It's the FINAL LEVEL of Pinnacle Games.
How do ya feel?
Well this chapter turned out to be long so I broke it into two.
But don't worry I'm posting both of them together ;)
CHRISTIAN IS COMING BACK!
Say your goodbyes to Christopher though. (For now!)
NOTE : I WANT AT LEAST 25 REVIEWS FOR THE TWO CHAPTERS I'M POSTING.
Till then you'll have to wait for Christian.
CHAPTER 20
Final Level
IT WAS THE NIGHT before the fifth level. The final level.
We had walked for days in silence.
Brandon had yet to utter a word.
We were all shocked at his reaction on Emily's disappearance.
No one had ever suspected anything going on between them.
Her loss hung deep over our decreased group.
Garrett was another story.
Everyone had seen him dying. Seen him choking in the pool of blood.
His death was grieved by all of the seven contestants left.
Five from our group and two others.
There were less frequent breaks for rest now.
We all had come so close to ending this, witnessed so many deaths, lost ourselves so many times trying to survive that we just wanted it to end.
In morning, we had finally tumbled upon the sign board indicating the fifth level up high at the peak of probably the highest mountain in the Brooke.
Our trekking had ended by the late evening as soon as we reached the final checkpoint.
But we were all exhausted and in no set of mind to be ready for another level. The last one.
My insides shook up trying to think what this level could possibly hold for us.
Running, flying, falling, burning, drowning. We had done it all.
Polar bears, rats, spiders, snakes, electric eels. Now which animal threaten us to be their prey?
About half a mile ahead from the check point, a source of light was visible.
Lucy took out her binoculars and saw through it.
"It's a house. A small building like structure. The top floor lies at the pinnacle." She had said.
"That must be our final destination."
"Please don't name that movie. This whole thing is spooky enough anyway." The remaining girl said.
She looked scared and out of her mind. Her pupils were dilated and she let out strange noises every now and then.
Couldn't blame her. I was myself on the verge of a breakdown.
If it hadn't been for Christopher, I might have been worse than this girl.
"I'll go and check with Jose what's in that house." Christopher suggested.
"No!" I objected abruptly.
"Just to be alert what's in there when the levels start, Mia. It's going to be fine. I won't steel the lotus trophy."
I scowled at him. That wasn't why I objected at all.
"What if whatever danger is in there harms you?"
"The level hasn't started yet. It won't till the last of us crosses the check point. So you make sure that doesn't happen and we'll go check it out."
"You think it would be on a standby mode and won't harm you until the level starts?"
As if the snakes wouldn't have come before the ringing of the bell, or the eels wouldn't have shocked us.
He smirked and gave me a quick peck on my lips. "Guess we'll have to find that out."
Before I could ask what he meant, he was already off to crossing the check point with Jose on his heels.
"Christopher" I called after him.
I wanted to run and stop him but that meant crossing the check point and I was pretty sure others would follow me as well.
Their suspicious worried glanced already indicated that they weren't sure for Christopher and Jose to not take some advantage.
But I knew he wouldn't leave me alone if he had planned something like that.
Besides, he would never even think of betraying other contestants.
"You're wrong." Lucy blurted out.
"What?"
Her intelligent eyes seek me as she answered.
"You're wrong to think he would wait for us, that he would help us."
Were my thoughts that loud?
"What the hell do you mean? He has always helped us. Probably endangered his life in that process too."
"It was never us Mia. It was always you. He always helped you, saved you. The times that he helped us? It was only when you insisted. Had it not been your will to not leave others behind, he would've probably killed us all to save you and himself."
"You're wrong. He was so guilty of what happened to Kyle. It wasn't even his fault."
"But he had fought him. He let Kyle die."
"Kyle was the one attacking us. What would have you done in his place?"
"I don't know. Maybe share the lotus with him. Or at least not let him die like that?"
Surprisingly Brandon joined her too.
"Think it over Mia. Others fell off that cliff too but he saved you only. In the woods, at the cave, from the blood pools. Why only you?"
"Because he loves me."
Brandon flashed a painful smile. I choked up from within for Emily.
God I missed her brat like attitude. It made things easier by a drop.
"Exactly, he loves you. He is in love with you, not all of us. I don't really blame him. Was it up to me I probably would've done the same."
His voice cracked with heartache at the last words.
He looked so distraught. But that didn't extinguish my anger at them for accusing Christopher like that.
"Well he hasn't done anything yet and I am here. So if you think he won't come back for you, I know he'll come back for me."
"That's what I am counting on." Lucy said.
And Christopher did return in twenty minutes, stating they didn't find anything unusual.
Though Jose looked a bit funny.
"What's up with you?"
Right on cue, he stifled a yawn. "Just tired."
We all were.
So we decided to camp few feet away from the check point, trusting each other not to sneak off in the middle of the night.
