Page 72 of Rat Race

Her crumpled body didn’t come into view until the wall was fully down.

She was on the floor, holding her leg, tears running down her face. The leg in question bent at an odd angle with bone peircing her pale flesh.

Their eyes were trained on the rat. The ghost of a smile was on their lips, telling me that they liked to see her brought down a peg as much as I did.

Did they break her fucking leg?

It was in that moment, when the headhunters were screaming for my death and the rat was crying for mercy, that I truly fell in love with Cam. Time standing still for several long beats as she turns and our eyes met, smile growing and becoming relieved.

“Hey, Peaches.”

They’re just as fucked up as I am.

Calm and collected, even as chaos reigned around us. The darkness that’d been hiding inside them was finally out for all to see. And it just happened to match mine perfectly.

Fuck, I’m so in love. They’re perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I couldn’t help the girlish giggle that fell from my lips. I looked back at the boys with a wide smile. Seeing Cam safe must’ve done something to clear my mind because as soon as I turned, I saw the small indent on the floor that would undoubtedly set off the trap.

I ran to it, dodging Elijah’s attempt to grab me until I got to the place where the wall met the floor, sliding across the dirty ground like a soccer star to smash the trigger.

The only warning was our watches turning red before the spikes shot out across the hallway, embedding themselves into the boys’ heads and necks. Their blood splattered everywhere, painting my pink outfit with streaks of crimson.

Turns out the rat was right about something. It adds a good pop of color to an otherwise monochromatic look, especially since it wasnt mine.

Except for one. Hiram had already been half cowering against the wall. It was hard to believe this loser had ever been a winner in the Games, but I’d guessed it didn’t take a lot ofbravery to play Hide n’ Seek, but it wasn’t enough to save him. A spike impaling him through the chest and shoulder.

Elijah had dropped to the ground when the trap was triggered, his eyes widened and fearful. Now, he pushed himself up and ran back down the hallway, leaving his knife behind.

Lucky cunt.

I dashed to gather it, looking back at Cam with a wicked smile that was returned in spades.

“That’s my girl,” they praised, lighting my skin with excited feelings.

They don’t even know what’s coming.

I threw the knife directly at Ella, embedding it between her eyes. She didn’t even have time to react, her body falling slack against the cold cement floor. Wide eyes open, forever in a state of pained shock.

Her death is even more satisfying than Natalie’s could ever be.

“Fucking finally,” I said with a giggle. “She fucking deserved it, that cun?—"

Cam let out a heavy sigh, their toned shoulders sagging with disappointment as the familiar buzz of our watches warned everyone of my PK.

“Can you stop killing people already? I had it under control.”

My smile widened.

“How about you make me, cowboy?”

Their nostrils flared.

“Don’t, Aubrey,” they warned, the growl in their tone like a lick between my legs.

I readied myself, turning ever so slightly down the hall. High on adrenaline and the image of Cam’s cruelty. I wanted them to show me what else they’d been keeping from me. How far they’d go.

And I know exactly how to push them right over that line.

---