"Move!" Courtney Tyler screamed as her feet pounded down the long stretch of hallway. Brittany sprinted beside her, and Rose was right behind them until a dart to the back made sure she wasn't. Brittany craned her neck at her fallen friend, but Courtney yanked her arm down and sent them both crashing to the ground. "Leave her!" Courtney shrieked as a volley of four darts whizzed over their heads.

Courtney shoved herself around a bend in the hall. Brittany followed and a dart spiraled into her shoe right as she disappeared round the corner. "We've got to go down!" Courtney pleaded.

Brittany's eyes doubled in size as as she stared down the shadowy Forbidden Stairs. "Uh, I'm not going to do that!" She motioned at her foot and asked, "And does that count?"

The impassive answer came from behind her. "This does," Cindy said while cocking her Doublestrike and shooting Brittany in the head. She recocked the hammer and swiveled the pistol to Courtney's chest. The raven-haired girl tossed up her arms as Brittany stormed back towards Rose.

"We'll take that," Libby warned while rounding the corner with Jimmy and Sheen in tow. She swiped the white Rough Cut shotgun from Brittany, gave a satisfied glance at the flashlight attached to its tactical rail, and aimed the weapon at Courtney. Jimmy and Sheen mirrored her actions, and Courtney took a nervous step back towards the stairs.

"So what're you waiting for?" Courtney gulped.

"We need answers," Jimmy said while standing besides Cindy. He jabbed his Hammershot towards the stairs and said, "Rumor has it that you're the only one to investigate The Graveyard and live to tell the tale."

Courtney mustered her courage and answered, "I'm more cooperative when I'm not staring down lead."

"Then good thing we're packing foam," Cindy shot back. "Answer the question."

"Why should I? Rumor has it you're not one for letting people walk away from gunpoint."

"Who -" Cindy started to ask, but shook her head and stepped forward. "Because you've lost the game, Courtney. So you can either stroll out of here with a dart in the leg," Cindy lowered her gun to match her words, "or in your eye," she raised the pistol to Courtney's pupil.

As Courtney weighed her options, Sheen screeched out, "She'll do it! She's crazy!"

"Sheen," Jimmy snapped. He lowered his Hammershot and begged Courtney, "They didn't hear the announcement down there. If you want anyone in this school to win the prize, we have to go through the Graveyard." Courtney's resolve faltered, so Jimmy added, "Please."

Courtney sighed and admitted, "I wasn't in that hellhole long. All I can tell you is that I'd watch out for the vents," she cocked her head as Jimmy and Cindy shared a tiny smirk. "And I don't think there's any ghosts in there."

"Told you," Jimmy told the gang.

"I think there's demons," Courtney finished.

"Come on," Jimmy weakly protested.

"One last thing," Courtney offered. "You know how the myth says that an entire kindergarten class was mowed down in there?" The gang nodded, so she went on, "What about the two other kindergarten classes in Lindbergh? No one's seen a single five year-old all night. Have you?"

The JN gang shared a quick look; none nodded. They turned back to Courtney, who said, "That's all I've got."

Cindy kept her word and said, "We appreciate it," while shooting Courtney in the leg. The gang watched the grumbling girl storm away from The Forbidden Stairs and glanced down the escalier.

Cindy reloaded her Doublestrike before tucking it back in her sock. She checked that her Retaliator was loaded, ensured that her backup FalconFire was holstered at her hip, and faced her crew. "You all ready for this? It'll make Betty's crew look like child's play."

Libby looked at the eight darts poking out of her Rought Cut, flipped on its flashlight, and pumped the slide. She pulled out her DoubleDown pistol, made sure both barrels were loaded, and replaced it in the back of her pants. "Ready."

Sheen adjusted the sling on his Centurion, slid a fresh clip into his alphahawk, and cycled the bolt. "I'm set."

Jimmy cocked the hammer on his Hammershot and raised it to eye-level. "Let's go."

Cindy nodded and stared straight ahead, watching the light gradually fade down the long staircase. "Libs," she regretfully ordered, "take point."

