Bully Trials [Remake]

Chapter Twenty-One

XXI: Only Escape

Jacelyn

I watch Lola finally fading away, not with happiness, but pure misery. I lour at the Jaymie, Drea, and Ramen. "They're all dead," I go, "I'm the last one alive," I spoke not with pride, just emptiness and hate. Why should I feel glee for winning a deadly game and losing all my friends?

Drea crudely laughs. "The rules state no outside help. You had it," she informs me slyly.

I know who they were referring to, but I shouldn't jump to conclusions. My eyes move to my side as I reply, "Marina has been a contestant–"

"You know who, Jace," Jaymie warns. Translation: Don't dodge the answer, and don't lie.

"The blue spirit," I correct.

Ramen adds, "Outside help is forbidden in the Bully Trials, which is highly punishable–"

I argue, "You three knew the blue spirit had been helping me for a few rounds and didn't punish me then. You only waited to fuck me over. I never asked for help! Besides, she was not even alive–"

Jaymie cuts me off, "We didn't state that it has to be alive." She plays with her claws.

"Why are you calling an it, Jaymie," I ask, almost seething, "that spirit could be your friend–"

"My friend is dead, thanks to you."

"Not her spirit!" I gesture to Ramen. "I know your friend can mess with corpses but not souls." I grimace back to her. "You know that's not the real Ash; otherwise, you would've hugged Ash's corpse like she came back to life as an intelligent zombie."

"There's also a chance that the blue spirit is not her," Jaymie smirks.

Tremors rumble throughout the cave but cannot be felt. Drea tries to outdo Jaymie's evil grin with her own, saying, "You better hope the spirit comes to save you."

Like a tolling bell, they transform on the beat. Half of Ramen's face turns green and corpse-like. His bones are sticking out. He raises his hands, and a mass of corpses, including Ash's body, rises from the ground, creating an arena for just the three of us. Drea returns to the same form I saw from her round, along with Jaymie. The dead bodies croak, groan, and root for the leaders.

My nerves shoot up. I don't have Marina, my friends, or any other weapon to give me some confidence. I only have physical skills from cheerleading, so I can only dance. If I were an acrobatic like Lola, I'd do backflips and turn this place into a circus. I take a step back. The pain from the stab wound on the side sharpens. I flinch but then look down, debating whether to rip out the icy shard in my side or leave it in there so I don't bleed out. I need to think quickly and clearly.

Better than no weapon. Besides, I don't care anymore if I die anyway. I yank the icy shard. I vocally exhale. Blood begins oozing from my side. Jaymie stares at me hungrily. She wants my blood—all of it. I try to ignore the pain and ready my weapon. I don't care about dying, but I'm not going to die without a fight.

The leaders of the Bully Trials roar as they hurdle at me at blazing speeds. The dead crowd erupts. The blue mist stands in front of me, not saying a word. It's like she popped into view. "Ash?" I ask, wondering what she is doing.

When they get close to her, a massive volume of blue flames explode. All three of them scream in pain and blast back. Black smoke emits from them like cooked-to-fuck pork. The blue mist gradually turns into a person into a bluish-gray cloak. The dead behind me start screaming, ravaging, and booing.

"This is what you get for creating nightmares in the dreamland," the cloaked girl spoke lowly.

"A-Ash?" I ask, stammering.