Zara barely slept.
The weight of Seyi's warning sank into her bones like the cold air surrounding their camp. Malik—calm, composed Malik—plotting to cut people out? It didn't make sense. But in this game, sense was a luxury no one could afford.
When morning broke, she pretended nothing was wrong. Malik handed her a chunk of dried fruit from the supply pack, and she forced a smile in return. Her eyes, though, flicked to everyone else. Seven people. Seven agendas. Only ten could move on—and more drops were coming.
Later, while checking one of Adaeze's snares, Zara pulled Lina aside.
"Something's not right," she whispered.
Lina's eyes narrowed. "What happened?"
"Seyi warned me. He said Malik's planning to cut some of us off if food gets low."
Lina crossed her arms. "You believe him?"
"I don't know what to believe."
"I do." Lina glanced back toward camp. "Seyi and Adaeze showed up too conveniently. And they're earning trust too fast."
"So you think they're playing us?"
"I think they're feeding you just enough truth to hide the bigger lie."
Zara sighed. "Then what do we do?"
"We wait. And we listen more than we speak."
Back at camp, Jayden returned from patrol with a smirk. "Saw smoke to the east. Other groups still alive. And one of them left a message on a tree."
"What kind of message?" Efe asked.
He pulled out a strip of bark, carved with deep letters:
*"THE STRONG WILL OUTLIVE THE LIARS."*
Seyi chuckled. "That's dramatic."
Jayden shrugged. "Either a warning or a promise."
Tension crackled.
That night, while Zara kept watch, she noticed Adaeze and Malik whispering near the edge of the camp. When she approached, they split apart quickly.
"Everything okay?" Zara asked.
"Yeah," Malik said easily. "Just talking about scouting routes."
Zara nodded, pretending to buy it. But her mind was racing.
Something was coming. She could feel it.
The next day brought a new announcement. The same metallic voice boomed from the trees:
*"Challenge Two begins now. A box has been hidden in the red canyon. Inside: Immunity for one. First to retrieve and activate it will be safe from elimination. Others—do what you must."*
Gasps rippled through the group. Immunity. For one person only.
"That changes everything," Jayden muttered. "We can't go as a team."
"No," Malik said firmly. "We go together. And we decide what to do *after* we find it."
Adaeze added, "Or someone grabs it and runs."
Everyone looked at each other, eyes narrowing slightly.
The hike to the canyon was long, grueling. Efe slipped at one point and scraped her arm badly. Zara helped her up. "We're close," she whispered. "Just hang on."
The red canyon opened before them—a deep, narrow crack in the land surrounded by dry rock and twisted trees. They split up to search, but no one strayed far.
Suddenly, a shout. Jayden had found a metal box wedged under a ledge.
He lunged for it—only for Malik to tackle him mid-air.
"STOP!" Zara shouted, but the two rolled across the dust, kicking up red clouds.
Seyi darted in, grabbed the box, and sprinted up the side of the canyon.
"HEY!" Adaeze shouted. "What are you doing?"
But Seyi wasn't stopping. He reached the top, hit the activation button, and the box glowed blue.
A voice echoed:
*"Immunity claimed. Participant Seyi is safe for Phase Two."*
The rest stood frozen.
Zara clenched her fists. She looked at Malik—bleeding, furious.
At Adaeze—eyes wide, betrayed.
At Seyi—standing tall, unbothered.
Whatever trust existed before had cracked wide open.
Later, back at camp, no one spoke. The fire crackled quietly.
But as they tried to rest, everyone knew:
The game had shifted.
And someone was going to pay for it soon.
—