Chapter 128: So Stand

Lying at the foot of the stairwell, my erratic breathing gradually began to return to normal as I forced myself to accept the reality that Hunter was now gone. And that I was the one who killed him.

If I hadn’t taken off my backpack… if I had just taken a quick look behind me, I would’ve known that dropping my bag would’ve tripped up Hunter. I would’ve known… so why didn’t I take the necessary precautions?! I knew Hunter was somewhere behind me! I-

“Forest, are you injured?” asks Ember, her voice informing me that she is standing over me.

“No...”

“Then stand. We can’t afford to waste any more time,” she says, taking a few steps away.

My jaw clenches at her words. Tiredly sitting up, my body aches with soreness as I open my eyes and scratch my cheek. I turned to where I heard Ember walk off; she stood just before the first step. Taking off my night vision goggles, I notice the only available light is coming from the top of the stairwell.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I bluntly ask. “Hunter just sacrificed himself, and you’re not even going to acknowledge that?!”

“I have acknowledged it, just not out loud.”

“Really? Because right now, it seems like you don’t even give a damn!”

Ember swivels around, facing me, “This is unlike you, Forest.”

“What?!”

“You’re acting emotionally. It’s unlike you. You need to calm down.”

Scoffing, I go off on a tangent, “Calm down?! You think I need to– no!”

I shake my head a few times and point my finger at her, “You’ve basically been this… unbothered… blank robot ever since we woke up at camp that first day! You’ve never once seemed like you thought twice about anybody dying! Not once! You and Faith hung out loads, yet your voice didn’t waver once when you told us over the radio that she was dead! I thought maybe it was because you were numb to it or something, but when I met up with you later, did you even care about Faith?! Do you even care about other people?!”

“Do I care…” mumbles Ember, taking a seat on the staircase. “I do… I do care. It’s just that… when people I know die or leave, I– I guess I feel… used to it? I guess you’re right in a way because… it doesn’t really bother me that much when people I know die. I liked Hunter, and I am very grateful for what he did for me, for us. Because of his sacrifice, we’re both still alive…”

Deeply exhaling, I wasn’t anticipating a response like that. I didn’t expect Ember to agree with me.

“And… at least to me, I feel indebted to Hunter now.”

“Indebted?”

“Yeah. He died…. so we could live. And if I don’t survive these trials… that means he will have died for nothing. I don’t know if you feel the same, but that’s how I see it. And if that perspective still makes me an emotionless robot, so be it,” says Ember, standing back up.

“I’m going on ahead because to survive, that’s what I have to do. I understand you’re upset, but what’s done is done. Hunter is dead, and we can do nothing to change that. You can blame yourself all you want, but you made a call, and you need to accept that.”

Walking toward me, Ember picks up the steel sword I had dropped on the ground earlier, “But just remember that you weren’t alone, and I am also at fault. And while I would prefer if you came with me... if you’re going to continue acting like this, I’m going to leave you behind.”

Walking back to the staircase, Ember drops Hunter’s wooden sword on the ground, “We don’t know what dangers lie ahead or how much further we have to go, but I’m at least going to try and beat these trials. Because if I don’t try… Hunter will have died in vain, and I’ll also die, knowing full well that I will have wasted the chance Hunter gave me.”

Looking over her shoulder, Ember brings her brief monologue to a close, “So stand Forest. We’re both carrying this burden, and I think we got a shot if we stick it out together.”

Taking a moment, my gaze drops to the ground as I hear Ember walk up the steps.

She’s right. It’s my fault Hunter died. It’s entirely my fault… but I can’t give up because that’d mean I’m giving up on him too. I may not have been the one holding the weapon, but I’m the one that killed my friend. Hunter… did you feel like this after Falc died? You must’ve… you must’ve.

Rising to my feet, I take a few steps over to the wooden sword and pick it up. I then make my way to the staircase and begin to climb. One foot at a time, I scale up the stairs after Ember.

So I’ll climb. One way or another, I am the direct cause of why both of you died. Starting now, I’m taking responsibility for my mistakes. Falc, Hunter, I'll carry your legacies and survive these trials.

Waiting for me atop the staircase, I stepped up beside Ember, and we made eye contact. No words were spoken, and no movements were made, but we both understood each other's thoughts. Breaking off our gaze, we inspect what lies ahead. The space in front of us was not broad like the paths we saw in the second maze, but instead, the area quickly narrowed down to a singular entrance point. With a lamp perched out on either side, the only outlet was a human-sized hole in the wall.

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We approached the hole and peeked our heads through the entrance. On the other side was a relatively wide, tall, burrowed tunnel that took a slow left turn after only about fifteen feet. The only available light source in the tunnel was illuminated by a lone lamp hanging from the ceiling above the turn. This lamp kept the tunnel well-lit, so we won’t need our night vision goggles. Additionally, there was a faint damp smell, which I could only assume would get stronger as we traversed deeper into this new maze.

“So this time, it won’t be halls or paths, but tunnels we’ll have to navigate through,” says Ember.

“Looks like it. We should-”

Ember quickly throws out her arm and whispers, “Shh, I hear something.”

Immediately going quiet, Ember brings a finger to her ear and tilts her head to the side.

“It’s people… screaming… the screams, they’re getting louder! And that’s not all… behind them– they’re being chased!”

Now able to hear the screams myself, I lightly tap her on the arm to get Ember’s attention before tapping my ear to signal that I can also hear the screams. Ember nods and begins focusing solely on what could be chasing the people.

