"Ugh, this is so boring!"

  "If I knew it was gonna be like this, I wouldn't have been so scared!"

  "Come on, give me something more exciting!"

  Liam lay sprawled on the raft, a look of disdain on his face.

  "I want something more exciting too," Cindy agreed, nodding.

  Just then, Henry and Ryan, the two brothers, suddenly opened their eyes, their expressions changing slightly.

  Henry asked, "Did you feel that, Ryan?"

  Ryan looked serious. "Something's moving up ahead, and the vibes are strong!"

  "What are you two talking about?" Liam asked, turning his head.

  The rushing water crashed against the rocks on both sides, creating a deafening roar. Liam couldn't make out what they were saying, but he sensed the change in their expressions.

  "Get ready, we might be in trouble!" Henry shouted, then calmed himself and focused his energy.

  Ryan did the same.

  "Trouble?"

  "Let me see!"

  Hearing this, Liam and Cindy crouched on the raft, looking down the river.

  The raft had emerged from the winding curves and entered a wide, open stretch of river.

  The water flow had gone from raging to gentle.

  Sunlight reflected off the calm surface of the river, making it look like a mirror with not a ripple in sight.

  "Are you guys crazy? This calm stretch is clearly for us to rest. What trouble?"

  Liam looked at the brothers, puzzled.

  But the brothers seemed possessed, their eyes fixed on something ahead.

  Cindy gently patted Liam's shoulder with a trembling hand. "Look."

  Liam followed their gaze.

  A black dot had appeared on the calm river.

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  "What's that?" Liam squinted, and as the dot grew larger in his vision, a fishy smell hit his nose.

  The dot was now less than fifty feet from the raft, and half of its body was visible.

  It was a massive beast, about ten feet long, with black, soulless eyes on its triangular head.

  Its armored body looked like a tank.

  Every swing of its hammer-like tail, nearly seven feet long, hit the water like a bomb, sending up a shower of water.

  Even an olympic diver couldn't make a splash that big.

  "Cro...crocodile?" Liam stammered, stunned. "Why... why are there crocodiles here?"

  Cindy unconsciously shuffled back on the raft, her heart pounding, her legs feeling weak.

  She'd heard plenty of stories about crocodiles growing up.

  A crocodile's bite is one of the strongest in the world, over two tons of force!

  With that kind of pressure, it can bite through steel.

  If you get targeted by one of these things in the water, you're lucky if they leave enough of you to bury.

  "That's a big one!"

  "This isn't going to be easy!"

  The brothers also felt a headache coming on.

  Raw brute force!

  They couldn’t take a frontal assault from a crocodile!

  "What are you waiting for, row!" Liam yelled, grabbing one of the oars from the side of the raft and paddling with all his might.

  "Hurry!"

  "Row faster!"

  The others joined in, paddling furiously.

  But after using all their strength to turn the raft around, they were horrified to see another black dot appear behind them.

  "Oh crap... another crocodile?" Liam's teeth chattered uncontrollably.

  "No." Cindy closed her eyes in despair. "Not just behind us..."

  The four looked around, and when they saw a mass of black dots swarming toward them from all directions, they felt like they were suffocating.

  "One, two... eighteen..." Sweat dripped down Liam's forehead. "Oh God, did we just stumble into a crocodile nest?"

  "Just stay still, okay? Don't move!" Cindy clasped her hands together, praying.

  But her prayers didn't do anything.

  The first crocodile opened its jaws and charged.

  "Boom!"

  The raft rocked violently.

  The sound of wood cracking sounded like firecrackers.

  Liam shouted, "Please don't break!"

  At the same time, the other crocodiles swarmed them from all sides.

  The sight of dozens of crocodiles attacking the raft was terrifying.

  "This is insane!"

  "Honestly, it's kind of exciting to watch."

  "Watching other people being tortured like this feels so good. Finally I get why the Boss is so happy when we torture new contestants!"

  Mike and Ethan, watching through binoculars, felt a rush of adrenaline.

  The four on the raft began to struggle.

  They stood back to back, each with an oar, fending off the crocodiles.

  Luckily, the current was carrying the raft downstream.

  "As long as we get past this area, we'll be safe!" Ryan shouted.

  "Ryan and I will defend, you two help out!" Henry commanded.

  The battle began.

  The raft was a small boat tossed by waves.

  The people on the raft tried to stand up as they tryed to defend themselves from the crocodiles.

  It had to be because of the raft, otherwise they'd be croc food!

  "Jake, I'm going to hex you!" Liam yelled.

  This was the closest he'd ever been to death.

  In the past few minutes, multiple crocodiles opened their jaws at him.

  The stench was so overwhelming he almost fainted.

  Five minutes later, the raft was finally carried away from the crocodiles.

  The exhausted survivors breathed heavily.

  Liam sobbed, "Mom... you don't know what I just went through!"

  Cindy had tears in her eyes.

  Henry comforted her. "It's over."

  "Yeah, it's over," Liam said.

  Cindy managed a weak smile. "We should be past the hardest part. It should be easier from now on."

  They all agreed.

  Just then, there was a loud explosion in the distance.