The only thing that could be worse than walking across loose rocks with grainy sand in my shoes while having small pieces of gravel puncture my skin would be walking across it barefoot.

My foot turned at an awkward angle. I fell to my knees for the thousandth time that day. I hissed in pain and wiped the fresh blood onto my pants.

"Mona," I said. She turned to face me, nearly slipping and falling herself. "Can we stop for a second?"

She nodded. With a sigh of relief, I plopped on the floor. I slid my shoe off, the sand sliding out and reuniting with the surface. Mona perched herself next to me and copied my process.

I coughed. Flinching, I licked my dry lips. Everything felt dry.

"We need to find water soon," I said.

"And food," Mona added. The thought caused my stomach to ache. We hadn't eaten for days. My head throbbed, making it harder for me to stand up.

"Do you think there are any animals or something in the woods?" I asked.

"Besides those dogs?" Mona replied. "No idea."

I sighed and used a rock to get me on my feet. Mona continued to empty her boot. She placed her hand over the opening to make sure that the butt of her blade didn't slip out.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, nodding toward the knife.

She shrugged. "My designer gave it to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Mona began to play with a tiny stone. "Each designer is allowed to give their tribute one gift. And that was mine."

"Mine gave me this necklace." I untucked the rose and rested it on my chest.

She whistled. "That's why they gave you the flower nickname."

I nodded.

"Not to ruin your thunder," Mona laughed lightly, "but all of them give us a nickname."

My heart sank. "R-really?"

"Yep. They gave me the name 'Raven.' I guess they just want us all to feel like we can be free and special."

I forced a smile. I couldn't help but swallow a lump that was forming in my throat. They shouldn't make people who are going to die soon feel special, I told myself glumly. Especially when I'll die of hunger and not something cool.

"Let's go," Mona said. I got up and looked at my feet in an attempt to not slip again.

I slid my feet on the loose rocks as the trail went downhill. At the bottom, my feet slipped out from under me and I slapped my palms on a cold stone. I looked up. There was a wall of rocks stuck together. I got up and trailed my fingers across the wall. My fingers caught on a loose stone, so I clutched the corner and began to pull.

"Can you help me, Mona?" I asked. She nodded and placed her foot on the wall as she assisted me in breaking it loose.

I nearly fell on my butt as it dropped in front of my feet. The rocks above it crumbled down. Cautiously, I walked over the stone and jumped across. My feet landed in ankle-deep mud.

"Stay on the side," Mona ordered. "It's sturdy."

I obeyed, walking on the side instead of the middle. The loose dirt caked the soles of my shoes.

"Hey, look at this," Mona called. She was on the opposite side of the path. I jumped over the heart of the path, my heel sinking into the mud before I landed. My feet felt heavy as I forced them out of the soil. Mona curled her fingers around my wrists as she helped me out.

"What is it?" I asked. Mona kneeled to the floor, stroking her fingers on a jade-green leaf. She plucked it off of the stem and inhaled the scent, a smile crawling onto her face.

"Berries," she said.

I raised a brow. "Seriously?"

Mona nodded. She tore a sphere-shaped figure off of the plant and showed off its dark-blue shade.

"Are those blueberries?" I asked. She shrugged. "Are they poisonous?"

Mona shrugged again. "The worst thing that it will give me is food poisoning. And trust me, I have nothing in my stomach to throw up, so I'm eating these no matter what."

She popped the berry into her mouth before I could protest. Her eyes widened in delight. Mona took three more handfuls, grinning each time it ran down her throat. Seeing her eat made my head spin, reminding me of how hungry I was. Even not eating for a couple of days was making me feel nauseous, and I knew that if I didn't eat soon, I wouldn't make it very far.

Something about the convenience of the berries didn't sit right with me, though. Was the Game Master really this generous? Or was it just there because he knew that we couldn't resist them?

"You doing all right?" I asked. I chewed on the inside of my lip as I watched her. Mona nodded before offering me a couple. I rejected it, feeling more sick to my stomach than hungry. Mona shrugged and continued to wolf them down.

Mona slid her sticky fingers through her hair before standing up. "I'm done," she announced. I sucked in a deep breath, grateful for the scene to be over. Mona stuffed a couple of berries into her pocket before we continued on.

As the sun came down, I offered to take the first watch for the night. Mona gratefully made herself comfortable on the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and fell asleep instantly. Good, she's been helping so much.

I hugged myself tightly, clenching my jaw to prevent my teeth from chattering. I placed my chin on my knees.

Mona's breathing was even and smooth. It calmed me as I stared at the sky and squished my shoes in the mud.

Halfway through the night, I heard a choking sound. I jolted upward and checked my surroundings. My eyes widened when I saw Mona. She was gasping and groaning. Another choking sound formed from the back of her throat.

I got up on my feet and to Mona. I slid next to her. Her neck was swelling and turning a red shade. Bile rose into my throat at the sight. Her neck looked worse up close.

I shook her shoulders frantically, chills running down my spine as her gagging noises grew louder and rougher.

Mona's eyes snapped open. Her shaky hands felt around her large neck. Her mouth formed into an 'o' as she locked eyes with me, pleading for help.

Then her pupils rolled into the back of her head and her hands dropped to the floor.

Hello, everyone! Technically, this is still the week, so I did as I promised! I will still publish a chapter either tomorrow or Monday.

Stay tuned for the next chapter, and I hope that you liked this one. Read, comment, and love if you do. Also, vote with your favorite fruit. Stay cool. :)

This song is Human by Rag'n'Bone Man. Can you blame Mona for eating those berries, or would you have eaten them, too?