20. 20 – Alyss
20 – Alyss
N one of us have breath to waste on words, even if we could speak with the distance between us.
One of them is always in my line of sight. Chess, Hatter, even Buck. They weave in and out, somehow forming a pattern that means one of them is always close by.
Buck twists, his head turning as the twin screams his brother’s name. Distracted, just for a moment.
The scream threatens to shred the few ragged pieces left of my heart.
Everyone is distracted by the agony in that scream.
Kayden.
And I can’t.
I can’t.
Buck misses the moment that I move. My feet fly across the ground, blisters burning beneath the stupid patent shoes as I run.
Because Kayden’s twin isn’t turning. He’s not turning around, and they’re going to kill him if he doesn’t fucking move —
The bullet hits the ground beside us, dust flying up as I run straight into him, shoving him off to the side and praying he’s as adaptable as he was when I ran into him the first time. “ Get away !”
Behind me, Buck is shouting my name. Chess and Hatter join him. I ignore them, twisting even as my feet keep moving and I dart around a tree, turning back in a wide u-turn as my eyes sweep the group, searching. My breath seesaws in and out of my lungs in painful movement as I spot Kayden.
He’s going to fall.
His knee is buckling with every step.
He’s going to fall. His twin will run to him, and they’ll both die for it.
For each other.
I can’t do anything. I’m not allowed to run with him, I can’t help him.
Turn away.
But I – I can’t. Something about that scream, the agony in it, the familiarity of it.
Because I screamed for Adam that way.
I screamed for him, screamed until my vocal chords tore beneath the weight of my grief, but it was already too late.
The twin is turning again, twisting to look for his brother.
The seconds tick away. I’m running out of time.
My feet speed up, pounding against the ground. I whip past the twin, running past him as I make a beeline to where Kayden staggers.
It’s not going to work. It’s a foolish, ridiculous idea, but Kayden grunts as I shove my arm around his waist. “What the fuck are you doing?”
He sounds livid. His weight leans on me before he tries to pull away.
“Don’t stop,” I snap. I take some of his weight. “Keep going! Make a circle.”
“You can’t,” he snarls. “Don’t be a fucking idiot!”
“We’re not running together,” I gasp. “I’m not breaking the rules.”
I shout it then, shout it at the top of my lungs for them to hear in case of any bullets primed to fly my way. I suck in my breath and roar those words at Red and her fucking investors. “I’m not breaking any of your damn rules!”
Because we’re not running together . We’re running in opposite directions.
“Stay in a circle,” I tighten my grip on him. “We stay tight, we can keep running.”
I’m running one way. He’s running another. But my body is pressed against his, our sides plastered together as we run in a tight circle, around and around and around.
But we’re still running . Still in the game, even if it’s awkward and stumbling.
I’m holding a little of his weight, taking it off his knee.
Hopefully enough.
His arm raises to under my neck, pressing against the air there as he holds on. “I’ll fucking strangle you if we keep this up. Let go . I’m already finished.”
“No,” I rasp. “Your twin will be dead if you stop. Don’t fucking stop.”
“Why the fuck do you care ?” His fingers grip my shoulder. “Why bother?”
I shake my head, trying to save my breath when his arm rests against my throat, further tightening my circulation. “L-later.”
We don’t talk after that. Our breathing merges, harsh and staggering as we keep up that tight circle of movement. Kayden tries to keep his arm as loose as he can, but the stumbling becomes more frequent.
But nobody shoots us.
Kayden is right, though. We can’t keep this up for long. His weight is too much for me to keep running with his body leaning on mine.
And I’m starting to get dizzy.
“That’s what they’re waiting for,” he gasps. “They’re waiting for you to fall. Let me go, damn you.”
They can keep fucking waiting.
“I won’t fall.”
Chess runs past me, his head twisting. He looks absolutely fucking furious with me. “Get away from him.”
I shake my head, not wasting the breath.
Hatter and Buck start circling us. Hatter moves in. “Swap with me. I can take him for a while.”
