Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men or The Hunger Games.
Note: Results of the most recent poll are up on the website. There's a new poll on my profile, this time asking who you want to see as the survivors. As usual, read the chapter first, because anyone who dies here won't be included in the poll, and please remember to vote for two options. If we've made it this far and there's only one of these contestants you'd like to see survive, I'm doing something very wrong. ;)
Depths
Penelope – 098, 13
March 27, 04:22 MST
She would have done the same thing.
Penelope rubbed her eyes, watching the screen. Ian had woken them a few minutes ago because the rain was starting, and Alvin had dropped by almost immediately to say they would be evacuating soon. It was sooner than she'd expected, but maybe that shouldn't have been a surprise. Liv couldn't completely control her power, after all. Maybe she hadn't even meant for it to start raining this soon. Maybe just thinking about the possibility, and knowing that it was the right move was enough to produce the right result.
And it was the right move; Penelope was sure of that. Just as she'd been certain when she'd started to make the island crumble. She had brought the rest of the contestants to her, and her power had done the rest. Now Liv and Savannah were on the same path. Maybe they didn't know how close they were to the end, but they had enough clues to work out that it was the right time to make their move.
Of course, it would be a better move if they got moving themselves. They were still at the circle, after all, which was pretty much the lowest point around – exactly the opposite of where they would want to be if things started to flood. Savannah was still asleep, while Liv was watching the sky, maybe waiting to see if she should let her new companion sleep a little longer. Because once things started moving…
Once they started moving, they wouldn't stop. This was probably the last chance they would have to rest – really rest – before the end. So maybe it was right not to waste it. After all, most of the other contestants were still asleep, as well – or trying to be.
Trying, with various levels of success. Henry's golem was doing an excellent job of keeping them dry, even if that was the only thing they had going for them. Rick, meanwhile, was tossing and turning, maybe trying unsuccessfully to do something about the rain. Frederick and Kenji had taken shelter inside the cave, and Kiara and Fae were huddled together underneath their sleeping bag. Lea was still sleeping soundly, apparently too exhausted to even be woken by the rain. Kylena, meanwhile, was still on the move, traipsing through the puddles that were starting to form in the dark.
That was almost certainly the wrong idea. She was tiring herself out, and for what? So that she could feel like she was doing something, probably – making some sort of progress. But rest was progress, too. Even if she couldn't sleep, she could at least let her body get some rest.
Then again, she had no way of knowing just how close they were, just how few of them were left. And it did feel like only a few of them, despite the fact that there were still ten of them left. That was a third of their original number, but with what Liv was planning…
But none of the other contestants knew what Liv was planning, unless they'd worked it out from the rain. And it wasn't as if there hadn't been any rain so far. As far as they knew, this rain was no different than any other rain they'd had over the last week. They probably wouldn't work out that something was different.
Or at least, most of them probably wouldn't. Rick had stopped rolling over and was watching the sky curiously, turning this way and that as if there was something in the air. Maybe there was. "Interesting," Vincent muttered. "He did that during training, too – figured out there was another weather manipulator after he could tell it had been raining."
Penelope shifted her position so Vincent could pick up her thoughts, but asked the question out loud anyway for Ian and Maria's benefit. "Do you think he'll figure out what she's planning?"
Vincent shrugged. "Probably won't matter even if he does. He has even less control over his powers than she does. I don't think he'll be able to stop her."
Penelope raised an eyebrow. Vincent was watching her. Good. That way he'd know she hadn't asked the next question out loud.
What if he doesn't want to stop her?
Rick Clifton, 19
What if he didn't try to stop it?
Rick pulled his jacket tighter and glanced over at Henry, who was starting to stir again. They'd woken up briefly earlier to re-form the golem to shield their head from the rain a bit better, but they still had to leave enough room to breathe, and the air was starting to get thicker. Heavier. Rick was pretty sure he hadn't caused the storm; in fact, he had been sleeping, and had woken up to raindrops. That meant either it was natural, or the other weather manipulator was still alive – and not very happy.
Then again, who was? After everything that had happened during the last week, what were the chances that anyone else was actually in a good position? Maybe whoever was causing the weather, this was their way of trying to finally end the Games – or to at least take out as many people as possible. Or make it easier to take them out themselves, at least. It would take quite a bit of rain before people actually started drowning or anything, but if the weather made them miserable enough, they might start making mistakes. They might do something rash.
He might do something rash.
Maybe what he was about to do was rash. But he was tired. He was sick of this. And if it was going to rain, it might as well rain like there was no tomorrow. Because there might not be – for him, at least, and for Henry. So what did they have to lose?
Slowly, Henry sat up. It was still too dark to see very well, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. "Did you do this?"
Rick shook his head. Henry put the pieces together. "But you're not trying to stop it."
Another head shake. Another silence from Henry. "Think you can make it rain harder?"
