Ace had never felt so trapped.
They had a hiding spot. A good one. But the Seekers weren't stopping.
The screams. The heavy footsteps. The sound of bodies being dragged away.
Every second, the number of Hiders shrank.
Mia whispered, her voice shaking. "Ace… we can't just sit here."
He knew she was right. The longer they stayed in one place, the higher the chances of being found.
And if they were found?
They wouldn't just be eliminated.
They'd be turned.
Ace clenched his fists.
"We need to move."
Crawling to the edge of the tunnel, Ace peeked through the vent again.
The Seeker from earlier was gone. The streets above were eerily empty.
But that didn't mean they were safe.
Mia looked at him. "Where do we go?"
Ace thought for a moment.
Then he remembered something.
The cars.
Before the game started, some players had been messing around with cars, doing burnouts. That meant some vehicles still worked.
If they could get to one…
"We find a car," Ace said. "Drive far from the hotspots."
Mia frowned. "What if Seekers catch us?"
Ace took a deep breath. "Then we don't let them."
Mia hesitated. Then she nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
They moved fast and low, sneaking out of the tunnel and sticking to the shadows.
The Eclipse Arena was a completely different world now. The once-busy streets were deserted—except for the Seekers.
They stalked the roads like predators. Searching. Waiting.
Ace and Mia moved carefully, using abandoned cars and alleyways as cover.
Then they saw it.
A car with its engine still running.
Parked outside a half-destroyed gas station.
It was their way out.
But there was one problem.
A Seeker stood right next to it.
Just waiting.
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Ace and Mia crouched behind an overturned dumpster, eyes locked on the Seeker by the car.
It wasn't moving. Just standing there, unnaturally still, head tilted slightly, as if listening.
Mia whispered, "It knows someone will come for the car."
Ace clenched his jaw. That was the problem.
They needed that car. But if they ran for it, the Seeker would hear them.
And if it caught them?
They'd either be eliminated or turned.
Neither was an option.
Ace exhaled, trying to think. A distraction. They needed a way to get the Seeker away from the car.
His eyes scanned the area—until he spotted a small glass bottle lying near the dumpster.
Perfect.
He grabbed it, gripping it tightly.
"Stay low," he whispered to Mia. "The moment it turns, we run."
Mia swallowed hard and nodded.
Ace hurled the bottle toward a metal rack outside the gas station.
CRASH!
The bottle shattered, the sound echoing through the empty street.
The Seeker's head snapped toward the noise.
It twitched. Took a slow step forward. Then another.
Then—it sprinted.
Straight toward the sound.
"Go!" Ace whispered harshly.
They ran.
Ace and Mia sprinted across the pavement, reaching the car in seconds.
Ace yanked the driver's door open. Empty. No keys—push to start.
He dove inside, Mia right behind him.
The Seeker was still by the gas station, sniffing around.
Ace's hands flew to the gearshift. Drive.
His foot slammed the gas.
The car lurched forward. The tires screeched.
The Seeker's head snapped back. It turned and ran toward them.
Ace's heart pounded. "Not today."
He gripped the wheel tight and swerved, just as the Seeker lunged—
THUD!
The Seeker hit the side of the car, rolling off as they sped away.
Ace exhaled sharply, his hands shaking on the wheel.
Mia sat back, breathing hard. "We actually did it."
Ace glanced at the clock.
[One hour left.]
They weren't safe yet.
Ace kept his hands tight on the steering wheel, his heart still racing.
The city streets blurred past them, the eerie glow of the Eclipse Arena casting long shadows.
Mia checked behind them. No Seekers in sight.
For now.
"We need a place to wait this out," she said. "Somewhere they won't think to check."
Ace's eyes scanned the city. The problem was everything was wide open. The Seekers were getting smarter. Some had started checking hiding spots systematically.
If they just parked somewhere random, they'd be found.
Then, he saw it.
A highway overpass, with a broken-off section leading to an unfinished building.
Ace pointed. "There. We drive up and hide in the unfinished floors."
Mia frowned. "You sure?"
"Better than waiting in the open."
She sighed. "Fine. Just don't crash."
Ace smirked. "No promises."
The car sped up the abandoned ramp, the tires barely holding traction as Ace turned sharply onto the broken overpass.
Concrete barriers. Scattered tools. Rusted scaffolding holding up the half-built structure.
They pulled inside, parking behind a pile of debris.
The moment the car stopped, Ace killed the engine.
Silence.
No footsteps. No screams.
Just the distant wails of players still being caught.
Mia exhaled. "We might actually make it."
Ace leaned back, watching the sky. The game clock floated high above the city.
[40 minutes left.]
They just had to wait it out.
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The quiet stretched on. Too quiet.
Mia shifted uncomfortably. "Ace…"
Ace turned to her.
She looked tense. On edge.
"You hear that?" she whispered.
Ace frowned. "I hear nothing."
"Exactly."
His stomach twisted.
The screaming had stopped.
No more distant cries. No more desperate footsteps.
The streets below were… empty.
Like the Seekers had just vanished.
Ace's mind raced. That didn't make sense. There were still plenty of Hiders left. Seekers should still be hunting.
So why weren't they?
A cold realization hit him.
They weren't hunting anymore.
They were searching.
And they were doing it together.
Mia's voice barely came out. "Ace… what if they know where we are?"
Ace swallowed hard.
Then, from below—
A single footstep.
Slow. Deliberate.
Then another.
Then another.
Mia's eyes widened.
Ace gripped the wheel tight. He hoped he was wrong.