27. Astor
TWENTY-SEVEN
ASTOR
I’m not quite to the meeting point, and it’s getting close to the time.
My head is on a swivel. I don’t want to miss it, and I don’t trust my phone to take me to exact GPS coordinates with how bad the service is out here.
It’s close to campus but somewhere out in what feels like the middle of a wooded area.
The brush is knee-deep, and I feel like I’ll never get out of the dense woods.
There has to be a better way to get to this place, but since all I have is a location, I can’t pinpoint a trail. Maybe if I’d had more time, but I might miss it as it is.
Fuck. I try to pick up my speed, but there are too many thorny vines. Goddamn it.
Arms wrap around me from behind, and a hand goes over my mouth. I freeze, my stomach in my throat.
Calm the fuck down. This is what you are here for.
But how did someone sneak up on me? I would have heard the branches breaking.
I hate it, and my entire body wants to fight, but I force myself to remain still.
“Don’t move,” a familiar voice whispers in my ear. “And don’t say a word.”
What the fuck?
My mind races, but I can’t ask.
She told me not to say anything.
“I’m going to lead you out, but I didn’t help you. Do you understand? Nod if you do.” Viv’s voice is barely audible.
I nod.
She takes her hand off my mouth and waves for me to follow her.
Did she follow me? I would have thought she’d be with Legacy tonight.
The hair on the back of my neck raises. We still haven’t talked about her being in Legacy or why she joined.
Did her father encourage it like mine did?
I hate not knowing what’s going on around me.
I’m clearly not being cautious enough, which just puts her life in danger as much as mine.
This is why I can’t have anyone near me. It’s not worth putting them at risk. I’m a bomb waiting to go off, and I don’t want to take any of them with me when all the promises that were made for me come to collect.
She stops at the edge of an abandoned parking lot in the middle of nowhere. What was it even doing here? There is a large bonfire burning in the center near what looks like a dilapidated bus stop. I’d been in such dense forest I hadn’t seen even a flicker of the light.
She gives me a slight push, and I understand her meaning. She can’t come with me. I take a step out into the concrete by myself.
“We’ve got another one,” one of the masked men calls. “Get over here. Another minute, and we’d have started without you.”
I jog over, swallowing back the building dread.
It can’t be worse than the last one, and I held my own that time.
I join a few other unmasked figures standing near the bonfire.
“Anyone else joining us?” the guy with the Anubis mask asks, sweeping the tree-line with his gaze.
I search for Rurik’s mask, but I don’t see it.
There doesn’t seem to be as many members this time.
That worries me. I half-knew what to expect from the last trial, but this one, I don’t know at all.
I scoured the internet, and there’s nothing.
Not even a hint at what the event might be.
But that gives me some hope. It means most who make it to this stage get in.
Either that, or they’re made to sign NDAs, but I choose to think it’s the former for my own sanity.
“Last call.” He strolls further into the dark, hands clasped behind his back. “Do my scouts have any spies or stragglers?”
There is a beat of silence, then a few voices call out.
“None here.”
“Nope.”
“I got nothing.”
None of them are Rurik, but maybe I can’t see him.
“Then let’s begin.” He returns to the center in front of the flames, standing much closer than I imagine is comfortable.
“Congratulations on figuring out the puzzle. It’s an impressive feat.
This year’s was harder than we’ve ever made it before.
Solving it shows many of your talents and out of the box thinking.
” He pauses, letting his words settle over us.
“That being said, this is where most of you will fail, and I won’t apologize for it.
It takes a special type to be successful in our world, and we don’t wish to give you false hope.
We can only accept those who will integrate seamlessly.
We don’t have time to try and make you one of us. You must already be ruthless.”
He’s just trying to discourage us. And for most, even the smartest of the students who get into an ivy, this life isn’t for them.
They’d have to do a lot of things none of them would be able to stomach.
But I’ve already had to face far too many choices I didn’t think I could survive.
Most people have no idea what some of the population are capable of.
“The rules are simple. You must survive until dawn.”
My heart stalls in my chest. It’s after midnight. That’s at least six hours.
What are we going to do for six hours?
