“Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”

Booker T. Washington, American Educator

The two police cars pulled into the parking lot of MacDonald Street Convenience, breaking through the trash and blood-covered snow. The shattered remains of an orb lay scattered in a pile behind the three abandoned vehicles outside the store.

Delorus’ gaze flickered down the nearby alley. A trail of footsteps in the snow led from a white truck parked in the alley, the Regina Refinery logo painted on its side. Unlike the other vehicles, this one didn’t have a layer of snow built up on its windshield, making it a recent arrival.

“This must be the place the man spoke of,” Sergeant Smith muttered to Chief Benton. “I’ll lead the charge, Chief.”

“Hold on, Sergeant,” Chief Benton replied, spotting the same newly minted footprints. “We aren’t alone. It seems some unfortunate members of the public have wandered into the Arena. Probably out searching for food.”

“Perhaps Officer Shepherd should go ahead of us,” Smith suggested, a malicious look in his eye. “She’s always had a way with the public. A kindly face and all that. Perhaps she can convince them to be useful, so they don’t get… hurt.”

Smith would like nothing more than for me to disappear in this arena. We’ve been on opposing sides of morality far too often.

“Officer Shepherd?” Benton asked, not bothering with whispers. “I take it you heard that? Smith here is good at a great many things in this new world, but subtlety isn’t one of them. But he has a point. The last thing we want in an Arena is a fight with another group of survivors. They need to leave it to the professionals. You were on the Crisis Negotiation Team, were you not? And I’ve been watching how to command the new refugees along the barricade. You are impressive. It is one of the reasons I brought you along today – to see if you are ready for greater responsibilities.”

Benton looked towards the store and counted footprints. “Go in first and scout ahead. Convince this to stay put and leave this to the professionals. Without forewarning, our numbers and firearms might very well trigger a fight we can’t afford. I intend to leave this Arena alive, after all.”

“Yes sir,” Delorus responded, burying her anxiousness as she’d been trained to do. She’d attended countless crisis situations during her career, and she trusted her skills.

Hauling herself out of the police car, she headed for the entrance, one hand on the baton at her side.

The winged eye – the camera that had followed her since the start of the God Contest – separated itself from the remaining eyes and whirled around her head. As usual, Delorus ignored it.

“You have ten minutes, Officer,” Benton instructed her. “We’ll enter the Arena after that.”

“Ten minutes is a lot of time for a small convenience store, sir,” Delorus suggested.

“It is not a convenience store, officer,” Benton said, a tiny smirk curled on his lips. “It is an Arena. Best you don’t forget that.”

Delorus did not respond. She scanned the small store through its bay windows. It appeared empty – its shelves still fully stocked save for those goods that were now scattered across the parking lot. A beaded curtain, gently swaying in a non-existent wind, separated the staff only section from the rest of the store.

She stepped over the threshold.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Delorus called, firm but friendly. There was no answer. “Regina Police. I’m here to help.”

An empty silence filled the store, deep and hollow. Delorus slowly crept forward, carefully checking down each aisle and behind the counter before moving onto the next. The convenience store smelled of rotting fruit and spoiled onions, which made her nose crinkle.

“We have food if you are hungry, and a safe place to stay,” Delorus added. “As safe as any place can be in this world.”

Delorus reached the beaded curtain, its pink and purple lending a splash of colour to the otherwise unremarkable store. An ‘employee only’ sign hung above the curtain, aged and worn, and hanging on by the smallest piece of dried-out tape.

“I’m headed to the back of the store,” Delorus announced. She peeled back the curtain and stepped through.

The moment her feet touched the tile, the floor beneath her collapsed. Delorus felt herself lurch, and she fell, plummeting through an endless darkness. The wind rushed past her ears, and she desperately fought the urge to scream. She failed, and her scream of terror filled the silence around her as she tumbled in the air as she fell.

She glimpsed the light streaming through the beaded doorway far above her, quickly growing smaller. Within moments, it faded to a single speck of light in the far-off distance. It had become a single star amongst many, as the darkness erupted into starlight – a gorgeous reflection of a stary night sky.

Not that Delorus noticed. Convinced she was about to die – splattered on the distant and unseen ground below – she pulled out the silver cross she wore around her neck and prayed. She thought of her estranged daughter, Veronica, who had fallen on hard times with a bad crowd and hoped she had long ago fled the city.

The sound of flapping wings pieced through the sound of her fall, and Delorus opened her eyes. Her winged eye flew nearby, capturing her private prayers for sadistic gods.

She reached for it, hoping it could support her weight, but the eye dodged her grasp and vibrated with amusement.

“Come on, you stupid little eye! Help me for once, or I swear I’ll… oomph!”

Delorus gasped as her fall abruptly stopped, ten feet above the now visible ground. Her body righted itself, and she was gently lowered onto a rough gravel path. Her heart pounded with adrenaline, and she took a dozen slow, deep breaths to calm herself.

“That was… not necessary,” Delorus admonished, staring into her winged eye that hovered above her. “What the heck is wrong with these gods?”

Composing herself, she took in her surroundings.

