Chris continued to pry into the puzzling revelation. “What do you mean only you and Walidah can see her? Do you guys have the ability to see ghosts or something?”

“She’s not dead!” Andre snapped. He was shaking and digging his fingers deep into Walidah’s arm.

“So, she’s just invisible?”

“She fused with us to keep us alive,” Andre said. “If it wasn’t for her, we would’ve been stillborns.”

Chris plopped down on the sand and stared vacantly. “‘Fused’?” The last time he was this confused was when his uncle told him about the Wodaabe tribe’s wife stealing festival in Niger. Taking another man’s woman is free game apparently and even celebrated.

“All three of us were in the womb together…” Andre started, his expression growing grim. “But nobody believes that she ever existed. The doctor said that there was never a third sibling in the womb at any point and our family believed it!” He put a hand over his heart. “But me and Walidah know the truth. She does exist. We see her, we speak with her, she’s her own person with her own personality. Tastes in food, music, movies and pet peeves, and nervous ticks, and dreams. She’s real. Unfortunately, because of her sacrifice she isn’t able to interact with this world.”

Despite his best efforts, Chris wasn’t able to get rid of his vacant look. “You guys want to bring her to this world, then?”

Andre snarled at Chris’s mocking, degrading tone. “Yes, that is exactly what we’re going to do.”

Chris, fascinated by the case of Folie à deux, suppressed his curiosity and stopped himself from asking any further questions—like how a ghost can even grow up in the first place. “Welp, looks like she’s never crossing over.” He got up.

“I know you think we’re crazy.”

“Well… I can’t exactly say that I think you’re sane after hearing that.”

Chris started walking. Andre grunted, lifted Walidah in his arms, and followed.

They slogged across the sand in silence. The area began to look less like a beach and more like a desert, but the temperature remained cool. Black dunes raised as they continued their journey.

“Why do you want to beat the Trials?” Andre asked.

Chris turned to Andre. “No! That’s not what’s going to happen here.” He moved his finger between them back and forth as he glared at him. “This is not our bonding moment, okay? I don’t like you.”

“I don’t like you either. I’m just curious.”

“Well, stay curious.”

“You’re always grumpy. We didn’t partner up as much, so I’ve only heard about it from the others and I thought they were exaggerating, but no, they weren’t. It’s like you constantly have something up your ass that leaves you in a bad mood.”

Chris glared. Debating with himself whether it was Melissa, Domingos, or Tatsunori who made the comment.

“And what’s the deal with that girl? How did that partnership start up? She has the Kamaitachi, so you’re representing different sides. Are you guys working together until you’re the only ones left? But in that case, there’s no way you’d beat her.”

Chris stopped. “What makes you think that?”

Andre grinned and shifted his hold on Walidah a bit. “A predictable and cautious fighter like you? Yeah, my money’s on Silver.”

“Well, there’s no need to worry about that.”

“How come? Wait, doesn’t she want to win?” Andre’s eyes narrowed. “Then, is she just helping you win? That doesn’t make sense… how much are you paying her?”

Chris heaved a sigh. “I’m not paying her anything.”

“Then why is she helping you? For fun?” Andre read off Chris’s look. “Oh, my God! She’s doing this for fun!”

“There are all kinds of people in this world, okay?”

“Partnering up with somebody that unpredictable can be a liability, though. The way she attacked Adisa and jumped headstrong into the pit after him, all without saying a single word to you. It actually doesn’t seem like a partnership at all. It’s like she’s having her own adventure and you just happen to be there. She probably doesn’t even see you as a secondary character in her story. You’re just an extra to a lunatic like that who’s only focus is the thrill.”

Chris was unable to make a remark. He eyed the sand in silence.

“And what if she suddenly decides that she wants to win?” Andre added. “What then?”

Chris looked back at Andre, straight-faced.

His mind became a theater, showing a movie of Tayte in her scariest, crazed state, gashing away at her enemies with her enlarged scythe. Her smile grew wider with every pint of blood that splattered onto her face, and beside her midst the carnage was a kindred spirit covered in blood, swinging his archaic weapon with a similar smile—Adisa. Tayte and Adisa halted, standing back-to-back, and then slowly turned their bloody faces in the same direction.

