“We got one Unifier, little bitch!” a Tactician cheered, followed by maniacal, clown-like laughter.
As I glanced over my shoulder, the taste of metallic blood filled my mouth. The guys who were with us were now laid captive in the clutches of the Tacticians. A black bag with a purple smiley face covered their faces. Their attackers wore skull masks.
No. No. Why are they wearing masks?
My heart hammered against my rib cage as dread clawed its way up my spine. Their hollow eye sockets fell on me. Their jagged teeth stretched from ear to ear in a twisted, mocking grin. One of them pointed slowly in our direction, a silent accusation that we were next.
“Dalia!” Yasmine’s voice rang out, beckoning me to follow as she dashed forward.
“I—” My throat tightened. I hadn’t even realized I had stopped running. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t speak.
The masked men approached with ominous steps, each footfall echoing like a death knell in my ears. My muscles tensed, and I felt myself sinking into the ground, paralyzed by fear. Only Yasmine’s firm grip on my hand kept me from collapsing completely.
“What are you doing?” She yanked me away from them.
She’d come back for me.Just like Mom did.I blinked and bolted alongside her.
Shadows stretched, swallowing the path ahead.Run. Feet thudded against the checkered tiles.Run. Beads of sweat raced down the nape of my neck.Run. My pulse thundered in my ears.Run. Panic clawed at the edges of my sanity.
Every breath felt like a struggle, but, turning back, I noticed none of the skull masks had followed us.
Pantheon had turned into a chaotic jungle. One student was on all fours, barking like a dog, before being ordered to kiss his attacker’s shoe. Another was being held upside down by his feet; alcohol was shoved into his mouth while reciting pledges. One was branded on his forehead with insults. Near the lake, Guardians had to undress to their underwear before being thrown into the cold water.
We slammed our back against the stone of the sciences building, both of us ignoring the visions of horror around us.
I squeezed Yasmine’s hand. “Thank you, Yas, for coming back for me.”
“Don’t thank me. I didn’t know I had it in me.” Her breath was ragged as she searched for Tacticians. “As fate would have wanted, we’re next to the lab rooms. Imagine if they conduct experiments on us. I don’t want to die like a lab rat!”
“Hey,” I whispered, placing my hands on her shoulders. “We’ve got this. Our destiny won’t be one of those horror movies.”
“Okay,” she replied, taking a fortifying breath.
My fingers adjusted the inky-black wig that shielded my identity. “Follow me.”
In our darkness-shrouded attire, we continued onward, climbing the old stone stairs of the sciences building. In a narrow corridor, I saw a group of Pioneers urinating on a cryingTactician while they were filming him. My stomach roiled, and I felt like I was about to puke.
“I don’t feel well, Dalia.” Yasmine’s voice shook. “This is getting out of control. I’m scared.”
I climbed the stairs faster, holding her hand. “Me too.”
The frigid air clung to us as we maneuvered through the Pioneers, who were chasing first-year Tacticians. Arriving at the top, I spotted two second or third-year Tacticians stalking their prey, so I quickly grabbed Yasmine and hid in some kind of closet. We held our breath.
“Thank you, girl, you—”
The door swung open, and we jumped back, hugging each other. It was Tara.
“What are you doing here?” Yas shouted in a whisper.
Did they know each other? Tara’s glaring eyes locked onto Yasmine, and I felt… lost.
“I’m here for you, stupid,” she retorted, completely ignoring me. “You really don’t know how to pick your friends. Her, really?”
I exchanged a puzzled glance with Yasmine.
“Tara is my sister,” she said. “I’ll explain later.”
Everything made so much more sense now.
