Gauntlet

by Holly Jennings

  Lily’s jaw went slack, and her shoulders sagged even more. She glanced between me and the platform a few times.

  “Well,” she began. “Whatever it is, let’s go down fighting. Let’s show the world Defiance one last time.”

  She offered her hand.

  The doubt I felt inside turned to resolve. If this was our last fight in front of the world, we would give it our all. Go out with glory. Down to the last breath.

  I took her hand and hauled myself up. Lily turned her gaze to the platform.

  “What are you thinking?”

  This flag was Heaven, situated directly north and opposite of Earth. For the Earth flag, we had to be completely receptive, lay down our weapons and refuse to fight. I surveyed the stone angels in each corner and had a feeling who our opponents would be.

  “This will be the battle,” I told her. “We’ll have to fight with brute force. Whatever comes at us, don’t back down.”

  She nodded.

  I edged up to the end of the alley and checked up and down the street. Empty. I nodded at Lily and drew my sword. She gripped her axes.

  “Charge on three,” I told her, planting my feet on the ground to push off. She did the same. “One, two—”

  A hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me back.

  “Want some help?”

  I whirled around and followed the hand gripping my arm up to a pair of soft brown eyes.

  Rooke.

  I didn’t remember moving, but suddenly, I was hugging him. He wrapped his arms around me and crushed me against him, burying my face in his chest until I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t care. He could have squeezed the life out of me, and I would have smiled for every second of it. My hands gripped his back, feeling the leather of his jacket, and the way his muscles moved beneath. He wasn’t real but real enough.

  Rooke pulled back, and I sucked in some much-needed air.

  “I thought you were out,” I breathed.

  “Almost, and I had to drag him along.”

  He nodded behind us.

  Derek stood five feet back with his arms wrapped around Lily. He glanced over her head at me and flashed his movie-star grin. He released Lily and limped up to us, grimacing whenever he put weight on his right leg.

  “Legacy showed up,” Derek explained. “With the three of them, and the two of us, it was five on five. Eon was surrounded.”

  My chest tightened. “Legacy’s still in the game?”

  “Jessica is. The rest of their team went out in the fight.”

  Lily stepped up to the group. “That was a pretty big gamble on their part.”

  Derek shrugged. “They wanted Eon out and us in. It’s the way the fight went.”

  That was when I noticed their visors and mics were gone.

  “What happened to your mics?” I asked.

  Derek grinned at that. “When Eon first attacked us, they went straight for our visors. Ripped them right off our heads.” His grin grew wider. “To be honest, I think it was to disorient you two. They seemed pretty pissed. By knocking out our mics, you wouldn’t know what happened to us.”

  I probably would have done the same thing in their circumstance. We’d screwed them, and they’d done it right back to us. It didn’t matter now. All that did was that our plan worked. Now we were together, and ready to fight.

  “So, Eon’s out,” I said, though I was more thinking to myself out loud. “And Legacy is down to just Jessica.”

  I traded looks with my teammates. They all grinned and nodded at me. We were thinking the same thing. We could win this. If we beat K-Rig to the center of the game, we could take it all.

  First, the eighth flag.

  Derek swung his arm out, as if presenting the flag to me.

  “Lead the way, captain.”

  I glanced down at his leg. “We’ll have to charge.”

  He shrugged. “I’ll manage.”

  I knew he would. We’d all done it, played on injuries. I’d outrun that machine thing on a broken foot several matches ago. We’d gone through the semi’s respawns battling the same thing.

  I checked the street again, the buildings overhead. Empty. No movement. I led my team across the street. At the bottom of the steps, we paused and drew our weapons.

  “Go in hard,” I told them, gripping my sword tight. “Don’t slow down. Just attack whatever comes at you.”

  Everyone nodded. I planted my feet and set my sights at the top of the stairs.

  “Ready,” I shouted. “Go.”

  We charged.

  We took the steps two at a time and bounded up the stairs. The second our feet touched down on the platform, the stone statues in the corners came to life, like angelic gargoyles. They raced toward us at blinding speed and halted in front of the flag, forming a single line across and blocking our path.

  We never slowed down, and behind them, the flag grew brighter with every step we took.

  We crashed into them.

  A giant sickle swung down, and I dove to the side, dodging the blow. I scrambled forward, attempting to squeeze between the statue’s legs. It swung back again with its weapon, caught me along the flat side, and slammed into me with a sickening smack. I tumbled away and rolled across the platform several times before coming to near the stairs. I groaned as pain shot through every inch of me. Coughing, I spat blood. It splattered against the stone platform, red on beige, like a red, wax seal on a centuries-old letter.

  I pushed up to my hands and knees. The sound of metal clashing on stone drove my eardrums into my brain as my teammates fought against the line of angels. Beyond it all, the flag was fading.

  Had to get back into the fight.

  As I pushed up to my feet, footsteps pounded up the steps behind me. I turned in time to see K-Rig step onto the platform and rocket toward the center.

  My heart went into my throat.

  As they drove across the platform, the flag glowed so brightly it seared against the dark, grayed background of the game. A realization hit me then. The brute force required to capture the flag wasn’t toward the NPCs. It was toward the flag itself. The NPCs were merely a distraction.