“It has… five, no, six legs. It’s fast but not as quick as the mutts and the people. I hear two sets of footsteps. In fact… they’re coming right toward us! Right now!”

“What?!” I quietly whisper.

Ember nods and goes to listen again but quickly steps back, pushing me back as well. The screams are only getting louder and louder, but I can’t make out any of the footsteps.

“They’re almost here! Prepare yourself!” says Ember, raising the steel sword as she quickly plants her feet, no longer trying to focus on her hearing.

Mimicking her actions, I stare intently at the doorway, unsure what to prepare for, but I’m ready to fight nonetheless.

“Hazel! This way! It won’t be able to fit!”

What? Is that–?

Suddenly, Hazel and Sky come flying around the corner, dried mud and dirt smeared all over their clothes and bodies. Without haste, they burst through the opening before us, immediately swiveling back around to ensure they weren’t being chased or followed anymore.

Completely oblivious that Ember and I were standing right next to them, the two held firm to their stances for at least ten seconds, weapons raised and all.

Only after that short period does an exhausted Sky hunch over, put her hands on her knees, and ask without looking away from the hole, “Are we… safe?”

“I… hope so. I can’t… run any longer…” responds Hazel, placing her hands behind her head as she tries to breathe, her face grimacing.

“Yeah, you’re safe,” says Ember, catching the two of them off guard. “Whatever was following you went down different path. Regarding its movements, I doubt it even saw you take this tunnel.”

“Eh- Ember!” excitedly exclaims Sky, leaping toward Ember with open arms.

Ember, realizing how filthy Sky is, quickly attempts to move away to escape Sky’s reach. But with a descending stairwell only a few feet behind her, Ember realizes she has nowhere to run and accepts her fate. Only a second had passed before Ember pried herself away from Sky’s embrace, telling her it was nice to see her too.

Sky then turned to me with a bright smile, “Forest, how are you?”

“I’m getting by,” I reply, not exactly in the mood to lie. “And you?”

Taking a moment to process my answer, Sky’s smile loses its sparkle as she must’ve recalled the radio conversation a few days ago and how Hunter is not with us now. I mouthed that I was okay before raising my eyebrows and slightly nodding to let her know it was okay to answer my question.

Looking at Hazel, Sky chuckles, “Ignoring that we just got chased by a giant ant for the past ten minutes… I think we’re doing okay. What would you say?”

Hazel clicks her tongue, “The ant part wasn’t fun. Do you have any water left?”

Sky takes off her pack and retrieves her canteen. Shaking it, no liquid sounds were made, and Sky let Hazel know she was out.

“I think I got some left,” pipes up Ember, tossing her canteen to Hazel, who catches it.

Giving it a quick shake, Hazel’s face lit up as she quickly unscrewed the cap and carefully raised the canteen above her mouth, assuring it wouldn’t touch her lips.

“Dude, you can drink from it normally. Getting sick isn’t exactly a concern for me right now,” says Ember, and with her permission, Hazel places the canteen in her mouth and takes a few sips.

Lowering the canteen, Hazel screws back on the cap and walks over to Ember to hand the canteen back.

“Thanks, I made sure to only drink a little,” says Hazel.

“No problem. Now in return… I feel you owe me and Forest a little explanation. How are you alive? When did you join up with Sky, all that,” says Ember, returning the canteen to the side pocket of her pack.

Hazel takes a deep breath and nods in agreement, “Sure, let’s see… I guess I’ll begin with–”

Code’s POV

8:25:40… 39… 38…

I’ve finally caught up to them, and it appears their battle is about to start. I’m not even one hundred percent sure myself, but considering only one can remain… is it possible these mazes never end? If that’s the case, one of these mazes doesn’t have an exit, it might be this one. In which case, it was only a matter of time before these two crossed paths, and I’m lucky I found Ace relatively early. Perfect, okay. Deep breaths. All I need to do is ambush Scar when his guard is down and–

A searing pain suddenly plagues both sides of my head, and I quickly shoot my hands up to both locations from which the pain is radiating.

Again?! Not now… any time but now!

As I close my eyes and bear the pain, I’m abruptly thrown into a memory from my past.

***

“Quinn, wake up…” a soft voice says as I feel a gentle shake on my shoulder. “You need to wake up, or you’ll be late.”

Grumbling and half-asleep, I roll over on my other side, “Just… give me a few more minutes…”

“No can do!” voices the same person as my blanket gets ripped away. “You told me that if you’re not up by 8am, I have to wake you up by any means necessary!”

Recalling that I told my mother to wake me up, I expel a long, tired groan as my legs and feet grow colder by the second. Opening my eyes, I see a blurry vision of my mom standing next to my desk.

“I’ve already made you breakfast, and I’ll leave your academy uniform here on your desk,” she says before kissing me on the forehead, ruffling my hair, and leaving the room.

Still lying in bed and brooding over getting up, my mom suddenly says from down the hall, “I made your favorite! Scrambled eggs and bacon! It’s going to get cold soon!”

Not wasting time, I leap out of bed, throw on some pants, and scurry down the hall.

“Coming, Mom!”

***

And just like that, I’m back to the present. Hardly any time has passed in the real world, but the memory has already been lost. Bringing a hand to my face to check, I wipe away the tears in my eyes.

“Damn… must’ve been a good one,” I whisper, trying to refocus on my mission as Scar and Ace stare each other down in the burrowed-out arena beneath me.