Page 85 of The Hunt

I swallowed thickly and nodded. “That’s what I’m worried about,” I said. “When we first started the game, they told us there would be false safe zones. Places that may appear to offer protection but come with unforeseen risks."

“But couldn’t Jade’s theory be right?” Kanako said. “This could just be an old swamp with a bit of leftover moisture that makes the ground feel bouncy. Nothing to freak out over.”

Before anyone could reply, Nikki reached back and grabbed the arrow out of Jade’s hand. Then she leaned forward and jabbed it down into the earth about a foot ahead of her. It went in fast, like it hadn’t met much resistance.

She pulled the arrow back out and held it up for us to see. The tip was coated with dirt, but the rest was clean, confirming that the ground beneath our feet was mostly hollow.

“Everly’s right,” she said. “They’ve hollowed out everything beneath the first few inches. We’re probably walking on fucking mesh right now. Very thin mesh that could snap at any second.”

“Shit!” Kanako’s voice had risen an octave. “What do we do?”

Cheryl lifted a palm. “Stay calm. Don’t move.”

“I really should’ve seen this coming,” Nikki said. Panic was creeping into her voice. “So much for my fucking survival skills, huh?”

“It’s okay. Nothing’s actually happened yet, and we’re all fine,” I said in the most soothing tone I could muster up. “I think we should go back the way we came, because we know it’s safe in those parts.”

“So we just walk backwards?” Jade asked. “Retrace our steps as closely as possible?”

“No.” Cheryl’s hand was still in the air. “The parts we already stepped on might’ve weakened now, just from having our weight on them for so long.”

“What do you think we should do, then?” I asked.

She frowned, scanning the clearing around us. “The closest edge is to our left, so I think we should head that way,” she said. “Then, once we get to the edge, we can figure out our next move. I’m thinking we should forget about this safe zone and try to get to one of the other ones instead. But we can discuss that properly later.”

My heart was pounding so fast it felt like it might explode. All I could think was:Rhett wasn’t lying.

He’d genuinely tried to help me escape this trap tonight, which begged the question—why? Did he actually want to save me from this place, or was it like I suspected earlier, with him guiding me away from the danger in the north only to capture me for himself later?

If the latter was the case… how much longer would he toy with me? Until I finally broke?

Cheryl cleared her throat and continued. “Is everyone okay with going to the left?”

The rest of the group muttered their assent, their voices low and strained, tension thick in the air. We all knew that one wrong move could be our last. Cheryl motioned for us to follow her, and we began to walk left, stepping as slowly and carefully as possible.

Just as we approached the tree line, I heard a soft, sickening crack from somewhere behind me. I whipped my head over my shoulder to look at Chris, who was still at the back of the group. His foot had slipped, just a fraction of an inch, and before anyone could react, the ground beneath him gave way.

He dropped like a stone, and a sharp scream tore from his throat as he plummeted down into a hidden pit.

“Chris!” Ava screamed, falling to her feet. She peered over the edge of the trap. “Oh, shit! He’s on a fucking spike!”

Chris groaned. “It went right through my leg. I’m stuck.”

“See if you can grab my arm,” Ava said, reaching down into the dark pit. “I think I can pull you off the spike. Guys, can you help me?”

“No, Ava, stop!” Nikki hissed, her voice low but urgent. “We can’t do that.”

“Why?”

Nikki opened her mouth to respond, but Cheryl answered for her. “Rule number three. We can’t slow down for anyone,” she murmured. “We all agreed to it.”

“But there’s no one here! We can get him out!”

“Now that someone’s triggered the trap, a hunter will probably show up to finish the job. It could happen any minute now,” Nikki said, peering at the tree line with wide eyes. “If we’re still here when that happens… we’re all dead too.”

Ava shook her head, still staring down at Chris, her expression stricken. “We can’t just leave him here to die!”

“You can,” he called up to her, voice gruff with pain but firm. “They’re right. It’s what we agreed on. You have to save yourselves.”

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