I hold my breath as they click into place.
Runner: Isobel
Guards: Jace, Tex, Noah, Luca
When will I escape these guys?
I feel his eyes on me from across the room. I don’t look at him. If I did, I might flinch. And I won’t give him that.
The instructor turns, handing me a slim satchel. “Inside this bag is your target: a marked document. You must deliver it to the red building at the far edge of the grounds. Your path will be monitored. The guards are allowed to use any non-lethal force to stop you. If you don’t make it in thirty minutes, you fail. Understood?”
I nod. My fingers are already sweating on the strap.
Jace passes behind me with the casual confidence of someone who never fails. “Try not to trip over your own ego,” he says softly.
I don’t answer. I’m too busy trying not to vomit.
The whistle splits the air, and I run.
The moment my feet hit the trail leading into the simulation zone, the terrain changes—dense trees, half-buried stone paths, knee-high grass concealing God-knows-what. The satchel bounces against my back with every step, the strap already digging into my shoulder.
I have thirty minutes. And the predators are already out there.
Leaves whisper above me. I duck low and veer off thepath. I don’t know if they’ve already been deployed or are just waiting in the shadows, but I’m not about to make it easy for them.
My breath comes fast. I count it. In, two, three. Out, two, three.
I scramble over a fallen log and drop into a shallow ravine, knees scraping against the dirt. The satchel stays close—I keep one hand on it like it’s my lifeline.
Somewhere deeper in the woods, a twig snaps.
I freeze. Another snap. Closer.
I dart to the left—and nearly slam into Luca, who appears from behind a tree. He’s twirling a knife in one hand.
“Boo,” he says, grinning.
I don’t wait for him to strike. I spin and run the other way, lungs burning, heart thudding against my ribs like a warning drum.
His footsteps are close behind mine.
“You’re quick,” he calls, still laughing.
I spot a narrow break between two trees and dive through it, branches snagging at my hair. I slide down a small slope, breath tearing out of me. Mud streaks my uniform, and the satchel nearly slips—but I catch it.
I don’t look back.
I burst into a clearing and nearly run headfirst into Noah, crouching behind a low stone wall with some kind of scanner device in his hands. His eyes snap up as I skid to a halt.
“Oh. You’re here already.”
He doesn’t move to block me. Just tilts his head and mutters, “Ten out of ten for reckless speed.”
Then he reaches behind him and presses a button on a device strapped to his wrist.
The trees around us hum. A low, static buzz that disorients me for just a second. I stumble—long enough for him to lunge forward and try to grab the strap of my satchel.
I duck and roll, knocking into his legs. He curses as I push past, cutting through the far edge of the clearing and vanishing into the trees again.
