Plague Saint [REMOVING FOR PUBLICATION JUNE 1]

New Ways To Fall ("Panic" Bonus Chapter)

Author's Note

In celebration of Amazon Prime Video's newest series Panic, I am thrilled to be teaming up with Amazon Prime Video and Wattpad to write this exclusive chapter that puts my characters from this story into the world of Panic!

I hope this chapter intrigues and inspires you to learn more about Panic. Visit the #PanicWritingContest on Wattpad for the chance to put your creative writing chops to the test and learn more about the show!

To find out more about the contest, prizes, and how to enter, check out the #PanicWritingContest here: wattpad.com/AmazonPrimeVideo

Don't forget to watch the series premiere on May 28th, only on Amazon Prime Video, here: http://primevideo.com/

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For most high school seniors, graduation meant freedom. For Winter Pierce, and just about everyone else living in the town of Carp, Texas, it meant next to nothing. Unless you were lucky enough to get into college or find some other way to move, graduation was just another in the string of sweltering days that marked the beginning of summer.

The ceremony was as boring and pointless as Winter had expected. And afterwards, her parents insisted on taking far too many photos with her brother.

"First chance I get, I'm moving somewhere nice and cold," Winter said through gritted teeth.

River laughed. "Yeah, right. I bet you'd complain about the cold, too."

"I guess we'll see."

"Hey, Winter!" A girl jogged up to them, waving her hand.

"Who's that?" River asked in a low voice.

"My chem lab partner" Winter stepped away from her family. "Hey, Phoebe."

"Congrats on graduating!"

"Uh, you too." Though Winter maintained that Phoebe always had way too much energy for seven in the morning, she had to admit the girl had been a good lab partner. Phoebe was too friendly to dislike, and deep down, some part of Winter envied how easy it was for her to be so damn nice to everyone.

Before Winter could find something else to say, a boy ran by and grabbed another kid by the arm. Winter didn't recognize the second kid, but the boy who'd grabbed him was Ray. The collector for this year's game of Panic. Winter's eyes narrowed. He was already harassing people for today's payment?

Phoebe's eyes followed Winter's. "Are you...playing?" she asked, her voice quieter than Winter had ever heard it.

"Seems like a pretty stupid idea," Winter said. "I'm not trying to die." Panic's great reward came with great risk. Far too much risk for her taste. What would she do with the money, anyway?

The tens of thousands in prize money was the biggest draw, but it wasn't the only one. There were bragging rights that came with surviving the challenges. And the game had been tradition for years now. With nothing else to do in this town, there was a lot of pressure on graduating seniors to play Panic. It was simple. Judges laid out dangerous challenges and awarded points. The winner took home the pot of money.

The money Ray was collecting from kids right now.

"I agree," Phoebe added. After a long moment, she added, "Sometimes I get a little jealous of the players, though. Of course it's a dangerous game to play, but I wish I were brave enough to do it."

"Brave?" Winter asked.

Phoebe nodded. "I mean, I wouldn't choose to play, but I don't even have the guts to even jump off the high dive at the pool. It'd be nice to know that I could, if I wanted." Without warning, she changed the subject. "You work at the hospital, right?"