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Friends
Penelope – 098, 13
March 23rd, 09:05 MST
At least Marcus was making good time.
Penelope drummed her fingers on the table as she watched the screen. Marcus was one of the few contestants who was on the move, still carrying Manaka as he raced through the canyon. What he was planning to do once he reached the end of the canyon, she couldn't begin to hazard a guess. She was rather surprised that he'd brought Manaka along this far.
Surprised, but grateful. Manaka was her contestant, after all. Still, she would be the first to admit that, objectively, it didn't make much sense. "What's he planning to do?" she asked, hoping Maria might be able to shed some light on her contestant's behavior. "He can't just carry Manaka everywhere. He won't be any use in a fight. Why wouldn't he just leave him? That's what I would have done."
Maria cocked her head. "Is it?"
Penelope raised an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting what I did to Monet?" She and Monet had been working together for about two days at the start of the Games. But as soon as it became clear that they'd reached the point of the Games where Monet would be more of a burden than an advantage, she'd disposed of them.
"Because you thought they would have to die in order for you to survive the Games," Maria pointed out. "If you'd known then that the two of you could survive together, would you still have done the same thing?"
"I don't know," Penelope admitted. Maria wasn't asking anything she hadn't wondered herself on occasion. If the thirty of them had known at the start of the Games, as these contestants had, that two of them would be allowed to survive, what would have been different? Would she have killed Monet? Would she even have been working with Monet in the first place, or would she have focused more on finding someone who could contribute to a fight than someone who was pleasant company? There was really no way to say for sure what she might have done. "But that's not really the same as the position Marcus is in, is it."
"What do you mean?"
"Monet was … well, for starters, they were still conscious. Even if they weren't going to be much help in a fight, they could still take care of themself. Manaka is really just dead weight right now; there's no guarantee that he's ever going to recover enough to help Marcus out. If he stopped to think about it – really think – he would probably leave Manaka and find someone else to work with."
Maria nodded. "Maybe. But it's not that simple. They've been working together for days now. They're friends."
"They shouldn't be."
Maria chuckled. "Maybe not, but they are. Marcus and Manaka. Elio and Lea. Rick and Vi. Most of these groups, really – they're not alliances anymore. They're friends. It's only natural that they'll want to protect each other, to make sure that the other person is the one who survives with them."
Penelope shook her head. "Even if it hurts their own chances?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't make any sense. They should be focused on making sure that they survive. That's what I did. That's what Piper did. That's how we made it out."
But would it have been, if she'd known…?
Maybe. Maybe not. Allowing two survivors – allowing the contestants to know that there would be two survivors – had added a completely different dynamic this year. Whether it was better or worse, Penelope wasn't sure yet, but it had certainly made the alliances much more … solidified than they had been last year. The contestants were thinking of each other as friends rather than as the competition.
She couldn't help the feeling that was going to be dangerous.
Kylena Albright, 16
She couldn't help the feeling it would be dangerous to stay too long.
Kylena glanced around as she and Jaime packed up the rest of the supplies they'd found at the circle. They'd each taken a dry change of clothes, as well as one of the rain ponchos they'd found. To their surprise, they had found a pair of knives, and had pocketed those, along with a coil of rope, two pairs of earplugs, a box of matches, and a compass. They'd also refilled their supply of food. Kylena picked up one of the backpacks, ready to go, but Jaime was still staring at the knife in their hand. "It doesn't make any sense."
"What?"
"That Rick and Vi would have left these. Why leave weapons for anyone else to find?"
"Maybe they just didn't see them. They were near the bottom of one of the bags."
"Maybe…" But Jaime didn't sound convinced.
Kylena shrugged. "Got a better explanation?"
"Maybe they weren't there before. Maybe the MAAB added a few things to the pile."
"Why would they do that?"
"Why not? Maybe they realized people would come back here for food and decided to sweeten the pot a little bit. Maybe they figured out that if people know they can resupply here, they won't want to go too far. Maybe it's a way to keep us close to the center – and closer to each other."
"Then why not tell us? If the idea is to keep us here, what good does it do them if only a few of us figure it out?"
Jaime shook their head. "I don't know. I don't know what good it does them, but it does give us an advantage. We know something the others don't. Maybe we can use that."
"How?"
"I'm not sure, but it's something to keep in mind."
"So you don't think we should go too far away. Is that what you're saying."
Jaime rubbed the back of their neck. "Yeah. I mean, we probably shouldn't stay right here, because they're probably not going to come refill the bags if we're sitting right on top of them, but if we head a little ways away…"
Kylena crossed her arms. "Like a certain house that's close by? We've been over this, Jaime. It's too dangerous."
"Everything here is dangerous," Jaime countered. "Staying here could be dangerous. Going too far away could be dangerous. Heading to the house could be dangerous if someone's there. But if they're not – if they decided that maybe staying put was too dangerous…"
"Why would they just leave the house there if they did?"
"As a decoy. They might assume that people would be more interested in the supplies in the house than in finding them. And they'd be right. Don't you at least want to find out if someone's in there?"
Kylena said nothing. She did want to know. She wanted to know what they were up against. She wanted Jaime to be right about the house being empty. She wanted somewhere warm and dry and safe, with hot food and a real bed. She was so tired of being on edge.
"Let me see that map," Kylena said quietly. Immediately, Jaime handed it over. Kylena studied it for a moment before nodding. "All right. But we don't want to get there during the day. We'll head that way, then stop here—" She pointed to a spot on the map not quite all the way to the house. "—until nightfall. Then we'll get closer and see if anyone's home. Deal."
Jaime beamed. "Deal."
"Then let's go." Kylena looked around at the circle one more time, shaking her head, gripping her knife tightly.
"Before I change my mind."
Frederick Bouvy, 17
It hadn't taken long to change his mind about staying put.
Frederick shivered and pulled his jacket tighter. He'd been hoping for things to thaw out enough for him to be able to peel some tree bark off and see if it was edible. After managing to peel off a little and try some, however, he'd come to the conclusion that while it might be edible, it wasn't worth sitting around and trying to eat it all at once. So he'd peeled off as much as would fit in his jacket pockets and set off, chewing on a little as he went. It wasn't much, but it was something. Maybe enough to keep him from starving to death.
