The wailing sirens from the speakers pierced my eardrums. I had less than thirty seconds to arrive at the gaming area. And although the urge to return to the safe zone to check on Jade nagged at me, the overwhelming urge to find Millie and get to the arena seized me.

I sprinted far from the presence of the Piper and closer to the familiar lit-up stadium surrounded in a ten feet high chain linked fence. My feet thundered across the ground with the force of a charging bull, each step pounding the earth harder than the Troll's stomps and propelled me forward faster than the Wolfman's canine-human paws.

The main entrance into the arena was closed. Instead, the gate to the enclosed chain-link compartment that had previously held the brothers remained wide open.

Where was Millie? Surely, if she was safe from harm, she would have made it here by now. I ran so fast I knew I was the first to arrive.

In a panic, I searched for an additional opening but could not find one. Pain pulsed in my ribcage and the palm of my hand from my injuries, I ignored the throbbing and stood by the main gate as the siren continued blaring.

Finally, in the distance the straw kicked up behind a fast-moving figure racing toward me. The slim frame, dark skin, and unusually white hair made my heart patter in excitement.

"Millie!" I waved her over.

Her pace didn't slow, and I realized it wasn't just because of the countdown. Behind her, on all fours was the Wolfman, keeping pace with her as she sprinted like a hurdler toward the gaming arena. I tightened my grip around my blade, preparing to use it on the beast that stalked her.

In no time, she was at my side, only slowing when she realized the main gate wasn't open. She pulled me by the arm and rushed us inside the open door that led to the enclosed compartment. "Come on!" she yelled.

My eyes were on the Wolfman as his gaped jaw and slimy tongue hung from the side of his mouth. He skidded on the straw as he tried to stop and turn, and I swung the blade before dodging out of the way.

Although I aimed at his head, the blade lodged directly into his shoulder, right beside the emblem of the prestigious school he'd attended as a young man. His howl was so loud, it managed to drown out the sirens for a brief second. I twisted my cuff causing the blade to rip more muscle as it dislodged to return to me.

I ducked into the open gate where Millie was and watched as it slammed close, trapping us inside. And as soon as ours shut, the main gate swung open.

The beast's breaths tripled in pain as he licked at the wound on his shoulder, not noticing the Jeffrey brothers running up behind him to zoom past like the sprinting athletes they claimed to be, not slowing one bit as they entered the gate and continued toward the stage.

But as they whizzed by, the straw they kicked up caught the Wolfman's attention and he growled before directing his anger at me.

Millie shouted, "I'll kill you. You just wait." It wasn't until Sonya appeared in my periphery that I realized she had been screaming at her and not the beast before us.

The Wolfman was too preoccupied with his shoulder and the black ooze seeping from the wound to acknowledge Sonya. And she zoomed past him and us, and into the open gate. Not even her injured foot seemed to slow her.

The beast looked up too late, snarling at the dust she left in her quake. The sirens finally stopped, bringing an eerie quietness to the environment. The huffs and puffs of the injured creature was heard alongside his cautious steps as he approached the main gate, sniffing the ground as he went.

We remained still, not wanting to pull his attention back to us. And we watched as he tested the border of the open gate, placing his clawed hand over the threshold as he did at the safe house.

How was that possible? None of the creatures should be able to breach the safe spaces in the Games. How was he able to, even if it was only a limb?

He sniffed the straw on the ground as if searching for a hidden pheromone that would grant him instant access once discovered. Then the gate screeched as it slammed shut before him, forcing the beast to back away.

The Wolfman continued to sniff along the edge of the fence while the massive screen displayed odd footage of Ms. Bridgett Holle herself as she strutted down the halls of a sterile facility with two large men in dark tailored suits keeping pace behind her.

I recognized the men as the two who escorted me and Jade while visiting Arcanum. Their stout presence and brutish physique were unmistakable.

Where were they going? What was happening? Why were we witnessing this?

