FUCK. I should let her die. I should just turn around and mind my fucking business — but what if that was me? Wait, wasn't that me earlier? If Khan didn't help me, I could be dead right now.
But still, should I put myself in danger to help some... stranger? Fuck her — no. No, help her. No — the weakest fall first, and she was weak. Let her die. No. Be a decent human being for once.
That constant back and forth in my head, the uncertainty, started to make me feel dizzy. Since I woke up in that abandoned room, Tini kept slipping out so easily, breaking down tight barriers that I'd kept up for years. This never happened before; it was starting to scare me.
What if I was becoming like my mother? Just slowly slipping into the darkness and soon there'd be no return?
Would my mother have cared? Would she save Layla under the same circumstances? A bitter laugh ate at my soul. No, she wouldn't. My mother killed her own children, her own flesh and blood. Why the hell would she help a stranger? She wouldn't because she was evil, and I wouldn't go down that path. Never.
I pulled away from Sebastian, walking back to the door. "I'm saving her."
Chi snorted while fixing her tight, transparent nightgown, pulling it down over her thighs. "If you do, you're stupid. She's dead already."
Sebastian glared at me, blue eyes blazing to a high intensity. "She's right, Betinia. It's a suicide mission."
Staring through the door, Big Bertha towered over Layla, teeth drooling on her trembling body. The other mutant spiders hissed, rattling their loud cages, wanting blood.
Time was running out. I needed to move.
My eyes roamed over the spider room, thinking. Killing the mutant bitch would be impossible right now. But maybe I didn't have to kill her, just distract her by exploiting a weakness. But what was a mutant spider's weakness?
I didn't know.
I continued to watch Layla sob and crawl backward, trying to get away from the big mutant. But Big Bertha wasn't backing down. She kept following Layla, her loud stomps sending debris everywhere.
"Helping her is a stupid idea," Sebastian said next to me.
My fingers dug into my palm, feeling a surge of adrenaline, chasing away the current pain throbbing through me. "Well, it's my mistake to make, right?"
"No," Sebastian said. "It's not."
What was his problem? Why did he care so much about what I was doing? Yes, he's been nice and all, and I appreciate everything he's done for me, but this was coming off as a bit... controlling. I didn't like that.
I stalked away from him. "Khan."
Khan lounged near the other door at the end of the hall. It was locked, so everyone crowded around it. He stepped away from the wall and toward me. "Yes?"
"I need your help," I said, standing in front of him. "You're a gentleman, right?"
He peeked behind me at Big Bertha. "I may be a gentleman, but I'm not stupid."
Sebastian whirled toward us. "See? It's a stupid idea."
"Let her be a fucking idiot," Gmie said, narrowing her eyes. "Hopefully, Big Bertha kills both of them. Less competition for me."
I ignored her, even though my mind filled with images of me slamming her head into the wall until blood slithered out of her ears, dripping onto the floor. "I don't need you to come with me, Khan — just give me an idea."
He was smart; he had to have an idea on how to get Layla out of there safe.
"Don't give her any ideas," Sebastian said to Khan. "She's not going."
"Who the fuck do you think you are? My daddy?" I snapped, fist clenching. "I'm sorry, but I don't have that kink, okay? I'm saving Layla. End of story."
Sebastian clamped his lips shut, eyes blazing. "You are not."
"Watch me," I said, turning away from him. "Khan?"
Khan cleared his throat. "Killing Big Bertha is almost impossible at this moment."
"You're really helping her?" Sebastian said, talking to Khan.
"It's her decision," he said with a shrug before turning to me. "The best way to get Layla out would be a distraction. Distract the spider and Layla can run for the door."
That's what I was thinking, but what would be a good distraction? Throwing my shoe? Nah. I needed something big — something that would hurt. I had no weapons and Gmie was right. Only a Bazooka or higher would hurt that thing.
A sharp click hit the room, drawing my attention from my thoughts. Rucker leaned against the wall, lit cigarette between his lips. Fire!
I almost ran to him. "Can I use your lighter?"
He furrowed his brow. "Why?"
I snatched the lighter out of his outreached hand. "You'll see." Then, I began to look for something flammable. I was barely wearing anything. Same for everyone else... except Aries. He somehow always had a hoodie on.
