"No!" I cried. But as she hit the ground, she faded like a shadow. It was different than when someone vanished from death. When someone vanished, it was like their body turned to smoke and blew away. This Demi seemed to sink into the ground as if she were a drop of water dripping into the ocean. I looked up and saw a bewildered face. The attacker knew something was wrong. He turned as if hearing something, then I saw a flash of metal and blood. Demi was behind him and jammed her spear into the man's face. The Demi that fell, was her double. I sighed in relief and called to her. "Hey! Are you okay?" I heard a faint sound calling back but I couldn't make out the words. Then she gave me a thumbs-up, which told me enough. She was holding her side and breathing hard but she was alright.

We took some time to lick our wounds. Zack helped Demi down and she sprawled out on the cement, trying not to move. There wasn't much we could do for her, she needed rest. It was becoming clearer that she wouldn't survive long in her condition. Saris tore off part of his shirt and used it to wrap the large cut on his left arm. He was also cut on his shoulder, but it was little more than a scratch and had already stopped bleeding. Saris came to me and asked if I was hurt.

"I got burned. Not too bad, I think." I said, pulling my pant leg up. The burn started just above my ankle and reached halfway up to my knee.

Saris seemed to consider the surrounding businesses then met my eyes, "I need to rip your shirt." I affirmed that it was alright. I liked my shirt but I know that it's just a shirt. Other things are more important, like treating a burn. Saris ripped the shirt sleeve, took out his sword and cut it so it could lay flat. Then he took out one of the water bottles we took from Subway and poured a generous amount of the liquid on the cloth. "This isn't ideal but it should help," he said, wrapping it around my burn and tying it to stay in place. He gave me the rest of the bottle so I could apply more water as needed. It felt cool compared to my hot skin and I thanked him.

I thought I saw something white move between us but I blinked and it was gone. Probably the sun playing tricks on me. I looked at my allies, taking stock of our condition. We were beat up. We had managed to survive but it had been a hard fight. Zack had his huge sword out and was resting the metal on his eye. Demi was still on the ground, hands on her stomach. Saris was pacing and I was already rewatering the damp cloth around my leg. We probably looked pitiful. Then Saris took off his makeshift bandage and I nearly choked on my own spit. His cut was no longer bleeding. It had already scabbed over.

Zack took notice of my discovery and said something loud enough for me to hear but too quiet for me to make out. I walked over and sat near him and Demi. "He's been using his power," Zack repeated. "He copies our natural ability to heal so he can heal himself faster. He's probably been doing it since he got hit."

"Really? He can do that?" I asked. "I didn't even notice him use his power."

"It's usually hard to see unless you look for it," Zack said. "He can take pretty much anything, natural healing is one of them. It works even better if he takes from someone who's also healing a wound. Their body is already working hard to heal, so Saris takes advantage of that, helping him heal faster."

"That's crazy," I marveled. "How does he ever lose this game?"

Zack laughed. "By now, he's well known. Some people gather to go after him specifically. He's a target. Anyone who wins is. The stronger the person, the bigger the target."

"I can testify to that," Demi chimed in, her breathing less labored. "During one of my early cycles, I teamed up with a couple of talented girls. It didn't end well." She turned her head to look at Zack, her eyebrows dipped in a question, "Are you someone who gets targeted a lot?"

Zack's head bobbed in a 'sort of' affirmation, "Some, but I'm not nearly the target that that guy is." He pointed to Saris, who was down the street a short ways, peeking up and down the next intersection.

"He's pretty big, huh?" I asked, my future strategy to find Saris and team up for future cycles looking a little less favorable.

"Oh yeah. Once, Saris, me and another guy were one of the last teams. There were four teams left, at the time. The other three teams had weaker members who got lucky. Those three teams decided that they were going to take us out. We were the biggest threat to all of them and we were likely to win because Saris and I work really well together."

"What happened?" I asked.

"They ambushed us on a bridge. Those teams still had three or four members each. We had to fend off against ten or so people. Our teammate got injured and Saris told us to leave. He stood between the mob and us."

"What did you do?"

"We ran. Later we found out that Saris had taken out all but three of them. They had teamed up to find us but we managed to beat them without too much difficulty. That was my second win and I owe it to Saris. If he hadn't stayed on that bridge and defended us, we would have died."

"Sounds like you could have made it if you had made a stand," I observed.

"Maybe." Zack agreed. "But Saris often tries to defend his team during tough fights. He'll take on the hardest opponent or as many as he can to give his allies the best chance. He's a strange one. Somehow, his honor outweighs his desire to win."

I looked at Saris and saw him in a different light. He was extremely strong and skilled but I hadn't thought he'd be able to fend off so many people all at once. Not only that, but he was incredibly selfless and I wondered if I'd have the guts, let alone the skill, to try to do something as heroic as he had done.