“N-no.” I blink away the sweat in my eyes. “If I stop, I’m going down.”
Kayden twists, his breath hot against my ear, but he doesn’t say anything.
And then he loses his knee altogether.
Every muscle in my body screams as I heave him up. His other foot hops before he regains his balance. “Shit – you okay?”
My vision darkens. “Yeah.”
“She’s not.” Buck darts past. “Jesus, Trouble. Which one of these assholes do we like the least?”
Even my thoughts feel foggy. “What?”
He disappears from my view. We run for a few more seconds, Kayden’s breathing just as heavy as mine.
A shout rings out. A thud.
And then – a gunshot .
I nearly stumble at that, and suddenly it’s Kayden keeping me upright. “Who was – who was that?”
He scans behind me. But his grip tightens, just a little. “I can’t see.”
My heart thumps.
Not them. Not them.
A loud siren blasts through the clearing.
“ The race has finished . You may now stop running .”
We don’t stop. We collapse, both of us. I hit the ground hard, my body shaking as I try and fail to push myself up. Small rocks cut into my cheek, my palms, my bare arms.
My entire body is soaked with sweat.
Hours, we’ve been running.
But we made it.
Hands grab at me, rolling me over. Nausea surges, and I twist from them to lose the small amount of whatever the fuck is left in my body to the ground.
Hatter pushes my hair out of my face. He answers the question on my face before I can voice it. “Chess is fine. He’s here.”
But my muscles don’t unclench. “Buck—,”
“Aw, Trouble. Were you worried about me?”
I crane my head to look. He appears above me, a slow grin curling his lips. “That was interesting.”
Chess leans in next to him. He still looks angry at me. “You genuinely have the worst fucking ideas.”
I cough. But I find the energy to offer him my middle finger. “How – who—,”
Who died?
“Ask Buck,” Hatter mutters. “He worked a little interference .”
My eyes dart back to him. “You… you tripped someone? On purpose?”
Buck only winks, no hint of apology in his face. He keeps his voice low. “Don’t broadcast it. I made it look like an accident.”
My head thumps back into the ground. “Damn it, Buck.”
“You were about to pass out.” His voice tightens. “You’re welcome.”
I blink. Buck…saved my life. In a slightly disturbing way, but still. He told me he wouldn’t, told me he wouldn’t risk his pretty face for me… but he did. “Tell me it wasn’t the other twin.”
“See for yourself.” Hatter lifts me carefully. Every muscle groans in protest as I sit up. Hatter’s arm wraps around me as he holds me steady.
I let out a long, shuddering breath. Kayden has his arms wrapped around his twin, his hand cupping his brother’s head as he listens to whatever he’s saying, his brows furrowed. His frown only deepens as he glances over to me.
But he doesn’t look angry. He looks at me as if… as if I’m a puzzle he’s trying to work out.
I slump against Hatter, soaking in the warmth of his body. “Why do you all look as if you’ve got a warm glow from an hour of gentle jogging, and I feel as though I’ve drowned in a vat of my own sweat?”
Seriously. They’re all too pretty for their own damn good.
Hatter presses his lips together as if he’s trying not to laugh. “She needs water.”
Chess helps him to lift me, steadying my trembling legs. “The sun will be coming up soon. We ran for a long time.”
Hours, if he’s right.
“Please say they’ll let us rest in between these shitshows,” I mutter. Hatter nods, and I sag in relief. A crackling sound ripples, and everyone tenses.
“Participants,” Red trills. “What a wonderful evening of entertainment you’ve provided. Eight of you remain to take part in tomorrow’s festivities, and we have quite the party planned. In the meantime, you’ll want to get some rest in.”
The sound cuts out. More crackling. “ Please proceed to the elevator .”
My legs stumble beneath me, and Chess swings me up against his chest. “One night down.”
Two more to go.
But in the euphoria of surviving our first night, none of us mention it.
Sighing, I let my head fall against Chess’s chest. “A shower is screaming my name. Very fucking loudly.”
Even in that horrific excuse for a communal bathroom.