Game Set, Play (w|w version)

Separated part 2

As she recalled the game, Sam fell asleep.

A little while later,
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" screamed Rose waking up.
Sam woke up quickly and shouted, "Why'd you scream?" as she looked around for a threat.
"What? Did I scream?" replied Rose confused.
Rose noticed the large thin knife ten centimeters above her head in the tree trunk. The two of them heard voices shouting one to three incomprehensible words at a time. From a not too far distance, Rose and Sam saw three short bald somewhat human-looking figures running towards them. The naked males approached from different points: one was ahead of Rose, another was in front of Sam, and the third was to their side.
"Blast them!" shouted Sam.
Rose threw short energy blasts at all three of them using both of her hands. The males dodged each one.
Rose half-yelled, "They're too fast. I can't hit them."
"Keep trying!" Sam focused her energy on the area around the two of them.
"Is that a sword? One of them has a sword!"
The three naked ones were seconds away from being close enough to leap onto Rose and Sam to strike them.
"Give me your hand!" shouted Sam.
"What?" asked Rose unsure of what she heard.
Sam didn't ask again. She grabbed Rose's hand. Fire erupted around them. The blue flames rose to a height of two and a half meters. As the short attackers jumped to attack Rose and Sam, the three of them were struck by the flames and thrown backwards onto the ground. The circle of flames vanished leaving burned plants and three burned beings as the only evidence that it was ever there.
Sam said, "Let's go." She pulled Rose in the direction in which they had previously walked.
"Are they dead?" asked Rose as they ran.
"I don't know. I didn't expect it to be that strong."
They heard roars behind them so they moved faster.With mixed feelings of guilt from harming them badly and of relief from evading the attack, Sam commented, "If they weren't dead before, they'll be dead soon."
"Yeah... they probably smell... better than us. ... Though I read... that sweat... also attracts them."
Before speeding up, Sam said, "We'll be ok but we should go faster."

A few more minutes later, they slowed their pace to save energy.
While trying to slow her breathing, Rose asked, "How did you... do that anyway? ... That seemed a lot stronger than... the fires you usually make."
"It was. I used your energy with mine. ... I didn't expect you to give me such a boost. That's why I asked for your hand."
"I thought you... wanted to admit your secret feelings for me... before we died."
They didn't hear any sounds indicating that they were being chased. They assumed that they were safe from the panthers and slowed to a walk.
"No, I have no secret feelings for you. It was to combine our abilities' energies."
"Like I do with your sister?"
"Ya but different. After our lost in worlds adventure, I looked into combining the abilities of neathers. It turns out you and Gwen aren't the only ones. It's rare to be able to combine two sets of abilities to create a different one but those capable of it can enhance others' abilities too. I've been practising in case I'd ever need it. I've been using Gwen without her knowing. I've only tried on small stuff. I knew the fire would be bigger but not by that much."
"Well, it was an accident and you didn't kill them so it's not your fault."
Rose's comment didn't make Sam feel any better.
Rose added, "From your research, do you think I could do more than I can now? Like borrow people's powers. Specifically, your sister's. I could finally read her mind and know what she's thinking."
Sam gave her a weak smile. "I don't think it works like that. But I do know she wouldn't like it at all. She'd get as upset as the rest of us. Well, not you. How does it not bother you when she digs into your head? Truly bother you."
"I don't know. I want her to know everything anyway. Most things. Sometimes, it prevents me from chickening out 'cause I figure she already knows."
"I couldn't date someone like that. I prefer my thoughts in my head only. But I'll be relieved the next time she's in my head. It'll mean she's alive and we're together again. This separation is the worst part."

*

Liz and Gwen had walked for over an hour and hadn't seen anyone or anything new.
Gwen commented, "This seems hopeless."
Liz replied, "It's strange. This desert can't be that big if it's all part of a game and there are other regions."
"Maybe the person who put us here is amused by watching people die of boredom."
"Don't forget there's a killer out here. So we'll die of half-boredom. I could use a break." Liz didn't truly want to stop their search but felt that she needed to. She was having difficulty seeing her surroundings partially feeling as though she might pass out.
"Me too."
"I think there's a cave in that hill ahead. It would be better to have cover in case the killer shows up."
Gwen agreed, "We can check it out."
They walked to the hill hoping for a place to rest.When they reached the small sandy mountain, they confirmed that what they had seen was a cave. It was deep enough for them to have somewhere to stay out of sight. They checked if it was empty by using the light from Liz' lightning bolt. Gwen entered the hole and Liz brought down three more lightning bolts before following her.
"Why did you bring down more lightning?" asked Gwen.
Liz answered, "In case the others are near. So they know where we are."
"And anyone else around."
"Hopefully, anyone else who saw it will think it's this bizarre place being... bizarre."