I’m not sure we’re headed exactly east. Who could tell? We more just hang a left and start walking. At some point, the rain finally relents. The brown scrubs cling to my body as we move, and my boots are heavy. I run a hand over my head and figure that with my short hair matted against my scalp, I probably look less like a girl and more like an emaciated, prepubescent boy. Hot.
Though we’re all dragging our feet through the mud and probably driving Guy crazy, we’re making good progress. Walking in a group helps. No one wants to be the person to slow the rest down.
At some point, I tire of being at the back of the pack. So I quicken my steps — passing Guy and fighting the urge to stick my tongue out at him — and catch up with Ransom and Levi. The first thing I notice is Ransom holding his left hand with his right.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
Ransom drops his hand and presses it against his side. “Yeah, it’s nothing.”
I circle him and grab his arm. There are a dozen dots of blood springing up across his palm. “What happened?”
Harper pauses and motions for the rest of us to stop. She trudges over and inspects Ransom’s hand. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” he answers, though he says it through his teeth and is obviously lying. Below us, Ransom’s Pandora is going crazy, circling his feet and reaching up like it wants to say something. “I grabbed ahold of a vine to keep from slipping in the mud.” He shakes his head. “It was covered in spikes.”
Guy appears and takes Ransom’s hand from me. He rubs his thumb over the puncture wounds. Then he glances around like he’s searching for something. “You need to disinfect the area. There’s a plant that can help. I’ll keep an eye out for it as we walk.” He nods to Harper.
“Let’s keep moving,” she says.
Titus, who joins our huddle, tilts his chin in her direction. His eyes keep shifting toward the jungle, as if standing still is physically painful.
“Wait,” I tell Harper, though I’m watching Titus. “We need to do something for him. He’s in pain.”
“It’s okay,” Ransom says.
“No, she’s right.” Levi studies his brother’s face. “He’s hurting.”
Ransom tears his hand away from Guy. “I’m going to keep walking. The rest of you can stand here and discuss whether I feel up to it or not.” Ransom turns and walks in the direction we’ve been heading. He doesn’t want to be the weak link, and I don’t blame him.
Levi shakes his head and follows after his brother. Before he gets too far away, I hear him mutter, “Damn this race.”
I couldn’t agree more.
When the sun begins to set, Harper indicates we should stop and set up camp. The twins plunge into the jungle to look for moss and twigs, things to help start a fire. When they return, they hand what they found to Dink. I have no idea what this eight-year-old is going to do with this stuff, but he begins rubbing the bark between his hands with surprising confidence.
Guy walks over to Dink and looks him up and down. Then he reaches his hand out. “It’s okay, M-4 can handle it.”
I really want to see what Dink was about to do, but the boy just hands the bundle to Guy and watches him set it on the ground. Guy waves M-4 over, and the lion breathes fire over the twigs and moss, lightly at first until they’re dry, then harder to make them catch.
Harper grins, watching the lion’s skill. “Very nice,” she says. “He’ll be a good asset to our team.”
Guy doesn’t acknowledge her, and I’m kind of glad. There’s a part of me that doesn’t like her considering us tools in this race. I just want … for these people to be my friends. Watching the fire grow, I silently kick myself. I can’t afford to think this way. I have to remember my brother.
I have to be more like Harper.
As we sit around the fire, Titus tries to make conversation. He jokes about how unpredictable Pandoras can be, but no one humors him besides Caroline. Next to him, his bear shifts and then disappears into the jungle night. I don’t like his Pandora being out of sight or how easily Titus lets him venture off without saying anything.
Grabbing a dead leaf, I try to entertain Madox. He jumps after it a few times as I swish it back and forth, but then he collapses and closes his eyes. I smile to myself and stroke his fur. My fox has had a big day.
“He was pretty impressive.” Titus’s voice makes me flinch. “The way he changed shape.”
I look at him for a long time while I pet Madox. “How do you know he changed shape?”
Titus grins so that I can see every tooth in his mouth. “He was a lion when I got there.”