Rick tried to hide a sigh of relief as he realized that Henry had come to the same conclusion he had. Maybe that meant the idea wasn't as rash as he'd thought. Or maybe it just meant that Henry was just as tired, just as worn-down, and had just as little to lose. Rick nodded. "That's the idea," he said out loud, more for his own reassurrance than for Henry's sake.
Slowly, very slowly, Henry sat up. Or more accurately, Rick realized, Henry made the golem sit up. Henry's body was just along for the ride. The rain was getting louder, but Rick could still hear a few grunts of pain as the golem slowly rose to its feet, then took a few steps towards Rick. Slowly, deliberately, a small part of the golem's leg melted away. "There's two knives in my pocket," Henry explained. "You should take them."
Rick hesitated, but then reached into Henry's pocket and removed the knives. Instantly, the golem's leg re-formed. For a moment, Rick thought about trying to ask whether Henry wanted to keep one of the knives, but what was the point? He couldn't exactly picture the golem wielding a knife very well, and its fists were probably a more effective weapon in any case. "Head for high ground, then?" Henry asked, their voice thick with concentration.
Of course. It was the only plan that made sense. And if that meant everyone else would think of it, too … well, maybe that was the idea. Rick nodded, and pointed to what looked like a peak in the distance. Was it the closest one? There was really no way to tell in the dark. He couldn't even remember which direction that was. When they'd settled down for the night, he'd assumed they could wait until morning to start moving, if they were going to do so at all. Now…
But it was too late to second-guess his choice now, because Henry had started moving, and they wouldn't be able to hear if he called to them to stop. The golem wasn't fast, but it was steady, already plodding off into the dark.
Rick hurried to catch up. Henry hadn't asked what the plan was once they got to higher ground. And that was good. Because he didn't have one. Part of him doubted he'd be able to come up with one – or really have time to. But maybe that meant no one else would, either. Rick shook his head, trying to focus on making the rain harder. Stronger. In the dark and already soaked through, he had no idea whether it was working, but it was better than focusing on anything else.
And it gave him something to do. Henry probably had enough to do keeping the golem going, and beyond simple yes-or-no questions, he would have to wait until there was more light to really communicate with Henry anyway. Rick glanced instinctively at his watch before realizing just how pointless that was. Even if the thing was waterproof, it was too dark to see it.
But he had a feeling they had a long way to morning.
Liv Holle, 18
"I thought we'd agreed to wait until morning."
Liv sighed as Savannah sat up. "I didn't mean to. I just … I can't always control it, okay? I guess just thinking about it was enough to set it off."
Probably. There was always another possibility. A possibility she didn't want to admit to Savannah, because Savannah had no idea there was someone else who could control the weather. Someone else who might have come up with the same plan that the two of them had. And while it seemed unlikely that they would both have come up with the same plan at the same time, if they were both heading towards higher ground, and if the other contestant had started heading there sooner, then they might be walking right into a trap.
That was assuming, of course, that they happened to pick the same high ground. Liv relaxed a little. There were plenty of mountains around them. What were the chances that they would actually pick the same spot? If the other weather manipulator was even doing anything. It was just as likely – maybe even more likely – that she had just thought too hard about maybe making it rain, and that had done the job for her.
Savannah certainly seemed content with that explanation. "Guess I can't really complain. I can't always control mine, either."
"Can you control it well enough not to shoot off any lightning while we head for high ground?"
"I thought we wanted people to know where we were."
"Once we've found a good position, yes," Liv agreed. "We don't want anyone to catch up with us while we're trudging through rain on our way up a mountain – especially since we can't see them coming."
"I'd better let off a little now, then," Savannah ventured. "Just to make sure."
"Just aim for the sky," Liv reminded her. "Water conducts electricity, you know. And the lightning might not hurt you, but…"
"I know!" Savannah snapped, and Liv took a step back. She'd hit a nerve. For a moment, she'd forgotten about Savannah's ally. Of course she would be careful.
It was just … hard to think straight. That was all. The rain. The dark. The fact that she hadn't gotten much sleep. Liv shook her head. "Sorry."
Savannah looked away. "Me too. Just … tired, that's all."
"You sure you're good to start moving?"
Savannah chuckled. "Do we have a choice?"
Liv shrugged. "We could always sit here and get soaked."
"I guess your weather-controlling powers don't come with the ability to keep it off us?"
"I wish."
"Then we might as well get moving. I don't think either of us is going to be able to get any sleep in this." She raised her hands towards the sky, and lightning crackled from her fingertips, shooting up into the darkness. One last beacon to the other contestants, letting them know where to find them.
Liv nodded. That was that, then. "Let's go."
"Which way?"
Liv hesitated, but only for a moment. Savannah was looking to her for directions. For a plan. Just like Lee and Elena had. She couldn't afford to get it wrong this time. "South." The girl she had been fighting had run off to the south. That meant there was at least one person in that direction, assuming she was still alive. Assuming she hadn't doubled back. Liv turned on her headlamp long enough to check her compass and then pointed towards one of the looming shapes in a generally southwards direction. "That one."
