The Mating Run by Leeka

Chapter 31

Root

The air hangs heavy with the acrid scent of vomit.

I’m hunched over by the side, retching violently as my body rebels against the weight of guilt and fear that clings to my insides. Each convulsion sends waves of nausea through me, a physical manifestation of the turmoil within.

Ettie’s voice, a distant murmur, penetrates the fog of my anguish.

“Alina, you need to stop. It’s done.”

Her words, meant as reassurance, fall on deaf ears. I can’t shake the images that replay in my mind–the brutality, the blood, the makeshift grave. The forest seems to close in around me, its ancient trees bearing silent witness to the chaos that has unfolded in their domain.

As I retch, Ettie continues to stand near the makeshift grave, her gaze fixed on the rocky ground. “We did what we had to do, Alina.”

Her words cut through the fog, a stark reminder of the unforgiving reality that governs the Mating Run. Survival leaves no room for hesitation or remorse.

I wipe my mouth, trembling, and attempt to rise.

The forest floor feels unsteady beneath me, each step a struggle against the lingering shadows of guilt. Ettie turns toward me, her eyes holding a mixture of concern and frustration.

“Alina-”

“Ettie… We… We can’t afford to stay here. We shouldn’t. The cameras are watching. We need to go somewhere they can’t see us..”

I stumble towards Ettie, my legs weak beneath me.

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Ettie’s gaze softens

and we made ours.”

“Alina, survival comes with a price. Elijah made his choice,

“We?” I mutter to myself, my entire body shaking. “What do you mean we?”

Anger pulses through me

mel that still linger in my chest.

like a wildfire, fueled by the charred remains of guilt

The echoes of Elijah’s demise reverberate in my mind, a haunting melody that refuses to be silenced. Yet, as I turn my gaze toward Ettie, a different kind of fury

takes root within me.

“Ettie, it was all you! You did that! It’s not something we both decided on! Why did you kill him?”

The words burst forth, sharp and accusing. My voice, usually soft, carries the weight of betrayal.

Ettie meets my gaze, her eyes defiant. “Alina, he touched you. He was going to hurt you. What choice did I have?”

The forest, with its silent trees and hidden cameras, bears witness to our confrontation. The air crackles with tension, charged with the unspoken truth that now stands between us.

“You had a choice, Ettie! You didn’t have to kill him like that!” My fists clench at my sides, the anger boiling within me. “We could have found another way, stopped him without resorting to… to this.”

Run. There are no rules, no mercy. You think he

reality. Yet, I can’t suppress the surge of resentment that courses through me. “That doesn’t give you

eyes narrow, a storm brewing within them. “You think I enjoyed

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You think it was easy for me? He had to

you.”

rises, an unchecked torrent of frustration. “But you didn’t let me decide, Ettie! You took that choice away

wall of resistance against the accusations that hang in the

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to be done. If you can’t understand that,

cut out for

“Don’t act like you know what’s best for me, Ettie. You didn’t save me. You just replaced one danger with

won’t let anyone harm you,

like they are.” I say the

is swift and biting. “You think you can survive this on your own?

a fragile bond between us, now shatters like glass. I clench my teeth, determined not to let Ettie’s

won’t compromise who I am to

laugh that reverberates through the cave. “Who you are? In this forest, that’s a liability. You’ll

but I refuse to let it break me. “I won’t lose myself in this madness. I

eyes narrow, her tone cold. “Sometimes, Alina, you have to become

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within me. “I won’t let fear and violence define

on my own.”

unraveling camaraderie. Ettie’s gaze, a mixture of frustration and concern, searches my face.

this alone. You need someone you can trust.”

bitter taste of resentment lingers on my tongue. “Trust is earned, Ettie. And right now, I don’t know if I can

sob reaches my ears, and I stiffen immediately, my

on Ettie.

a vulnerability I hadn’t anticipated. In that moment, my heart softens, a realization dawning upon me –

bridge. “I’m sorry. I… I

her eyes stained with tears, and for a moment,

trust me,” Ettie whispers, her voice fragile like delicate glass on the verge of shattering. “How

closer, my heart heavy with the weight of my own insecurities. “Ettie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m just… I’m scared of losing who we are

wipes away a tear, her gaze searching mine for sincerity. “I thought we could rely on each other, Alina. That’s what

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struggle, and the survival of

But I’m also scared of losing you,” I admit, the words hanging in the air like an unspoken plea. “That’s what scares me the most.”

to me. I did what I did to protect you, to keep you

realize the gravity of her choices. We’re not just navigating a forest

scared because I care about you. But I can’t blindly accept everything. We need to find

the truth we both recognize. “I never wanted to make you doubt me,

with the depth of my own fears. We’re two souls entangled in the dance of survival, each step fraught with uncertainty. “We need each other, Ettie. But we also

choices.”

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