Page 32 of Rat Race

Water entered my nose, burnin’ as it forced its way through my system.

Just as the final bit of air was about to escape my lips, we were spat out into a room, not unlike the one I’d set off the fuckin’ water trap to begin with, hittin’ the ground with enough force to knock the small bit of air out of my lungs.

The little blonde’s body landed on top of mine.

It felt good.Her heat sinking into mine. Her lithe fingers running down my chest. We melded together with the ease.

Maybe it was the adrenaline from almost dyin’… but I dare say her body felt like itbelongedagainst mine

Electricity shot through me as my fingers twitched against her back. Her blonde locks tickling my face. Beyond the scent of the water and maze stench, was her sweet, floral perfume.

Lilies.The scent traveled through me and embedded in my brain. It quickly became my favorite scent.

She recovered faster than I did, jumpin’ to her feet in the rapidly filling room, backing away quickly, her hands in the air as if trying to protect herself from an incoming blow.

No.Her movements rung my heart out.

“Don’t come near me!” she yelled, frightened blue eyes moving around the room as she tried to put some distance between us.

I staggered up, the once-cold water quickly warming where it sloshed around my calves and quickly coming up to hit my knees.

I raised my own hands to show her I meant no harm.

“Hey, now, darlin’, don’t worry—I’m no PK, alright?”

“Bullshit!” she snapped, her glowing pink mask cracked, only half lit in the relative dark of the room.

An alarm began to blare, adding to the rush of water and forcin’ me to yell over it. “Yeah, fair enough. Just saved your life back there to bash your skull in, right?”

The water really was getting hotter. At first it was pleasant, but then it quickly started to make me sweat. Not only that—it was slowly changin’ color, and there was a certain metallic smell wafting through the room.

What the fuck?

“Well, how the fuck am I supposed to know? You’re a fucking stranger!” she shouted back, stumbling a little as the floor beneath us began to move, slowly rising in segments. Pillars.

There were about seven of them spaced out around the room, some further than others. Before I could think of which one might be the best to take strategically, I realized what the water was turning into.

It was turning a dark red and becoming thicker until it was hard to sift through it.

It’s fuckin’ blood.

I didn’t have time to think about which pillar to take. If I didn’t get out of the water that instant, my entire body would be soaked in boilin’ blood.

I jumped onto the nearest one, relieved to be lifted from the sweltering warmth. I looked down at her as my pillar was rising.Her eyes were still watchin’ me with that same mistrust even after I saved her life.

Valid, though.I wouldn’t trust me either. These Games weren’t time to make friends. And it was likely whoever got close to you in there was likely to be your downfall.

“Okay, well, my name is Cam. What’s yours?”

I took my mask off, hopefully showing her that she could trust me, even just a little bit. I threw it into the blood, the lights blinkin’ out as it sank into the thick liquid.

Her eyes were on me for just a second before she was back staring at the blood.

I stood up, shakily trying to wipe off the blood from my skin. It was starting to stick to me.

“Fuck, is this blood?Disgusting.”

She scrambled to get up onto a platform before the blood reached her skirt. After she was safely on the pillar, she looked at me again, staying silent until?—

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