My heart raced as I watched Millie's trembling hand hover over the buttons labeled "Cooperate" and "Betray." The sound of the ten second timer ticked mercilessly.

"Five, four, three..."

With the eerie orange hue enveloping her, Millie's hand smashed a button. From my distance, I couldn't quite make out which button she chose.

I tried wriggling out of the twisted roots that constrained me, causing Millie to return to help, but their coils were tight around my calves and caused me to wobble off balance instead.

"Ten seconds is once again on the clock," the automated female voice announced. "You can now make your decision...Tobias."

As I struggled for release, Tobias's restraints uncoiled from his legs, setting him free. He exchanged a quick, uncertain look with Sonya. In that moment, a silent understanding passed between them, and with a nod from Sonya, Tobias stepped forward and pressed a button just as the countdown reached its climax.

With their decisions locked in, I waited with bated breath for the host Chuck Gillian's voice to return to the speakers.

"And with that, folks. The results are in," he chimed with an extra air of confidence. "Now remember, the rules were simple. Each pair must decide, cooperate or betray. Cooperation means both can prosper, while betrayal could spell doom. However, if one sibling pair chooses to cooperate, while the other decides to betray, the betraying pair will gain a significant advantage while the other a disadvantage. It's a true test of trust and strategy, where the bonds of blood are pitted against the instinct for self-preservation."

The host's voice carried through hidden speakers in the forest and broke the silence that had settled around us. "Looks like our twin team of Kamila and Millicent chose to..." there was a pause. "Cooperate."

Relief washed over me. Millie had made the right choice on our behalf, but the weight of the game still pressed down on my shoulders.

If the others decided to betray, we were doomed.

He continued, "While our brother and sister team of Tobias and Sonya chose...to cooperate as well!"

Sonya's eyes met mine, and there was a flicker of something in her gaze. It wasn't just suspicion or competition; it was a spark of understanding. In this brutal game, we were all struggling to survive.

The host continued, "We will announce the advantage you all will receive at the next installment of this Grimm Game challenge, part three the final challenge of Hansel and Gretel's Enchanted Forest. The games will resume shortly."

The speaker died, the lights grew dim, and the roots that held Sonya and I in place finally loosened, returning to the ground they sprouted from like tentacles.

I assessed Millie's body language, debating if I should attempt to hug her to celebrate our victory or not. Also, I took note that Sonya and Tobias hadn't hugged or congratulated each other yet either. Millie only dropped to her knees in the dirt, exhausted.

"You did good." I nodded at Millie and Tobias. "It was the right choice."

She nodded and huffed. "I need food and rest. We should find a safe zone quick."

Tobias glanced between each of us. "Stick together?" he offered.

Sonya hesitated for a moment, then nodded in reluctant agreement. "Alright, but no tricks."

Tobias added, "Agreed. Let's find this safe zone."

I went to Millie to help her up as the brother-sister siblings trekked toward one of the openings in the perimeter of the trees.

I wrapped my arm around Millie and lifted her to her feet, while bringing my lips close to her ear. "We should tell them our real names before it slips out and we blow our chances of them later cooperating with us."

"We're all in this for ourselves, Kam. Remember that." She shook her head. "They may seem friendly now, but you seriously can't trust them, especially Sonya. She's a psycho. Just ask her why they gave her 'the Babysitter' nickname."

Far ahead, Sonya and Tobias paused. "We don't have a lot of time," Tobias urged.

We hurried to catch up, entering the mouth of the open path of trees to follow its twisted trail.

The trees seemed to close in on us, only the eerie blue lights cast down on the treetops, giving off a moonlit hue while the dissipating fog continued to obscure the scenery up ahead.

"Thank you for choosing to cooperate," I started. "We all will get an advantage now and it'll bring us closer to getting out of here."

"I hope to get out only as a winner," Sonya said. "Anything else isn't worth it."

I wanted to question why getting out with her life alone wasn't enough but didn't want to stray from what was important. "I think we should try working together, forming an alliance." Before I could even complete the sentence, Millie rolled her eyes to my suggestion. When I saw the reluctance in Sonya, I continued. "My girlfriend, Jade, is working from the outside to shut this shit down. I believe with more people we can help make that happen."

"What are you doing?" Millie sneered, and I don't think it was because of my language. She lowered her voice. "You involved Jade in this?"

"Jade and I do everything together. We're like one. My goals are her goals. We're not satisfied unless we both are. You know this."

"Yeah, but does everyone else need to know?" She shot a wary look at Sonya.

"It's important they know that we have a chance to stop this brutality."

Sonya huffed, pushing a tree branch from her path. "The Games are exactly what I need. A one-way ticket out of this dump of a country. Maybe you should take your activism somewhere else."

Besides the poverty, lack of proper healthcare, and the brutal and popular form of entertainment, was there another reason she wanted out of the country?

I cut my eye to Tobias to see if he agreed with his sister. "You obviously found the benefit in voting to cooperate. Let's take that cooperation all the way to the bank."

"What are you trying to do?" he asked.

"Take this place down." I lifted my hand at the utter chaos around us. "Isn't it obvious."

His nose twitched in confusion. "If you and your sister really hate the Games, why did you join?"

I was cautious how I worded things, knowing I wasn't ready to reveal the truth of our identities. "I guess I thought I really needed the money but failed to realize I needed my family more."

"No." Millie stepped in. "You joined because you know how life changing the jackpot would be and how it could make every part of your life better," she said, slyly speaking for herself.

"So why did you join as an activist?" Tobias asked Millie. "That seems to mismatch, like an oxymoron to me."

