Page 179 of Barinov

“No,” he says, shaking his head.

The beeping speeds up.

BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—

“You need to get away from me,” I repeat, louder now.

Rez’s eyes snap to mine. “I’m not leaving you. I made a—”

“GO!” My scream cuts him off.

He doesn’t move. None of them do. Rez keeps working on the collar, his hands shaking as he tries to find a way to free me.

The sound is unbearable. High-pitched beeps piercing my ears so hard I fear they’ll bleed. My vision tunnels, black fog curling in the on all sides.

This is it. This is how I die. Just another casualty of the Roman Colosseum.

CLICK.

The lock disengages, followed by silence as the last bit of the beeping dies.

Rez rips the collar free from my throat. He hurls it away and lets out a long sigh as he drags his hands down his face.

I lean forward and brace my hands on my knees just to stay upright. Sweat coats my brow, stinging my eyes until the ground looks like a charcoal smudge. I’m breathing harder than I ever have in my life. Deep and ragged gasps that tear through my lungs.

A gentle hand lays on the curve of my back. “Breathe, son,” Daniel instructs, slowly running his hand up and down my spine. “Just breathe.”

“Lex,” I choke out. “We need to find him.”

“We can’t go in there,” Roman says.

I shake my head, rubbing my throat. “The game is over. Luca said that I’d feel it when a winner is crowned,” I say, forcing my spine to straighten. “Lex is alive in there. He has to be.”

“Then let’s go get him,” Rez says, already moving toward the entrance.

♥♥♥

I’ve never believed in the supernatural. Ghost stories never really scared me. But being here and treading over the same stones where gladiators once took their final breaths makes that skepticism feel a little naive.

So much violence has soaked into this dirt that you can almost feel it. That chill slipping through the arches and brushing your bare skin. It’s eerie. And every time the moonlight fails to reach a corner, a shadow lunges, sending a fresh prick of goosebumps rising on my skin.

We round a corner and my heart spikes when another shadowed pillar reaches for me, playing tricks on my mind.

“You alright?’ Rez asks, glancing over his shoulder.

I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice.

“Fine,” I lie, my voice coming out an octave higher than usual. I step closer to him. “Just… just keep going.”

He nods.

We break into a small opening where the moonlight finally pierces the dark. In the corner of the light, Lex is sitting in front of a cracked pillar. He’s slumped over and rocking someone in a broken, rhythmic trance.

“Is that?” My voice dies in my throat.

“No!” Rez bolts, boots skidding on the dirt and pebbles as he reaches them.

Lex looks up at his cousin. His face is a ruin of red-rimmed eyes and tear streaks. Rez drops to his knees, the sound echoing off the pillar behind them.