She was standing on a small hill, located at the end of a gravel path that went down into a tiny park below. A single flame cast its light over the part – the only other light save that from the stars above. Below, six people had gathered in the park – her lost scavengers – and she could faintly hear the low murmur of their worried voices.

“… scream… someone else…”

“… need to figure this out, fast…”

Delorus tried to spot the star that was the doorway she’d fallen through, but it was now one amongst thousands of pinpoint lights.

“I guess I won’t be getting back that way,” Delorus admitted.

She checked her watch.

Eight minutes until they follow and stumble into the same trap I did. And I still have a job to do. Those people must be terrified. And terrified people are dangerous.

Delorus unclipped her holster and slowly marched down the path towards the park. She didn’t bother to hide her footsteps – they knew she was coming.

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The distance to the park closed unnaturally fast, and soon she was able to see the six figures – four adults and two children. They stood before a rippling black wall, filled with pinpoint lights, which stretched on as far as her eyes could see. It looked as if the night sky had bent itself into the park to block their path.

A young man in a white T-shirt and black cowboy hat held aloft a sword made of bright, flickering flames that lit up the darkness in the park. A mammoth of a man clutched an axe of stone as he held the hand of a tall, muscular woman in overalls. Two eagles made of paper flew around the little girl’s head as her twin brother lifted tiny stones with his mind. Each wore a backpack, and they spoke softly amongst themselves without fear or panic.

They all stared at Delorus as she approached, apprehension etched on their faces. The boy shot a stone across the park, which struck the ground near her feet.

“That’s far enough,” the large man bellowed. He wore a scowl as if it were a stranger, but the protective fire in his eyes sent a clear message. “Don’t take another step.

Delorus reached for her firearm – suddenly feeling very vulnerable – until she spotted the final member of their group.

A young girl whom Delorus recognized, who was tapping a ball-peen hammer against the wall of solid darkness.

The girl who’d been living out of her car, whom Delorus had met a few days before the God Contest. She had been scared – Delorus had seen many scared women like that in her time – yet she’d had an inner fire and sense of hope that Delorus had admired. She’d given the girl a map and her contact information, so she could find her path forward in her new life.

She eased her hand away from her firearm.

After everything she went through, she found herself here, in the God Contest. From one hell and into another. What happened to her eye? It’s milky white, with an hourglass as her pupil? What has this poor girl been through these past two weeks?

“Bethany?” asked Delorus kindly. “Is that you? Do you remember me?”

Bethany turned as she heard the familiar voice.

“Officer Shepherd? How… what’re you doing in here?” Bethany uttered in disbelief as she rushed towards the woman.

“It’s just Delorus, my dear,” Delorus replied sweetly, slowly approaching the group with her hands raised away from her weapons. Despite the unusual weaponry, the group did not appear threatening, though Delorus saw within each of them a caution borne of experience. “And as for how…”

Delorus pointed skyward and shrugged.

Bethany nodded with understanding. “Yah, we fell too. My heart just finished trying to burst out of my chest. Oh, um… these are my friends. Rocky, Emily, and Elias, and the twins are Harmony and Brandon. Guys, this is Officer Shepherd. She helped me when I first came to Regina.”

“You didn’t mention why you were here,” the tall girl – Emily – said sternly, a protective edge in her voice. Delorus glimpsed metal claws sticking beyond her fingers.

They are not simple scavengers. They’re fighting in this world, just as we are. Bethany… you’ve found people who care for you. Friends willing to protect you. If Veronica had had friends like that… maybe she wouldn’t have left.

“I don’t really know why I am here,” Delorus admitted. “My Chief asked me to accompany him and some others to this place. I was scouting ahead in the convenience store when I fell through the floor. If we wait a few minutes, I’m sure they’ll fall into the same trap and join us.”

Bethany’s eyes flashed with alarm. “The chief of police?” she asked, a touch of panic in her voice. “He’s coming here?”

Is she scared of the police? A woman like her… that’s not unusual. But she isn’t scared of me. Is it… the chief? Why would she be scared of the chief?

Delorus wished she could assure Bethany that Chief Benton was a wonderful captain, surrounded by outstanding officers. But so many of her fellow officers now lay dead – victims of the horrors around them – and Benton, though still their charismatic chief, had changed. The disappearances. The rumors. They were growing too frequent to ignore.

Delorus did not assure Bethany. She did not want to lie.

“Yes. He and the others will be here in a few minutes,” Delorus answered simply.

“Rocky,” Bethany said urgently, turning towards the man with the stone axe. “We need to find a way through this wall, Now.”

Delorus watched the group spring into action and spread out across the park. Emily - the woman in the overalls – studied the dark wall, taking it all in.

“These aren’t random stars. They’re constellations.” Emily observed. “Dad took Emma and I stargazing when I was six. He’d inherited an old telescope from our great-uncle, and he was convinced he’d be the next great astronomer. For… about two weeks, before he got bored. But during those two weeks, he’d take us out every night.”

Emily pointed towards different clusters of stars against the darkness. “See, that’s Cassiopeia. Draco. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. And Cepheus over on the far edge.”