The only thing scarier than fighting Tayte would be fighting Adisa and the only thing scarier than that… would be the two of them.

Chris snapped back to reality with a sharp cry and hunched over.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing…”

“That chick will destroy you, without a doubt. Well, you could just forfeit your Relic, but then again, if she is doing all of this just for the thrill. That won’t matter. How does she react to begging—? ”

“You’re leaving something out about your sister’s abilities.” Chris interrupted.

“What?”

“She said some things to me. Things that can only be known if you were literally reading my mind, no, it goes deeper than that…”

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“Look, I dunno, man. I told you she didn’t tell me much about the Relic—”

“And I remember when she was in Jengu form. She called you a ‘liar’. What was that about?”

“I don’t know! The Relic is messing with her head. Its power is probably overwhelming, and she is putting in a lot of effort to stay in control. It must be tasking to the mind.”

Chris smirked. “So, you’re saying that she was just acting crazy? Wow.”

Andre frowned. “We should go back to walking in silence.” He stomped forward, bumping past Chris.

Chris turned around and watched him walk. Thoughts of Tayte’s whereabouts filled his mind, or rather, where her corpse was. Adisa liked her, though. He wouldn’t kill her. They could be together… fighting… talking… connecting.

###

Chris and Andre stopped before a wooden platform, exchanged looks, and walked up the steps.

Two wooden beams, far from each other, stretched out in front of them over a wide sandy chasm. They peered below and there was not a void but a field of bubbling sand. Ammo slipped out of Chris’s jacket pocket. It sizzled intensely as it hit the sand and sank out of existence.

The boys stepped back.

Chris squinted forward and pointed. “There!”

A black tombstone was on the other side of the chasm on a round, rocky platform. “We made it. The checkpoint!”

“We’re almost out of this hell,” Andre said and then eyed the pair of beams. “It’s just a balancing act. Can’t be that hard, right?”

“A balancing act after getting us all slippery.” Chris looked up. “I hate this place!” He gave Andre the side-eye. “And things haven’t been made easier with the dead weight you have on you.”

Andre glanced at Walidah and snarled at Chris. “We’re getting her across.”

“Yeah, how?” Chris asked.

“We’ll figure something out.”

“Why don’t you ask your other sister to help?”

“She can’t interact with this world, you bastard!” Andre kneeled, put Walidah down, pulled out his shawl from his back pocket and then took off his shirt, and wrung it with the shawl.

Chris shuffled closer to the beam and stared at the tombstone on the other side, making out a couple of balls of light over it. He hunched over with his hands on his knees, studying the beam in front of him. There could be a trap set to activate from the moment he steps on it. He looked over to the other beam and then wondered if one of them was made to collapse halfway through. A choice to be made. 50/50. Chris curled his lips to the side, nodding to his theory; it was consistent with the sadistic nature of the other death traps. He was convinced.

“Hey, can you help me with this?” Andre called out.

Chris turned to him and paused with his forehead creased.

Andre was bent over in his white tank top with Walidah on his back, facing up. Looped around their waist were his damp shawl and two sets of shirts. He was making a third knot on his hip. “Could you give me a shirt or jacket?”

“You’re going to walk across that beam like that? You’ll fall to your death.” Chris said.

Andre focused on making another knot. “If I lie down on my stomach, then we’ll be fine.”

Andre reminded Chris of African mothers with their babies straddled at their back, but instead of a bundle of joy, it was the same as having a ticking time bomb tied to your back, and Chris didn’t want to stick around to see it go off. The Relic just wasn’t worth it. His eyes darted to the beams again, ignoring Andre’s cries for help, and then a cheeky smile took shape on his face. “Lukwata,” he called.

Andre positioned himself upright, watching Chris as he tied one last knot. “Chris?”

Chris took a couple of steps backwards, holding his shield, and then ran forward.

He jumped.

“Wait, no!” Andre screamed, holding out his hand, but it was no use. The worst case scenario was playing out.