Glancing around, I notice everyone else is watching him speak. I wonder why he’s still with us. We already found his flag location. I wait for Harper to say something, but she doesn’t.
“Where is your Pandora?” I ask him.
Titus shrugs like he couldn’t care less. “Probably went hunting.” As if on cue, the bear peeks out from the brush. He studies his Contender for a long moment, then saunters over to sit beside him. All along his great shoulders are strange lash marks. I wonder if he got them from the fight or from something else. My curiosity over his injuries is severed when I see what’s between the bear’s jaws. I gasp with surprise.
The rabbit struggles against the bear, and already I can see blood dripping from its back legs. AK-7 opens his mouth and drops the rabbit to the ground. The creature immediately tries to run, but the bear pins it down. Then he drags a single claw lightly along his prey. He does it over and over again as the rabbit squeals. The animal’s entrails begin to bulge from its belly, but still the bear torments it, and still the rabbit screams.
“Stop him. He’s torturing it,” I tell Titus. The other Contenders shake their heads and mumble their own protests.
“Why?” he asks, laughing. “He has to eat.”
Titus watches with fascination as the bear places a giant paw over the rabbit and presses down. I jump to my feet and rush toward AK-7, but it’s too late. The rabbit’s skull cracks with an audible snap.
“Oh God.” I turn away and feel tears burn my cheeks. When I glance back, the bear is ripping the rabbit’s leg off and shoving it into his mouth. Red flashes before my eyes. “What is wrong with him?” I rub my tears away. “What is wrong with you?”
Titus holds his hands up, but I don’t miss the smirk on his bronzed face. “Calm down. This is a Pandora, not a teddy bear.”
I storm toward him, but two strong hands grab ahold of me. “Tella.” Warm breath tickles my neck. “Go sit down.”
Craning my head, I see Guy standing behind me, feel his fingers burning against my skin. “You go sit down.” I glare at the other Contenders, and finally, Levi speaks up.
“Seriously, man,” he says. “Why don’t you ask it to eat that somewhere else?”
Titus tucks his blond hair behind his ears. “I don’t understand what the big deal is.”
Guy lets go of me and steps toward him. “If you want to travel with us, the bear eats somewhere else.”
“Exactly,” Harper says, nodding.
Titus holds his hands up, surrendering. “Fine. AK-7, eat that away from here.”
The bear looks at him for a moment, then gets up and leaves, rabbit carcass dangling from his jaws.
Guy faces Titus for another moment before turning to me. His eyes search my face, digging for something. “You can sit down.”
“What’s in your hand?” Caroline asks. I glance at her and notice she’s directing the question at Guy. That’s when I notice the two snakes he’s holding.
I stumble backward and land hard on the ground. He watches me bust it, then picks up a long twig from the fire and drives it through the snakes.
“Dinner,” he says finally. “They aren’t venomous.”
“I usually make RX-13 hunt,” Harper says, and I’m surprised to find even she appears uncomfortable. “But I guess I could give her the night off.” Harper waves a hand at the eagle. “Go hunt for yourself.”
L
evi and Ransom do the same for their Pandoras, though Ransom’s is slow to leave. The raccoon seems upset by something, but I can’t tell what that might be. Before long, the three animals vanish into the jungle. I should send Madox after them. He should learn to get along with the other Pandoras. But I can’t help wanting him close.
My stomach turns as Guy cooks the cleaned snakes, then hands each Contender a piece. When he offers Titus a helping, Titus says, “Is that all I’m supposed to eat?”
In response, Guy tosses the piece of charred snake into the dirt at his feet. “Overeating will make you sleep too heavy.”
“We take shifts,” Harper breaks in. “We can sleep heavy if we need to.”
Guy looks at her and then tilts his chin toward the snake, saying she can have more if she wants it. I decide to follow Guy’s lead and eat only what he gives me.
There’s an uncomfortable silence as we chew the tough and bony meat. I gag four times but somehow manage to get the meal down. For some reason, the only thing I can think while I’m swallowing a hunk of snake is that I am the type of person to have three glittery feather boas draped over my dresser mirror at home, purple, pink, and red. And now I am eating snake.
