TEN. "You have ten seconds to remove yourself from my presence before I taser you like the dirty mutt you are," Gmie said, eyes flickering to the giant hole in her wall. "How did you even do that?"

My fingers massaged my sore neck, thinking it was best to probably be honest with her, so I wouldn't get shot. "I found a hole in the wall and climbed through it, and it led me to a tunnel and I tripped and fell into your wall." Simple without revealing too much.

Still aiming the taser at me while pulling out her IV, Gmie winced as she shuffled out of bed to get to her wheelchair and wheeled over to the hole. Peeking into it, she gasped. "It's like a whole new space." Turning back to me, she held the taser up higher. "Why is there trash in there? Were you spying on me this whole time?"

"No, I just found it."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she said, eyes narrowing before touching her jagged hair. "You already destroyed my body and hair like the classless thugs you are. Your team could've sent you here to kill me."

"If my team was trying to kill you, they would've sent Rucker instead of me."

"Or Khan," Gmie shot back like his name made her nauseous. "I thought he actually had integrity and class like me. But no. He decided to lower himself and become part of the ghetto hoodlum squad."

"Don't talk about him like that," I blurted out in a harsh tone.

"Hit a nerve?" Gmie laughed. "So, you are giving it up to Jookie and Khan. You're such a whore."

I narrowed my eyes, balling my fist. "Whores get paid, I do it for free." 

"And you're proud of that?" Gmie wrinkled her forehead, waving the taser. "I know my daddy told me that poor people are a species all their own, but you are truly a dense cunt."

"I know someone who murdered their own cousin in cold blood isn't actually judging someone."

That cocky expression dropped from her face faster than a lion's orgasm. "Shut up! You don't know anything," she said, hand clutching tighter around the taser. "Get—"

The tight squeak of shoes slipping on dirt echoed from the hole, cutting her off. We both paused, frozen in place.

"Who is that?" Gmie snapped, turning her taser from me to the open space to me again. "Who did you bring with you?"

"No one," I said, backing up a bit. It had to be the thirteenth contestant. No one else knew about the tunnels. Scorching tremors oozed up the small of my back, fingers numbing. Were they waiting for me?

Gmie slitted her eyes, watching me like she was trying to determine if I was telling the truth or not. Then, her head swerved back to the opening. "So, Khan wasn't talking bullshit out there. The thirteenth contestant does exist."

"You know about them?"

"Only an imbecile would forget Jookie's words," Gmie said, rolling her eyes. "When we first got here, he said there were thirteen of us, but we only had twelve. I figured that the extra person would show themselves eventually."

"So, you're not working with them then?"

She glared at me, silent.

"Look, you might as well answer my questions."

"I don't have to do nothing," Gmie screamed, jabbing her taser at me. "You fucking tortured me — physically and emotionally. You bullied—"

"Bullied?" I interrupted, jerking back. "You've been fucking with me since I got here! I did nothing but win a challenge and you instantly put me on your shit list."

"Because I know girls like you," she hissed. "You come off all oblivious and innocent, but you're really sneaky and conniving. Turns out I was right, you're nuts!"

"Yet you still fucked with me," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Who's the crazy one now?"

Gmie gritted her teeth. "Give me a reason not to shoot you in the tit."

"Because you're injured and there's an unknown killer stalking us right now," I said, pointing to the opening. "You can't fight them by yourself."

"But they're not after me." An evil smile slipped onto her cracked lips. "They want you. I saw the pink lipstick in the pool room and heard you guys talking. They want you dead, not me." 

"But they'll come for you next."

"And I got tasers and stun grenades," Gmie said, a hardness forming on her face. "I won't go down without a fight. I'll take them with me." She grinned. "Hey, I might invite them in. We might kill your ass together."

I eyed her closed door, and that made her grin even wider. "Doesn't work," she said. "It's on a timed lock that only opens every four hours so no one can break in. You'll have to go out the way you came."

Shit. My eyes drifted to the dark opening, feeling my heart thrash in my chest. I was going to have to go back into the tunnel and probably fight the thirteenth contestant.

I could maybe break down Aries' wall, but it wasn't guaranteed that his wall was weak like Gmie's. And the thirteenth contestant seemed to be down that way anyway, so they would probably attack me before I had the chance to try to break it down.

"Move it," Gmie said, motioning to the opening.

"For a virgin, you're very violent."

"You're one to talk."

True. I held up my hands. "I'll leave but only if you answer my questions first."  I had a lot of unanswered questions that only she could answer and this seemed like the best time if any.

"I really think you must be going senile if you think I'm answering anything from someone who tortured me!"

"At least you lived, your cousin's dead. He—"

"Quiet." Her voice came out in a high-pitched tremble.  "You're just like everyone else — judging me. He was the b-bastard. He abused me—" she cut herself off, shaking her head. "Just get out."

"I want to know about your deal first."

"I'm not telling you anything."

I stared at her, face becoming blank. "You will or I'll sic Rucker and Khan on you. Whether I make it out alive or not, my team will know I was here, and you think I tortured you? Imagine an angry Rucker."

Gmie thinned her lips and lowered her taser. "You get three questions."

"What was the exact details of your deal?"

"I'm not telling you the whole thing in case they might take me up on my offer again," Gmie said, putting the taser on her thigh. "But after Layla's killer reveal, I pulled Jookie to the side and told him that I had a plan that would increase ratings and turn the whole house on its head. I told him my plan, and the producers overheard and loved it. They gave me immunity as part of the deal." She shrugged. "I'm not telling you any more than that about my deal."

