Because I hear something.
It’s a sound — careful, deliberate steps — that lets me know I’m being watched. Madox shifts into fox form and stands between me and the sound. A low growl erupts from his throat. The noise causes a bolt of terror to strike through me. My gut says it isn’t the other Contenders from my group. But then, what could it be? It’s the strange men, I realize suddenly. They followed us.
New sounds crash around me, and I glance away.
Contenders.
Everywhere.
They’re running, sprinting toward something, with looks of horror twisted across their faces. Or maybe they’re running away from something. Not waiting to see what’s coming, I grab Madox and run in the direction the other Contenders are. Pain rips through me as I step down on my injured ankle, but I will myself to race through it. Pandoras of all shapes and sizes run beside their Contenders — and if it weren’t for their anxious howls, I’d be filled with awe.
I look over my shoulder and gasp. The strange men are chasing us. Each holds a long spear, and they’re making odd chanting noises. Nearby, I notice a girl a few years older than me. She’s running hard, her hands splicing the air. For one moment, our eyes connect. Then she hits the ground hard. I stop, thinking she fell and I’ll just pull her back up. But when I get closer, I spot the spear protruding from her back. Her head is turned sideways, and her face is vacant.
“Oh God.” My whole body begins to shake.
I hear my name being called, but I don’t look up. I can’t do anything but stare at the girl. Someone grabs my arm and yanks me forward. It’s Guy. He’s tugging me onward and screaming at me to move.
But the girl.
“Tella,” he yells, shaking my shoulders. “Run!”
Madox wriggles in my arms. It’s enough to bring me back to reality. I nod at Guy and we race forward. Beside us, I see Levi and Ransom and wonder where the others are. Maybe they’ve found a safe place to hide. I tell myself this as I run, pain tearing through my ankle.
Up ahead, I see a flickering orange light. As we get closer, I discover that the light is coming from lit torches and that the torches form a massive circle.
“It’s base camp,” Guy yells through the rain, through the night. “It has to be.”
I run harder, but when I look over my shoulder, I realize the men are closing in. From this distance, the red stripes on their faces look more like blood than paint.
I concentrate on keeping my legs high so I don’t trip. It’s no use, though. Because the men are gaining on us, and I know it’s only a matter of seconds before they take one of us down.
I glance back one more time and scream when I see a man with green face paint reaching toward me. In the same moment, I feel Madox fight against my arms and fall to the ground. The second his body hits the wet earth, he begins to shift. The man slows enough to watch Madox transform into a lion, and he stops cold when my Pandora opens his mouth and roars. I try to stop, too, but Guy grabs my hand and pulls me along.
“Keep moving, Tella,” he growls.
I try to keep running, but when the man recovers his senses and aims his spear at Madox, I stop and cry out. Madox spins away from the man and races toward me. I think he’s going to barrel into me, but instead he digs his head beneath my legs. I realize what he’s trying to do — that he intends for me to ride him — so I grab on to his mane with my left hand. My right hand is still holding Guy’s, but when Madox launches forward, we’re ripped apart.
“Guy!” I yell.
He runs after me, but Madox is too quick, and it isn’t long before I can hardly see him. The camp ahead grows closer. When I turn back, I can just spot Levi and Ransom running toward us. Behind them is the man with green face paint who almost grabbed me. He raises his spear — and throws.
Levi hits the ground.
I can still hear Ransom screaming when we fly between the torches and into base camp.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I scrabble off Madox’s back to rush to Levi, but my Pandora blocks my way. I’ve never been angry with him, but right now I’m so furious, my vision blurs.
“Move, Madox,” I scream. “That’s an order. Get out of my way.”
He either doesn’t understand or isn’t listening, because he continues to ensure I stay put. Moments later, I see Guy and M-4 race past the torches. He turns around to look behind him and gasps for air. Then he sees me.
“Are they here, too?” he asks. “Are the men inside the camp?”
I shake my head, but not because I know one way or another. But because I can’t speak, thinking about what happened.
“Tella, are you okay?” he asks, moving toward me. “Are you hurt?”
I shake my head again and begin to cry.
Over Guy’s shoulder, I see Harper, Caroline, and Dink cross into base camp. Minutes later, Titus arrives. Through my tears, I watch them catch their breaths and gather around Guy and me.
“Is she hurt?” Harper places a hand to her chest and rubs, like she’s willing her lungs to fill with air.
“I don’t know,” Guy answers.
I’m so relieved to see Caroline okay, but it does nothing to stop the things I feel after seeing Levi fall.
“Where are Levi and Ransom?” Harper asks, glancing around.
Everyone stops and looks for them. Everyone but me.
“They got him.” My voice breaks. “This man threw a —”
I can’t finish my sentence. It’s too hard. Especially when I see Ransom approaching base camp. His cheeks are streaked with tears, and his chest and arms are coated with blood that I know isn’t his own.
I rush forward to help him, but the others beat me there. Harper puts her arm around him, holding him up as best she can. Caroline gets the other side. Titus just stares at us. He doesn’t help, and he doesn’t say anything. He just watches.
Guy looks away from Ransom and back at me. His eyes run over my face, but he speaks to both of us. “You couldn’t have saved him.”
I cover my eyes and press them, but a sob still pours from my body. I feel someone’s arms around me. They lift me up and carry me somewhere warm. They lay me down and tuck a heavy blanket around my shoulders. I only know for sure that it’s him when he tells me to sleep, that he’ll be right here when I wake up.
When I open my eyes hours later, the first thing I see is Guy. He’s sleeping a few feet away on the floor. I glance around and spot several other Contenders, and a few Pandoras, sleeping, too. My heart skips a beat when I see Madox lying over my feet. I’m so relieved to find him there. Then I wonder why I’m so relieved.
When I remember what happened, I bolt upright. The girl lying in the jungle with lifeless eyes. Levi with a spear breaking through his chest. The men —
“Guy,” I whisper, shaking him. “Guy, wake up.”
He moans and then opens his eyes. They go from sleep laden to alert in a matter of seconds.
“Are the men here?” he asks.
“No. Or maybe. I’m not sure.” I gaze out a small window and see the same orange lights dancing in the night. The torches are still lit. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A while,” he answers. “Some people were already asleep when we got here.”
I look down at my hands. “Levi?”
Guy slowly shakes his head.
I expect to feel sadness or depression or even fury. But instead, I feel nothing. It’s like I’m empty inside. I came here to save my brother. But how many people have died trying to save one person? I wonder why we stay … if we could leave now if we chose to. But then I imagine returning home to watch my parents grieve and Cody die in his bed. And I know there’s no way I can stop if there’s a chance I can change that future.