The tornado released us without warning, sending us plummeting toward the ground like broken dolls. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact that would end everything—But instead of hard earth, we hit something soft and slippery. Massive leaves, thick as mattresses, caught our fall and sent us sliding down their curved surfaces until we rolled to a stop on solid ground.I groaned, checking myself for injuries. Bruised ribs, cuts from debris, but nothing broken. Around me, the others were picking themselves up with similar relieved expressions."Everyone alive?" I called out."Define alive," Tobi muttered, spitting out sand.As I stood, I realized why the tornado had stopped so abruptly. The ground beneath us was solid asphalt and concrete. An abandoned town with streets and sidewalks that couldn't sustain a sandstorm. Without loose sand to fuel it, the tornado had simply dissipated.But this wasn't just any abandoned town. It was completely overrun by vegetation that looked like it

I expected threats, maybe a beating, not something as sick as this. I watched in horror as Bitus pointed at another group of participants, his voice carrying across the camp with brutal authority. "You three. Go find where they're hiding. Bring back proof, or don't come back at all."Three terrified people scrambled to obey, their faces showing they knew death awaits whether they return or not. "We have seen what we came for," Vira whispered beside me. "We should leave before we get caught too.""No." The word came out harder than I intended. "I won't let Jokob and Kingsley die in that cage.""That's how the game works, Kae." Her voice was cold, practical. "This is exactly why—""If you're so lacking in empathy, maybe you should switch places with him," I snapped.She groaned in frustration. "This is why I don't want to ally with you. You make everything unnecessarily difficult."Before she could continue arguing, a commotion erupted in the camp below. Guards dragged three prisoner

The air hissed with lethal energy, lightning stitching the world shut around us. Behind was certain death, below unknown terror. All eyes waited for me to decide. Suddenly, two familiar figures stumbled toward us through the smoking ruins of Bitus's camp. "Kae!" Jokob's voice cracked with relief as he and Kingsley reached us, both bleeding from multiple cuts but miraculously alive. "So glad to see you." Kingsley shrugs. "Guess, I wouldn't be alive if not for you." He sounded nonchalant about it. Not like I blame him. The lightning web, fifteen feet away was closing in fast. No time for detailed reunions. I updated them on what's going on. "I'm with Vira," Jokob said immediately, not even hesitating. "Jump and deal with whatever's down there. Running will just get us fried." Kingsley shook his head vigorously. "No way. Tobi's right—we run. There has to be another route we haven't seen yet. Jumping blind is suicide." Their split decision landed on me like a crushing wei

Silence had never felt so deadly. We were one sound away from dying. The first Wendigo’s terrifying eyes snapped toward us. Then, they locked on me. The world stopped breathing with me. Instinct hit before reason. I grabbed Little’s hand, pulling him close, both of us pressed against the wall as the creature’s wet, ragged breath filled the tunnel.Its head tilted, bones cracking like twigs as that empty, rotting face fixed on our hiding place. I could hear my heartbeat pounding against the stone wall that it felt too loud. One sound, one mistake, and we were dead.Then it stood still and I saw what It was trying to do. It was listening and waiting. I squeezed Little's trembling hand to assure him that everything will be ok.Then, as luck will have it, it walked past us, giving us a chance to slide out."Follow my lead," I whispered. "Only Move when I move." Little nodded. We slid past the creature, our bodies pressed against the cold stone wall. Its rotting stench filled my no

The cave convulsed like a living thing, coughing dust and regret into the air. I stumbled through falling debris, blood pounding in my ears, eyes locked on the boulder that sealed Little's fate. Each quake whispered the same truth: you failed him. "Are you completely insane?" Tobi's familiar voice cut through the chaos as strong arms grabbed my shirt and yanked me backward. I hit the ground hard, the boulder slamming into the spot where I'd been standing a heartbeat before. "Standing under a collapsing ceiling like some kind of death wish?" He hauled me to my feet, his grip firm on my arm. I looked up into his concerned face, and another set of guilt began eating me up again. "Tobi... how did you—" His eyes swept the cavern, taking in the destruction. Then they settled on me with a question I couldn't bear to answer. "Where's Little?" The words died in my throat. I met his gaze, and I watched understanding dawn across his features like a slow-spreading stain.