Maybe. Walking used more energy, after all, but it was his only chance of finding somewhere where there might be more than tree bark to eat. Frederick glanced up at the sky. He was still heading away from the sun. West. There wasn't really much point in heading any other direction now. No point in going back. He would just have to plow on ahead and hope that he found something before he starved.
Frederick blinked. For a moment, he thought he'd seen something flicker across the sky in the distance. Maybe some sort of bird. But it wasn't exactly flying like a bird. The movements were more … erratic, somehow, as if it were flying a little, and then circling for a moment, waiting for something. Or someone. Were there any contestants who could turn into a bird? He didn't remember any, but there had been—
A bat.
Shit.
The bat. The vampire. That was who was ahead. Who had she been working with? The werewolf. And one of the younger boys – one of the ones who could run really fast. Definitely not the contestants he'd wanted to find.
Except he hadn't found them. Not really. He could see one of them – if it even was one of them – but that didn't mean that they could see him. How well could bats see, anyway? But they could hear. He remembered that. Bats had amazing hearing, which was how they maneuvered so well in the dark.
Except it wasn't dark. And if there was a bat outside during daytime, that was pretty much confirmation that it wasn't a real bat at all, wasn't it? The smart thing to do would be to head in the opposite direction as fast as he could.
Except that wasn't very fast. Not very fast at all. If they decided to chase him, what were the chances that he would actually be able to outrun them? Probably not very good. So maybe it was better to stand his ground, meet them on his own terms, or hope that they hadn't noticed him in the first place. It would probably be better to stay still.
But he was tired of staying still. Tired of heading in the same direction and going nowhere. And there was a third option.
He could head towards them.
It was the wrong choice. There were so many reasons why it was the wrong choice. But he'd made what he'd thought was obviously the right choice before when he'd left Alphonso and Seb at the house, and that had turned out to be the wrong choice, too. So maybe something that was so obviously the wrong choice would turn out to be right. It made about as much sense as anything else.
And if he found them, rather than the other way around, then maybe he would have the element of surprise. Maybe he would be able to snag a few supplies – assuming they had any. Maybe he could convince them to let him tag along. There had to be some ways that this could go right. Some scenario that didn't end with him being dinner for a vampire and a werewolf.
Or maybe … well, maybe that was the best-case scenario now. Whatever they would do to him, it had to be better than slowly starving and freezing to death. Maybe that was the best he could hope for now – a quick, merciful death.
Frederick clenched his fists. He didn't want to believe that. He wanted to believe that he still had a chance. But in order for that to be true, in order for him to have a chance of going home, the other contestants would have to die eventually. He'd been in exactly one fight so far, back at the start of the Games, and even that hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped. What chance did he really have against contestants who could do what they could? Maybe he'd been kidding himself all along.
Maybe it was time to stop pretending.
Henry Helstrom, 14
Maybe it was time to start moving.
Henry rubbed their eyes and sat up slowly, gingerly testing their left shoulder. They didn't remember falling asleep, but they must have finally managed it, because the sun was already high in the sky. The golem that had been keeping watch snapped to attention as Henry glanced in its direction. Another night had passed, and they were still alive.
Alive, and definitely hungry. Moving could wait a little while longer. Henry opened their pack and chose the bag of tortillas and the jar of peanut butter, then got to work making a rather thin sandwich. Once they'd finished that, along with another pack of fruit snacks, they were feeling a little better. Maybe better than they had since the start of the Games. Certainly the best they'd felt since their fight with the girl who had attacked them.
Henry stood up slowly, half-expecting to feel dizzy or unsteady or at least tired. But actually getting a good night's rest … well, that probably helped in that department. They stretched a little, then packed up their supplies, trying not to glance at the body that lay nearby. Yes, it was definitely time to get moving – a little ways away, at least. Away from the body. The reminder of what they'd done.
What they'd done. They'd saved their own life; that was what they'd done. The girl would have killed them. They'd killed her instead. Plain and simple. They had nothing to feel guilty about. After all, it wasn't their fault they'd been in that position in the first place. It wasn't their fault they'd been chosen for the Games.
Still, it would be good to get away from the body before it got too ripe. The cold had kept it from starting to decay, but the sun was beginning to warm things up a bit. Better to leave now...
Henry gestured to the golem, which shrank down to a more portable size and leapt up onto their hand. They slung the backpack over their good shoulder and glanced around. The sun was nearly overhead. It had been days since they'd arrived here. Which way had they come? They'd been in such a hurry to get away from the others, they hadn't really worried too much about which way they were going.
The others. Kiara and Iola and Fae. Henry couldn't help wondering how they were doing. Were the still alive? Which way had they gone? Henry certainly didn't want to run into them…
If they were still alive. If they'd run into another group of contestants, after all, how much of a chance would they really have in a fight? Without the golems to protect them…
Henry took a deep breath. They'd left. They'd left the group, and they'd taken the golems with them. It didn't matter how they were doing. It wouldn't matter if Henry found them. If they found each other, Henry would just be another contestant to them. Maybe they would even kill them, if they got the chance.
"Okay, let's go." They weren't sure why they'd said it out loud; the golem didn't need the instructions to be verbal, after all. But it felt good to talk to someone, even if that someone wasn't actually a real person. "How about … that way."
The golem said nothing, but nodded obediently. Henry gave it a pat on the head and set out. One direction was really as good as another. Even if they were certain which way they had come, there was no guarantee that the others would still be in that direction. If had been days since they'd left. Days since the start of the Games.
Three days, they were pretty sure. Well, three full days. That made this the fourth day. Probably. Maybe. Unless they'd lost count while they were recovering from the fight, which wasn't impossible. They weren't even certain how many times they'd changed their bandages, and sorting through the used ones they'd left didn't seem like an appealing option.
The bandages. They'd left the used bandages. But what were they supposed to do? Carry a bunch of trash around in their bag? No. No, litter was the least of their worries. Sure, maybe someone would find it, but the sight of the girl's body might make anyone think twice about trying to follow them.