Libby did as told and aimed her flashlight down the stairs. Each step creaked beneath the group's feet, and after a dozen paces they breached the basement's main hall. Libby pulled her foot back as it dipped into a puddle; a swing of her light revealed the entire basement was covered in an inch-high flood.

The group accepted that moist socks were the least of their concerns as they jumped off the stairs. They'd only managed a few steps forward when Libby swung her beam to the right. A simple wooden door caught the beam. Cracked pain on the frosted glass window simply stated 101. "That it's," Libby whispered.

"I don't get it," Jimmy protested while pointing down the dark hallway beyond. "Why can't people just walk past The Graveyard and use the stairs?"

"Because ghosts can go through walls!" Sheen screeched.

Jimmy sucked in a crisp calming breath and motioned his Hammershot at the doorknob. "Let's just stay on guard in there."

"Right, against ghosts and demons," Sheen agreed.

"No, against an ambush!" Jimmy snapped. He cast a pleading stare at Libby and asked, "Can you just open it?"

Libby nodded and turned the crusty doorknob. It protested with a loud squeak, but wasn't locked. Libby edged the door open with her foot and shone her shotgun's light inside.

The gang stepped through, and a blast of icy air from the vents above slammed the door shut behind them. Goosebumps raced down every kids' arms as they stared around in awe. Like the two other kindergarten classrooms in the basement, this one was normally a wide open space. These huge units were three times as large as Ms. Fowl's room and normally consisted of a reading circle, a nap area, and areas for arts and crafts.

Now, however, the entire area extending from ten feet beyond the door was filled with neck-high furniture. Bookshelves, chairs, tables; they were all shoved and stacked together to form a massive labyrinth that eclipsed the gang's view of the back of the room. Sheen immediately unslung his Centurion and leaned it by the door's entrance; the long gun would be useless in such tight quarters.

"That's," Jimmy couldn't conceal a loud gulp while motioning at the maze, "unusual."

"That's what odd?" Libby asked. "Not that?!" She pointed at the rolling fog throughout the room that further muddled their view.

"Well obviously that's due to the cold air from the vents combining with the warm water from the burst pipe," Jimmy shot back.

"And, um, those?" Cindy couldn't keep her finger from trembling as she pointed at the hanging dolls dripping in red paint that hung all over the ceiling.

"Arts and crafts," Jimmy offered.

"And that?!" Sheen shrieked while pointing straight ahead at the dozens of candles arranged in a pentagram.

Before Jimmy could protest that the previous inhabitants had merely needed illumination when the power went out, a high-pitched cackle erupted from all around them. The four kids stepped back-to-back, raised their weapons, and aimed all around.

"We all died as one today," a slow sing-song erupted from every wall. "The prize awaits so we will play!"

"Cindy?" Libby tried in vain to keep her flashlight's beam stable.

"The only way that we will win," the reverie continued as dozens of children's voices coalesced into one.

"Steady," Cindy whispered.

"Is for us to kill again!"

"We gotta go!" Libby cried while swinging her gun towards the door. The beam of light became their only illumination as another blast of icy air blew out the pentagram's candles. The kids barely had time to adjust to the darkness before Libby's beam revealed a vent's grill plate dropping to the floor. Libby swung her beam up to the ceiling where four beady eyes greeted her. The group shrieked as two five-year olds dropped to the floor, clutching enormous Nerf Strike Machetes in their tiny fists.

"What the hell?" Cindy shrieked before steadying her courage. "Open fire!" Her group did as told, but the agile kids simply rolled out of the dart's paths.

Maniacal giggling filled the room as the two kids spiraled in opposite directions. They jumped to their feet and dashed towards their targets. Jimmy and Sheen tried to shoot the one on the right, but he simply zig-zagged past their fire. He became lost in the darkness, so Jimmy dropped his revolver and scooped up a fallen candle. His hand plucked his pen laser from his pocket, lit the wax ablaze, and revealed a dead-eyed boy inches from his face. "Sheen!" Jimmy screeched while narrowly dodging the feral's lunge. The snarling kid seemed to spin his head all the way back towards James as he dashed past, but a clean shot from Sheen's Alphahawk drilled him between the eyes.

