The sun woke me, I blinked against its brightness, turning my head to try to find some shade. Gray lumps on the ground slowly came into focus and the fact that I had spent the night in a graveyard jolted back into my memory as the headstones became clear. I was lying on the metal bench where Saris healed Demi last night. I sat up and stretched my sore back. I would have to get used to sleeping on uncomfortable things. As usual, I was the last one up. Zack and Demi were walking around the edges of the graveyard and Saris was pacing between headstones. Every so often, he'd stop and look off into the distance, scanning past the boundaries of the graveyard. It looked like something was bothering him and he seemed on edge; more so than normal. I approached him.

"Morning!" I greeted, then remembering the plan from yesterday, asked, "weren't we supposed to leave at night?"

"No need," Saris said while looking past me. I turned to see what he was looking at but saw nothing other than buildings, streets and a couple of shades wandering around.

"Why's that?"

"The chills are gone."

Realization dawned on me. He was right, I didn't feel the familiar goosebumps anymore. The lack of that constant chill, combined with the morning sun made me feel almost cozy. I can't believe I hadn't noticed it earlier. "That's great!" While the chills were present I had been nervous, paranoid and a bit on edge wherever we went. Now that our team wasn't creating it, I felt more relaxed. It meant that no one hostile was around us. It meant we were safe. But still, "something's bothering you, isn't it?"

That seemed to break him out of his trance. "Just a feeling," he said. "Probably nothing to worry about. The others are checking around to make sure no one's waiting for us to leave." He was hiding something from me but I didn't pursue it. Saris seemed to like to work with facts, he probably didn't want me to worry over suspicions. "We're out of food," he stated simply.

"Oh. Bummer," I said, suddenly realizing how hungry I was. "I think there's a gas station close by. We can get food there."

"Sure, that'll work." It still seemed like he was lost in thought but something caught his eye and I followed it to find Demi and Zack walking towards us.

"Morning, Xander," Demi said.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty!" Zack shouted, then turned to Saris, "Well, we've been all around the graveyard," Zack reported, twirling a finger. "We didn't feel anyone or see anything other than a few shades walking around. We should be good to move out and find some grub."

"Good," Saris said. "Xander says there's a gas station nearby. We can head that way."

"Alright. Let's get moving. I'm starving," Zack said, patting his stomach. We filed out of the graveyard, leaving its creepiness and safety behind.

I was glad we went. At first, I had been skeptical about coming to the cemetery. Just because I was told that it was a safe place, didn't mean I was ready to believe it. But my doubts were gone and we were fresh and ready for the danger of the game; not that I was eager to get back to it.

Clouds had come during the night and kept moving in until the sun was fully covered. It looked like it might rain. As gloomy as the day was, I was in good spirits. I felt calm and it looked like Demi and Zack felt the same. The chills were gone, which meant that we were safe. Thanks to Saris, we had been able to heal our injuries and we were moving in the direction of food. This seemed like it would be the least stressful day I've had since Saris and I left the training house. Saris seemed to be the only one on edge. He was constantly checking behind us and around every cross street. This street was a one-way road and only had the one lane, so it was pretty tight. He seemed to be completely uncomfortable. Then we all stopped and found out why.

As we approached the next intersection, three hooded figures stood around the corner, watching us. Had Saris not been so paranoid, we might have passed them, continuing down the street towards the gas station, but thanks to him, we saw them as they stood like reapers. Shadows covered their faces. I jumped when I saw them, my heart pounding in my throat. How did we not feel them? But then it hit me. They had been following us, just within range, until we couldn't sense them anymore. Saris had told me that it was a strategy that some people used. But how long had they been tailing us?

"This is stupid," Saris said. "You had the chance to surprise us but-"

Zack's sword was in his hands, a strange orange light emanated from the blade's edge and he whirled the huge sword around. His target wasn't the strangers, but Saris! Saris dodged but too late and blood splattered the ground. Zack quickly moved away, towards the three hooded figures, Saris' blood dripping from the edge of his blade.

"Dang, Saris!" Zack yelled, annoyance in his voice. "Can't slip one past you, can I? You always seem to see danger before it hits you. And here I thought I was being so careful, having these three hiding just within range after you came out of that Subway." He sighed, "oh well. It's going to end here, friend."

I had never seen Saris look so angry. Not even when he single handedly took out the team that harassed and terrified the shades. Back then, his eyes had shone with intense anger and resentment. But now, it was something else; betrayal. Zack had changed his allegiance to another group. He had used us and gained our trust so we would be caught off guard when he finally turned on us. How long had he been planning this? I felt more afraid than I was angry. I looked to Saris. Blood dripped to the ground in wet, thick, heavy drops. Saris looked heavily wounded and I was surprised that he was able to stand at all.