  “Charge the flag,” I screamed.

  I broke away from my angel, just as a member from K-Rig lunged for me. The angel slammed into him instead and knocked him to the ground. They locked in battle.

  I was free. Mostly.

  The platform became a war zone. My team, K-Rig, and the NPCs all clashed together in battle. Screams punctuated the air between the thunderous smashes of stone against stone as the statues toppled or crashed into one another.

  This was chaos. Pure, utter chaos.

  In the middle of it all, I took a breath, calmed myself, and set my sights on the center of the platform until all that existed was me and the flag.

  I bolted for it.

  With every step I took, the flag glowed a little brighter. Ten feet from it, a pair of hands grabbed my ankles and I slammed to the ground. Refusing to look back, I kicked out hard. My foot connected with something solid, and there was a whooshing sound, like the air rushing out of lungs. I’d hit a rib cage or a sternum. Didn’t matter which. The tension around my ankles released.

  I scurried forward.

  A body landed next to me. Blood sprayed out of its neck and splattered the side of my face. Stone crumbled beneath my palms and dug into my skin. I never took my sights off the flag.

  It was within my reach now.

  My fingers wrapped around the pole. It flashed, and consumed me in a grayish glow. Relief rushed through me, like a gulp of fresh air at the bottom of the ocean. The eighth flag was mine.

  A weight jumped on my back. I went with it, twisting as I collapsed. The weight rocked sideways, and I flipped onto my back. Kim Jae appeared over me.

  In his hand was a dagger.

/>   My throat tightened.

  I reached for my own weapon tucked in my boot. Kim Jae knocked my hand away and pounced on me again, pinning me to the platform. He reeled back with the blade. As he swung down, my forearm shot up and blocked his wrist. The inside edge of the blade dug into my arm. I grimaced through the pain. A trail of blood snaked down my arm and dripped onto my neck.

  The dagger lowered. I recoiled, pressing myself tight against the ground. Kim Jae pressed his weight into it. The blade neared my eye. I squirmed beneath him, unable to budge. Inside, I knew it was over. I wasn’t getting out of this one.

  So, this is how Kali Ling goes out of the fight. Almost at the end, but not close enough.

  At least we’d given them a good show.

  Kim Jae grinned down at me and leaned in more, preparing to thrust the knife home. Then his mouth split open into a silent scream, and his body went rigid. I glanced down. A sword had driven through his stomach and nearly impaled me as well. I sucked my gut inward as the tip pressed against my belly. Kim Jae gasped a few times, spasming, and his body rolled to the side.

  I collapsed against the platform as relief flooded through me for a second time. Breaths wheezed through my lungs. My vision swirled, then cleared as I stared up into the night. The ominous presence of the game pressed around me, as thick as morning fog, and I’d never been more thankful for it.

  I was still here.

  Still in the game.

  I looked up to see which of my teammates had saved me. A shock of red hair hovered over me.

  Jessica Salt offered her hand and smirked at me lying on my back.

  “Taking it easy, Ling?”

  I pushed up to my feet without taking her hand. I still didn’t trust her. Not entirely.

  I surveyed my surroundings. Eight bodies littered the platform, interspersed with hunks of stone from the shattered angel statues. The smaller bits, like gravel, crunched beneath my feet. Of the eight bodies, five were K-Rig. They slowly faded from view.

  The other three were my team.

  I stood tall and swallowed thick as they slowly dematerialized out of the game. My heart almost went with them. One mistake, one stupid misinterpretation of the puzzle, and it had cost me my team. After they faded from view, I retrieved my weapons and kept them gripped in my hands. I wasn’t alone up here, after all.

  “You’re all that’s left,” Jessica said, as if I couldn’t see it for myself.

  Something immensely bright flashed in the distance. A golden sunburst exploded from a skyscraper’s rooftop in the center of the map. Then it collapsed in on itself until all that was left was a tiny spark of light, like a star in the night sky.

  The final flag.

  Jessica and I locked eyes again. We stood there, looking at each other for a few seconds. The eighth flag respawned behind me. Jessica moved toward it, walking straight to me. I kept my breaths steady, but every nerve was on edge, waiting for her to make a move. I could go up against my idol right here, on this platform, in front of the entire world. The sword in my hand suddenly gained ten pounds.

  She slid past me.

  Nothing happened.

  She made no move to attack. Instead, she gripped the pole, and a burst of color consumed her.

  “You have all eight flags, don’t you?” she asked. “That’s why the final flag went up.”

  I nodded again. She turned back and studied me for a minute.

  “That was a bold move, splitting up your team. I still need one more. So does K-Rig.”

  My brow furrowed. “How do you know that?”

  “I’ve been keeping track.” She nodded at the one next to her. “If I’m right, that’s the last they need, and you stopped them.”

  I scoffed at her. “You stopped them. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d be out of the game right now.”

  “Well, you’re not. You’re the front-runner now.” She pointed to the final flag, hundreds of feet away in the center of the map. “That’s all yours if you can make it there before the rest of us.”

  Why was she telling me this?

