Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(70)

“We’ve got a race to win, and we’re not going to do it unless we leave everything and run,” Will explained.

“But don’t we have to cross the finish line with our things?” Melody picked up her pace, grateful that her ankle was doing as well as it was.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Will said. “The only thing in the rules about crossing the finish line is that both of us have to do it. Howie didn’t say anything about bringing our stuff in with us.”

“And knowing Howie, you’ll be able to argue that if he didn’t include it in the rules, it doesn’t count.”

“Especially considering how badly the other guys have been cheating.”

That decided it. Melody bid goodbye to their camping things in her mind and raced forward with Will at her side.

All sense of how long it would take for them to reach the resort as she’d seen it from the treetop vanished as Melody and Will ran. They didn’t try to figure out where they were as they went along. Within a few minutes, the trees began to thin, leaving them in no doubt of which way they needed to head. They didn’t try to conserve water or energy. It was all about speed.

Their strategy paid off. Within fifteen minutes, they could see worn trails in the woods. A few of them had signs that pointed to where the resort was.

“Do we take the trails or try to run straight?” Melody asked, bent over and panting, when they took a short rest.

Will frowned, rubbed a hand over his face, and shoved his fingers through his hair, all the while looking around them. “We’d better try to follow the trails,” he said. That way we’ll be sure we’re heading in the right direction.”

Melody nodded and pushed herself straight. “Let’s get going, then.”

They hopped onto a trail that was wide enough for the two of them and started jogging in the direction that the arrows were pointing. When they came across a sign that told them there were only two more miles to the resort, they picked up speed.

“We can do this,” Will told her.

She believed him. She was certain they were going to win.

Right up until the moment they burst out of the forest and into a wide, sloping field. The field stretched up a slight hill to where the outbuildings of the hunting resort stood. The main lodge of the complex was big enough to be a wilderness palace. It had a deck running around at least three sides as far as Melody could tell, and that deck was loaded with people.

They were still a good way’s off, but a swell of cheers and shouting rose up as they dashed out of the forest. For one, wonderful moment, Melody’s heart was light. “We won,” she panted.

“No.” It was all Will said, but as soon as the syllable was out of his mouth, Melody recognized the shouting on the deck as warning cries.

She whipped her head to the side where people on the deck were pointing. Sure enough, far, far across the field, Katrina and Ed were dashing in from the forest too. It was going to be a race to the finish.

“Move it!” Melody shouted, throwing everything she had into running.

The wild thought struck her that all those evenings she and Will had gone out running together were about to pay off. She drew on the muscles she hadn’t known she had until those silly, tense, bittersweet evenings, and booked it for the lodge. A scramble of motion on the decks was the first hint she had that Howie and his team were racing them to set up an actual finish line. She caught a blur of red as someone stretched a red ribbon of some sort across an imaginary line.

“Hurry!” Will shouted. With good reason.

As they drew nearer to the lodge, Katrina and Ed were pulling ahead. They’d had the same idea Will had to ditch their packs and supplies. It was just the two of them running flat-out against Melody and Will. Melody pushed until her lungs were burning to sprint toward the line.

She heard a scream, and for a second, she thought it’d come from her, but she’d been too focused to notice. A split-second later, she saw Katrina tumbling out of the corner of her eye. Instantly, she stopped running and changed direction, shouting, “Katrina!”

Without hesitating, she abandoned the dash for the finish and ran to see if her rival was all right. Ed zoomed on, but Will veered away from his beeline to the finish to follow Melody to where Katrina had fallen.

“Are you okay?” Melody panted, coughing, as soon as she reached Katrina.

“My ankle,” Katrina wailed. She looked much worse for wear, her dirty face tearstained. Her clothes were a wreck as well.

“I know all about hurt ankles.” Melody did her best to speak in a soothing voice as she crouched to take a look. “I banged mine up pretty good the other day.”

“Yeah, I know.” Katrina panted, face twisted in pain. “I saw you limping.”

“You what?” Melody’s brow flew up.

Katrina made a hissing, clicking sound and waved Melody’s surprise away with an annoyed gesture. “We’ve been following you all since day one. Ed wanted to make sure you all lost as badly as he wanted to win.”

“So it really was you guys who stole everyone’s food.” Melody gaped at her.

Katrina couldn’t meet her eyes. “Sorry.”

“Come on.” Will crouched and tried to loop his arm under Katrina’s shoulders. “We’ll help you in.”

Katrina flinched away from him. “No! Go on. Get out of here and win the competition.”