"You got the moron part right." Millie rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" I said taking offense. "I could've sworn you joined to make sure your beloved sister makes it through alive." I took a play in her book by vaguely speaking for myself.

"Oh, was that the reason?" She avoided eye contact.

Sonya took note of our behavior. "Seems like there's a lot to unpack with you two."

"Nothing worse than what you and me have going on," Tobias looked to Sonya.

"Don't do that, big bro." She warned, but something threatening in her tone took me aback.

Although they both seemed to be in their mid to late twenties, the title of Big Bro was weird, especially since Sonya appeared to be the one with influence, calling all the shots.

I decided to be blatant. "Why do they call you the Babysitter?"

She shot me a death stare. "That's none of your concern."

Millie answered for her. "Because she ran a daycare out of her apartment and a child under her care was seriously hurt."

"You know shit about me." Sonya glared. "So, stop trying to tell my story."

Millie smacked her lips. "It's a story the Games already told."

Tobias looked away when he spoke, "And they don't even know the half of it."

"Tobias?!" Sonya nudged him, almost like a warning.

He didn't say anything else to her. Instead, he turned to me. "I used to deliver appliances to businesses across the country. For their onsite kitchens and laundromats."

"A trucker." I nodded, remembering his title. "There's hardly anything condescending about that."

He huffed. "Like every good tale, there's always more to the story beneath the surface."

"Up there," Sonya interrupted. "There it is."

Up ahead, between the cracks of the dense trees was a considerate sized wooden shack with light coming from a tiny crack beneath the door.

To encourage them to talk and remind them how cruel the games and its rules were, I brought up the obvious. "Don't you find it odd that this show isn't live?"

"No," Tobias offered his answer quickly. "They changed things for their fifteenth anniversary. I think they have a lot of new stuff up their sleeve."

"Why are you telling these two about it?" Sonya asked. "You want them to end up using all that against us?"

He slowly nodded as he thought of an answer. "I think it's smart to have allies in this game. We can get far, especially when fighting those fucked up monsters."

With each step toward the shack, the anticipation grew. The wooden structure seemed both welcoming and foreboding, a strange paradox given the circumstances. As we pushed open the creaking door, the scent of damp wood mingled with something else—something sweet and inviting.

The shack was dimly lit, the light emanating from a series of old-fashioned lanterns hanging from the rafters. Along one wall stood a row of shelves, adorned with an array of apples, their glossy skins reflecting the faint light in the room.

Tobias took the initiative, reaching for an apple. "Looks like our safe zone is also a snack zone," he quipped, attempting to lighten the mood to no avail.

Sonya grabbed one too, but her wariness remained obvious. "Don't get too comfortable. Who knows what this advantage is they're talking about."

Millie joined in, her eyes scanning the shack as she picked up an apple. "Advantage or not, food is food. We need our strength."

"These are okay to eat?" I examined the appetizing glossy skin.

"I told you sometimes safe zones provide food," Millie said. "We're lucky this one has some."

"You don't eat, you starve." Sonya took a bite. The crunch made my mouth water. "Starving is the dumbest way to give up twenty million dollars."

I reached for an apple myself. The tart crunch filled the air as we bit into them, the simple act bringing a touch of normalcy to this absurd situation. As we sat around the straw-littered floor, chewing on our treats, the shack's TV screens flickered to life.

"What's this now?" Tobias's attention fixed on the screens.

On the television, a montage began to play—scenes from the earlier games, showcasing the horrifying trials we had endured. The ruthlessness of Grimm Games was laid bare before us, a stark reminder of the ugly reality we were entrenched in.

Millie leaned closer to the screen, her eyes narrowing. "This is their way of taunting us, making us relive those moments?"

The scene on the TV casually shifted to the conversation Millie and I had earlier—the discussion about revealing our true identities. The dialogue played out with me saying, "We should tell them our real names before it slips out and we blow our chances of them later cooperating with us."

Tobias and Sonya exchanged wary glances, suspicion settling in like a heavy cloud. The reveal hinted at something more, something beyond the surface we had presented to them.

Sonya's gaze sharpened on Millie. "What's this?" Sonya remained cold, but her eyes revealed a glint of anger.

I managed to stifle a shocked gasp. It wasn't surprising that the orchestrators of this show would introduce such a twist just as I felt we were gaining some ground. Anger surged within me. Not at the fact they replayed our conversation, but at my own naivety for not anticipating this move. "It's a sick game. They want to break us, to destroy our will."

This was psychological warfare, designed to shatter our spirits, to make us turn on each other. It was imperative to stay strong, to find a way to turn this twisted situation to our advantage.

Millie's face contorted in a mix of anger and confusion. "Not surprising at all."

"It's all a mind game," I reassured them, though the anger was festering in me too. "They want to break our resolve, but we won't let them."

"What are you hiding?" Sonya stood, looking down over us.

Her brother followed suit. "Are you trying to play us?"

The TV screens went dark, leaving us in the dim light of the shack, the weight of the games heavy on my shoulders.

"It's not like that—" I started.

"Told you we can't trust anyone in the games, Tobey." Sonya nudged his forearm with her elbow as if to prove her point.

The air seemed to grow still.

A heavy silence enveloped the shack.

Suddenly, Sonya staggered, clutching her stomach. "What the hell—?" she gasped. Her face contorted in pain as she dropped to her knees.

Before he could respond, Tobias buckled beside her, his eyes wide with shock and fear.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, and my vision blurred. The last thing I saw before everything went dark was Millie collapsing before I crumpled to the floor.