Dylan lay on the floor of the safe house, his skin ashen and pale, writhing in silent agony. The blood he lost from his thigh wound penetrated the straw covered ground beneath him, despite the makeshift torniquet.

"I need to tell you something, brother." Dylan's voice came out weak but insistent. "Something that changes everything."

His breath came in shallow gasps, but his eyes were sharp and determined. Spencer knelt beside him, worry etched into his face, while Millie, Jade and I hovered nearby, anxious to hear what Dylan had to say.

Spencer leaned closer. "What is it?"

"When I was backstage, they thought I was asleep...but I wasn't. I heard them talking." Dylan's eyes darted around the room as if checking for unseen eavesdroppers. "Tobias, Sonya's brother... he's still alive."

Millie gasped, keeping an eye on the rodent at the cracked door as well as Dylan. "What? Are you sure? How is that possible?"

"He's smart," Dylan continued, his voice growing stronger with urgency. "He was able to sneak into the control room...after they thought he was out cold. Sounds like he took out some production members, hiding out, trying to find a way to expose the truth about these games."

Spencer's eyes narrowed. "What truth?"

"The Games are fixed, manipulated for ratings and drama," Dylan explained. "And they hinted at Tobias learning something big. A huge secret."

"About Tommy Miller?" I asked, almost certain that Tommy and the Wolfman had more in common than many would think.

"Not sure." He sighed and grunted in pain. "But Tobias is trying to get control of the system from the inside. That's all I know."

Millie's face was nearly as colorless as Dylan's from shock. "They know where he is but haven't captured him?"

"They were talking about how he's a threat to the network, and how they need to stop him before he can expose everything."

So, exposing everything was indeed a threat to Arcanum. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so frantic, recognizing the true danger it posed.

Spencer clenched his fists. "We need to get to him before they do. If he managed to get into the control room, maybe we can help him put a stop to all of this."

It was interesting how Spencer was now willing to turn the tables and become allies in the Games. The only change was the threat of his brother dying and not having the chance to win the jackpot. Even so, becoming allies was a step in the right direction.

Strength in numbers.

"But how are we ever gonna get anywhere near a control room?" Jade asked, her voice trembling. "They'll be watching us even closer now and have all kinds of fail safes in place to stop us."

Dylan struggled to sit up, wincing in pain, before giving up and lying down again. "Be smart, use the game to your advantage. They think they control everything, but if you all work together, you can outsmart them. You can turn their own game against them."

Spencer shook his head in denial, tears cascading over his lower eyelids. "Bro, why you are saying it like that? What about you?"

"You know what's up. It's the end of the road for me." Tears streamed down Dylan's face as if he was coming to terms with the eventuality. "Unless I get medical attention, I'm done."

"Don't say that, man." Spencer shook his head and clenched his fists. "You rest and I'll go look for a medical pack—"

"A medical pack can't stitch a wound or stop the bleeding," Dylan said. "I was desperate. I stupidly thought they were helping me backstage. They're not and they won't. I see that now."

Spencer bowed his head, hiding his tears from us. "Listen, Dylan. I didn't steal your meds or sell them. I don't know why that deadbeat motherfucker came on the show to lie like that."

"I already know, bro." Dylan slurred as he spoke but managed to meet his big brother's teary gaze. "The only real thing that exists here is our bond. That's more real than anything that man can do or say."

Spencer nodded and wiped his eyes with his knuckles. "I agreed to this for you. We were supposed to win that jackpot together."

"Get back to Mom," Dylan whispered. "Family is the real prize."

Scratching on the doorpost caught Millie's attention and she knelt to give the rat a scrap of her protein bar. He nibbled the pieces and sat obediently at the edge of the door's entrance even with the door slightly ajar.

Dylan relaxed on his side, watching Millie and the rodent's interaction. "What do you call him?"

After a couple seconds of awkward silence, Millie glanced over her shoulder while applying pressure to the improvised bandage around her neck. "Him?

Dylan nodded, blinking slowly.

"I—I don't know." She glanced to me before turning back to the rodent. "He's a professional little thief, isn't he? Maybe I'll call him...Bandit."

"Bandit isn't half bad," Jade said, a hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth.

I loved witnessing the sliver of happiness on her face, especially in such a predicament. Her face used to light up at the discussion of pets and kids. She had a soft spot for such innocent little creatures, and it warmed my heart. It was something we all needed at this time.

However, it left me curious. "Why is Bandit here and not with the other rats? He's not quite like the rest."

The rat sniffed around the door, attempting to come further inside but stopping short.

"What keeps them from coming inside the safe zones," Jade added. "Now that's the question."

It took me back to the Wolfman stepping foot in the safe house when Jade and I were alone. "Seems like there's a breakdown in the system somewhere. Maybe they're losing control of their creatures."