Over the loudspeakers, the showrunner's uncharacteristic, disordered ranting took our attention.

"I don't care how many doors you have to tear down." She waved her hand in the air as she cried out. "Find him and get rid of him, permanently. Forget making an example out of him, we can't afford the optics of your mistake."

She turned a corner, and the angle of the image shifted, revealing her approaching without acknowledging the fixed camera. She paused briefly, her finger to her ear. "I trust you relish the taste of freedom and power, for if you fail to find him, that freedom will be lost. My livelihood hangs by a thread, and if season fifteen turns into a disaster, higher education will be the least of your children's worries."

She continued walking, meeting a group of people dressed in white protective uniforms that resembled hazmat suits minus the head covering.

"Greetings, Ms. Holle," the man in the center approached, bowing his head.

"Enough with the pleasantries, are you prepped?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. As soon as the game concludes, get on it. I'd do this sooner, but unfortunately the show must go on."

"Is it true our positions are at risk?"

"What kind of question is that?" Her chin dropped to her chest as she glared.

"You're worried about your job at a time like this?"

"Sorry, ma'am—"

"Everything you know and love is at risk," she continued. "Everything Arcanum has ever provided for you is at risk if we don't get this settled. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded frantically, and the others joined, bobbing their heads.

"Your salary, your protections, healthcare, education for your children..." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. "Your life, including any insurance for your beloved beneficiaries. Everything that matters is at risk. Now get moving."

I glanced over at Millie to see if she was witnessing the same thing I was. She looked just as confused as the rest of us. With the four-legged beast nearby, we dare not speak and risk drawing his attention. We allowed it to lick its wound and sniff the straw, seemingly losing interest in us, even though the Game should have already started.

On screen, another team of professionals rushed down the hall, nearly running as Ms. Holle put her hand to her ear again.

"Brigette," one of them called out. "The cameras. Subject must have breached the control room."

It was as if she had received the same message through her earpiece as she looked directly at the camera before his words fully left his mouth.

"Take it down." Her hand darted forward. Her eyesight seemingly directed at us, the viewer. "Rip it from the wall. Now, damn it."

With that, the man at her side rushed to the camera. His hand covered the lens, and the frame froze.

The Jeffrey brothers and Sonya stood feet apart near the steps of the raised stage yet stared up at the screen in fascination and confusion that was blatantly written on their faces.

The screen flickered and Chuck Gillian appeared in the studio with a lively audience cheering and clapping as if in the middle of a segment.

The Wolfman had wandered further down the fence, as if looking for a flaw in the design to exploit. And as he was far enough away, I whispered to Millie, "What the hell did we just witness?"

"A crack in the façade," she murmured.

I couldn't help but wonder how we were getting that footage and why would it be displayed for the contestants to see? Something in my gut assured me that only the contestants witnessed that, especially as the host didn't seem affected by it.

"A quick recap before we start the next challenge," Chuck went on. "So far, a sibling pair was broken apart, literally and figuratively, by the infamous Grimm Troll during the transitional period. We said goodbye to one half of the Torres duo, Tobias the Trucker."

As he spoke, the screen switched to show all our faces arranged in pairs, each pair in its own square block. The stills were taken from critical moments during the game. Tobias, with his helmet of curly black locks and chiseled jawline, was grayed out with a blood-red X slashed over his face.

The camera went back to Chuck as he stood next to a large screen on stage with a studio audience. "That event allowed us to open at home betting to allow you viewers a chance to win your piece of the jackpot by backing the contestant you think has what it takes to win it all." He continued, "Due to their high scores, Sonya the Babysitter and Dylan the Sick acquired their first winning package; a medical item and a food item respectively."

I turned to Millie. "Did Sonya take the steroid?" I cradled my injured hand while assuming the meds were how Sonya had the ability to run on her injured foot so effortlessly but was surprised by Millie's answer.

"I don't think so," she said. "I don't think she found it by the time I found her. And even so, she definitely didn't have time to use it."

