Chapter 7: Only One Can Remain

After tearing through another barrier of bushes, Hunter's eyes fill with relief as he recognizes he's back at camp. Ace immediately sprints into action, darting his way over as he yells, “Hunter! What happened out there?!”

Hunter, so that’s his name.

After realizing he was safe, Hunter’s mind and body were at ease. His adrenaline alleviating, he stumbles over. Devilish, crimson blood drips onto the ground as Ace approaches Hunter, dumbfounded on how to properly approach the situation.

“Are you hurt? Where are the other three? What happened?! Hunter!!”

This isn’t good. The other three are nowhere to be seen…

Quickly assessing the situation, my mind and body grow in tune with one another, and my legs are put into motion as I run over to Ace. As I arrive, Hunter collapses from exhaustion, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

It’s obvious he won’t be able to tell us what happened in this state, and we don’t have time to spare.

But, even so, Hunter heroically musters up the energy to lift his finger in the direction he came from as he weakly whispers, "It got her…"

As if responding to a direct order, Ace leaps once more into action. As Ace leaves camp, I catch a glance of his eyes. He’s scared but also… determined, probably to help the other three. But he isn’t thinking this through. He’s being reckless, running directly to the scene that Hunter frantically tried to escape.

Code yells after Ace, "Hey! Where are you going?! We don't even know what happened! It could be dangerous!!"

"I don’t care! We have to make sure the other three are safe!!” 

I scoff as I watch him run off alone. Although he may see himself as being courageous, he’s probably running straight to his death without even the slightest plan of action. I have a hunch he somehow feels responsible for this occurrence. Tsk.

His recklessness could wreak havoc for us all, but…

As I embark to catch up to Ace before it’s too late, I shout, "What are you all waiting for?! We can't let him go alone! Everyone, let's go!"

After a few seconds, I look over my shoulder and notice everyone has begun to follow me, despite how they may feel. Everybody except for Code.

Whatever, I can’t worry about him right now. 

Facing forward again, I focus on catching up.

***

Still at camp with Hunter, Code nervously chuckles.

You can’t be serious… Scar, for you to make such a rash decision like this, not only will Ace be running toward trouble, but now everybody else, including you, might die. And that’s on you. These were your words that encouraged them. I gravely misjudged you. Aren’t you the least bit concerned about your safety? About your life?

Staring at the palm of his trembling hand, Code thinks to himself.

Should I go too? Dying a quick death out there wouldn’t be the worst thing. In fact, I prefer such a death over a lonely, slow death from starvation or dehydration. Perhaps…

As his mind twists and turns, unable to think straight about all that just occurred, Hunter goes into a coughing fit beside Code.

Oh right… Hunter is here.

As he turns toward Hunter in his struggling condition, Code considers it might be better if he stays with Hunter. He then chuckles at his cowardness.

Who am I kidding? Like I would’ve chased after them anyway. What am I doing here… seriously… 

Taking a deep breath, Code stares at the sky.

Is it so wrong to want to live?

***

Is this really happening here…? Right now… right this moment…?

Following Ace’s hectic choice to leave camp and encourage the others to follow him, Ace can’t help but reflect on everything happening. 

I just hope we’ll be able to save them. 

Recalling the only three words Hunter could say, Ace tries to steel his resolve. 

It got her. Those aren’t the words you would tell somebody to reassure them; those are words you tell somebody to warn them. And yet, here I am. It was as if my body moved independently, and now I'm running directly into the line of fire. Why?

Hopping over a bush, Ace zigzags around various trees, traversing deeper into the forest. The trees have progressively become more clustered, causing Ace to slow down considerably, but Ace knows every second counts, so he doesn’t stop.

Closing his eyes and shielding his face with both his forearms, Ace prepares to break through the middle of two trees that lie ahead. Grimacing as his arms get scraped from the tree branches, Ace makes it through and opens his eyes to see what’s next. And then, out of the corner of his right eye, he catches the most minuscule of glimpses of one of the three girls. She was in a relatively large clearing with minimal bushes, plants, and trees.