The other kindergartener slashed wildly while sprinting towards Cindy. Cindy fell on her back and kicked up at the emotionless child, sending her flying into the wooden door. Libby kept her light trained on the girl and leveled a shotgun blast at her head.

"Good?" Cindy shouted as Libby hoisted her to her feet. Jimmy scooped his Hammershot back up and held out the candle with his other hand. They all grunted in affirmation, but their relief was short lived as more sharp thuds pounded on the vents above.

"More," Jimmy barely had time to say before the vent on the wall to his right popped open. A stream of kindergarteners poured forth just as more demonic children rained down from above, cutting off their exit.

Facing too many to fight at once, Cindy roared, "The labyrinth! Stay together!"

This proved easier said then done as the group raced into the maze. Every step forward brought a new turn, and with only two tiny sources of light to see by the friends were quickly separated.

"Guys!" Cindy screamed as Jimmy's candle and Libby's flashlight retreated to opposite sides of the room. All but blind, she felt chaotic terror mingle with the fog and wrap tight against her. "This was a mistake," she whimpered while halting in place and aiming her Retaliator all around.

She closed her eyes and tried to draw in a deep breath. "You can do this," she whispered just as the pitter-patter of footsteps bounced off the tiles behind her. She spun around, knelt down, and unleashed a hail of darts towards the sound. Two kindergartners crashed onto the floor and slid to a dead stop at her feet. With the stray light from Libby's beam, she could just make out the two kids madly grinning at her.

"Cindy!" She heard James frantic cry and saw his light heading towards the back right of room. She headed in that direction but bumped against a desk.

Cindy grit her teeth and kicked the desk with all her might. "Screw this!" She kicked it harder and felt it slide forwards. "Ignore the maze!" Cindy shouted at the top of her lungs while rushing towards James. "Meet at back middle!"

Jimmy crashed into a window, spun around, and fired a dart at the monster illuminated by a beam of moonlight. He spun towards Cindy's voice; it only took a moment to realize what she meant. He tried to push the bookcase blocking his path but couldn't get it to budge. A loud thud landed to his right, and Jimmy fired three rounds at the sound. A louder smack of a body crashing on the floor answered his blasts, and a dropped machete slid towards him.

"Ignore the maze," Jimmy frantically whispered while pulling out his pen laser and carving the bookcase in half. He managed to push his way in between the sliced shelves and kept slashing a path towards Cindy.

Libby slid to a stop as she realized she'd been boxed into a dead end. She spun around and caught two more kindergarteners in her beam. A shotgun blast caught one in the chest, but the other leapt at her face. She ducked beneath its stabbing machete and spun around to see it bounce off the wall and land on the floor. She stomped hard on its wrist clasping the blade and was shocked to hear no roar of agony. The hissing feral merely struggled against her foot, but Libby ended its suffering with a pair of rounds to the face just as Cindy's frenzied instructions filled the air.

"Ignore the maze," Libby figured out what she meant while racking her shotgun. "Got it," she whispered while running towards the nearest piece of furniture and vaulting atop it. She steadied her footing on the wobbly toy stove and dashed across the maze as fast as she could manage.

Libby was the first to reach the center of the labyrinth. She skidded to a stop in the circular open space, swung 180 degrees back where she'd retreated from, and fired two darts from her shotgun. They bounced off a feral boy's eyes as he clambered over a pile of chairs and sent him crashing to the floor.

Cindy came next as she parkoured over the last wall that separated her from Libby. She placed one palm over a rickety round table, slid her hip over its glossy surface, and landed in a dead sprint towards Libby. The brown-eyed girl fired her last shotgun blast at Cindy's pursuer.

"Reloading!" Libby screaming while shoving a shuddering hand into her jean's pocket. For each dart she managed to replace in her shotgun's barrel, two tumbled onto the floor. Cindy swiveled her Retaliator all around just as a beam of red slight sliced a nearby file cabinet in half.

