A Game of Love and Betrayal

Chapter 9

Skylar walked through a dark corridor lit by the dimmed soft light of the moon. She groaned seeing an incoming voice call on her watch from Zion.

"Skylar, I need you to find a woman in her late 40s. She is blonde and has blue eyes. Her name is Rylee. Please, do it quickly and stop her from seeing Karma t all costs."

"Karma, huh? Why? I'm extra curious when it comes to him, you know."

"I'll tell you later but for now just do it. And don't kill her!"

"Is just injuring her fine then?"

"No! Just find her, stop her at any cost and I'll send my men to escort her outside," he spoke in an urgent and quick tone as if scared that things might take a wrong turn any minute.

"Sound like someone important. Oh and send me a small parcel of those QR stickers. I'm not going scavenger hunting in this creepy mansion."

"Fine," he let out a small gasp looking at the CCTV camera of where Skylar was, "shit. Listen, you just entered a really dangerous arena. Don't die till I send backup!"

Skylar scowled at his words and looked around. She was in a spacious and almost vacant room with no furnishers except a big chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. She walked to the middle and glanced back at the door that closed shut on its own with a loud thud.

"How ominous. What the hell is with this mansion?" she turned around with a sharp movement hearing some movement behind her, "Oh, talk about a death match."

Her heart picked up pace seeing 2 black panthers growling in front of her, their golden eyes gleaming in the darkness. She gulped and gripped the dagger that she had on her, for all it was worth.

Damien pushed open a door with a creaking sound and entered the dark room lit by the soft light of lanterns.

"I'm in. And what do you want me to do in here, Landon?" he spoke on his watch.

"You see a well in the left corner there?"

"Yeah. Pretty weird for a well to be in a room."

"Jump in it."

"Excuse me?" he paused and let out a dumbfounded snort, "I'm not an idiot to jump not knowing its depth."

"Well I did so too following Karma and we both survived so no way you would die from it. You aren't that weak, are you?"

Damien clenched his jaw to suppress his anger, "Just follow him and don't lose him." He looked around the room and surprisingly enough it was too well cleaned without a single small object around. He sighed with frustration and called Zion to check in about the well.

"Ah that. It's true that you won't die from jumping in it because of less depth. It just leads to a passageway at the bottom," he paused for a while pondering, and spoke again, "but I can't guarantee that Landon or Karma actually jumped in. They have been avoiding CCTV areas for a while. Good luck though."

Damien stared down the dark well that seemed like a deep abyss patiently waiting to devour him as soon as he jumped. He licked his lips and felt cold sweat from being nervous. "This is fucking ridiculous," he laughed running his hand through his dark hair.

Zion's attentive gaze watched every move of Skylar on the CCTV and he gulped in dread seeing her moving around avoiding the grasp of 2 black panthers. He felt his heartbeat pacing as he kept praying for Skylar to get through.

"She can't keep this up for too long. I have to open the door of that room," he walked to a control panel filled with numeral switches. His hand reached out to push a switch but a voice from behind startled him and brings his movement to a halt.

"Now now, just because you are in charge doesn't mean you can bend the rules so easily, Zion," a woman in her 20s walked in smiling and with an ever cheerful tone, "the door remains close." She walked across the room, her heels marking her steps across the marble tiles. She leaned against a wall, her demeanor poised in an outfit of black denim, a white off-shoulder top, and dark red lips curled into a smug smile.

"Norah. What an unpleasant surprise visit! You must have too much time to spare."

"Oh not at all," she waved off her hand, her smile unfaltering, "I just wanted to see you. And Karma."

"Whatever," he rolled her eyes not even trying to hide his annoyance, "the leader gave me permission to do as I please with this exam here, remember?"

"Of course, you make the rules and help your favorite candidates. But Skylar can get through this simple hurdle just fine on her own. She is a very special recommendation after all."

"I know that but she is injured. Her movements are slowed and I'm worried if she can keep this up," he gritted his teeth contemplating the matter at hand and waiting patiently.

On the other side of the camera, Skylar was struggling to continuously move around, sprinting and thinking of the best action to take, but there was hardly any time to think in a situation like that. She noticed a panther attacking from the back of her eyes and she darted her knife through its skull subconsciously. But her rear side remained unguarded and her hands left with no weapon or defenses. She instinctively closed her eyes as another panther lunged toward her, and then she heard a gunshot piercing through the air. She opened her eyes slowly to see the panther lying on the ground, bleeding.

Norah clapped her hand in admiration and looked at Zion, "See, she survived till your backup arrived. Do you really think she will help you kill Karma?"

"She benefits from it too and be honest, you want him dead too."

"Awwh how could you accuse me of something so cruel! I slept with him before you know."

"Yeah, right," he snorted and met her gaze," But you didn't even get what you wanted from him which was secret information. I have to say that he is great at playing girls."

"Shut up. At least he made the night worth it. No girl would regret that" she gave a small elegant shrug," What annoys me is that Skylar matches his type too perfectly."

"That's why I gave her the task and I'm still helping her even though I just can't trust that girl."

"Do you think any of those candidates are trustworthy? They are here because they have the potential to be monsters themselves."

Skylar shifted her gaze from the dead body of the panther to the door where a familiar face was standing with a rifle in his hand.

"Dylan. We meet again. What impeccable timing you have!" she maintained her icy and calm gaze.

"You are welcome," he gave her a small smile and handed her a page with about 10 QR stickers on it," Zion told me to deliver it to you. And he wanted you on the move to search for that woman called Rylee before she meets Karma."

"Yeah yeah. I'll get going then."

"Let me walk with you," he started walking with her side by side," why did you orchestrate Kathy's death?"

"You finally understood the reason why I gave you those instructions back there?"

"Sort of."

Flashback to day 3 of the exam:

Dylan walked behind Skylar with a rifle pointed at her head.

"You work for Zion and I'm in cooperation with him. Take this," she handed him a small pouch of herbs, "Sneak to where Kathy and Landon are. And tell him to take these herbs while Kathy isn't around. Mention me and if he doesn't obey, make him."

"Am I even allowed to ask why?"

"No. But get it done or I'll hunt you down myself," she flashed him a small smile and started walking again.

End of flashback.