CHAPTER 12
AMBER
We separated because if we all stayed together we risked dying together.
The blonde girl came with me; she still hadn't told me her name, and I hadn't told her mine, but introductions were the least of it. I was still carrying the baby in my arms, and my mind was trying to erase the image of the door—the scene behind it.
Seeing those people, decomposing, the smell… no, no, it wasn't something I could possibly remember.
The timer showed the last minute before they started looking for us. We ran up the emergency stairs to the third floor; we ran when we saw there were thirty seconds left.
"Can you hold her?" I asked the girl, pointing to the child. She nodded, and I offered her the little girl; the child looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, "Don't go."
"What's your name?" I asked, trying to sound calm as I glanced at the timer: ten seconds.
"Nailea," the child answered softly.
"Well, Nailea. My name is Amber. Don't be scared if you hear strange noises, and don't talk to the boys we saw earlier. They're not good: they're strangers."
"It's bad to talk to strangers," the child replied, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I know you don't know us either," I continued, "but we'll take care of you until your parents come back for you. Do you understand?"
She nodded just as the alarm started to go off. The blonde girl looked at me, frightened.
"She'll take care of you while I try to make sure they don't find us," I said, turning to the blonde. "Tell her your name so she feels safe."
"I'm Sophia," she said, looking at her carefully.
"Sophia, please take care of her. I'll try to distract them.
" "Don't do that," Sophia replied, her voice tense. "You're taking too much of a risk. It's better if you hide with us; if we hide well, they won't look for you."
"They have cameras," I explained quietly. "If they don't find us, they'll let them know; did you see their earpieces? I'm sure they'll tell them if they have trouble finding us. Don't worry, just hide. Before they come upstairs."
I stepped back and watched Sophia take the girl toward a door. I watched until I knew which hiding place they went into. I had to plan every second: what to do in those five minutes, where to move when they changed hiding places, what route to take if they found us. I would do everything possible to make the alarm go off without them getting caught.
I walked down about two hallways, counting them so I wouldn't get lost on the way down. I stopped at the emergency stairwell door when I heard a shout.
"Please!" The girl's voice started to choke; suddenly she began coughing violently. I covered my mouth when I heard a cut and a laugh.
"Oh, girls, did you forget we know the building?" one of the guys said. He wasn't the one who insulted me earlier, nor the one with the scars; he was the thinnest, the one who seemed out of place.
Perhaps I could fight? I thought for a moment. But they probably had weapons. How could I attack them if I didn't have their strength or training?
It was by attacking them from behind.
I stopped hearing his voice. I carefully opened the door, went down to the second floor, and looked both ways. Then the voices appeared: two of them talking, carefree.
I ran across before they turned around and pushed open the door to one of the offices. One of the problems was that the walls were made of clear glass; without thinking, I hid behind one of the desks, holding my breath.
"I already killed a whore, but I don't have my usual weapons. I'm holding back," one of them said, his voice terrifyingly close.
"What was that girl's name?" another asked, his voice raspy, not paying much attention to the first comment.
"Which one?
" "The one who wasn't on the list."
List? My heart raced.
"Amber," the first one answered. "The other girl should be here, but the idiot is so protective of her. She was supposed to be his friend.
Is he my friend? The one who decided to bring me here?" And Ari's father… what was he doing here? He had two people he knew involved in this.
"He's never had any friends. Sometimes I want to strangle him. Just thinking about it gives me satisfaction; I can't stand that he's the damn favorite," another one said, his words dripping with a sick mix of resentment.
The other started laughing.
"Sometimes I want to take that girl, Ari, and kill her right in front of him. How do you think he'd react?"
Hearing my best friend mentioned by those men froze me to the spot. My foot moved against my will, and I made a sound. They fell silent instantly. In my mind, I began cursing myself for failing to hide.
I stood up, making myself visible to those outside the office, watching to see if anyone approached before going in. Both of them turned their heads when they saw me; their gaze was instantaneous, sharp. "
Look, speaking of stupid," said the thin guy. They were right: I looked at the other one; he was a redhead and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked high.
It wasn't the first time I'd been in a risky situation; I knew what to do.
Make them believe they are in control.
