What the hell was she doing here? The whole thing was some kind of Hail Mary attempt at—what, exactly? At living a life like everyone else? At normalcy? Tying up loose ends and paying off debts? And then what? Disappear to some quiet countryside, sit outside, and live out the rest of his days in peace? It sounded as good as someone like him could hope for—better, even.
But, of course, life was never going to be kind to people like him.
She wasn’t supposed to be here. She was supposed to have her normal life, far removed from this nightmare—not standing in front of him, covered in blood. The game had turned into a bloodbath, a fucking nightmare. And while both of them had survived, dozens of others hadn’t. Their bodies now lay scattered where they’d fallen, the sand soaking up the blood from bullet wounds. Guards moved methodically, carrying in boxes and packing up the corpses like cargo.
He didn’t move or speak at first, just stood there watching, trying to make sense of it all.
“You shouldn’t have been here in the first place.”
He wanted to shake her, hold her, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her out of this place. Anything to get her away from it. But then the speaker crackled to life, ordering everyone to form lines and head down the stairs to the main hall where the beds were.
Gil-ho wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and half-guiding, half-carrying her as they moved together.
“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice low and strained.
They shuffled down the stairs, slow and unsteady, until he found an empty bed in the back and dragged her to it. The announcement told them they could vote to leave. He already knew how this would go. These people—desperate, broken—wouldn’t vote to leave. At least, not the majority.
He had to make a plan. He had to protect her.
continued from here with @005play