Savannah didn't argue. Neither of them really had anything else to go on, and they weren't likely to get any more hints from their coaches. Not in this weather. Whatever they'd been using to drop their messages, the MAAB probably wouldn't want to send it out in this storm. The rain was already pounding, beating down stronger than it had been even a few moments before.
And if she had any say, it wouldn't be letting up anytime soon.
Frederick Bouvy, 17
"It doesn't look like it's letting up."
Frederick nodded in the dark. "Yeah, I guess not." They'd made their way back inside the cave when the rain had started because even though the water was still coming in, at least that meant it wasn't coming down right on top of their heads. But the water around them was starting to get deeper. Kenji was already scrambling back up towards the entrance, and Frederick quickly followed suit. If the cave started to flood – or worse, if the entrance started to collapse while it did – they certainly didn't want to be trapped inside.
The rain was coming down even harder now. Frederick pulled the rain poncho out of his backpack and passed it to Kenji, then wrapped their blanket around himself. It was better than nothing, but it wouldn't be long before both the blanket and the clothes underneath were soaked through. The wind was whipping at the poncho as Kenji put it on. "Do you think we should get moving?" Kenji asked.
Frederick shrugged. "Where? It's not like it's going to be nice and sunny over there." He gestured vaguely in a random direction. "Our best bet is probably just to wait out the storm."
"Maybe there's better shelter somewhere else?" Kenji ventured hopefully.
Frederick shook his head. "Like what? Even if there's another cave or something, we'll just run into the same problem." What he really wanted was a house. Somewhere nice and warm and dry. But the house that Seb had made was … well, somewhere. He had no idea how to get there from here. And even if they could find it, it had been on lower ground. It might be even wetter there. At least here, they were halfway up a mountain. It wasn't exactly going to flood. All they really had to worry about was making sure the rain didn't wash them down the mountain.
Still, he understood the impulse. Kenji wanted to do something, because just standing here in the rain was absolutely miserable. It wasn't as if walking in the rain would be any more fun, but at least then they could say they were doing something productive. He had no idea what time it was. It was dark, but whether that was because it was still nighttime or because of the clouds, he wasn't sure. He was sure that neither of them had gotten much sleep.
In the silence, a flash of lightning lit the sky, shooting up from the ground. It was quickly followed by another, and then a third. Frederick glanced at Kenji, who was staring off in the direction of the lightning. "Do you think that was from the storm, or…?" Kenji trailed off, but they both knew how the question would have ended. If the lightning had come from one of the other contestants, that meant that someone else was still alive in that direction.
Frederick shrugged. "No way to tell, really."
"That looked close."
"Lightning always looks close." He wasn't sure, really, whether he was trying to convince Kenji or himself. There had been some lightning last night – or earlier that same night, if it was still nighttime. But that had seemed farther away. Or maybe the storm pressing in on them was just playing with their minds, making everything seem closer and more urgent. But how far could lightning reach? How close would it have to be in order to strike them?
"Maybe we should head farther away," Frederick admitted. "Higher up the mountain, maybe?"
"Isn't lightning more likely to strike high places?"
Frederick shrugged. "Regular lightning, sure. Did that look like regular lightning to you?"
"In a storm like this? I wouldn't rule it out."
Frederick nodded. Kenji was right. "Okay, but we definitely don't want to go farther down the mountain. So … this way, maybe?" He pointed in a direction that looked about the same level – at least as far as he could see. Which admittedly wasn't far. "But let's take it slow. Tripping and falling down a wet mountain would be a pretty embarrassing way to go."
Kenji chuckled. Good. Laughing was better than being scared – even if the laugh had been a bit of a nervous one. "All right," Kenji agreed. "We take it slow. And we can always stop if it gets too rough."
That was true. They could always stop. It wasn't exactly as if there was anything particularly useful about this spot now that they'd ruled out staying in the cave. They weren't likely to find anywhere better, perhaps, but there probably wouldn't be anywhere much worse, either. Frederick pulled his blanket a little tighter as the pair of them set out.
He just hoped they hadn't made a mistake.
Kiara Moore, 15
She just hoped staying put hadn't been a mistake.
Kiara shook her head and glanced down at Fae, who was finally starting to stir. It had taken the younger girl a long time to actually fall asleep, but once she'd finally managed it, she'd slept like a rock even through the rain. So Kiara had put on one of their rain ponchos, draping the other over the blanket that covered Fae, and she'd let her sleep. Now Fae rolled over a little and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"
Kiara shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." The sky was lighter than it had been during the night, but through the clouds, there was no way to tell where the sun was at all.
Fae sat up and put on the rain poncho. They'd picked an area of slightly higher ground for sleeping, but around that patch, there was a layer of water covering the ground, and the nearby lake seemed bigger than it had the night before.
