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But quickly the park turned into something sinister—haunting.
Rides towered above us, the metal beams used to support them creaking as we raced past. The salty ambrosia of buttered popcorn mixed with mold hung in a potent cloud. There was a film of dust and grime on everything. Overgrown vines running up the booths and cracked concrete underneath our feet.
Even the public bathrooms looked like they were barely standing on their own. The wooden paneling splintered and cracked.
The shock of the environment made me want to stop. I’d expected the park to be frightening–but this looked like it had been here for years instead of just a couple months. Down to the rusted hardware and peeling paint.
The chill of the park seeped through my clothes, threatening to make me freeze.
But that was thepoint.
They wanted the Ghosts to pause as soon as they were in. To let the shock and fear fill them for even just a moment too long so they were easy to pick off.
As if I’d give them the satisfaction.
I pushed myself forward, ignoring the fear making my guts churn uncomfortably.
A quick glance as my watch warned that we’d already lost two and a half precious minutes.
We passed by a section of the park dedicated to fair games. Bright red flashing signs hung from the entrance, enticing a few Ghosts to try their luck in the measly amount of time we had left. Prizes hung from the stalls, but instead of colorful stuffed animals and inflatable hammers, it was full of guns, knives, spiked baseball bats, and explosives waiting like trophies. Some of them already had blood on them.
Even Jenna slowed like she wanted to try to make a grab for a weapon.
A stupid idea, as killing a Seeker always had consequences. The point was to hide from them, not to turn into a hunter yourself.
I shook her arm. “Didn’t you watch last year? There is stuff hidden everywhere. We need to find a place to—”
That same, ear-piercing, shrieking alarm sounded warning us that danger was coming. The sound had been ingrained into my mind front the first game I’d ever watched. The same as the ones used for tornadoes and floods. Designed specifically to be unmissable—and to incite anxiety.
To make you want torun.
The Seekers are coming.
An electronically cheery, staticky announcement played over the speakers.
“Welcome to Hide and Seek! The game iseasy. If you’re hiding, stay hidden. If you’re seeking, find and eliminate. Seekers have now entered the arena, prepare for combat.”
Shit.
My memories blurred with the present. The smell of popcorn and burned sugar was bright in my nose, the sounds of whooshing rides coming to a halt, the pings of the carnival games around us. All of it sosimilarto the comforting thoughts I had of Kohl.
At least until thescreamingstarted.
“We need to get out of the open,” I said as we ran as far from the front door as our legs could take us.
This year, it didn’t look like revolvers had been part of the uniform—thank fuck for that. But it didn’t make the threat of stray bullets oraimedbullets any less serious.
“There!” Jenna shouted, pointing to a food truck up ahead. It was on wheels, but they had been rusted and bent, one of them almost falling off all together.
I didn’t like it, but our head start was long over, and we’d need shelter to wait out the initial fray.
Like most Legacies, I’d watched every Games since I was a kid. It was just a part of my life. When I was little, it was like I didn’t quite understand that they were real. It was too unrealistic to my pampered, childlike mind that people could really be desperate enough to sign up for their deaths. That they could possibly have something they needed so badly that dying was preferable to going without it.
What I wouldn’t give to be that naive again.
How fucking humiliating to be here because I needed the money.
One of the benefits of being a Legacy was that it was supposed to afford you a comfortable life. Turned out that only worked out forsomeof us.