I’m getting ahead of myself. I slow down and wait for more instructions.
“Each of you will be assigned a color.” Anubis picks up a bucket and dumps it on the ground.
There are glow necklaces and bracelets in different colors.
But not cheap ones. These look like collars with locks on the back.
“They have GPS trackers that will begin pinging at sunrise so we can come collect you.”
Does he expect us to get lost so close to campus? Maybe it’s a precaution.
Skull masks descended around him, each taking a color and walking towards us.
I’m approached with a green collar. He steps around me, buckles it around my neck, then clicks a lock into place.
The same goes for one wrist and one ankle.
They are put over our clothes and locked tight, so there’s not a chance to tuck them under.
Even if it was possible to hide one or two of them, I doubt anyone could conceal all three.
Anubis dumps another bucket. “These are nonlethal weapons. Mostly.” He spreads them out with his foot. “Take your pick. It will be all you have to defend yourself with for the rest of the night.”
I rush forward, not leaving it to chance that I get something I can’t use. Quickly taking in what there is, I need to decide fast.
Sling shot.
Taser.
Pepper spray.
Dull sword.
Baseball bat.
Baton.
Kubaton.
Brass knuckles.
A gun with rubber bullets.
Darts.
Flash bangs.
Canisters that look like tear gas.
“Choose carefully and know that anything you pick, your hunters will pick something in a similar vein.”
Fuck. I’m torn. I can do a lot of damage with a dull sword, but how much will it slow me down?
I don’t need anything heavy. It will be better to try and hide.
I’m sure there will be rules about not going inside anywhere.
But there aren’t that many of them. So as long as I get away fast, I should be able to keep myself hidden, even if some of them are probably expert trackers.
I grab the small taser and pocket it. Hand to hand for everything else will work for me. Most of them aren’t Rurik’s size, and I’m well matched.
“Excellent,” Anubis says once we all pick.
My pulse thunders in my ears because my heart must have finally kicked itself into gear.
Blinding lights flick on, and I put my hand up, knowing this will fuck my night vision. A large white paneled van pulls forward.
“Get in.”
Confusion washes through the group.
Anubis laughs. “You didn’t think we’d let you do this in a familiar place, did you?”
We pile into the van surrounded by masked figures. Still no sign of Rurik, but he’s the least of my concerns. I need to know where they are taking us so I can form a new plan. But they blindfold us and the van starts moving.
Fuck.
At least an hour passes before the van slows. We step out and are directed to take off our blindfolds.
We are in another nondescript parking lot, but this one is surrounded by endless dark. There isn’t even the glow of a city anywhere in the distance. We are truly in the middle of nowhere.
“White Mountain National Forest is three quarters of a million acres. You can go at least a hundred miles in any direction from here without finding any civilization.” He scans us.
“If you happen to make it back to any of the roads and try to hitchhike out of here, you’ll be disqualified.
You can defend yourself with anything on your person in any way you deem fit.
If you are captured and brought back, you lose.
If you make it to sunrise, sit tight and wait for us to come find you.
We will be carrying a white flag so you know you’re safe to go with us and have won. Any questions?”
“What if we run into a bear?” one of the guys asks.
“Bears are the least of your concern out there tonight,” Anubis says dismissively.
“But—”
Anubis cuts him off. “The National Forest is crawling with past and present Legacy members, both to hunt you and for your protection. If you are more scared of the wildlife than of them, I can assure you, just yell. They’ll come ‘rescue’ you. Anyone else?”
The rest of us remain silent.
“There are camel packs for each of you.”
The members in skull masks hand them out. I put mine on and click the chest clips before adjusting the straps so it won’t make noise or chafe.
“You have a fifteen-minute head start, but remember: plenty of us are already out there with the means to track you, so running far and fast won’t save you.
This isn’t a race, it’s an escape, and you are outnumbered.
You will always be outnumbered, whether facing law enforcement or a rival group, or infiltrating a compound.
It will often be you against everyone else, and you need to learn now how to rely on yourself if you want this life. ”
Silence closes in around us as we process his words.
“Do you understand?”
We all murmur some form of agreement, and he takes out a stopwatch.
“Good luck. You’ll need it.”