Selena
The wind pressed us toward the cliff edge, tugging at our dresses and encouraging us over the sheer drop. We huddled closer together, moving as fast as we could to find more shelter.
My bones rattled with the cold and my breath fogged before me in a repetitive stream. Every now and then, a scream echoed from somewhere across nearby. In my panicked state, I pictured the attacker just up ahead, waiting to pick us off next.
“Can't be far now,” Cass whispered near to me.
A glint of blue caught my eye ahead; whatever it was, was positioned near to the checkpoint, according to my map.
“Come on,” I urged, increasing my pace despite my burning calf muscles.
I took the lead and footsteps pattered behind me as we moved on as a unit.
I squinted at the blue dot and realised it was one of the girls in a bright turquoise dress. My heart lurched as she started running, directly toward the cliff.
My instincts took control and I started sprinting. A scream tore through the air as she plunged over the edge and a splash sounded a second later.
I hurried to the ledge she'd thrown herself from, nearly stumbling over it myself from my momentum. I gazed left and right, gazing at the frothing sea below, my heart beating a frantic tune in my ears.
Briony reached my side, taking my wrist and pulling me back a step.
“She jumped,” I breathed in astonishment.
The black water below showed no signs of the girl. It was too dark; the moonlight hung low on the western side of the sky so its light barely reached this coast.
“Can't blame her,” Vienna muttered, but drew away from the cliff all the same.
“She died the way she wanted to,” Cass said, folding her arms. “Now let's keep moving.”
“Wait,” Marie whispered, her cuff illuminating the map above her wrist. “We're here.”
The checkpoint blinked on the map, a small red dot exactly where we were standing.
I automatically glanced down at the floor as if expecting to see something, but only the rocky ground stared back at me.
The longer we stood there, the more the icy wind crept under my skin. My gaze swept to the sea and with a jolt, I put two and two together. I huffed at my own stupidity. “That girl didn't commit suicide!” I pointed at the sea. “The checkpoint must be down there.”
Vienna practically lurched away from the cliff, her dark hair flying around her in the wind.
“Down there?” Marie echoed in a small voice.
“We have to jump?” Briony asked, wide eyed.
I nodded as Cass moved toward the edge, assessing the fall. “Must be safe.” She shrugged, turning back to us. Her eyes flitted over our heads, becoming wide with alarm.
I swung around to face whatever she'd spotted and fear slid through me. Vs were charging out of the trees, a hundred or so metres away. Ahead of them were several girls, fleeing in our direction.
“We have to jump – now!” Cass demanded and I joined her at the edge, gathering up the tattered hem of my dress. It was jump or die.
Blood-curdling screams tore at my ears as the first of the girls fell.
Briony and Marie held hands as they approached the edge, keeping close together. Just as I braced to jump and throw my life into the hands of fate, praying I wouldn't smash my head on a rock, Vienna whimpered.
“I can't,” she moaned and I snapped around.
She was moving tentatively toward the edge, one tiny footstep at a time.
“Come on,” Cass urged, looking ready to take on the world.
My gaze slid from her to the oncoming Vs and I made a decision. “You guys jump, I'll help Vienna.”
Without a word of complaint, Briony and Marie clamped their eyes shut and launched themselves forward, hand in hand. Cass didn't move, rooted to the spot as she gazed at me.
“Selena, I won't leave you.”
I took Vienna's arm, guiding her closer to the edge as she started to sob.
Footsteps pounded close by, warning us of the deadly stampede heading our way.
“Go, Cass!” I roared, staring her down.
With a dark look of acceptance, she turned and threw herself over the edge in a flutter of green fabric.
I managed to get Vienna to stand at the edge on wobbly legs.
“Look at me,” I demanded and her bloodshot eyes found mine. She was starting to hyperventilate, her entire body quaking in my hold.
One of the running girls reached us, screaming as she threw herself over the edge. Vienna lurched away from me, clawing her hands into her hair. “I can't, I can't!”
She was working herself up into a complete panic and I knew we didn't have any more time to waste.
I stepped toward her, determined simply to throw her over the edge myself.
