The Pestilention

Chapter 22

I hadn't moved for days. I just stared at Mona with a feeling of emptiness within me. I didn't dare blink or move. I would have rather killed myself than betray her and leave. She's dead; there's nothing that you can do about her now.

I couldn't help it. I wanted to leave. I wanted to be done crying.

The knife that Mona's designer had given her rested in my hand. I massaged it with my thumb. It had taken me nearly five tries to run across the spikes to retrieve the blade. I didn't know why I did it. Something told me that Mona would have wanted me to have it, though. To keep me safe. Like how she had. I pressed it against my chest, seeking Mona's energy and life inside of it. It felt just as dead as her.

I rested on the side of the path once more, hiding between bushes. Not that anyone cared. The cameras would only see the scene for two minutes before the audience saw someone else getting killed, anyway.

Did the cameras show Mona's death, or had there been something much more interesting than her? Would her father be proud? She had been brave and loyal enough to save someone like me—someone who couldn't survive an obstacle without falling or talking my mouth off to my doom.

Your father should be proud, I thought. Placing the knife into my boot, I glanced up at the sky. Night. I had wasted another day sitting there. Another ounce of resources wasted. If I kept it up, I would die in days.

I laid out the sleeping bag and slipped inside. My head barely hit the floor before I fell unconscious.

I wasn't awoken by the sun's rays or the sounds of metal rising from the surface as I had for days. Instead, it was the sound of rustling, as if something was scavenging around. My first instinct was to let it slide, convinced that it was just an animal searching for food.

But the problem was that there weren't any animals in the course.

My eyes snapped open, but my body refused to move. What if it was someone waiting for the right moment to kill me? My heart rammed against my chest. Their movements were silent but loud enough for me to know that they were hunting for something. I tried to swallow my fear.

Why hadn't they tried to kill me yet?

It was as if something clicked within me as I snatched the knife out from my boot and swung the sleeping bag off of me. I froze, knife midair, when I saw what was in front of me.

Hunched over my backpack was a small body. The figure had to be a girl with her tiny hands and lean figure. A couple of crackers were in her hands. Once she felt my eyes staring deep into her back, her head whipped in my direction.

I recognized the eyes immediately. It was the girl I had told to run away and to try to escape the course. My fists tingled at the memory of attempting to punch Marcus so he could let me go. It wasn't my place to stop her.

The girl dropped the crackers and backed away quickly. "Stop!" I shouted. Her body seemed to be paralyzed with fear as she stared at me. Gosh, those eyes could have been mistaken for flying saucers. I sucked in a deep breath and evened out my voice. "Please, don't go."

She blinked. The girl slowly sat down and continued to stare at me in silence. As she did so, my brain tried to remember back to when they announced her during the drawing. I knew that she was from Oregon, but what was her name? Billy? Lilly?

"What's your name?" I whispered, crawling towards her as if I was catching a cat.

I expected her not to answer, but instead, she whispered, "Tilly."

Hey, I was close. "How did you get here?"

This time, she didn't answer. I decided not to take it personally. I would be scared if I was her, too. Noticing how the backpack separated us, I slowly slid it towards me. I placed my hand inside it, searching for any food that I could give her. My fingers plucked the beef jerky bag, which was nearly empty.

"Want some?" I offered. "It's really good."

Without hesitation, Tilly grabbed it from my hands and popped a small piece into her mouth. She struggled to tear it apart, but it didn't take her long to figure it out. I watched patiently.

"Have you been running the course alone?" I asked her. Tilly shook her head, not bothering to respond while chewing. I guess manners still applied to her. "Do you have an ally?"

Another shake.

"Did you have an ally?"

Tilly said nothing. She sniffled and wiped her nose with her free hand.

"Oh." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

A tear escaped the corner of her eye. I looked past her and at the lump lying limp a couple of feet away from us. I knew how it felt to have someone, that I thought would be with me until the end of the course, die.

I forced a smile and took the empty bag from her, placing it into the backpack. Tilly wiped the silent tears off her face and stood up. If there had been any sorrow, it was left behind quickly. She was strong. That was probably what had kept her alive for so long.

I swung the straps over my shoulders. Maybe it was time for me to be strong, too. It wouldn't help me to stay. Mona wouldn't have wanted that. It was time to move again. It was time to prove to myself that her death wasn't just for nothing.

Tilly tapped my arm. I faced her. She pointed towards the woods. She then motioned me to follow her.

"I have to keep going," I explained, flashing her an apologetic smile. Good luck out there, you'll need it.

Before I could continue, though, she stuck her hand out and placed her other one behind her back. My eyes rounded. She looked older as she made the ally request. Tilly's eyes stared at me pleadingly. I understood why. She knew that she wouldn't survive another obstacle without someone.

I sucked in a deep breath. Only seconds ago I had decided to move on from my first ally. How could I just jump to another one? My heart began to turn heavy inside my chest. I couldn't just betray Mona like that. She meant more to me than that.

Tilly had dealt with the same thing as I had, though. She probably watched as her ally died right in front of her. Tilly's ally probably died to protect her, too. She probably wasn't able to do anything about it, either. All Tilly could do was run away, to continue on. Just like me. Just like what I needed to do. After all, the body wasn't really Mona anymore. It was just a hollow shell with raven hair and brown eyes. She was gone.

After a moment longer of hesitation, I placed my hand in hers and shook it. "If we're allies, though, you have to stick with me. You also have to talk to me, all right?"

Tilly nodded. I mimicked the motion. She then faced away from me and the track. She looked at me once more before breaking out into a sprint.

"Come back!" I shouted. By then, though, her figure had already disappeared past the handful of trees like she was nothing.

Hello, lovely readers! Who loves (well, loved, I guess) Tilly? I sure do. I feel like she's kind of like a bunny. Maybe not, though.

Also, a HUGE thank you for 2K reads. You guys are so amazing, and you all mean the absolute world—no, the universe—to me. This story would be nothing without you guys. Many hugs and high-fives all around!

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please read, comment, and share with all your lovely friends! Don't forget to vote with something fancy in your room. Stay amazing!

To celebrate the holidays, I added a Christmas-y song. This is Coldest Winter by Kanye West, covered by Pentatonix. I hope that you all enjoyed it. Happy holidays.