Life After Champion

Day

June seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. None of the teams or soldiers Anden has sent out have found anything other than traces of June's blood in the alley. It makes me feel sick.

Anden and I have tried to support and reassure each other, but we lost hope in the futile attempts. It's been approximately 52 hours since she was taken. When dealing with kidnappings, your supply of time is short. Either we have very little time left, or it's too late.

I try not to think about the latter of the two.

I can't ignore it any longer. I "Do you think she's still alive?" I croak.

Anden shifts uncomfortably. "Day, we can't go guessi-"

I snap. I don't mean to,but I do."DO YOU THINK SHE'S ALIVE OR NOT ANDEN?"

He takes a moment to process my reaction. He straightens behind me. "Day-"

A soldier burst in the door. "Sir. You've got to see this." He gulps." Now." He turns and gestures for us to follow. "Hurry."

He quickly leads us through the throngs of people in the halls. My stomach is tight with fear. What if they found her body? What if she really is dead? No. She's still alive. And I'll find her. Right?

The soldier barges through the double doors leading outside. A crowd of people are gawking. Staring up, bewilderment and terror embedded into their features. The soldier points up to JumboTrons.

On the giant screens are videos of June.

With a gasp, I fall to my knees.

She's gagged and appears as if she's nearly dead. She's slumped in a chair, a stream of blood running down her brow. Her wrists and ankles are tied. She looks horrible, absolutely miserable. Nearly every inch of her is covered in bruises and cuts. Her eyes are barely open, defeat shining plainly in them. I can barely see her chest rising and falling.

I don't know whether to be relieved or haunted.

She's alive, but at what cost?

A voice echoes throughout the city. "As you see here, we have the precious little prodigy you all adore so much."

Anden springs into action. "Find out where this is coming from! Now!" He's frantic. "Find her. Find her now!"

The voice continues. "Unfortunately, she ended up being of no use to us."

Anden and I both freeze.

Oh please no...

Everybody in the streets seem to hold their breath. Will I honestly never see her again? Will the last thing she ever said to me be her cries for help? Please, June. Please don't die. I need you.

"Not directly at least. You see, we know how much your Elector cares about her, so, we'll make a deal. If he brings himself to us, we'll spare her life. And if not..."

Something moves in the video. Someone fully dressed in black appears in the corner of the screen. He walks over to June and bends over. He sets down the object he's holding and walks away. Once I'm able to make out the object, I break into a cold sweat.

There, next to June's feet, is the bomb.

She notices too, and her eyes widen. She tries to back away, but can't. The man appears back in the screen. He presses a button and the timer on the side starts to count down.

June starts to struggle and scream, but her yells are muffled through the gag.

The voice talks over her. "You have 24 hours Elector. When the timer hits zero, both June and anything within a mile radius will be eradicated. If you decide her life is worth it, go two miles southeast of where she was taken at 2300 hours, alone. If these demands are not met, she dies. Goodbye Anden."

The screen goes black and June disappears. Her cries ring in the now eerily quiet air. Anden is frozen in place. So am I. I glance at him, and he does the same. It's either him, or June.

No.

I'll save them both. I'll find a way. I will.

That won't be the last time I'll ever see her.