She held up her hands to halt me, evidently reading my decision in my expression. “No, don't. No, no, no, n-” A blur of movement and a rush of air, then something collided with Vienna.
A V launched her off of the cliff, wrapped around her as they plummeted toward the sea. Vienna screamed bloody murder and I called out her name in horror as a foam of white exploded as they hit the surface.
I'd hesitated too long, and suddenly girls and Vs descended on the cliff. Screams ripped through the air as the Vs caught girls mid-air like hawks on rabbits. Some of the Vampires simply dove into the sea, preying on the stragglers swimming there.
Somehow, I was still standing rooted to the spot, watching the bloodbath unfold.
It took two more seconds for a V to take me out. The wind was knocked out of me. I flew backwards and sharp claws raked my neck and back as the V clutched me to him. The stench of blood on his breath ran over me in a wave, then everything went black as we plunged into the sea.
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see. I didn't know where the cold ended and the clutching talons of the V began. I was turned upside down, rolling and rolling until I had no idea which way was up.
A pain like fire ripped through my shoulder and I battled with all my might against it. My hand was no longer clamped around the stake, it was lost to the sea.
With a violent jerk, we hit a rock, but luckily for me, the V took the blow. He lost his grip and I sprang into action, kicking my legs in a frantic movement, rising and rising until I finally breached the surface. I gasped down a lungful of air, coughing and spluttering as the seawater filled my nostrils, burned my eyes, and choked my senses.
The surface was chaos. Splashes of water, red and white foam as Vampires feasted on their victims. The screams were unbearable. It took everything I had to block out the noise and focus on my destination: a dark ocean cave overhung by the jagged cliff rocks.
As hard as I could, I swam into it. The cold numbed my body and it felt like using leaden poles to move myself, but inch by inch, I made progress. I stole the odd glance over my shoulder, trying to catch sight of my friends, but nothing but splashes and the frenzied Vs caught my attention and I couldn't bear to watch a second longer.
My teeth chattered as I reached the cave, and my eyes locked with another girl who made it at the same time I did. Kite was as pale as a ghost, the tear drop beneath her eye standing out starkly against her skin. We swam into the darkness together. My joints ached, my shoulders protested with every turn of my arms, but somehow I kept moving.
The darkness soon engulfed us and all that seemed to exist was the freezing water, the endless black tunnel and the continual screams that reverberated off of the cave roof.
“Selena?” Kite's voice reached to me, a rare note of vulnerability in it.
“I'm h-here,” I managed through chattering teeth.
Her fingers found mine in the water and it took a second to register her touch through the numbing cold.
“Keep m-moving,” I encouraged, releasing her hand so we could swim again.
“I can't see,” she whispered. “What are we even swimming toward?”
Her question gave me an idea and I quickly tapped my cuff so the map illuminated beneath the water. It gave us enough light to swim by and Kite seemed to relax a little as we made progress.
Moonlight glimmered up ahead, confusing my senses, assuming we were swimming deep underground. As we approached, the cause became apparent as we swam into a small pool that led up to a rocky beach. Looking up, I found we were enclosed in a hidden cove, the cliffs towering up around us on all sides. As the water became shallower, we dragged our way up the shore, collapsing down on the pebbles as the quiet tide lapped our feet.
It occurred to me that if we had continued further up the cliff, perhaps we would have come across this cove from above. Perhaps the water was deep enough to jump directly into this place of safety.
My thoughts were confirmed as a huge splash signalled someone had thrown themselves from above. Moments later, Angelina joined us on the beach, shivering and pale, but otherwise unharmed.
Kite scrambled to her feet, launching herself at the girl. “Jump together? Isn't that what you said!?”
Kite grabbed a fistful of white locks and pulled until Angelina screamed.
“I saw the Vs, Kite! I ran for it!”
Kite shoved her to the ground and she crawled backwards on her hands and feet. A knife appeared in Kite's hand; the one we were all given in our packs.
“Enough!” a booming voice roared.
I lifted my head to see Varick appear from a shadowy corner amongst the foliage, but my body was too stiff with the cold to move further.
“Inside. Now,” he commanded and the two girls hurried through an enormous, wooden door set into the cliff face.
I, however, was pretty sure my body was becoming an eternal part of the scenery. I could barely lift a finger.
