Underground Legends: The Hunt

Chapter 28 - Abella

Abella Sterling (Female P.O.V)

October 23, 2074

Muffled voices drifted over me as I slipped in and out of consciousness. The memory of Stu aiming a gun at J.P. suddenly came to mind. I bolted upright, escaping sleep's enticing clutches to save his life.

"Don't!" My voice came out scratchy and heavily altered by the lingering effects of sleep.

One quick look around revealed I wasn't in the tunnel anymore but lying on a cot in another windowless room.

Four heads turned my way, looking equally confused and startled by my outburst. I glanced at them, not finding either of the two people I wanted to see. There was only one other person in the room. He lay facing away from me on the seventh cot, the very last one in the room. From the short blond tresses poking out of the blanket covering his body, I assumed it was Stu.

But where was J.P?

Suddenly the door on the far right opened. I leaned forward, waiting to see who exited, even though I knew it wouldn't likely be J.P.

A small part of me hoped I was wrong, but I wasn't.

My eyes briefly connected with ShadowKnight's over the rim of his glasses as he stepped into the room. The short and stocky man flashed me a quick smile as he shut the door to what appeared to be a bathroom, but I was incapable of returning it. That last bit of hope I had faded away at his presence.

My head dropped to my chest as I sighed deeply. It was time I accepted the truth that was lying before my eyes.

I had failed to stop him.

J.P. was dead.

I clamped my eyes shut, squeezing them extra tight while wishing to be anywhere else. It didn't matter where. Anyplace was a significant improvement compared to being trapped in this nightmarish life of mine.

Slowly I reopened my eyes and saw a mini-bottle of water and half a tuna sandwich on the floor. That's it, nothing more. Surely this couldn't be my meal after the hell they put us through. Inmates received more than this!

The others also had the same poor excuse for sustenance sitting directly beside their cots. And all of them were intact.

I couldn't speak for the others, but for me, the pain and grief from watching the others die were still raw. So eating was the last thing I wanted to do. Maybe they felt the same, or perhaps they thought they poisoned it. I didn't know and couldn't ask either. At least not until I figured out what was going on.

I grabbed the small pillow from the head of the cot and dragged it into my lap while discreetly checking the room for cameras.

There seemed to be none until I looked toward the bottom left corner. Mounted to the wall was a 19" flat-screen television coated with a thin layer of dust. Directly over it was a black half-sphere attached to the ceiling that emitted a tiny red light.

It was, without a doubt, a camera.

Which meant someone was keeping an eye on us.

And only heaven knew who and how many.

I shifted my attention to the condo-size door in front of me. Carved into the solid steel was a rectangular slot in the bottom center. And it didn't seem like it would open as effortlessly as the one in the previous room they held us in.

"Guys," Sue... I mean, QuietStorm spoke up.

Addressing them by their player names would help me erect an emotional barrier between us. It may be cold, but it was necessary. I couldn't grow attached when my and my brother's life was on the line. This...game wasn't over yet. There was still one more round. And whether I liked it or not, they were my competition.

"I need to tell you something." She continued, picking off her light pink nail polish.

"What is it?" Tinman asked.

She took a deep breath, tucked her hands underneath her thighs, and looked at us. "My safety chamber had room for two others."

"Mine too." Reaper and ShadowKnight simultaneously said.

"All of us could have survived."

Everyone looked around, taking in the people still here and those that weren't. If only we had known that sooner maybe they could still be alive.

But for how long?

If they had survived, it would just be an endless cycle of killing. Our captors didn't seem the type to suddenly experience a change of heart and declare us all the winners.

"Just be glad you're alive," Exterminator X said as he sat up.

I scoffed. "Of course, you would say that. After what you did."

"What did he do?" Shadowknight asked.

"N-n-nothing." Exterminator X awkwardly chuckled as he stood up, rubbing his palms on his pants legs. Everyone stared at him, silently observing him with blank expressions. In an attempt to escape their stares, he began to pace. "She doesn't know what she's talking about." He added when the silence became unbearable.

"Bullshit! I saw you." At once, I'm on my feet and charging over to him.

One look at my face twisted with rage altered his direction. He scampered backward, nearly tripping over his feet in his haste to escape. His retreat ended when his back smacked against the brick wall. He was at least three inches taller than me and forty-five pounds heavier, but it didn't matter. He wasn't seeing me but facing off against his guilt. I was only a reminder, a witness, and evidence of his weakest moment when he decided to take someone else's life.

"You killed that kid just to save your ass!" I thrust three fingers into his face. "Three people could have fit inside! Three goddamn it!"

"I didn't know. I didn't kn..." His voice cracked.

I backed off a bit.

After all, who was I to judge?

For a split second, I contemplated doing the same. The only difference was I had stopped.

"Guys, look," RoniReigns said, pointing towards the television.

A close-up image of an unfamiliar woman lying in the case took up the screen. She had to be in her late fifties, if not older, judging by the gray curls splayed around her weathered face. Her wide-blown eyes continuously shifted, looking at someone or something offscreen.

"Only seven players remain." The same voice modulating the game came from the speakers as the camera zoomed out.

It slowly panned across the fifteen glass cases. Eight of them were empty. Well, not entirely. Dark crimson pools resided in the bottom while splatters varying in size painted the sides and ceiling.

"I think you have all figured out that more than one person could've fit into the hatches, but there's one more thing you might have missed."

Everyone exchanged glances while wondering what it could be. He didn't leave us, waiting in suspense for long as he said, "The glass cylinders didn't contain an acid cloud, but...smoke."

Smoke?

A short guttural chuckle filled the room. The bastard was laughing at our expense and clearly enjoying playing these twisted mind games.

When his laughter subsided, he said, "But don't worry. Next time it will contain the real thing. Now eat up and rest because the next round will be even harder. And for most of you, it will be your last."