"That honor and loyalty to his team is Saris' downfall," Zack added. "He completely devotes himself to the team he has and makes choices that are best for the group rather than himself. He'll only fight his team when they're the last ones left and even then, he wants a fair fight. He wants everyone to be ready. But that rarely happens here."

"Why?" I asked, watching Saris scout the intersection that we had passed just before getting attacked.

"Because at some point, his team realizes that they have little to no chance of winning unless they go after him before the endgame. That, or there needs to be enough of them to gang up on him at the end," Zack explained. "Saris hasn't been here so long because there's someone else better than him. It's either because someone from his team stabs him in the back, or other teams target him to try and take him out."

"So, is it really beneficial?" I asked. "Being on his team, I mean."

"Oh yeah," Zack said. "Teaming up with Saris means learning strategy and getting stronger. If you don't do either of those things while you're with him it's your own fault. Plus he'll help your team get pretty close to the end. Sometimes someone with a strong ability can surprise him and if they use it right and at the right time, they can take him out, but Saris is quick to make countermeasures against other's abilities and tactics. If you're observant, you'll catch on. Being on Saris' team is all about gaining experience and ability. Even if you don't reach the end, you're likely to go far."

I looked down, "I guess it's not realistic to expect to win my first time, huh?"

Zack grunted, "you never know. Saris won his first game. He's not the first one either. Sometimes newbies get lucky." He put his hand on my shoulder and stood up. "I know that look," He stated, his eyes trained on Saris."We're about to leave."

As if on command, Saris joined us and announced, "We should get going. We can rest at the graveyard but we're too vulnerable here."

We all got up. I helped Demi to her feet and tried to ask her if she would be okay but she waved me off. It was clear that she didn't want to talk about her condition and besides, I could tell just by looking at her. Paler than usual, her stance was slightly wobbly but she didn't seem close to falling. She would push through at least until we reached the graveyard. She straightened and her face relaxed some, then she smiled at me and thanked me for my help. I admired her for her strength but wished I could do more for her.

"I think we need to change our lineup," Saris said. "I'll take the back in case we get snuck up on. Demi, you should be by me. We should spread out a bit so that we can't all get attacked at once, but remain close enough to help if someone does get attacked."

"Agreed," Zack said. "I'll be in front."

"Alright." Saris said. "Let's go."

Zack took the lead, scouting just far enough ahead that we could be alerted to danger, but not so far that we would have trouble helping him if he was in danger. The walk was slow and miserable. Our new spacing made conversation nearly impossible unless we wanted to yell and make our position obvious to everyone. We only spoke occasionally to check with each other to see if anyone needed a break. And after our fight, everyone was on edge, worried about running into more enemies.

I felt trapped. We were in a small section of streets with buildings all around us. We couldn't see too far ahead and we couldn't tell if someone was around the corner. At least, I couldn't. The cold shiver down my spine hadn't left. I couldn't wait till Zack no longer caused this reaction so I could trust it to alert me of unwanted visitors. Then I wouldn't feel so nervous every time we closed on another corner.

Up ahead, Zack suddenly stopped at the corner of the science museum and slowly retreated to safety behind the stone wall. He motioned for us to join him. Having been second in line, I got there first. Zack whispered "There's three out there. I think it's too far for them to sense us, that or one of their allies is new. It doesn't seem like they noticed me." Saris joined us as Zack was talking. Zack pointed to the group he had seen and looked back at Saris, an odd expression on his face. It was an equal mix of disappointment and excitement. He turned to Demi and me and said, "You're going to want to see this."

I peeked over and caught a glimpse of what the three men were doing. Shadows of normal people, spectors that were not a part of the game, could be seen as a faded outline. They were hard to make out but were clearly in a panic, which made them stand out a little more than usual. The three men were using the items in the street to terrify them, cutting a lamppost or denting a car. The shades would run one way only to stop when one of the men slashed at the ground or moved something in their path. The terrified people would not be able to see the men, or us, at least not clearly. I looked at Saris, who was standing next to me out in the open, completely exposed, away from the safety of the wall where the rest of us were at least partially hidden. I noticed that the cut on his arm was completely gone and only a small scar remained. His healing was amazing! Then I saw his face. He looked furious. His eyebrows were deeply furrowed, shadowing his bright green eyes and his mouth was set in a firm line, his jaw clenched tight.

I was about to ask him what the plan was when suddenly there was a flash and a blur and he was no longer standing beside us. My brain couldn't register what he was doing in real-time and I had to replay it in my mind after the event was over. Saris dashed to the three men with unreal speed. I would have thought that he used his ability but I hadn't seen the faint outline of a bubble go inside him. He sliced one of them completely in half at the stomach, knelt down to avoid the second one's reflexive sword swing, twirled and cut that one's leg clean off, knocking him down. Then Saris grabbed the third one and turned, using him as a human shield as a dagger was thrown, hitting the man-shield in the shoulder. A white orb shot from the dagger-throwing man and landed inside Saris, absorbing inside his body. Saris thrust his sword down into his new shield, expelling him from this world, then threw his own sword at a fourth man at the top of the hill with incredible aim. The man was too stunned to react and perished as the large sword's blade entered his chest.

