"Kae!"Two small bodies crashed into me before I could even process what was happening. Cent and Vivi's arms wrapped around my waist, their faces buried against my chest as they sobbed my name over and over."We missed you so much," Vivi whispered through her tears. "We thought we'd never see you again."Cent pulled back to look at me, his eyes red and puffy. "Everything feels empty without you...." His voice cracked. “We wondered how we'll be able to survive now that you're gone. Thankfully, Mila has been a huge help.”Relief washed over me as I squeezed them into a tight hug, my own vision blurring. "I'm here now. I'm here."Over their heads, I caught Kambi watching us with an unreadable expression. She gave me a small wink before quietly excusing herself from the room, leaving the candidates to their reunions."How are you even here?" I asked, still holding them tight."Mila brought us," Cent said, gesturing across the room where I spotted a familiar figure embracing Tobi.Mila loo

Wind roared past my ears, shredding the sound of collective wail of terror of the unluckies that seemed to tear the sky apart. Aside from rank A, B and some C with parachutes, three-quarters of the sky remained broken, bodies spinning, flailing, crying out until their voices vanished in the gravity fall.Voices cracked and broke as people shrieked for anyone who might save them. The screams layered over each other in a horrific symphony of the doomed, punctuated by the rush of wind. I tumbled through empty space, my stomach lurching into my throat. I clawed desperately at the air like I could slow myself, like panic could grant me wings. But I had no parachute. Only gravity’s grip.Terror consumed every rational thought as the ground rushed toward us with murderous intent.Through the chaos, I spotted one of the boys from earlier—the alliance group. His parachute had deployed, the white canopy billowing above him like salvation itself. I kicked frantically through the air, stretchin

The maze looked like a coffin with death closely behind us as it came pounding on heavy boots.I looked around to search for any clue when I noticed a ticking sound that made me pause."Wait," I hissed, throwing my arm out to stop the group."Do you hear that?" I asked."Hear what?" Tobi asked"The sound of a clock ticking but mechanical. I don't know how to describe it because it's faint.""Everyone, let's turn back. Now!"The blonde girl glared at me as I walked past her. "Are you insane? He's right behind us!" with the other two players joining in the protest. They refused to go with us, hoping we would become a distraction for them to escape. "Tobi," I grabbed his shoulder. "You hear that, right? The ticking?"Tobi cocked his head, frowning. "Hear what? I don't—"Then a loud ‘CLANG!’ heard and I think Tobi heard it because he stared at meSuddenly, metal spikes shot from the walls like deadly flowers blooming, impaling the three Participants who'd refused to listen. Their scream

I'd always wondered what dying would feel like. Turns out, it's a lot like drowning in a giant snake's stomach while there's someone somewhere waiting to shoot at you. Pain. Wood. Liquid. The three sensations hit me in rapid succession as consciousness slammed back into my battered body.Note to self: next time I'm swallowed by a giant serpent, remember to pack a life jacket.My hands flailed desperately until they found a log—part of the shattered bridge—and I pulled myself up, coughing and sputtering.‘I'm alive. Somehow, impossibly, I'm alive.’I looked around in horror at my new prison. The serpent's stomach was a vast, cathedral-like chamber with ribbed walls that pulsed with each heartbeat. Floating debris drifted everywhere—chunks of wood, torn clothing, and... bodies. The corpses of other players bobbed in the murky fluid like grotesque life preservers.The liquid itself was a nightmare of colors—sickly green swirling with crimson streaks, like infected blood. Phosphorescen

My vision blurred as I watched them descend, each blink sending waves of pain through my skull. The wound on my side had turned an ugly purple color, and I could feel something wrong spreading through my bloodstream like ice water.‘I need to get to the green airdrop.’My system's display flickered weakly in the corner of my vision: HEALTH: TEN PERCENT. STATUS: TOXIN DETECTED. TIME TO PARALYSIS: THIRTY-NINE MINUTES, FORTY-TWO SECONDS.Thirty-nine minutes before I'm completely dead.The green airdrop was about two hundred meters ahead. Even from this distance, I could see at least fifteen survivors converging on it like sharks smelling blood. I crouched behind a fallen log, gripping my serpent knife with trembling fingers. My gut told me to stay put—wait it out, then pick through whatever scraps remained. But time wasn't a luxury I had.The survivors hit the airdrop at once. A redhead with a crossbow put a bolt straight through some kid's throat before his fingers even grazed the