It certainly made them want to get away.
Savannah Kingston, 19
"I just needed to get away for a moment."
Savannah turned around, trying to compose herself. Coburn had followed her. Of course he had followed her. What had she been thinking, going off on her own, if only a little way from their camp? She hadn't been thinking, really. She'd just needed a moment. A moment to herself. A moment to get away from … everything.
But she couldn't – not really. She could get away from Lilith's body. She could get away from Coburn. But she couldn't get away from the Games – not until they were over. And even then…
Even then, she would be trapped, just like their coaches. They weren't free to come and go, either. Did they ever get a moment's peace?
Probably. Probably when it wasn't time for the Games. What had they been doing the rest of the year? From the sound of it, a lot of preparing for this year's Games. Was that what was in store for her if she won? Helping the MAAB get ready for the next Games, and the next, and the next? Where was it going to end?
"Savannah?" Coburn's voice was suddenly urgent, and she realized he was looking at her hands. Damn it. Little sparks of electricity flickered from her fingers – small for now, but if she didn't control them soon…
Coburn took a step towards her. "Look, maybe you should just let it off now. It's the middle of the day. No one's going to see it. And then we can leave."
"Leave?"
Coburn nodded. "Yeah. That's what you were thinking of doing, wasn't it? Just getting away from here?"
Yes. Yes, she had been thinking about leaving. And apparently, Coburn was just as anxious as she was. "Okay," she agreed, and reached out towards the sky. Immediately, lightning shot up, up towards the clouds, up where it wouldn't hurt anyone. Harmless, for now. For now, it wouldn't give away their position – a position that was about to change soon anyway.
"Any idea where we should go?" Savannah asked after the lightning had died down.
Coburn shrugged. "We were heading north along the ridge before the others caught up with us. We could keep going that way, or we could head back. Or we could go west, but that would just take us back towards the circle."
Back towards the other contestants. He hadn't said it, but they were both thinking it. Neither of them wanted another fight any time soon. And the closer they were to the other contestants, the more likely it was that someone would see her shooting off lightning every now and then. It was daytime now – and just about as bright and sunny a day as they could ask for – but there was no guarantee that it would stay that way, especially considering how quickly the weather had changed before.
"Let's keep heading north," Savannah suggested. "The ones who attacked us headed back the way they came, so that would be south. If we head north … well, we might be able to avoid people for a while, at least."
For a while. But not forever. They couldn't avoid a fight forever.
But maybe they could wait until they were ready.
Ready. Right. Savannah tucked the knife they'd taken from the girl they had killed into her pocket. She would never be ready to do that again. She hadn't been ready the first time. She had just been terrified.
But maybe that was close enough.
Emery Mullins, 15
At least the bat was staying close enough for them to follow.
Emery glanced up at where the bat was still flittering overhead. It was easier to see in the daytime, but that didn't make the path any smoother. The bat was leading them up the mountain slope, and even in wolf form, it was getting harder to keep her balance. This better be worth it.
But it would be worth it, if it meant a safe place to stay. A place where none of the other contestants would think to look. Who would want to follow them up here? Kenji was doing his best to cover his own tracks, but they'd decided to leave hers. After all, anyone who came across wolf tracks in the snow would have no way of knowing whether they belonged to her or to an actual wolf. Who would want to follow either one?
Someone who was desperate. Or someone who was confident. Neither of those seemed like someone she wanted to face in a fight. And if they were trapped in a cave, without a way to escape…
Emery slowed down a little as the bat came to rest maybe twenty yards ahead of them. She made her way forward cautiously. As they reached where the bat was perched on a rock, she felt Florence slide off her back, slowly shifting back to human shape and staring at where the bat had landed. The space between a few rocks was maybe a few inches wide. Emery shifted back to human shape. "Well, that's helpful."
Kenji shrugged. "Could be. I mean, Florence could fit in there when she's a bat. And maybe we just need to make the entrance bigger. We have no way of knowing how big it is inside. It could be huge, and just be a matter of getting in." His hands moved in a flurry of words as he relayed the message to Florence.
Florence nodded. "We could try moving a few of these rocks, see if we can make the entrance a bit larger without collapsing it."
Collapsing it. Great. That was a pleasant thought. Still, it was worth a try. The three of them carefully slid one rock, and then another, off to the side, making the gap a little wider. Then a little more. Still, they could see nothing but darkness inside. And they had no flashlight. No matches. They could try to light a fire, but if they took a torch of some sort inside, they would be out of luck once it burned down.
Emery glanced over at Kenji, who shrugged. In order to see the future, he needed a clear picture of where they were going to be. The one time he'd managed to slip into the future, it had been because he was picturing waking up in the morning safely. That was what happened, so he'd been able to see it in advance. But if he just tried to, for instance, see what was going to happen in a few hours, he would only be able to tell if what he was picturing was the case. If he imagined them sitting outside the cave, he would be able to see if they were still there. But if they weren't there, he only knew just that – that they weren't there. Whether they weren't there because they were inside the cave, or because they left, or because they were dead … there would be no way to tell.
Emery shifted back to wolf form and sniffed at the entrance to the cave. It definitely smelled like bats. But all that really meant was that there was room inside for bats. There was really no way to tell what there was inside without actually going in.
"I should go in," Florence volunteered. "If I'm in bat form, I'm the smallest. I'm the least likely to get trapped somewhere. I can't echo-locate anymore, but bats still have pretty good eyesight. And if there's a wall I can cling to, it doesn't really matter whether or not I can fly."
Kenji raised his hands to sign something, maybe about to object, but apparently decided against it. Florence had clearly already thought through the argument in her head, and was already shrinking back to bat form. Kenji nodded, and finally, Emery did the same. The only downside, really, was that they would have no way to communicate with Florence if they couldn't see her. They would have to wait until she made her way back out to learn what she had found.
Now a small bat, Florence gave her wings a few experimental flaps and then nodded. It was strange – such a human gesture coming from a creature so small. But the others probably thought the same thing when she nodded as a wolf. Kenji signed something. "Good luck," he translated as Florence flapped into the cave.