Make them believe you have no escape.
I clenched my fists, closing the gaps in my sweatshirt. I looked straight at the thin one: I had to provoke him. I'd realized something—each one attacked only one person; they liked having absolute control over their victim.
I would make him believe I was lost, that I couldn't escape.
"I know that look," he said, feigning disdain. "You think you're brave, but you're just insulting me."
"What look?" I looked up as if to answer, making them both stare at each other. My eyes were tired; I glared at them with hatred and didn't break eye contact.
"Who do you think you are?" the boy who wanted to fight burst in. "You're nobody in front of us, understand?"
He flung open the door and lunged at me roughly, his hands searching for my neck. I could see the other boy's face behind me, fascinated by the scene. I had him right where I wanted him: exposed, vulnerable.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he threatened, tightening his grip on my throat.
I smiled, the smile that fascinated them, but right now I wanted him to see that same expression.
To suffer.
"Men are always so easily swayed," I said, and his expression darkened as he realized I'd set a trap for him.
In the process, I raised my right hand and, in a swift, calculated motion, dropped the knife I'd concealed in my sweatshirt. As it slid out, I caught it in a reflex I hadn't even considered: it all happened in the blink of an eye.
I touched his cheek. He staggered slightly, his face paling, and began coughing violently. Thin trickles of blood started to appear on his neck. He clutched his throat, his eyes wide, unable to speak, choking on his own blood.
"What's wrong? Is it not fun anymore?" I asked, knowing he could barely answer. "I get it: you only like it when others suffer."
He clutched his neck, trying to stay upright. I noticed his partner was gone, having left without looking back.
The other guy was certain that I was the one about to die.
"Hey, your partner's gone," I said, feigning pity. "Oh, it seems he doesn't care about you that much. How sad."
I wiped my knife and brought it close to his face, gently brushing it against his skin.
"Tell me, how does it feel to have someone do to you what you did to others?" "I wanted him to look at me, to understand that fear wasn't so fun when you were the one experiencing it. For them, this had always been just a game.
You were there when they hurt me and then kidnapped me. You treated me like I was worthless, and I still remember your laughter," I said, letting my words weigh heavily on him. I let go of him, and he collapsed to the ground, limp.
He was breathing heavily, trying to stay conscious.
"You're... going to regret this," she stammered, reaching for the gun that was lying nearby. I stepped closer and pushed it away with my foot.
"No. You won't be able to do it this time."
And little by little he stopped moving, leaving his eyes open without blinking, announcing that he was already eliminated.
[●●●]
A security guard ran to find Eduardo after seeing on the cameras what Ámbar had managed to do. Eduardo wiped his hands, as usual, and lifted the winner's arm into the cage. She could barely stand; her body was covered in wounds. The other boy lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, on the verge of death.
It had been a long time since anyone had managed to confront a member of the clan. They were despicable beings, capable of instilling fear in anyone they targeted. The victims, mostly women—though there were men too—were considered weak according to the clan's own investigations. Nothing that happened there was by chance. They knew exactly who to choose: those suited to the game.
But Ámbar had never been chosen. She had ended up there, yes, but she was never the target.
And for the first time, they had been wrong.
Eduardo watched as the security guard gestured to him. He noticed the guard's expression, but thought it couldn't be that serious. He left the cage, and the men sitting in the armchairs fell silent, especially Ari's father.
"What happened? It had better be something really important," Eduardo said, approaching, annoyed. It irritated him that they were interrupting something that fascinated him so much. In reality, the game the girls were forced to play was the least of it, unless one of the men present won the bet on one of them. He was bored watching them die so easily.
They were used to it. The men who entered the game to kill them were the only ones who truly enjoyed it, although not all of them could. They were carefully selected by those in charge.
"She's one of the girls… Amber," the guard said cautiously, still looking surprised.
"Is she dead or what?" Eduardo asked, feigning indifference, as if he'd expected it.
"No… she killed one of the boys," the guard replied.
Eduardo's eyes widened, as if what he'd just heard had truly hurt him.
"What? Her? Who?" he asked, then burst out laughing, covering his mouth with his hand. His grin spread across his face.
"I knew there was something going on with her…" he murmured between laughs.
