Chapter Three
Two weeks passed, and Audrey was starting to feel like the walls of her room were closing in on her.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, with the long-range radio in her lap, the volume dropped low so no one passing by in the hallway could hear.
The curtains were drawn, and the only light came from the lamp on her nightstand.
She pressed the button on the side of the radio and spoke quietly into the receiver.
“Shauna, I feel like I’m going crazy in here.”
The radio crackled, and then Shauna’s voice came through, slightly distorted.
“How are you holding up?”
“Not great,” Audrey admitted, letting out a long breath. “The first Doors Open Day already happened, and Morgath the Skullreaper didn’t show up.”
“Sorry.”
“It happens only once a month, damn it. I sat in my room the whole time because I didn’t want to risk some random orc choosing me, but I kept waiting for Monica to come get me. She never did.”
There was a pause on the other end. Shauna didn’t know what to say.
“Anyway,” Audrey continued. “Anything to report?”
“We’ve got the base set up,” Shauna said. “The abandoned lodge is perfect. Far enough from the town that no one will stumble across us, but close enough that we can keep watch.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“Tyler, Cole, Owen, and Natalie have been taking shifts monitoring the town,” Shauna continued. “About a week ago, Morgath sent a group of orcs out on some kind of mission. They still haven’t come back, so it’s probably something that’s going to take a while.”
Audrey frowned. “Do you know what the mission is about? Where they went?”
“No idea. Could be anything. A supply run, a meeting with another horde… Who knows?”
“And other than that? Any other activity?”
“Nothing significant,” Shauna said. “The horde seems to be going about their normal routines. Hunting, patrolling, doing whatever orcs do when they’re not killing people.”
Audrey didn’t laugh at the joke.
“I talked to Monica,” she said. “I begged her to schedule Doors Open Days more often.”
“What did she say?”
“She was hesitant at first. Said it wasn’t standard procedure, and it would draw attention if she changed things up.” Audrey picked at a loose thread on her blanket. “But I kept pushing, and she eventually gave in.”
“So, there’s another one coming up?”
“Three days from now,” Audrey said. “Monica already sent word to all the hordes in the area, including Morgath’s.”
“Do you think he’ll show up this time?”
Audrey was quiet for a moment, staring at the wall across from the bed. The paint was peeling near the ceiling, and there was a water stain in the corner that she’d been looking at for two weeks now. She knew every inch of this room, every crack and imperfection, and she was so tired of it.
“I don’t know,” she finally said. “But I have to hope.”
Shauna’s voice softened through the radio.
“Hang in there, Audrey. It’s only been two weeks.”
“I know.”
“And even if Morgath doesn’t show up, this isn’t the end,” Shauna continued. “If this plan doesn’t work out, just think of your time at the institute as a vacation. Rest. Relax. Take care of yourself. Then when you’re ready, come back to us, and we’ll make a new plan.”
Audrey felt something loosen in her chest.
“Thanks, Shauna.”
“Always. Check in again soon?”
“I will.”
They signed off, and Audrey set the radio aside on the bed.
She sat there, just breathing, trying to let Shauna’s words sink in.
A vacation. She almost laughed at the idea.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a vacation, or even the last time she’d done something just because she wanted to, and not because it served the mission in some way.
The next three days passed in a blur of restless energy and forced patience.
Audrey spent most of her time in her room, working out because it was the only thing that kept her mind from spinning.
She did push-ups in the morning, counting them out until her arms burned.
Sit-ups in the afternoon, focusing on the rhythm of the movement, the way her muscles contracted and released.
And squats in the evening, her thighs aching by the time she finished.
But it was a good ache, productive. The kind that told her she was doing something useful with all the nervous energy building up inside her.
Working out had always been her way of coping, ever since she was a teenager.
When her mind wouldn’t stop racing, when the memories threatened to overwhelm her, she could always count on her body to ground her.
There was something calming about the discipline of it, the way she could focus on the simple mechanics of movement and let everything else fade away.
