and the Protector are, everything will be a lot easier!'
He knelt behind the tombstone. His body wasn't hidden, but it would have to do.
'The problem is… the Seeker should be nearby.'
.
.
.
Adrian walked through a stone arch carved in the wooden fences of the Garden of Eden.
'It's a maze?' His lips twitched when he saw what lay ahead. 'I'm not good with mazes.'
Before him were curved stone tunnels that led to the east and west.
The ceiling was high enough that he'd fail to reach it if he jumped. Large stones littered the gravel floor, and chunks of the rocky walls were covered with dark-green moss.
'Pick one side and stick with it,' he looked at the left tunnel and shook his head. It was barely with any light.
He snickered. 'Heh, hell no,' he walked into the right tunnel.
Compared to the left tunnel, it was illuminated with torches attached to the walls. The ground was wet with splashes of water, but the roughness of rocks made it hard to slip.
"Another fork?" When he reached the end of the tunnel, he faced two more choises. One led to the right, and the other led to the left.
'Stick to one side—'
The torches died. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and when he looked back, he saw the walls moving toward each other.
"What the fuck—"
He jumped backwards, his heart held in his throat when the walls slammed shut, inches away from his toes. His bladder felt weak but he managed to hold his water.
'Sh-shit,' The torches flared to life and with trembling knees, he got up to his feet.
'I-I—... I've-I have to keep moving,' he raised a hand and used the walls to support his body. He had no idea when the tunnels would close.
A glint of light caught his eye and he glanced at his analog watch.
"Eh?" The hands were frozen, and the time wasn't right.
[3:33]
"What happened??" He fished for his phone inside his pocket.
He squinted when the screen flashed brightly. After a few blinks, his wallpaper greeted him along with the time.
[1:11 AM]
"...the hell?" He scratched the area between his brows and shoved his phone back in his pocket. With practiced ease, he took the watch off of his wrist and threw it on the ground.
It was old and broke far too many times. He used to visit a watchmaker, but that was impossible now.
When the analog watch kissed the hard stone, the glass cracked. By then, he had turned around a corner.
'Since the tunnels would close, leaving won't be easy. But at least, the Seeker will waste time,' he looked behind him.
The walls remained still, but he didn't dare go back. Earlier, the walls slammed shut in less than five seconds. He wasn't a runner—he would get squashed.
Seconds ticked by. Back where Adrian had been, the walls slowly split apart. Before long, a figure walked through. He stepped on the broken watch and nearly slipped, but he raised his hand and grabbed the walls.
"Hm?" He shifted his foot and knelt to snatch the accessory. "A broken watch… Was Adrian here?"
Among them, he was the only one who'd stubbornly keep a broken watch.
"Nice!" A grin formed on his pale face, though it didn't last when he burst into a fit of coughs.
.
.
.
{13:11}
{13:12}
Beside the enormous tree inside the garden, the time on the digital board changed numbers. Jeffrey swiftly glanced back at his own watch.
'Mine is a bit… late,' he clicked his tongue and adjusted the analog tool.
After he found a decent hiding spot, he sat in place and eyed the digital board to ensure that his watch was accurate.
Once he was done, half a minute had gone by.
'This won't do,' he shifted in his hiding spot.
He left Elizabeth's tomb when it broke apart piece by piece. Now, a thick, rose bush hid his figure, and he adjusted his uniform to blend in with the scenery. One careful glance and he knew he'd be spotted.
But if someone only swept their gaze across the garden, he would bet he was safe.
'Something feels off,' He poked his head out of the bush. 'There must be something else here.'
The garden changed not, though the silence rang louder. He was near the center of the garden, and from there, he spotted two entrances embedded in the wooden fences from afar.
One was the familiar entrance to the "Classrooms," but he had no idea where the other entrance led to.
'I'll check it later, maybe.' He turned his head. His acorn-brown eyes narrowed, and his gaze swept past the pale-white tree trunk.
Until he did a double-take.
'What's that?' He caught the outline of something beside the giant tree.
'No one is around… Maybe I can take a look.' Like a sneaky child, he inched out from behind the rose bush and scurried toward the tree. He whizzed toward the lectern made of white wood and shiny gold, then quickly cralwed past it.
'Why is it there if it's empty?!' He hid behind a tall trash bin. It was see-through, but it was the best he had at the moment. The tree was surrounded by short grass and he wasn't exactly ant-sized.
'Damn it, please don't see me,' he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on his ears.
He wanted to examine the lectern, but he heard faint voices. When he reached the trash bin, the voices got louder.
'Just my luck, but… I think they're safe,' he licked his dry lips. 'I hear Michelle and… Cel. Two eliminations had passed and neither of them seem on guard.'
Cold sweat poured down his back. 'No one knows who the Watcher is. Should I risk it?'