"Can I borrow your hoodie?" I asked, tone nice and sweet.
He turned up his nose. "No way."
"I need it to save Layla."
"So? She shouldn't have fell," Aries said, turning his head. "Let her die."
"What would your alien gods say?" I said. "Wouldn't they want you to help another human?" I was reaching — really reaching, but that's all I had. I was trying to be nice. Polite.
But by his cruel face expression, I didn't think my niceness would last long, especially with my patience draining by the second.
"Fuck her. Layla's a non-believer. An xila — a," Aries started with a judgmental tone, but Tini trickled out, tired of the bullshit.
I shut him up by grabbing his arm, pulling it behind him at a weird angle while putting intense pressure on it. I didn't have time for his New Age alien crap.
"You're going to give me that goddamn hoodie or I'll break your arm," I said, putting more pressure on his bicep.
Aries howled, struggling against me. "Agfh!"
Demo stepped off the wall and charged at me, expression angry. "Get off him."
I chuckled. "What the fuck are you going to do? I don't see a gun, and you can't jump me like earlier — so what now?"
Demo glared. "I can still kick your ass."
"You can't because you're just a little follower bitch who can't think for herself," I said, slamming Aries' arm down harder, causing him to let out a loud squeal.
She didn't like my words or actions. Savage rage etched her beautiful features, and she came for me, charging. Taking Aries off the wall, I threw him at the incoming Demo, and they collided like a devastating car crash.
Demo groaned, falling back onto the floor. Blood gushed from her nose as she laid on her back. Gmie glowered at me, leaning down to help her flunky.
My hand grabbed at the groaning Aries, pulling him to his feet before positioning his arm behind him again. "Give me the hoodie. Now before I snap your fucking arm off and shove it up your ass."
"Holy shit," Rucker said, eyes on me, surprised expression.
"Who is this chick?" Yaz asked, eyes widening.
Aries panted, groaning in pain. "I'll g-g-give you the hoodie, just let me g-go!"
I pushed him away. He dropped to the floor, sniffing. Glaring up at me, Aries paused, looking like he was trying to think of a way out of this, but he saw my expression and just complied.
Shit, I really needed to get Tini in check. ASAP.
Once I had the hoodie in my hand, I raced toward the spider room. Layla crawled on the floor still, thick snot leaking from her nose. Big Bertha followed behind her, teeth still dripping.
Why didn't she eat Layla yet? Was she trying to work up an appetite?
Shaking my head, I tried not to focus on my questions, but on the current situation. The zippo made a slick clacking sound as it opened, revealing a tall, fiery flame. Holding the hoodie away from me at the sleeve, the flame pressed against the other sleeve, sparking quickly. It was just like setting Piggy on fire.
Soft flames engulfed the sleeve, moving upwards at a slow pace. I tossed the lit lighter into the hoodie pocket, setting a second fire. The two fires devoured the cotton, sinking deep within the thread fibers.
Once the garment started to smoke, I slipped into the room in full force, not really thinking it through. "Layla," I screamed, drawing her attention to me.
She glanced at me, eyes filled with unshed tears and shock.
My voice and footsteps caused Big Bertha to zero in on me. Oh shit. Dozens of drippy milk eyes glowered at me, as a deafening hiss left the mutant's mouth. Its claws bounded toward me, chalky debris trickling from the sky in large chunks.
This was not part of the plan.
The mutant screamed, sending shivers down my stomach, but that didn't send me running. Instead, right when the spider was only a few feet away, I chucked the hoodie at its face.
The fiery cloth slapped Big Bertha in the face, smothering her eyes. She roared in pain, so loud that a soft ringing entered my ears.
"Move it, Layla," I yelled across the room, watching her stare at the scene in shock. Once she heard my voice again, she wiped her face and tried to get to her feet.
Intense flames attached to Big Bertha's face and claws as her body leaped and barreled around the room, trying to fling the fiery hoodie off. The room began to crumble at her efforts.
A big chunk of ceiling hurled from the sky, missing me by centimeters because someone gripped me back into the room in time. Sebastian. He pulled me back into him, arms holding me against his chest.
