Page 62 of Make Me Hunt
He picks it up and listens for a few seconds, then takes a few more, like he’s deep in thought. “No mustard, extra ketchup, and five islands.” That’s either a code name or his food order.
My gut says it’s the second.
“They’ll be here in just a few moments. The diner’s across the street. You have to go before you get both of us in trouble,” 404 says as soon as he hangs up, waving me to the door.
“I’m not going until you promise you’ll help me,” I insist. I might as well be dead if I leave this place without the guarantee I’m in. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll help you get out of here. Leave this place and the game for good. I know that’s what you want. You’ve tried it before.”
“I don’t want these murders on my conscience. I just can’t be responsible for that. But you can’t help me if you’re dead. It’s the real deal there. They hunt fucking people. Like the Hunger Games, only this shit’s been going on way before that movie. Knives, axes, spears, swords—”
“Swords,” I interrupt, the word, grabbing my attention like a chokehold. I know that’s what killed Elias.
But that’s not what really makes me feel like I’m choking.
“Ares always fights with a sword. He’s the one you need to fear most. Gets the most kills every year,” he stops to explain, but the words only cut deeper. Any chance I had of blaming someone else, any hope I had it wasn’t him, shatters into pieces.
He’s the one who killed Elias.
He’s the one I have to kill.
The thought is almost overwhelming, like something I’ve feared for so long, now is finally coming true. I feel like the air is getting sucked out of my lungs. Deep down, I knew this was how it would end, but I still clung to a drop of hope that maybe there was a chance for us.
Fate just gave me another hit, but I’m like the Phoenix. I’ll rise from my own ashes... or maybe I’ll just burst into flames when all this is over.
I try not to show it and focus on what I really came here for.
“I won’t get killed, I promise.” Maybe it’s a lie, but it’s the only coin I’ve got. “I’ll personally take you to the airport, where you can catch a flight to wherever you want. You know I’ve got more to me than any other contestant. I showed up here, didn’t I?”
“I don’t trust you’ll make it... but I’ll give you a hand… for Elias.”
“I’ll be back for you.”
“You'd better. Give me your contact. I’ll check the female contestants and send you the details. But it’ll be up to you from there on.”
“Thank you,” I say, then give him my number so he can contact me as soon as he has something for me.
“The event usually happens in rundown buildings. This year it’s at the old opera house downtown. The place is probably crawling with Ares’s people by now, so you won’t have time to scout it. Just be prepared for a lot of hidden rooms.”
I nod, already starting to think of a strategy on how to get back to Ares’s house and start working on my new mission.
“Do you know if there’s an alarm system down here. Could Ares see me come in?”
He turns to his computer and starts typing. “Ares has a facial recognition system for the whole house. He gets an alert whenever someone unauthorized comes in,and a lockdown mechanism.” He takes a few moments. “But I see you already have clearance. He won’t get notified. Now get out of here before they return.”
“Waiting for your call,” I say, praying he didn’t say he’d help me just to get rid of me and thanking god he didn’t give me the opportunity to break into Ares’s house while I was stalking him. There’s not much else I can do here anyway because I can’t afford to get caught by Ares’s men.
The next moment, I lose myself down the hall, closing the wine shelf behind me, just as I hear the other door on the other side starting to open. I wasn’t aware that Ares’s house was connected to anything nearby, but there’s an abandoned mansion on the northeast side of his property, and judging by the direction of the underground tunnel, it leads straight there.
I swear to God if 404 doesn’t deliver. I’ll personally burst through the main door to get him.
I walk back through the corridor, adrenaline pumping in my veins, driven by that force that pushes me to do whatever it takes to avenge Elias. It's the only thing that’s real in my world because everything else betrayed me. The heat fuels me, the need for destruction, more potent than any drug.
I pass door by door, the noise in my head getting louder with every step toward the entrance. My fingers tingle with the rush, my full lips tighten into a thin line, my temples pounding like they’re going to explode. I’ve never been more certain; I have to do this. And I’ve never been in more pain.
I reach the end of the hallway, still praying 404 will get me into the game.
I close the door behind me, finally back inside the house. I’m determined to leave right now and go to my apartment, get ready for when 404 gives me a sign. But suddenly, my vision tunnels, and I feel like I’m running out of air. My hands start shaking, my own body giving up on me as I sink my nails inside the two marks Ares gave me to cover my old scars.
He can’t fix me.
