Surviving The Borderlands

Chapter Thirty- Two

Rose stormed down the halls using the wall to help hold herself up, she was doing better fuelled on by her rage but sometimes she would still fumble. She checked every door she came across for any sign of Arisu or Usagi.

If Chishiya's plan had gotten them caught by the militants they might already be dead – she refused to believe that.

"Rose?" she spun around to see her short haired friend panting behind her.

"Usagi" she breathed in relief hugging the girl tightly.

Do you know where Arisu is?" Rose asked but Usagi shook her head.

"I don't know, I'm trying to find him but, there's something you should know- Chishiya set him up, he had a plan to get the cards, I don't think it ever involved all of us leaving" Usagi said watching Rose closely, she saw the pain flash through Rose's face.

"I just found out and I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Let's focus on finding Arisu and finishing this game, one thing at a time. That's all I can handle right now" Rose turned to continue down hall but Usagi stopped her again by grabbing her arm.

"Niragi was the one who beat Arisu, pretty badly – he knows where he is but – he –" Rose froze.

"He did what?" Rose asked quietly, she again felt the familiar pit in her stomach of an oncoming betrayal.

"His team held me down on the bed and he, uh, he tried to –" whatever was left of Rose's heart shattered. She couldn't believe it.

How could he hold her, how could he kiss her when he had almost done that to her friend.

"Are you ok?" It was such a stupid question but Usagi nodded,

"Focus for now and deal with it later right?" she gave an unconvincing smile.

"I just wanted to know so you didn't rely on them, they are only out for themselves" Usagi said and Rose nodded.

In Roses mind Chishiya and Niragi had both signed their death warrants, if she survived all of this – she was going to kill them both.

"When we make it out of this, I'll kill them both myself. For right now let's focus on Arisu, we'll deal with everything else later." The sound of gunfire shocked them both into movement, sending them running down the hall where they ran into another group trying to flee the shooters.

"Hey its you, ahh –" Rose tried to remember the name of Hatters errand boy but she couldn't.

"Tatta, what are you doing we need to run" he tried to pull them along, Rose stumbled trying desperately to keep on her feet.

"We need to find Arisu do you know where he is?" he shook his head but offered his and his friends help. Their reunion was interrupted by gunshots flying through the hall and narrowly missing them. The boys sprang into action attacking the shooters and knocking them to the ground.

"He's on level 4" Tatta shouted, Rose and Usagi nodded running off towards the stairs.

Usagi tried to help Rose but the girl waved her off.

"Find him, I'm coming" she reassured regaining her footing, if there was anything left in her stomach it would have come out then but she fought past the nausea.

They quickly found him breaking through the locked door. Arisu was tied to a chair with tape around his head blocking his mouth, eyes and ears.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry" Rose said untying him, her already broken heart pulsed painfully in her chest as she saw the extent of damage from Arisu's beating.

"It's not your fault" he replied coughing.

"Arisu, we're in a game – the beach is the arena" Usagi told him as they helped him to the bed. He demanded the rules which Usagi explained, retelling what happened in the lobby. Rose stood off to the side listening to their conversation trying to quieten her heart and head as they waged a war against each other.

All she wanted in this moment was to run to her boys, once she felt safe she could think it out, only she wasn't safe with them – Usagi was right, she couldn't rely on them. So, she forced herself to focus on the game, the information she now had.

"Why are the militants trying to kill everyone?" Arisu asked confused.

"Because Aguni and Niragi set them off" Usagi replied her eyes darting to Rose at the mention of Niragi.

"There's a reason Aguni's doing this, I saw it in his eyes when Hatter's body was on the table, I think he had more to do with Hatter's death than he wants anyone to know" Usagi and Tatta voiced their disbelief, but Rose's mind was running.

"I don't think he's the murderer we're looking for though" Rose said to herself, the others turned to her "I think I know who the witch is- you guys stay here, stay safe" she called back as she ran from the room, she felt like she figured it out but she couldn't put them in anymore danger.

It was obvious who the witch was but there had been so much going on and the alcohol affected her so much that she hadn't connected the dots.

It took her a little longer than normal to reach the lobby, she was avoiding the militants and trying to stay upright. In the lobby she found a few people hiding and demanded they help her to end the game. They ran to the girl with a knife sticking out of her chest.

"She stabbed herself, she's the witch help me move her" he commanded. They all started to pick up the dead girl.

Gunshots erupted loudly and Momoko's body was dropped as everyone froze staring at Rose in shock and horror. Rose couldn't understand why she suddenly felt so numb, as if her whole body was shutting down and giving up on her. Looking down she saw the blood pooling there.

Understanding registered in her mind – the gunshots – she had been shot.

Slowly and jankily she managed to turn, falling to her knees as the shooter approached. It was the female militant always hanging off Niragi, the one that hated her and was now smiling down at her with a gleeful, victorious smile.

After all you've survived you get taken down by a jealous girl. You always knew those two would be the end of you, one way or another.

Whatever strength Rose had left disappeared as she fell completely to the ground, anyone who could have helped her scattered in fear of meeting the same fate.

The militant girl walked to Rose kneeling down in front of her grinning as she pressed her finger down against the bullet hole. Rose's body ignited in pain and she screamed in a way she never had before, blood pooling in the back of her throat.

"I saw you and just couldn't resist" the militant bitch laughed.

"You should have stayed out of my way," the girls grin widened as she continuing to inflict pain on Rose.

Then suddenly her grin was gone, replaced by a look of pain and surprise, Rose was struggling to stay conscious but she had to know what happened. They both looked down and saw a sword sticking out of the girl's stomach. Last Boss dropped the girl to the side and looked at Rose sadly, he knew she wasn't going to make it out of this one.

She looked up at him with scared eyes, tearing spilling from them staining her cheeks.

"Rest now" he said to her holding her hand and brushing the hair away from her face. She eventually went still, the tears stopped falling. Last Boss got to his feet demanding that no-one touch Rose.

They had barely known each other but she was amusing to watch – fighting everyone and everything, surviving things that should have killed her. Where she always looked ready to kill most people she had always smiled and been kind to him, he could never tell why.

She deserved better than a fire with dozens of others.