"Won't matter. There's no lotus in there. But there's a vacant glass box with 'Winner's Golden Lotus' ingrained on it. I think the lotus would somehow pop up in it when the bell for the final level rings." Christopher had explained.
We all set our sleeping bags far, far away from each other. Needing this one last night to ourselves.
Needless to say, Christopher and I were an exception to this.
We curled into each other, waiting for the sleep to come over but the dread for the next day kept us awake.
Soon both of us grew tired of the silence so we came up with this game where we compared people with food items.
Weird, I know.
But also too much fun.
Lucy would be a fruit salad with all different moods.
Brandon would be Peanut Butter Sandwich - everyone's safe choice.
Jose was a coconut - hard to crack but when he eventually did, it was all sweet water inside.
Finally I had asked him about me.
His answer was bitter melon.
"That's so gross. I feel insulted."
"It's not gross at all. You're not looking at it the right way."
"Please enlighten me." I said sarcastically.
"See bitter melon is really good for health. It cures many diseases like Diabetes and Constipation, naturally. It's good for heart too. There are so many skin benefits of eating bitter melon. Nutritional value of that food is pretty high too." He explained.
"So you see. Healthy, good for heart, healing, valuable and makes everything beautiful. That's you Mia."
Warmth spread inside my chest.
Still, he called me a bloody bitter melon. I pouted. "But it tastes so... bitter."
He chuckled. "Now that's where I'd have to disagree. You don't taste bitter at all."
He lowered his voice, his expressions turning all seductive. "In fact, you taste mighty fine. Like a forbidden fruit."
I blushed. Blood heated not only inside my cheeks but in between my thighs too.
"So what food am I?"
"Mmmmm" I thought over it before finally speaking. "Hot Dog."
His crooked one of his brows at me with a knowing look. I realized what my food item probably indicated.
"Oh no. Not in that way you pervert."
He grinned. "I didn't say a thing."
"Your face said it all."
He grinned wider.
"So why Hot Dog?"
"It's my favorite food. I'm craaazy about it. It's addicting, the taste is very heavenly and it provides safety to me. It's my comfort food. My guilty pleasure. My unhealthy sin. Just like you."
We didn't talk much after that. He showed me all the ways in which he was my guilty pleasure, my heavenly taste, my unhealthy sin.
"You're so bloody beautiful Mia." Christopher said as he passionately pumped himself into me. His breaths all jagged.
I was too drowned into my blissful state to respond him.
My legs tightened around his sexy taut ass, desperately chasing the high.
His hand landed onto the area that adjoined us and began rubbing my clit with determined circles.
"Oh my god, Christopher!"
He kissed and sucked at my neck, making sure to leave love bites.
"I love you Mia. I love you so fucking much."
"Christopher..." That was all I could manage to say.
"Come baby. Come with me."
He pinched at my clit and I slipped into the bliss with his mouth on mine, drinking all my screams as he exploded with me.
"I love you too. So much." I blurted out as soon as I was sedated and brought back into the world of living.
Correction, world of dying.
He covered the gap between us to kiss me softly.
It was the softest kiss he had ever given me.
Usually his kisses were all rough and needy and passionate and panties-wetting.
But this one was sweet, soft and loving. More like the first drop of rain in a freshly bloomed flower.
It was like he was trying to convince me of his love.
But why would he need to do that? I knew he loved me without a doubt.
"Remember this when I say I'm truly, deeply and madly in love with you. No matter what happens, no matter what goes down tomorrow, you'll never be on your own."
It never occurred to me that Christopher was scared for what would happen next. We could lose each other, one of us or both of us could die.
Honestly, I had too many near-death experiences to be scared for myself. But I was for Christopher.
No one knew what will happen if - no, when- we won.
We could also separate from each other. Who knew what BMHS had in for us?
All the worries, the fear that I had compartmentalized deep inside my mind came rushing back at me.
My limbs trembled with fear. Christopher took it as me shivering from cold.
He tightened his hold around me, kissing my head. "Go to sleep."
I obeyed him and went to sleep. Only to meet a fate worse than nightmares.
A SCREAM MADE ME stir up.
I launched into sitting position instantly, being vigilante of my surroundings.
My eyes landed on the source of noise.
It was Jose.
Holding out his head as he screamed in pain.
Both his hands covering a long gash on his leg. Blood poured out of it uncontrollably.
"Oh my god. Christopher." I shook him up. His sleepy gaze searched mine then followed the direction of my eyes.
We both went to Jose. I opened the first-aid kit and handed the materials to Christopher as he cleaned and tended to the wound.
The others had woken up by now.
"Who did this?"
Jose shook his head. "No idea. I was sleeping when I felt burning pain in my leg. Woke up to saw it bleeding, everyone was asleep."
