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I follow without hesitation.
The further we put between ourselves and the starting line, the thinner the noise becomes until the distant thunder of running dissolves into little more than an echo.
Leo raises a fist as we come to a stop at the top of a wide steel staircase overlooking the level below.
The building is unlike any of the previous game arenas. Rusted pipes snake across the ceiling, weaving between steel beams blackened with age, while enormous factory machines sit abandoned beneath layers of graffiti.
Vibrant tags and murals crawl over cracked brick walls, clashing with ornate Victorian moulding that frames archways and balconies as though someone had stitched two completely different worlds together.
Wrought-iron railings border the walkways overhead, and tarnished chandeliers hang from chains where fluorescent warehouse lights should have been.
Directly ahead, a narrow metal walkway bridges the gap to another section of the building. Beyond it, several rooms without doors branch off in different directions.
Amani rests her hands on her knees before straightening, sweeping loose strands of curls behind her ear as Lucas joins her side, still catching his breath.
I step toward the railing and look down.
The floor below is deserted, which is a good thing, but for how long? Leo might know exactly what turn, hallway, and room to take, but that doesn’t mean we won’t run into trouble.
And speaking of movement catches my attention behind us.
Two figures emerge from the corridor we’d just come through, and instinctively, my hand falls over the hunting knife.
“We’re not looking for trouble,” Jeremy says, lifting both hands.
“Ah, looks like we finally found you,” Nara states, offering a tentative smile. “Most of the others went looking for shortcuts to the safe zone.”
She wrinkles her nose, carrying on with useless information. “That sounds like the quickest way to get yourself killed.”
“Have you been following us?” Leo interrupts, weary of their presence, and so am I.
“Figured we’d rather stick with you,” Jeremy adds with a nervous laugh, feeling the stiffness cut like a blade through the air.
My attention falls back onto Lucas and Amani, who haven’t said a word since this game started.
They don’t seem to be judging the newcomers. Instead, they’re carefully judging my reaction to whether I think they’re a threat.
I give a single nod. “They’re fine.”
The tension eases almost instantly, and Amani smiles first, greeting them with warmth.
Leo joins my side, letting her catch them up to speed. He rests his forearms on the railing beside mine. “If we’re doing this properly,” he says quietly, “we keep to the areas with the most clutter. The blackout’s random. Every time those lights go out, we need somewhere to hide.”
He gestures toward a room overlooking the factory floor, its broken furniture spilling into the corridor.
“There’s a brief countdown before each blackout, so we should wait here,” Leo adds, lowering his voice. “Further ahead, the area opens into wide spaces with almost nowhere to hide, which makes them the hunters’ favorite during blackouts. Getting caught out there would be a bloodbath, so we stay here, hide when the lights go out, and move through once they come back on.”
I nod in response, letting the chatter behind me fade into nothing but white noise as I fidget with the bracelet on my wrist.
Having him at my side as a mastermind and ally wasn’t something I ever thought would happen. It’s all to my luck, given the fact that my mind keeps trailing back to Dante, filling my chest with a heat that’s far from comforting.
If anything, I’m distracted… which will get me killed, so thank fuck for Leo.
“You planning on finding Dante?” Leo suddenly asks, watching my reaction closely.
I keep my eyes on the factory floor below. “If I run into him, I’ll deal with it.”
Leo lets out a frustrated sigh but doesn’t question any further. He wants to know whether I’ll throw the game away for the chance to kill the man. Whether I’ll become reckless. Whether the anger I’ve been carrying since Russian Roulette has finally outweighed my ability to think.
