𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫? - 𝐓𝐌𝐑 𝐀𝐔, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨

021 - trapped

Capture the flag. That's what we're playing.

Teresa's finally awake, but isn't playing, so Thomas is sitting out with her.

I'm on a team with Newt—who I assume will be flirting with Braedyn the whole time—his boyfriend, Sonya, and Frypan. The rest are on the opposing team.

Last night, I got informed that my dinner had in fact been poisoned, but luckily it wasn't human poison, so I'm fine.

"Alright, are you all ready?" Frypan hypes us up. "Sonya, go hide the flag."

I watch as she rushes away, holding our team's blue flag.

Astrid hides her own, and I'm determined to find it. I want to prove I'm better than her.

Once the two come back, Mr Vince blows his whistle, signalling the start of the game.

I sprint forward, and so does Minho. We pass one another and he whispers, "Good luck, Ley."

I give him a nod. "Good luck to you, too."

We're playing on a massive clearing—not the clearing we use for the bonfires—in the forest, so there are many places to hide the flag.

I pass the rest of their team and I reach the forest. I begin searching under piles of leaves. Nothing. I search in bushes. Still nothing. I groan, but then something catches my eye—a spot, and no matter where I look it stays there. Soon, it multiplies. And it continues multiplying until my entire vision becomes one glowing screen. And I'm out.

**

My eyes flutter open, but instead of seeing white, I see black. I reach out and my fingers graze against some sort of stone. Immediately, I pull my hand back to my body.

"Hello?" I call. "Where am I?" No answer.

I try to stand up, but my head hits more stone.

All of a sudden, a glowing figure appears, lighting up my surroundings. I'm in a cave.

The first thing I notice is markings on the cave. Not markings; words. A message. To me.

I WARNED HIM

My breathing hitches in my throat. I shouldn't have gone to the treehouse. I shouldn't have questioned Minho, I shouldn't have even talked to Minho, I shouldn't have touched him, and I definitely shouldn't have kissed him. It's my fault that I'm about to die.

I take a deep breath, and step forward, walking through the cave. Every step I make echoes through the walls. Every breath of air that escapes my lips echo through. Everything I do echoes. But one step echoes slightly too late. And I freeze.

"Hello?" I spin around. "Who's here? Tyler?"

No answer. Again.

My breathing quickens and my gaze flicks around in every direction I can. But I still see no one. When my gaze flickers down, it lands on marks. Or, to be more specific, footprints. Fresh footprints.

"Who is here?" I question, trying to keep my voice steady.

Predictably, I get no reply. Instead, I hear faint whispers in the distance. I can't make the words out, but they feel directed to me. The whispers shift to a sound as if the person is singing. The lullaby sends chills down my spine, even though I can't hear the lyrics.

As I focus on the noises, I don't notice what's lying in the path in front of me. I slightly trip over it, but manage to catch my balance just in time. I stare at the item as I pick it up, my eyebrow furrowed. When I realise what it is, a gasp escapes me and my face pales. It's a knife. A bloody knife. And it's fresh blood.

"Who are you?" I scream, my voice filled with terror. "What do you want from me?"

"Get away from that boy," the voices echo around. Though, something seems off about it. It doesn't sound like Tyler. "The Minho one."

"The one I kissed?" I ask, trying to sound confident, though I can't. "About that... no."

"Then I'll have to kill you."

"You know, Tyler. I'm really starting to love threats."

A pause. "What?"

"They make me feel warm inside, you know what I mean?"

"Um, no."

"Well, the way you're threatening me makes me feel warm inside." My grip on the knife tightens. "It lights my mood up. So thank you."

The sound of a chuckle echoes across, and it sends chills down my body. I cringe as He speaks. "You're welcome, Whitley. I've always wanted you to say that."

I force myself not to gag. "Really? Well, I'll gladly say it again."

"Then do it." His smirk is audible.

I watch as his figure approaches. I position the knife.

"I told you to say it," he commands, voice turning annoyed. "So say it. Do you want to die?"

I shrug. "Sure."

"Don't say 'sure'!" He yells. "You're supposed to nod and apologise and then let me—" He stops himself from continuing, taking a breath as he steps back out of my view.

I exhale, letting the breath I've been holding escape.

I stumble through the cave and away from Tyler, my hands brushing against the stone walls, looking for any more messages. Luckily, I find nothing. Every sound echoes in the cave—my breathing, the distant drip of water, the sound of my footsteps pounding on the ground. My pulse races, but I force myself to stay calm. I know there's an exit, and I just need to find it. I need to get out. Need to check if Minho is okay.

Suddenly, I trip over a rather large stone, landing hard on my knees. My palms sting as they scrape against the rough stone, but I manage to get back to my feet, swallowing the fear rising in my chest. The air feels thinner in here, pressing against me. I can't stay any longer. I can't.

I push forward, feeling the air shift—a faint breeze. A breeze. Air. Hope growing inside of me, I follow the breeze, my steps becoming faster, almost desperate. Soon, I see a faint sliver of light up ahead, and it's different from the light I've been following; it's sunlight. Relief floods through me, but I keep moving, my breath coming in sharp bursts as I hurry toward the exit.

Right before I'm there, I feel a sharp pain in my side. I look down to find the knife—which I dropped sometime in the cave—stabbed into my side. I yell out, but force myself to get out, despite the growing pain.

As soon as I'm in the fresh air, I cry out as my body becomes limp, falling to the floor. My vision turns blurry, and before I know it, I've passed out.

Again.