I woke up to the sound of screaming.

My instincts told me it was Tilly, but when I turned around, I saw that she was fast asleep. I cursed under my breath. I must have slept through my shift. I sat up, deciding that the screams were just in my head. We haven't seen anyone in days. Maybe it's driving me insane.

The shrieks crescendoed, and I couldn't help but stand up. Tilly groaned in her sleep but didn't stir. I decided to let my ally rest. I didn't want to worry her, anyway.

The screams stopped and were replaced by the pounding of footsteps. I could make out two silhouettes, one smaller than the other. I slid behind a tree, my heart crashing against my chest. Don't let them see me, I silently pleaded. Don't let them see me.

Soon they were close enough to where I could make out their features. The one in front was a girl, her brown curls slapping against her back. Her forehead was covered in blood and sweat, and I couldn't help but notice that her pants were darkened with crimson liquid. The figure behind her appeared to be a man with a strong build and two blades—one in each hand.

The girl was running away from him.

She made it only a few feet from where I was before she collapsed onto the path. The man was gaining speed. My heart flew into my throat.

"H-help," the brunette gasped. Her eyes locked with mine. I froze in place. It was obvious that she wasn't a threat to me, but I didn't know how to help. The girl would bleed out soon enough, or she'd get caught by the guy behind her.

With a groan, she placed her palms face down on the earth and hoisted herself up. The girl rested on her butt, showing me the torn fabric on her back. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the cuts on her spine. She turned back to me, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.

I have them, too. I wanted to say. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing would come out of my mouth, though. We just continued staring at each other. I couldn't help but notice the defeat and pain in her eyes. Was mine the same as hers? There was something else in her eye, though: acceptance. She had already accepted defeat. She was ready to die.

"What's your name?" I asked from my hiding spot.

"Ember," she said after a minute, "Ember Baker."

"I want to—"

Before I could say anything else, the figure came running. All I could do was fall backward and hide.

The man slid next to Ember's body, using his knees to throw her on her stomach. I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to scream in horror. He twirled his knives around his knuckles, placing the tip tenderly against her shoulder blades. His head lifted and his eyes trailed to mine. I gasped.

He knew that I was watching, and he was taking his time.

I watched the way the girl's shoulders lifted with every scared breath, wondering which one would be her last. The guy looked back at his victim, leaning in to whisper something in her ear. I stared at the shaved side of his head. I knew him from somewhere, but it didn't seem to click. In the Observatory Room? In the Main Hall? During one of the ceremonies? I shook my head. Some part of me didn't want to know.

He lifted his head once again, a smirk tattooed on his lips. Then, the boy looked at me once more before sliding the knives into Ember's back.

Ember screamed in pain before resting her head on the floor. She had gone through so much, but it didn't take long for her to die. I blinked away the tears in my eyes. I could have helped her, I thought, I could have, but I didn't.

My stomach tightened. The killer knew I was here—he would go after me next. He gave me one more look, grinning as he saw the recognition on my face.

I didn't know how it took me so long to notice him. The dragon tattoo, the blonde hair, even the smirk was so easy to recognize. And if that wasn't obvious, the fact that he had been following me—who knows for how long—was easy to see. He was the cat and I was the mouse, and he'd do anything to kill me.

But I wouldn't accept defeat. I clutched my knife into my hand. My fear was replaced with anger, which bubbled my blood and gave me a new feeling of adrenaline.

The Backstabber jumped over the corpse and dashed ahead. I jumped out from where I was, chasing after him. Tilly, Mona, Ben, everyone that I had met throughout the course suddenly melted away. This man had tried to make my life miserable throughout my time here, and I wasn't planning on allowing him to win.

The Backstabber was faster than me and there didn't seem to be a wound on his limbs. The only way I knew that he had been running the course at all was because of the scratches on his neck and scalp, staining his skin red. I clutched the butt of my knife tighter, imagining it slicing through his red neck. He would deserve it. How many people had he killed? How many would he kill to make it to the end?

I started to catch up. I pulled my arm back. I had practiced on enough trees to at least hit his back. He was a bigger target and would be nearly impossible to miss. I sucked in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and took aim...

Something crashed into me, causing my knife to slide out of my hand. I yelped in shock and looked around for the blade. Once I found it, I grabbed it and placed it in front of my face in defense.

"Whoa there."

My eyes widened, immediately recognizing the voice.