"Jim!" Relief raced from Cindy's throat as she fired two darts over Neutron's shoulder as he madly dashed past the jagged metal. Two feral kids dropped from the rounds as Neutron joined the duo.

Jimmy pocketed his laser, unholstered his hammershot, and swung his candle around to study the wide open space the three friends had breached. "Where's Sheen?"

"There!" Libby's flashlight caught a hint of a black sheet of hair deeper in the maze. Twenty feet away and dead ahead of Libby, Two pink palms swung over a wooden cabinet. Sheen desperately clambered up the furniture. "Sheen, over here!"

Jimmy, Libby, and Cindy watched as the panting teen managed a smile. Then they felt their chests tighten as pure terror overtook Sheen's face. "Vents!" Sheen screeched as the bookcase began to wobble from the half dozen ferals clawing at its base.

The three kids in the labyrinth's middle stared upwards. Above and to the their sides, two large vent covers were billowing out from the weight of children. The grill plates crashed down, and the three friends watched it disappear past the furniture encircling them. A river of children rained down behind the round wall separating the kids from the rest of the maze. Cindy opened fire at the downpour with her retaliator, but the half dozen she managed to take out barely made a dent in the cascade of thrashing limbs.

As Cindy tried to staunch the flow of flesh, Jimmy and Libby swung their weapons at the entryways into their oasis. There was the one true opening; a two-foot wide gap between walls of the labyrinth; as well as the two paths Jimmy and Cindy had carved. "Got the gap," Libby aimed her flashlight beam at the two-foot breach.

"Got my end," Jimmy cocked his Hammershot at the filing cabinet he'd sliced.

Cindy ejected her Retaliator's spent clip and slammed a fresh orange magazine in. She racked the forward grip and aimed at the desk she'd shove'd aside to force her way in. "I'm locked on," she assured the group. "Sheen!" She roared while keeping her eyes drilled on her target, "Cover us from above!"

Twenty feet away, Sheen could see what they couldn't. His friends weren't just going to face the stream of kids that had fallen from the ceiling. More kindergarteners had burst out from the vents in the walls, and the ones snarling at Sheen had dashed towards the maze's middle. Nearly forty kids were getting in position, clutching their machetes and writhing in bloodlust.

"Too many," Sheen tried to shout, but the words barely croaked out of his throat. He stared at James' Hammershot and Libby's Rough Cut. The two guns with their measly rounds couldn't make a dent in the throng of ferals even with Sheen's aid. They'd get overrun, and then the ferals would leap onto Cindy before she had a chance to turn around.

Sheen knew what needed to be done, but couldn't gather the needed strength until he settled on Libby's beautiful face. He watched her braids swing about as she nervously glanced at her friends, and caught a glimpse of the utter terror in his girlfriend's eyes as she locked back on his. In that moment, as their pupils connected, Sheen felt utter serenity mask his fear.

In an instant, Sheen raised his rifle to his eye and launched a round at a feral's chest. "Hey!" he screamed as the child fell to the floor. He cycled the bolt and drilled another kid between the eyes. The pack of demons snapped their dead gaze on Sheen, who threw the weapon to the floor.

Sheen batted away one of the dolls swinging before his eyes and obscuring his sight. He watched the pack of kids arch their backs in response. Sheen grabbed the swaying doll and studied it. Three sloppily scribbled words were etched in trickling red paint across its chest.

Remember Timmy Folter

"This one of your friends?" Sheen roared while plucking the doll from the ceiling. He squeezed the doll tighter and watched the feral screech and scream. "Here's what I think of him!" Sheen ripped the doll in half, and an earsplitting cry filled the room as thirty-five furious kindergarteners roared with all their strength.

"Come get me!" Sheen pounded his chest and sucked in a deep breath as the monsters swarmed towards him.

"Sheen!" Libby screamed from across the maze. "What are you doing?"

"What I have to!" His composure, but not his courage, faltered as he realized he was leaving her behind. The mass of swinging blades and pounding fists bashed against the cabinet. He swayed wildly and dropped to all fours.

