The Odds | NCT DREAM

Chapter 14

The three girls decided to explore the autumn forest.

"It smells so bad." Hyewon muttered, fanning her hand in front of her face.

"It's from the fire." Jade said. "Burnt flesh."

The fire was big and had spread wildly. Without a doubt, many tributes must have been burnt. It was event possible that their injuries were so bad, that they could be lying on the forest floor, waiting for death to take over. No cannons had sounded yet, but Jade was certain that there would be more faces that night.

Suddenly, they heard a bell ring.

"It's the trap." Jade said, quickly moving towards the noise. The other two girls exchanged looks before following her. A tribute that was in the fire must have began to move towards the centre, setting off the trap.

Sure enough, when they got there, the young District 11 tribute, a girl who was only 12, was stuck in the net. Her arm was red, skin charred, clearly burnt.

"Help!" She cried, a tear rolling down her cheek. Jade froze at the sight. The girl stared into her eyes, begging for her life to be spared. Jade uneasily gripped the knife in her hands, knowing that the girl was innocent.

"What are you doing, kill her!" Bora exclaimed.

"She hasn't done anything wrong." Jade mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?" Bora replied, raising an eyebrow. Jade took a deep breath before raising her voice.

"She's just a child, Bora. Let's just spare her." Jade said, making her way to the ropes. Before she could cut the girl loose, Bora had her own knife in her hands.

"You're pathetic." Bora said before throwing her knife at the girl. Jade's eyes widened as the blade missed her chest, hitting her leg instead just as the ropes came loose. The girl shrieked in pain as the fall made the knife dig deeper into her leg.

"Bora, what are you doing?" Jade exclaimed as she quickly ran to the crying girl's side. Jade held her hand, brushing the tears from her eyes.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay." Jade said, trying to comfort her. Her whimpers began to soften, whispering a small "thank you" to Jade.

Behind her, Bora had her arms crossed over her chest, a second knife in her hands. Hyewon stayed quiet, not knowing what to do.

"Hyewon, I think it's time." Bora said to her friend. Hyewon looked back at Bora, uncertain.

"Are you sure, isn't it too early?" Hyewon asked. Bora shook her head.

"We should do it now while the boys aren't here. Haechan is an easy target but Renjun could probably kill us both in our sleep. If we get her now, Renjun will be completely devastasted, making it easier to take him down. We'll just tell him the fire got her or another one of the tributes." Bora told her. Hyewon looked at the ground before slowly nodding her head.

"Alright then." Hyewon said, agreeing with Bora.

Bora moved forward, making her way to Jade's side.

"Just kill her, take her out of her misery." Bora said but Jade shook her head.

"She has a chance, the wound isn't fatal." Jade said, her hand still tightly clenched to the girl's.

"You're actually pathetic, how are you a Career?" Bora spat at her. Jade ignored the comment, soothing the girl's head instead.

"Move." Bora said shoving Jade's shoulder but she stayed put.

"No." Jade responded firmly.

"Just move, you're in my way." Bora tried again. But Jade shook her head.