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There was no room for sentimentality.
Only action.
I reached into my pocket, fingers brushing against the cold, unforgiving surface of the poison needles.
A grim solution, but perhaps my only way out.
If I used one, I could reset the game on my terms.
It was a gamble, one that pinned all my hopes on Jayas’s ability to find me once more and end this game for good.
Taking a deep breath, I brought a needle out, glinting ominously in the dappled sunlight.
It felt heavier than its minuscule size would suggest, burdened by the weight of the choice it represented.
I glanced down at the platform, at the shrinking world that seemed to be closing in on me.
Then, with a resolve borne of desperation and faith, I stabbed the needle into my leg.
A sharp, burning sensation raced through me.
It was immediate and overwhelming.
My vision blurred, and the world around me started to fade, each hue growing more muted as darkness crept in.
The hill, the jungle, the ever-changing platform — all of it became a distant memory as an all-encompassing void began to swallow me whole.
My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the ground, the damp earth soft against my cheek.
Memories flitted through my mind, each one a reminder of the life I’d lived, the choices I’d made, and the love I’d found in the most unexpected of places.
The last thought that filled my mind before the encroaching darkness consumed me was of Jayas.
And then, everything went black.
* * *
“Ten…”
Eugh. Ihatethat damn countdown!
Blinking my eyes open, I was immediately greeted by the familiar, yet always jarring, sight of the pod’s interior.
The blue glow illuminated my tight surroundings, and the steady hum of the machinery acted as a calming presence amidst the chaos of the baying males in the other pods.
But the most immediate relief was seeing Jayas, alive and unhurt in the adjacent pod.
Frantically, I tried to get his attention, to communicate our next move.
The countdown voice echoed throughout my pod, reverberating inside my head.
“Nine…”
Words wouldn’t work, and with limited time, I had to make sure he understood.
I raised my hand that still clutched the mud I had grabbed at the top of the hill.
I used it to hastily draw a rectangle.
