Underland(29)

The two guards snickered and shuffled from side to side. If Kira wasn’t already in pain from her shoulder, she probably would have thought of another witty comeback, but all she had the energy to do was glare back at his butt-chin in anger.

Everyone—runners, slaves, trainers, and even Warrick—had gathered outside as they waited for the other chosen to appear. There was a long buzzing noise that resounded through the compound, and a few minutes later, the doors to one of the buildings opened.

A tall, slim man wearing an Aerosmith t-shirt strode out cheering loudly. The crowd yelled and patted his back. Kira recognized Chaz’s dark-tipped hair as he turned and pumped his fists at the crowd. He leapt into the air and the truck shook under his weight. He waved and ducked under the frame. Then he plunked down on the bench and held out his wrist with a grin.

The guard scanned Chaz’s white blinking band. He was the other chosen.

When he saw her, his smile disappeared. He raised his lips and let out a low growl that could be felt through the floor of the truck. A moment later, he plastered his smile back on and returned to playing the crowd.

They chanted his name over and over like he was their idol. Maybe now that Creeper was dead, he’d become the crowd’s favorite.

“Now it’s time for open enrollment.” The guard with the tablet swept his hand toward the truck. “You’ll be paid for entering.”

Kira couldn’t help but feel that the whole selection process was similar to cattle being loaded on a truck and sent to slaughter. A few shoved each other towards the truck, but it didn’t seem like any were serious.

And then, two other volunteers appeared from among the milling monsters and hesitantly entered the truck. One was a tall willowy man, the other an Amazonian woman wearing leather armor. Each of their bands were loaded with tokens for volunteering.

When no one else came forward, one of the guards climbed in the back with them, and the other closed the truck bed and headed for the driver’s seat.

The double doors of the gym opened again and, with little fanfare, a single figure walked out. There was no convoy of aggressive fans or well-wishers following him. The crowd did quit whistling long enough to part in surprise as the zeke headed toward the truck. The group whispered among themselves.

He jumped into the truck bed and didn’t look at her. There was something on the side of his mouth, and his eyes didn’t look as feral as they did a few moments ago. But that didn’t mean he found the attacker. With the way he was ignoring her, she’d guess no.

As the engine roared to life, the crowd began screaming again and wishing everyone luck. A tug at the back of Kira’s jacket made her turn around in surprise.

An older man with unbelievably bright blue hair and blue eyes spoke to her through the slats. “I’m betting on you to finish the race.” She tried to raise her head to see more of him, so she could remember him, but he disappeared into the crowd.

It was singlehandedly the nicest thing anyone had said or done for her. Just that comment made her believe in herself, because someone else believed in her. She tried to remember if she had ever seen the man with blue hair and couldn’t place him.

“To the Crystal Gorge,” the driver said. “I got to sit front row once, and got christened with the remains of some loser. Nice, eh?”

The other guard grunted his approval. “Feel like it gave ya good luck?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The Crystal Gorge was, a fan favorite, Ferb had said, because something so beautiful had been turned into something so deadly. What else had he told her?

The guards’ dry laughter made her skin crawl, especially when the driver kept looking through the rearview mirror directly at her. She shifted her eyes and stared at her feet, which only caused him to laugh louder.

No one spoke in the truck bed. Once the crowd was gone, the reality of their future was upon the runners. False bravado and fake smiles deserted them, replaced by a few coughs and an awkward silence. Even the exuberant Chaz’s mood mellowed in the seriousness of the situation. He rested his head on his knees and actually seemed to be sleeping. If only she could figure out how to do that.

She would have tried to make conversation with the woman warrior but decided it was better to distance herself from her. It would be easier to not know someone’s name if they were going to be dead in a few hours. Was that being heartless? Kira didn’t think so. It felt practical.

Something tickled her collarbone, and she reached up. Her fingers came away wet with blood. It didn’t hurt anymore, but she must have jostled the wound. She tried to hide and wipe off the blood but was unsuccessful. Three hungry pairs of eyes stared at her, as if the blood were an aromatic perfume. The willowy man actually licked his lips. Chaz lifted his head from his knees and studied her through squinted eyes. Zeke’s eyes were the most calculating of all—void of emotion.

Kira had to wonder what would possess any of the last three to volunteer for the race. Did they need the money? Were they in debt? Or was it for the glory? Reluctantly, she tried to focus on the coming race.

She needed to settle her stomach and nerves, to remember everything Ferb said about Crystal Gorge. After all, he’d made her watch a video of the last gauntlet held there. Obviously, crystal was the theme. Many traps and roadblocks were made out of the beautiful but deadly crystal. There were hidden pitfalls filled with dagger-sharp crystal, a trek up a sharpened crystal mountain, and what else? Her mind drew a blank, and she groaned in frustration. She never would have believed that she would be thanking Warrick for making her watch all of those videos. They may be her only hope of survival.