Page 84 of The Hunt

“That’s always a possibility,” Nikki said, her voice steady. “But staying here guarantees nothing. So I say we cross the clearing, moving fast and staying low. Single file. No noise. And watch out for tripwires.”

I could see Ava’s hesitation, but she eventually nodded, clutching the straps of her backpack like a lifeline.

“We’ll be fine,” I added softly, hoping to reassure her.

In truth, I had no idea if we’d be fine.

Nikki had a good point about potential traps around the edges of the clearing, because the hunters would almost certainly anticipate people’s natural instinct to keep out of open areas and go around them instead. However, I could see Ava’s point too. For all we knew, there could be a sniper sitting somewhere on the edge of the clearing, patiently waiting for players to step right into it.

Nikki motioned for us to follow her. “I’ll lead. Chris, you bring up the rear. Everyone else, keep your eyes sharp. If you see or hear anything, stop and get downimmediately. The rest of us will follow suit.”

“Okay. Just give me a minute,” Chris muttered. “I need to mentally prepare myself for this shit.”

“Fine.” Nikki dipped her chin in a curt nod. “One minute and we go. Everyone clear on that?”

“Yup,” Jade said. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the clearing again. “I really hope these bastards aren’t using landmines.”

“Why would they use landmines?” Kanako asked. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of hunting us?”

“Not exactly.” He grimaced. “If you step on a mine, it won’t necessarily kill you. It could just blow off a foot, or even a whole leg. And you can’t exactly move fast after that, can you?”

“Guys.Stop. This kind of talk will only make us panic, and we have to remember, that’s what they want,” Nikki said hotly. “They want us to lose control. To make mistakes. We can’t give them that satisfaction. So try to think positive thoughts, okay? We’ve got this.”

Everyone murmured their reluctant agreement, and one by one, we started crossing the moonlit clearing. The vast openness made me feel unbearably exposed, like there was a neon target pinned on my back. I was just waiting for something to happen, waiting for a shot to ring out and a bullet to lodge in my chest.

A sudden gust of wind rustled the sparse grass, and I swore I saw a shadow shift in the distance. My breath hitched, but I forced myself to keep moving as Nikki’s words flashed in my head.Try to think positive thoughts.

She was right. I had to stop freaking myself out. No more thoughts of bullets in human targets. Nice things only.

I tried to make myself think about my favorite comfort meal, but Rhett’s irritatingly-handsome face floated into my mind instead. Goosebumps immediately cropped up on my arms, and I swallowed hard, trying my best to force the mental image away. That man was like a damn trapdoor; one thought of him and I’d lose my footing and fall.

Wait.

I stopped in my tracks, mind whirling. I’d never thought about trapdoors before, not even in a metaphorical sense. So why did that specific word suddenly pop into my head right now? It was like something inside me was warning me. Like my instincts were picking up on something I couldn’t yet see.

Nikki’s earlier words of advice floated into my head.Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is.

"Stop," I whispered urgently, my voice tight. “Now.”

The others froze and crouched in their spots immediately, exchanging confused glances.

"What’s wrong?" Cheryl whispered, her voice laced with concern. “Did you see something?”

At first, I didn’t know what to say. I still had no idea why I’d felt the sudden urge to make everyone stop. Then it hit me.

The ground felt different here. It wasn’t the solid, firm earth we’d been walking on for the past hour. Instead, there was a very slight—almost imperceptible—bounce with every step, like the ground was hollow only inches beneath our feet. Like we could take one wrong step and cave right through.

Just like a fucking trapdoor.

“There’s something wrong with the ground,” I said, shaking my head. “It feels weird whenever I take a step. Like it’s thin. Too thin. I think it’s been hollowed out.”

“I noticed the ground too,” Jade said, his voice low. “I thought maybe it used to be a swamp, or something like that. So the ground is springy from the residual moisture.”

“Or it could be one of those tunnels you mentioned,” Ava interjected, eyes widening with excitement. “Right beneath our feet!”

“I don’t think it’s that,” I said, voice laced with trepidation. “A properly-engineered tunnel would be deeper underground, wouldn’t it? Not just an inch or two. And it would probably have a reinforced steel or concrete top covered by the earth, so we wouldn’t feel anything different when we walk over it. It would just feel like regular solid ground.”

“Oh, shit,” Nikki whispered, catching onto my train of thought. “This could be a giant pit trap.”

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