Page 56 of Rat Race

I took a step closer, tryin’ to get my eyes to adapt to the darkness beyond.

At first, I reckoned the ground beyond was uneven, the unlit corridor seeming to sway with movement. That was until hundreds of pairs of little red eyes turned toward the light at once, a swarm of rats moving in unison to lunge for the door like some sort of combined force.

Aubrey screamed, falling backwards with the clatter of her baseball bat hitting the stone before she could try to slam thedoor shut, forcing Ella and me into action, my hand catching the door just as the first of the creatures began to cross the threshold.

Ella grabbed Aubrey by her arms, hauling her backwards as I struggled with the door, but it was no use. The rats quickly overtook me, climbin’ up my boots and aimin’ to sink their sharp fangs into my skin like a hearty gouda. I knew that sometimes they brought things into the Games that defied the laws of nature and science, but this was the first time I'd seen it myself. Incredibly fast, strong, and totally mindless, save for the resolve to devour whatever was closest to them, the rats were quick to go after the other girls.

Aubrey scrambled to her feet, her bat lost to the swarm, leaving her with only her platformed boots to stomp hard on heads in an attempt to try and stop them from reaching her skin.

I shook the creatures off the best I could, wading through the veritable sea of rodents for the next door.

"Run to me!" I barked at Aubrey and Ella, bracing my hand on the doorknob. "When I count to three!"

Ella shrieked, throwing one of the rats down the hall. "Three!" she shouted, sprinting for the door. Aubrey looked at her with a glare, her hands reaching out and tangling in the girl’s hair in an attempt to pull her back.

“Let go!”

“This is your sign to get the fuck out of here, cunt,” Aubrey growled and shoved herself in front of the girl. But Ella was right behind, determined not to be left alone with the murderous swarm of rodents.

I swung the door open just as the girls reached me, the three of us tumbling into the darkness beyond as I slammed it shut behind us.

Aubrey panted hard from somewhere nearby, and I reached for her blindly while my eyes began to adjust to the sudden black.

“Should’ve fucking left her,” Aubrey said between huffs.

“Bitch, do you ever let up?” Ella asked, venom laced in her tone. “I saved your pathetic ass, and this is how you?—”

“I’ll fucking shut you up, you?—”

“Enough,” I hissed. “Both of you.” Silence followed my command.

Good girl.The phrase was on the tip of my tongue. I forced myself to swallow it. She didn’t need any more encouragement from me.

Ella lit the face of her watch, shining the tiny screen around the room in an effort for us to get our bearings and understand where we were and how we were meant to get out.

Aubrey did the same, but instead of lookin’ at the floors or walls for some way out, she was looking at me, her filthy, blood-streaked face pinched with concern.

"You're okay?" she asked softly, reaching out to touch one of the many scratches and bites crisscrossing my arms.

For a moment, I had seen real fear on her face back in the corridor.

And I fuckin’ hated it.

I never wanted to see it again. It had a grip on my heart. The only fear or panic I ever wanted the blonde bombshell to feel was because of me, not some fucked-up Architect who thought sendin’ mutant rats after us was funny.

"Yeah, darlin’, I'm all good," I murmured, catching her hand in mine and bringing it to my lips for a brush against her knuckles. "You? That was pretty scary, huh?"

She sniffed, nodding. "I fucking hate rats."

Aubrey didn’t seem so much like sin right now. The tremble in her voice was convincin’, but I reckoned tests were supposed to be like this.

Difficult to pass. Concealing themselves as something innocent when in reality they were the world’s greatest sin.

It made it so much harder.

I moved to pull her to me, lookin’ to give a bit of comfort, when Ella scoffed behind us.

"If you're quite done, I think I've found the way out."

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