"You're one crazy woman," he whispered into my hair.
I didn't get to respond because Layla jumped through the door, crawling to the wall. Khan slammed the door behind her.
I sagged against Sebastian's embrace, feeling the adrenaline fade a bit as the pain returned.
"Please move on to the next room," Jookie said, voice booming through the walls. "The next challenge will begin in one minute."
"Challenge?" Chi said, looking around. "Then what the fuck was that spider bitch?"
"They were probably just fucking with us," Rucker muttered. "Assholes."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Big Bertha is used in a future challenge," Khan said, nodding. "They showed her to us and the viewers for a reason."
We'd have to go up against a mutant spider one day? How the fuck was that going to work?
"Thank you for saving me," Layla said through soft pants, holding herself against the wall.
Sebastian let me go, and I walked toward her as the others shuffled toward the other door.
"It was no problem," I said while trying to bare the pain coursing through me.
"I still don't know why you saved her," Gmie snapped from the other end of the hall. "She's fucking useless. Can't wait for that bitch to go."
"Gmie," Demo said.
"What?" Gmie said, glaring at Demo. "What if we have a group challenge? I sure don't want her on my team. Does anyone?"
No one said anything.
Layla trembled, biting her lip as more drops trickled from her dark brown eyes. I went to say something to Gmie, but Layla grabbed my hand, shaking her head.
"No. She's right," Layla said, sniffling. "I'm useless. I should die. I don't belong here. Zimmie's wrong. I'm not strong enough to do God's bidding."
"Don't listen to her," I said, ignoring the Zimmie and God part. "She's just a bitch."
"We need to go, Betinia," Sebastian said, nodding to me before he ran to caught up to the group that moved further down the hall.
"Thank you again," Layla said with tears in her eyes. "Zimmie was wrong about you."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just walked over to Sebastian and Layla followed behind. We both hovered behind the group.
Rucker opened the door at a slow pace. Once opened, blackness captured our vision.
"Who's going first?" Rucker asked, looking back at us.
"You're the one that opened it," Yaz said.
"So?" Rucker said, shrugging. "Only suckers go in first."
Sebastian barreled through the group to get to the front. "I'll go," he said, taking a small step into the darkness. He kept walking until his body disappeared from our eyesight. "I can't see anything," he called back. "Oh god, it smells like shit in here."
Khan went in next. Then we all filed in, one by one. We couldn't see a thing in the room, but the aroma was awful, reminding me of rotten eggs. Layla was the last to walk through the door. Once she did, the door slammed shut behind her.
She squeaked, jumping into me.
"Shut up," Gmie whispered, tone harsh.
"Sorry," Layla whispered back.
We shuffled forward in tiny steps, careful not to bump into each other. Silence hung between us, never wavering. A minute passed before the lights turned on, and the timbre of drums followed behind it.
It took only seconds for my eyes to adjust to the lighting. Once it did, my eyes roamed over my new surroundings.
Thick slabs of white granite formed the walls around us, dripping with a black liquid that spilled onto the thick cement ground. The intense stench of decaying bodies and aged feces fanned the atmosphere, clogging up my senses. It took all my resolve not to gag.
The main attraction in the Olympic-size room towered in the middle. It resembled a tiered cake, but much deadlier. Made of ivory granite and laced in metal, the fifty-tiered cake dripped with thick midnight and crimson, starting from the top oval layer all the way to the largest layer at the bottom.
"What the fuck is this?" Yaz muttered as we all moved further into the room.
"Hello, contestants!" Jookie glided into the room on a floating star-shaped platform, flying around like an alien hovercraft.
He paused in the air, giving us a beautiful grin. Tiny string lights entwined in his matching fishtail braids, brightening his tombstone-colored hair. Tight black jeans hugged his hips as he sported a glowing rainbow-colored blazer and black moto boots.
Jookie swung his hands in the air, giving us a dramatic effect. "This is your next challenge," he said, pointing to the deadly cake that began to rotate. "First contestant to get to the top wins."
The floating platform shifted around the room, making Jookie float around the cake in quick circles as he cackled at us. "Sounds easy, doesn't it? Trust me, it won't be. You'll be fighting for your lives every inch of the way."
♟♙♟