Instantly changing his course, Ace’s heart starts pounding, his ears ringing. To him, all outside noise has been canceled out. Nearing closer, he recognizes that the girl is Flora, the petite girl, and she's slumped over with her back against a tree. The trunk of the tree is covered with blood as it slowly seeps down into her hair, the bright red liquid trickling down her shoulders, arms, and legs. As Ace approaches her, he stamps his feet on the ground to slow his momentum.

“Oh my god…”

Flora was just barely breathing, but Ace instantly assessed that she was too injured to be saved. Not the faintest color of white was noticeable as her once pale body lay bruised and covered in a thick layer of blood. She's missing an eye, her stomach is gouged, and one of her feet is cleanly sliced off as well. The entire state of her being was nauseating to look at, and it took all Ace had to keep his breakfast down.

Kneeling, Ace wraps his arms around her, about to lift her. Suddenly, Flora coughs up blood and looks at Ace, weakly smiling.

 “How- how did this happen?” asks Ace, tears begin to well in his eyes.

Flora uses the little strength she has left to lift her body as she weakly utters into his ear…

"Trust no one… they're always watching."

The shock of her words made Ace alert again, and he darted his eyes around to ensure he was not being watched. Flora then musters the last of her strength to point upward. Ace gazes at the sky and sees three crows circling above them. Their wings, claws, and beaks are all stained with blood. Flora then goes limp in his arms, and Ace begins to yell in horror.

***

After a few seconds, Ace’s voice goes, and then a minute or so later, I arrive with everybody else. Even though Ace heard us coming, his feet remained planted. He must’ve trusted it was us and not something else. Not the culprit of the girl lying dead in his arms.

And as the sight of Ace holding Flora bore into everybody’s mind, not a single person said a word. You could hear a pin drop.

Unable to control his emotions, Ace begins to shed tears as blood oozes onto his clothes. Not knowing how to address us, he says what he’s been thinking since Flora died.

"Let's- let's take her back to camp and bury her so Flora can rest peacefully."

Sky then starts to take charge of everybody, and inside, Ace is grateful for this.

"Pair up with somebody and try to find the other two! We need to make sure they're okay! Stay close so you can run back here if you sense anything dangerous!"

Rising up with Flora in his arms, Ace begins trudging back to camp with Flora in his arms. As he passes by me, he doesn’t say anything. He only continues onward until he thinks he’s alone again. 

"It's my fault… I let them go… it’s my fault…"

But… putting aside the guilt, Ace can’t help but feel as if this sensation is all too familiar.

“We… we shouldn't have let them leave… I shouldn't have…." says Sky.

Heartfelt and truthful, Sky’s emotional words grabbed my attention, a liquid glossiness having been cast over her eyes. Having shifted my attention from Ace to Sky, I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes.

"Sky, we don't have time to get emotional right now. As you said, we have to make sure the other two are safe. You can shed tears later once we know everybody is safe."

As she wipes away her tears, she replies, “I know… I know…”

She leans in for a hug, and I console her, locking my eyes back on Ace as I slowly rub Sky’s back, letting her take the time she needs to collect herself, my shirt getting soaked in the process.

That was no ordinary death. I saw Flora’s body as Ace walked by… she suffered. Who knows what could have attacked and killed her… An animal? A human? Maybe it was even one of us. Delta and Grace not being found by now is suspicious, but Hunter could be involved in this, too. This could just be one big accident, but it's hard to look past people's actions before and after her assumed time of death…

Ready to be released from the embrace, Sky nudges herself off me, and I ask, "Are you okay now?"

She nods and smiles, her eyes red from all the crying.

Sky then turns and starts walking back towards camp.

Surveying the area and attempting to locate everybody, I shout, "Everyone! Please keep an eye out for anything abnormal!”

With those words, I can sense the steady uneasiness filling the atmosphere even more. But I can’t worry about the others now. I must make it back to camp, and hopefully, we can learn more about what happened from Hunter. 

