Page 79 of The Hunt

Nikki nodded. “She’s telling the truth. She’s not a mole. I’m literally staking my life on it,” she said. “But if you don’t want to risk it, I understand. We’ll go without you, and you can do your own thing. Hell, you can even look for one of the tunnels alone, if you want.”

Jade looked down at the dusty cabin floor, rubbing his jaw. Then he let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll come with you guys.”

“Good.” I looked over at Cheryl again. “I know you want to do the whole lone wolf thing, but this isn’t about surviving the game. This is about getting away from the game entirely. So do you want to join us?”

Her brows dipped in a contemplative frown. Then she nodded curtly. “I’m in.”

“Great,” Nikki said. She clapped her hands together. “Okay, my turn. I have some rules.”

“Rules?” Jade said scornfully.

“Yes, Jade.Rules.” She shot him a warning look and went on. “I used to hunt with my dad when I was a kid, so I know their tactics, and I know how to survive shit like this. But you have to follow the rules I lay out here, or else you’ll be risking all of our lives, because traveling in a big group comes with a whole host of risks. Understood?”

“Yes,” the others said in unison, including Jade, who looked slightly embarrassed now.

“Firstly, and this one’s pretty obvious—stay quiet. No screaming, crying, or even talking unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’ll teach you all some basic communication signs we can use instead of words. Also, to add to the no noise thing… no running unless necessary. It’s too loud.”

“Got it,” Ava said, nodding.

“Another obvious one.Listen to me. I know what I’m talking about. So if I say we go north, we go north. I don’t want to hear arguments,” Nikki went on. “Thirdly, if someone can’t keep up or pulls us down, we leave them behind. No exceptions.”

“What?” Kanako said, eyes widening.

Nikki raised a palm. “I know it sounds horrible, but it’s pragmatic. Think about it. If one of us gets stuck in a snare, and the rest of us spend half an hour trying to figure out how to getit down, a hunter could show up and kill every single one of us in that time. Or if one of us gets shot in the leg and can’t walk anymore…well, they’ll just slow us down if we try to carry them,” she said. “I understand how heartless it sounds, but we have to think about the greater good of the group.”

“She’s right,” Cheryl said. “It’s harsh but true.”

The others grudgingly nodded.

“Also,” Nikki continued. “Make sure you’re always aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye on the tree line and the ground around you. There could be anything waiting to jump out at us, whether it’s a hunter or a trap. Oh, and to add to that, for the love of God,alwayswatch out for tripwires. Never take a single step for granted.”

“Right,” Ava murmured.

“Next, don’t trust anyone completely,” Nikki added. “Not even me. If someone starts acting weird, or you feel like they’re hiding something, don’t ignore it. Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is.”

Jade raised his brows and glanced at me, but he didn’t speak. Clearly, he still didn’t fully trust me, given my earlier story, but he at least trusted me enough to stop saying snarky things.

“We can’t stop moving for too long, unless we’re hidden and have checked our surroundings thoroughly. If we stop, we risk being spotted. It’s like painting a target on our backs,” Nikki said. She glanced around, making sure everyone was absorbing what she was saying. “Lastly, if you’re caught in a trap or pinned down by gunfire, don’t try to fight back like a hero. Unless you’ve got an actual shot at escape, stay low and quiet. And if you’re ever separated from the group and you can’t find us… well, that brings us back to rule three. We won’t look for you, as harsh as that sounds.”

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then the group murmured their acknowledgement in unison.

“Okay, now I’m going to teach you all how to get around if you lose your compass and the rest of us aren’t with you for some reason,” Nikki said, briskly heading over to her backpack. “After that, I’ll teach you the communication signals.”

Once we were done with her lessons—aided by Cheryl, who’d studied up on survival tactics for years—I glanced over at a stack of blankets on the far side of the cabin. Then I checked the tiny pocket watch I’d received in my pack.

“It’s half past nine now, so we’ve got two and a half hours until this cabin is no longer safe,” I said. “I’d suggest getting some sleep so we’re more energized later, but I doubt any of us can actually manage that right now.”

“We should still try,” Cheryl said. “Even lying down and resting our eyes is better than nothing.”

As the seven of us laid out the blankets to create makeshift mattresses on the hard floor, our earbuds crackled to life with a gloating announcement.

“Hello, players. Here’s a little update for you,” the voice said. “We’re not even five hours into the Hunt yet, and out of the original fifty players, eleven of you are already dead. You’re dropping like flies! On top of that, according to our surveillance, only twelve of the remaining players made it to either one of the safe zones. You guys really need to step up your game, or else it’s going to be a short one. Also, a reminder for you: the two current safe zones will close at midnight. We’ll send out coordinates for the new safe zones after that. Happy hiding!”

“Assholes,” Nikki muttered.

“Should we change the time?” Ava asked, glancing at the clock on the cabin wall.

“Why would we do that?” Jade asked, forehead wrinkling.

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