Chaos Theorem

Chapter 15: The First To Run

"So, did you get sick of your old squad, then? To be fair, they were pretty annoying." Null folded his arms, looking at me with a dark glint in his eye.
  "No! I just got separated after I fell off a bridge!" I shot back, glaring and straightening my glasses.
  "As you do."
  I sighed and then asked, "Look, have you seen them or not? Are they ok?"
  "They're as fine as they can be, you know, in Death World." Null sneered.
  Elise rested a hand on Penny's shoulder, "Penny, they all think you're dead."
  I gasped and looked at them. I waited for them to tell me this was another joke or to let me know that this was sarcasm, but they said nothing. I shouldn't have been surprised, and yet I still felt the anguish only just pass over me.
  "We have to get to them, asap!" I frowned, turning to Yenn.
  "Yeah, that's what we're trying to do. But clearly they didn't return here." Yenn surmised.
  Null turned away from us and continued to walk, "I guess this is where we bid you adieu, then. Enjoy your life while it lasts."
  Elise followed him and turned to me at the same time, "Ignore him, just stay safe, ok?"
  There was a moment where they just continued to leave us. That was when I started to shake my head and run after them both, yelling at them to wait. They couldn't leave me. Not when they knew where Kat and the others could be.
  "W- WAIT PENNY, STOP!" Matt suddenly shouted, but he was too late.
  As Null and Elise stopped walking, I fell into them and the three of us were all simultaneously accepted into the game that was in the mall. I freaked out instantly, and turned back. They all stared, unsure of what to do.
  "I'm not doing another one of these games." Yenn swallowed, not meeting my gaze. My heart dropped, but what did I expect? For them to throw away their lives for me?
  "Well, i- if you're waiting outside then look after Stella! I'm going in!" Matt told him, and then crossed the threshold.
  "You're insane, you know that?" Null beamed bitterly.
  "Well, I- I can't leave her alone, can I?" Matt stuttered, laying his gloved hand on my shoulder.
  I was too shocked to say words, so I squeezed his hand with mine. Hopefully that got my message across, if not very well. And Ava had a silent message for Adam too, as the pair both stared at each other and then headed towards the game after us.
  "I would stay, but if I stayed I'd be the bad guy, like you. So see ya!" Alpha smacked Yenn on the back and then jogged towards us.
  "Thank you?" I smiled awkwardly.
  "Don't mention it!"
  "Trust me, I won't."
  And then last and maybe least considering how much of a buzzkill he was being, Yenn was stood there. He looked at Stella as she partially focused on his face. He grumbled something to himself, and then grabbed Stella's floppy hand and yanked her towards the game's entry theshold.
  "If you die, I'm blaming Matt." Yenn scowled, glancing back to the stumbling Stella.
  "H- Hey!" Matt stumbled, running to take her hand.
  "Insane people. You're insane people." Null sneered again, "Just to clarify."
  And then the group all turned with me at the arrows that had appeared behind us. I wondered if they were staring at me, and I wondered why I'd expected so little from them. I needed to have more faith. If I didn't, then there was no way we'd make it to the end of the game!
  "And you're the most insane, because you're smiling." Null finished, eyeing me confusedly.
  Adam walked on ahead, "Come on, let's just go."

**KAT**

  All I could see was blood.
  All I could taste was blood.
  Sounds were muffled.
  And no matter how much of it I tried to wipe away, it seemed that there was always more appearing in its place.
  "HALF OF HIS FACE IS GONE!" Tricky gasped, although I couldn't see, not that I wanted to.
  "I didn't mean to kill him!" I spluttered, "I didn't mean to! I didn't!"
  "We know, you don't need to say it." Tricky added, and I could hear her footsteps quietly beside me.
  I said nothing, and just wiped my eyes enough to be able to see a bit again.
  "Good." Tricky smiled feebly, or at least that's what it looked like. She didn't react well to my sickly face.
  "We need to bury the body..." I croaked, coughing more.
  "Kat!" Nate interjected as if he hadn't been listening.
  "What?"
  "I just... I need you to know that I wish we'd met under different circumstances. You're the most selfless person ever, and you don't deserve this. Not at all..." Nate explained, looking at the floor grimly, "I was a bit of an arse back there. I'll change, I promise. Or at least I'll try."
  "Nate..."
  "Don't make excuses for me."
  "You're not... one of those."
  Nate chuckled, "You can't even swear."
  "Well, it's not something we do normally, Nate." Tricky explained.
  Will laughed. I could almost imagine him thinking 'gallows humour', although I knew he'd never say it out loud.
  "I'm glad that we can just laugh like this," Nate smiled, "And I'm glad you're not holding all this against me, although I wouldn't have expected you to or anything. I mean, come on, it's you!"
  I ran up to him and hugged him tightly, "Thank you. And sorry if I'm getting blood on you."
  He laughed. I felt a warm feeling bubble up inside of me. Unfortunately, the moment was soon killed as he bought a hand up and subconsciously stroked my hair.
  We both pulled away.
  "What on earth even was that?" Nate blushed, and then looked away.
  "I don't know. Let's not do it again." I giggled, turning away too.
  "You two are such a unit." Tricky smiled.
  "We are not!" Nate snapped back.
  "Wow! The rudeness being exhibited here is unpresidented." I shook my head, bumping Nate with my elbow.
  And as we all left the scene, the body was left to fester, forever a reminder to weary travelers to stay safe and to value their lives, since that was something that was very much finite.

**PENNY**

  The whole mall was derelict, somehow. I knew that acid had gotten in, but this much? Something seemed up, but I wasn't about to go checking it out or anything. After all, we'd arrived at our game. Why else would this clothes store still be completely normal?
  It was mysteriously pink and inviting, even though it definitely contained threats beyond our wildest imaginations.
  "Game. Attribute: Strength." our phones hauntingly chorused, "Cross the gap before it catches up to you."
  "Well, that's foreboding." Null joked.
  "There's not even a gap to cross!" Alpha grumbled.
  The door slammed shut behind us.
  "Oopsie."
  When I turned back, it was hard to tell if I was hallucinating or not. Was the room really stretching right now? Soon, the edge of the room broke off so that it was just a small platform. Tiles filled the gap, and the ground rumbled as they did so, slowly knocking over the items in the store.
  "Isn't this supposed to be a strength game?" Elise thought.
  "Yes. This seems surprisingly easy..." Null joined her. He was definitely enjoying this.
  What would Kat do if she was here? She'd just run, of course she would! She wasn't afraid of the unknown like we all were. My days felt longer ever since she had disappeared from them, and there was no way to know where she was or what she was doing. And that's why I had to do what she'd too.
  I had to see her again.
  "THE TILES!" Adam yelped.
  The tiles behind us were falling now. They fell into the abyss with loud shatters, each one timed to the quickening beat of my heart. I squeezed my fists, but then I was the first to run.

To be continued...