"You?" Saris spat, "why?"

"Why?" Zack repeated in a harsh and mocking tone. He sighed and shook his head, then continued in a much softer tone, "I'm surprised that you don't already know." He swung his massive sword upwards and its flat side landed on his shoulder. "You and I have been at this for a long time. Ten cycles. Ten games. Ten lifetimes. But I've been here longer. When I first met you, you surprised me. You were so good at this it was like you barely needed to try. Killing was easy for you. It didn't take long for us to get a reputation, did it? That was all it took. Your first cycle, you won without much of a challenge, but less than halfway into your second, others caught on to who you were and what you could do and they knew that they had to take you out if they were going to stand a chance. And since you and I were a team, I was also on the list. I had already won one by the time I met you. But my second win was because you sacrificed yourself to save the rest of the team. It would be easier for the rest of us if you weren't here anymore. You paint a target on anyone you're with and if somehow you manage to get to the end, there's no chance of winning against you. You call this a game, which would be proof enough. This is all child's play for you, isn't it? Sure, you want out; we all do. But if the game is fair, you automatically have the upper hand. I've been on my last win for four cycles. It should have been sooner than that. It would have been if not for you. And I won't be able to win another while you're still here. That's why I did this, I saw a chance to win and get out of here and I'm taking it. I don't want to wait for you to leave and have to get lucky enough to reach the end again. It's my turn to leave this place!"

"You done yet?" Saris growled.

Zack looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled and took a long, deep breath, "Yeah! I feel a lot better with that off my chest. Sorry bud," he pointed his large sword at Saris, "you gotta die here."

Saris chuckled. Despite how pale he was, he seemed determined to give Zack a fight for his life. "Let's see if I can make you eat your words."

Even with a deep cut in his stomach, Saris bolted towards Zack with fierce intention and speed. A lot of blood seeped to the ground. Zack backed away before Saris could reach him, "I'm not taking chances like that. You don't fight a lion just because it has a scratch." Zack slipped behind his new companions, who stepped forward, facing the three of us. The hooded figure on the right shot an arrow at Saris and I dashed forward, steadying my shield and willing it to expand. The barrier enveloped the three of us with a clear-blue hew. It was difficult to see, but not as hard as Saris' ability, when the 'copy bubble' flew between him and his target. The arrow hit the energized shield and dropped, then disappeared as the attacker shot out more arrows. No, it was the same arrow. Each time he shot, he resummoned it after the arrow pinged off my shield. I tried to breach the distance between me and the archer but the closer I got, the more he moved to get a clear shot at Saris. His wounds were preventing him from moving much and I had to stay with him so the archer wouldn't pick him off.

"Can you heal?" I asked Saris.

The gash in his stomach was a contrasting red to his pale face and I wasn't sure he heard me but then, almost in a whisper, he said "Too deep."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Demi split into two and head for the archer from two directions. Just before she reached him, Zack sliced her in two, cutting through the staff like it wasn't there. My heart skipped a beat, but it turned out to be her copy. The real Demi raised her staff in defense and sprang backward, dodging his next blow but the center-most hooded figure, who seemed nearly twice as tall as Demi, stepped forward and tripped her with a giant foot. Demi tucked into a roll as she fell, barely escaping the massive axe that crunched into the pavement where she had just been. Demi backtracked, retreating towards us. Our enemies didn't pursue her, allowing her to retreat. Demi muttered an apology when she was within the cover of my shield.

While the archer continued a barrage of arrows to keep me busy, the other two hooded figures moved towards us. They were fast and were on us before I was ready. Demi was also caught unprepared, her weapon was too low to block. Saris, however, was ready. As injured as he was, he was still much faster than I would have thought possible and I wondered if he had taken speed from one of us. The large axe wielder went to block Saris' attack but Saris' sword sliced right through and cut deep into his chest. He faded away before he hit the ground.

The sudden demise of his comrade surprised the last hooded figure and he began to retreat instead of rushing towards me, but Saris did not let him escape. He bridged the gap between him and his next opponent, stepping outside of my shield's protection, and arched his sword downward, aiming at the man's head. A metal scraping sound met his blade and two huge pieces of sharp metal clanged to the ground. Zack stood between Saris and the hooded figure, a broken blade in both his hand and Saris'.

