The First Redemption Games (1-5) & The Writer Games | 6 - 7

Finals: Alix J. Rose

I'd always hated the  dark. Hated the way it made me feel. Vulnerable. Like it was something  hugging and clinging on to me, not letting go until day broke.  Surprising though, because I was born in it. My mother was always  paranoid about my brother and I ever touching the sunlight, afraid of us  getting tanned, so they say. But I knew that she was afraid of much  much more. Afraid that if she ever let us touch the sunlight, we would  melt away. No kidding, people thought she was a real nutcase.

After I jumped into the  door, it closed right behind me. Then disappeared. Vanished, vamoosed  into thin air. I inhaled slowly, my hands wandering around to find the  corners of this...place. The palms of my hand found a rough, crumbly wall  made of sand. The tunnel seemed never ending, as I kept walking and  walking. Soon, there was a little speck of light. I opened my eyes,  adjusting my optics to the light.

I continued walking on, my nerves dazed, seeming not to know what to do.

They're not seriously making it this easy.

The earth seemed to rumble underneath my feet.

Not this again...

It wasn't. The sand  began to sink, and it was taking me with it with a vice like grip. The  floor seemed to have a mind of its own. I could almost hear it  breathing.

Oh.

I tried to make one of  my famous "literally running like the wind" dash, but my senses just  wouldn't work that day. The only thing that did happen was that my feet  made a funny noise, but I was still stuck to the ground. The roof  started caving in and chunks of rock were already hitting the ground.

"You're gonna be sold as minced Alix", sneered the domineering voice in my head.

That picked my senses up  nicely. I clenched my tiny fists together, forcing my feet up, I ran as  fast as I could with that speed that gave my name. When I finally  reached the end of the tunnel, there were three more tunnels. Two,  leading to my death, and one, that would possibly make me the victor of  the hunger games.

"Or worse", said the voice in my head.

I rolled my eyes.

"What's worse, double death?"

The roof began to cave  in, and chunks of rock were hurling towards me. I clutched my pendant  desperately and crossed my fingers.

I dashed into the right tunnel.

Wrong decision.

Or so I thought. It was  another dark tunnel, similar like the first one, only darker, and there  was something more eerie. I took a small, tentative step. Nothing  happened.

I mustered my courage  and took a bigger step. Another, then another. Soon, I was halfway  through the tunnel. The nervousness slowly faded. Just when I thought I  was safe, I wasn't.

There was a maze of  tunnels, I could see up front. There was little light, but little light  gave me what I needed. It was like one of those mazes you did in a  puzzle book when you were like a small kid. Only this one, with every  step you took, ever turn, every corner could lead to death.

Nothing ever comes easy.

Wait, at least something did.

There was a little map  at the side of the walls. It only showed the exterior, though. The bad  things, like the traps and the mines, well I had to discover myself.  After all, they couldn't make it that easy now could they. And they  didn't let me take the map though, it was stuck to the wall.

Oh well.

After memorizing every  single detail on the map, I mapped out where I'd go. It had to work, it  just had to. For another extra security, I took another glance on the  map.

Something was wrong with it though. Something I just could not make out.

Then I realized it.

It didn't have an exit point.

I'd followed all my  points like I did, routes and all. When I reached half the maze, I was  starting to regain my composure. It was going to be alright, right?

Nope.

Water started to fill  the room. Like it was a chamber of some sort. Like a Japanese water  trap, only I wasn't bound. That gave me some sort of relief.

Then I heard something  that sent a chill up my spine. There were footsteps, watery footsteps.  It couldn't be me, I was stuck to my spot with fear. It could be the  other remaining tributes. Or something more horrible.

Armed with only my staff  I'd fashioned out in the woods earlier and my tiny body, I shrank  myself into the shadows, one of the only things I was good at. The other  was making a show of myself, and not in the good way either.

A figure passed me,  something that was even bigger than the tributes. No way a tribute was  about 7 feet and weighed 600 pounds, I was sure of it. It was a mutant,  and I was sure it sniffed me out, because the footsteps were coming  closer and closer.

I'd clawed my way up to  the ceiling, waiting for the ambush. Even though I couldn't see very  well, I could sense. Something I learned when my brother used to creep  up on me and freaked me out when we were younger. I'd learned the art of  sensing people and animals, or whatever this thing was. The next time  he tried to freak me out I gave him a broken jaw.

The thing was right  underneath me. I could feel it now. I could sense its heartbeat, or  whatever that thing went on. Quickly, I jumped on the mutant and slammed  the sharp edge of staff into its head. It didn't have a skull. It was  soft like jelly.

Then I'd remembered  something that my brother told me. Mutants were always in packs. They'd  sent out someone to scout, and I was pretty sure if this scout wasn't  going back soon, they were going to scout for me.

I had to find an exit, and fast.

I gripped my staff out of the jelly-mutant's head and followed the light at the end of the tunnel.