All they could do now was wait.
Alphonso Bell-Garcia, 15
He was getting tired of waiting.
Alphonso drummed his fingers on the table, staring out the window. It was finally a beautiful day outside, and he was stuck in here. Well, not stuck, exactly, but out there was … well, dangerous. Beautiful, but dangerous. It was safer to stay in here, he knew. Safer not to risk going outside at all, when they had everything they needed right here.
But he was tired. Tired of this house. Tired of playing games and eating whatever food Seb had created and just … waiting. Waiting for something to go wrong. Waiting for someone to find them. Waiting for it all to end.
He didn't want it to end.
"Alphonso?"
Alphonso looked up into Seb's worried face. "Huh?"
"I asked if you wanted something to eat. You've been sitting there since you got up. How about some pizza?"
"No more pizza," Alphonso mumbled.
Seb shrugged. "Okay. How about some turkey. Or maybe fish. Or—"
"I just want a drink."
"Okay. Maybe some lemonade or—"
"No." Alphonso shook his head. "A drink. Something strong."
Seb shifted uneasily. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Remember what happened the last time…"
Alphonso chuckled, a chuckle that quickly made its way into a full-fledged laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, I remember. Do you? Nothing happened, that's what. And now we've got a guard dog, so it'll be an extra helping of big, fat nothing. Just like what's been happening for the last … what? Three days? Four? Come on, we deserve a little something to tide us over until…"
"Until what?"
"Dunno," Alphonso admitted. "But we've earned a little fun."
"Earned?" Seb asked, puzzled. "We haven't done anything."
"But we're still alive. Maybe that's the ticket, Seb. Just endure the boredom long enough, and we win."
"Boredom?"
Alphonso cocked his head. "You really aren't bored, are you."
"No. I mean, it's only been a few days. We've still got plenty of food, and a few games we haven't played. And even if we run out, I can always make more. Want to play some more cards?"
Alphonso rolled his eyes. Seb probably would be content to just sit there and play cards forever. But that wasn't … enough. "Just make me a drink."
"And then we can play a game?"
"Sure." It would probably be more fun after he'd had a drink or two. But not too many. Just enough to take the edge off. Enough to make it seem like things might be all right. Alphonso smiled as Seb scribbled something on the paper, and a drink appeared. "You can have one too, you know."
Seb stared at the drink for a moment, then shook his head and wrote himself a lemonade. "Maybe later."
Later. Right. There would be plenty of time later. There didn't seem to be anything but time. Phantom had barked a few times earlier, but every time they'd looked out, there hadn't been anything. A bird, maybe, or a squirrel or something. But they didn't need to worry about those; there was already plenty to eat. There was plenty of everything.
So how was there still nothing to do?
Alphonso took a sip. It was good. Of course it was good. Seb probably didn't even know what it was. He'd probably just written the word 'drink' while thinking of something that would make Alphonso happy. Or if not happy, then at least less … less depressed. Less upset. Less bored.
He took another sip. "All right. Maybe some lunch, too, then. Shouldn't drink on an empty stomach. How about…" He thought for a moment. "How about some seafood? Shrimp and crabs and scallops and … stuff."
Seb nodded, wrote a few more words, and the food materialized. It smelled good. Really good. Almost like the seafood back home.
Home. Alphonso took another drink. He didn't miss it as much as he'd thought he would. Not really. He didn't miss anything specific, like the food or the people or anything. He just missed … well, doing things. Going to a movie. A party. Hell, just walking down to the store. Anything he could get at a store, of course, Seb could just conjure up, but it just wasn't the same as going somewhere and doing something. He missed that.
But all the places he could go here, all the things they could do … those were all dangerous. Once he made it out, once the Games were behind him, then he could go places and do things. Maybe. Except the MAAB would probably have a thing or two to say about that. Even if he made it out of here alive, he would probably be just as trapped as he was now. He drained the rest of his drink.
Maybe one more would do the trick.
Rick Clifton, 19
Maybe a few more minutes would do the trick.
Rick shifted a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. There wasn't one. Rocks were rocks. But he wished he could at least find somewhere where there wouldn't be one digging into his back, his shoulder, his side, his legs … something. He'd slept well enough during the night, but now…
They should get moving. The sun was high overhead. They'd eaten a bit, then decided to take a few more shifts resting on and off. They'd been heading back towards the circle to resupply, but now that they'd stopped … well, there didn't seem to be much of a reason to hurry anymore. Whatever had gotten them moving yesterday, whatever urgency or determination not to die out here had been driving them to get farther away from the other group, it had been replaced by soreness and exhaustion. He was just so tired.
"Can't get comfortable?" Vi asked knowingly.
"Yeah," Rick mumbled.
"That's probably good."
Rick sighed and sat up a little. "Okay, I'll bite. Why's it good?"
Vi shrugged. "Means we're past the stage where we're just too tired to care about how much it hurts."
"It doesn't hurt – not really."
Vi chuckled. "Yeah, that's the pills."
"Good point." He tested his arm gingerly. At least he could move it a bit, but it was still sore. Really sore. If this was how Vi's leg felt, it was no wonder he didn't want to walk anywhere. "Think it's time for lunch?"
"Probably somewhere around there," Vi agreed, opening their pack. "What do you think? Graham crackers and beef sticks? Or beef sticks and graham crackers?"
Rick couldn't help a smile. "I'll have the beef sticks and graham crackers."
"And I guess that leaves the graham crackers and beef sticks for me." Vi grinned. "We really ought to speak to the management about the menu here."
Rick took the food Vi held out for him. "As soon as we get out of here, we'll file a complaint." He thought for a moment. "And leave them a really lousy review on Yelp."
"Got hit by fireballs and had to eat stale graham crackers and charred beef. One star."
"Yeah."
"Make sure no one else makes the same mistake I did," Vi added bitterly.
"You didn't—"
"What, make a mistake? Like hell I didn't."
"No, I just mean you didn't know."
