Chapter 31
TILDA
The roar of the crowd hits like a physical force the moment we step fully into the arena.
Sound crashes down from the towering stands in waves—tens of thousands of voices blending into a living storm that rattles the bones and vibrates the steel decking beneath my boots.
Massive floodlights blaze overhead, pouring white-gold brilliance across the sprawling terrain until every grain of dust glitters like powdered glass.
I inhale slowly, steadying my nerves.
The air smells hot and metallic, like machinery that’s been running too long under too much strain. Beneath that there’s the faint earthy scent of alien soil and crushed vegetation from the terrain modules that have been dragged in to make the arena feel like a patchwork of hostile worlds.
“Welcome to the Galactic Extreme Challenge finale!” Captain Photonic’s voice booms across the stadium.
The crowd erupts again.
Bron leans closer, his breath warm near my ear.
“Bit of a turnout,” he murmurs.
“Focus.”
“I am focused.”
“You’re smiling.”
“I smile when things try to kill me.”
“That’s deeply concerning.”
“It’s charming.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help smiling too.
Across the arena floor the remaining couples gather at the starting platform.
Vanna and Pajack stand off to our right looking like two professional predators waiting for a starting pistol.
Zack and Dartha exchange a quiet conversation near the edge of the gate, their posture calm in that deceptively relaxed way people adopt when they’re ready to explode into motion.
Five couples.
That’s all that’s left.
The enormous terrain field stretches ahead of us in jagged layers of platforms, trenches, and mechanical hazards. Massive rotating arms sweep through narrow corridors while elevated bridges sway above pits of churned mud and broken rock.
I take a slow breath and study it.
“Remember the plan,” I murmur.
Bron cracks his knuckles.
“Follow the terrifying strategist.”
“Very funny.”
“No, seriously. I’m sticking to you like glue.”
“Please don’t phrase it like that.”
The ground trembles faintly beneath our feet as something massive moves somewhere beyond the central containment wall.
The proto-beast.
Even knowing it’s sealed behind reinforced gates for now doesn’t stop the cold shiver from sliding down my spine.
Captain Photonic’s voice rings out again.
“Contestants, prepare yourselves!”
Massive gates grind open ahead of us with a thunderous mechanical groan.
The crowd’s roar crescendos.
Bron flexes his shoulders beside me.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
“On three?”
“No.”
He grins.
“Fair.”
A deafening horn blasts across the stadium.
The platform beneath us flashes green.
“GO!”
Chaos erupts.
Every couple launches forward at once, boots pounding across the steel grid as the first section of the arena explodes into motion.
“Left!” I shout.
Bron doesn’t hesitate.
We veer hard toward the western corridor just as a rotating steel arm slams down where we’d been standing a heartbeat earlier.
The air whooshes with the force of it.
“Nice call,” he mutters.
“Eyes up!”
The corridor ahead twists through a series of shifting platforms that rise and fall like a mechanical tide. Each step has to be precise, timed with the slow grinding rhythm of the machinery beneath our feet.
I scan the pattern.
Three platforms rise.
One drops.
Two shift sideways.
“Follow my steps!” I shout.
Bron stays half a pace behind me, matching my movements exactly.
The metal plates shudder beneath our boots as we sprint across them.
Behind us someone yells.
I glance back just in time to see one of the other couples misjudge the timing. A platform dips suddenly, pitching them sideways into a tangle of swinging barriers.
“Damn,” Bron mutters.
“Don’t look back!”
We leap the final gap just as the next hazard activates.
A wall of spinning blades drops from the ceiling.
Not lethal—this show loves injuries but not lawsuits—but the edges look sharp enough to break bones.
“Duck!” I shout.
Bron grabs my waist and yanks me down as the blades whip overhead with a screaming metallic whine.
“Little warning next time,” he says.
“I did warn you!”
“That was more of a suggestion!”
“Run!”