“Up, Selena,” Varick ordered, but not as harshly as he had before.
I shut my eyes, focusing on moving my arms. My joints creaked, but I managed to lift myself half way up before collapsing again.
Varick took hold of my waist, lifting me with impossible ease. My body craved the warmth of another human being, but he didn't provide that comfort, his chest like a firm wall as I buckled against him.
“You're bleeding,” Varick said in a tight voice, like his throat was constricting around the words.
I glanced down, finding blood flowing freely over my shoulder, my arms. My skin was torn to bits from the Vampire who had knocked me off the cliff, only I couldn't feel it at all.
Splashing sounded, joined by the frantic whimpers and cries of girls who had managed to make it through the cave. My vision blurred as I turned to them. I wanted to locate my friends but darkness curtained my eyes. My legs gave out beneath me, but the harsh crunch of stone against my knees never came, I simply sailed away into nothingness.
◐☼◐
The first thing I was aware of was fire. Flames flickered and danced through my eyelids and heat washed over me so powerfully that I was practically burning.
I woke in a sweat and scrambled away from the fire that was at the heart of a huge cave.
I reached for the cuts on my shoulders, but found nothing there, no blood, no wounds, as if I'd imagined them.
I pushed the heavy blanket off of my legs, drenched in sweat as I hurried to my feet, gazing around the black walls that glistened with water.
The girls were split apart around the space and I was overcome with desperation as I searched for Cass and the others. It was clear we'd taken a hit in numbers, only fifteen girls now remained. As I span on my heel, I came face to face (or face to chest) with Varick.
“Better now?” he asked and I lifted my chin, glowering at him.
“You mean you were the one trying to roast me on that fire?”
His eyes slid over the sweat pouring down my throat. “I don't feel the heat.”
“But you know that fire cooks things, right?” I huffed, marching past him toward the girls, spotting Briony and Marie huddled together in blankets on one mattress. I didn't know why I was angry with Varick. Perhaps because he was one of them. That he could just as easily have been the V that knocked me off that cliff and tried to tear me limb from limb.
“What happened?” I jogged the last few paces to the girls. “Where's Cass? Vienna?”
Briony pointed across the room and I spotted Cass filling a plate of food from a stone table. My shoulders dropped dramatically and I had the urge to run over and hug her. But with Kite and Angelina watching, I didn't want any more of their snickering.
“Vienna didn't make it,” Marie said in a tiny voice.
My heart tumbled in my chest as I took in the news. She'd been so frightened up on that cliff.
Cass joined us and I gripped her wrist. “I thought you might be...”
She nodded, giving me a grim smile. “I thought the whole lot of us might be.” She lifted her plate, offering me food and my stomach growled in response.
I must have resembled a hungry wolf because Cass quickly extracted her plate from my reach and said, “On second thoughts, you can get your own.”
I broke a small smile, but the news of Vienna's death weighed heavily on me. It wasn't logical to get attached to the other girls. We weren't all going to make it, and many of them had already died without me really registering their deaths. But any day now, that faceless, nameless death could be mine. And only Cass would care. Perhaps Briony and Marie, too, but their interest was clearly in getting each other through this hell. And I didn't blame them.
Half-jogging across the room, I approached the table. A buffet of battered fish, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, pies and gravy was all laid out before me. It was like some twisted joke after everything the Helsings had put us through today. Like a pat on the head for being good. It made me want to start a hunger strike, but I knew not eating would only harm myself. And what was the point in that?
So I ladled heaps of food onto my plate, taking a bit of everything, considering this could be my last decent meal before I died. I felt eyes on me and glanced up to find Varick standing guard by a huge wooden door that had been built into the natural entrance of the cave.
I was sure he looked different to the last time I'd seen him. Like he was better rested, or...
I realised with a sick feeling in my stomach that he must have recently drank blood. Just like the Vs out in the game who appeared more human the more blood they got their hands on.
Varick raised an eyebrow at my expression and I realised I was grimacing at him. “Problem, Grey?”
I stuck up my chin, determined not to back down. “Have a nice drink today? Perhaps you thought you'd have a little fun of your own and run around with your V pals on the island?”