Maybe that was just her eyes playing tricks, though. Floods happened in … well, places near the ocean, didn't they? Places near sea level, where they were dangerously close to the water anyway. Or places that got hurricanes, where it did nothing but rain for days. They didn't happen in a few hours.
Did they?
Maybe they did. There had been plenty of rain before, but it had never seemed quite this heavy, this unrelenting. It had come in spurts, growing heavy before tapering off, then growing again. This … this had been consistent, for at least the last few hours, it seemed. She had no way of knowing exactly how long, but it had certainly seemed like a long time. Maybe that was enough to cause a flood.
Down here, at least. They had purposely stayed away from the mountains because that had made it easier going, and they hadn't had much of a direction anyway. Maybe if they just headed uphill a bit…
"We should probably eat something first," Fae suggested, as if she'd read Kiara's mind. She pulled out some beef sticks and a couple packages of fruit snacks, which they quickly ate. "So which way do you think?" Fae asked between bites.
Kiara raised an eyebrow. "Guess you want to get moving too, huh?"
Fae nodded. "High ground, right? That's where you want to be in a flood. If you can't evacuate, that is, and since we can't exactly get out of here…"
Out of here. Away from the rain. Out of the Games. That was where she wanted to be. They knew what had to happen in order to get out, but right now … right now, Fae was right. Getting to higher ground had to be their priority, especially because they had no way of knowing where the other contestants were. They couldn't count on the Games ending anytime soon. So safety meant higher ground.
Except that was probably what the other contestants would be thinking, as well. They would head for higher ground, too. "It'd be nice to know where the others were going," Kiara mumbled.
"So we could head to the same place, or somewhere else?" Fae asked.
And that was the question, wasn't it. If they did know for sure, somehow, where at least some of the other contestants were, would they want to head towards them or away? If they wanted the Games to end…
But did they really want a fight in this weather? With everything slippery and dark and messy? Kiara glanced around at the darker shapes on the horizon, which seemed to loom a little bit closer in the rain and the gloom. Maybe this was exactly the sort of weather they wanted in a fight. If their opponent slipped up, so to speak, that could be enough to give them a much-needed edge.
Of course, the weather worked both ways. There was just as much of a chance of them slipping as there was for someone else. But maybe even odds were the best they could hope for. Kiara glanced over at Fae, who was still waiting for an answer. She'd wanted to head back towards the others before, and Kiara had talked her out of it. But now things were different.
"The same place," Kiara answered. "So probably back that way." She gestured back towards the circle, where they had come from. Where the coaches had wanted them to go. That probably meant that was where the others were. "But not back to the circle. That's pretty low ground, too. So maybe those mountains there." She gestured a little bit south of the circle, which was probably the closest higher ground in that direction. "Let's head that way and … well, see what happens, I guess."
They would just have to hope they hadn't waited too long.
Lea Cervantes, 18
She just hoped she hadn't slept too long.
Lea sat up slowly, trying to ignore the pounding of the rain. What time was it? It had to be morning by now, but the sky was still dark and murky. Everything was wet. Her backpack and clothes were soaked through. The ground was covered in a layer of water. She tried to wipe her face with her sleeve, but that just made it even wetter. She quickly dug through her bag and ate what little was left. The bits of cookie and cracker were soggy, but the beef stick pieces were still good. And at least there was plenty of water.
At least the MAAB had thought that one through. Even without the rain, there were plenty of small streams and lakes. She'd never really been in any danger of going thirsty. Hungry, on the other hand, was starting to catch up to her. How long could she live on cookie bits and beef chunks? She would have to find something else soon.
Which meant she would have to get moving.
But where? Back to the north, the way she'd been heading, she was pretty sure the ground would get even flatter. It had certainly been rather flat back at the circle. So maybe that wasn't the best way to go anymore. Sure, the coaches had told her to go that way, but they hadn't known it was going to rain this hard.
Had they?
Maybe they had. They could see what the other contestants were doing, after all. If one of them was whipping up a big storm, the coaches would be the first to know. But it hadn't really started raining this hard until last night … or earlier this morning, whichever it was now. She peered at her compass, then glanced in the direction that was apparently east. Maybe it was a little lighter over that way. Maybe that meant it was still morning.
Maybe. Or maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks. Or maybe the storm was simply a bit lighter over there. Lea rubbed her eyes, peering off to the north. Something else had caught her eye. Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her, there was something there. Something round that didn't really fit the shape of a mountain or a tree or anything else that she'd seen in the area. Round. What would be round?
And not only that, but it was getting bigger. Which meant it was getting closer. Lea's mind raced. There was only one contestant she could think of who would be surrounded by a round shape. Could she really be that lucky? Lea stood up, ready to call out.
But…
But they had separated at the start of the Games. Would Kylena really want to work with her now? What if she still had someone with her? Makenzie was dead, but she'd also been working with Jaime and Evelyn. If there were still three of them…
Maybe it was better to let her get closer.