"A-Aster?"

I looked at the grinning face on top of me. His glasses were off and there was dirt outlining where they were supposed to be. Aster's brown hair was stuck to his forehead. Nonetheless, he still looked like himself.

"I was wondering when I'd run into you." He grinned. "I just didn't expect it to be with you nearly plunging a knife into my face."

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as Aster lifted himself off of me. I slid my knife into my boot before getting up myself. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around Aster. My only friend, the one person who I had thought was dead and who I'd never see again...

Had abandoned me. When I asked for an alliance, he had walked away.

I broke away from our embrace and slapped him across the face. He stumbled back. I shook my stinging hand.

"Okay, I didn't expect that," Aster groaned, massaging his cheek.

"Why are you acting like this?" I demanded.

"Like what?"

I dug my fingernails into my skin as an attempt to not slap him again. "You're acting nice to me after you walked away, and I just—"

Aster cut me off with a saddened look. "I-I don't know, Kat. But I'm sorry. I don't know how to explain but...I'm sorry."

I snorted. He stared at his feet for a second, then looked back up at me.

"Come with me," he said, "I want to show you something."

The first sign that it was a mistake to trust him was when he started walking backward instead of forward.

"Where are we going?" I asked. Aster chuckled.

"That's like the fifth time you've asked me. We're almost there, don't worry."

I sighed. Tilly had to be awake by now, and she was probably worried about me. My head spun. First Ember, then the Backstabber, and now Aster? It was so many people at once. I had gotten used to just seeing Tilly.

Aster stood on the path with a patient look on his face, waiting silently for me to catch up. I ran to catch up to Aster. He flashed me another toothy grin before going off the path.

With an exasperated sigh, I broke out into a sprint. I stumbled on a few tree roots to catch up, but eventually regained my rhythm. It was only when he began to slow down that I realized that we were far away from the path. We stopped in front of a few bushes.

"What-"

Aster placed a finger on his thin lips. I clasped my mouth shut and nodded. He slid through the bushes and broke a few branches so I could cross easily. I hopped over the leaves, nearly falling on my face as I landed on the other side. Aster's hands were there, though, and I regained my balance. I gave him a closed lip smile. He grinned in return.

On the floor in front of us was a man with toffee skin and black hair. He had to be grazing his mid-twenties. His lips were pressed together and his eyes were squeezed in pain. Blood and dirt were covering his fingernails, trailing up his arms to a wound on his shoulder.

"I heard you running," Aster whispered, "while I was trying to help him."

"How did he get hurt?" I muttered, leaning down to examine his wound further.

Aster shook his head. "A piece of wood fell on him in the house. There are a few burn marks, too, but I think those aren't too much of a problem."

"How long will he be out?"

"Who knows? I'm not a doctor."

I couldn't help but notice the sympathy in his eyes. Aster could have just left this man to bleed to death, but he had stayed and tried to help him instead. Any hatred I had for him left my body. I took a deep breath, letting it fill our silence.

Leaves rustled behind us, and our heads snapped towards the direction. The chance of it being a small animal was close to zero, but I felt my hand reach for my knife, anyway. The rustling got louder as the bush trembled under the weight of the creature. Aster jumped in front of me. I leaned over to get a good look. God, the man was tall.

A small girl landed in front of us. Her eyes widened as she saw Aster. Then she looked at me.

"Tilly..." My muscles relaxed. I stepped in front of Aster.

Before I could do anything else, she turned around and disappeared behind the bushes.

Aster is finally back!

But Tilly left. Where do you think she went? Will she come back? How about the man on the floor? Will he get better, or wake up? There are many questions to be answered, and hopefully, most of them will be revealed next week.

My Wattpad Block Party piece is going to be posted in two days, and I'm so excited! I hope you will all check it out (even though it's just pretty much premiering this book, it should be fun).

Speaking of Wattpad Block Party, I know that this is a little late, but thank you so much, Amanda, for creating the character Ember Baker. Unfortunately, she didn't live long, but she was crucial to the story!

Thank you so much for reading, voting, commenting, and sharing this story with your friends. We recently reached 3,000 views, which is amazing! You are all amazing.

Don't forget to vote with your enemy's hand. That's right, just slap it on the vote button. Stay cool!

This is another minor key cover from Chase Holfelder, who sang Every Breath You Take by Police. It definitely represents Kat and the Backstabber's relationship...don't you think?