We burst out of the corridor and into a wider section of terrain where the ground slopes downward into a maze of barriers and mechanical traps.
Dust rises beneath our boots as we race across the uneven surface.
The heat of the stadium lights presses against my skin.
Sweat slides down the back of my neck.
“Next section!” Bron says.
“I see it.”
Ahead of us a series of narrow bridges stretch across a deep trench filled with swirling mud and jagged debris.
Each bridge tilts unpredictably.
“Balance test,” Bron mutters.
“And speed,” I reply.
We sprint toward the first one.
The bridge rocks violently the moment my weight hits it.
“Easy,” Bron murmurs behind me.
“I know!”
The wood flexes under our combined weight as we run.
Halfway across another couple charges onto the adjacent bridge.
Vanna.
She locks eyes with me across the gap.
“Don’t fall,” she calls with a grin.
“Planning not to.”
The bridge tilts sharply.
Bron lunges forward and grabs my arm before I can slip.
“Got you.”
“Thanks.”
“Try not to die before the fun part.”
“Encouraging.”
We leap the final gap just as the bridge collapses behind us with a tremendous splash of mud.
The stadium erupts in cheers.
Bron glances up at the massive screens overhead.
“Think they like us.”
“Keep moving.”
We reach the next terrain module—a labyrinth of vertical steel pylons that rise and sink into the ground like enormous pistons.
I watch their rhythm.
Up.
Pause.
Down.
The pattern repeats every four seconds.
“Wait,” I say.
Bron halts instantly.
“You sure?”
“Three beats.”
The pylons slam down again with earth-shaking force.
“Now!”
We dash forward.
The ground shakes as the next piston crashes down inches behind Bron’s heels.
He laughs breathlessly.
“Oh that’s fantastic.”
“You’re insane.”
“Adrenaline is a lifestyle.”
We weave through the final row and burst out into the open.
The arena widens dramatically here.
And the sound changes.
A deep, resonant growl rolls across the terrain like distant thunder.
My stomach tightens.
“Bron,” I whisper.
“Yeah.”
“Look.”
The central containment enclosure towers ahead of us, its reinforced barriers humming with energy fields.
Inside it—
Something massive shifts.
Scales scrape against steel.
A tail the size of a transport vehicle lashes against the barrier with enough force to make the structure vibrate.
The proto-beast.
Even from this distance it’s enormous.
Bron whistles softly.
“That’s a big lizard.”
“Focus.”
“Focused.”
The path ahead curves along the outer edge of the enclosure, a narrow route between the containment wall and a field of automated hazards.
Other couples are converging toward it from different directions.
“Traffic,” Bron mutters.
“Stay close.”
We sprint toward the entry point.
The first obstacle slams into motion the moment we approach.
Massive swinging gates sweep across the path like pendulums.
“Timing,” I say quickly.
“After the second swing.”
The gate whooshes past us.
One.
Two.
“Go!”
We dash through.
The wind from the next gate brushes my back as it swings down behind us.
Bron laughs.
“That one tried.”
“Don’t celebrate yet.”
We push forward along the narrow route.
The enclosure wall hums beside us, vibrating with the suppressed power of whatever’s inside.
A low growl rumbles through the structure.
I feel it in my ribs.
“Does that thing know we’re here?” Bron asks.
“Probably.”
“That’s comforting.”
Ahead of us the terrain rises sharply toward the final stage platform.
But between us and that platform—
A massive reinforced gate.
Behind it the proto-beast shifts again, its enormous silhouette pacing restlessly.
The announcer’s voice echoes through the arena.
“Contestants approaching the final stage!”
The crowd roars.
Bron slows slightly beside me.
“Looks like we made it.”
“Almost.”
I study the final stretch carefully.
Traps.
Moving barriers.
And the containment gate holding back the largest predator I’ve ever seen.
Bron glances down at me.
“Still got a plan?”
“Always.”
“Good.”
I take a steady breath and step forward toward the final stage of the challenge.