"Wake up! Dammit Sunshine you need to wake the hell up!" A frantic male voice was yelling, it sounded so distant but felt as if it were close.
Right next to me?
No.. right in front of me.
"Cmon Sunshine please! This is all wrong, y-you weren't suppose to be chosen for a few more days! Fuck!"
I feel strong hands grip my shoulders and roughly shake me. I groan and snap open my eyes, seeing Steve's panicked face above mine.
My vision slowly began to clear up, and I quickly sit up when I realize I was not where I fell asleep.
I look to my side and expect to see Quentin here too, but to my surprise I instead see a completely different view.
We were in an area covered with snow, and it was much brighter out than it was at camp.
But the dark heavy clouds covered the sun that I ached to see, a dull glowing circle that was densely hidden behind the gray mass.
I shiver as the falling snowflakes delicately land on my face, the chill wind caressing my flushed cheeks.
"What... what happened?"
I look back at him confused.
"How'd we get here?... where's the camp?..."
I let my questions gush out as Steve helps me to stand up. I look around and see trees, a few odd wooden structures, and a giant deteriorated building not far off.
Oh, and the fog.
Not really a surprise there.
Except, it wasn't as thick as it was in the wood bordering the camp.
I exhale and see my breath leave my mouth.
"It really is cold."
I thought and I look at Steve, who was walking towards this strange looking machine. He crouches down and began to work on it.
I see one of the four pistons on it slowly begin to pump and he sighs.
"You're in your first trial. I don't know why you were put in one this early.. this never happens."
He mutters, and I come closer to him, watching as he pulled levers and connected wires together.
"Zarina and Ace are with us, but I don't know where they went. They're probably doing a generator somewhere. Hopefully."
Over the next few minutes, he shows me how to work on it, and it's surprisingly simple. Well, when you're focusing. I help him fix it, and after ten minutes it suddenly lights up, letting out this loud musical chime.
I felt a surge of hope at the sound.
"Four more generators left until the gates are powered."
He stated, standing and beginning to walk away. I stand up as well and begin to follow him, not wanting to be left alone in this place.
That is, until I see a shape in the fog.
I stop walking and stare at the approaching figure, forgetting about Steve as he got farther and farther away.
Along with whoever it was approaching, my heart starts pounding in my chest, beating faster the closer they get.
"Zarina?"
I assume as I squint, trying to see the figure better.
"Hello? I was just with Steve.. we were... I..."
I trailed off as I glanced in the general direction that we were walking— realizing Steve was no longer in sight— but as I look back towards the approaching figure I could now make out some of her features. I blink a few times, squinting slightly harder. She was wearing some sort of mask, with a dark green hoodie. She had a plaid red skirt with torn black tights, and dirty green converse.
The thing that stuck out the most though, was her hair.
Long, pink hair.
It was probably at least to her elbows and varied in shades of pink, looking much lighter towards the ends.
It reminded of the soft wispy clouds during a sunset, where the light hits them just right and they're that beautiful pastel pink color.
Just like cotton candy.
The pure white snowflakes that fell around us caught in her hair and I gently bite my lip at the sight, my heart beating faster.
She had her hands in her hoodie pocket, and she stopped walking when she was at least ten feet away.
"{Y/N}."
A small jolt goes through my body at the sound of... of my name? I feel a cool numbness go through me as memories flash through my mind. Memories of what must of been my past life— or my life before all of this.
Temporarily pushing them aside, how the hell did she know my name? I didn't even know my name! Well, I do now, but I didn't before, and yet this girl somehow knew.
"Don't worry about how I know."
A shiver goes down my spine at the sound of her soft, soothing voice. It wasn't a bad shiver either— no, it was a pleasant one.
"I... thought there were only four survivors per trial?.. I don't think I've met you back at camp, either..."
She lets out a muffled laugh, amused by my utter confusion as we faced one another.
"You're so clueless... so naive."
She lets out a heavy sigh, and I feel even more confused. At the sound of another gen popping in the distance, I turn my head towards the noise.
When I turn my head to look back at the girl, she was gone.
I didn't hear the sound of her walking away either, and I was only looking away for a few seconds!
I run my hands through my hair, frowning at the ground. I kick some snow, feeling frustrated.
Suddenly, a scream, a sharp, bloodcurdling scream echoes through the area and I tense up, my eyes wide.
"Zarina!"
I say to myself and run towards the direction I heard the scream.
"Zarina! Zarina?!"
I loudly call out as I run, my eyes scanning my surroundings. All I could see were trees and some giant rocks, but no Zarina.
A hand suddenly grabs my arm, yanking me back and causing me to trip and fall at the sudden stop.
I cry out at I hit the ground, quickly flipping onto my back and propping myself up with my elbows.
It was just Ace.
He pulls me towards him, quietly shushing me as we hide behind a thick tree.
"It's too late for her, she's probably bled out after what I just saw."
Ace whispers and I start to shake a bit, my breath catching in my throat.
"Bled out?"
I thought, and squeeze my eyes shut, trying to control my breathing.
My heart started pounding again and Ace covered my mouth, both of us going still. I kept my eyes shut as running footsteps approached, then eventually passed by us, the crunching of crushed snow fading quickly.
He moves his hand, and I inhale sharply, opening my eyes. We both hesitantly stand up, and I look up at him.
"We need to find Steve."
I say quietly and he shakes his head.
"No, we need to get the gens done. We have three left."
He said, disagreeing with my idea, and I glare sharply at him.
"We need to-"
I tried arguing, but he cuts me off.
"The kid can handle himself for awhile. Come on."
He grumbled and walked towards the large building, climbing in through a broken window. I follow reluctantly, taking more time to climb over as I wasn't use to doing these things yet.
He began to work on a generator that was nearby the foot of some stairs. I walk over and began to help him. We both stay quiet as we work, not even bothering to glance at each other.
A small explosion comes from it on my side and I yelp, falling back, my eyes wide in shock. The loud noise echoes throughout the empty building, causing some crows to voice their irritation at my disturbance. Ace groans loudly, sharing his own annoyance, but continues to work, getting it done after a few more minutes.
He yanks me up to my feet and pulls me up the stairs.
"Come on! She probably knows where we're at now because you fucked up the gen! Hurry the hell up!"
I shove his arm off of me and start walking up the stairs on my own, still spooked by the sudden loud noise. I glare at his back and cross my arms over my chest.
"Douche."
I thought bitterly, right before my heart rate began to increase like it had earlier, now to the point it's beating rapidly. Ace looks back at me, and speaks lowly,
"She's coming. We need to hide now."