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What if I used these plants to create a trail, a beacon of sorts?
If Jayas saw it, he would know it was my doing.
No, that was stupid.
If Jayas could see it, so could the other alien males.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the negative thoughts.
I had to believe there was a way out of this.
Just one more mating and we’re free.
I needed a better vantage point.
If I knew where I was, I could figure out a way of passing that information on to Jayas.
The dense jungle thinned out as I sprinted up the steep hill.
Each step felt like I was trying to outrun my past, my present, and the uncertain future that this treacherous game held.
The shrubs clawed at my legs, but I persisted, driven by an indomitable will to survive.
Reaching the summit, I was met with an unobstructed view of our strange environment.
And immediately, I understood just how the game had shifted once more.
The platform hadshrunk.
It was now a mere fraction of its original size, just as Jayas had said.
With each round, the arena gets smaller.
I could make out its edges, and the open spaces between the dense pockets of jungle.
The landmarks that Jayas and I had come to rely on looked different, and the mountain to the north seemed more distant.
My gaze zeroed in on what I believed to be the location of my pod.
The wind picked up, rustling my hair and bringing with it the chilling reminder of the alien males that lurked below.
I needed to be smarter, faster, and more cunning than all of them.
I needed a plan that no one could predict.
Not the Malquarans, not the alien beasts, and certainly not the universe that had thrust me into this nightmare.
My fingers dug into the earth, scooping up a handful of damp soil.
The moist, grainy texture seemed grounding, reminding me of my connection to this world, no matter how temporary or artificial it was.
For a moment, the overwhelming scent of wet earth transported me to another time, another place.
Childhood memories of rainy days, of making mud pies in the backyard, and the sheer joy of the simplicity of life flashed before my eyes.
It was a stark contrast to the life-and-death game I was now ensnared in.
Tears welled up, but I blinked them away.
