Stephanie Johnson

I kept running in the same direction. Sure it probably wasn't the smartest plan since my opponents definitely had guns, but at the time I was a bit more concerned with getting away from the psycho. My entrance into the forest was far from graceful as I tripped over at least two roots in the process. Where am I even going? Suddenly, I was yanked backward by the collar of my shirt. Opening my mouth to scream, a hand quickly blocked any sound.

"Please just shut up."

I recognized that voice from somewhere...

"Trigger?" I spun around to find a very pissed off Miranda King. Her eyebrows were furrowed and, even with dark circles under her eyes, she seemed as young as ever.

"This way." The woman turned around, seeming to not care whether I followed or not. For a moment, I could only stare in confusion. What is going on? Is she with Min?

"Are you a traitor now too?" She paused, before straightening her back.

"No."

I tried to keep my mouth shut as we walked back towards camp. If her eyes indicated anything, the woman was very frustrated, probably at me. I glanced at my hands, pale and shaking. It was so stupid of me to assume my breaking and entering was going to be easy. Honestly, though, it was Min's fault for betraying us.

"Why did you leave us behind?"

His voice echoed throughout my head with every step. I could recall his dark eyes, heavy makeup concealing the dark circles. His hands gripping the gun. He tried to murder me.

"Focus." Trigger's sharp voice cut through my thoughts. Is she even on my side?

"Shouldn't we be going like... the other direction? You know, away from the angry guards and one very scary sociopath?"

"No." Trigger snapped.

With the abrupt end to my poor conversation starter, we trudged on. Not that I had any say in the matter. I could be shopping with Audrey and Zoe. Or eating a nice family dinner. Literally anything besides this.

Eventually, we reached a clearing that was eerily empty. There weren't any sign of animals in sight. Chills crawled up my arms to my neck. We shouldn't be here. The woman crouched down, brushing leaves and twigs out of the way. Almost immediately, she stood up, slamming her foot down.

CLANG.

I winced at the sheer volume level. How did her shoes make a fucking clang? I looked at the base of her shoe as she made a move to stomp again. A thick layer of metal, what I assumed to be steel covered both the heel and the toe. Isn't that heavy?

"Come on and help. Or are you too much of a princess?"

Guilt washed over me. Here was someone risking her life to help me and I was too busy thinking about shoes.

CLANG.

"Fucking open."

I followed her motions, flinching as pain shot up my leg. Maybe I should invest in those shoes, too. They're not very pretty though. I looked down to see a trap door...with a handle.

"Why can't we just use the handle?"

"Last I checked, you don't have Baldy's fingerprints. Plus, the only thing keeping the door from falling through is rotting wood."

Oh. I nodded as if I understood. Why the fancy door if the rest is poor quality? With a satisfying crack, the door gave way, falling into a dark abyss.

"Does that lead to..."

"Yup." The woman peered into the darkness, before stepping down. "Watch out for the broken rung."

What?

She descended down the ladder until I could barely see the outline of her hair.

"Hurry up." Biting my lip, I felt around for the ladder rungs. Here goes nothing. After a few steps, I grinned, finally getting at a good pace. The next step should be right...

"Shit!" My foot dangled aimlessly as I nearly lost my balance.

"I warned you."

Reaching the bottom, I was greeted by two hallways. I looked back to where we came, sunlight filtering through the open hatch. On the floor near my feet was the broken door.

"Left." Curious, I took a step towards it. Trigger muttered something about ditching me right there if I didn't hurry up, so I turned back to follow her. The walls were hospital-like, but there were no doorways, only slowly flashing red lights. What horror movie did I get casted in?

"Hey-," I started.

"Shut up."

After what felt like an hour of silence, we neared the end of the hallway, pausing. On one side was a gate that looked like it belonged in a haunted house, the other, a plain wooden door. The woman placed her ear against it, before grasping the handle. Cautiously, she opened the door, holding her hand out to keep me back. Flicking the lights on, I was greeted by what looked like a library. There were a few paintings hanging up of various people, including...

"Isn't that your dad?" I pointed at Mr. King, his eyes seeming to follow our every step. At the lack of response, I glanced at the woman to see her gritting her teeth. She led me to a painting of what I assumed to be baldy with hair. Tilting it ever so slightly, the painting swung open.

"That's a bit cliche, isn't it?" Suddenly, the woman turned on me, narrowing her eyes.

"I really don't think you understand the situation. Both of us could be killed on sight for being here. I'm risking my life to help your sorry ass and you're making snide comments as if this is some low budget action movie."

I stepped back in shock. Trigger walked through the doorway. Or is it paintingway?

Trudging solemnly behind her, I ran my hands through my hair. Before long, the cramped hall opened into a...kitchen?

The people there were zombie-like in their actions, eyes dull. One person, in particular, caught my eye.

"Santiago?"