Vi cocked his head. "You don't think I would have done it anyway?"
"Why would you?"
"Rick, I was miserable. I would have done anything to get rid of my powers. Anything. Even if I'd known what I was getting myself into, I can't say for certain that I wouldn't have done it anyway, just to put an end to it all. Do you understand that?"
"I…" Rick started, but then trailed off. "A week ago, I wouldn't have. My life's been … I mean, it hasn't been great. I've had some rough patches with my dad and all, but there was always … an end in sight, you know? A light at the end of the tunnel. I just had to tough it out until I was eighteen, and then I'd be able to … well, start fresh. And I did. And it was working. I didn't have a perfect life, but I had a life." He shook his head. "That's all gone now, but there's still a chance – a slim chance – of getting it back. Or getting something back. Not the same thing, but something."
"Something," Vi agreed.
"So I guess I … I don't really understand," Rick admitted.
Vi forced a smile. "Good. I hope you never do." He stood up shakily, finishing off his beef stick.
"Let's get out of here."
Kenji Rose, 12
"We have to get her out of there."
Kenji turned around again, pacing back and forth at the entrance to the cave. "She's been in there too long. Something happened. Something had to have happened. She wouldn't just be gone this long. We have to go in there. We have to find her."
Emery grabbed his shoulder. "Easy, Kenji. Easy. Take a deep breath. Can't you just … I don't know, fall asleep and think of a few hours from now and see if she's here?"
"But what if she isn't?"
"What if she is?"
"What if the only reason she is is because we went in and got her? We're wasting time. She could be hurt."
Emery shook her head. "She would have shouted for us."
"Would she? Could she, if she's in bat form?"
"She could squeak," Emery pointed out, but she didn't sound certain.
"Yeah, and are you really sure we haven't heard any bats squeaking?"
"I … I don't know," Emery admitted. "But there could be plenty of bats in there."
"Exactly. We'd never know if it was her. We should never have let her go in there alone."
"Kenji, she's a hundred year old vampire. She can handle herself."
"But what if she's trapped? What if she got hurt? We should have all gone in together."
"We don't know that it's big enough for all three of us."
"Then what's the point in anyone going in, if we're not all going to be able to hide in there anyway?"
Emery said nothing. Maybe she'd been wondering the same thing. But Florence had been so … so happy that the bat had found them. Maybe grateful to have something to contribute. None of them had really thought twice about whether they should follow the bat; it had just seemed the natural thing to do.
But why?
Because he had looked into the future, and they weren't there anymore. He'd assumed it was because they'd followed the bat. They weren't there, so they had to be somewhere else. But did the somewhere else have to be here?
But it was here. Did that mean they'd changed things? Had they always followed the bat, or had they only followed the bat because they'd thought they should leave, that they were going to leave anyway?
"Kenji?" Emery asked gently.
"Yeah. I'm okay. I just … I just wish I knew she was all right. But I don't think I'd be able to fall asleep right now even if I wanted to."
Emery nodded. "Then we'll just have to wait. Even if we go in there, we have no way to find her. She won't hear us if we call for her. And it's too dark to see where she went, if it's big enough in there for her to be gone this long." She shook her head. "I just wish we had a flashlight or something."
Kenji looked away. They'd been doing just fine as far as food with the fish that he and Emery had caught, but she was right; they didn't have much else as far as supplies. Just a bottle of water, what was left of the beef sticks and applesauce, a scarf, an extra pair of socks, some bandages, and that damn pair of earplugs that he wished he'd found sooner.
Kenji turned and started pacing the other way. The earplugs. If only they'd had those at the start – if only he'd realized that was what was in the bag – things would have been different. If Florence could hear, if she could navigate, if he was sure she could fly properly, he wouldn't be worried at all about her being in that cave by herself. She could probably have used her echolocation to figure out how big the cave was from the outside; they'd have had their answers without having to send anyone in.
Stop it. This wasn't going to do anyone any good. Kenji turned around abruptly and knelt down by the entrance to the cave, moving a few of the rocks away. "What're you doing?" Emery asked.
"I'm going in."
"How do you know you'll even fit? What if you get stuck in the entrance and—"
Whatever she'd been about to say was interrupted by a quiet pinging noise coming from overhead. Kenji sprang to his feet as Emery shifted back to wolf form, ready to pounce on whatever was falling out of the sky. No, not falling. Drifting. A small parachute was attached to—
"A flashlight!" Emery was practically giggling as she shifted back to human form and caught the flashlight before it even hit the ground. "But why would it just fall out of the sky like that?"
"You did say you wanted a flashlight," Kenji pointed out. "Maybe they decided to send you one."
"They?"
"The MAAB." Even as he said it, though, it sounded strange. Why would they want to send them a flashlight? Why would they want them to explore the cave?
But who else would have sent it?
"It doesn't matter," Kenji decided. "Whoever it was, they want us to go in, but that's what we were about to do anyway."
"What you were about to do, at least," Emery mumbled.
"You can always stay out here."
"By myself?"
Kenji hesitated a moment. But only a moment. "I'm going in by myself if I have to. Florence is our friend, and she could be in trouble."
"What if she's not? What if she's just taking a little longer?"
Kenji shrugged. "Then she's fine, and we all have a good laugh about it when we come back out. That's it. Now, are you coming, or do you want to give me that flashlight so I can go?"
Emery stared for a moment, surprised. Then she nodded, slid the pack off her back, and knelt down by the entrance to the cave. "You want me to go first?"
Kenji shook his head. "I'm smaller. If either of us is going to fit, I will." He wasn't really much skinnier than Emery, but she didn't argue. Kenji took a deep breath and settled down on his stomach, swung his legs into the hole, and felt around. There was plenty of room to swing them, but he couldn't feel the bottom of the cave. He took a deep breath and squirmed a little farther into the hole. Any farther, and he would drop. He glanced up at Emery and managed a smile. "Wish me luck."
Then he dropped into the hole.
Elena Burleigh, 21
"Just drop it, would you?"
Elena held up her hands. "Look, all I said was that it's a beautiful day."
Liv shook her head. "Doesn't mean I had anything to do with it."
