Like an ant storing up its meals in preparation for the rainy days, Fred had kept a lot of mushrooms in his bag as he walked in the lonely forest. If someone had told him he would find himself in a funny situation, he wouldn’t have believed them. “Let’s hang out and have some fun,” were the last words of his friends he could remember. How he got into the hunt for freedom is still a myth to him.
Fred remembered the popular Hunger Games movie series but never thought he was going to be a real-life actor any time soon. “The last time we had fun, we drove around the city and enjoyed all the wine and spirit our hands could grab. What are we doing differently this time?” Greg asked. Fred has three friends, and like a stubborn child among his siblings, Greg is the wildest of them all.
Just like Tony, Malik, and any other lively youth, Fred always looks forward to the next adventure Greg will come up with. The interesting part of it is that even when it seems their escapade is about getting them into trouble, something will always happen and they get out unscathed. “I told you, it’s going to be fun.” Greg would always reaffirm. But this fateful day, which turned out sour, left Fred in shock.
After the last words he could remember, all he knew was that he woke up in a forest. “What is going on?” he asked himself. After looking around for a while and seeing no one was able to give him an answer, he decided to take solace in the mushrooms he had gathered; at least he has some hope of something to eat.
Just as he was thinking about how to make the best of the mushrooms in his bag, he saw a small sign post with the inscription “Danger Zone, Keep Out!” As he carefully read the message to confirm he had seen right, he looked past the post that was on his path, like a well-arranged obstacle; the thick bushes couldn’t let him see clearly what lies beyond the post. As he thought about getting an alternative, he heard a sound. “Did a lion just roar?” Fred couldn’t believe his ears.
As tense as the situation seemed, all he could remember was a scenario where he was having fun with his friends about a popular advertisement: a man ran faster than a cheetah and overtook it to save a hare from becoming its meal. “Can you do that, Fred?” Greg had asked.
“If you are the hare, I am sure I’ll come save you,” he added. Fred couldn’t quite figure out who would come save him now, as he doesn’t have his phone, nor does he have any of his friends around him.
As the sound he had earlier heard kept coming closer, like a prey about to be consumed by its predator, Fred was well soaked in sweat, expecting the worst. The thick bush around him seemed to be paving the way for whatever creature was approaching him.
“Dear God, here I come!” Fred was already saying his last words when he heard something like a giggle. “Is that an hyena?” He asked himself. The least of what he expected showed up right in front of him.
Fred saw a hand holding a speaker, and from the speaker came the dreadful sound he had been perceiving all along. Like a quick switch of character, his fears turned into fierce anger. He quickly looked around to see if he could find a stick or stone to teach whoever it was a lesson.
“Don’t even think about it!” As Fred recognized Greg’s voice, he was stunned to find his friend in a situation he never expected he could feature. “You fool! What have you done this time?” As Fred called Greg out, just like ghosts, Tony and Malik joined the scene.
“We never knew you could make it this far. I’m sure you know I am the mastermind here,” Greg said. Before Fred could fling a punch at Greg, Tony and Malik quickly intervened. “I don’t know what you have done, but you need to start talking now!” As Fred roared in anger, he couldn’t believe all the experiences he had had were all planned.
“We decided to add some sleeping pills to your drink. As you have always wanted an adventure, we decided to give you one while we have the fun too.” Greg said. “We are far away from home and we brought you here. But we’ve checked this whole area up to the point where we have the sign post.” Tony Added. “It was really fun watching you from the trees; it's like a real-life movie. You acted well; we’ve captured all your reactions, and this will get us some media clout.” Malik concluded.
Fred couldn’t digest all his friends had told him, but he was happy all he had gone through didn’t end in his death. “Let’s just get out of here.” He said. He later decided to keep away from his friends. He believed the sign post he saw was more of a warning about them.