She avoided the other tributes as much as possible.
She didn’t go to most of the classes, didn’t eat meals in the common dining room, and didn’t make small talk in the hallways.
Monica covered for her and told the other staff that Audrey was dealing with personal matters and needed space. It wasn’t entirely a lie.
At night, Audrey barely slept. She would lie in bed staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying the plan over and over.
She thought about every possible outcome, every way things could go right, and every way they could go wrong.
She thought about what she would do if Morgath the Skullreaper chose her, how she would act, what she would say.
She thought about what she would do if he didn’t choose her, if he picked someone else, or if he didn’t show up at all.
The waiting was the hardest part. It was worse than any fight she’d ever been in, worse than the long nights of tracking and surveillance, and worse than the moments before a kill, when her heart pounded and her hands shook.
In a fight, at least she could do something.
She could act, react, move. Here, all she could do was wait and try not to lose her mind.
Finally, Doors Open Day arrived.
Audrey was in her room doing another set of push-ups, her arms trembling slightly as she lowered herself to the floor and pushed back up. She had lost count somewhere around fifty but kept going.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
She froze mid-push-up, then scrambled to her feet and grabbed the phone. The screen showed a text from Monica.
He’s here. Come down now.
For a moment, Audrey just stood there staring at the message. She could feel her pulse racing in her throat. This was it. After two weeks of waiting, after years of planning and training, this was finally it.
She ran to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her hair was damp with sweat, and her face was flushed.
Her hair had grown a little longer since she’d arrived at the institute, just past her ears now, still shorter than she wanted but better than before.
She stripped off her workout clothes and turned on the sink, splashing cold water on her face and under her arms. There was no time for a proper shower, so she grabbed a towel and dried off as quickly as she could.
She went to the closet and pulled out the sexiest dress she owned. It was tight and dark green, and it showed off her curves, which was the most important part. She pulled it on, tugging at the fabric until it sat right, then went back to the mirror.
Her hands shook as she applied red lipstick. She added a bit of eyeshadow, something she rarely did, darkening her lids just enough to make her blue eyes stand out. When she was done, she looked at herself and barely recognized the woman staring back at her.
She looked soft. Feminine. Two words that definitely didn’t define her.
Audrey took a deep breath, steadied herself, and walked out of her room.
Monica was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
“What took you so long?”
“Sorry.”
The institute was busy with the Doors Open Day, and Audrey could hear voices and movement coming from the main hall, where the tributes were gathered. But Monica didn’t lead her that way. Instead, she grabbed Audrey’s arm and pulled her quickly down a side hallway, away from the noise.
Monica stopped in front of a door and turned to face Audrey.
“Are you ready?”
Audrey nodded, not trusting her voice to answer.
Her friend opened the door and ushered her inside.
The room was one of the sitting rooms that the tributes used to relax, read books, or watch TV. It was simple but comfortable, with a worn couch against one wall, and a couple of armchairs arranged around a low coffee table. The curtains were open, letting in the gray afternoon light.
But Audrey barely noticed any of that, because all she could see was him.
Morgath the Skullreaper stood near the window, his massive frame filling the space in a way that made the room feel awfully small.
He was even bigger than she had imagined, taller and broader than any orc she’d seen before.
His green skin was covered in scars. Long, black hair fell in waves down his shoulders, and tattoos covered his entire back and arms, the intricate patterns marking him as a captain.
But it was the skull he wore that made her freeze.
The massive, horned skull covered his entire head, hiding his face completely.
Up close, it was absolutely terrifying. The bone was yellowed and ancient, and the curved horns jutted out from the sides like weapons.
The hollow eye sockets were dark and empty.
They seemed to stare straight through her, seeing everything she was trying to hide.
Audrey had imagined this moment a thousand times. But standing here now, looking at the skull and the massive warrior who wore it, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Real fear.
Her body froze. Her mind went blank. All she could do was stand there, staring at the creature in front of her, unable to move, speak, or even breathe.