He couldn't stop laughing, and the guard seemed not to have anticipated that reaction.
"She killed Luis. She slit his throat," he finally said.
Then, Eduardo's eyes lit up.
"So she's the exception," Eduardo said, approaching his superiors. They all turned to look at Ari's father, who also seemed surprised.
They gave the order to turn on the screens displaying the live game feeds to see what had happened.
"Should we notify the others?" Eduardo asked, without taking his eyes off the screen, addressing the question to the burly man who appeared to be his boss.
"No," the man replied in a grave voice. "Those aren't our rules. If she survives, she'll have the same fate as the others: one week to live for each victory. If she stays here, she'll have to face a much tougher challenge. And perhaps she'll join us."
He took a careless sip of his drink, without even putting the glass down, and turned his gaze back to the screen as he turned it on. Everyone, absolutely everyone, remained attentive to what would happen.
Silence filled the room. Only the faint hum of the screens as they turned on and the metallic hum of the system activating could be heard. The image took a few seconds to stabilize, until Amber's face appeared covered in sweat and blood, her breathing labored.
Luis's body still lay motionless on the floor. The camera focused on the wound in his neck and then returned to it. There was no fear in his expression, only a fixed, almost empty stare.
Ari's father leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. For a moment, his face reflected something the others couldn't quite place: pride or bewilderment.
"Who trained her?" he asked quietly, without looking away.
No one answered.
Eduardo smiled, crossing his arms.
—Nobody.
The burly boss took a breath and slammed the glass down on the table.
—Then it will be fun to watch her fall.
AMBER
I shook my head and wiped the blood off that idiot's hands. Maybe, deep down, I regretted it… but in the end, I did the world a favor.
She had too much anger bottled up. She was dirty, tired, and fed up with it all.
It wouldn't happen again. I wouldn't allow it.
No, no, no. No one would ever touch me again. No one would ever have control over me again.
I took a deep breath, though I felt something inside me break. Or perhaps it had already broken, and I was only just noticing it now.
I raised my hands and put them together, as I used to do in church when I prayed with my mother.
The difference was that now, between my fingers, I was still holding the knife. The blade was sticking out above it.
My lips moved, but I no longer prayed.
The fear I once felt had vanished, replaced by an eerie calm.
And at that moment I understood that, if I wanted to survive, I would have to become what I hated most.
"I hope you rot in hell," I said, letting out a short laugh.
I took a step and added,
"Forgive me... you were already dead."
If I could have avoided it, I would have; but if I had to fight, I would.
I would show no mercy. If they showed no mercy, I would return the favor in kind.
"Help me!" I raised my head to the ceiling.
It was upstairs.
At what point had they gone up?
I ran towards the stairs to look for the girl. I thought about Nailea and Sophia, that they were hiding too. So I wasn't careful about making noise as I went upstairs.
As I opened the door and looked down the hallway, I started running.
There was a loud crash, like glass breaking.
When I finally stopped getting lost among the corridors, the scene in front of me froze me.
It was the boy I'd run into earlier… the one who seemed to be his friend, the one he'd… murdered.
I shook my head at the thought of that word.
What scared me about him was his height, his gaze. I felt intimidated.
The floor was covered in glass. She was sure he was hurt, because he wasn't carrying any weapons or anything in his hands.
He had broken the glass door in the hallway office.
I saw the girl crawling on the floor, crying. I was about to move forward, but I froze.
—What don't you understand? Nobody will help you. Nobody would help such a useless and stupid girl.
The memory hit me suddenly and my tears began to fall.
I was sure she was crying out loud. The girl looked me in the eyes and, for a moment, I saw relief on her face.
I turned to the boy: he was looking at me seriously, holding a cloth with small holes in it.
It reminded me of the one on my front door, the one that served as a mosquito net in the country house. But of course, it was a type of fabric whose name I couldn't remember.
I advanced towards them and pulled out my knife, ready to risk a fight, even though everything was against me.
"I'll help you," I said.
But before I could move, I felt arms grab me tightly from behind, immobilizing me.
I began to struggle violently to break free.
I looked down at his hands: those wounds…
My body began to tremble. It was him.
