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.”

are no rules, no mercy. You

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

within them. “You think I

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for me? He had to die, Alina. I

you.”

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

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

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

out

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

let anyone harm you, Alina. If that means making tough

different but you’re a monster just like they are.” I

biting. “You think you can survive this on your own? You’re naïve, Alina.

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

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

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

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

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

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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 it

on my own.”

indifferent to our conflict, remains a silent spectator to our unraveling camaraderie.

You need someone you

“Trust is earned, Ettie. And right now, I don’t know if I can trust

reaches my ears, and I stiffen immediately,

on Ettie.

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

fragile bridge. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean those words. I just… I’m scared, Ettie. For both of us.”

eyes stained with tears, and for a moment, the

trust me,” Ettie whispers, her voice fragile like delicate glass on the verge of shattering. “How can we go on if you don’t trust me?”

reminder of the fragility of trust. I step 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 could rely on each other, Alina. That’s what kept us going. If we lose that, what

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struggle, and the survival of our camaraderie is as crucial as navigating the dangers that lurk in

Ettie. Scared of becoming something I’m not. But I’m also scared of losing you,” I admit, the words hanging in the air like

us. “Alina, you mean everything to me. I did what I did to protect you, to keep you safe. If that means sacrificing a piece of myself, then so

not just navigating a forest

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

recognize. “I never wanted to make you doubt me, Alina. I just… I can’t lose you in this place. I can’t

each step fraught with uncertainty. “We need

choices.”