That's strange. And suspicious too.
Christopher examined the wound. "It's too deep. You need stitches."
"What? Without any anesthesia?"
"We can give you some Advil but that's all we have. Who's good at sewing, here?"
Christopher didn't get an answer to his question because at that moment we heard something else.
Something that sounded unfamiliar to our ears. Like a snow storm but on much louder frequency.
I looked downwards at the slight slope we had ascended.
But nothing was clear anymore. Everything was covered in the thunder of snow waves coming at us.
I knew what it was. I had studied about it in eighth grade geography.
Lucy screamed behind me. "Landslide!"
Yes. Landslide. Only it wasn't sloping down the mountain.
It was climbing up.
Coming straight at us.
Had the level began already? But we hadn't crossed the checkpoint yet. Not all of us.
"Everyone. We need to get out of here. To the house. Now!" Christopher whisper-yelled and we all jumped to his command.
Taking our bags, not bothering to pack it, we all made a run for Level Five. Our end.
Until I halted in my steps stopping for Jose.
I looked back to see he was struggling to crawl.
"Jose!" I retreated in his direction with Christopher right on my heels.
Just like the first level, both of us held him from either side. His arms on each of our shoulders as we began to move.
Jose's leg screamed in protest but he sucked it up and hobbled with us.
That lasted just a few more steps before the pain became too much and he fell down into the snow.
"Jose, get up. We have to move."
The slides were aiming on us.
Any minute now the floor beneath us could smash, leaving us to die in the tsunami of snow.
"I can't. You go in without me."
"Are you mad? We're not leaving you."
Knowing it was pointless to argue with me. He turned to Christopher.
A silent look passed between them, then Christopher held me up at his side.
"Come on Mia. We gotta run."
"No! Are you insane? We can't leave him like that."
Jose interrupted.
"I'll be fine. Trust me. Just please go. Run before others take on to the lotus before you. You need to win. Go now."
Christopher tugged me forward, his hand wrapped tightly around me as he turned and began to run at his full speed.
I had no choice but to follow his lead or fall down.
Soon the survival instincts took over and I began to run by myself.
When he was certain I wouldn't turn back, he dropped my wrist. Allowing me to gain pace on him as I run at my best.
We crossed the checkpoint running.
The bell rang through the winds of the mountains, indicating the beginning of Final Level.
We caught up easily with other contestants.
That was when the first lightening struck.
Just a feet away from me.
And so the series of lightning began.
The thunder hinting their arrivals as they attacked us.
We dodged through most of them, getting grazed with the strikes on our elbows or foot.
The heavy flow of electricity that ran through me when my flying hair end came in contact with one of the lightning strike was mind numbing.
My stance immediately weekend as I began to fall down, about to meet another deadly strike.
Thankfully Lucy caught me before that happened, as she was running right behind me.
"MIA!" Christopher shouted from somewhere around.
I could hear the concern in his voice but didn't turn around.
My concentration was zeroed on not getting hit by a strike again.
My running had been slowed down from the affects of the shock but it was still fast enough.
The house was just six feet ahead. I could make it.
"I'm fine." I managed to call back at him. My throat felt all clogged up and heavy.
But I was determined not to be struck by lightning as I covered another feet of the distance between myself and the house.
Five feet now.
Four more.
Three feet.
Suddenly a loud powerful lightning bolt made its entry right in between our running bunch.
Striking directly on Brandon.
He flew backwards into the aid and landed hardly on his back, lying still.
We all ran to him, dodging the strikes.
Without a word, Lucy picked his bag as me and Christopher worked on carrying him inside.
It was a big struggle but luckily none of us got struck again.
By the time we had safely made it inside, he was making throaty sounds in pain.
"You fine Brandy?" Christopher asked him.
Bravely, Brandon opened his eyes. His vision all glassy but he nodded firmly at Christopher.
We began to tend him when our process was disrupted by an agonizing piercing scream of one of the remaining contestants.
The girl.
She rolled down from the stairs she must have been climbing and fell into a heap face-flat.
I ran to her and turned her body, so that she could face me.
My gaze landed on the slicing cut made at her throat as she began choking for air.
The light dimmed in her eyes. She held out her wispy shaking hand and pointed upstairs before it felt limp at her.
Her eyes fluttered shut and she stilled.
Someone had killed her. But who?
Who could kill in such a vicious cold blooded way?
I took my bag out and wore it in my front. Christopher had tipped me once that it was a pretty good shield.
With a pizza cutter in one hand and knife in the other, I climbed the stairs.
"Mia, wait for us. Don't go up alone there." Christopher shouted them turned to Brandon.
"Stay here buddy. We'll be back for you."
With that Christopher and Lucy came beside me.
Christopher positioned himself a step ahead of us as we climbed up. Protecting us.
We climbed straight to the top without any stop.