  “Make no mistake, Ling,” she said, as if she could read my mind. She walked along the platform, heading toward the east. “As long as K-Rig is here, we’re still of use to each other inside the game. But if it comes down to me and you, I’m not holding back anymore. I hope you won’t, either.”

  I grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  She reached the edge of the platform.

  “K-Rig will be coming back for this one,” she said, nodding at the flag behind me. “I’d get out of here if I were you. Like, now.”

  She backed up a few steps and prepared to jump.

  “Hey,” I called out. She halted and glanced back to me. “Thanks. For everything.”

  She stared at me and kept her expression neutral. Though, I swore I saw a hint of respect in her eyes. “Sometimes in these tournaments, you aren’t dealt a fair hand. The press tears you up and fans turn their backs. But, in here”—she pointed down at the ground—“it should be an even playing field. The game should be fair. But I don’t think it is anymore. Not for everyone.”

  I blinked several times, unsure of what to say. Jessica knew what had happened to us in this tournament. Or, at least, had a sneaking suspicion. That must have been why she was helping me. She wanted me to have an equal chance at winning, despite the VGL’s working against me.

  “Get to the center, Ling. Maybe I’ll see you there.”

  With that, she jumped off the platform’s edge and bolted down the street. I watched her go, then turned toward the center of the game.

  The final flag.

  It was down to me now.

  Jessica was still in it and had seven out of eight flags. Despite their delay at the start, K-Rig had seven flags—not much of a surprise there. Eon was out.

  Then there was me. I had all eight flags.

  I was alone to make the trek to the center of the map, survive whatever the game and my opponents threw at me, and conquer the final flag.

  I looked up at the sky and felt the ominous presence of the game all around me.

  It’s just me and you now.

  I gripped my sword tight, descended the platform, and marched toward the center of the world.

  CHAPTER 27

  I didn’t even make it a full block before something whizzed past me.

  Inside the narrow alleyway, I stopped dead. My hand instantly went for the hilt of my sword, currently sheathed at my back. Shallow breaths slid through my mouth as I surveyed the area around me. The alleyway was empty. At least, it looked empty. But that creepy feeling of being watched snuck up the back of my neck, and I knew it wasn’t just the game itself. Something had just brushed past me. I took a cautious step forward, then another, watching, listening, every nerve on alert.

  It could be K-Rig, I thought, playing some kind of trick.

  I halted and backed up a few steps, distancing myself from the alley’s mouth. Another whizzing sound whipped past the end of the alley behind me. I froze. My heart beat in my throat. The air around me was deathly silent and emphasized the thrum of my pulse and sound of my shoes crunching against the pavement. If it was K-Rig, and they had me surrounded, I could be toast. But waiting around in the alleyway for them to close in wasn’t doing me any favors, especially if they were on the rooftops. If they came from one direction, the narrow passageway would work to my benefit and funnel them in only two at a time. But chances were, they were in front, behind, and above. Not good for me.

  I silently drew my sword, gripping it tight. With a breath, I pushed off running. When I reached the alley’s mouth, I slid down, feetfirst, hoping they’d swing high and miss me. I skidded along into an empty street. No K-Rig. No soul in sight.

  I stood, blinking, as I looked around. I swear I’d felt something, saw something whizzing around the
alleyway. I shook my head. Was I losing my mind? Was this a side effect from being plugged in for too long?

  Then, on the street in front of me, a team materialized out of thin air, like they’d stepped into the game through black clouds of wispy smoke. My stomach bottomed out. It wasn’t K-Rig.

  It was my team.

  At least, they looked like my team. They were completely monochrome in color, like gothic imprints of the people they once were. Black armor, gray skin, eyes so dark, the entire socket, from eyebrow to cheek, looked hollow and sunken in.

  They all held weapons in their hands.

  I took half a step back, and my mouth went bone-dry. All this time, I was afraid to be alone. Afraid to be without my team. Afraid to fail them. Now they were here with me, and I would have done anything to be alone again.

  Lily charged me, her axe drawn back to strike. I spun around as I ducked under her swing, drew my dagger from my boot, and drove it deep into her stomach. Black liquid pooled around my blade and slithered down her body in thick goblets, like wax melting down a candle. Her mouth opened, and more blackness spilled out from her lips. She leaned in close, until I could almost see a hint of midnight blue behind the shadows of her nonexistent eyes. A single word rasped from her mouth.

  “Why?”

  I reeled back. It was Lily’s voice, Lily’s face. Tears streamed dark trails down her chin. My stomach twisted so hard, I thought I’d vomit. I wrenched my dagger out of her and scrambled away, running on numb legs as I bolted down the street.

  This isn’t real. They’re not real.

  A whooshing noise came up behind as my teammates chased me. They moved like phantoms, surfing on black clouds of smoke.

  I ran faster.

  I darted in and out of alleyways and narrow roads, trying to lose my tail. Every step I took, every time I sped up or changed direction, they were on me, matching every move. Breaths wheezed through my lungs, and my legs ached. I’d never outrun them, and I was wasting time and energy trying.

  I slowed to a stop and rested my hands on my knees as I caught my breath. The whooshing behind me halted a few feet away. They were waiting for me.