Let the Games Begin | Dream Smp

Chapter 13

"You're okay, you're okay," Wilbur comforted, sitting down next to her, "Think about it, Kayla. You've watched so many people die already, so Purpled is just one more person, isn't he?"

"But it's exactly what you said. I watched them die," Kayla replied quietly, "I wasn't the one doing the killing. God, I didn't mean to do that! I just saw him run at you and I panicked and—"

"You panicked," Wilbur repeated firmly, "You panicked because he was going to kill me. Would you rather have killed him or let him kill me?"

Kayla stayed silent, dropping her eyes to the ground. Purpled's body had disappeared before their eyes, like some kind of magic trick, leaving his sword as the only evidence of his existence.

"Don't feel guilty about it. He had it coming." Wilbur stood up and held his hand out to Kayla. She grabbed it, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Do you think Techno and Phil are back?" Kayla asked. She placed her swords back in their scabbards and faced Wilbur.

"They might be," he said, "Even if not, they're probably heading back after hearing the cannon."

"Let's hurry, then," she told him. Wilbur nodded, and the two quickly ran back towards the base. They slowed down as the tents came into view, and Kayla first spotted Ranboo pacing the camp.

"Ranboo! We're back!" She called out, waving to him. Ranboo looked up and visibly sighed with relief before walking over to them.

"Do you know why there was a cannon shot?" He questioned, "I heard it and since four of you were out, I had no idea what was going on—"

"We're back!" Techno exclaimed, popping out through the trees. Phil followed close behind, breathing heavily.

"Oh, you three are okay," he said in relief, "Did you hear the cannon shot?" Kayla glanced nervously over at Wilbur, who gave her a reassuring nod.

"Kayla, there's a bit of blood on your bandages," Techno noticed, gesturing to her arms, "Did your cuts reopen? We should probably rebandage them." Kayla opened her mouth to answer, but Wilbur cleared his throat.

"That's not her blood," he said quickly.

Everyone fell silent, taking in Wilbur's words.

"What happened out there?" Ranboo asked. Techno and Phil looked expectantly over at Wilbur and Kayla as well.

"We went on a walk," Kayla started, "We were going along the lakeside, and eventually got to the field. Then we had decided to just walk a little farther and turn around when we met Purpled."

"He confirmed that he did kill another contestant that lived in the field," Wilbur added, "And then he attacked us."

"So you killed him?" Phil questioned.

"Not on purpose," Kayla specified, "Wilbur and I had tried to get him to stop, and Wilbur even put his sword down to show him we meant no harm. But then Purpled tried to kill Wilbur."

"And Kayla killed him before he could do so," Wilbur finished, "And then she puked." Kayla raised her eyebrows in surprise and slapped Wilbur's arm in annoyance.

"I would, too, if it was me," Ranboo laughed. Techno smiled and rolled his eyes.

"At least you both aren't hurt," Phil said, "Purpled's death leaves thirteen of us left."

"Who are the rest of the contestants?" Kayla asked, "I know us five as well as Sam, Puffy, and Foolish. Then Dream and Sapnap. Who are the other three?"

"Well, that's what Phil and I went to find out," Techno told them, "And I'm happy to say that I can account for eleven out of our thirteen locations. Dream and Sapnap changed bases, and I don't know where in the arena they are now."

"There's a chance that they might be living with other contestants," Phil added.

"True," Techno agreed with a nod, "And we already know this base and Phil and Wilbur's base. We also know Sam, Puffy, and Foolish's camp. Then there are two contestants who live in the hills, Bad and Ant. They're camp is situated near the far left side of the lake."

"Oh, Bad and Ant? I almost forgot about them," Wilbur commented, "I haven't seen them since the second or third day, when I ran into them while hunting."

"Then, the final contestant is Eret. He lives in the forest as well, farther away from the lake than us," Techno said, "If you follow the stream's water flow, it opens up into a small pond, and Eret's camp is a little ways inward from there."

"So that's all that's left, huh?" Ranboo muttered, "And to think just a few days ago there were still twenty-two people in this arena. Now we've dwindled down to thirteen."

"I know. It's a bit hard to wrap my head around it," Phil agreed, nodding, "But we should have at least a day or two of peace for now, until someone decides to attack."

"Kayla, can I have a word with you?" Techno cut in, locking eyes with her, "Out by the stream."

"Oh. Sure," Kayla replied. She looked over at Wilbur, who gave her a quick nod, before following Techno out of the camp.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until the two approached the small stream that led away from the lake. The water trickled gently past them, over the visible rocks below and past the cattails and plants that lined the banks.

"So—uh—what is it?" Kayla asked, folding her arms across her chest. Techno glanced at the stream, where a few small, black fish swam below the surface, before looking back to her.

"You okay? After everything, you know, that just happened?" Techno studied her expression amusedly as she blinked in surprise.

"What? Surprised that I care about you?" He quipped with a small laugh, "You've got to be feeling some emotion after killing someone for the first time."

"Well, I feel a bit strange to be honest," Kayla admitted, "I know it was by accident, and I know that if I didn't kill him, it would be Wilbur who was dead right now."

"But you still feel guilty nonetheless."

"Exactly," she replied, "Part of me is still in denial over what happened. Is this— did you feel this way, after you killed someone?"

Techno released a long breath, kicking a small rock into the stream. Kayla watched as the fish darted down the stream, away from the rippling water.

"I don't feel that way. It's different for me, Kayla," Techno explained, "I think it may have something to do with my past outside the arena. When I killed a contestant for the first time, it felt strangely normal. As if it was a common occurrence."

"What do you think your life was like outside the arena?" Kayla asked him. Techno shrugged, pushing his hands into the pockets of his gray pants.

"Who knows. I'm not one to guess things," he sighed, "We should head back to the others." He turned to walk back towards the camp.

"Techno?" The pink-haired male paused, glancing back towards his ally with an eyebrow raised.

"Thank you for caring," Kayla said quietly. Techno smiled warmly and gave her an understanding nod before continuing on.

Kayla stood by the stream for a moment longer, closing her eyes and absorbing a rare feeling of calmness for the first time since she woke in the arena. Standing there, listening to the sounds of the stream and the other sounds of the evening, she felt a strange feeling.

A sense that this was something she had heard before.

She hummed quietly to herself, mentally marking it down as another memory from her past, before jogging to catch up to Techno.

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A/n - Sorry, yall school starts in a few days for me and I've been busy with tryouts for the school tennis team and getting ready to finally go back to school since the lockdown started :D
Chapters will come out as I finish them, and in a few weeks I should be back to a normal upload schedule again
Love y'all <3
~Echo