"Sheen, stop!" Libby howled as he pulled out the grenade.

Sheen didn't listen as he yanked out the pull ring. The furniture wavered once more, and the metal ring fell into the squirming ocean of rage below. Sheen's gaze followed its path; dozens of ravenous eyes and bared sets of teeth snarled up at him.

Sheen swallowed his fear as the bookcase leaned to and fro. He nodded at his friends, who stared on in horror. He offered one more solemn gaze to Libby and shouted, "I love you!" The filing cabinet finally tipped over, Sheen was flung to the ground, and he disappeared beneath the throng of swinging machetes.

"NO!" Libby screamed just as the bang! of the grenade was followed by dozens of blue gel balls flying in every direction.

Libby collapsed to her knees and desperately raked her nails over the floor. She tried to crawl towards Sheen, but Cindy was by her side and holding her back.

"He can't die!" Libby screamed, but her voice cracked and pounded the ground. "He needs the prize, Cindy!" She swung a tearful gaze towards her sister and squeaked, "He's not smart enough to do summer reading!"

"We'll tutor him," Cindy assured her friend while wrapping her in a tight embrace. Warm tears spilled over her shoulder as Cindy patted her friend's back. She stared at the wall that hid Sheen's body from them and offered a grateful nod. "We'll tutor him," she whispered once more.

After the sobs had wracked Libby's body, after the trio realized that Sheen was truly gone, they finally scooped up their weapons and skulked back towards Room 101's entrance. Before they left The Graveyard behind, Libby tossed aside her shotgun and scooped up the massive Centurion that Sheen had abandoned. She cast one last glance over her shoulder, silently thanked Sheen for his sacrifice, and followed her friends back into the halls.

The kids turned to their left back at the Forbidden Stairs, then to their right at the rest of the long hallway that led towards The River. The corridor was shrouded in near-complete darkness, but a faint orange glow could be seen near the path's end.

Cindy turned to Libby and asked, "Are you ready?"

Libby made sure a dart was chambered in her sniper rifle before nodding. "Yeah," she growled back. "I am."

Cindy turned to Jimmy and, after receiving a quick nod, took point down the hall. They uneventfully crossed the long, dark stretch and ultimately came to a corner in the hall. Light poured from around the bend, and Cindy lifted a closed fist. Libby and Jimmy froze behind her as Cindy dropped to one knee. She angled her Retaliator towards the floor and peeked around the corner.

Before her lay a sight wholly unlike anything she had seen upstairs. Rows of lanterns hung from the ceiling, illuminating the corridor. Halfway down its length, twenty feet away, a rush of roaring water cut the hallway in half.

"Guys," Cindy motioned for them to join her, and all three kids studied the distant scene.

Ten kids were lounging by the river that flowed between two doors on opposite sides of the corridor. One child stood on a ladder, replacing a dead lantern that hung above. Three others lay shirtless on the slightly flooded floor, splashing their feet in the raging river. Two more children knelt on the ground over a chessboard. Another couple were grilling fish over a campfire. They turned and happily waved at the last duo, who cast their fishing lines into the River.

Cindy couldn't spot a single gun amongst them.

Jimmy shook his head and pointed at the anglers. "Now come on, that can't -" he was interrupted by one of the kids pulling back their line and revealing a snagged goldfish. "Huh?" Jimmy squeaked.

Cindy studied the happy scene before her; all the kids cheered as their dinner multiplied. Her grip on her gun loosened and she was shocked to feel it tumble against her foot. "They look," Cindy picked up her weapon and felt an envious smile creep over her lips, "happy."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Maybe there's another way."

"There's not," Libby told the group. She glanced down at Jimmy's watch and saw that only fifty minutes were left. "So let's just get it done."

Cindy knew that her sister was right. "We have to end this."

Jimmy didn't say a word, but readied his Hammershot. All three kids strode out from behind the wall, dropped to one knee, and aimed their weapons.