Following behind Sky, people begin pacing past me on either side, terrified. Gazing ahead toward Ace, he’s trudging forward in a state of despair.

Her body… that death was no accident. She was killed by something or someone, and I'm betting on the latter. The question is… who killed her and why? There are a few main suspects that I can think of right now. Obviously, there is Delta, Grace, and Hunter, all three of whom went out into the wilderness with Flora, and those are the prime suspects. Nobody has seen either Delta or Grace since arriving here, while Hunter should be back at camp with Code.

Although not as likely, there are also the two in front of me, Ace and Sky. Those two are the ones who apparently watched the four people leave camp earlier. Additionally, Ace was the one who arrived at the scene first, and I have no idea how long it was before I arrived. However, that scream of his makes me feel as if he only saw the aftermath. I’d be shocked if he acted all of that out after murdering her, but that just doesn’t make sense with what Hunter told us, that ‘it got her’. Unless… I guess this all could be one grand conspiracy. I can't help but reassure myself that that last thought is doubtful, though.

I stare at the ground, my eyes watching my feet take each step while I remain immersed in my thoughts.

It's unlikely, but the fact that Ace showed up first and hasn't let anyone else get close to the body yet is unsettling. Is he hiding something, or is he really that upset? And how would Sky play into all of this? So many variables…

No. This could run even deeper than that, as Sky and Ace are the only individuals who helped Code out this morning. Also, it was Code that ultimately solved that riddle, even though I did push him in the right direction at times. Even so, it seemed he would’ve figured it out whether he had my assistance or not.

Only one can remain. With how recent events have played out, I can’t help but wonder how sinister the meaning behind that phrase could be. The fact that Code might've known about that entire riddle thing from the beginning is what sets me off, though. He claims to have been the first to wake up. Could he have seen something that the rest of us couldn't? He could easily lie about all the supplies just being there when he woke up, and now I can see why he would.

As if I teleported back to camp from the crime scene, I stepped into familiar territory, the smell of the campfire bringing me back to reality as I wondered if any time had passed since embarking on the walk back. The first thing I noticed was Code tending to Hunter's needs and wounds.

Wait. He stayed behind… Code didn't run after Ace like the rest of us did. What does Code know? Could he be the mastermind behind all of this? There are far too many factors to take in right now. 

As I scroll through headshots of every single person at this campsite in my mind... only one thought screams out to me, wanting to be heard more than all the rest.

I’m sure of one thing, though, and that is we got a killer hiding somewhere in these campgrounds.

After everybody had left camp in pursuit of Ace, Code stayed with Hunter until Hunter’s breathing was back under control. Once Hunter had calmed down, he asked Code if he could fill up his canteen at the stream down the path. Reluctant initially, Code refused, but he knew deep down that he needed to help Hunter. It was just who he was as a person.

Following a short list of questions Code asked Hunter, Code agreed to retrieve some water for Hunter. As Code left camp and the scent of burnt firewood behind, he recited to himself over and over what Hunter had told him.

Only a few minutes’ walk down the path, there is a stream of fresh water.

Even though he knew Hunter had frantically returned to camp from a completely different direction, the pace of Code’s heart rate continued to increase. One moment, he was walking, his eyes darting around at the trees. The next, he was briskly jogging and then running. Arriving at the stream, Code hastily scoops the canteen into the water only once before running back toward camp. There was a possibility only a little water got into the canteen, but screwing on the cap again, Code didn’t care. He just wanted to make it back to camp, where he believed he could be safe.

Upon his return, Code began to calm back down. Handing the canteen to Hunter, Hunter immediately started gulping down water until he eventually thrust the canteen away from his mouth, gasping for air. Sitting down with his legs out in front of him, Code silently observed Hunter as he repeated this pattern until the canteen was completely empty and offered his thanks.

Giving him a curt nod, Code couldn't help but think about what could possibly be happening to the others right now. Meekly glancing toward the forest, a bloodcurdling shiver is sent down Code's spine as he sees a shadow wisp between the trees, a crow cawing from above.