Ana tried to smile.
“Then just…be careful. You’re a hero, Benny, and I won’t ever forget what you’re doing—what you’re risking for us.”
A flicker of something crossed Benny’s face. Ana caught the look but couldn’t make it out. Fear? Doubt? Sadness, maybe? Before shecould question it further, it was gone. The moment passed and Benny broke into a wide grin.
“It’s all good.” He shook out his hands and did a few old-man warm-up stretches, reaching around behind him as far as the mattress would allow.
“Ten, nine, eight…” Caden started the final countdown.
Benny adjusted his bucket and squatted as low as he could manage, like a sprinter on the blocks. His toes were on the line.
“Seven, six, five…”
A loud banging and shouting started up at the front of the motel. Great whooping noises and hollering ripped through the air.
“Four, three…”
Ana felt her whole body tighten with nervous energy. They were really doing this.
“Two, one…”
Launching himself across the white line, Benny was off.
***
Benny was fast, even weighed down with his makeshift armor. He headed straight into the desert at a good clip. Ana and Caden stood on the line watching, holding their breath.
He made it past a scraggly bush, then on to a cluster of cacti, then a half-dead saguaro.
So far so good. No shots. Nothing. Ana felt a spark of hope. This might work.
Benny started slowing a little, his initial burst of adrenaline dying out, he puffed to a walk, then stopped. Turning around, he reached up and took his bucket off. He was panting from the exertion, sweat dripping down his face. He stretched his arms out wide, grinning.
“Yay, Benny!” Caden shouted, fist-pumping the air.
Ana sank back slightly, releasing her breath. He was a good fifty feet out. This was good. This was really good.
Benny waved, then turned to face the open ground ahead of him, ready to keep going, ready for his big escape. But he didn’t move.
Thecrackechoed around them. Ana gasped.
Benny’s head snapped back violently. His hulking form appeared suspended for one long second before he teetered over sideways, crashing into the dirt. He flopped onto his back, his arms falling limply on either side of the mattress.
Eyes open, mouth open, dark red blood pouring down across his face, pooling onto the sand beneath him.
Benny was dead.
The game had begun.
15
Ana
59:22
Ana fell to her knees. This was real. This was happening. It was happeningagain.
Vaguely she was aware of the others running up. Everything sounded distorted, as though she was listening through a long tunnel. There was crying, shouting, voices raised in pitch. Slowly fading away. One by one, falling silent. The aftermath. She knew the sounds too well. She closed her eyes.