Lea crouched back down. Maybe Kylena hadn't seen her. Maybe she just happened to be heading in this direction. Closer. Closer. The bubble was probably keeping most of the rain off, at least. That sounded good. And she certainly wouldn't mind having some company, if Kylena would still want to work with her.
Lea peered through the rain. The bubble was closer now – close enough for her to see the figure inside it. Only one figure, as far as she could tell. Lea's heart leapt. Two of them could survive, after all. Who wouldn't want someone else to work with? She stood up, waving her arms. "Kylena! Over here! It's Lea!"
The bubble stopped. For a moment, the figure stood still. The bubble dropped away.
Then something struck her in the chest.
Kylena Albright, 16
The bullet struck her squarely in the chest.
Kylena froze as Lea sank to the ground. She was still too far away to see her face in the pouring rain, but she'd recognized the voice. And Lea had shouted her name, probably hoping that would be enough for Kylena to decide not to attack. Probably hoping to lure her in close enough and then…
What? Attack her? Kill her? Maybe. Maybe not. But assuming she would have made it easier. Kylena lowered the gun and re-formed her bubble. She had thought it would be hard – shooting someone who wasn't an obvious threat. Shooting someone whose name she knew. But she had just … done it. Just like that. She had pointed the gun and pulled the trigger. Because Lea had to die.
Except she didn't have to.
Kylena tried her best to ignore the thought as she crept closer. Two of them could live. It could have been her and Lea. But she didn't want it to be her and Lea. Lea didn't deserve it. She had stayed with Elio at the start of the Games and decided not to fight. Meanwhile, it seemed to Kylena that she and Jaime had done nothing but fight for their lives. So what right did Lea have to be alive while Jaime was dead?
And Lea was still alive; Kylena could see that as she drew closer. But she wouldn't be for long – not at the rate she was bleeding. The pool of rainwater around her was quickly turning red. Lea was clutching at the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but she had nothing to stop it with. She stared up at Kylena, gasping, and finally found the strength for one word. "Why?"
Kylena's gaze hardened. "You said from the start you didn't want to fight. This is the other option."
There were tears in Lea's eyes. Or maybe it was just the rain. She shook her head weakly. "Would have … coming back …"
Kylena shook her head as Lea's eyes closed, her breathing slowing and, finally, stopping. Maybe she would have fought. Or at least tried to. But what help was she really going to be in a fight? If she was going to team up with someone now, she wanted someone she could trust, someone who would have her back, someone she could count on to fight, not someone she would have to just hope would have the nerve.
Someone like Jaime.
But she wasn't going to find someone else like Jaime. Not now. She would have to go it alone. But maybe that was all right. Two could survive, but there was no rule saying they had to be two people who were working together. Penelope hadn't been working with the other survivor last year. Of course, they hadn't known there could be two survivors, but still.
It was too late now. Too late to second-guess herself. Kylena knelt down by Lea's body and quickly searched through her pack and pockets. There weren't many supplies, but there was a knife. A knife that Lea would probably never have had the nerve to use. Kylena tucked it in her pocket beside her own knife and her gun. There was no point in wondering what Lea would have done if she'd had the chance. She hadn't. And she never would. But Kylena still had a chance.
And now she was one step closer.
Henry Helstrom, 14
Just one step after another.
Henry let out a gasp of pain as another rough step jolted them back to consciousness. Nearly every part of their body ached, and the parts that didn't were starting to go numb instead. Their ribs felt like they were on fire, and they hadn't opened their eyes for more than a second or two at a time since the golem had started walking. It helped a little with the dizziness, and it made it harder to notice when they simply passed out.
The golem, for its part, was still walking. It would probably keep walking forever if they told it to do so. Every now and then, they'd open their eyes long enough to glance over and make sure Rick was still there. He was. The golem wasn't fast, so it probably wasn't hard for Rick to keep up. But it was steady. And that was good, because Henry felt anything but steady themself right now.
In normal circumstances, this much moving was probably the worst thing they could be doing. When you were this badly injured, the last thing you were supposed to do was keep bouncing the injury around. You were supposed to stay still. You were supposed to rest.
But then they would definitely die.
Henry squeezed their eyes shut tighter as another wave of pain washed through them. They were probably going to die anyway. Even if there were only a few of them left, and even if they managed to find the other contestants, how were they supposed to fight like this? The golem was moving now because they had given it an order and let it go. How well would it be able to fight on its own?
But at least if they fought, and someone managed to kill them, that would be quicker than dying of … whatever was going to kill them if they didn't get their injuries treated. Infection, maybe? They hadn't exactly bandaged their injuries; they'd just encased them in a layer of rocky golem. That couldn't be sanitary. And what did happen to broken bones if they weren't set properly?
Probably better not to think about it.
No, Rick had the right idea. Let it rain. Keep moving. Hope to find the others and end it quickly – one way or another. Rick wasn't in great shape either, but at least he could walk on his own. Maybe he would stand more of a chance in a fight.
