The Cinder

Diego {16}

Well, fuck me.

That was my first thought after listening to the conclusion Rosanne had reached.

We were going back into the Pinnacle Race.

Where hundreds of kids have been killed in the most brutal manner.

Where the survivors came out as killers.

Holy shit.

A heavy silence descended upon us as everyone fell deep into the thought. Thinking of how to get through this or how to get out of this, alive.

Needless to say we all were fear-stricken. And what person in right state of mind wouldn't be?

The Brooke had ruined us for good.

Yet we were back here to collect not only our dear ones but to get back the pieces of our soul as well. We were here to avenge ourselves and the wrong done to thousands of kids like us. The parents who still believe their children went missing, not realizing half of them were dead or gone for worse.

I wondered what Troy's parents must have been through. He never talked about them or his family when we used to live together. Now I knew why.

But what if his parents were still searching for him only to never realize that he was dead now.

A sharp pang of guilt hit deep in my chest.

I didn't kill Troy. It was his choice. I had offered him my protection. It was The Brooke that had fucked his mind so thoroughly that he chose to die rather than fight.

Still, I couldn't stop feeling guilty for my involvement in his death.

Couldn't stop feeling sorrow for the man I had once considered my friend, shared my living space with, went to parties with.

Troy had said he started feeling. That when he met me and others, his emotions broke through his conditioning.

Was that possible? What if he was telling the truth? Could I have helped him? Was it really my fault that he died?

No. I wouldn't do this to myself. I wouldn't ponder over things that can't be changed now.

It was Troy who broke through the ropes I had bound him with, only to take the knife and kill himself.

He could have threatened us, harmed Brandon and ran away. He could've waited fir the perfect opportunity to make his move. He could've fought beside us.

Instead he chose to die. To give up.

I refused to take blame for that.

Thinking questions like this would only harm my sanity, which was very much needed at the present if we ever  wanted to get out of here safe and sound and victorious.

"So what now?" I asked.

The only possible benefit we had here was that we knew the area. We knew what to expect and maybe we could fight against it better.

"We can't have a repeat of the last time." Emily shuddered. "I still get sick remembering Kyle."

Brandon, sitting next to her made a grimacing expression. "Ugh, don't want to recall that. Poor soul."

"Kyle who? I never heard this story." Arianna turned to Rosanne and Jared who both had a haunted expression in their face, similar to that of Emily and Brandon.

"Kyle was our ally too, until this Level." Jared answered her in a grim tone. "Rosanne, Delos and Kyle were the last three left, we all had reached and gotten our lotuses. Only two were left, so a fight broke out between Delos and Kyle."