"I never said you did."
"Easy, easy." Lee stepped between them. "Look, we're all getting a bit tired. Maybe we should stop for the day."
Liv shook her head. "Not yet. We're making good time, and we have no way of knowing whether tomorrow will be as nice. We should make good use of the weather while we can."
Elena cocked her head. "Why?"
"What?"
"Why? It's not like it's a race. I mean, we were moving quickly at the start to get away from the others, and then to get away from the storm, but we must be far enough away from everyone by now. There's no need to hurry."
Liv thought that over for a moment. "You're right, but it still feels good to be doing something, you know? Making some sort of progress. If we're doing something, it's easier not to think about—"
"—what we're doing here," Elena finished. "Yeah, I get that. But why does 'something' always have to be 'walking'? Maybe we could … I don't know. Play a game or something."
Lee raised an eyebrow. "A game? Like what? Did you bring a deck of cards or pair of dice you forgot to tell us about?"
Elena blushed. "Well, no, but there has to be something. How about I Spy? We could even play while we're walking, if you like."
Lee and Liv shared a glance, but then Lee shrugged. "No harm in that, I guess. You want to go first, Elena?"
"Sure." She glanced around. Sure, there wasn't much, but it would keep them entertained for a little while, at least. "I spy something … brown."
Liv's forehead creased. "Brown?"
"Yeah. There are a couple brown things—"
"You play with colors, huh?"
Elena shrugged. "Yeah. How else would you play I Spy?"
"Well, it's been a while since I played," Liv admitted, "but we used to do letters. You know, 'I spy with my little eye, something beginning with L' or something like that."
"Huh. Sure, we could play that way, if you like."
"No, colors are fine. Brown, you said?"
"Yeah."
"Is it a tree trunk?"
Elena smiled. "Nope."
"That little bird over there?" Lee asked.
"Nope."
Liv thought for a moment. "My eyes?"
Elena nodded. "You got it. Your turn."
Liv glanced around. "I spy something … wait, I think I see something over there."
Lee rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that is the point of the game." But they all looked where she was pointing anyway. Up ahead, far in the distance, were two shapes that did look like they were moving a little, but not very quickly.
"Do you think it's some of the others?" Elena asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Maybe," Liv agreed. "It's really too far to tell, but … well, we haven't seen any animals that big out here. Just birds and fish."
"And that squirrel the other day," Elena reminded her.
"Yeah, but nothing big enough to see from that far away." Lee shook his head. "It has to be some of the other contestants. Looks like two of them."
So now what? All of them were probably thinking it, but no one wanted to say it. Because they knew what the answer had to be. It was the fourth day of the Games. This was the first time they'd seen anyone since they left the circle. Liv had been itching to make a move then; there was no doubt what she would want to do now.
"Okay," Lee said at last, as if concluding some unspoken debate. "How about we get closer, see if we can figure out who we're dealing with, and figure out our next move from there? Sound good?"
Liv nodded. After a moment, Elena did, too. It was a good plan. It made it sound like they were putting off the decision, not committing to anything right now. But they knew. They all knew. If they got closer – close enough to tell who the other group was – that also meant risking the other group seeing them. And once that happened, one of their groups would have to make a move.
Elena adjusted the straps of the pack she was carrying as they headed forward. No one had suggested that maybe they should turn around – or even just head in another direction. They all knew what they had to do. None of them liked it. None of them even wanted to say it. But they all knew it, just the same. Because the only way they were going to make it out of here was if the other contestants died. And now they had a chance to make that happen.
They couldn't just turn that down.
Marcus Del Rio, 19
He couldn't turn back now.
Marcus' heart raced as his footsteps pounded across the rocks. Manaka was still unconscious, but at least he was still breathing – if the ragged, gasping sound coming from the figure slung over his back could be considered breathing. He'd left one of the backpacks at the bridge, stuffed most of their supplies into the other, slung that over Manaka's shoulders, and used one of the blankets to tie Manaka in place on his back. It probably wasn't very comfortable, but it would be faster than carrying the younger boy in his arms, and it was easier to keep his balance this way. Because if he got hurt – if he did anything that might take himself out of the game even for a little while – then Manaka would probably die.
No. No, he wasn't going to let that happen. Which was why he was racing back towards where the Games had started as quickly as he could. Southeast. As soon as he'd left the canyon, he'd turned southeast, avoiding crossing over any of the slopes. They hadn't done that on the way there, after all. All he had to do was backtrack, and he would eventually reach the circle.
He would just have to hope that Manaka would be safe there. It would probably be the safest place to leave him for a little while – back in the tunnels – because anyone who wanted to look in there wouldn't be able to use their powers. Of course, Manaka wouldn't be able to use his, either, but they weren't exactly doing him much good at the moment anyway. And there would be plenty of food and water to last until…
Until what? Marcus killed off the rest of the contestants? Did he really think he was going to be able to do that on his own?
But what other choice did he have?
Not much. He could stay with Manaka and wait, hope that the younger boy recovered. But what if he didn't? Would he really be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try to do something? And what else was there to try?
One thing. There was one thing that had occurred to him. He could try to find some sort of weak point along the border. If it was a fence of some sort – something that sent a signal to their collars if they crossed it – would they really have put it up all along the border? Or just in the places the contestants were the most likely to cross? What if he tried to climb some of the mountains? Would the signal be as reliable up there? Maybe it was like cell phones, and there would be patches where the reception or whatever wasn't as good.
But that … well, that seemed like a long shot, at best. And even if he managed to get across the border somewhere, where would he go? He had no idea which direction the nearest hospital would be. And even if he found the right direction, the MAAB would still be able to track him. He still had his collar, after all. How far beyond the border would they let him get before they sent the Sentinels to come get him or something like that? What were the chances he would really be able to get Manaka to a hospital before something happened?
Something. Before the younger boy died; that was what he was worried about. But thinking the words … that was even worse. Manaka might die because … what? Because he'd been a little too eager to get across a bridge. It seemed like such a stupid, pointless reason to die.