"Or maybe it's on purpose," Jade suggested, giving me a terrified look.

I raised an eyebrow. "A lot of established elements of the Games has been changed. I mean, it's their fifteenth anniversary on air. Sure, they reinvent stuff every season, but this season had the most dramatic differences."

Millie stood and closed and locked the door behind her. "It's almost like these creatures are fighting for their lives too." Before she could elaborate, she turned to us and paused, her eyes fixed on Spencer and Dylan.

When I followed her gaze, I saw Spencer cradling Dylan's lifeless body in his lap. The end of the tourniquet lay untied in Dylan's limp palm. Distraught, Spencer buried his face into the crook of his brother's neck, trying to smother his cries.

"Shit." I sighed.

The room was silent for minutes on end, with only Spencer's muffled sniffles filling the space. He fisted the fabric of Dylan's jumpsuit, rocking him in his lap like a toddler on his way to meet the Sandman.

I was afraid to ruin the moment with my condolences, so I kept quiet and gave Spencer a moment of silence for his loss.

But not everyone had a sense of curtesy.

The TV powered on, and the elaborate double G emblem flashed across the screen before the upbeat music and stylish graphics stole our attention.

"In our previous segment, we revisited some of the most iconic moments from season fifteen of the Grimm Games," Chuck began, standing on stage before the attentive studio audience. His usually neat hair was slightly disheveled, a rare sight that caught my attention. "Now, we're turning to the fans to see who had their votes for in the next round. Live from the streets in front of our very own Arcanum Headquarters, we're asking: Who do you want to see win the Games?"

The screen next to him showcased a young woman eagerly waiting to speak into the mic another person held off camera. "Hi. I'm Julie and I'm a huge Grimm Games fan. I watched every season since I was eight. This season, I'm voting for Kamila and Jade all the way. They're so cute together. I can't get enough!"

I frowned at the screen, confused and bewildered by the girls' answers. Far behind them, a gathering crowd of onlookers was forming, some carrying signs that were too blurry to make out. However, the red drips on the posters reminded me of the signs designed by the Ensemble Org to protest the Games, a chilling reminder of the fierce opposition and underlying tensions.

"Yeah." Another girl entered the frame and demanded the mic. "We wanted couples on the show for so long, and finally we have it. Well, kind of. The way Kamila will put herself in danger for those she loves is so cool. My votes are going to Kamilla and Millicent."

I briefly glanced to the others to see the same puzzled look on their faces.

"There you have it, folks. It looks like the up-and-coming power duo are the twins. Definitely an underdog team with a lot of potential. Could they surpass the former fan favorite, Sonya Torres the Babysitter? Could the twin siblings end up winning the jackpot? Stay tuned to find out. Now, let's head back to the streets and hear more from our viewers."

Then the visuals glitched and a static camera captured the image of an isolated corridor with rows of doors along it. Capping off the end of the hall was a lone door with the words Control Room on it in white letters. Then the screen went black.

Spencer finally rolled Dylan to his side in the fetal position and stood. His own jumpsuit and hands were stained with Dylan's blood, but unlike his palms the black fabric disguised it well. Straw and dirt clung to the suit, but Spencer didn't have a care in the world for his appearance.

"Fuck this game," Spencer growled. "And fuck everyone who convinced and brainwashed him into joining, including my dad. I'm gonna set this place on fire and watch the entire thing burn in hell."

"Hold on." I put my hand up to silence the chatter. After all, they were watching us. All our plans were being broadcasted to the very people we wanted to bring down.

Spencer shook his head. His angry eyebrows were lower than anything a vicious Wolfman could produce. "If you're not with me then you're against me."

"I don't want to fight," I started. "But we can't be impulsive."

"They killed my little brother!" He shouted as if I should understand his anger and pain, and I did. However, I had something he didn't—my head on straight and a sense of reasoning.

"We need to come up with a plan and be smart and strategic," I offered, eyeing the corner of the room I believed a hidden camera was fixed, judging from the footage of Jade and I they replayed for the nation to see.

He narrowed his eyes. "You're saying I'm being stupid?"

"No, I'm saying you're angry and rightfully so, but that anger makes you impulsive. And that can get us killed."

"They know we know." Jade nodded. "Nothing will stop them from changing the rules on you again. Right now, they're probably working on damage control, and if they're panicked and impulsive anything can happen."

The scratches on the door put a horrid scenario in my mind. "Anything can happen like removing our defenses?"

"You think they'd do that?" Jade's eyes widened.

Millie nodded. "I wouldn't put anything passed them."

"There's only one way to find out." I gestured to the door. Millie took my cue and with the chair leg in her hand she cracked it open just a sliver to see little Bandit sitting on the other side.

She pulled the door open a bit wider, stepping back and the rodent sniffed around the threshold before welcoming himself inside.