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#ready2die
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I creep closer to the door, sloshing through the murky water. The mossy stone encapsulating the room bleeds into a dark wood, horizontal panels enclosing an arena with bleachers raised above a gate reaching from the floor to the railing above. Something snores inside the enclosure, its features hidden by the darkness, though every breath it takes disturbs stray straw laying on the ground.
"What the fuck is that?" The words leave my mouth before I have a chance to stop them. I can't keep my features schooled in the faintly-nervous-but-still-calm demeanor I want to project after seeing the racks of weapons stacked against the wall just through the archway.
The crackling of a speaker gives me all the warning I need as the Mad Hatter begins to speak, "Aren't you all excited?"
"No," Simon whispers, eyes trained directly on blood-stained wood across the room.
"Come on in, nothing will hurt you," the Mad Hatter continues, unabashed, the slightest hint of glee in her voice, "yet."
Lotus has finally come up behind me, his sickly green complexion from before exchanged for an expression devoid of any feelings.
Amari is the first to gather the courage to actually step into our next challenge. To my great surprise, she lets out a shriek of joy as her eyes land on something in the back of the room, to the right – it's blocked from my view; I can't see it.
"No!" they exclaim, all reluctance forgotten, and break into a sprint. "Carmen!"
A lump forms in my throat. Carmen? "...did I hear that right?"
Her arm partially outstretched, as though she were going to grab Amari's arm, Neva steps hesitantly through the door. Immediately, her eyes light up as they too seek out Carmen's familiar face. "No way!"
A rumbling behind me, as well as pebbles from the ceiling crumbling down on top of us makes me quickly step into the wood-paneled arena. I brush dust out of my hair, fiddling with a loose strand of my bangs, watching Lotus, Simon, and Tyler follow me inside.