What happened next was both strange and incredible to witness. Saris and Zack's weapons disappeared, then reappeared fully intact. They attacked each other again, each weapon lobbing off the opponent's blade like a hot knife through butter. Again and again, the blades would vanish, then reappear as new, only to be cut down simply by contact with the other's blade. They seemed to be locked in an even fight, neither of them having an advantage. Saris was not nearly as fast or agile as he usually was and yet, he was giving Zack a run for his money. I was used to seeing Saris move around enemies as if in a dance, but he stood his ground, only moving his sword. His injury must be getting to him. Even so, Zack could not penetrate Saris' defenses and kept having to copy the same tactic: destroy the sword to get to his opponent.

The hooded figure that Zack saved had backed away just enough to keep out of range of Saris. It seemed like he did not know what to do. Clearly, things had not gone to Zack's plans. This could work in our favor. Saris was heavily wounded but he was giving us our best chance. I urgently gestured to Demi. Now that Zack was occupied and his group was down by one, we could gain the upper hand by getting rid of the other two. But we'd have to take out the bowman before I could let my guard down. Demi split and headed to the archer but the other cloaked figure saw this and ran to catch one of the Demis. He had a claw-like weapon that was clearly influenced by Wolverine from the comic books. His didn't poke out from his skin, however, but were worn on, what looked like, a metal glove, four blades sticking out from his knuckles. Demi tried to attack but the clawed man was so fast that he twisted around her and sliced her through the chest. She faded but it was just her copy. The real Demi had taken the other path.

As Demi closed in towards the archer, I knew I had to move. I had stalled while everyone else was on the go. The archer was going to shoot her. Could I make it in time? I dashed as fast as I could. I needed to reach her before the bowman took a shot. Saris wouldn't be able to save her and she was too far away to attack but too close to make a full dodge. I saw a glimpse of the bowstring drawing back and heard the thump of an arrow being let loose and I made it to Demi just in time to grab her arm with my shield hand and pull her behind me, twisting my body to shield her, just as the arrow pierced my left shoulder from behind. I cried out in pain. I had never felt something like this before. It was strange and wrong and I wanted it out of me. Demi grabbed my hand before I tried to pull it out and I knew I had to leave it. But she surprised me when she yanked it out and pain darkened my vision for a moment. She threw the arrow as far as she could but it exploded just before it touched the ground. The explosion sent shards of metal and wood towards us and Demi shielded me this time. They didn't cut deep but there were many small holes in her shirt and jeans and cuts on her exposed arm. I willed my shield to expand again and we had another barrier but the hole in my shoulder reminded me that I might not be able to hold it for long and this time, I wasn't able to get to Saris. He was exposed.

"Well!" Zack shouted through grunts of exertion, "looks like we've got you. Your team is injured and so are you. This fight wasn't fair to begin with and for that, I'm sorry but really, if you're so far out of everybody's league, you should really expect this from everyone at some point. It's just a matter of time."

Saris glanced our way but kept his focus on his fight. "You're wrong," he said, his voice weak but somehow still sounding confident.

"Oh, really?" Zack chuckled. "How is that?"

Saris spoke up, almost yelling so we could all hear what he had to say. "My team will run! I don't think I can kill you right now. But they can get away and take you out together."

"You'd make them leave injured and come back to fight us three on two?" Zack spat. "They'd have no chance."

"Three on two?" Saris said with a sinister undertone. "I'm gonna even the odds right now." Saris broke off from Zack and blood gushed out of his open wound. "Go!" He shouted to Demi and me as he dashed towards the clawed man. He aimed a blow at the man's face, who blocked it with his claws. The claws broke off easily but he managed to dodge before the sword hit him. Saris wasn't moving as fast as normal, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. As the man dodged, Saris spun his sword at an awkward angle, cutting against his natural flow and connected with his foe but it wasn't fatal and the man reared back, resummoning his claws, good as new.

"Come on," Demi urged, pulling me away, "we have to go."

"But-" I tried to argue, but she cut me off.

"We need to have a plan. We are injured and outclassed. Don't let Saris sacrifice himself for nothing!"

She started moving up the street, staying near enough so I wouldn't lose her. I followed, my shield held behind me to try to protect our retreat. I was slow, my steps almost a stagger and my vision grew steadily darker. I thought to call out to Demi but she was already beside me, carefully putting my uninjured sword arm around her shoulders. She guided me towards the far side of the next intersection. I managed to take a glimpse of the battlefield we had just escaped from and I felt something drop inside my stomach. The archer was still alive and Zack was still there, but the clawed guy and Saris were nowhere to be seen. They were dead. We turned the corner just in time to avoid an arrow being shot at us and heard it clink off the side of the building. Fearful that the arrow would explode, I pushed as hard as I could to run. I never heard an explosion; I blacked out.

