Phase5

[Phase 3: Chapter 6]

[Amelia] 

[Location: Hospital?]

"Attention... All remaining players..." A speaker broke the silence, making Amelia stop in her tracks. The voice wasn't robotic. Instead, it was human. Its tone was reserved, yet it was forced to act this way. It wasn't hard to tell that beneath the facade was a sort of excitement. Of course, Amelia immediately recognized who was speaking. "Phase three will begin shortly. You all have thirty minutes to arrive at the game location. Phase Three will be held in the campus gardens. If, for whatever reason, you are not within the walls of the gardens after the thirty minutes have passed... you will be eliminated immediately." 

"W-What?!" Lucy gasped from beside her.

Amelia turned to look at her. Her face was wrecked with horror and worry, twisting into a nasty amalgamation of negative emotions. She looked back at her with widened eyes; her bottom lip trembled slightly before it hung open ajar, staying still for a brief moment before she spoke.

"T-The others... Some of them are injured and can't even walk..." She responded shakily.

"Shit!" Amelia put a hand on her forehead as she turned away, thinking for a moment.  "We... We can't just leave them behind..." She replied. "T-They'll die!" 

"I know... I... I just don't know what to do..." Lucy responded frantically. Her usually calm voice was now wrecked with panic as she paced back and forth. She placed her hands on her face as she looked downward, her shoulders shaking after every rise from her panicked breath.

"We'd... Have to move them there..." Amelia stated. "I-Is that even possible?" She asked aloud, not expecting to get an answer in return. 

Lucy's head shot upwards out of her hands as if alerted; she turned to look towards Amelia with a hopeful glimmer flashing in her eyes, like a sudden light in the thick, inky blackness of a void. "We can!" She responded. "T-There's wheelchairs..." She responded. 

"But..." Amelia started to reply, desiring to ask how they would survive in the game with limited mobility. Still, she cut herself short, having no desire to extinguish the hopeful flame in Lucy, and didn't want to see her fall back into panic. She was far too familiar with the feeling of that panic like all the walls were closing in on you—something she didn't wish on anyone with such a kind heart as Lucy. 

"I know it's a risk..." Lucy spoke up, making Amelia jump at the surprise of a sudden voice. "For them... and anyone who wants to help..." She spoke. "But... I just can't leave them to die... I promised to protect... so that is what I'll do." Lucy replied. "I... I don't blame you if you want to leave..." She finally finished timidly, failing even to finish her thought.

"No." Amelia instantly responded. She watched as Lucy's eyes lit up with a small sense of joy. Even if it was minuscule, it still brought a melting warmth to Amelia's heart.

 "I want to help..." She spoke. 

"I'm not a hypocrite..." She added with crossed arms.

[Clay]

[Location: South West Wall]

"Are you ready...?" Andre's soft voice broke the tense silence following those horrible words. Clay almost didn't hear him, instead staring off the ground as his mind fought to keep his body from panicking. 

"No," Clay replied earnestly. "But... I don't have a choice..." He spoke quietly, looking up at Andre. 

"Yeah..." He replied after a brief pause; his comforting chocolate-colored eyes looked back at him, filled with an intense sense of concern. "I get it..." He replied softly, glancing away momentarily as he turned to the side, his shoulders slumping as he sighed heavily. "Look, man..." He spoke, turning back to him with an outstretched hand. "I'm not gonna' let anything happen to you." He spoke. His voice was confident enough to where Clay knew he was being genuine.