Marcus plunged onwards along the rocky path. He wasn't going to let that happen. He couldn't. So he would get to the circle, leave Manaka there with plenty of supplies, and then … find everyone else. Fight everyone else. And then at least if Manaka died, Marcus would know that he'd done something to try to stop it. That he'd done everything he could.
Maybe that would make it a little better.
The trouble was, he had no idea where anyone was. Even if he'd thought to keep track of which way they'd gone at the start of the Games – which he hadn't – they could be anywhere by now. It had been what? Three days? Four? Five? He wasn't really sure, but long enough for them to be pretty scattered. And aside from getting him back to the circle, the map in his pocket wasn't going to do him much good. If he was really going to have a chance of finding anyone else, he was going to need help.
But how was he supposed to get it?
Elio Haines, 16
How were they supposed to get moving on such a beautiful day?
Elio stretched his arms as he stared out at the lake. He and Lea had decided to stay at the lake until it was time for lunch so that they could catch some fish, and that had seemed like a good idea at the time. After all, it was only a few hours, and they'd gotten into a sort of a rhythm of fishing every day. There was no guarantee that they would be able to find another lake by lunchtime, so they'd stayed.
Then … well, they'd said that they would leave after lunch. And then another half hour. And then another. They'd been moving at such a brisk pace for the last few days, and it was nice to finally be able to relax a little. Besides, it was finally sunny and nice out, and while it wasn't warm, at least it wasn't nearly as cold as it had been. Even the wind had died down to an occasional breeze.
Maybe it was okay to just rest for a day. After all, the reason they'd been moving so quickly at the start was to get away from the others, and then to make sure they stayed far enough away from the storm. Now there was nothing to run from – nothing except the vague idea that maybe some of the others would catch up with them eventually. But how likely was that? They would have to be going in exactly the same direction, chosen exactly the same path.
What were the chances of that?
Not zero, but small enough. Small enough that they could afford to rest for a little while. Lea had settled down on a rock and was tossing pebbles into the water. Elio was watching the birds that were flying high in the sky above, probably as grateful as they were for the favorable weather. All in all, it was a good day to rest. Everyone needed rest every now and then.
Even here. Even in a situation like this. Maybe especially in a situation like this. Especially here, it was important to hold on to anything that seemed … normal. Human. Real. And relaxing by a lake on a beautiful spring day … well, it didn't get more human than that.
"We should probably get going," Lea mumbled after a while, but her heart wasn't in it. If he asked for ten or twenty more minutes, he knew, she would be happy to stay here by the lake a little longer, and then a little more, and eventually it would be too late in the day to really get started.
"Probably," Elio muttered noncommittally. He peered off in the direction they'd been heading. "There's probably another lake that way somewhere…" He trailed off, part of him hoping that she would suggest they stay a little longer.
"Yeah," Lea agreed. "Want another snack first? Maybe some of the applesauce this time? We can finish off the fish for dinner later."
Elio nodded. "Yeah, a snack sounds good."
"You don't think we should…"
"What?"
"Head out first?"
Elio sighed. "We probably should. But according to who? Who said we have to keep moving all the time? Not even the MAAB said that. They just said we had to kill each other. And what was it Ian said at the start? This is a marathon, not a sprint. We don't have to keep moving all the time."
"It's not really even a marathon, then," Lea pointed out.
Elio shrugged. "Okay, so it's not a perfect metaphor. But the point is, it's okay if we're not constantly doing things. We can take a break. We can rest. We can have a snack, go a little farther, and find somewhere to stop for the night. It's okay. We'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
Elio nodded. "We haven't seen anyone for days. We're probably miles away from anyone else. We can stay here a little longer."
Just a little longer.
Kiara Moore, 15
They could keep going a little longer.
Kiara gave Iola's shoulder a squeeze as the older girl leaned on her for support. The going had been slow today despite the good weather. They were all tired. Tired of walking. Tired of sleeping on the rocky ground. Tired of the same food and the same scenery. When the MAAB had told them that this was a fight to the death, she'd been scared, angry, confused, and a whole lot of other things that it was hard to be put into words.
She hadn't expected to be bored.
It was a dull, background sort of boredom. She knew she should be alert, paying attention to every hint of movement, every shadow, every sound. But she was just so tired of being on edge all the time. She still had the group's knife. She had the earplugs they'd found in the pack tucked in her pocket in case Fae needed to scream to save their lives. She was as ready as she could be. But she was just tired of being ready. It was almost enough to make her wish something would happen, just to break the tension.
Almost. Not quite. Because if something happened, that could be very bad for their little group. They'd made it through the boy's attack the first night because he hadn't been armed. He hadn't had anything to fight with, and his power hadn't done him much good, either. But if they came up against someone who was more prepared, or had a more useful power, or just had a friend or two to help them, then they would really be in trouble.
A friend or two. Kiara glanced at Fae and Iola. A few days ago, she might not have thought of them as friends, and the word still came with some strings attached. Well, one big string, really. In order for her to get out of here, one of them would have to die. So she couldn't afford to get too attached.
Still, it was nice to be around people who didn't … well, want something out of her. Or at least, nothing more than she wanted out of them. All three of them were contributing. All three of them were willing to help the others. That was … not usually her experience with other people. Other people were usually the ones doing the asking, and she was usually doing the giving. Sometimes willingly, sometimes reluctantly, but always, in the end, because it was easier than continuing to refuse to help.
Right now, of course, she was helping Iola, but Iola had saved her life when the boy had attacked them. And Fae was the reason they hadn't all died right at the start of the Games. It was nice to be around people who were equals.
But she couldn't help wondering how long it would last.
Iola pointed to a small group of trees up ahead. Kiara nodded. It was as good a place as any to stop for the night, and the sun was beginning to set. They could settle down, have something to eat, and get some rest. For now, that would have to do. Maybe their little … arrangement wouldn't last forever – maybe it couldn't last forever – but it could last a little longer.
And that would have to be good enough.
Florence Roos, 114
She hadn't found anything good enough yet.