Let it rain. It was still raining, they could tell. They couldn't hear it, of course, but there was a steady vibrating on the golem. It had started softly, but now … now it was pounding. There was quite a storm brewing out there.
At least they were dry in here. That was one good thing. Rick was probably soaked. No, forget probably. Neither of them had any clothes or blankets that would be waterproof. Too late, Henry wondered whether they would be able to add an umbrella shape to the golem or something. But that would probably be rather pointless now that it had been raining this long.
Besides, they weren't at all sure what would happen if they tried to make the golem do something different now, or tried to reshape it. They were barely conscious as it was. Would they really be able to concentrate long enough to get it to do anything else? And if they managed it, would they be able to focus enough to get it to keep moving again? What would happen if they did come across someone else? Would they even be able to make the golem fight?
It was only a matter of time before they would have to find out.
Savannah Kingston, 19
It was only a matter of time before someone found them.
Savannah clenched her fists as electricity crackled along her fingertips, itching to get out. That was what she'd wanted, after all – for someone to find them. But she'd wanted to be in a better position than this. They'd reached the foot of one of the mountains, but the going had been slow ever since they'd started to climb upwards. Water rushed down the slope, making everything slippery. It was taking a lot of time just to find good footing, and Liv's injured leg wasn't helping matters. She was doing her best not to mention it, but she was clearly in pain. Which probably wasn't helping the weather at all.
Savannah glanced over at Liv, who was grimacing as the pair of them made their way up the slope. Maybe the rain had been a mistake, after all. Maybe they should have waited. Back at the circle, at least, they had been in one spot. Maybe it would have taken longer for anyone to come and find them, but at least they would have been ready when it had happened. Now…
Now by the time someone found them, they would be cold, wet, and tired – if not worse. Savannah pulled her jacket tighter, trying to shield herself from the wind that was whipping through her hair. For a moment, she considered suggesting that they stop for a rest, but would that really help? They would still be wet. It would still be raining. The storm showed no sign of stopping or even letting up a little. If anything, it seemed to be growing stronger.
Boom. Thunder cracked, and lightning flashed across the sky. Liv turned to Savannah, her expression accusing for a split second before she put it together. "That wasn't you."
"No."
"Yours doesn't make thunder."
"Yeah." She'd never been certain why, but it didn't.
"I don't suppose you can control real lightning."
"I don't think so."
"You don't think so?"
"I haven't exactly tried before. Would you want to bet on getting it right the first time?"
Liv nodded. "I don't suppose you know whether you'd survive getting struck by actual lightning."
Savannah shrugged. She'd never really thought about it. Never had a reason to. She'd always done what everyone else did when there was lightning – go inside. Go inside, and stay away from water.
Away from water. Savannah chuckled a little at the thought. If Liv heard her over the pounding of the rain, she didn't mention it. But it was a bit funny. She'd been wanting to draw the other contestants to them so that she could shoot lightning at them, and now she had just as good a chance of being struck by lightning as any of the others.
And they were headed uphill. Weren't you supposed to avoid high ground in a lightning storm? Or at least avoid tall things? But if they didn't keep going uphill, they'd be stuck in the rising water, which was also something you were supposed to avoid. Savannah clenched her fists. The only good place to be now would be inside. And there was no 'inside.'
Not unless they won.
Another lightning flash. Boom. Another crack of thunder. "You could probably shoot off some lightning now," Liv suggested, eyeing the sparks flickering along Savannah's fingers. "I doubt anyone would notice a little extra."
Savannah nodded gratefully and raised her hands, letting go of the tension she'd been holding in for hours. Lightning shot up into the sky, and for a moment, she could see a little bit clearer through the rain and the dark. Liv took the opportunity to glance around, as well. "I think the slope is a bit less steep over there." She pointed off to their left.
"Sounds good," Savannah agreed, and they set off again into the dark. It did seem a bit less steep, now that she'd gotten a good look around. They'd tried their headlamps earlier, but they simply weren't much use in the pouring rain. It was light enough to see where they were stepping, but there could be contestants a hundred feet away, and they might miss them entirely.
Maybe she wanted them to.
Fae Tomasini, 13
Maybe they wanted to be found.
Fae stared at the lightning in the distance. "Are you sure?" Kiara asked. "Maybe we just didn't hear it over the wind."
Fae shook her head. She was sure. There hadn't been any thunder after that last lightning flash. "I'm sure. Whoever was shooting off lightning before, they're over that way." Which meant that whoever it was didn't mind giving away their position. That maybe they even wanted to be found.
Maybe they wanted this to be over as badly as she did.
"It's still pretty far away," Kiara reasoned. "Maybe by the time we get there, something will have happened."
By the time we get there. She hadn't even suggested turning around and heading the other way. She hadn't wanted to go back towards the lightning last night, but now … now everything was different. Why? Because of the rain? There had been rain before. But this felt … different. Stronger. The water was rising all around them, making Fae grateful that they weren't too far from the slopes looming ahead of them. Higher ground – that was the thing. And it looked like the other contestants had worked that out, too.
