The Sky is Everywhere

Chapter Forty

"Everyone, get close to me," I order as soon as they can hear me.

The others don't react at first, blinking in confusion.

"Now," I roar.

We've been positioned with a couple metres space between us – easy targets for Predators. But there is safety in numbers – they'll have a harder time killing a tight-knit group of us than they will picking off individual Prey.

Taffy moves, first scurrying to my side.

"What's going on?" she cries.

"Welcome to the Trials. Any moment now, people that we have known our whole lives are going to try and kill us."

Stunned silence greets my words.

"W – what?" Priya gasps.

The lift is only a few metres away, and even though I know it won't work, I make a run for it anyway. There's a button on the wall next to the metal door, and I jam my finger against it, over and over again, but nothing happens. Of course it doesn't. The Handlers aren't going to risk anyone escaping.

I slam my hand against the lift door.

"Caia?" Taffy says, her voice trembling.

I rejoin her and the others; they haven't moved from their little huddle in the middle of the room.

"I don't understand – what is happening?" Taffy cries, clutching my hand.

I wish I had more time to explain it to her. But some deep-rooted instinct prickles at the back of my neck, and I turn around, facing the entryways that the Predators will come through.

Gavin appears first. He's actually smiling, and my skin crawls with ice.

Some people, like Cole, will kill because they think they have no choice.

Some people, like Gavin, are actually looking forward to it.

I don't understand how people like him exist.

Five others follow him, three girls and two boys, and though none of them are smiling like Gavin, they all wear hard, set expressions. I assume that they have been told exactly what's going on.

Prey obviously don't get that option.

Gavin lifts his hand; he's holding a knife.

They all are.

My mouth runs dirt-dry.

I hadn't thought that the Predators would be armed.

Obviously the Handlers and whoever else is orchestrating all this really want them to get their hands bloody.

Light flashes off the Predators' knives as they move down the ramps towards us, and I freeze in place, hit with the memory of another knife, slashing at my face, the blinding agony, the raw screams that I hadn't even realised were coming from my own throat.

Taffy whimpers and clutches my sleeve, dragging me back to the present.

We can't get to the ramps, so there's only way out of this room, and even though we don't know where it leads, the alternative is staying here.

"Stay with me," I say, and start backing towards the opposite entryway.

I expect Gavin to move first, but one of the other boys, Benny, darts forward, leaping off the edge of the ramp and blocking our way.

We should have moved faster.

I was trying not to panic anyone, but maybe that was a bad decision. I try to quell my own panic.