What Game Will You Play

Chapter 19

(Edited)

Their voices start getting too quiet for me to hear, but I think I have listened to enough.

The guards want to catch me so they can find out where all the people who escaped went. They don't think we hid in no man's land, but they do believe the Jumpers had something to do with us getting out of the tent. That means they do not know much.

They don't know all the facts, but they do have an idea about the Jumpers' involvement here. They know the Jumpers are here but do not know to what extent or where they are. The less they know, the better. If they end up capturing me, they should just kill me because I will not be giving up any information. I will not put Devin's life in harm's way.

They think we are hiding somewhere in the carnival, but they don't know that the Jumpers got us out and into the trees where we will be leaving in the morning or, should I say, where they will be leaving in the morning. If Aiden and I are not back before sunrise, then they will leave without us.

And what about no man's land? I know that the government thinks it's dangerous, but how dangerous can it really be? The government mentioned a long time ago that there are wild animals out there, along with potential human threats, but they never really specified any further. The details about no man's land remain uncertain.

Are these dangers of no man's land real, or did they lie about that too? How do I know if anything they have ever said has been true or not?

I no longer believe a word they have ever said, but at the same time, I am torn between my disbelief and my fear of the unknown. I don't want to go into no man's land and learn how dangerous it is by getting attacked by someone or something. What if what I discover out there beyond my town borders is worse than what is currently inside?

But then again, the Jumpers said they have a camp a few miles from here, and they didn't mention anything about the dangers of no man's land. I didn't think to ask. Maybe they are withholding important information about its dangers, and I just don't know it. Once again, I am reminded of the fact that I don't know the Jumpers, and I should not blindly trust them either.

When I am convinced that the guards are far enough away that they won't see me, I look over the edge of the building to see where I am. It is dark, but I can make out the outline of a few booths. I look straight ahead into the darkness and try to find the Ferris wheel.

I feel like a crazy person constantly looking for something that is not there. The Ferris wheel was real, right? I did not just imagine its existence. It was a big circular thing lit up in the sky, it has to be here somewhere.

I keep looking, and I manage to catch the sight of something slightly to the right of where I am. A small reflection of light reflects off of one of the buckets of the Ferris wheel.

I am filled with relief now that I can find my way to the kitchen from here. Hopefully, Aiden will still be there waiting for me. I feel like I have taken so many detours, and now I am taking too long. Aiden probably thinks I have been captured or killed and has moved on without me.

Since the Ferris wheel is to the right, that means I must have passed it while getting here. In my defense, I was looking for a colorful, lit-up Ferris wheel, not a dark piece of metal in the night sky. I look down to see what building I am on top of. I know that I am not on top of the kitchen since the Ferris wheel was to the left of that.

As I look, I see a big letter M, which looks like a W from my angle. I don't bother to read the rest of the letters. Of course, I would be right at the mirror maze. If only Aiden and I had planned on meeting back here instead of in the kitchen, then we would both be walking out of here right now.