Saved (Calamity x Male Reader)

Chapter 11 - Help

"Another one?  Pffft, we can barely handle one, let alone two." His tone came along as a joke but personally hurt as it made me feel like an outsider, a burden.  Deadfire notices my reaction and quickly tries to correct it "Hey, I'm kidding.  Welcome to the island, you're gonna love it here."

I respond with a forced smile, but in my mind, it was a different story

I've been here for 2 days and I've almost died by corrupt 'heroes'.  Love is a bit of a stretch right now.

Deadfire takes his seat and I follow suit.  Rex and Cuddles seated themselves on the quadcrasher, looking very uncomfortable as they tried to get used to the new vehicle.

"Follow me closely, we can't risk getting separated now." He starts the engine and it immediately roars to life.  We drive down the driveway and back to the main road.  We didn't bother to take notice of the guard, but it didn't matter anymore.

We drive mostly in silence as we crossed into dessert territory.  We passed the racetrack nearby, which remained quiet as no races were going on.  Drift and Brite mumbled to each other, reminiscing on their road trip after they met.  They were cute together, and it put a smile on my face to see them so happy, but a small ping of jealousy burned inside.  We continue on, passing a small diner by the side of the road.  Our stomachs growled at the thought of food, but there was no time to stop now and every moment was precious.

Deadfire constantly looked back at Drift and Brite, but his attention dwelled more on Brite than anything else.  Drift took notice after a while and a growing look of disapproval on his face.

"Hey.  She's mine, just letting you know." Brite giggled seeing Drift go on the defensive.  Which he often did.

Deadfire broke from his trance "O- Oh I'm sorry for looking.  I just can't help but be worried for her.  She just reminds me of someone I deeply care about." His face dropped at the end of the sentence, a look of pain and deep sorrow.  I lay my hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"Who?" I question

"My sister, Calamity.  We were so close as kids and we did everything together.  When I got picked for the Battle Royale, I was devastated, yet determined to win for my family.  I did end up winning, but I lost contact with them after selection and haven't heard from them since.  I've sent letters over time, but I never get any in return.  Brite, especially her pink hair, reminds me of my sister so much.  I miss them dearly, and would do anything to keep them safe and see them again."

We were approaching Paradise Palms, but a question burned in my mind.

"You got picked for a Battle Royale?  Why?"

"Normally people got picked to go to the island based on skills and knowledge.  However, where I'm from it's much, much worse.  Our 'president' holds a selection every year, and 12 people fight to the death 2 days later to earn the right to go to the island."

"Wait.  You guys kill each other to come here?" This place was much darker than I originally thought.  Nothing like what it was on Earth.

"Yep.  We wish we didn't have to, but it's the only way.  I had to kill to make it out, kill for my family, my freedom, my life." Silence descended upon us again.  A tense atmosphere remained as we enter Paradise.

"Deadfire?" Drift questioned

"Yeah?"

"Do you know anything about the purple cube outside of Paradise?  The one that spawned yesterday?"

"Oh, the one by the old patch of cac.....ti?" Deadfire slowed down and pointed to the cube's location.

The cube was gone