Florence shut her eyes again as she crawled along the walls of the cave. It was easier to navigate by feel in bat form, and less likely to be dangerous if she fell. She could fly at least enough to break a fall, and she could grab hold of another part of the wall. Besides, she had a better sense of direction in bat form. It was easier to keep track of which way she'd come.
Not as easy as it would have been if she could hear – if she could use her echolocation – but easier than it would be in human form. But even her bat's eyes weren't doing her any good now that she'd made it farther into the cave. It was bigger inside – easily big enough for a person to stand up – but she still wasn't sure how far it went. And she didn't want to go back and report to the others until … well, until she had something worth reporting.
Besides, they would be fine on their own for a few hours. And it was … refreshing not to have to rely on them. Down here, all she needed to rely on were her claws to keep her balance, and her sense of direction to keep from getting lost. She was going slowly enough that she wasn't going to run into anything – or at least, that she wouldn't get hurt if she did. It was slow, patient work, but she was good at that.
She was good at this.
She was almost enjoying it.
After all, she wasn't likely to run into a fight in here. There were no decisions to make, no life-or-death choices. No agonizing over what might happen in the future, and whether they could change it, or whether they would be here in the morning. There was just the darkness, and the cave, and the other bats.
What they thought of her, she really wasn't sure. She couldn't hear them. She could barely see them, when a speck of light from an opening overhead occasionally cast a dim light on part of the cave. But they hadn't attacked. And one of them had led her here. As long as she didn't do anything to disturb them, she suspected, they weren't likely to bother her.
It would be nice if humans behaved the same way.
Of course, the humans she'd run into recently had a reason to be afraid of her. She'd killed. She'd fed on their blood. She was a vampire, after all, a creature of their nightmares. No, she couldn't really be too angry at them for choosing her.
But Emery? Kenji? They'd never done anything to harm anyone else. That much was clear from their behavior, even if neither of them had said much about their past. They'd never deliberately harmed anyone, and neither of them really wanted to. Oh, they would if they had to, if it would save their lives or protect one of the others, but who wouldn't? And the only reason they were in the position where they might have to now was because the MAAB had chosen them for the Games. If that hadn't happened, it was likely neither of them would have hurt anyone.
Maybe that was why she had been drawn to them, why she was still trying to protect them as much as she could. They were good. They were innocent. Maybe she shouldn't have tried to urge them to fight at the start of the Games. Maybe they would actually be better off without her.
Maybe that was the real reason she hadn't gone back yet.
Florence took a deep breath, taking in the smell. She couldn't really smell anything besides the bats – bats and their guano. That was nice, too. It was nice not to smell blood. The fish they'd caught had been enough to satisfy her, but it wasn't really the same as feeding on blood. But bats … well, bats never smelled very appetizing. It was probably a vampire thing. Wouldn't want to accidentally bite another vampire, after all.
Not that she'd thought about biting Kenji or Emery. Not really. She had more control than that. But if they found another contestant now, if she had the chance … yes, she was hungry. Hungry enough to feed on them if she could. Now that would give the MAAB some good footage.
That was why they'd chosen her, after all. They'd chosen a vampire and a werewolf; they knew what they were getting. Maybe they'd even been expecting them to fight each other, but they would certainly settle for the pair of them attacking someone else. It would have to happen eventually. She'd expected it to happen sooner. But sooner or later, it would come to a fight.
She just hoped the others would be ready.
Dr. Hans Brenner, 75
They hadn't been ready for this.
Hans shook his head as the others gathered around the table, still adjusting cameras and microphones, watching the screens around the room. "There have never been any caves discovered inside the Games radius," Nicholas reasoned, "so we didn't think to look for entrances."
"Bats and caves," Mack muttered. "We chose a vampire, and none of us thought to look for bats and caves."
"We didn't figure on her wanting to find somewhere to hide," Lillian pointed out. "Figured she'd be a fighter, not a runner."
Nicholas sighed. "So we have no cameras inside this cave."
"One," Alvin corrected. "The one I attached to the flashlight we sent Emery. Whatever she sees, we'll see. Unfortunately, that's all we'll see."
Nicholas pinched the bridge of his nose. "That'll have to be good enough. Francine, are the collars still functioning?"
She nodded. "We're still receiving all three signals, but they're fainter – and Florence's is even fainter than the other two. If they go much farther into the cave, we might lose them."
"But if they exit somewhere else, we'd pick them up again, right?" Hans asked.
"Yes."
Hans shrugged. "Then I don't see what all the fuss is about. They have microphones in their collars, so we can at least tell if they're still alive – still breathing. You sent them a camera, so we'll be able to see some of what they're doing. And they have to come out eventually; they don't have any food in there. Emery and Kenji didn't even bring their pack. Just left it out in the open for anyone to find."
"It wasn't going to fit through the opening," Mack reasoned.
Hans sighed. "Not with one of them wearing it, no, but they could have pulled it in after them easily enough."
"They weren't thinking about that," Francine pointed out. "They're just trying to find their friend."
Hans shrugged. "Well, that's their mistake, then. But the point is, they have no supplies down there. They'll have to come out sooner or later – and probably sooner. As soon as the other two find Florence, chances are they'll head back to the surface. So what's the problem?"
Judah leaned back in his chair. "The problem is their collars. Right, Francine?"
"Yes. They won't make it very far now before they have to head back, but now they know that the cave exists. They can go back in whenever they want – along with more supplies. If they venture too far in, we might lose them completely."
Hans raised an eyebrow. "You mean the collars won't work at all?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Francine assured him. "They'll still function as they were designed to. Florence's, for example, will still continue to change size along with her. They'll still deliver a shock if they're tampered with. But if we can't receive a signal from the collars – or send one – then we won't be able to track them … or turn them on and off."
Hans shrugged. "Were we planning to?"
"No, but it's good to have the option."
Hans shook his head. He couldn't really see the problem, but that was all right. It was the team's job to look for problems – even minuscule ones. But as far as he could tell, this wasn't going to be an issue at all.
All they had to do was wait.
"My strength has never depended on brute force … but on true friends."
Okay, that took longer to set up than I thought. I promise contestants will resume dying next chapter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