Everyone watches Titus as he shoves the charred meat into his mouth and chews. I don’t like the way his eyes flick over my body as he eats, or the way he eyes Harper as she tends to the fire.
Caroline senses the need to break the awkwardness. “We did well today, huh?”
I smile in her direction. Her eyes are a soft gray, and they tell me everything I need to know. She is kind and giving … and she will not win this race.
Harper hands Dink a stick from the fire, and the boy uses it to draw bunnies in the dirt. “We did do well,” Harper says to Caroline, returning to her seat. “We’ll do even better tomorrow.”
I want to ask how she can be sure. But then I realize she can’t be. It’s just what leaders say to inspire the troops. Harper twists her long blond hair into a bun and spears it with a thin twig. Her green eyes dance in the firelight, and I wonder what she’s like when she’s at home. Whose child she is. What her room looks like. I wonder if we had gone to the same high school, if we’d be friends, or if we’d ignore each other, too different to connect outside of this race. I’ll tell you one thing, I bet having a friend like Harper would have made life at Ridgeline High a lot more exciting.
“Do you think we’ll —” Caroline starts to say.
“Guys,” Levi interrupts. “Look at this.”
We all look at his open hand. He’s holding his white earpiece.
The red light is blinking.
No one says anything for a long moment, then everyone fumbles into their pockets or bags for their own devices. When we’ve each retrieved them, we hold them out on display. They still work. Even after all that rain. I breathe a sigh of relief, then wonder whether this should actually worry me rather than provide peace of mind.
Seven lights blink, creating a circle of red flashes around the fire. I count the devices. There are too few, I realize.
Dink starts crying softly.
“It’s okay. It’s fine.” Caroline pulls him into a hug. “We’ll tell you what it says.”
“What? Did you lose your device?” Titus asks Dink, laughing. Though I’d also like to know, I want to slap him for asking.
Dink cries harder, and Caroline gives Titus a look that’s supposed to shut him up.
“And where are your Pandoras?” Titus adds, looking back and forth between Caroline and Dink.
“They didn’t make it,” she says for them both. “And Dink did lose his device, but it was an accident.”
Titus tilts his head and presses his lips together, like he’s being sympathetic. “It’s not his fault. This race isn’t cut out for certain people.”
Caroline’s face reddens. She jabs a finger in his direction. “Listen, kid —”
“Guys.” Levi lifts his hand and refers to the device. “Can we listen to the message now, please?”
Titus shrugs like he doesn’t care, and everyone starts to put their devices into place. But me … I can’t stop watching Caroline glare at Titus. Maybe I underestimated her. Each of us has a reason back home to fight through this jungle. Caroline has one, too, I’m sure. But she also has a reason sitting right next to her.
I feel someone staring and glance over to find Guy studying me. I make a what? face. He points to his ear as if to say I’m lagging behind. I roll my eyes and shove it into place.
As soon as I do, a wave of anxiety rolls over my shoulders. Harper gives us a thumbs-up. Everyone besides Dink touches the red blinking lights. The clicking and static noises begin, and I feel my body tighten with anticipation. I know that across the jungle and here in front of me, other Contenders are probably hearing the same message. But for some reason, it’s as if the woman is speaking directly to me.
“If you’ve been keeping count, you’ll realize this evening concludes day six of the race. You have until noon on the fourteenth day to arrive at base camp. Therefore, you have approximately eight more days remaining to reach your destination.”
My skin crawls thinking about spending another eight days in this place. I don’t know how I will do it. As I look around the campsite, I understand now more than ever that I may not have had a prayer before I met these people.
“We are so very proud to have such a diverse group of Contenders this year. It will make for an exciting race.” The woman pauses and I hear paper rustling. “You may be interested to know that exactly one hundred and twenty-two people entered the Brimstone Bleed.”