As the words left Millie's lips, the image on screen showed Dylan and Spencer retrieving their food package that was dropped in the middle of a clearing. The ration resembled a reflective silver pouch of a ready-to-eat meal kit like those soldiers would consume when on the battlefield.

The next clip showed Sonya stashing a red medical pouch inside the side of a looming straw tower and concealing it with loose straw.

"We gotta find that kit," Millie murmured.

I looked at the wound on my aching palm, considering before realizing. "We shouldn't trust it."

"Definitely not," she said. "But as long as she can't use it, it's a win for us."

I nodded in agreement. "Maybe we can trade it for food or a weapon pack."

Chuck interrupted, "We also witnessed an unexpectant sexy moment between a contestant and a wild card. A first in Grimm Games history!"

The crowd crooned at their screen as footage of Jade and I in our intimate moment played out to the spectators. My face turned hot, and I dared not glance at Millie as they isolated the footage in the replay. They recapped me removing the straps of Jade's overalls which made me look away in embarrassment, even though we knew our intimate moment would play out for the masses. Still, it was something about seeing it, the raw unedited look of the recording was intrusive.

"Really?" Millie murmured.

"Shut up," I followed, avoiding eye contact.

"Word just came in," the host announced with a grin. "Looks like we're ready for our next challenge!" The crowd erupted in excitement. "Unfortunately, that will be the last wild encounter we'd witness with the wild card."

"Aw," the crowd complained in unison, surprising me with their disappointment.

"I know, I know," Chuck bowed his head regrettably. "We love to see it all, don't we?"

"Yeah!" The audience shouted and cheered.

While the roars continued, Chuck used their excitement to transition into the subsequent bit. "Alas, let me introduce you to the next game. And this is a good one, folks. Welcome to Burning Bridges: Troll Edition."

The stadium lights flickered brighter, illuminating the entire arena a few seconds before the words fully left his mouth. The TV screen came alive with wide pans of the gaming arena as craned cameras and drones maneuvered over the space above us, giving us multiple angles of the setup.

The camera highlighted a narrow bridge made of a couple thin wooden planks of the same size, stretching across a deep, wide pit with the Troll inside. When the camera panned over the large, wood-reinforced cavity, I realized it used to be the water well where the apple-throwing man drowned during the last game.

"I think most of you are familiar with the Grimm tale, 'Three Billy Goats Gruff,' where three goats try to cross a bridge guarded by a menacing troll who threatens to eat anyone who dares to pass." Chuck Gillian paced across his stage on screen in his dandy attire as he continued, "In 'Burning Bridges: Troll Edition,' three contestants will use their skills to lay a bridge across segments of the pit without falling in alongside the Grimm Troll."

My jaw dropped as I looked at Millie. "They planned this."

She glared back. "You must've lost your common sense just before trying to screw Jade on live television." Millie's voice was low to avoid attracting unwanted attention. "Or was it before that when you handed that wench a knife?" She reached for my injured hand, and I snatched it from her grip.

I rolled my eyes and ignored her comment, knowing time was limited. I clarified, "They purposely made it so those three will play and we will spectate." I sneered at the screen suspiciously. "Something's up."

"Something's always up, sis." She huffed, shaking her head. "But at least you're aware, I'll give you that."

"Thanks," I said dryly.

"You're welcome." She used the same tone.

As they showcased the arena to a background of catchy music, something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned, assuming the Wolfman would be there, but instead I witnessed the unthinkable.

Millie followed my gaze and turned just in time to see a familiar large rat with a bruise on his hind leg, scurrying across the open field under the dimly lit lights, carrying a red pouch between its teeth.

"No way," Millie whispered. "Is that what I think it is?" Her eyes lit up. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Language," I mocked as the rat approached, dropping the long-lost medical kit on the ground opposite us beyond the chain-link fence. It sniffed the ground like the Wolfman had and waited patiently for its reward.