The first three targets were the anglers and the boy on the ladder. They stared in disbelief as whistling darts bounced off their chest.

Cindy racked her grip, Libby cycled her bolt, and Jimmy cocked his hammer. Three more rounds took out the chess-players and one of the grillers.

By now, chaos was unfolding at the riverbank. "We're overrun!" One of the lantern-bathers screeched while clambering to his feet and dashing away from the scene. The other two loungers helped each other up and were met with darts to their sides for the effort.

Libby aimed down her Centurion's scope as the griller followed the fleeing lounger. She drilled him square of his back and immediately chambered another round. "Last one!" She roared while taking aim at the fleeing child, but he hooked left and disappeared around the end of the hall before she could steady a shot.

"Take him down!" Cindy screamed while sprinting down the corridor. "He can't warn the others!" Libby and Jimmy footsteps echoed behind Cindy as her feet splashed through the river. The trio dashed right past the nine kids they'd slaughtered and ignored the cursed remarks shouted their way.

As Cindy approached the corridor's corner, she tossed her Retaliator to the floor and ripped the FalfonFire from her holster. She slid across the ground past the end of the wall to her left and spotted her target frantically shouting at a trio of fourth-graders behind him.

The frenetic boy screamed, "See!" as he collapsed from a dart to his back. As her target fell, Cindy realized the fourth grader's leader, a blonde with a pixie cut, was sporting a blue Hail-Fire. The massive machine gun revved up and then spat out rounds from one of its five clips.

Cindy only had an instant to watch the machine gunner's comrades unsling their own rifles. Two red-haired twin boys swung their Slingfires around their wrist to prime the levers and aimed the guns straight at her.

Cindy desperately kicked off of the wall she'd slammed into, then disappeared back behind the corner just as Libby and Jimmy joined her. A hail of fire erupted from the machine gunner, blocking their advance around the hall. "Three!" Cindy roared. With no time to reload, she holstered her empty FalconFire and scooped her retaliator back up.

"If we don't keep advancing, they'll get an army on us," Jimmy explained.

"Then we move," Cindy agreed. She studied the stream of fire racing down the hallway at chest height. She had no doubt the twins had learned from her acrobatics and had their rifles aimed at the floor lest she slide out once more. That only left one direction to go in.

"They're gonna be confused," Cindy told her team. "So pick them off after I take out the gunner. And I need the Hammershot."

Cindy extended her rifle towards James, who reluctantly swapped it for his revolver. Libby asked, "Why would they be confused?"

Cindy wasted no time answering. She sucked in a deep breath while taking two steps back, heard the girl around the bend switch magazines, and ran at the wall her darts had bounced off of.

Cindy saw two rounds from the Slingfires bounce off the floor near her shoes as she leaped at the wall two feet away. When her right foot slammed into the cement, she kicked off the wall and flew into a backflip. As her back arched over, she watched the machine gunner's jaw drop as Cindy nailed her between the eyes.

The twins hesitated a split second before raising their rifles. Cindy cocked her hammer as she landed, spun around, and nailed the right boy in the chest as Libby poked out of cover and sniped the left in the neck.

Cindy wasted no time reveling in their victory. "Keep moving!" She ordered while ripping her Retaliator back from James and tossing him his Hammershot. The group crouched down into arrow formation and followed the overhead lanterns down the hall.

Cindy grit her teeth in frustration as a four doors lined the hall on either side. And that was just part of the basement that needed clearing. "Some'll be empty, some will have stragglers…"

Libby chimed in, "And some will have ambushes."

Jimmy glanced down at this watch. "Forty-five minutes left."

If the clock hadn't been ticking down, the trio would have cleared room by room together. But Willoughby's deadline made Cindy order, "Libby and Jimmy? Clear the left rooms. I've got the right."

"You sure?" Libs asked.

"No choice," Cindy quickly answered. "So move out."

Cindy watched Jimmy turn the doorknob to their left and Libby kick it open. They both disappeared inside, and Cindy forced herself to move onto her own mission.

