Apple

Chapter 20

If You Lose You Lose

.  .  .

I usually spend my regular day with the love of my life, Maple Red, and one thing that is really special about her is her name and the fact that she's a Redhead. But we never went on a run with a serpent hot on our heels.

And right then and there, I was certain that my Fiancée's surname and hair wouldn't be the only thing that is red if we get captured.

We were sprinting down the Arena with no aim, no purpose, but it was a life or death situation, and people tend to show their airhead sides in situations like these. Sweat was dripping down my forehead as I continued to run through the cornfield we were in. Exactly like mine, I thought, the dead grass kept on swirling around my shin as we darted through.

I would look at her every once in a while to check if she is still alive or not, I know the suit wasn't helping her move easily. We were trying to take very hard decisions with a lot of pressure on our backs.

First choice: Help her get out of the suit so she can run easily, and we could actually survive. But that would mean that we get caught, thrown out, and even the evidence that we have will be gone because it's all in her suit. No suit, no proof. Plus, we would have wasted six days successfully with no avail. And the blackmailing plan would be thrown down the drain.

Second choice: She stays in her suit, but the probability of surviving would be less than a thirty percent.

But it was no time for statistics now, the serpent was moving faster now that we weren't in the electric restriction we were in before the occurrence of the mass-explosion. Maple's rigid breathing along with the pounding of the alarm were both hitting my eardrums. My sweating was nothing in comparison to hers. I was deeply concerned she wouldn't make it.

And running away was never the solution.

We can't just keep running like that, the energy bar inside me is bound to finish at some point, and Maple looked like hers was already finished.

"Maple!" I yelled while slowing down so I can catch up with her. Without uttering a word, she looked at me and raised her eyebrows for me to continue. "You have a plan?" I asked, she shook her head.

Why weren't the guards down here for the alarm? I wondered.

My father can control the snakes while they're at the game, but can he control them in their natural selves? Translation: Can we make the snake bite itself off now that we aren't robots?

A question that had no answer, the only thing I have now is a theory to test. I may not be willing to risk maple's life, but that was the only idea that I have in head. Or we can continue to run until the Epidermis comes down to get us. But I had a strong gut feeling that told me that my father intended to watch his peer die.

"Maple continued running, I will try to grab his attention!" I yelled at her.

"You got a plan?" she asked, repeating my former question. I nodded and pushed her away so she would be far, she accidentally tripped on her feet and fell at the ground, but she wasn't visible due to the long grass.

I heard a muffled sentence coming from the grass, lowering myself to be on her level I said, "What did you say?" When she mumbled something incoherent into the ground again, I took her hair in my hand and pulled her face up, her whole visage was covered in mud you'd call her Maple brown, now. She spit a mouthful of mud into the ground, swatted my hand that was clutching her from her hair which made her fall to the ground again, but then she raised her chin.