I'm not sure how long I was out. When I woke up, I had a headache and everything around me wobbled. Demi was carrying me, or more accurately, half dragging me, my arm was around her shoulders and her hand grabbing me by one of my belt loops. I could tell that we were moving through a thin hallway, but I couldn't make out what kind of building it was. We continued to move towards a door and I started moving my feet again just before we exited.

"Oh, good," she panted softly, "you're awake."

"How long-" I mumbled.

"Not now," she said, confirming that we were still in danger. "Keep going."

We ran as best we could. I still felt lightheaded and dizzy but I managed to force my legs to move. We dodged in and out of buildings and turned nearly every corner we came to, trying to keep out of sight while putting distance between us and our pursuers. I couldn't tell if we were still being followed but I imagined that Zack and his archer weren't about to give up on tracking us down. After about a half dozen turns, I began to get confused about how far we had traveled. It seemed like whenever we came to a building, we were already past it and I was dully aware that my body was moving on instinct, like how some people reach a destination after driving but not remembering the trip there. I was having trouble walking again, my vision turning white at the edges. We needed to find a place to hide. I looked for something that might work.

Demi seemed to notice my struggle, "a little further," she pleaded.

"Where?" I asked weakly.

Demi looked and we made a sharp turn, "there," she breathed, nodding towards an old auto shop.

The garage doors were closed and we went towards the main entry door. Luckily, it was unlocked. We entered and turned the latch for the deadbolt to lock it behind us. Demi helped me half sit, half lay down on the floor next to the door. We were in a small reception area, a desk with a computer directly ahead and chairs lining the outer walls with stacks of magazines available on small tables in the far corners. The walls were littered with pictures of people standing on or in front of cars and a few framed certificates. The room smelled of oil and gas and it reminded me of being at work.

"Why here?" I asked. I was starting to feel a bit better now that I wasn't upright.

"Windows," Demi whispered. "As long as we stay hidden from them, we'll be okay but I doubt they'll come in if they can just look in from the windows." I realized that there were a lot of large windows on the front of the building but none on the sides. As long as we sat under them, we shouldn't be seen.

She sat down next to me and we tried to hide ourselves as best we could using the chairs as cover. We sat there, waiting to hear footsteps from the outside or to see a shadow pass by the window or even someone breaking down the door on us but nothing happened. We sat there, huddled together waiting for the end. Demi grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly. Her hand was warm, but I could see goosebumps on her arm. I also felt chilly but I chalked it up to the loss of blood. After a few minutes, we started to calm down and we weren't breathing as hard. I got used to the sound of her soft breath. We looked at each other for a moment, not saying anything but holding hands and looking into each other's eyes. I wanted to tell her that everything would be alright; that we would be safe here. The words wouldn't come, so all I could do was try to reassure her with my eyes. Maybe she was doing the same for me. She looked worried, probably concerned about my injury. I was in a daze, but looking at her let me put the worry that we'd be found on hold.

Somehow, sitting with her, hiding in the corner of an old auto shop, was calming. I wanted to stay like this. The only thing in my vision and in my thoughts was the person next to me. Memories of the short time we had together flooded my mind and I wondered what it could have been if we had met in different circumstances. Replaying the past few days with Demi got my brain thinking again, processing what had happened and what needed to be done. I suddenly realized that it was just Demi and me; Saris was gone. I hadn't been without him since I was brought into this game. He had been my guide and my mentor and he was dead. Zack was no longer an ally. He was dangerous and probably our most deadly foe. He was searching for us. What would we do when he found us?

Demi jolted, her whole body jumped. "Do you hear that?" she whispered nervously.

I stopped thinking and listened. I could hear a faint noise coming from somewhere in the back room. "What do you think it is?" I asked. It didn't sound like someone searching for something, we didn't hear anything being moved around. Instead, it sounded like grunts of exertion, or maybe pain.

"We should take a look," Demi said, looking a lot less confident than she sounded.

I took a deep breath and we got up together, looked out the window to make sure no one was there and slowly made our way to the back door. The sound was definitely coming from that room and I was more sure that it was sounds of pain, not exertion. Together, we opened the door, stepped through and closed the door quietly behind us.

This room was larger than the last, but not by much. It seemed to be an office. There was a desk and a couple of filing cabinets on one side of the room. The walls were mostly grey and plain except for a motivational poster hung to the right. The word 'DETERMINATION' was stamped below a photo of a mountain climber in action. There were two other things on the wall that were clearly newer additions, two metal poles had been thrust through the plastered wall. On one of the tubes hung a woman. She was impaled through her stomach, just below her chest. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched at the round hunk of metal and she looked at us with desperate eyes as she sobbed.

"Help me!"