A closer look revealed a path way that was symbolized by broken red traffic lines that ended at another dot marked as "TARGET" that glowed a shocking color of yellow.

"Why would they tell us where to go?" Vante muttered.

"Maybe they wanted to make it easier because the last game was so hectic?" Felix suggested.

"I doubt that," Jesse rolled her eyes, taking a swig of her water.

"If the elevators are labeled why aren't the other players labeled as well?" Vante asked but was interrupted as the machine woman's voice had started to speak again.

Sintra still wondered where it came from even out here in the lonely desert where no trees were able to hide any intruders.

"Three minutes have been expended. Use your maps to guide you to your destination. Your task is located in the area presented and gifts for passing the previous game have been placed on your way to the target. There is no timer set on this mission, however, your map does not work at night. Please keep that in mind. You must complete the task and retrieve the pass to move your elevators. Let the games begin. Good luck, Geniuses!" The voice finished.

"Well, you heard the witch. Let's go!" Jesse said with fake enthusiasm as she placed her sunglasses on her face before grabbing the map from Vante.  

Everyone but Sintra moved.

"Sintra?" Vante called at her but she just stared at them, her lips trembling with fear as she tried not to faint again.

"Sintra?" He called again, this time the tears ran freely as she shook her head.

"I can't— I can't," she struggled to say as she started to cry. "No more please!"

"Sintra—"

"Will you stop calling my name! Everyone just stop saying my name. I can't anymore. I can't!" She shouted.

"No, you can. You can do this. Come on now. What happened to feeling safe later huh? What happened to the brave girl in the rainforest?" Vante asked.

"We left her there!" She said, her eyes still overflowing with tears as she weeped. "We can't win this thing, Mr. Kim. We never could. I know you're not a fool. Do you really think they would lay out a path for us to follow so easily and it'll be sunshine and flowers? No! They've set traps. They're trying to kill us!"

"We don't have time for this," Jesse rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry but she's right,"  Felix agreed. "We're all scared here but if we don't do something we will all die indefinitely."

"We're going to die anyways," Sintra told them.

"Let's just leave her," Jesse told them.

"We can't do that! What's wrong with you?" Felix frowned at her.

"Then listen up, Sintra." Jesse said, making air quotes as she said her name. "We don't have time for this. I survived worse shit in that jungle and even worser shit in my real life. Get it together and let's go. Everyone else is already gone."

"Worser?" Felix asked.

"Oh, sock it, Granger! " Jesse replied.

"Why are you running to your deaths?" Sintra interrupted their squabble. 

She didn't understand why everyone was so accepting to an unknown fate. She had tried that attitude in the jungle and had almost died, twice. She didn't save anyone, not even herself, Vante did.

She had thought initially that she just needed to get through this to return to the real world and continue her mission to help people. But if the fates had decided that this was where she should be, tired, defeated and on the brink of possible death, then maybe the world didn't need her help after all.

Vante interrupted her train of thought as he scooped her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Let me down, Mr. Kim!" She protested as she hit him against the back, ignoring the firmness of his body and spine.

"No, you're not acting like yourself and quite frankly, it's embarrassing so maybe you're tired. Either way, we need you and we don't have time to convince you that we're not racing to our deaths. We're just trying to take back our lives. If we win this thing, we can confront the assholes who put us here and get to the bottom of this." He told her.

The words "taking back our lives" replayed in Sintra's mind. He was right. If they did succeed, they would elevate to what was believed to be an elite extraterrestrial society. They would get to confront the game masters of this disaster and possibly get back home. This couldn't happen, however, if they gave up and died. Atleast with the games, they had a chance.

She wondered how her hope had dwindled this low in such a small amount of time. The death of her colleagues had cut her deep, leaving a festering wound of despair to poison her mind into believing that she would not make it; that she could not make it.

"Let me down, Mr. Kim." she told him.

"If you're going to try to run away—"

"No, I'm not. This is just no way to carry the leader of the group now is it?" Sintra said, prompting him to set her down.

"There she is," Vante announced, a hint of a smile lurking around his mouth. 

"Are you two love birds done now? We have to go!" Jesse rushed.

"Shut up!" Sintra told her, grabbing the map from her as she lead the way towards their destination.