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.”

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

of resentment that courses through me. “That doesn’t give you the right to play judge, jury,

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

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He had to die, Alina.

you.”

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

hardens, a wall of resistance against the accusations that

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like you know what’s best for me, Ettie.

won’t let anyone harm you, Alina. If that

like they are.” I say the words, instantly regretting it the moment they leave my

survive this on your own? You’re naïve, Alina. In this forest, trust is

in the air. Trust, once a fragile bond between us, now shatters like glass. I clench my teeth,

survive, Ettie. But I won’t compromise who I am to do

cave. “Who you are? In this

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

tone cold. “Sometimes, Alina,

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to defeat one.”

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spark within me. “I won’t let fear

on my own.”

our unraveling camaraderie. Ettie’s gaze, a mixture

this alone. You

resentment lingers on my tongue. “Trust is earned, Ettie. And right now,

my ears, and I stiffen immediately, my

on Ettie.

my heart softens, a realization dawning upon

I… I didn’t mean

looks up, her eyes stained with tears, and for a moment, the distance between

on the verge of shattering. “How can we go on

my heart heavy with the weight of my own insecurities. “Ettie,

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

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I’m not alone in this struggle, and the survival of our camaraderie is as crucial as

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.”

“Alina, you mean everything to me. I did what I did to

her choices. We’re not just navigating a forest

out tentatively to touch her shoulder. “Ettie, I’m scared because I care about you. But I can’t blindly accept everything. We

doubt me, Alina. I just… I can’t lose you in this place. I can’t let

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 need to trust in our ability to make

choices.”

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