(Carina's Pov)
– THERE'S SOMETHING FOLLOWING US HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
GOOD MMMMPH!?
I had never run so much in my life.
The air burned my lungs.
My legs were hurting.
Each breath tore something from my chest.
And yet I continued.
Because behind us…
Something was chasing us.
The corridors unfolded in a succession of black walls, impossible angles, and dead torches.
I could barely see anything.
Only KI-MOON's hand, only his back.
He refused to stop, even to breathe.
Then-
BOOM !
The world exploded.
A white light crossed the corridor.
A shockwave almost lifted me off the ground.
– HHAAAAA AHAAAAAAAAAAA A, DAD~AAAAAAAA
I felt Ki-Moon grab me before I fell.
The uproar echoed throughout the dungeon.
Stones shattered.
Pieces of the ceiling collapsed.
And for a whole second...
I couldn't hear anything anymore.
Nothing at all.
A high-pitched whistling sound replaced the noise.
It felt like someone had stuck a needle in my ears.
I blinked several times, Again, Again.
My vision was slow and I had the urge to let myself go.
BOOM!
– HHAAAAA A AAAAAA
A beam of light illuminated the dungeon.
In front of us...
The passageway, no, it's destroyed, completely ruined.
Tons of rocks were now blocking the tunnel.
It's impossible to get through, how do we escape now?
While I was thinking, silhouettes appeared in the darkness.
Other players.
The Mexicans.
ME-07
ME-01
ME-06
They too had just arrived at our spot.
This is not normal.
They were supposed to stay trapped, not stuck with us.
I barely recognized the silhouette of ME-06.
His staff shone faintly in his hand.
A flash of blue.
My stomach knotted.
It doesn't smell good.
I lowered my eyes towards the ground.
And frantically searched for Ki-moon's hand.
At that moment, a notification appeared.
The watches lit up.
TEAM CHINA: 297 POINTS
TEAM MEXICO: 294 POINTS
I felt my blood run cold.
We were already in last place.
Comment ?
When ?
Who had touched us?
Then I understood.
The referee.
Necessarily.
Even with camouflage.
Even after all the coins have been spent.
For what ?
For what ?
For what ?
I gritted my teeth.
I had paid a lot.
Then-
CLACK.
The sound of a stick against a stone.
All the players froze.
All at once.
Like animals that have spotted a predator.
The referee.
I couldn't make out its shape.
Only two points of light.
Far away, in the darkness, like two eyes.
Nobody moved.
No one dared to breathe.
And suddenly-
BOOM !
A second explosion.
But a force grabbed me by the collar and I was pulled backwards.
The explosion shook the entire corridor.
Cracks appeared on the walls.
Pieces of stone fell around us.
I lost my balance again and found myself on a comfortable surface.
Ki-Moon.
He pulled me behind him, without thinking, as if it were natural.
Then he tore something off the wall.
A metallic squeak echoed.
A long iron bar.
Rusty.
Twisted.
He squeezed it in his hand.
I saw his shoulders tense.
– Stay behind me.
His voice was calm.
Too quiet.
My heart sank, it wouldn't stop beating and I couldn't order anything to help him.
Around us, there was chaos.
I could feel it, I was the weak one.
That was the very first time my fingers trembled.
A new vibration shook my watch.
I lowered my eyes.
USE TOOLS?
AVAILABLE CATALOGUE
Of course.
The shop.
I had almost forgotten.
My fingers slid across the screen.
Hundreds of objects appeared.
Their prices were flashing by at lightning speed.
Ki-Moon continued to monitor the corridor.
– Carina !
I suddenly raised my head.
– Find a way to open this passage!
BOOM?!
A stone exploded behind him.
He didn't even move.
– You can do it, can't you?
I looked at the screen, then at her face.
I can do anything
I selected the object.
CONFIRM PURCHASE?
My fingers trembled.
Yes.
Always yes.
My brother needs me.
The confirmation appeared.
But I suddenly remember that the drones won't be able to get in.
Shit
BOUBOUBOUBOUMMMMMMM!!!?
A light.
A monstrous light.
Blinding.
The entire corridor turned white.
Absolutely white.
– hhaaaaaaaaa a aaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I let out a cry.
My eyes burned.
My brain seemed to go blank.
Then the sound arrived.
A landfill.
A rumble.
A vibration that ripped through my bones.
I felt my consciousness disappear.
The ground tilted.
My ears stopped working.
No more noise.
No more voices.
Nothing more.
I fell on my back.
I tried to breathe.
The air refused to enter.
I could see the silhouettes around me.
But they were blurry.
Deformed.
As observed through water.
Then...
Complete darkness, even worse than before.
I put a hand to my head, a trickle of blood coming out.
The world kept turning.
Somewhere ahead of us...
Someone was laughing.
Or perhaps I was just imagining it.
I had planned everything, though.