The bald boy with white hair, looking at me with an expression that could be mistaken for love… if I didn't know what kind of monster he was.
"Were you hiding from me, love?" he asked.
He kissed me on the cheek.
Without thinking, I spat in his face.
Her expression twisted.
She raised an arm to wipe herself… and at that moment, I suddenly let go.
I stopped my fall by bracing myself against the wall with a hand. I looked at him, and then at the girl who was still crawling, trying to escape. I noticed she had wounds on her legs… they were bleeding.
I didn't want to tremble. I don't want to be like this.
I'd put my knife back in the same place I'd hidden it before.
The white-haired boy hadn't noticed I'd taken it from him when we struggled, before all this started.
"Keep your whore under control!" the boy said, and calmly approached the girl.
He looked at me as if my mere presence bothered him; the next movement took me by surprise: he took the cloth with one hand, placed it on the floor and closed his fist, causing the fragments of glass to become embedded in it.
He violently lifted the girl without turning her over. She, weak, could barely stand; her breathing became rapid and ragged.
"No!" was all I could manage to say as I ran toward her, and then I was grabbed from behind with a blow, the grip tightening. I looked at his hands, covered in wounds, and thought of all the people he had murdered. I knew, with a chill in my stomach, that I was about to witness something unbearable.
"NO, PLEASE!" I screamed with all the strength I had left; my voice came out broken and breathless.
Seeing her tears pierced me like a blow; my body moved with a violence I couldn't control.
My world stopped when he, with both hands, lifted the cloth and brought it closer. He placed it over her face while she remained with her back to him; her breathing became labored, each attempt to inhale weaker than the last, and I could hear her moans each time she tried.
I felt the dry scraping of the fragments against her skin; I saw her kick, her nails clawing at the air, her color slowly fading. I wanted to lunge and tear the cloth away, but they held me tightly. Helplessness burned in my chest, and amidst the thumping of my own heartbeat, her struggle faded away.
So, I didn't want to let go. With all my strength, I punched him in the stomach to free him. I clumsily pulled out the knife, without thinking too much, and quickly stabbed him twice in the abdomen aggressively before running away without looking back.
I ran to her and, seeing her free, I took her in my arms. She collapsed onto me, all her weight on my chest, and I hugged her tightly, feeling every tremor of her body. The burly boy was looking us up and down, but I kept him at a distance, pointing the knife at him to keep him from coming near.
"It's going to be okay..." I whispered in her ear, trying to reassure her. "Everything's going to be alright."
But upon closer inspection, I understood the gravity of her condition. Her eyes remained closed, her face was pale and frail, and in some areas, I could see exposed raw skin that continued to bleed.
She needed help, and I had to protect her.
"No…" she said, and blood began to trickle from her lips, staining my shoulder. She tried to speak again, but as she did, a cough shook her entire body. She tried to swallow, and the pain made her shrink back, clinging to me desperately.
"I'm going to die…" she whispered between gasps. "But don't let go… please… don't let go until I close my eyes. I'm scared…"
My hand trembled as I stroked her back. All I could hear was her ragged breathing…
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boy with the dyed hair kneeling, staring at his hands as they continued to bleed.
The taller one tilted his head as he watched us. That calmness in his gaze… that indifference… chilled me to the bone.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry.
No. No, no, no… why? Why did this have to happen?
"Hold on, please," I begged, pulling her closer. I felt her hands slowly travel down my back, searching for something to hold onto. I held on to her too.
Everything was falling apart. Everything.
"Please…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't let them touch me. Don't let them touch my body again…"
Her body shuddered one last time, and then… only stillness. Her grip loosened, her fingers slowly sliding from my shirt until they hung limp in the air.
The tears blinded me.
I didn't want to let go of her. I couldn't.
I held her close to my chest, trying to beg God for one more second, just one more instant of life.
I looked up. The boy was watching me.
As I tried to stifle my sobs, I kept aiming at him… but not with the same firmness. My hands were trembling, and the knife, which had once felt like a shield, now felt as fragile as I was.
He watched me silently, without saying a word. Then he slowly turned his head back, looking at his companion who was still kneeling; he wasn't dead.
In a sudden movement, he grabbed his arm and lifted him up almost by force.