A hundred and twenty-two people? I think back to the first day at the starting line, to all the nameless faces. I wish I knew them. I wish I knew where they were now. A new thought occurs to me: If we had all decided to race as a team and demanded to share the winning prize, could these people have created enough of the Cure for everyone?
The woman shuffles more papers.
“There are currently one hundred and fourteen Contenders competing in the Brimstone Bleed.”
The Contenders around me remove their devices, but I stay still. I keep waiting for an explanation. Why are there fewer Contenders now than there were six days ago?
You know the answer, my mind whispers.
The device suddenly feels too large. It’s going to grow until it splits my ear wide open. I snatch it out and throw it to the ground. “What happened to them?” I yell to no one in particular. “Where are the other Contenders?”
Titus chuckles. “Seriously?”
My head turns in his direction. “Yeah, seriously. Spell it out for me.”
“Okay, they’re dead.” He slides his hand across his throat. “Jungle meat.”
“Real nice,” Harper says, looking disgusted.
“Yeah, you know what, why don’t you take a walk?” Levi adds.
“You going to make me?” Titus asks, laughing.
“Yes, we might,” Ransom says, next to his brother.
“Please.” Titus snorts. “I’ll whip you both and wipe my ass while I’m at it.”
Guy stands up.
Titus sizes him up for a long moment, then opens his arms out wide. “I don’t know why everyone’s jumping on me anyway. The girl asked a question.”
“And you answered it,” Guy says. He nods his head toward the jungle. “Go blow off some steam.”
Titus’s mouth quirks on one side like everything’s a big joke. “I’ll go. But I’ll be back.” Before he leaves, his eyes land on me. He searches my face and then looks down into my lap where Madox is sleeping. Titus narrows his eyes.
I clutch Madox closer, and Titus laughs.
“See you later, compadres.”
After Titus disappears, Guy turns around. He doesn’t look at me. Instead, he eyes the same thing Titus did — Madox. They want him, I suddenly realize. It’s why they’re both traveling with us.
The thought makes my stomach turn. For a minute there, I figured they wanted the sam
e thing I did during this race — the comfort of companionship. But they only want what will help them win.
Is that so terrible? I wonder. That they want to save the life of someone they love?
The things I’m thinking feel too big for my head to hold, like they need somewhere to go.
“I’m here for my brother,” I blurt out.
Guy’s eyes flick from Madox to me. His face stays hard and unreadable, but he sits down. I imagine it’s the best invitation I’ll get from him.
“He’s nineteen years old. Only three years older than me.” When I glance around, I notice Harper is looking at me with a strange expression. Envy, maybe. “He likes these glossy comic books about aliens?” I say it like a question, because I’m not sure how everyone is taking my verbal vomit. But no one stops me from continuing. “And he still has these action figures that my grandma gave him. They’re from a fast-food joint by our old house. Which means they’re worthless, you know? But he keeps them anyway.” I pull in a long breath. “He likes vanilla pudding, but only if it’s really cold, and he has about thirty different colognes that are half used.”
I have no idea where I’m going with this, but once I’ve started talking about him, I can’t stop. A million fun facts about Cody Holloway fill my brain, itching to be released into the jungle. I open my mouth to continue, but Ransom jumps in.
“We’re here for our sister,” he says, and Levi nods. “She’s a year younger than us. Mom says she got so lucky with Levi and me that she had to keep going while her luck was hot.”
Levi laughs, like he remembers his mother saying this.
I’m so happy Ransom is sharing his own story that I can hardly breathe.
“Josie, our sister,” Ransom continues, “has this boyfriend we give such a hard time. But I guess he’s all right, really. She texts him so much that we joke and say she has an addiction. So now my dad has been researching texting rehabilitation clinics. Seriously. They have those.” Ransom gives us all a look so we know just how serious he is. “Anyway, she’s obsessed with her boyfriend. And mood rings. And these dumb mint cases that you can only buy online.” Levi nudges Ransom, like he’s forgetting something. Ransom shakes his head like he doesn’t understand, but when Levi rolls his eyes, Ransom laughs. “Oh, I guess she likes us all right, too.”
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