Page 135 of The Hunt

Heat prickled beneath my skin, sweat beading at the nape of my neck. I waved the knife again. “I’ve got time to hear it,” I said. “But if you try to scream or do anything else stupid, believe me—I won’t hesitate to use this on you.”

“Got it. Can I at least sit down?” she asked, eyeing the end of the bed.

“Nope,” I spat out. “And keep your hands in the air.”

“Okay.” She let out a heavy sigh. “I guess I can’t blame you for being paranoid.”

“Start. Talking.Now.”

“Well, first off, my name reallyisNikki. I didn’t lie about that,” she said. “I was approached by a recruiter about eighteen months ago. I had a ton of debt. Not student debt, or anything like that. Honestly, I just made a bunch of stupid decisions in life, and I sort of have a thing for gambling.”

“Hold on.” My eyes narrowed. “You’re not a student at Hollingsworth?”

“No. Not a student anywhere, for that matter. And I didn’t grow up anywhere near Havenport, either,” she replied. “I’m actually from Pennsylvania.”

“So the only thing you didn’t lie about was your name,” I muttered.

“That’s not entirely true.” Nikki slowly shook her head. “Anyway, like I said, I was in a massive pit of debt. The recruiter told me about the game, and I figured—why the hell not? $5 million for some stupid survival game sounded great. I signed up, took three weeks off work, didn’t tell anyone where I was going, and hopped on a bus heading northeast. Next thing I know, I’m washed up on the beach of some island.”

“So they do the same thing every year, with the fake shipwreck.”

“Yup. Back then, I was exactly like the rest of you. I had no idea what the hell was going on. Then the hunters started shooting at us, and I realized I’d been tricked.” Nikki swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, like she was trying to keep a flood of tears at bay. “It was the worst thing that ever happened to me. But I survived. I lasted nine days out there, running and hiding.”

“And then?”

“Someone spoke to me through my earbud. Told me I was the last one standing. I didn’t believe it. I thought it was some sort of trick. A mind game. So I kept running, trying to find somewhere else to hide. But they got me, and… it turned out they weren’t lying. I was actually the last one standing. All of the others were dead.”

Her voice cracked on her last sentence, and she lowered one hand to wipe her cheek. I allowed it, watching her through narrowed eyes, and she quickly raised it back up again.

“If you won, why the hell did you come back?” I asked in a low voice. “Why didn’t you take the money, go home, and buy a mansion or something?”

“Don’t you get it yet, Everly?” she said, shaking her head. “It’s all lies and bullshit, from the top down! There’s no prize money for the players.”

My eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am! Do you really think the society would just cut a check and let someone walk away after all the shit they saw here?”

“I guess not,” I muttered, feeling stupid.

“The real prize is them allowing you the chance to live. That’s it.” Nikki’s lips thinned, and she shook her head again. “After they take you off the hunting grounds, they give you two choices.”

“What are they?”

“Bullet to the head for a quick, merciful death, or a job offer.”

“So not really ‘choices’ then. Just one choice.”

“Yup.” Her shoulders sagged as she let out another heavy sigh. “I took the job, obviously.”

Curiosity sparked in my mind, followed by a sudden realization. “You’re one of their recruiters, aren’t you?”

“I have a few tasks in my job description, but yes, recruitment is the main one.”

“So all previous winners become recruiters?”

Nikki nodded. “The Hunt used to end with every single player dead. But the Patriarchs eventually realized that they needed a bunch of workers who knew the full, horrible truth about the game. Workers who could help with all the recruitment and tech work, while also being trusted to keep their mouths firmly shut about it,” she said. “And who’s gonna be more knowledgeable about the game, or more silent, than a terrified ex-player who literally owes their life to the society?They know we aren’t going to talk to the media or go to the FBI. We aren’t going to talk toanyone, really. Because we’ve seen what they can do. How easily they can get to people. So we make perfect slaves for them.”

“Right,” I said. “How does it all work?”

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