“Amazzi-go!” Chris dashed to the middle of the beam. “Amazzi-go!” he shouted again and made it to the other side of the chasm. Upon hitting the sand, he slowly turned back to Andre and waved. “See ya!”

Andre stomped till the end of his side of the chasm. “You can’t just leave us, you know!”

The two continued to yell at each other over the chasm. “Why not? The checkpoint is right here!” Chris said arrogantly. “The exit must be near, so I can leave.”

“I won’t give you the Relic!”

“I don’t want it! I’d make an ugly mermaid, anyway!”

“So, you’re the type of person who leaves others to die?”

“If they are part of a group of international criminals who steal and murder occasionally, yeah, I have no problem with it.”

“You were part of that group, too!”

“I never killed anybody!”

“We didn’t either!”

“Oh, please, you’re at least indirectly responsible for plenty of deaths.”

“In that case, so are you. You were the last to join, but you’ve been on a hefty amount of jobs, Chris!”

Chris clenched his jaw and stepped back.

Andre tried more of his tactics. “You could’ve shot Walidah earlier, but you didn’t! You’re not the type to kill people, Chris! Your morals won’t allow it. You think leaving us to die here will let you off the hook morally? It’ll eat you up inside.”

“I’ll see a therapist!”

“Chris!” Andre shouted, his voice breaking.

“If there really is an afterlife then, I hope you and your sister reunite with your other sister. That’s if she ever existed, anyway.”

“You think you’re funny? I wonder how much you’ll be laughing when that poison in you starts taking effect.”

Chris’s expression became vacant. “What?” he said after a full mental reboot.

“You heard what I said!” Andre barked over the chasm.

Chris shook his head. He couldn’t let himself fall for the trap. He dodged all of Walidah’s darts. He knew he did! “Stop. You’re being pathetic,” he said in a strict tone.

“Oh, you think I’m lying?”

“Yeah, I do,” Chris pointed at Andre. “You’re bluffing.”

Andre turned to his side and waved a hand. “Fine then, leave,” he said, nonchalant. “See what happens. I promise you, you’ll be dead before you leave this tomb without the antidote.”

The end of the sentence struck Chris and forced him to be still.

Andre chuckled, reveling in his opponent’s silent freak out. “You’re predictable.” He teased. “You can’t handle not being unsure of something. Let me help you with that.” He unzipped a pocket in his pants and held up a dart. “It’s a tactic Malika came up with. When people fight us, they assume only Walidah uses poison darts.” Andre’s face twisted, taking a more insidious look as he continued. “I poked you with this when you were doing all of your analysis.”

Chris rubbed the back of his neck. The memory of the stinging feeling resurfaced. Andre swimming towards the hole without turning back made a lot more sense. He was expecting him to be dead in the water by then. “So, you never planned on giving me the Relic, huh?”

“What’re you, hurt by what I did? Can it even be considered a betrayal?”

Andre’s revolting demeanor made Chris growl — surprising himself for a moment by the feral nature of it. “What if I didn’t betray you?” Chris asked.

“I would’ve given you the antidote if anything happened midway of course, but if we managed to get out of here without the poison taking effect in time, well… Que sera, sera, right?”

Chris put in a strenuous effort to keep himself from firing a bullet into his groin from where he stood.

“I won’t tell you the name of the poison, and yeah, I hit you with a small dose, so it’s taking a while for it to take over,” Andre explained. “It’s a cocktail of poisons. Trust me, it will eventually take effect and it’s going to be bad.” Andre let out the type of chuckle that guarantees a well-deserved punch in the face. “You can try your best to find an antidote or maybe a local to help after you escape this place, but there’s no time to pinpoint a diagnosis and prepare an antidote.”

Chris sank deep into his thoughts, desperate to find an answer.

Andre threw the dart away and unzipped another pocket. He held up a vial. “I don’t know if you can see, but this is the antidote.” He played around with it in his hand. “You. Me. Walidah. Malika. We’re all getting out of this place alive. So, speed dash your black-ass back here and take all of us to the other side.”