The Recall Trials
Chapter 98: No Rules, Only Blood

Chapter 98: No Rules, Only Blood

We pushed deeper into the wilderness, ducking beneath low branches and stepping over twisted roots. My shirt was soaked through. My throat burned.

Beside me, Nomi was muttering curses under her breath, sweat glistening on her forehead. Carter stumbled a little, catching himself on a tree trunk, his breathing ragged.

Then...

"Oouch! Fuck!" Nomi screeched.

We both spun around. She was hopping on one foot, clutching the other, her face twisted in pain.

"Oh my god, ouch!" she gasped, glaring down at the ground. "What the hell was that?"

Blood dripped from a tiny puncture in the sole of her boot. She crouched, wincing, and pried a thin, glimmering shard from between the roots. It was barely the size of a matchstick, but it pulsed faintly with a silvery glow.

"Congratulations, Contestant 021," came the voice from the speakers. "You have found the Time Keeper artifact."

Nomi froze, holding the shard between two fingers. She blinked, then scoffed.

"Really? This tiny piece of glitter stabbed me and it’s an artifact?" She held it up, squinting. "Does it at least come with a tetanus shot or something?"

Carter let out a weak laugh. "Guess the Trials just saved your ass by trying to murder your foot."

Nomi scowled. "Great. I’m limping my way to victory." She waggled the artifact in the air. "I swear, if this doesn’t give me the power to rewind time and slap the Voice, I’m demanding a refund."

I couldn’t help it...I laughed, even as exhaustion weighed me down. "Go on, get out of here, Nomi. You’re safe now."

Her smirk faded. She hesitated, glancing between us.

"You two better keep breathing until I see you again. Or I’m haunting your asses."

"We’ll try," Carter said, offering her a tired grin.

Nomi leaned in, hugged me fast and tight, then slugged Carter lightly in the shoulder.

"Later, losers," she muttered.

A masked guard appeared out of nowhere, gesturing for her to follow. Nomi held up the Time Keeper dramatically as she disappeared into the trees.

Carter and I waved after her.

And then we were alone again, wandering forward into an endless maze of shadows and leaves.

Carter and I kept wandering, our footsteps crunching over brittle leaves and patches of dry grass. The sun had dipped low, bleeding orange across the sky..

By the time we stopped beside a gnarled old tree, my head was spinning. I leaned against the trunk, wiping sweat from my eyes.

It was already sunset.

"God, I’m so hungry and thirsty," I muttered, leaning my forehead against the rough trunk. "I could eat a masked guard right now."

Carter laughed. "Careful. They probably taste like misery."

I gave a weak grin but my vision kept pulsing. My stomach growled so loud.

Then, out of nowhere, Carter dropped to one knee and pressed his palm to the forest floor. His eyes were closed, like he was trying to concentrate.

"Omgg, there’s water nearby," he said suddenly, looking up at me with a spark I hadn’t seen in hours.

I spun toward him. "Wait...what? How do you know that?"

He smirked, wiping dirt off his hands.

"Vibrations. Moisture under the dirt. The soil feels cooler and looser where there’s moisture underneath. And the trees are thicker...means their roots have a water source. And sometimes you can smell it..a dampness in the dirt."

I blinked. "Okay, genius. Where’d you learn that?"

Carter shrugged.

"I was a soldier. Did some survival training in the mountains once. Had to track water sources for days. Worst week of my life...but it saved my ass."

He stood, wincing as he brushed off his knees.

"Come on. Let’s keep moving. Maybe we’ll find enough water to keep us from dying."

We started walking again, pushing through tangled undergrowth, brambles tearing at our clothes.

Then, voices.

Shouts drifted through the trees.

We walked slowly, creeping closer until the foliage opened into a small clearing.

Three contestants were locked in a vicious brawl. One guy with a ripped sleeve and a wild look in his eyes was swinging a broken branch at another, who was clutching something gold and oval-shaped.

"Give it to me!" the man roared, lunging forward.

"Back off! I found it fair and square!" the other screamed.

"Should’ve hidden it better!" the guy with the artifact man roared, slamming his fist down.

A third contestant, a lady with hair matted to her face, sobbed hysterically as she tried to separate them.

"Stop it! Please! We’re all gonna die anyway if we waste time fighting!"

But neither man listened.

Suddenly, the Voice crackled overhead:

"Congratulations, Contestant 011. You have secured the Sunfire Lens artifact. Please proceed to the extraction zone."

The man clutching the golden oval shouted triumphantly. He shoved the other person away and bolted into the trees, leaving the others behind.

The lady fell to her knees, crying. The guy with the branch stood panting.

Carter and I exchanged a horrified look.

"This is getting worse," I whispered.

"Yeah," Carter said grimly. "It’s a feeding frenzy now. Everyone’s turning on each other."

Carter grabbed my arm, pulling me behind a tree. We crouched low, watching as the voice called out more announcements

One by one, people vanished from the arena...some holding artifacts like trophies, others clinging to them like lifelines.

The fighting didn’t stop.

"Two more artifacts to go," the Voice echoed.

My heart dropped. I felt it in my bones...the panic, the pressure.

"God... I feel like this is the end," I muttered, dragging my feet through the dirt.

Carter exhaled. "Well... we did our best."

I looked at him sideways, managing a weak smile. "It’s funny, isn’t it? You were the one who lost hope last night...and now it’s my turn."

He didn’t answer at first. Just gave me a tired nod, then kept walking.

The world had gone quiet again. No birds. No wind. Just the crunch of our boots and the buzzing in my ears from dehydration.

Then...

Carter suddenly stopped.

His breath caught. "Whoa..."

"What? What is it?" I asked, rushing up behind him.

He didn’t speak...just pointed ahead, eyes wide.

I followed his gaze...

And there it was.

"Did you find an artifact?" I gasped.

The second I laid eyes on it, I knew. "Oh my God..."

Carter knelt, careful hands reaching for it like it might disappear if he blinked. His fingers hovered, trembling.

"It’s beautiful..." he whispered.