Maybe something would happen by the time they got there. Something. Kiara hadn't said it, but Fae knew what she'd meant. Maybe someone else would take care of the other contestants for them. That had been the plan, after all. Lay low and hope that the stronger contestants took each other out. But whoever was shooting off lightning, they'd been doing it since the start of the Games, and no one had taken them out yet.
Maybe no one was going to.
Maybe it was up to them.
Fae nearly jumped as they passed a small tree, swaying and creaking in the wind. The wind was growing stronger. Not as strong as it had been during the tornadoes, perhaps, but … well, you didn't need tornadoes for falling trees. Kiara seemed to pick up the hint, and the pair hurried past the tree.
But they were headed for more trees, on the mountain. The slope ahead wasn't exactly covered with trees, but there were certainly more of them. "What about the trees?" she called over the wind.
"What about them?"
"They could get blown over, or lightning might strike them, or … I don't know. Just doesn't seem like a good place to be."
Kiara shook her head. "There are no good places to be."
That was certainly true. The rain ponchos were doing nothing to stop the fact that they were trudging through several inches of water now, which seemed to be growing deeper and deeper. They couldn't stay here, and there was nowhere they could go that was safe. "Look, we can try to avoid the trees as much as possible," Kiara reasoned. "But we have to keep going."
Fae nodded. She hadn't really been suggesting stopping. Maybe Kiara was reminding herself as much as Fae. They had to keep going. They could both feel it – the fact that there was no simply waiting out this storm. The only way to get out of this was to get out of the Games. So it made sense to head towards the only place they would be certain to find other contestants.
It made sense. But that still didn't make it a good plan. Maybe there were no good plans – just ones that wouldn't get them killed quite as quickly. And if it was a choice between dying in a fight and drowning in a flood…
Stop it. She couldn't start thinking like that. She didn't have to die. They could both live – her and Kiara. All they had to do was figure out a plan.
Right. All they had to do was figure out how to kill someone who could shoot lightning at them. Kiara's fingers brushed the knife in her pocket. What good was a knife against someone who could do something like that? Even if she did try singing to force them to calm down, would they even be able to hear her over the wind and the rain?
Fae shivered. There was nothing she could do about that – about the wind or the rain. Nothing but hope that it was making everyone else just as miserable as she was. Maybe they would be cold and tired and wet and desperate enough to make a mistake. Maybe they would be distracted. Maybe she would get lucky. After all, she and Kiara had been pretty lucky so far.
And she had a feeling their luck would only need to last a little longer.
Kenji Rose, 12
The rain couldn't last that much longer, could it?
Kenji stared at the sky, searching for any sign that the storm might let up soon. The sky did seem to be a little bit lighter, but whether that was because the rain was letting up a little or whether it was simply the sun getting higher in the sky, he wasn't sure. He glanced at his watch. A little after three. Well, so much for the sun getting higher. He hadn't realized it was getting that late. Beside him, Frederick was breathing hard. He'd been trying to go slow enough for the older boy to keep up, but … well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to stop and rest for a little while.
"What would you say to lunch?" Kenji called over the rain.
Frederick settled down gratefully on a rock. Kenji hesitated. He hadn't meant right this second, but they probably weren't going to find a better spot to rest. He pulled out some beef sticks and gummy bears and passed some to Frederick. Frederick pulled his jacket a little tighter as the pair of them ate. The blanket had helped for a moment or two, but it had quickly been soaked, so they'd wrung it out as well as they could and tucked it back in the backpack. Maybe things would be a bit drier by nighttime – or at least stop raining long enough for them to hang it out to dry.
Maybe. The storm didn't seem to be letting up, but sometimes storms came and went rather quickly, didn't they? It could let up at any moment. In fact–
Crack. He heard the tree before he saw it, but there wasn't time to shout. Well, there was plenty of time for him to shout, but there wouldn't be time for Frederick to react. Kenji dove for him instead, pulling him backwards onto the ground as the tree fell. Another crack. Frederick screamed. Kenji looked.
Then he looked away.
The tree had missed Frederick's upper body, but it had fallen on his legs. Frederick leaned back, gasping in pain. "I'm sorry," Kenji blurted. "I saw the tree, but there wasn't – I couldn't – I should have known. I shouldn't have suggested we stop. I–"
"Hey." Frederick reached out and took Kenji's arm. "Hey. Focus. It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. You can't see the future or anything."
Not now. Not now that the MAAB wasn't letting him. And when he slowed time, it only slowed for him. He couldn't slow it for Frederick. He'd been quick enough to shove Frederick down, but he wouldn't have been able to pull the older boy out of the way in time. He knew that. He knew it. It just…
It felt like he should have been able to do something. Just like he should have been able to save Florence. And Emery. And now it was happening again. It was–
"Kenji!" Frederick's voice cut through his thoughts. "Kenji, I need you to listen. I'm going to melt the tree, okay? But you have to be ready to stop the bleeding. Get that blanket and … and anything else that might work as a bandage, okay? Once that tree melts, whatever it looks like under there, you bandage it up as fast as you can, okay? Can you do that?"