She shoved open the first door, burst through in a low crouch, and swept to her right. No darts flow over her head; only a terrified second-grader stood behind the teacher's desk. The tiny girl was dwarfed by a black butcher's apron. She clutched a saltshaker and was in the middle of preserving filets of goldfish when Cindy shot her in the forehead.

Cindy exited the room and continued on her way, clearing each room on her side of the hall. Two empty suites greeted her, and her nerves were beginning to wane when she opened the fourth door.

She was greeted by a primal growl and club of wood arcing towards her eyes. Years of honed reflexes took over, and Cindy barely ducked under the blow. She spun around, landed deeper in the room, and aimed her rifle at her attacker. The manic black-haired girl Cindy barely recognized as Yentl swung a broken mop handle down onto the Retaliator and smashed it to pieces.

Cindy reached for her Falconfire and shot at Yentl's chest, but the empty gun simply clicked with dry fire. Before Cindy could recover, Yentl's staff slammed into her temple. The blow bounced off her skull, and a flash of light blinded Cindy's vision.

"You killed them all!" Yentl roared as the light disappeared. Yentl's form was suddenly blurry, and Cindy felt sluggish as she dodged another blow. "You ruined The River!"

Cindy stumbled as Yentl jabbed the smooth end of the staff towards her chest. Cindy managed to sidestep the thrust, grab the weapon, and yank Yentl towards her. Cindy thrust her elbow up at the last second and cringed as Yentl's nose was crushed beneath her blow.

Yentle's grip on the staff loosened, so Cindy tossed the weapon across the room while kicking the girl's shin with all her strength. Yentl cried in agony as she collapsed onto the floor. Cindy ripped the Doublestrike from her sock, cocked the hammer, and shot her classmate in the skull.

Cindy stared solemnly at her battered rifle before bending down to scoop up her spent dart. The room suddenly rose and fell like a boat at sea; her fingers struggled to follow her orders and kept dropping the round. As her eyes danced in place, she managed to reload her Doublestrike and venture out in the halls.

She clutched her head and leaned against the wall as frenzied screams rebounded all around. She swiveled her gaze to the right and saw Libby and Jimmy chasing down a fleeing third-grader. Jimmy managed a shot in the leg, and the boy stumbled before Libby followed it up with a mega-dart to the back.

Cindy watched her friends dash towards another turn of the halls. They scampered back behind cover as a volley of automatic fire came flying by. Cindy took a step forward to help, but the whole hallway was spinning. She closed her eyes and forced the billowing nausea down. "It'll pass," she mumbled while taking in slow breath after slow breath. At last, she reopened her lids. With clearer vision, she saw Libby aiming out of cover and firing an enormous dart down the halls. The automatic fire ceased, and then she and James were gone.

Feeling steadier, Cindy raised her double strike and walked towards the final door on her side of the corridor. A stream of water poured from the room and under her shoes. She lifted a wet sneaker, watched the current trickle by, and then pushed open the door.

Lindbergh had long ago innoculated her against preternaturalness, but the scene beyond still gave her pause. The only light in the dark room rolled through the windows and emanated from the moon high above. A broken pipe along the wall sent a torrent of water tumbling down; Cindy took a cautious step over the stream. All the furniture was gone. Man-made objects had been replaced by moss-ridden rocks and hundreds of plants. Rolling mounds of dirt ranging from inches to feet high bounded over the area, and hundreds of beautiful flowers in every color peeked from the soft black earth. A stray orange butterfly fluttered by, and Cindy sucked in a breath of floral air.

As Cindy smiled at the insect, one of her classmates emerged from the tiny storage closet at the end of the room. The bespectacled blonde clutching a potted ebony lily froze in place. "Angie?" Cindy asked while steadying her revolver.

Cindy was shocked to find not a lick of terror in Angie's eyes. They brightened instead as she asked, "Is Carl with you?"

"Carl? Why -" Cindy started to ask, but before she finished her mind jumped back to that letter in the cafeteria. Cindy lowered her pistol halfway to the floor and said, "I found your note." Shame clouded Angie's features as she slowly walked towards the flowing water. Cindy's gun stayed lowered but followed the girl. Angie let go of the orchid in her grasp and sat back into the dirt. "And I'm sorry…he's gone."

