Page 128 of Off the Rails

Blade had found it too, kneeling closer to examine the pattern. “It’s her.”

And it pointed toward Alien Assault, an outdoor shooting ride that required the player to man a turret mounted to the top of their cabin.

Blade laughed, rubbing the metal tips of her axes against each other. “This way.”

71

TESS

The sound of my own breath was starting to make me want to crawl out of my skin.

In the darkness, there was no way to know how long I’d been hidden, tucked away in the admission booth inside Alien Assault. Just past my hiding spot, cabins with mounted turrets whizzed by on the tracks below the loading platform.

The light churning was loud at first, but it died down: no competition for the churning of my lungs.

It’s going to give me away.

Which was a silly thought because I’d chosen the hiding spot because the rides obscured slight noises I might make.

Plus, sitting next to the ride was less nauseating than sitting in the teacups for hours. It provided an easier escape than the log flume, giving me a chance to either hop on the ride or return to the park and run.

Even still, after the green lights flashed overhead, I could hear Nash and Blade’s periodic taunts — the way they shouted and hollered across the park. As intimidating as it was, it was a good reminder of what I was doing here.

Stay quiet. Stay still.

There wouldn’t be a reward for staying hidden tonight but it would give me some confidence after my near miss with Cyrus.

The real hunt would be harder, especially as Cyrus’ fervor for victory grew.

“Here, kitty, kitty.” Blade hollered.

But this time her voice was clear. Closer.

Shit.

Ducking my head, I heard footsteps stop on the cobblestone outside Alien Assault.

The long scraping of Nash’s mallet against the pavers stopped short. There was a quiet murmur. And then what sounded like footsteps moving away.

I held my breath deep in my lungs, hoping that if I could just survive a few minutes of suffocation I could stay hidden.

Just as I started to think I might be safe, a figure leapt into my view.

Blood splatter. Black eyes.

Blade.

“Gotcha.” Her hand darted from the darkness, grabbing my shirt.

Launching off the balls of my feet, I moved toward the other admission booth exit.

Deeper into the ride.

But as my momentum built, my body slammed into a wall. “Wrong way.” Nash’s deep voice growled through her mask.

My eyes darted up to hers, gray peeking out under the solid porcelain.

“Fuck.” I gasped.