Yes. Yes, he could do that. Kenji nodded. "Okay." He pulled the blanket from the backpack, along with the bag of bandages, the pillow, and the rubbing alcohol. He removed the pillowcase and slid the pillow under Frederick's head. "Okay."
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Frederick quickly removed a glove, touched the tree, and slid the glove back on. The tree began to melt. Blood. There was some blood. But it was coming slowly – or at least, it was now. The rain slowed to a crawl. Frederick lay completely motionless as Kenji worked, his fingers flying over the injuries, bandaging them as well as he could. But to his surprise, there wasn't actually that much blood. Not on the outside. Which meant that most of the bleeding was on the inside. That wasn't good. Internal bleeding. What were you supposed to do about internal bleeding?
Get someone to a doctor. That was what you were supposed to do, he knew. Kenji finished tying the last of the bandages. The only way Frederick was getting to a doctor was if he made it out of the Games. The only way he was getting out of the Games was if the two of them won – and quickly. And Frederick was in no condition to move.
"That bad, huh?" Frederick asked as time flowed back to normal.
"You're going to be fine." Kenji's voice was calm. And now he felt calm, at last. He knew what he had to do. He hadn't been able to save Florence and Emery. The MAAB wouldn't let him go back and save them now. And they wouldn't let him go back and save Frederick, either. But there was something else he could do – something else that he'd been avoiding since the start of the Games. He could fight. He could kill.
And he would have to do it quickly.
"Wait here." Not that Frederick had much choice.
"Kenji."
"I'll be back."
"Wait. Think about this. You can't–"
"Yes I can."
Frederick hesitated a moment. "Then take this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the gun. "Take this with you."
Kenji took the gun. "It's only got six shots," Frederick warned. "I don't know how many other contestants are left."
Kenji nodded. He didn't either. But they were going to die. They were all going to die. Frederick was going to live.
He wasn't going to fail again.
Colonel Judah Burgess, 52
"Well, here we go again."
Judah leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen – or at least what he could see on the screen through the rain. Kenji was on the move – and quite quickly. "You're talking about Marcus?" Judah asked.
Mack nodded. "Time manipulator determined to kill off the competition quickly because their only ally is dying? Don't tell me you're not getting deja vu."
Judah shrugged. "Difference is, Kenji's actually got a shot at it. There are only nine of them left. A lot of them are heading in the same direction. Everything would have to go his way, but it's not impossible." He shook his head. "I'm just glad he's finally willing to fight. Can you imagine how it would have looked if, say, he and Frederick had made it out without killing anyone?"
Mack cocked his head. "You were worried about that?"
Judah raised an eyebrow. "You weren't?"
"Not particularly. Now, Elio and Lea, maybe. That would have been hard to spin. Everyone else has at least been playing the Games. Not necessarily killing, but playing them. Who's left that hasn't killed? Kenji, Frederick, and Kiara, yes?"
"Now that Lea's gone."
"Okay, look at Kiara. She hasn't killed, but her allies have. Iola killed Ansel. Fae killed Marcus. Kiara's a healer; no one's going to hold it against her that she hasn't been the one to strike the killing blow. Frederick? He's stolen supplies, made and abandoned alliances, and now that he's finally found an ally he probably wouldn't have left, that ally leaving him is his only chance of survival. And Kenji? He's twelve years old, and now he's ready to fight. Remember what happened when one of our reluctant young fighters finally worked up her nerve last year?"
It took Judah a moment to place who he was talking about. "Verona?"
"Verona. About half the contestants were left, but she didn't know it. Thought there were only seven of them. Got her allies into a fight with Cyrene and her clones, then twisted Cyrene's words so the clones went after everyone – even Cyrene's own ally – and then finished her off herself. Never any indication before that that she'd be willing to fight, but she wanted to go home as much as any of them did, and eventually, that won out." Mack leaned back in his chair. "Reckon it would've won out for Lea, too, if she'd had the chance."
"She did have the chance. She could have tried to sneak up on Kylena rather than calling her over."
"Apples and oranges. We tell them two of them can survive, and of course most of them are going to want someone to work with. Look at the others who just found each other. Savannah and Liv. Rick and Henry. Hell, even Frederick and Kenji. You think any of them would have teamed up if they thought only one of them could make it?"
Judah nodded. Mack had a point. He usually did. He was sometimes a pain in the ass, of course, but he was good at what he did. Come to think of it, that described quite a few of the people around here. Hell, it probably described him. In any case, Mack was right. Telling the contestants there could be two survivors had completely changed the dynamics of the Games.
But had the change been for better or worse?
"You don't know the depths to which humanity can sink, my young friend."