Saris summoned his sword back in his hand and pointed it at the one-legged man, who was crying and trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. "I'm gonna make this quick and clear," Saris growled at the man. "If I ever see you or one of your friends doing this again, you'll wish that your deaths are as quick as they were today. Understand?" The man nodded, sobbing silently and closed his eyes, ready for the end. Saris plunged his sword into the man's chest. The man heaved, then relaxed and vanished as if he was never there; blood and body gone.

I stood there with my jaw glued to the ground. It stayed that way until Zack pushed it shut for me. Saris had single-handedly taken out a team of four. One of which, we didn't even know was there. I stared at Saris, watching him wait for the shadowed people to leave in a panicked rush, then he waved us over.

Zack hit me on the shoulder. "What'd I tell ya? Stupid good, right? " He didn't wait for me to respond, he left to join Saris and started talking with him.

Demi walked up to me. "I've never seen anyone move like that before." All I could do was shake my head in agreement. "Makes me wonder if I had really stood a chance earlier; when we met." She bit her lip, "you've seen him fight a lot. Does he even have a weakness? Like a flaw in his technique or something?"

I shrugged, "I'm not really an expert. But like Zack said...... he's stupid good."

Demi sighed, "I guess you kinda saved my life by asking me to become your ally. Thanks for that." She looked at the ground and her dark hair drooped forward, covering her face. She brushed it behind her ear and cast me a brief glance, "I still don't really understand why you bothered."

I cleared my throat, "I just," I fought to find words, "I wasn't ready to see someone killed like that."

"You know, to be honest, I was expecting a cheesy pickup line. It might've worked too," she winked and I smiled but said nothing, catching her sarcasm. "I like your honesty better though." She walked ahead without waiting for a response. "Come on."

As we neared them it was clear that Zack and Saris were in the middle of a heated discussion. We were now behind the museum. It had opened into a large walkway that went in several directions. In the center, a large, bronze sculpture was placed as a focal point. It was like a giant orange whose peel was cut in a swirling design and splayed out around it. The peel provided seating in addition to the benches that were scattered among the trees and small patches of grass throughout the walkway. Demi and I took a seat on one of these peels when we reached them, listening in on their argument.

"One of these days you're going to get in over your head," Zack said, pointing accusingly at Saris. "We could have formed a plan of attack. It would have been safer."

"It needed to be done quickly. I had it handled."

I spoke up and asked, "Why couldn't it have been done later. You know, with everyone?"

"They were scaring the shades," Saris said. When that didn't suffice he continued, "it's not the shades' fault that we're here but some people take out their frustration on them as if it was. It's wrong. It's something you just don't do."

"And he doesn't tolerate it." Zack added dryly, then went back to scolding Saris, more gently, "It's not a matter of doing the right thing, it's making sure you don't get yourself killed in the process." Zack put a hand on Saris' shoulder, "how many times do we have this conversation? Is it so hard to try it my way, just once? The shades can survive a few minutes of fear while we come up with a plan to get rid of the dirtbags."

"How often do you have this conversation?" I asked.

"Every cycle that we see someone attacking spectors," Zack said, "which is more than you'd think."

"I can't just stop. I'd miss these conversations too much," Saris said with a sour grin. "Come on, let's keep moving."

"At least you're consistent," Zack said, shaking his head. Then turning to Demi and me, he smiled, "he's right. We should keep going. You ready?"

We resumed our lineup. It was getting late and I wondered how much longer it would be until we reached the graveyard. I hadn't been there to visit it before, but I've seen it several times, so I knew where it was. The problem was, I usually didn't come by this way, so my mental map was a bit off. I felt my stomach rumble and I'm pretty sure I heard other's growl too but no one said anything. We were all focused on reaching our destination. I felt like we were close. Saris said that we'd have plenty of time to reach the graveyard but after the two fights and our rest, I wondered if we'd make it before nightfall.

Zack entered an intersection ahead, looking both ways. Then he stood in the center facing the left. He raised a hand high in a stretch. "Made it!" he shouted. "Come on! Only a bit further."

We all caught up to him and saw the low, metal fence. I had never been so happy to see a graveyard in my life. Just seeing it gave me hope that we'd last another day. We quickened our pace. I kept my eyes peeled for possible ambushes as we rushed towards the closest entrance, which was a small gate. Zack held it open and we all slipped through, sighing in relief as we entered. We had finally made it. Even though my team had told me that we'd be safe here, I hadn't really believed them until we walked through the gate. Maybe it was the stress and trouble of getting here but now that we finally made it, something inside told me that I could relax.