That's when I heard it.
Footsteps.
Behind me.
I turned. It was George. He held something glowing in his palm. One of the artifacts.
"It was in the roots of a dead tree," he whispered. "Took me nine hours."
I nodded.
"Congratulations contestant 027."
We were survivors.
But only four people had found theirs so far.
Four… out of almost thirty left.
By nightfall, only six contestants had returned.
George.
A quiet girl named Eliah.
Freckles girl.
A guy that was all bruised and scratched up, but clutching a jagged artifact like it was his heart.
Someone I barely remembered.
And Zaara.
I wasn't one of them.
Neither was Nomi. Nor Dinesh. Nor Theo. Nor Carter.
The speaker blared into the sky again:
"Nightfall has begun. You have 36 hours remaining.
Those who return without an artifact... will not return at all."
I sat in the dark, my back against a rock.
My eyes searched the shadows for answers.
Jojo's voice echoed in my memory.
"Keep going."