So when she pulled Jookie aside at Layla's killer reveal, that was the first time she talked to him about the deal. She probably made her deal that same day. So, Bae had nothing to do with it. Or could Gmie be lying?

"Did you actually meet the producers?"

"No," she admitted. "I did everything through Jookie. He just took me to some stage area and talked to them through his earpiece."

"Did you ask them about who really killed Layla?"

"I did, but they only told me that more would be revealed when the time was right," Gmie said, rolling her eyes.

"They said nothing about there being another contestant?"

"No," she said. "And you're out of questions."

"One more," I said, hearing her suck her teeth. "When you attacked me that first night when the truce was over, who was the third person in the mask?"

Once those words left my lips, intense fear colored her face, making her ashy lips quiver. "I have no idea who you're talking about. It was just me and Demo that night."

"No, there were—"

"There were only two of us that night. No one else." She held up the taser, wrist shaking. "Leave now."

My eyes widened at her shaking body. She was afraid of them. Whoever that third person was, they scared her. Really scared her. "Gm—"

"I said enough." Her voice screeched so loudly that I cringed. "There were only two of us there that night. TWO. And I know nothing else about the other contestant or who killed Layla. All I know is that you burst through my wall like a crazy cunt and now I have to get it fixed. Leave." Cocking the taser to the side, her index finger danced on the trigger. "You got thirty seconds." 

"Fine," I said, knowing I had no other option. I escaped back into the tunnel, seeing nothing but dimness and emptiness again.

Listening for footsteps again, I heard nothing but Gmie wheeling herself behind me. I could probably overpower her and squat in her room if I wanted and wait out the next four hours for the door to open, but—

No. We'll find this thirteenth cretin and end them. I think we should try to escape first and come back with our team. I don't think you have a choice, Betty Crocker. Your team isn't here, and the enemy is. I could contact them. Maybe use Gmie's iPad. That giggling maggot said he'd put the internet back on. He never said anything about the app or messaging. Khan didn't put that in his demands.

The squeaky footstep noise hinted at the air again, and my head darted to the right. They were there, but it was too dark to see. Last time we fought in the dark, I lost. And now I was in their domain. Without my team and Tini.

Let me out. No.

I could do this. I wasn't just brains. I could fight too.

I bolted the other way, trying to seek out light, so I could see better, and it might lead me out of here. I knew I couldn't go back the way I came because Fee could be back, and that space was too narrow to crawl through again.

Getting to the end of the tunnel, I came to an open area with dirt walls and dusty floors, a sodium-light flickering on the ceiling. A giant dirt ledge consumed my entire vision, an even bigger ledge stacked on top.

A make-shift ladder made of rocks lined the center of each ledge, each one leading upwards to the top where a dark, rectangular doorway rested. Maybe that was my way out.

Climbing the first ladder, I came to the second landing, which hoarded nothing but more garbage. Lots of sticky wrappers and more strawberry milk containers.

If we were in a horror movie, we'd be dead right now. Stop investigating shit and move.

I went to make a retort, but she was right. I kicked through the trash to make it to the other ladder and climbed to the third landing and hurried over to the opening.

Betinia.

That familiar voice spoke again. And it wasn't in my head this time, but all around me. I spun around in a circle, the light flickering like a dying lightning bug.

"Show yourself," I called, walking to the ledge.

Betinia.

"You're not scaring me — you're just irritating me," I snapped. "We're not in the dark anymore. I can fight."

A shrill cackle hit the air before the flickering light went out, basking me in darkness.

I control this. You're in my house now, piggy. Don't forget that.

Oh, shit.

I'm coming, piggy.

All the air exited my lungs, making my chest tighten. Complete darkness cloaked me, causing my adrenaline to surge like an overheated thermometer.

Calm down, Bet. It's fine. You'll be fine.

We're not fine. You can't take them. You lost before and you'll lose again. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Turning from the ledge, I turned back, seeing that the opening wasn't completely dark. At the end of the long hallway, there were holes of bright light like before, but I had to walk the long black hallway to get to them. At least a half a mile or more.

I clenched my fist, closing my eyes, knowing my chances of running and reaching the light without them getting me was slim to none.

And last time I fought them, I lost, and Tini saved me. And Tini was gone now.

Let me out. You have no choice. Do you want us to die?

I let out a sigh. I promised Tini that I would start making smarter decisions, and I failed. I shouldn't have gone through that hole without my team. I was stupid. Why did I let my curiosity get the best of me?

This isn't the time for a pity party, Betty Cooper. Let me out before they attack. I can take them.

I could fix it though. I could let her out.

Do you promise to go back in once we escape? Give me a day. No. I want to talk to Seb. I'll talk to Seb. It's your fault he left. I want to do it. And I'm getting ready to save our ass. I deserve something. Fine. You get two hours. Deal.

Closing my eyes, I reached within me, bringing my white light. I spotted her deep down, seeing her toxic green covered by the white-and-black rope of Tini and me. Reaching down, I tried to dissolve the rope, but it remained tight. I tried again. Nothing.

What's taking so long? I can't free you. What? I'm trying, but it's not working. I think Tini has to be here too since we did it together. We're dead.

Tini? Tini. TINI.

I called for her, leaning my head against the wall, using all my energy, but she never came.

Piggy... Time to go oink oink!

♟♙♟