If Angie was crippled by the news, she didn't show it. She simply settled into the earth and turned away from Cindy, towards her garden. "Then I guess I'll be gone soon too." With a hint of malice, she added, "Like everyone else at The River."

Cindy stepped towards Angie, careful to avoid the dozens of plants strewn about. "All of you down here missed Willoughby's announcement. If more than one person is left at midnight, nobody wins The Prize." Cindy cast a glance back at the hallway and listened to the screams beyond. "We didn't have a choice."

"I used to think that," Angie stared up into Cindy's exhausted eyes. "I did a lot of things up there," she nodded towards the floors above, "to survive. I did so much that I wasn't even sure it was me that was still carrying on." Angie turned back towards the stream and ran her fingers over the water; she watched the ripples grow and spread.

"But it's me in here, looking at the flowers," she serenely whispered while staring at her garden. She let out a weary sigh. "I wanted one of us to win so that I could spend more time with Carl over the summer. Tell him how I feel; make up for a wasted year." Angie traced a finger through the dirt and whispered, "You probably think that's dumb."

"I don't," Cindy immediately answered. She lowered the Doublestrike to the floor. For a long moment, the two girls were motionless and simply listened to the water trickling down. At last, a fresh set of Pops! careened down the halls. Shouts of terror followed, and Cindy stared back at the open door.

"I need to go," Cindy said. She clutched her throbbing forehead and mumbled, "I have to protect -"

"Jimmy?" Angie offered.

Cindy stayed silent and watched Angie's gaze creep towards her Doublestrike. The pistol was still aimed amidst the dirt and flowers, but Cindy felt it inching upwards.

Angie turned back towards the water, towards the flowers. "Do what you have to do, Cindy."

Cindy halted the pistol's advance and closed her eyes. "If it was earlier in the night, if there was more time…" she let her voice trail off.

"That's nice of you to say," Angie whispered. She swallowed hard and stared at her black tulip. "I'm just going to look at the flowers."

"That's good," Cindy's words caught in her throat and her eyes burned as she raised the Doublestrike and emptied a round into the back of Angie's head. The girl's back tightened, then her peaceful form crumpled into the river.

Cindy spun around and stumbled out of the classroom. She closed the door behind her, leaned against the wooden frame, and collapsed to her knees. The Doublestrike tumbled to the floor as she clasped her throbbing head. Her palms clenched into fists and she pounded them again and again against her fried brain as tears flowed from her eyes. Only encroaching footsteps halted the torrent of blows.

Cindy couldn't find the strength to raise her pistol as three children ran for their lives straight towards her. They approached in a row, each taller than the last. The largest boy farthest from Cindy fell from Jimmy's Hammershot aimed from down the corridor. As their older protector crumpled to the floor, the middle boy wrapped himself around the youngest girl. Libby's Centurion cracked! and a mega dart bounced off the girl's shield.

The tiny unarmed child crawled backwards on all fours. She halted right in front of Cindy and begged for mercy as Jimmy and Libby approached. "Please," she begged, "Our dad's coming to visit this summer! Please!" her broken voice squeaked. James and Libby stopped their advance three feet before her and met Cindy's gaze. "I just want more time with him," she whimpered.

Cindy watched Jimmy and Libby's aims falter. Cindy knew from the way their guns trembled that they didn't have the heart to shoot this girl. Rising to her feet, Cindy tiredly did what she had done all night. Protect James.

Cindy scooped up her Doublestrike, cocked the hammer, and shot the pleading child down. Without a word, she tucked the empty pistol back in her sock. She headed back towards the staircase, past the flowing river.

"Cindy?" Libby eventually asked. "You were in that room for a while. Did you find anyone?"

Cindy looked around the empty riverbanks, at the spent darts linings its shores, and shook her head. "No," she answered while resuming the march towards the stairs. "It was just a ghost."