The Mating Run by Leeka

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.”

tightens, her response sharp. “Alina, this is the Mating Run. There are no rules, no mercy. You think he would have hesitated

me. “That doesn’t give you the right to play judge, jury, and executioner. You made that decision for

storm brewing within them. “You think I enjoyed doing

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You think it was easy for me? He had to die,

you.”

let me decide, Ettie! You

expression hardens, a wall of resistance against the accusations that hang in the air.

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

eyes ablaze. “I won’t let anyone harm you, Alina. If that means making tough decisions, then so be

so different but you’re a monster just like they are.” I say the words, instantly

retort is swift and biting. “You think you can survive this on your own? You’re naïve, Alina. In this forest, trust is a

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

compromise who

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

weight of her judgment stings, but I refuse to let it break me. “I won’t lose myself in this madness. I won’t

her tone cold. “Sometimes, Alina,

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defeat one.”

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though chilling, ignites a defiant spark within me. “I won’t let fear and violence define me. I’ll find another way, even if it means doing

on my own.”

indifferent to our conflict, remains a silent spectator to our unraveling camaraderie. Ettie’s gaze, a

can’t survive this alone. You need someone

tongue. “Trust is earned, Ettie. And right now, I don’t

sound of a stifled sob reaches my ears, and I stiffen immediately, my eyes

on Ettie.

tremble with the weight of emotions, a vulnerability I hadn’t anticipated. In that moment, my heart softens, a realization dawning upon me

a fragile bridge. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean those words.

tears, and for a

delicate glass on the verge of shattering. “How can we go on if you don’t trust

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

on each other, Alina. That’s what kept us going. If we lose that, what do we have

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me – I’m not alone in this struggle, and the survival of our camaraderie is as crucial as navigating the dangers that lurk

scared of losing you,” I admit, the words hanging in the air like

the gap between us. “Alina, you mean everything to me. I did what I did to protect you, to keep you safe. If that

just navigating a forest filled with perilous beasts; we’re navigating

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

wanted to make you doubt me, Alina. I just… I

each step fraught with uncertainty. “We need each other, Ettie. But we also need to trust

choices.”