The air grew heavier. All I could hear were my ragged breaths and the scraping of his boots against the pavement.
"Don't come any closer..." I managed to murmur, though my voice sounded more like a plea than a warning.
They both turned toward me, and a shiver ran through my body. I had to run. I took a step back, my breath ragged, signaling my move.
Then, a loud honking of a horn echoed through the place.
"Attention all game participants," a female voice announced, its voice automated. "The search and hide-and-seek time is over. After this recording, the allotted 20 minutes will be strictly enforced: harming any participant is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, remaining in the same hiding place without adhering to the rules will result in immediate elimination from the game.
You have 20 minutes to find another hiding place."
looked down at the girl lying in my arms, desperately searching for any sign of life. My hands were trembling. I glanced at my watch, as if time could stop, as if there were still hope in some lost second.
Carefully, I laid her against the wall. I gently removed the pieces of glass from her skin, even though I knew she couldn't feel anything anymore.
She was sure someone was waiting for her out there.
I looked up at the boy who had killed her , and for a moment, everything around me disappeared. His expression was one of annoyance, as if my grief made him uncomfortable.
"You didn't know her," he murmured, almost mockingly, as if that made her death hurt less.
I stood up. I gripped the knife tightly, feeling the fury boil beneath my skin. I took a step toward him, ignoring the other boy beside him, whose sharp gaze was fixed on me without him saying a word.
I aimed straight for his eye. I didn't manage to hurt him... but I could have .
His hand stopped me effortlessly, as if I posed no threat whatsoever.
Then, the sound of the elevator broke the moment. The door opened and a woman stepped out accompanied by two men.
"If you're going to do it , make sure it's after twenty minutes... otherwise, you'll die, " he said in a cold voice, studying me with intrigue.
I roughly broke free from his grip, took a step back, and saw one of the hooded figures approaching the girl's body.
I didn't think twice. I stepped between them, my heart burning, determined not to let them touch her.
"You're not going to touch her," I said, almost shouting. Everyone's face looked like they'd just heard something ridiculous.
"Otherwise, you'll have to kill me too."
" Hold on ," the burly boy said, trying to help the other boy, who was still staring at me like that. His playful demeanor from a few minutes ago was gone; now he was looking at me differently. I had hurt him, but I still didn't know what he was thinking.
"No, don't touch her ," she replied, her voice sending shivers down my spine. We looked into each other's eyes, and I lowered my gaze.
At first, everyone was interested in a girl, but that didn't seem to be the case during the game. However, from the beginning, he couldn't take his eyes off me; everyone was focused on one girl, but I felt his constant attention.
"I won't do anything to him, I'll just take his body to his family," the woman said, smiling at me as she uttered those horrible words. "I'll leave him at his doorstep, if you want."
My fists clenched.
"Damn bitch," I said before lunging at her, but one of the hooded figures shoved me against the wall, making a bone in my back crack and an intense pain shoot through my abdomen. I felt like my wound had reopened.
I didn't touch my stomach; I didn't want them to notice. I stood up, holding onto the wall, and watched as the men carried her body away. Holding back tears, I bowed my head.
"Did it cause you any trouble?" a familiar voice asked. I looked up and saw Eduardo, who was looking at the other kids with a smile. "I saw how I dealt with it , even though I made her suffer yesterday, didn't I, Ámbar?"
She looked at me seeking approval and sighed, as if it were absurd to have to ask me.
"What idiots," she said, raising her hand mockingly. I knew what she meant. I coughed and put my hand inside my blouse, wiping away the blood that was trickling down. I discreetly pulled it out over my pants.
"Didn't you see I almost killed her ?" the burly man asked. "He was the idiot who let himself get stabbed ."
The rivalry between them was noticeable.
"Oh, yes, like your brother," Eduardo replied, laughing. "Didn't you know?"
He was feigning innocence.
"What are you talking about?" the burly man asked, as one of the hooded figures led away the other boy he had injured. He walked along trying to look like he wasn't in pain.
She gave me one last look before getting into the elevator and disappearing with the woman who was carrying the girl.