On our way, we had agreed to bring the glass box down if the lotus was in it and touch it together with Brandon.
Probably Jose too.
And end this all.
The threat that had killed the girl was yet to appear in front of us.
There were a lot of stairs. The empty building had fifteen floors according to Christopher.
Last five were covered with me leading them as Christopher grew a bit breathy, climbing it for the second time that night.
It was on the fourteenth floor that another hurdle finally showed up.
I was six or seven steps ahead of Lucy and Christopher, probably getting excited. That was all going to end.
I should've known it won't be so easy.
When I reached the fourteenth floor and was about to turn to the flight of stairs for the fifteenth, a flying foot contacted with my chest.
Leaving me breathless and falling backwards on the stairs as I lost my balance.
Had it not been for Christopher catching me, I would've fallen and broken my neck.
Christopher steadied me as I took deep breaths. My watery eyes searching for what had hit me.
Or rather who had hit me.
It was him.
The last remaining contestant.
But he looked different now.
His eyes were out for blood but also looked dead. The look on his face was blank like the of a robot.
I had seen that expression before. That look still haunted me at nights sometimes.
It was how Jose and his friends had looked at me when they were about to rape me.
This boy had deadly weapons in his hand. A long murderous sword in one and an axe in another.
He snarled at us.
"Cody, you don't have to do this." Lucy spoke out in a thin voice. "We're all in same team. We can win this together."
"I'm not in the same team. I'm in their team. I belong to the Brooke." Cody replied in a dead monotone.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I belong to them. I was never a part of this game. I am part of a level. This fifth and final level."
He spoke like an advanced but still programmed robot.
I was wrong. He was worse than Jose and his friends.
They all simply had one task given to them, one aim to be completed. They didn't talk it made a meal out of it.
But Cody did. Which only meant he was more damaged than Jose was.
His yellow band of Senior year only confirmed my doubts.
Seniors where the worst.
"Listen Cody." I tried in a calm voice.
"You don't have to do this. You don't have to listen to them. We could help you. We can save you from this. You don't have to be their slave anymore."
His eyes flashed. "I'm not their slave. I'm their devotee, you stupid girl."
Wait. What?
Devotee?
"I do what they tell me to do without fail. Whether it is fucking a new student, spying in the race every time, killing whoever tries to escape it or becoming the hurdle of a level. So yes I'm the hurdle of this level. You'll have to kill me to win this or I'll kill you."
He took up his fighting stance as he waited for us to make our decision.
He said he had raped students. God knows how many.
He also said he prevented anyone from escaping the race... that meant he was the one to kill Stupid Boy.
Christopher had been right, it was one of us. But Cody was controlled by BMHS.
He said he was a devotee.
God! How badly was he conditioned?
This was truly the worst level.
Landslides and lightening were just a warm up.
But this? Killing one of our own consciously?
When Kyle and Christopher had fought, it was purely survival. Kyle died because of those trees, Christopher hadn't killed him.
But now Brooke expected us to be killers too. There was no conditioning for us, no blanking of mind.
We have to do it with our clear conscience.
Their aim was to destroy us forever, which would certainly work here if we killed him.
"Cody we're three. You're just one think again." Christopher warned him.
"You're right." Cody said.
Then before anyone could blink, he had a long chain out of his hands whose other end was thrown at me and coiled around my neck.
Breathing became suddenly hard.
My hands flew up instinctively but Cody dragged me forward, making me fall on the ground at his feet.
The pain that came with the impact of my knees slamming down, made me lose my grip on my weapons.
The next instant, he wrenched me up by my hair and turned me with my back against his front to face Christopher and Lucy.
He gripped both the ends of the chain and pulled it forward till I was suffocating.
"Now it seems even." Cody hid himself behind my flailing body all the while pulling the chain.
"Let her go!" Christopher screamed, coming at us.
Cody pushed me ahead, making me smash with Christopher and cause both of to lose our balance.
"Mia.." I heard Lucy's shriek as she tried to reach for us but Cody caught up with her and kicked at my back at the same time.
The force sent us stumbling towards the stairs and we fell down.
We both acted on instinct and our love for each other.
Just as the first step hit us, Christopher had himself wrapped around my body while I had my legs around his spine and hands around his head.
Together we fell down the flight.
The sharp stairs cut into my body again and again. Hitting my legs, my thighs, my back, my head, my hands.
Some parts were protected by Christopher, some were not.
The steps where we landed at our sides hurt the most for both of us.
The hard pain of landing, the whooshing of air again and again from within us, the damage to our body, it was all too much till my body gave up finally.
My eyes fluttered shut, my mind demanded peace as we rolled down to our potential death.
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO HAVE CHRISTIAN BACK IN THE STORY ASAP.
Love ya all,
Kaishi Springs xoxo