I turned away and, in a flash, he was at my side, his hand around my wrist. “How hungry are you right now?” His upper lip was curled into a snarl and the beauty of his face twisted enough that I glimpsed the true monster beneath the facade.
I pulled away from him but he held tight.
Pinching my lips together, I refused to answer.
“I'd bet you're pretty ravenous,” he growled and I wet my lips, giving away my salivating mouth from the smell of the cooked food beneath my nose.
“Imagine feeling so hungry that you wished you could feel the way you do now.” His eyes darkened and a shiver ran through me. “Imagine claws raking at your insides, your mouth burning, scorching with hunger.”
I shivered, knowing he meant this was how he felt without blood.
“I'd die before I hurt someone,” I breathed.
He spat a laugh. “Tell that to your step-father.”
Before I could punch him, slap him or defend myself at all, he was gone, half way across the room scaring some of the other survivors.
He bothered me so much more than he should have. I didn't know what it was about him, but he worked his way under my skin, making my blood boil before he even spoke a word.
I remained quiet for the rest of the evening, a drab mood descending on me. Tomorrow would be worse than today. And more of us would be killed. I was as likely to die as the next girl. Black dress or not, I didn't think any of us would have much of an advantage going forward. The more Vs that hunted us, the less chance we had of escaping.
As everyone settled down for the night, I found myself pacing the cave. Varick watched me silently, back and forth, back and forth, like I was the ball in a tennis match. The longer I paced, the more worked up I got. How could we be kept here like animals in a cell? What kind of people were sick enough to force us onto this island, day after day? Did the Helsings really have enough sway to eradicate our prison sentences? What if it was all a lie, just to make us play along?
I turned mid-stride, marching toward Varick, hell-bent on seeking some revenge. It was futile, I knew, but I had no one else to take out my fury on.
“Who are these Helsings? What are they getting out of this?” I hissed, keeping my voice low so as not to disturb the exhausted girls snoozing in the far corner.
“Hunters,” Varick replied with a sour expression.
I waited for a further explanation and he sighed, taking my arm and leading me toward the door. Unbolting it, he guided me out into the moonlit cove, which was sheltered from the icy wind.
He perched on a large boulder and I hesitated to do the same, simply standing before him with folded arms. It irritated me further the way his skin shone in the moonlight. He was too perfect, why didn't the other Vs look this way? Or would they too be beautiful if they drank enough human blood?
“Hunters are human, for the most part. Except their blood is ancient and strong. They can live for hundreds of years, their strength is unequalled by normal men and women. And their one, defining purpose is to destroy creatures like me.”
I frowned, moving a step closer. “So why don't they just round you all up and be done with it?”
Varick grimaced. “Wish they would sometimes. But if there's no hell-born beings left to play with, what fun is that for them?”
“So there aren't any Vampires left in the world? Apart from here?”
Varick tilted his head as he considered it. “Some. The other Hunter clans keep Vs for their own purposes.”
“Like...?”
“More games, entertainment. We've become their playthings.” He glanced away from me, evidently ashamed.
It was the first time I actually felt any pity for him, but I battled it away. “Why not fight back then?”
He tapped the back of his head. “Can't do it, sweetheart. They've got the same kill trigger in my head as they do in yours.”
I mimicked him, running a hand down my own neck and feeling the bump beneath it where the Helsings had inserted a capsule full of poison. One second late over the finish line and it got released. I shuddered, dropping my hand. “I guess fighting back is suicide,” I mumbled and he nodded.
I glanced out at the dark cave that had led us here, my neck prickling at the memory. “Why do the Vs keep out of the checkpoints?”
“The Helsings will detonate the capsules in their heads. Some have tried in the past. They've learnt it's not worth it.”
“How long have the Vampires been here?”
“Some as long as me, some longer.” Varick shrugged. “They bring fresh ones in from time to time, to replenish the numbers lost in the games.”
“Where from?” I shivered in the wind.
Varick's brows drew together, then he stood, gesturing for us to return inside and evading my question. “Come, let's go in. You need to rest before tomorrow.”
“Is tomorrow worse?”
“Much worse,” he growled and my heart sank like an anchor.