The Deadliest Generation: The Maze Of Monsters

The Second Game

Tw: Mentions of suicide, mass suicide (very little description, only mentioned through dialogue)

One of the kids from the middle of the gaggle of children suddenly started yelling. "HEY! LISTEN!"

Alec and Aris carefully turned River toward the group and helped him limp over, Rachel and Luna running over as well. 

"Rachel, Kay's gone, she was roommate as well, we need to find her-" Aris quickly said, and Rachel nodded. "We'll find her Aris, don't worry."

They group cleared a little, and Aris, the tallest of the three, peered over the many heads. 

"There's someone there in the middle of the group," Aris explained to River and Alec. Luna and Rachel both stood on tiptoes to see. "Wait- I see Kay-"

Rachel span to him, nearly knocking Alec over, but River quickly grabbed Alec's shirt, pulling him closer to him. Alec mouthed a quick thanks, but River didn't ignore the flush on his cheeks when they both touched. That was a bit weird. "They're here?! Holy crap! Can you check if they're okay? Are they the one in the middle of the circle?" Rachel's eyes were agitated and her questions came out in a hurried flow.

"Slow down, Rach! He seems okay, they're not the one in the middle of the circle, they're stood next to Ria." Aris calmed Rachel with these quick explanations. But their quick starting plan to try to get to their friend, Kay, was hurriedly sabotaged when the kid in the centre yelled again.

"GUYS! COME ON!" 

"We're not all guys-" A voice cut in swiftly, but the first speaker yelled to cut them off.

"WE ALL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE! WE STAY HERE, WE DIE." The speaker called out. Their voice was vaguely accented, sounding a little Russian, but the American accent they'd probably picked up from every other kid in the facility. "DO YOU ALL WANNA DIE HERE?"

There was a pause, and Rachel swiftly cut in with some panicked sounding advice.

"Hey, whoever you are, you should really stay quiet! WICKED isn't stupid, they'll have every exit strategy covered. They're already killing a bunch of kids for no good reason! What else do you think they'll do? They stop at nothing and you know it. Don't you know what happens to kids who are caught outside at night?!"

Everyone erupted into talking, and River's head began to pound dully. "Alec," he whispered feebly, and Alec turned his worried blue eyes on them cautiously and worriedly. "You okay?" He whispered.

River shook his head slightly, every sound of the other kids voices hurt his head. The headache was probably coming from the blood loss, River concluded quickly, and just began to tap on Alec's back in a four-four eighth note drum beat to calm his dizziness, something he just... remembered. He used it to help with his panic attacks and anxiety or even just trying to avoid crying, something Gally had suggested when River told him about the panic attacks.

"Maybe try counting? Counting could help."

Okay. One and two and three and four and, one and two and three and four and...

Alec looked slightly confused and he looked at River. His brow crinkled, but quickly cleared. He got it. He understood.

The babble dispersed instantly as the mysterious and unseen someone yelled, "SHUT UP! LISTEN TO MY IDEA! I know what you're saying, Rachel-"

"You know who she is?" Alec asked in surprise. River nudged him, sighing "Of course he does, Alec, everyone knows who all the one and two subjects are."

Luckily that kid never heard what Alec said and continued, "but they can't stop us from dying."

Everyone went deadly silent, before someone piped up quietly, "What- what the heck do you mean?"