Page 53 of Insatiable

As I drink, I hear the sound of running footsteps again, closer this time. I freeze, water dripping down my chin. It’s getting nearer, and panic grips me. I can’t decide whether the person coming around the corner will be a friend, a murderer, or one of the many creatures I expect to find down here. It’s only when it’s too late that I remember I have no friends down here—only the distant voices of my allies upstairs, watching this nightmare unfold on the big screen.

I let out a sigh of relief when Tate rounds the corner. She isn’t my friend, but she’s no monster, and she can’t be the murderer either; she wasn’t with us in Purgatory. In a funny way, she’s the only person I can really trust in here.

I hold back, waiting for her to say something. The games have pitted us against each other and being trapped in this nightmare changes people. When she sees me, she smiles—a genuine smile that momentarily eases my tension. It widens further when she spots the water gushing freely behind me.

“Oh, thank goodness.” She takes a step closer, then notices my hesitance. “May I?” she points to the tap.

I hesitate, unsure if I can trust her. Juliette hates her, but to be honest, I’ve never had a problem with her. I step aside, moving from the tap so she can drink.

“Did you get a visit from Anthura this morning?” she asks after taking her fill.

“I did,” I reply, my eyes narrowing.

“Do you know who it is?” she presses, wiping water from her mouth with the back of her hand.

I hesitate, weighing my options. “No, not yet. But the games leaders must be freaked out enough to send Anthura in. They’ll have hidden cameras all over the place in here and if the murderer managed to kill three people without being shown onthe cameras, then we’re dealing with someone much cleverer than I.”

Tate nods, her expression serious. “It’s not just the deaths. The games are becoming more chaotic, and people are getting desperate. I heard whispers of alliances forming, but I don’t trust anyone. Not anymore.”

“Neither do I,” I admit, glancing around to ensure we’re still alone. “It’s every contestant for themselves in here.”

She looks down for a minute, then raises her eyes to mine. “Maybe we could form an alliance?”

It would be nice to have someone to watch my back and it would help to stick together if we came up against anyone who wanted us dead, but the truth is, I don’t know her and even if I did trust her, she’s wearing a skintight dress and high heels. She wouldn’t outrun a murderous sloth.

I shake my head. “I can’t. I’m sorry. The second the leadership team sees us forming a partnership, they’ll put more danger in our way to split us up. It’s probably safer staying apart. Besides, Anthura really is out to get me. She’s hated me since the second I got to Hell.”

“Any particular reason?”

I shake my head. “It’s a long story and I really hope I can tell it to you some time, but you will be much safer staying away from me.”

She nods her head sadly. “I understand. Thanks for the water, anyway.” She begins to walk away, then turns. “I was always told to keep turning left in a maze, so that’s what I’m doing. You can do the same if you want, but if you don’t want to, if you go down the path I just came from, there’s a kind of clearing with some food on a plinth. I ate some of it, but there was plenty when I left.”

Regret nags at me long after Tate disappears down the path. Maybe I should have taken her offer to form an alliance. Shedidn’t have to tell me about the food. Trust is hard to come by here, but her gesture feels genuine. Still, I shake off the second-guessing. Trusting too easily can be deadly in these games.

As I walk, my stomach growls louder, a hollow ache building with each step. I ate last night, but that chocolate cake barely touched my hunger, and now it's growing impossible to ignore. The more I walk, the more ravenous I feel, like a pit in my stomach widening with every breath. Something about it feels wrong. Too intense, too fast. My thoughts snap to the water. They must have put something in it to mess with my hunger. Cursing Hades for inventing these stupid games and George for no doubt coming up with the water trick, I follow Tate’s directions. I walk in a straight line for about an hour when I come upon the clearing she talked about.

Just like she said, in the center is a plinth with food on it. I move closer and my stomach tightens.

A grilled cheese sandwich with chili sauce. Of course. These games love to toy with me. I’ve been craving that exact sandwich for weeks, ever since Jenny and I used to devour them back in the day. Driven by hunger, I step forward, only to stumble over something. After dusting myself off, I glance down and see a crossbow, already loaded. My first instinct is to ignore it, but with a murderer on the loose and me still unarmed, I grab it and inspect it closely.

Suddenly, a sound makes me freeze. From the other side of the clearing, Felix emerges, another crossbow in his hand. The second he sees me, he raises it, aiming directly at me.

“Snowflake,” he says, voice cold.

“Felix,” I reply cautiously, not lowering my own weapon.

His eyes flick toward the grilled cheese, and even from here, I can hear his stomach rumble.

The tension in the air thickens as we stand there, crossbows raised, staring at each other across the clearing. The absurdityof the moment isn’t lost on me—two people armed to the teeth, ready to kill over a grilled cheese sandwich. Yet, I can't deny how the scent of it fills the clearing, teasing my already starved senses, making my mouth water in anticipation. My stomach churns angrily, but I can't afford to lose focus. Felix looks just as hungry, his eyes flicking from me to the sandwich with barely concealed desperation.

“Let’s be smart about this,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s a sandwich, Felix. There’s no need to go down this path.”

His eyes narrow, his grip tightening on the crossbow. “Maybe not, but it’s survival now, Snowflake. And that sandwich is all that’s between us and starvation.”

“We don’t have to kill each other over food.” My heart hammers in my chest, but I keep my weapon raised. “We could share.”

A bitter laugh escapes him. “Share? You think they’ll let us do that? They’re watching. We both know how this works.”

---