"He died," Eduardo said bluntly. "It wasn't because she stabbed him. You know what happened? He choked on his own blood from the cut in his neck. The girl surprised us; seriously, it was a surprise: he attacked her and everything went wrong for him."
He started laughing, his laughter echoing through the room. "Surprising, isn't it, Leo?" he added. "Unfortunately, Luis didn't survive."
His head turned toward me, looking at me with an expression I'd never seen before.
"What are you looking at?" I asked after coughing. "I didn't know I was your brother."
—And if you had known, wouldn't you have killed him?
"No," I replied coldly. "It would have made him suffer more."
He approached with the same cloth he had used to hurt the other girl.
"You're going to lose, remember?" I said, holding up my watch. "There are still 10 minutes left."
—Come on, remember the time… Luis… sorry, Leo, I always confuse you two —Eduardo said mockingly.
"Shut up, Eduardo. You're all idiots," Leo growled.
"Will you do what you were ordered to do if it's my turn? Kill him?" I asked Eduardo, who looked at me with a smile.
"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "Those were the instructions from my superiors."
Leo put his hand to his head, trying to calm himself. I turned to leave, looking for Nailea and Sophia. I walked down the hallway and took the opportunity to press on my abdomen without them noticing.
"I'll never forget that you were the one who killed my brother," Leo growled from behind me. "You're nothing more than an object to us, a tool. You women will never be stronger than us. You'll remain so insignificant to us until your death, remembered only for the weakness you possess."
I turned around and sighed. The calmness with which I replied seemed to surprise them. Eduardo watched everything with an almost amused smile.
"I hope you don't forget that I was the one who ended things with him," I said calmly. "I'll never regret it. And when we meet again, I'll make you suffer more than he did."
"Do you really think you're stronger than me?" he retorted.
"Strength?" I replied. "It's not about that. You may be stronger, but not smarter."
I pointed at his arm.
—Don't lie to me. You didn't give me that wound. It was one of those other girls.
"I already know that," I said with a half-smile. "But... don't you notice something strange? A different blood type."
He looked at his arm with disinterest at first, until he noticed the small stain. It had fallen on his skin when I tried to hurt him. That was my intention from the beginning.
To infect him.
"So what?" he scoffed. "You don't scare me."
"You shouldn't be so relaxed," I told him. "The doctors gave me three months to live. At first, they thought I might get better, but then they admitted there was no cure. My disease is progressing rapidly. They told me to be careful not to cut myself or have anyone else come into contact with my blood."
Her eyes widened in surprise. Eduardo, meanwhile, watched me silently, incredulous.
"What's wrong?" I continued with a wry smile. "Didn't you find pain fascinating? Well, get ready, Leo. You're about to experience it for real."
—You're lying. If you were sick, you wouldn't be standing, nor would you be able to fight.
—That's precisely why—I replied. —I have nothing left to lose.
I looked at her arm, satisfied. A reddish mark was beginning to spread, turning purple.
Eduardo frowned. "What is that?" he asked with disgust.
I rolled up my sleeve to show him my own arm. The same mark, more advanced. Identical.
Leo put his hands to his head and fell to the ground, unconscious. His strength was of no use to him.
"Oh, that's nothing," I said, moving closer to make sure he wasn't reacting. Eduardo pulled out his phone and dialed someone with obvious urgency, then glanced at the hallway security cameras.
Just as I thought: they were on.
"He's not going to die," I said, looking him in the eyes. "And he was taller and stronger than you."
"Hey, Eduardo," I said, suppressing a laugh as I covered my mouth with my hand.
"What do you find so funny?" he asked, without taking his eyes off Leo as he checked his pulse to see if he was still alive.
"Do you remember when you attacked me that time?" I said, laughing. "You touched my blood."
His expression changed instantly.
"No... I didn't have any wounds," he murmured, taking a step back. "I'm not infected."
"Oh, really?" I tilted my head, a crooked smile playing on my lips. "I remember perfectly when you cut yourself with your own knife trying to clean up my blood. How ironic, isn't it? All this... because of you."
—No, I have that damn mark.—he replied, no longer paying attention to Leo, he aggressively took off the gloves he was wearing on his hands, revealing his right hand completely red.
"I wonder who will die first," I said, looking at his mark.