“You remember all that from when you were six years old?” Delorus said, impressed. “I wish I’d had you as a witness on a case.”

Emily gave the officer a slight smirk. “Oh, you have no idea how good I would be.”

“Over here, Bethany. I found something,” Rocky called from across the park. He knelt beside an aged grey stone tablet, carved with words in silver, which had been hidden beneath a patch of overgrown weeds.

Bethany rushed over, and Delorus followed, impressed by the group’s dynamics.

“What is it?” asked Delorus as they arrived at Rocky’s side.

“The arena’s opening salvo,” explained Rocky. “Usually, the God who designed the Arena bellows at us from on high about the nature of their challenge and how amazing they are. Really egotistical horseshit.”

“Omoikane seems to be the type of god that prefers a more subtle approach,” Bethany observed, brushing away the final weed.

“I’ll take subtle. At least it isn’t a bunch of half-naked Spartans trying to murder us,” Rocky laughed.

Delorus’ puzzled stare spoke volumes.

“Delorus, is… is this your first arena?” asked Bethany with concern. The pity on the girl’s face made Delorus shiver.

“I… yes, it is,” Delorus admitted. “I only learned about these Arenas on the drive over. How many have you…”

“This is my fourth,” Bethany said. “Third for Rocky and Emily, and second for Elias and the kids. They… they are dangerous, Delorus. Very dangerous. We were amongst the few survivors of the one we stumbled into at the Northend Savers Supermarket. We have no idea what we will find in here.”

“But maybe this stone tablet will give us a clue,” Rocky said.

I am Omoikane, he who brings together the thoughts of the myriad deities. The right hand of Authority – his counselor and ever-faithful servant – whose wisdom has helped chart the course of humanity.

You, who stand at the beginning, who are tested to determine your worthiness, must embrace the value of wisdom if you wish to succeed. Wisdom is stronger than steel, faster than lightning, more durable than the mountains, and more dangerous than all the magic of the world. To wield wisdom is to wield potential itself.

Wisdom is, at its core, the path to victory.

I put this test to you – my Maze of Wise Counsel – that it may help you become one who knows how to counselor your allies, outwit your enemies, and embrace the subtlety beyond darkness and light to the myriad which lies between.

You must learn to be the guiding light in the darkness, so that you may steer yourself and others along the path to victory.

“What’s an Omoikane?” asked Delorus, confused.

“Just another one of these asshole gods that have locked us in this game,” Rocky said with venom. “We…”

A woman’s terrified scream rang out across the sky, amplified by its darkness. Delorus knew that scream well – Ms. Hilton bellowed it each time Delorus had dragged her into the cells in the basement of Headquarters.

Her companions had found the back room – the hidden entrance to the Arena.

“Rocky…” Bethany urged the man.

“I know. I’m working on it. We must become a guiding light in the darkness…” Rocky muttered, working through the clue. “Emily, is there a constellation that provides guidance? Or is a source of navigation?”

“I guess they all do, to some extent, but… of course! It’s not a constellation we’re looking for. It’s a solitary star. The North Star. The guiding light for sailors to navigate. It should be…. there! On the right, a hundred paces away and six feet up.”

Emily dashed over to the star. It was the size of Emily’s palm, and unlike the other stars, which were flush against the darkness like wallpaper, this one was slightly raised against the blackness. She gripped it like a doorknob and turned.

There was a click, and the hidden door creaked open.

“Great work, honey. Let’s go,” Rocky praised, dashing over to join Emily with Elias and the kids hot on his heels.

“Good luck, Delorus,” Bethany said, giving the woman a quick embrace. “Thank you for your kindness on that first day. You were right. I was running. I guess I’m still running, but now I am running with people that I trust. Take care of yourself.”

Bethany followed her friends toward the door.

“Bethany… wait,” Delorus called out as Bethany started to step through the doorway.

Bethany glanced back at her curiously.

I should meet up with the Chief. Report back on what I’ve seen and how to get past this wall. But…but I don’t trust him. Any of them. My instincts scream at me whenever they are around, as if I expect a dagger in the back. The rumors. The disappearances. He’s up to something, and I won’t find the answers if I just play his lapdog.

“I think I should go with you,” Delorus said, surprising herself as much as Bethany. She did not fear the dangers ahead as much as the dangers arriving behind her, and the thought of Benton and Smith near Bethany sent a shiver up Delorus’ spine.

Bethany stared at the woman for a long while. Delorus could see her mind whirling with a thousand thoughts as she weighed the impact of her choice. She whispered back and forth with her companions beyond the door.

“… lead them straight to us…”

“… will do that anyway if we leave her behind…”

“… helped me. I just have this feeling… we’ll need her.”

Ms. Hilton’s scream ended just as four more began in the sky above.

“Bethany…,” Delorus urged the woman with a touch of desperation. “They will be here soon.”

Bethany watched the woman for a few cautious heartbeats, then gave her a gentle smile and waved her over.

Delorus stepped through the hidden doorway, and Bethany closed the door firmly shut behind them.